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The Lore of Prometheus
John Carver has three rules: Don't drink in the daytime, don't gamble when the luck has gone, and don't talk to the dead people who come to visit.
It has been almost five years since the incident in Kabul. Since the magic stirred within him and the stories began. Fleeing the army, running from the whispers, the guilt, and the fear he was losing his mind, Carver fell into addiction, dragging himself through life one day at a time.
Desperation has pulled him back to Afghanistan, back to the heat, the dust, and the truth he worked so hard to avoid. But there are others, obsessed with power and forbidden magics, who will stop at nothing to learn the truth of his gifts. Abducted and chained, Carver must break more than his own rules if he is to harness this power and survive.
It has been almost five years since the incident in Kabul. Since the magic stirred within him and the stories began. Fleeing the army, running from the whispers, the guilt, and the fear he was losing his mind, Carver fell into addiction, dragging himself through life one day at a time.
Desperation has pulled him back to Afghanistan, back to the heat, the dust, and the truth he worked so hard to avoid. But there are others, obsessed with power and forbidden magics, who will stop at nothing to learn the truth of his gifts. Abducted and chained, Carver must break more than his own rules if he is to harness this power and survive.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 30, 2018
About the author
Graham Austin-King
13 books341 followersGraham Austin-King was born in the south of England and weaned on broken swords and half-forgotten spells. A shortage of these forced him to consume fantasy novels at an ever-increasing rate, turning to computers and tabletop gaming between meals.
He experimented with writing at the beginning of an education that meandered through journalism, international relations, and law. To this day he is committed to never allowing those first efforts to reach public eyes.
After spending a decade in Canada, learning what 'cold' really means, and being horrified by poutine, he settled once again in the UK with a seemingly endless horde of children.
To date he is the author of five novels, drawing on a foundation of literary influences ranging from David Eddings to Clive Barker.
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Find Graham on facebook at http://on.fb.me/1pMyWmK He loves to chat with readers.
Follow him on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Grayaustin
What others are saying about Graham's books:
"Austin-King's writing is descriptive and layered, full of mystery and tension..." - Sarah Chorn, Bookworm Blues
"The action is great, the suspense is well done and the Fae are truly scary." - Leanne Ellis, Bloody Cake News
"...If you like fantasy books which you can really get stuck into then this one is for you!" - Bodicia, A Woman's Wisdom Blog
"...This is a fantastic fantasy! I loved it!" - Lynn Worton, Book Reviews by Lynn.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
May 29, 2023
So, this book was entered into the 2019 Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off contest #SPFBO
For more about the contest, go here: http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/2...
The book was a semi-finalist but also awarded "Senlin Safety Net" status which, among other things, means that it was very very close to being a finalist. The book that beat it out of a finalist spot was Never Die by Rob J. Hayes, who won the whole contest two years before that with a different book. Never Die did very well, with a commendable score of 7.7 but nobody was beating that year's champion The Sword of Kaigen.
The Lore of Prometheus could, I feel, have won an SPFBO contest given a different year and a different shake of the dice - much like Senlin Ascends could have. But both were, in fact, very highly rated semi-finalists. Luck plays its part.
Graham gave me a copy of this book at Bristolcon 2021 (it's my wont to sit in the bar just outside the con and enjoy a few hours of beer and chat every year).
This is by no means a perfect book, but it's a fine stand-alone read. This is modern, urban fantasy that put me strongly in mind of the work of Myke Cole - an author who writes military fantasy centred on a smattering of people with random magic talents. This random magic conceit has become very popular of late and I could point at all manner of TV shows etc featuring it. It's a variant on mutants (X-men) and basic superheros, with a fantasy-flavour sprinkled in by calling the abilities magic rather than mutations or powers.
The book bounces between two PoVs, one in the first person, one in the third, a style I last saw used in The Whitefire Crossing. The first person character is a male, ex-soldier, the other point of view is from a female nurse. The military perspective is, to me at least, very convincing and I could have believed that like Myke Cole, Austin-King has military experience. There's no mention of it in his bio, so I assume he has just read more military novels than I have.
The writing is strong. There are no flights of poetic fancy, no breath-stopping one liners (for this reader) but it's assured, does its job well, focuses on the right things to make you believe, to keep you invested, to maintain the pace and the tension. Basically very solid.
The various pieces that this story is built from, the ideas, powers, etc are by and large something that I felt I'd seen somewhere before. But to a degree that's like looking at a house and saying I've seen bricks before. With these building blocks Austin-King assembles a story whose architecture was highly entertaining.
The story is fairly simple. To call it "no frills" would be accurate but doing it a disservice, because it's certainly not a "no thrills" story, and I found myself wanting to read more, wanting the characters to succeed and the bad guys to get stomped.
If you're looking for something self-contained and absorbing, mixing military with magic ... this is for you!
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
For more about the contest, go here: http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/2...
The book was a semi-finalist but also awarded "Senlin Safety Net" status which, among other things, means that it was very very close to being a finalist. The book that beat it out of a finalist spot was Never Die by Rob J. Hayes, who won the whole contest two years before that with a different book. Never Die did very well, with a commendable score of 7.7 but nobody was beating that year's champion The Sword of Kaigen.
The Lore of Prometheus could, I feel, have won an SPFBO contest given a different year and a different shake of the dice - much like Senlin Ascends could have. But both were, in fact, very highly rated semi-finalists. Luck plays its part.
Graham gave me a copy of this book at Bristolcon 2021 (it's my wont to sit in the bar just outside the con and enjoy a few hours of beer and chat every year).
This is by no means a perfect book, but it's a fine stand-alone read. This is modern, urban fantasy that put me strongly in mind of the work of Myke Cole - an author who writes military fantasy centred on a smattering of people with random magic talents. This random magic conceit has become very popular of late and I could point at all manner of TV shows etc featuring it. It's a variant on mutants (X-men) and basic superheros, with a fantasy-flavour sprinkled in by calling the abilities magic rather than mutations or powers.
The book bounces between two PoVs, one in the first person, one in the third, a style I last saw used in The Whitefire Crossing. The first person character is a male, ex-soldier, the other point of view is from a female nurse. The military perspective is, to me at least, very convincing and I could have believed that like Myke Cole, Austin-King has military experience. There's no mention of it in his bio, so I assume he has just read more military novels than I have.
The writing is strong. There are no flights of poetic fancy, no breath-stopping one liners (for this reader) but it's assured, does its job well, focuses on the right things to make you believe, to keep you invested, to maintain the pace and the tension. Basically very solid.
The various pieces that this story is built from, the ideas, powers, etc are by and large something that I felt I'd seen somewhere before. But to a degree that's like looking at a house and saying I've seen bricks before. With these building blocks Austin-King assembles a story whose architecture was highly entertaining.
The story is fairly simple. To call it "no frills" would be accurate but doing it a disservice, because it's certainly not a "no thrills" story, and I found myself wanting to read more, wanting the characters to succeed and the bad guys to get stomped.
If you're looking for something self-contained and absorbing, mixing military with magic ... this is for you!
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
November 28, 2018
Things just haven’t been right for John Carver since his last deployment. That time when everything turned to shit but he walked out the sole survivor, the ‘Miracle of Kabul’. Especially since it heralded the arrival of his new companions: the dead. His former teammates are far from happy with their new circumstances and are more than willing to tell him about it. Repeatedly. The fact that they’re supposed to be six feet under hasn’t stopped them from hanging around sporting seriously bad attitudes. Now PTSD hits hard, but this is a whole new level, and Carver is barely getting by. When he reaches rock bottom, in desperate need of some funds before his loan shark calls in his debt with extreme prejudice, he has no choice but to head back out to the place that haunts both his dreams and his day alike. Taking a high-paid job as a security consultant can’t be that bad, right? Even if it’s in Afghanistan. Even if it brings back all kinds of bad memories. And it really isn’t terrible, until he’s kidnapped….
First off, this was nothing like what I expected. I imagined it following that usual UF format: person finds out they have magic, fights other supernatural creatures, bit of danger, bit of comedy, all is good with the world, the End. Instead, this is a thriller with a hefty splash of magic, but more than that, it’s a book about personal demons, PTSD, tragedy, and what it means to be broken. More real world than fantasy world, the plot doesn’t stretch far from the chilling history of experimentation on humans. It’s a tale rooted in darkest aspects of humanity, immoral researchers willing to do anything to awaken magic in their captured subjects, such powers only emerging from shattered minds twisted with anger and despair. It’s somewhat balanced by a black humour, but even that walks the jagged line between sanity and madness. So much of what happens, of what Carver sees and feels, could be the result of his PTSD. The details of this disorder are so effectively embedded in the plot that when the boundaries of reality are stretched, it seems almost possible. Everything about him as a character grounds the supernatural in his malfunctioning life. On top of that, his first person narrative and devil may care attitude are immediately appealing, he’s not only down on his luck, he’s right out of it. But that’s not going to stop him back chatting his jailers and generally being a serious pain in their collective arses. Oh you know he’s going to cause some trouble…
But Carver isn’t the only one dragged into this Hell. An Australian nurse, Mackenzie, provides the alternate voice through which the story is told. Even though it switches to third person for her sections, it is no less immediate, no less affecting. Being a woman only heightened my connection to her, strapped naked and vulnerable to some rigged up contraption in a dungeon. Traumatised and physically wrecked by her experience, this is her trial by fire. She is pushed to her very limits, forced by the ever increasing torments of her captors to reach that point where she cracks, where she lets go of reality and breaks through to that part of her where the magic hides. But while she might be beaten down, she is never weak. When her time comes, that moment she gets to push back, it is a joy to behold. And boy do they ever regret unleashing her. I think I may have cheered aloud: burn their whole world down, love, they deserve the flames.
