The Steel Remains, by Richard K. Morgan

[saellys]

Has anyone else picked this up? I was attracted by the diversity of its three protagonists and the book's reputation for making readers uncomfortable, so I downloaded the ebook. I found the extremely modern language a bit jarring (everyone says "yeah"), but I could suspend my disbelief as they're all battle-hardened veterans speaking in that vernacular. Morgan's worldbuilding was superb, and I felt like there was real history there, not just in the realm itself but between its characters. The revelation in the epilogue was marvelous, even though I'd called it a couple chapters earlier.

I found the staggered timeline extremely disorienting to read, and thought Morgan made that choice to echo the parts where his main character is dallying in a timeless limbo, but then I got to the end and discovered that the chapters in my epub version were all out of order. Whoops! Those who actually read this book in the correct sequence stand to enjoy it more than I did.

I started the sequel, The Cold Commands, and made it a few chapters in before the first book's hero told his men to rape an antagonist, at which point I nearly threw the book across the room (which would have been unwise since I was reading it on my phone). I'm just gonna pretend Morgan stopped with The Steel Remains.

 

[Philip Overby]

Yes, I was actually going to suggest this book to you in the other thread, but I wasn't sure what that was what you're going for. The main character is gay, but I don't think it's his whole identity, just an aspect of his character. I don't so much mind "Yeah" and "OK" in fantasy as much as other people do. It's his world, so it doesn't really matter if the language sounds medieval or whatever.

I think this book is a good example of using diverse characters without being heavy-handed about it. It didn't really make me uncomfortable, but nothing really makes me uncomfortable.

 

[saellys]

Yes, I was actually going to suggest this book to you in the other thread, but I wasn't sure what that was what you're going for.

I'm definitely not aiming for the mood of The Steel Remains, but I did want to see how varying sexual preferences were being handled in published fantasy, and it did not disappoint! I agree that the way the characters were labeled by the world around them was an important aspect of their respective histories, but only a portion of their identities. Morgan struck a great balance. He didn't make a big deal out of writing a gay male person of color as his main character--that's just who Ringil was, and it was awesome.