Dan Abnett’s Triumff lives up to its name
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We were expecting great things from Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero, but it still warms our cold, metal hearts when we see people write nice things about it.
Take Graeme’s Fantasy Book review, for instance.
I wasn’t expecting ‘Triumff’ to be as funny as it was and it was a more than pleasant surprise to find myself laughing as much as I was…
The real fun lies in the moments where everything kicks off with lashings of hot pursuit and swordplay. This is where Abnett really lets loose and has a great time; throwing friend and foe together with great gusto and shaking the mixture up to see what happens. As far as I was concerned Abnett carried it off almost perfectly…
Nine out of Ten
Oh, we so wholeheartedly agree…
Meanwhile, over at the George RR Martin Forums at Westeros:
Abnett has created a rollicking world (neo-Elizabethanpunk?) which is basically a mash-up of our own and that of the Elizabethan period. Gentlemen fight duels of honour, but may choose to employ Swiss Army swords (which have an unfortunate habit of replacing the sword blade with a potato peeler at inopportune moments during combat) in lieu of a standard rapier. Firearms are around, but still relatively primitive, whilst those versed in the Arte may employ significantly more powerful magical weapons as well.
Triumff himself is a splendid hero, a colourful man of action perhaps a little too fond of the bottle but generally out to do the right thing…
Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero (****½) is a superior slice of amusement and is available now in the UK from Angry Robot. Those of a Colonial persuasion can enquire for copies via Amazon.
Don’t forget – you can meet Dan (along with many other fine Angry Robot folk) at the Angry Robot Launch Event at Forbidden Planet in London this coming Saturday, from 12.30 to 2.00.
Be there.