So you can, perhaps, tell I got a bit involved. The finale was a veritable explosion of justice and I loved it. It’s high action, bloody, and more than a little fun. Even as I was reading it I was imagining how awesome it would be as a film. The whole thing came as a surprise, but that’s only one of the reasons I won’t forget it. It’s the kind of genre bending, intensely fresh feeling book that successfully integrates deeper themes and a setting that’s wonderfully far away from the norm. I’m hoping there’s more to come, I’d read the hell of a series like this. If you’re looking for something different, that still has heart and one hell of a punch, put this on your TBR. You won’t regret it.
ARC via author
First off, this was nothing like what I expected. I imagined it following that usual UF format: person finds out they have magic, fights other supernatural creatures, bit of danger, bit of comedy, all is good with the world, the End. Instead, this is a thriller with a hefty splash of magic, but more than that, it’s a book about personal demons, PTSD, tragedy, and what it means to be broken. More real world than fantasy world, the plot doesn’t stretch far from the chilling history of experimentation on humans. It’s a tale rooted in darkest aspects of humanity, immoral researchers willing to do anything to awaken magic in their captured subjects, such powers only emerging from shattered minds twisted with anger and despair. It’s somewhat balanced by a black humour, but even that walks the jagged line between sanity and madness. So much of what happens, of what Carver sees and feels, could be the result of his PTSD. The details of this disorder are so effectively embedded in the plot that when the boundaries of reality are stretched, it seems almost possible. Everything about him as a character grounds the supernatural in his malfunctioning life. On top of that, his first person narrative and devil may care attitude are immediately appealing, he’s not only down on his luck, he’s right out of it. But that’s not going to stop him back chatting his jailers and generally being a serious pain in their collective arses. Oh you know he’s going to cause some trouble…
But Carver isn’t the only one dragged into this Hell. An Australian nurse, Mackenzie, provides the alternate voice through which the story is told. Even though it switches to third person for her sections, it is no less immediate, no less affecting. Being a woman only heightened my connection to her, strapped naked and vulnerable to some rigged up contraption in a dungeon. Traumatised and physically wrecked by her experience, this is her trial by fire. She is pushed to her very limits, forced by the ever increasing torments of her captors to reach that point where she cracks, where she lets go of reality and breaks through to that part of her where the magic hides. But while she might be beaten down, she is never weak. When her time comes, that moment she gets to push back, it is a joy to behold. And boy do they ever regret unleashing her. I think I may have cheered aloud: burn their whole world down, love, they deserve the flames.
So you can, perhaps, tell I got a bit involved. The finale was a veritable explosion of justice and I loved it. It’s high action, bloody, and more than a little fun. Even as I was reading it I was imagining how awesome it would be as a film. The whole thing came as a surprise, but that’s only one of the reasons I won’t forget it. It’s the kind of genre bending, intensely fresh feeling book that successfully integrates deeper themes and a setting that’s wonderfully far away from the norm. I’m hoping there’s more to come, I’d read the hell of a series like this. If you’re looking for something different, that still has heart and one hell of a punch, put this on your TBR. You won’t regret it.
ARC via author
November 30, 2018
I was privileged enough to get an ARC of this, and loved it. It's like Myke Cole’s Shadow Ops meets Matt Helm meets Remo Williams in the coolest possible way. This is brutal, thrilling, action-packed military fantasy at its absolute best. Austin-King’s attention to detail and fast paced snarky style make this book a must read. Not kidding. If you're into military fantasy, or even if you're not, you have to give this a try.
November 24, 2018
Actual rating: 4.5/5 but I'll round it up.
The Lore of Prometheus protagonist, John Carver, is a broken ex-military with severe PTSD symptoms. During his last field mission in Kabul, terrorists killed his squad members. Saved by a miracle, he blames himself for the tragedy. His dead squad members share the sentiment and express it on a daily basis.
A desperate situation forces John to return to Afghanistan. Things go downhill almost instantly. A group of researchers obsessed with magic and superpowers abducts those who miraculously survived impossible situations in their past. They hope to activate hidden powers by subjecting captives to stress, hunger and torture.
In Austin-King’s story, superpowers stem from rage and despair and only deeply traumatised individuals can experience them. Such powers bring only pain and destruction. For some, it’s too much and they turn in feral animals.
Telling more about the plot would spoil it for you, so I’ll stop right here, right now.
Apart from the excellent and well-researched moments of introspection and trauma analysis, the story shines because of the believable and relatable characters. John’s dry sense of humour and no-nonsense approach to life made me instantly like his voice. Since he narrates the story, we see the world through his eyes and experience it with him.
There’s also a second protagonist, an Australian nurse, MacKenzie. Her story, told in the third person, pulled no punches and I was furious at the author for dragging her through hell. It served something though. The payoff was sweet.
As a side note, is mixing first and third-person point of view becoming a trend or it’s just Austin-King and Galley writing in a sync?
Flaws? Well, I have one small(ish) issue concerning Janan’s ending but it would be a spoiler.
The Lore of Prometheus is enormously fun, with vivid, visceral action scenes, disturbing realisations and engaging characters who are definitely on the darker end of the “moral shades of grey” spectrum. Austin-King blended high-octane thriller, in-depth analysis of trauma and pure badass moments into a compelling and memorable story.
TLoP gets a comfy place in my top three superhero novels, in the company of Daniel O’Malley’s The Rook And Ayize Jama-Everett’s The Liminal People.
It’s a strange day when the guy who talks to dead people begins to think he’s the normal one.
The Lore of Prometheus protagonist, John Carver, is a broken ex-military with severe PTSD symptoms. During his last field mission in Kabul, terrorists killed his squad members. Saved by a miracle, he blames himself for the tragedy. His dead squad members share the sentiment and express it on a daily basis.
A desperate situation forces John to return to Afghanistan. Things go downhill almost instantly. A group of researchers obsessed with magic and superpowers abducts those who miraculously survived impossible situations in their past. They hope to activate hidden powers by subjecting captives to stress, hunger and torture.
In Austin-King’s story, superpowers stem from rage and despair and only deeply traumatised individuals can experience them. Such powers bring only pain and destruction. For some, it’s too much and they turn in feral animals.
Telling more about the plot would spoil it for you, so I’ll stop right here, right now.
Apart from the excellent and well-researched moments of introspection and trauma analysis, the story shines because of the believable and relatable characters. John’s dry sense of humour and no-nonsense approach to life made me instantly like his voice. Since he narrates the story, we see the world through his eyes and experience it with him.
There’s also a second protagonist, an Australian nurse, MacKenzie. Her story, told in the third person, pulled no punches and I was furious at the author for dragging her through hell. It served something though. The payoff was sweet.
As a side note, is mixing first and third-person point of view becoming a trend or it’s just Austin-King and Galley writing in a sync?
Flaws? Well, I have one small(ish) issue concerning Janan’s ending but it would be a spoiler.
The Lore of Prometheus is enormously fun, with vivid, visceral action scenes, disturbing realisations and engaging characters who are definitely on the darker end of the “moral shades of grey” spectrum. Austin-King blended high-octane thriller, in-depth analysis of trauma and pure badass moments into a compelling and memorable story.
TLoP gets a comfy place in my top three superhero novels, in the company of Daniel O’Malley’s The Rook And Ayize Jama-Everett’s The Liminal People.
February 26, 2020
I’ve read this author’s work in the past and really, really enjoyed them – I was a huge fan of Faithless. That said, I was avoiding this one because it sounded like it was too far out of my wheelhouse. And after starting it I soon realized I was likely not the ideal target audience… but it didn’t matter because I was loving it. I think the ideal target audience would be people who watch movies like Bourne Identity, Bond, and military/secret agent type storylines.
This starts out with the main POV, John, and his “visitors”. John lived through an extraordinarily traumatic experience as a special services soldier in Afghanistan and it’s left him with severe PTSD. The kind of PTSD where he sees his dead friends around him every day. He has self-inflicted rules regarding his visitors, too. “Rule Three” is not to talk out loud to his visitors … it’s a half-successful way of trying to maintain his grip on his sanity and reality. John gets himself deeply into debt and he owes some scary people money. He decides to go to an old friend, someone from his old squad who also survived the event and asked for a job. He’s given a job that will take about six months … but it would send him back to Afghanistan. Not having a whole lot of choice in the matter, he decides to take the job and heads off on his mission.
