The Folded Land (Relics #2) by Tim Lebbon (Review) @timlebbon @TitanBooks #Relics #Mythology #Crime

Sent To Me By Titan Books In Exchange For An Honest Review

20.03.2018 / Titan Books / Fantasy Crime / Paperback / 336pp / 978-1785650314

4/5

Target Audience: Readers who would appreciate a fantasy/crime mash-up with plenty of mythology thrown in.

About The Folded Land

In the dark underbelly of our world, there’s a black market in arcane things—living and dead. Angela Gough has been pulled into this world, making her a criminal on the run.

In London she encountered the Kin—satyrs and centaurs, Nephilim and wraiths, they are hunted and slaughtered for their body parts. Fleeing back to the United States, Angela discovers that the Kin are everywhere, and they are tired of being prey.

When her niece Sammi is struck by lightning, she is drawn toward the mysterious Folded Land, and its powerful and deadly ruler. Helped by her lover Vince, caught in the midst of a Kin uprising, Angela must locate Sammi before the girl is lost forever.

Pick up a copy: Titan Books / Amazon UK / Amazon US / Goodreads

My Review

It is brilliant when you lose track of a series and then the next instalment pops up out of nowhere and you get the chance to drop everything to read it. Relics was a fantastic mash-up of crime, fantasy and mythology. The fantasy elements were fairly hidden away in the shadows during Relics but in The Folded Land they are out in the open for everyone to see. This series has become a bold and memorable story populated by some remarkable characters. Angela, Lilou, Meloy and Vince are back in the thick of it. Now in North America having fled the UK where they are all wanted for murder. They are trying to find Angela’s niece who has been mysteriously struck by lightning twice. A near impossible occurrence yet it happened to Sammi and a lot of other people in the area. Freak event or sign of the presence of a powerful Kin? When Angela finds out Sammi is hurt and missing and that there is Kin-killer on her tail, the group head straight into danger to rescue her.

I totally agree with everyone’s comparison of Lebbon’s writing to Neil Gaiman but TL is definitely more willing to cross lines and pursue grittier tales which I actually prefer. It is definitely the characters that make this series so readable. I am a mythology addict and The Folded Land is jam-packed with awesome mythological beings from all over the world. The usual human cast is back with an additional two plot lines surrounding new characters. I was feeling pretty meh about Angela in the last novel and nothing has really changed apart from she has more experience in handling the Kin which makes for some interesting confrontations. Angela just seems a tad bland compared to all the other fantastic characters that are present but that is my own opinion and it really didn’t affect the reading experience because there are so many other elements to focus on. Sammi and her lightening story was intriguing at times but was spread a little too thin in favour of other plot points. The best story line for me was Gregor the Kin Killer. His story was brutal but he got more face time with exceptional creatures than anyone. I found myself surprisingly gutted by some of the outcomes of the narrative and was a little peeved that TL left out an brilliant character like Jay until the very end. I hope she comes back in the next novel otherwise I may have to revolt.

Tim Lebbon has really gone all out on the mythological themes this time around and I really like where this series is headed. I thought the insights into the history between the Kinfolk and Humans was compelling. TL writes about myths and legends with the infectious appreciation they deserve and along with a diverse collection of Kin, I couldn’t get enough. The story has really ramped up from Relics, with secrecy in the rearview mirror, TL has gone the extra mile for mythology mongers like myself. I could go easily share some examples of what lies within but that wouldn’t be fair on you; let’s just say that I learned about quite a few new myths and legends reading this novel.

The Folded Land focuses on quite a few plot developments across several narratives but they are beginning to converge into one massive, exciting and dark showdown. A Neiphilm who wants to go to war with Humankind. An ancient being who wants to restore her power. A bunch of humans forever caught in the crossfire. I am finding it hard to actually predict what Tim Lebbon has planned next and I love that unpredictability and potential for twists. I am a fan of the scattered narrative styles and it does work well in this novel. There is just enough of each story per chapter to keep the reader intrigued. The writing in The Folded Land is a mesmerising blend of horror, fantasy and crime that is taking some even darker turns that I originally anticipated. Tim Lebbon is a master of seriously cool yet electrifying horror fiction.

Tim Lebbon takes his readers to magical places and then unleashes carnage and it’s definitely different from anything else I have read recently in a positive way. The development of this series is certainly escalating at an alarming rate. Relics was a taste of what is to come. The Folded Land increased the tension, wonder and horror. I can’t wait to see what comes next. The Folded Land comes highly recommended from me!

About Tim Lebbon

Tim Lebbon is the New York Times bestselling author of the movie novelizations of 30 Days of Night and The Cabin in the Woods. He has also written many critically acclaimed horror and dark fantasy novels. Tim has won three British Fantasy Awards, a Bram Stoker Award, a Shocker, a Tombstone and been a finalist for the International Horror Guild and World Fantasy Awards.

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