![]() The steep learning curve of The Vagrant was hard to follow in audio form, and I had to relisten to the first couple of chapters two or three times to really appreciate what was going on. To be honest, I only purchased the audio version because the ebook was listed at $20, the paperback was in the vicinity of $30+, and I had a spare Audible credit lying around. ![]() The last thing I want to talk about was my experience listening to the audio edition of The Vagrant. It poses the question, how do you find the will to go on when the world around you has imploded and the people with the power to help you have abandoned you to your doom? It is a grim, gritty setting that makes the small beacons of hope and humanity shine so much brighter by contrast. The setting is a poisoned world, a dying world, with most of its inhabitants sitting somewhere on the wide spectrum of depression. ![]() Newman really let his creativity fly with this world, and the novel is so much better for it. I've been reading a lot of post-apocalypse books lately, but this is the first one in a long time to set it in a fantasy world with swords, necromancy, mutations, demons, and some advanced technology. In the end I feel much the same as I did when I finished Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, that you can read through this book multiple times and continue to find cool things that you missed first time around. I didn't really get into this book until the Vagrant and his companions reached Verdigree, which was a full third of the way into the book, but after that I slowly started to fall in love with this book, especially when characters like Harm and The Hammer were introduced. This can be hard to follow, especially when listening to the audio version of the book, and might be a barrier to readers who are on the fence with regards to acquiring this book. There are also flashbacks, and scenes from the various demons perspectives that complicate the telling of the story. This steep learning curve is combined with an unfamiliar writing style - present tense omniscient narration - and a unique twist - the main character is a silent protagonist. The Vagrant has a steep learning curve, with Newman simplying dropping you into the story armed with very little information. The path is arduous, the purpose of the mission is cloudy at best, but there is always a small glimmer of hope to keep The Vagrant moving forward. ![]() There are some substantial obstacles in his path demons are drawn to the power exuded by The Malice, food is impossible to find outside of the cities, and every city is controlled by a different demonic faction. The Vagrant is in possession of a sentient sword called The Malice, and it is his duty to deliver The Malice to the last bastion of humanity far to the north. The story follows a man known only as the Vagrant, a baby, and a goat as they journey through the demon-infested southern regions of the continent. Persevere with this book, and you shall be rewarded. It was a hard book to get into, presenting a steep learning curve and mashing up a bunch of different styles in an eclectic fashion, but once I got into the book the journey became absorbing and I found the payoff to be immensely satisfying. The Vagrant is the debut novel of Peter Newman, a post demon apocalypse novel set in a dying fantasy world. ![]()
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