We also have another side POV who comes in around 10%, and is in a very strange predicament. She was a nurse in the middle east and has found herself strapped to a wooden structure, nude, and in the dark. Not a great start for a woman in a hostile area… inwardly I was like “don’t, don’t, don’t” and he didn’t. It wasn’t what it appeared to be. She’s been captured by someone known as Afridi and he wants her to harness her powers. As a child, she lived through a fire that burned down her family’s home and killed everyone except for her. She was found unscathed, unburned, in a pile of ashes. She had shut that part of herself off a long time ago and considered it a mystery she was never going to solve – she definitely didn’t believe in magic and thinks this guy is off his rocker.
This was a dark as fuck book. People are tortured to death, burned to death, captured, shot, and taken to their breaking points. Magic in this alternate Earth is brought about only through pain, physical or mental. The place where Mackenzie finds herself is a house of horrors intended to break everyone inside. Characters betray each other, you’re never sure who the characters should and shouldn’t trust which all comes together to create this fucked up feeling of injustice and rage. That may make the book sound miserable, but it was paired with a main character who’s cynical, witty, and sarcastic which kind of dampens what could have been “too much” grimness to be entertaining.
The pacing was just fucking excellent. I don’t usually give a perfect score in pacing, but there’s literally nothing I would have changed. I got to know the main character well before we switched POV. The secondary POV was fascinating which made me interested in knowing more every time she came up – which was spaced in 10% chunks. We saw her at 10%, 20%, 30%, etc… and the two POV’s don’t collide until 75% – which would usually irritate me, but this time it didn’t.
The writing was fucking solid. I think my only complaint would be the banter was a little too buoyant and flippant given the severity of the situation the two POV’s were in when they finally met. But, meh. It was fun, I have to admit that. It made me smile even though I doubt very much so I would behave like that in their situation. If you don’t like the word fuck in fantasy books… just pass on this one.
Maybe I would have read something like this sooner if I focused more on superhero stories and sci-fi – but with the ghosts and what not this felt more like a fantasy, and it’s not a kind of fantasy I’ve read before. I really like military-fantasy, but I’ve always read things like Django Wexler’s series, The Thousand Names. So far I hadn’t picked up anything based on modern soldiers. Neat shit. Highly recommended.
TLDR: Modern military fantasy. Main POV is an ex-secret service living with PTSD. secondary pov is captured in middle east, and mystery surrounds her plotline. Dark but funny at times. Fast-paced craziness. ghosts. superpowers.
Ratings:
Plot: 12/15
Characters: 13/15
World-Building: 12/15
Writing: 14/15
Pacing: 15/15
Originality: 14/15
Personal Enjoyment: 9.5/10
Final Score: 89.5/100
This starts out with the main POV, John, and his “visitors”. John lived through an extraordinarily traumatic experience as a special services soldier in Afghanistan and it’s left him with severe PTSD. The kind of PTSD where he sees his dead friends around him every day. He has self-inflicted rules regarding his visitors, too. “Rule Three” is not to talk out loud to his visitors … it’s a half-successful way of trying to maintain his grip on his sanity and reality. John gets himself deeply into debt and he owes some scary people money. He decides to go to an old friend, someone from his old squad who also survived the event and asked for a job. He’s given a job that will take about six months … but it would send him back to Afghanistan. Not having a whole lot of choice in the matter, he decides to take the job and heads off on his mission.
We also have another side POV who comes in around 10%, and is in a very strange predicament. She was a nurse in the middle east and has found herself strapped to a wooden structure, nude, and in the dark. Not a great start for a woman in a hostile area… inwardly I was like “don’t, don’t, don’t” and he didn’t. It wasn’t what it appeared to be. She’s been captured by someone known as Afridi and he wants her to harness her powers. As a child, she lived through a fire that burned down her family’s home and killed everyone except for her. She was found unscathed, unburned, in a pile of ashes. She had shut that part of herself off a long time ago and considered it a mystery she was never going to solve – she definitely didn’t believe in magic and thinks this guy is off his rocker.
This was a dark as fuck book. People are tortured to death, burned to death, captured, shot, and taken to their breaking points. Magic in this alternate Earth is brought about only through pain, physical or mental. The place where Mackenzie finds herself is a house of horrors intended to break everyone inside. Characters betray each other, you’re never sure who the characters should and shouldn’t trust which all comes together to create this fucked up feeling of injustice and rage. That may make the book sound miserable, but it was paired with a main character who’s cynical, witty, and sarcastic which kind of dampens what could have been “too much” grimness to be entertaining.
The pacing was just fucking excellent. I don’t usually give a perfect score in pacing, but there’s literally nothing I would have changed. I got to know the main character well before we switched POV. The secondary POV was fascinating which made me interested in knowing more every time she came up – which was spaced in 10% chunks. We saw her at 10%, 20%, 30%, etc… and the two POV’s don’t collide until 75% – which would usually irritate me, but this time it didn’t.
The writing was fucking solid. I think my only complaint would be the banter was a little too buoyant and flippant given the severity of the situation the two POV’s were in when they finally met. But, meh. It was fun, I have to admit that. It made me smile even though I doubt very much so I would behave like that in their situation. If you don’t like the word fuck in fantasy books… just pass on this one.
Maybe I would have read something like this sooner if I focused more on superhero stories and sci-fi – but with the ghosts and what not this felt more like a fantasy, and it’s not a kind of fantasy I’ve read before. I really like military-fantasy, but I’ve always read things like Django Wexler’s series, The Thousand Names. So far I hadn’t picked up anything based on modern soldiers. Neat shit. Highly recommended.
TLDR: Modern military fantasy. Main POV is an ex-secret service living with PTSD. secondary pov is captured in middle east, and mystery surrounds her plotline. Dark but funny at times. Fast-paced craziness. ghosts. superpowers.
Ratings:
Plot: 12/15
Characters: 13/15
World-Building: 12/15
Writing: 14/15
Pacing: 15/15
Originality: 14/15
Personal Enjoyment: 9.5/10
Final Score: 89.5/100
January 29, 2019
I couldn't put this book down, magic and military apparently make a brilliant mix!
Dark, fast paced and characters that made me care. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
X-men meets James Bond with badass female sidekick...
(Would love to see this as a movie!!)
Dark, fast paced and characters that made me care. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
X-men meets James Bond with badass female sidekick...
(Would love to see this as a movie!!)
January 20, 2019
Well, now… this was such a pleasant surprise of a book! And I say that admitting the full irony as the content is anything than pleasant for our characters, but you know… welcome to fantasy-land! I am no stranger to Graham Austin-King’s work having previously read&reviewed the Faithless. I knew I was going to be in for something good- and: Wow! Austin-King is either a man of many-many talents (blacksmithing and military) or he’s a bloody good researcher who knows exactly how to put his knowledge to the reader without it sounding like a wikipedia snippet! Hell, maybe Austin-King is all of the above: a man of many talents and a great researcher and writer, because why not?! Proof? I won’t need to get shot in real life to be able to imagine how it might feel… *shudders*
The Lore of Prometheus initially tantalizes with a less than perfect main character. Sure, Carver has three very solid and legit rules but he also has PTSD and a big secret which he acquired in Kabul. If you like a cheeky guy who knows his way around weapons and is generally born to lead when not too busy drinking away his hallucinations, then Carver will quickly win your favour.
In the book, things get serious pretty quick… I mean, things are serious from page one, really. Carver is in deep trouble and to make his way out of said deep trouble, he manages to get himself into even bigger trouble. I know- exciting, right?! But before we find out exactly the kind of mess Carver gets himself in, we are introduced to Mackenzie.
Mackenzie’s situation brings a whole new, different sort of darkness and edge to the story adding exciting bit of mystery to it all… How and when will the storylines of these 2 characters meet and merge? And- oh my word, things were going to get a hell of a lot worse before they started to get better! I continued to turn the pages with bated breath whilst the why’s, the how’s and the who’s were slowly being weaved and revealed.
The Lore of Prometheus is a ‘balls to the wall’ exhilarating read set in Kabul, Afghanistan and another secret location! John Carver comes from a military background and his training, his experiences, his PTSD and his very self make for such a great character to read about. Carver doesn’t know mollycoddling, Carver doesn’t do pussyfooting- he’s direct, straight out and he cracks a mighty joke when you least expect! What, I ask of you, is there not to love?
Every aspect of this novel felt real- so very, very real. The military phrases, the training, the characters and even the settings felt all to close for comfort- and that’s what makes this book fascinating to read! It doesn’t bore with too much technical detail and gives you just enough to feel included. And it absolutely kills me that I can’t tell you more because spoilers! gah… 🙂
The thing about this book that really pulled me in, other than the fast pace of action, was the level of psychological aspect of the characters’ minds. I felt very close to action and through the struggles of their minds, I really got to know Carver and Mackenzie. Every tactical move they made, every word they said, every decision they took- I had no doubt that it was the best course of action. I guess, this is my roundabout way of saying- I was really invested in these believable characters and the story! Austin-King breaks the human psyche down to where the most basic needs, thoughts and emotions echo loudest!
I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but with the savage, predatory setting, the very human element of fear, survival and mental condition, and with the unexpected humour in the most dire situations I couldn’t help but love it all! I sure look forward to whatever Graham Austin-King publishes next!
