Short Fiction Friday: The Ghoul King by Guy Haley

Hi, readers! Before I kick off this post I just want to take a minute to give another shout out to the fabulous job the folks over at Tor.com Publishing are doing. If you haven't checked out some of their work, you are seriously missing out! They've got a fantastic line of novellas - both ebook and print - as well as free shorts online. I love, love, love what they're doing and love being able to spread the word!

Quinn is back in this second installment of the Dreaming Cities series.

The story picks up in the aftermath of The Emperor's Railroad. After killing the angels' creation, Quinn's position as knight can't protect him.

A group of technophiles has set their sights on Quinn. Their interests make them a target for the angels in this time of limited technology and education, but their desire to learn outweighs any and all fear. And their leader, Rachel, has big plans. Plans that involve finding something only Quinn can help them with. They'll have to convince him to join them, but their first step - and challenge - is freeing him from the pit!

So Quinn has angered the angels and it lands him in a bit of trouble. Fortunately, Jaxon and his group are in need of Quinn's skill and have planned to free him from his predicament. Of course, again the story is told after the fact so we know that Jaxon has been caught and is being questioned by the angels' emissary. And we know the angels are looking for Quinn again.

Where our narrator in Quinn's previous adventure was a twelve-year-old boy, this time around our story is told by a grown man trained as a healer. Jaxon is an interesting character, one I assume we'll likely not be seeing again considering the way the series is being laid out. He's long known there's more knowledge available in the art of healing and medicine than the angels allow access to and is determined to find it. This aspect of the world, the control the angels exert over humans and the limitations put on education and such, become more clearer in this installment thanks to Jaxon himself.

We're also introduced to the ghouls in The Ghoul King. Differing from the undead of The Emperor's Railroad, the ghouls have conscious thought, communication, and the ability to plan. Which also means the ability to hunt as a pack. Bad news for Quinn, Rachel, Jaxon, and the others considering Rachel's plans include traveling directly into ghoul territory.

I love the limited viewpoint of the stories. We as the reader are given access to different information because of the different perspectives. Jaxon is older and more educated, he also remembers a time before the angels smashed everything to smithereens (though not a time before the angels). Abney was only twelve and had lived a fairly sheltered life up to the point where his story begins. Not only are they limited in what they can offer in terms of the world, but they're limited in what they can offer about Quinn and his situation. We all have to wait for him to reveal his own story!

The world of Haley's Dreaming Cities is awesome. Literally worthy of awe and fabulous in its imagining. When we entered the series in The Emperor's Railroad, we learned a bit about the war between the angels and the Emperor himself but very little about the angels. The Ghoul King introduces a few more key pieces of information about them and their workings, making the world that much more intriguing. As mentioned, I have a theory that does seem to be playing out somewhat. Only time and further reading will tell, though.

Rating: 4/5

Short Fiction Friday: The Emperor's Railroad by Guy Haley

In the not so distant future, in a world where the dead walk and the angels rule everything, a boy and his mother undertake a treacherous journey to find their only living relative. The only thing standing between them and an army of zombies (and worse) is a knight who refuses to wear his badge.

Quinn is an agent of the angels, one of the only remaining knights in existence. But in the wake of the war and following the death of the Emperor, there's not much for a knight to do - officially. Which is fortunate for Abney and his mother. After their town was decimated, they took to the road to find Abney's mother's cousin, in the hopes that he'll offer them safe haven. But it's been some years since they last heard from the man and the journey will take them through some of the most dangerous landscape in their region.

The story is actually told from Abney's perspective some years after the events take place: he's now an older man, recounting the tale and preserving a piece of Quinn's history and legend. Which is a fabulous way to begin the Dreaming Cities series and a great premise overall - a chronicle of a man who has become legend in a world that's more akin to our own pioneer times. With zombies and monsters, of course.

The world is quite intricate and we aren't really given a full idea of the how or why of their situation. We know there was an epic battle between two groups of "angels." We also know that the angels have quashed pretty much all technology and education, infrastructure has fallen - even architecture is only to be gleaned from the remains of the Gone Before, and folks like the Emperor are controlled and eliminated if and when the angels decide they've outgrown their usefulness or become too dangerous.

Quinn, we find out, is reluctant to talk about his position. He doesn't hide it - it's quite obvious that he's a knight, but he doesn't display his badge (which shows which faction of angels he's technically tied to). The reason for this is part of Quinn's overall tale but not the focus of this particular piece.

I don't know at this time how many installments are planned for the Dreaming Cities series. I do know there is a second installment (which I've already read and have tried SO HARD not to let influence this review - because we learn more about the world) due out in July. I have my own suspicions about the angels and the truth behind this word, I'm not sure if I'll turn out to be correct or not but I think that's going to be part of the fun in reading more of this series - seeing the world unfold in the same way a mystery might. And of course learning more about Quinn, his past, and his ultimate goals!

Rating: 4/5