I might be a whore with a gun, but I’m an honest whore. Once I’m bought, I like to stay bought.
The Lore of Prometheus initially tantalizes with a less than perfect main character. Sure, Carver has three very solid and legit rules but he also has PTSD and a big secret which he acquired in Kabul. If you like a cheeky guy who knows his way around weapons and is generally born to lead when not too busy drinking away his hallucinations, then Carver will quickly win your favour.
In the book, things get serious pretty quick… I mean, things are serious from page one, really. Carver is in deep trouble and to make his way out of said deep trouble, he manages to get himself into even bigger trouble. I know- exciting, right?! But before we find out exactly the kind of mess Carver gets himself in, we are introduced to Mackenzie.
Mackenzie’s situation brings a whole new, different sort of darkness and edge to the story adding exciting bit of mystery to it all… How and when will the storylines of these 2 characters meet and merge? And- oh my word, things were going to get a hell of a lot worse before they started to get better! I continued to turn the pages with bated breath whilst the why’s, the how’s and the who’s were slowly being weaved and revealed.
Selfishness is a natural state and it’s not one I fight all that hard against. I joined the army for the career, not from any particular sense of duty to Queen, country, or world at large
The Lore of Prometheus is a ‘balls to the wall’ exhilarating read set in Kabul, Afghanistan and another secret location! John Carver comes from a military background and his training, his experiences, his PTSD and his very self make for such a great character to read about. Carver doesn’t know mollycoddling, Carver doesn’t do pussyfooting- he’s direct, straight out and he cracks a mighty joke when you least expect! What, I ask of you, is there not to love?
Every aspect of this novel felt real- so very, very real. The military phrases, the training, the characters and even the settings felt all to close for comfort- and that’s what makes this book fascinating to read! It doesn’t bore with too much technical detail and gives you just enough to feel included. And it absolutely kills me that I can’t tell you more because spoilers! gah… 🙂
Torture is an odd thing. People often make the mistake of confusing torture with pain and they’re not always the same thing.
The thing about this book that really pulled me in, other than the fast pace of action, was the level of psychological aspect of the characters’ minds. I felt very close to action and through the struggles of their minds, I really got to know Carver and Mackenzie. Every tactical move they made, every word they said, every decision they took- I had no doubt that it was the best course of action. I guess, this is my roundabout way of saying- I was really invested in these believable characters and the story! Austin-King breaks the human psyche down to where the most basic needs, thoughts and emotions echo loudest!
I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but with the savage, predatory setting, the very human element of fear, survival and mental condition, and with the unexpected humour in the most dire situations I couldn’t help but love it all! I sure look forward to whatever Graham Austin-King publishes next!
November 29, 2018
Full disclosure: I read a pre-release version of this novel.
Lore of Prometheus is a blend of military, science fiction, real world issues, and Saw-like thrills and blood spills. It follows the story of John Carver, ex-soldier, who is trying to run from both his past and future by living in the present, which hasn’t worked out for him so far, not when you can’t escape your own thoughts – or the voices in your head. From the streets of London to the streets of Kabul, Carver will have to face his own inner demons as well as those brought to life by mortal man.
This is more a ‘private military contactor’ thriller than a spy thriller, which is something I really liked the concept of, with shades of science-fiction thrown in, and it’s a helluva ride of a read. Think James Bond’s famous ‘shaken, not stirred’ martini, but instead this is a Jägerbomb with a Jason Bourne base and a shot of not-your-average-superhero suspense. The closest thing I can compare it to is the work of Myke Cole, which has been called scifi/fantasy military. Except, in the Lore of Prometheus, it’s less ‘fantasy fiction’ and more ‘science’.
Additionally, as Lore of Prometheus is based on real world dynamics, you could even argue that this is a ‘what if things like this actually happen?’
YOU NEVER KNOW!!!
It’s an interesting take on the whole ‘government experimentation’ concept. You might’ve heard of the human experimentation regimes of the US, Japan, North Korea and the Nazis. Lore of Prometheus draws upon these in context of the modern world (and modern conflict) in pursuit of winning ‘the arms race’ that has been going on since, well, antiquity. Since the dawn of time – the days of Prometheus, and his gift of fire to mortals.
It's safe to say that this is an adrenaline shot to the senses with a come down that'll leave you questioning what if...
Lore of Prometheus is a blend of military, science fiction, real world issues, and Saw-like thrills and blood spills. It follows the story of John Carver, ex-soldier, who is trying to run from both his past and future by living in the present, which hasn’t worked out for him so far, not when you can’t escape your own thoughts – or the voices in your head. From the streets of London to the streets of Kabul, Carver will have to face his own inner demons as well as those brought to life by mortal man.
This is more a ‘private military contactor’ thriller than a spy thriller, which is something I really liked the concept of, with shades of science-fiction thrown in, and it’s a helluva ride of a read. Think James Bond’s famous ‘shaken, not stirred’ martini, but instead this is a Jägerbomb with a Jason Bourne base and a shot of not-your-average-superhero suspense. The closest thing I can compare it to is the work of Myke Cole, which has been called scifi/fantasy military. Except, in the Lore of Prometheus, it’s less ‘fantasy fiction’ and more ‘science’.
Additionally, as Lore of Prometheus is based on real world dynamics, you could even argue that this is a ‘what if things like this actually happen?’
YOU NEVER KNOW!!!
It’s an interesting take on the whole ‘government experimentation’ concept. You might’ve heard of the human experimentation regimes of the US, Japan, North Korea and the Nazis. Lore of Prometheus draws upon these in context of the modern world (and modern conflict) in pursuit of winning ‘the arms race’ that has been going on since, well, antiquity. Since the dawn of time – the days of Prometheus, and his gift of fire to mortals.
It's safe to say that this is an adrenaline shot to the senses with a come down that'll leave you questioning what if...
November 29, 2018
Review by Timy Takacs on Grimdark Magazine.
When Graham Austin-King first approached me about an ARC of The Lore of Prometheus he described it as sort of Dean Koontz / Stephen King / Clive Barker style. Now, I’ve read one Koontz book and maybe two of King’s. I liked Koontz; King I’m not sure about. I was still interested, so said “bring it on”. Then the blurb was released and I started to think I might have made a mistake. A soldier MC, the story set in Kabul and the book further described as military fantasy. Let’s just say all of these are way out of my comfort zone so I was expecting not to enjoy this book.
And why am I telling you all this? Because in the end I devoured the book in less than two days. And that’s only because I started to read it on a Sunday and I had to wake up early in the following morning. 76% was in practically one sitting and these days I average reading a book a week.
In short, The Lore of Prometheus absolutely blew me away and exceeded all of my expectations by a mile.
After a mission gone terribly wrong in Kabul, John Carver can’t really find his place in society back in London. He loses his girlfriend, lives from one day to the next, and his debts are growing thanks to his gambling addiction. Carver gets to the point where he has no option but ask for help from an old friend, sending him right back to the place of his nightmares and the cause of his PTSD. Kabul is also the place where his name had become a legend. A heritage he didn’t want and would like to forget about. But he needs the money so he sucks it up and goes to do what he is good at: oversees an Afghan minister’s safety system, giving advice on improvement and training people how to behave while on duty. Little does he know what really waits for him. Soon enough he finds himself abducted, restrained, and tortured. All in the name of science.
“Torture is an odd thing. People often make the mistake of confusing torture with pain and they’re not always the same thing.”
So says Afridi, one of the masterminds behind John’s current situation. Afridi is a sociopath and a maniac, having only one goal before his eyes.
The protagonist, John, has his POV in first person, which makes us able to really see into his head. He has a sarcastic, sassy attitude, but then in his position who would blame him to try and get through the hard times with some humour?
“Have you come with that steak I ordered?” the man on the frame called out to towards the glass wall. “It’s going to be a bit of a bastard cutting it, what with me being all tied up like this, but I’ll give it a good go.”
However, under the confident surface, there is a broken man. Riddled with guilt and doubt, with a strong headedness which helps him to get out from the most sinister situations, he constantly battles with his own demons from the past. Which makes him vulnerable and a perfect candidate.
“I was their prize lab rat, but I hadn’t just made it through the maze to my reward; I’d nibbled through the bloody walls, set up a little camp, and built a fire to roast the cheese.”
No matter what they do to him, how they try to break him even more, he bounces back and with the help of his remaining wit he manages to do the impossible. But although he has a soldier’s training and iron will, he can’t make it out of this trouble alive by himself. Through sheer coincidence he meets Mackenzie, an Australian nurse, who is also kept in the same place as John. Through a third person POV we learn about how she got into the compound and what did she go through while being there – she not only was tortured but at one point she also agreed to help her captors to learn about the magic in the world and how certain people can wield it. She hones her skills until the right moment presents herself to run for her life.
The real strong point of this book apart from the characters is the way Austin-King portrays torture, how he keeps up the tension, makes you turn the pages while you wonder what might come next. Until the very end you aren’t sure what the outcome will be, and the final conclusion is quite satisfactory. I bow down before Austin-King for not making his character choose the obvious choice. And also because of the way he handled such sensitive topics as PTSD, the current state of the Middle-East, and torture. He plays with questions like how far you can go to break someone, but still keep them sane enough to be any use. Can you break someone further than they are already? What makes the mind break? And how can we manipulate that break?
“We are each of us insane. Maybe there is no true sanity. All any of us have is the control we cling to, and any one of us can be swept away.”
Austin-King’s prose is flowing and he knows very well how to break up tension with a little bit of humour or light banter here and there about unexpected things like IKEA meatballs. And that’s all I’m saying on that matter. It’s easy to forget about the world around you and dive into the madness while the author holds your hand and helps you get through the dark, twisty labyrinth of his mind coming alive on the pages. This book being a standalone wraps things up pretty well, but also leaves some possibilities open for a future sequel. That being said, I could have liked some more explanation about certain people’s motives or how such an operation works really. A glimpse behind the scenes. It boggles my mind how can hundreds of people assist Afridi and Doctor Elias (whom I liked despite his role in the game).
The Lore of Prometheus is a shockingly wicked dark tale of the power of the human mind. The most dangerous monster of them all. If you still wonder if this book is for you, let me tell you what you can expect: characters far from being perfect, struggling with their own demons; tension from page one to the last; plenty of action; a few things to think about; an unhealthy dose of torture, and a few laughs, because who says people can’t go down with a good laugh?
When Graham Austin-King first approached me about an ARC of The Lore of Prometheus he described it as sort of Dean Koontz / Stephen King / Clive Barker style. Now, I’ve read one Koontz book and maybe two of King’s. I liked Koontz; King I’m not sure about. I was still interested, so said “bring it on”. Then the blurb was released and I started to think I might have made a mistake. A soldier MC, the story set in Kabul and the book further described as military fantasy. Let’s just say all of these are way out of my comfort zone so I was expecting not to enjoy this book.
And why am I telling you all this? Because in the end I devoured the book in less than two days. And that’s only because I started to read it on a Sunday and I had to wake up early in the following morning. 76% was in practically one sitting and these days I average reading a book a week.
In short, The Lore of Prometheus absolutely blew me away and exceeded all of my expectations by a mile.
After a mission gone terribly wrong in Kabul, John Carver can’t really find his place in society back in London. He loses his girlfriend, lives from one day to the next, and his debts are growing thanks to his gambling addiction. Carver gets to the point where he has no option but ask for help from an old friend, sending him right back to the place of his nightmares and the cause of his PTSD. Kabul is also the place where his name had become a legend. A heritage he didn’t want and would like to forget about. But he needs the money so he sucks it up and goes to do what he is good at: oversees an Afghan minister’s safety system, giving advice on improvement and training people how to behave while on duty. Little does he know what really waits for him. Soon enough he finds himself abducted, restrained, and tortured. All in the name of science.
“Torture is an odd thing. People often make the mistake of confusing torture with pain and they’re not always the same thing.”
So says Afridi, one of the masterminds behind John’s current situation. Afridi is a sociopath and a maniac, having only one goal before his eyes.
The protagonist, John, has his POV in first person, which makes us able to really see into his head. He has a sarcastic, sassy attitude, but then in his position who would blame him to try and get through the hard times with some humour?
“Have you come with that steak I ordered?” the man on the frame called out to towards the glass wall. “It’s going to be a bit of a bastard cutting it, what with me being all tied up like this, but I’ll give it a good go.”
However, under the confident surface, there is a broken man. Riddled with guilt and doubt, with a strong headedness which helps him to get out from the most sinister situations, he constantly battles with his own demons from the past. Which makes him vulnerable and a perfect candidate.
“I was their prize lab rat, but I hadn’t just made it through the maze to my reward; I’d nibbled through the bloody walls, set up a little camp, and built a fire to roast the cheese.”
No matter what they do to him, how they try to break him even more, he bounces back and with the help of his remaining wit he manages to do the impossible. But although he has a soldier’s training and iron will, he can’t make it out of this trouble alive by himself. Through sheer coincidence he meets Mackenzie, an Australian nurse, who is also kept in the same place as John. Through a third person POV we learn about how she got into the compound and what did she go through while being there – she not only was tortured but at one point she also agreed to help her captors to learn about the magic in the world and how certain people can wield it. She hones her skills until the right moment presents herself to run for her life.
The real strong point of this book apart from the characters is the way Austin-King portrays torture, how he keeps up the tension, makes you turn the pages while you wonder what might come next. Until the very end you aren’t sure what the outcome will be, and the final conclusion is quite satisfactory. I bow down before Austin-King for not making his character choose the obvious choice. And also because of the way he handled such sensitive topics as PTSD, the current state of the Middle-East, and torture. He plays with questions like how far you can go to break someone, but still keep them sane enough to be any use. Can you break someone further than they are already? What makes the mind break? And how can we manipulate that break?
“We are each of us insane. Maybe there is no true sanity. All any of us have is the control we cling to, and any one of us can be swept away.”
Austin-King’s prose is flowing and he knows very well how to break up tension with a little bit of humour or light banter here and there about unexpected things like IKEA meatballs. And that’s all I’m saying on that matter. It’s easy to forget about the world around you and dive into the madness while the author holds your hand and helps you get through the dark, twisty labyrinth of his mind coming alive on the pages. This book being a standalone wraps things up pretty well, but also leaves some possibilities open for a future sequel. That being said, I could have liked some more explanation about certain people’s motives or how such an operation works really. A glimpse behind the scenes. It boggles my mind how can hundreds of people assist Afridi and Doctor Elias (whom I liked despite his role in the game).
The Lore of Prometheus is a shockingly wicked dark tale of the power of the human mind. The most dangerous monster of them all. If you still wonder if this book is for you, let me tell you what you can expect: characters far from being perfect, struggling with their own demons; tension from page one to the last; plenty of action; a few things to think about; an unhealthy dose of torture, and a few laughs, because who says people can’t go down with a good laugh?
January 7, 2019
The Lore of Prometheus feels like a YA book (with all its tropes) written for a more mature audience. Broken people - check. People who need to be "motivated" to find their powers - check. Boy with powers meets girl with powers and they fall in love - check. Evil, one dimensional villain - check.
The plot is boring and predictable, which I hope is corrected, if this book is the forerunner of a series. Actually, this book has the plot of Wolverine (the movie) right down to the villain and the climax. WTF! Even the characters' powers are not original in any sense.
The portions with the PTSD and the action scenes were done well but were not anything really outstanding. BTW, it is telling that the people with powers were white (in Afghanistan), the doctor was white, the villain and his minions Pashto/Afridis etc. Maybe I am too sensitive, but fuck it, I will call it the way I see it. And how convenient that the prisoners all speak fluent English while the minions speak broken Engleesh. Angrezi nahi aata hai saab! I am quite surprised that this book is as highly rated as it is now.
Meh!
The plot is boring and predictable, which I hope is corrected, if this book is the forerunner of a series. Actually, this book has the plot of Wolverine (the movie) right down to the villain and the climax. WTF! Even the characters' powers are not original in any sense.
The portions with the PTSD and the action scenes were done well but were not anything really outstanding. BTW, it is telling that the people with powers were white (in Afghanistan), the doctor was white, the villain and his minions Pashto/Afridis etc. Maybe I am too sensitive, but fuck it, I will call it the way I see it. And how convenient that the prisoners all speak fluent English while the minions speak broken Engleesh. Angrezi nahi aata hai saab! I am quite surprised that this book is as highly rated as it is now.
Meh!
December 16, 2018
Mixing magic into a modern war zone The Lore of Prometheus is thriller that will hook you at the start. This book was nearly a straight through read for me. Though the magic isn’t apparent immediately, and the problems already faced by our reluctant protagonist, John Carver, are disturbing at the very least.
For the past 5 years, he’s been crippled with an addiction to gamblin. He’s hounded by his old military squad, who are dead, quite literally. He lives his life as far away from others as possible and when he ends up back on a job in Afghanistan due to his massive gambling debt, he hopes it’ll be easy money out of the reach of a loan shark whose patience has run out.
But John can’t run from the reputation he garnered when his entire squad was taken prisoner in Afghanistan. They called him a miracle. Now he has to confront the nightmares from his tour of duty, and learn to use them to his advantage or it may cost him his life.
Mackenzie… is a nurse working in a medical facility in Afghanistan when her world is shattered by being abducted. Tortured by a madman whose only goal is gaining the secret to Mackenzie’s power. A power she denies even knowing she possesses and that she cannot summon at will. Her journey is horrific and heart-rending.
This is an action packed read. Prepare yourself for a non-stop ride if you can handle it. I couldn’t put it down. An urban military fantasy, the setting in the Middle East was a new one for me in this genre and the details are intricate and realistically written. There will be some readers who will not be able to stomach the intensity and violence depicted. For others, the stark reality of war in modern times may be a real life trigger.
There are some brutal scenes in this book. The violence escalates and the author gives us plenty of reasons to cheer it on. The main characters are so well written that we as readers experience some extremely harrowing events. Crimes against humanity that will grip your heart and stir your own anger.
I found the ending rather sublime I was so happy with it. A satisfying and very fast paced stand alone, The Lore of Prometheus is going to have a lot of happy readers who love their dark fantasy with an explosive edge.
For the past 5 years, he’s been crippled with an addiction to gamblin. He’s hounded by his old military squad, who are dead, quite literally. He lives his life as far away from others as possible and when he ends up back on a job in Afghanistan due to his massive gambling debt, he hopes it’ll be easy money out of the reach of a loan shark whose patience has run out.
But John can’t run from the reputation he garnered when his entire squad was taken prisoner in Afghanistan. They called him a miracle. Now he has to confront the nightmares from his tour of duty, and learn to use them to his advantage or it may cost him his life.
Mackenzie… is a nurse working in a medical facility in Afghanistan when her world is shattered by being abducted. Tortured by a madman whose only goal is gaining the secret to Mackenzie’s power. A power she denies even knowing she possesses and that she cannot summon at will. Her journey is horrific and heart-rending.
This is an action packed read. Prepare yourself for a non-stop ride if you can handle it. I couldn’t put it down. An urban military fantasy, the setting in the Middle East was a new one for me in this genre and the details are intricate and realistically written. There will be some readers who will not be able to stomach the intensity and violence depicted. For others, the stark reality of war in modern times may be a real life trigger.
There are some brutal scenes in this book. The violence escalates and the author gives us plenty of reasons to cheer it on. The main characters are so well written that we as readers experience some extremely harrowing events. Crimes against humanity that will grip your heart and stir your own anger.
I found the ending rather sublime I was so happy with it. A satisfying and very fast paced stand alone, The Lore of Prometheus is going to have a lot of happy readers who love their dark fantasy with an explosive edge.
April 10, 2021
This was a great mix of mystery, thriller and UF.
There's two main protagonists, who I enjoyed spending time with!
It is quite dark and bloody, so not recommended for the squeamish...
I usually don't really enjoy stories in modern warfare / realistic modern area of conflicts. But this one sucked me right in anyway! And it turns a corner rather quickly and is more about special abilities than what the character was told his latest mission would be.
I can't way much about the plot without spoilering, so I'll just say I hooked to find out more, and it had some nice twists along the way!
Once again the prose was especially good and held my attention even when the topic of securing a compound in Afghanistan would usually have left me only slightly interested.
Definitely worth the read!
There's two main protagonists, who I enjoyed spending time with!
It is quite dark and bloody, so not recommended for the squeamish...
I usually don't really enjoy stories in modern warfare / realistic modern area of conflicts. But this one sucked me right in anyway! And it turns a corner rather quickly and is more about special abilities than what the character was told his latest mission would be.
I can't way much about the plot without spoilering, so I'll just say I hooked to find out more, and it had some nice twists along the way!
Once again the prose was especially good and held my attention even when the topic of securing a compound in Afghanistan would usually have left me only slightly interested.
Definitely worth the read!
January 3, 2019
Full review is here, on my blog!
First book of the new year!!!
This is the story of John Carver, who is a former solider from the UK who is in a bit of a pickle. He’s in quite a bit of debt, his girlfriend left, and he’s got a wicked case of PTSD which manifests in the form of members of his squad from his last deployment in Afghanistan talking to him. The dead former members. The ones who died right before Carver stopped a bullet meant for himself.
When he is offered a security job in Kabul, he accepts, since the pay is enough that he could pay all his debts off. Once he gets there though, shenanigans go down, because of course shenanigans go down.
This is also the story of Mackenzie Cartwright, who is a nurse from Australia who finds herself imprisoned in a facility where they demand that she perform what is basically magic. They want her to light candles and put out fires and they go to some extreme lengths to coerce her into doing so.
This feels a lot like a military fantasy, which is normally not really my jam, but I really quite enjoyed this one. It felt somewhat like X-Men meets urban fantasy, as Carver and Mackenzie are both learning to harness and use unusual abilities while under some pretty extreme duress.
I also have to say that this book was very well researched, in that all of the military slang and what have you seemed absolutely real. Either the author served in the military or he’s got some A+ researching skills.
One of the things that seemed odd at first but that I eventually became used to is that this story is told from the point of view of both characters, but Carver’s POV is told in first-person while Mackenzie’s is told in third-person. Normally this would throw me off somewhat but in this case, I found that I got used to the switch pretty quickly. It felt like Carver’s story when he was telling it, but it still felt like Mackenzie’s story when it was about her too. It became a pretty natural switch.
All told, I really liked this story, and it found it quite engaging and well written. It was packed with all kinds of action and superpowers and shenanigans and was a great story from start to finish. I had 4/5 stars of fun with it, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes military fantasy or fantasy involving superpowers.
Many thanks to the author for the review copy of this book! :)
First book of the new year!!!
This is the story of John Carver, who is a former solider from the UK who is in a bit of a pickle. He’s in quite a bit of debt, his girlfriend left, and he’s got a wicked case of PTSD which manifests in the form of members of his squad from his last deployment in Afghanistan talking to him. The dead former members. The ones who died right before Carver stopped a bullet meant for himself.
When he is offered a security job in Kabul, he accepts, since the pay is enough that he could pay all his debts off. Once he gets there though, shenanigans go down, because of course shenanigans go down.
This is also the story of Mackenzie Cartwright, who is a nurse from Australia who finds herself imprisoned in a facility where they demand that she perform what is basically magic. They want her to light candles and put out fires and they go to some extreme lengths to coerce her into doing so.
This feels a lot like a military fantasy, which is normally not really my jam, but I really quite enjoyed this one. It felt somewhat like X-Men meets urban fantasy, as Carver and Mackenzie are both learning to harness and use unusual abilities while under some pretty extreme duress.
I also have to say that this book was very well researched, in that all of the military slang and what have you seemed absolutely real. Either the author served in the military or he’s got some A+ researching skills.
One of the things that seemed odd at first but that I eventually became used to is that this story is told from the point of view of both characters, but Carver’s POV is told in first-person while Mackenzie’s is told in third-person. Normally this would throw me off somewhat but in this case, I found that I got used to the switch pretty quickly. It felt like Carver’s story when he was telling it, but it still felt like Mackenzie’s story when it was about her too. It became a pretty natural switch.
All told, I really liked this story, and it found it quite engaging and well written. It was packed with all kinds of action and superpowers and shenanigans and was a great story from start to finish. I had 4/5 stars of fun with it, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who likes military fantasy or fantasy involving superpowers.
Many thanks to the author for the review copy of this book! :)
September 26, 2020
Ahoy there me mateys! This book has been on me list ever since it was featured by Matey Lynn @ lynn'sbookblog in the SPFBO #5 in 2019. It is a military fantasy and the tagline caught me:
This was a good read even though it ended up being very different from what I was expecting. This of course was me fault for not rereading Lynn's review before picking up the book. Because the dead people who come to visit are not ghosts but hallucinations from PTSD. I had forgotten this.
The story follows two people, John Carver, who is the one suffering hallucinations and Mackenzie, a nurse in Afghanistan who is kidnapped. I very much enjoyed both characters and the shifting POVs. Carver was the more interesting perspective for me because of his "ghosts" and military background. He is also snarky and quirky and I love those types of characters.
The book itself is action packed and I read it in one setting. This book was a bit of a popcorn read for me. The major problems were personal preferences. A lot of the book deals with torture. It is not gratuitous but I don't know if I would have picked it up had I known the extent of that plot line's focus. My fault again for not rereading Lynn's review. The other issue is that the bad guys are two-dimensional and the reasons for their evil were flat. In addition the Big Bag does some magical things at the end that made no sense in the context of the set-up for how the magic works.
I would have preferred the plot to have stuck with Carver's story and dealing with being in Kabul and running an op. I highly enjoyed the mission Carver was on, how he was dealing with Kabul, and the light details about the drug-lords. I wish it would have continued in that vein and not switched topics and locations. Despite the problems, this was an enjoyable book to pass some time on a lazy day. Arrrr!
John Carver has three rules: Don’t drink in the daytime, don’t gamble when the luck has gone, and don’t talk to the dead people who come to visit.
This was a good read even though it ended up being very different from what I was expecting. This of course was me fault for not rereading Lynn's review before picking up the book. Because the dead people who come to visit are not ghosts but hallucinations from PTSD. I had forgotten this.
The story follows two people, John Carver, who is the one suffering hallucinations and Mackenzie, a nurse in Afghanistan who is kidnapped. I very much enjoyed both characters and the shifting POVs. Carver was the more interesting perspective for me because of his "ghosts" and military background. He is also snarky and quirky and I love those types of characters.
The book itself is action packed and I read it in one setting. This book was a bit of a popcorn read for me. The major problems were personal preferences. A lot of the book deals with torture. It is not gratuitous but I don't know if I would have picked it up had I known the extent of that plot line's focus. My fault again for not rereading Lynn's review. The other issue is that the bad guys are two-dimensional and the reasons for their evil were flat. In addition the Big Bag does some magical things at the end that made no sense in the context of the set-up for how the magic works.
I would have preferred the plot to have stuck with Carver's story and dealing with being in Kabul and running an op. I highly enjoyed the mission Carver was on, how he was dealing with Kabul, and the light details about the drug-lords. I wish it would have continued in that vein and not switched topics and locations. Despite the problems, this was an enjoyable book to pass some time on a lazy day. Arrrr!
February 24, 2019
This is a cracker! It's been well researched, well imagined and well written.
I have friends who have served in the British special forces and what the author writes here rings true. This was not what I was expecting if I'm honest. A military fantasy is something that has been done before but I thought this one worked well and was more believable than something like X-Men. I would liken it a little to the American series Heroes for some of the powers involved here.
An ex-serviceman with mental hallucinations is down on his luck and in debt and needs a way out of his predicament. Not everyone would choose to solve their problems by going to Kabul but then John Carver is no ordinary man, (in more ways than one). There is also a strong female character called Mackenzie who plays a big part later in this novel.
There are quite a lot of upsetting scenes in this book so be warned. There is torture being used in a controlled manner to get certain information and to obtain results to feed a power-hungry maniac.
All sorts of things are achievable if you believe in yourself. That, I believe, is the message behind this book. It may be fantasy but there's a lot of realism thrown in here too.
If you are interested in learning more about the author you could visit his blog;
http//grahamak.blogspot.co.uk
Find him on Facebook http://on.fb.me/1pMyWmK He loves to chat with readers.
Or you could follow him on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Grayaustin
A great book and highly recommended.
Thanks for reading.
I have friends who have served in the British special forces and what the author writes here rings true. This was not what I was expecting if I'm honest. A military fantasy is something that has been done before but I thought this one worked well and was more believable than something like X-Men. I would liken it a little to the American series Heroes for some of the powers involved here.
An ex-serviceman with mental hallucinations is down on his luck and in debt and needs a way out of his predicament. Not everyone would choose to solve their problems by going to Kabul but then John Carver is no ordinary man, (in more ways than one). There is also a strong female character called Mackenzie who plays a big part later in this novel.
There are quite a lot of upsetting scenes in this book so be warned. There is torture being used in a controlled manner to get certain information and to obtain results to feed a power-hungry maniac.
All sorts of things are achievable if you believe in yourself. That, I believe, is the message behind this book. It may be fantasy but there's a lot of realism thrown in here too.
If you are interested in learning more about the author you could visit his blog;
http//grahamak.blogspot.co.uk
Find him on Facebook http://on.fb.me/1pMyWmK He loves to chat with readers.
Or you could follow him on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Grayaustin
A great book and highly recommended.
Thanks for reading.
December 20, 2018
Find my full review on Grimdark Magazine or check out Adrian's review. I'm only going to write a short summary here because there is no need to duplicate my full review :)
I had no idea what to expect from this book when I agreed to read it and based on the blurb I was a bit worried it won't be up my alley. But oh boy, I was in for a treat. The Lore of Prometheus had been one of my favorite reads this year.
Austin-King’s prose is flowing and he knows very well how to break up tension with a little bit of humour or light banter here and there about unexpected things like IKEA meatballs. And that’s all I’m saying on that matter. It’s easy to forget about the world around you and dive into the madness while the author holds your hand and helps you get through the dark, twisty labyrinth of his mind coming alive on the pages. This book being a standalone wraps things up pretty well, but also leaves some possibilities open for a future sequel. That being said, I could have liked some more explanation about certain people’s motives or how such an operation works really. A glimpse behind the scenes. It boggles my mind how can hundreds of people assist Afridi and Doctor Elias (whom I liked despite his role in the game).
The Lore of Prometheus is a shockingly wicked dark tale of the power of the human mind. The most dangerous monster of them all. If you still wonder if this book is for you, let me tell you what you can expect: characters far from being perfect, struggling with their own demons; tension from page one to the last; plenty of action; a few things to think about; an unhealthy dose of torture, and a few laughs, because who says people can’t go down with a good laugh?
I had no idea what to expect from this book when I agreed to read it and based on the blurb I was a bit worried it won't be up my alley. But oh boy, I was in for a treat. The Lore of Prometheus had been one of my favorite reads this year.
Austin-King’s prose is flowing and he knows very well how to break up tension with a little bit of humour or light banter here and there about unexpected things like IKEA meatballs. And that’s all I’m saying on that matter. It’s easy to forget about the world around you and dive into the madness while the author holds your hand and helps you get through the dark, twisty labyrinth of his mind coming alive on the pages. This book being a standalone wraps things up pretty well, but also leaves some possibilities open for a future sequel. That being said, I could have liked some more explanation about certain people’s motives or how such an operation works really. A glimpse behind the scenes. It boggles my mind how can hundreds of people assist Afridi and Doctor Elias (whom I liked despite his role in the game).
The Lore of Prometheus is a shockingly wicked dark tale of the power of the human mind. The most dangerous monster of them all. If you still wonder if this book is for you, let me tell you what you can expect: characters far from being perfect, struggling with their own demons; tension from page one to the last; plenty of action; a few things to think about; an unhealthy dose of torture, and a few laughs, because who says people can’t go down with a good laugh?
April 7, 2021
This book was super cool to read especially as I didn't really know much going in and so it really took me by surprise as it unfurled.
The characters were great and I absolutely loved Mackenzie and Carver, especially because we got to see both of their perspectives throughout the book as they experienced what they did. It was great to see them really come into their own both with their powers and who they are in the world after the plot of the book. The "villains" I guess of this book were also really well written as they were evil with a great deal of conviction and had no qualms about performing some of the more questionable acts that they do.
The plot was brilliant and I really liked how it unfolded throughout the course of the book. Especially because the end conflict was satisfying and not too quick as they can often be in fantasy style book with supercharged characters. I loved how it all slowly tied together as both Mackenzie and Carver were held captive and their two stories merged. And the epilogue was absolutely wonderful and it was sort of like a mic drop moment for the two main characters.
The writing was funny and deep and just so much fun to read, even if it was a bit tough to read at times. It was just such an incredible book and I had such a good time reading it!
I was kindly provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour.
The characters were great and I absolutely loved Mackenzie and Carver, especially because we got to see both of their perspectives throughout the book as they experienced what they did. It was great to see them really come into their own both with their powers and who they are in the world after the plot of the book. The "villains" I guess of this book were also really well written as they were evil with a great deal of conviction and had no qualms about performing some of the more questionable acts that they do.
The plot was brilliant and I really liked how it unfolded throughout the course of the book. Especially because the end conflict was satisfying and not too quick as they can often be in fantasy style book with supercharged characters. I loved how it all slowly tied together as both Mackenzie and Carver were held captive and their two stories merged. And the epilogue was absolutely wonderful and it was sort of like a mic drop moment for the two main characters.
The writing was funny and deep and just so much fun to read, even if it was a bit tough to read at times. It was just such an incredible book and I had such a good time reading it!
I was kindly provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour.
December 26, 2023
Iespējams, dažiem cilvekiem piemīt superspējas, ko viņi paši nemaz neapzinās. Kāds vīrs Tuvajos Austrumos nolēmis viņus nolaupīt un viņiem "palīdzēt" tās attīstīt. Protams, ne jau no labas sirds un patīkamā veidā, it īpaši, ja atceramies, ka cilvēki ir nolaupīti.
Interesants stāsts, ar diezgan saspringtu un pārsteidzoši agresīvu sižetu, bet pārāk ērtām beigām. Par tām arī 1 zvaigzne nost.
Interesants stāsts, ar diezgan saspringtu un pārsteidzoši agresīvu sižetu, bet pārāk ērtām beigām. Par tām arī 1 zvaigzne nost.
November 23, 2018
The Lore of Prometheus has an incredibly strong opening chapter and the black humour, heart-wrenching scenes and constant intrigue only thicken as it forms a gritty paste, not unlike the one the characters come to enjoy, sort of, eventually. Where they differ is that the taste and flavour of the book has been expertly crafted by a talented writer. The research put into not only nursing but also military and post-traumatic stress disorder amongst other things shines and really keeps the writing well grounded.
Our main two characters Mackenzie and Carter are two sides of a similar coin, but both stand out enough separate from one another as to make them unique and lovable for their own reasons. Carter the ex-squaddie turned private who is set to tightening up security at a facility in Kabul, he does so with help from ghosts from his past and a huge pouring of pitch-black humour and classic British wit and sarcasm.
Mackenzie finds herself a captor and slowly losing her marbles as her sanity is stripped away piece by piece in the hope of unlocking mysterious potential lying dormant inside of her. Her character in spite of dire circumstance has a will of iron, an ex-nurse with a foul mouth and a fiery temper. At no point is she just a damsel in distress or propped up by any other characters, this is a strong and brilliant woman. I am reminded of my own mother when you spend time in any job where life and death walk hand in hand you develop a very dark sense of humour as what will make you cry can easily make you laugh given time.
The portrayal of PTSD from what I was able to research of it and what I read of Myke Coles article was very well written and true to form. It was handled with great tact and respect but never lost the humour that carries the characters and the reader through some atrocious moments. Speaking of humour in spite of the overly dark nature of this book the humour cuts through it beautifully and at times you find even in some horrific scenes you can’t help but giggle.
Graham has mastered the fine art of drip feeding the reader information little by little revealing layer after layer without spoiling later twists and turns. In doing so he creates a strong desire to read on and given that I finished this book (around 100k of words) in just shy of a day it’s fair to say that he casts baited hooks that keep you reading. That’s without even mentioning the story for fear of spoilers, it is one hell of a ride and one I would not forgive myself for ruining for fellow readers.
In summary, The Lore of Prometheus is going into the list of books I have read in 2018 that I will not hesitate to recommend to anyone I feel may enjoy it. it’s an excellent story with heart and humour by the bucket-load with memorable side and main characters who captivate you and propel the story along to its bittersweet finale, I sincerely hope there is more to come as this book was fantastic, take a chance on this one.
You won’t regret it.
Our main two characters Mackenzie and Carter are two sides of a similar coin, but both stand out enough separate from one another as to make them unique and lovable for their own reasons. Carter the ex-squaddie turned private who is set to tightening up security at a facility in Kabul, he does so with help from ghosts from his past and a huge pouring of pitch-black humour and classic British wit and sarcasm.
Mackenzie finds herself a captor and slowly losing her marbles as her sanity is stripped away piece by piece in the hope of unlocking mysterious potential lying dormant inside of her. Her character in spite of dire circumstance has a will of iron, an ex-nurse with a foul mouth and a fiery temper. At no point is she just a damsel in distress or propped up by any other characters, this is a strong and brilliant woman. I am reminded of my own mother when you spend time in any job where life and death walk hand in hand you develop a very dark sense of humour as what will make you cry can easily make you laugh given time.
The portrayal of PTSD from what I was able to research of it and what I read of Myke Coles article was very well written and true to form. It was handled with great tact and respect but never lost the humour that carries the characters and the reader through some atrocious moments. Speaking of humour in spite of the overly dark nature of this book the humour cuts through it beautifully and at times you find even in some horrific scenes you can’t help but giggle.
Graham has mastered the fine art of drip feeding the reader information little by little revealing layer after layer without spoiling later twists and turns. In doing so he creates a strong desire to read on and given that I finished this book (around 100k of words) in just shy of a day it’s fair to say that he casts baited hooks that keep you reading. That’s without even mentioning the story for fear of spoilers, it is one hell of a ride and one I would not forgive myself for ruining for fellow readers.
In summary, The Lore of Prometheus is going into the list of books I have read in 2018 that I will not hesitate to recommend to anyone I feel may enjoy it. it’s an excellent story with heart and humour by the bucket-load with memorable side and main characters who captivate you and propel the story along to its bittersweet finale, I sincerely hope there is more to come as this book was fantastic, take a chance on this one.
You won’t regret it.
November 27, 2018
Privileged to read and ARC this work.
Think XMen origins written by Robert Ludlum and you have Graham Austin-Kings tale The Lord of Prometheus. Carver, an ex British Special Forces literally haunted by his past and with a strange secret of his own finds himself hired to provide security for a Middle Eastern political figure. He finds there is more than meets the eye here and his past catches up with him with a clandestine organization.
Mackenzie is an Australian serving in humanitarian organizations when she finds herself swept up by the same mysterious forces bent on learning a secret she has held for years, one even she doesn’t realize the potential of. She and Carter must both make shocking discoveries about themselves and the strange powers they posses before they are exploited by those seeking to use them.
Fast paced and full of action, Graham steps into modern day thriller with a touch of Sci Fi in this tale that I devoured and wanted it to go on. Look for it when it’s published. Exciting stuff!
Think XMen origins written by Robert Ludlum and you have Graham Austin-Kings tale The Lord of Prometheus. Carver, an ex British Special Forces literally haunted by his past and with a strange secret of his own finds himself hired to provide security for a Middle Eastern political figure. He finds there is more than meets the eye here and his past catches up with him with a clandestine organization.
Mackenzie is an Australian serving in humanitarian organizations when she finds herself swept up by the same mysterious forces bent on learning a secret she has held for years, one even she doesn’t realize the potential of. She and Carter must both make shocking discoveries about themselves and the strange powers they posses before they are exploited by those seeking to use them.
Fast paced and full of action, Graham steps into modern day thriller with a touch of Sci Fi in this tale that I devoured and wanted it to go on. Look for it when it’s published. Exciting stuff!
May 5, 2020
With a little extra time on my hands lately I've attempted to branch out a bit and read a wider range of fantasy novels -- this one falls I believe in the militaristic urban fantasy realm. Like many (many) books, it has been sitting near the top of my TBR Mountain for a while. I chose not to read the back cover, or do much of any research on the content -- so I went into reading this one mostly blind. It hooked me rather quickly, and I was eager to find out where the story was going. Don't worry, I won't do any spoilers in this review. I was interested in both the main characters and their story arcs and I was extremely pleased with the ending -- (see no spoilers). The writing was crisp and lean (I'm not one who needs every blade of grass (or in this case, grain of sand) described in endless detail) yet filled with enough material that the story didn't feel flat. Excellent book.
December 9, 2018
This is the second book I’ve read by Graham Austin-King, the first being Faithless, and I’ve been impressed by the fast pace and smooth prose in both titles. Lore of Prometheus is action-packed and also has some heart to go along with a touch of horror. Definitely recommended.
April 14, 2021
I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by The Write Reads. Special thanks to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. 3.75 stars rounded up!
This book was one helluva ride! The Lore of Prometheus is certainly not for the faint-hearted as it can get quite grim and there's definitely a lot of blood and gore (and other topics mentioned in the CW below), but I can certainly see why it won the BBNYA 2020! This read was action-packed and our main characters, while flawed and morally grey, are easy to root for. Not to mention the running ghost gang commentary and banter that was a welcome comic relief between all of the darker/heavier elements. Austin-King definitely served us a unique story with this one!
CW/TW: PTSD, addiction, gambling, torture, immolation, drugging, kidnapping, medical experimentation, gun violence, war scenes, hallucinations, blood, gore.
Read my full blog tour review on my blog!
This book was one helluva ride! The Lore of Prometheus is certainly not for the faint-hearted as it can get quite grim and there's definitely a lot of blood and gore (and other topics mentioned in the CW below), but I can certainly see why it won the BBNYA 2020! This read was action-packed and our main characters, while flawed and morally grey, are easy to root for. Not to mention the running ghost gang commentary and banter that was a welcome comic relief between all of the darker/heavier elements. Austin-King definitely served us a unique story with this one!
CW/TW: PTSD, addiction, gambling, torture, immolation, drugging, kidnapping, medical experimentation, gun violence, war scenes, hallucinations, blood, gore.
Read my full blog tour review on my blog!
April 16, 2021
I received this book to read and review as part of the BBNYA tours organized by TheWriteReads tour team.
I have really enjoyed being a panellist for the BBNYA over the past year. I have read a number of books by authors that I would never have come across without the BBNYA. it was great to read about new worlds from new voices and The Lore of Prometheus is one of them. This book deserves to be the winner of the BBNYA 2020. The world-building is amazingly vivid and you feel exported to the desert, to the war and even into the mind of John carver. With him being the sole survivor of a military raid in Kabul. I rarely read thrillers but this one is a thriller not to miss. John Carver is an ex-military with intense PTSD symptoms. John develops superpowers from his painful experience. It seems that his superpowers only lands him in more trouble than it solves.
I hope you check out this book!
I have really enjoyed being a panellist for the BBNYA over the past year. I have read a number of books by authors that I would never have come across without the BBNYA. it was great to read about new worlds from new voices and The Lore of Prometheus is one of them. This book deserves to be the winner of the BBNYA 2020. The world-building is amazingly vivid and you feel exported to the desert, to the war and even into the mind of John carver. With him being the sole survivor of a military raid in Kabul. I rarely read thrillers but this one is a thriller not to miss. John Carver is an ex-military with intense PTSD symptoms. John develops superpowers from his painful experience. It seems that his superpowers only lands him in more trouble than it solves.
I hope you check out this book!
April 14, 2021
The Lore of Prometheus is an interesting blend of urban and military fantasy, and the tension and action of a thriller (probably the genre that I read most outside of SFF) and it does an excellent job of balancing the different aspects to create a book that was both nothing like I’d expected and more than I had anticipated and turned out to be one of those that I couldn’t stop reading.
It’s always astounding and devastating to realise how far some humans are willing to push others in the names of their own interests, whether self-serving or in the name of some cause. This is fantasy, and the goal of the ‘villains’ here is to activate hidden abilities – superpowers/magic – abilities unlocked through the emotions triggered by trauma including rage and despair, by pushing their captives into that situation through various forms of torture. It isn’t too difficult to replace that goal with another more mundane ‘reason’ and find the situation a little too realistic. Although it must be said that Austin-King does an excellent job of keeping the plot grounded in what it is, and of exploring both sides of what is being done, as well as diving into the emotional and personal impact with skill and sensitivity.
Also, perhaps because I spent so much time watching the cartoons and films while growing up, I couldn’t help but get some X-men vibes throughout this book – albeit a more grounded and realistic version, with characters that didn’t feel quite so ‘larger than life’ and I think that is why this book strikes home as much as it does because Austin-King has created living, breathing characters who are as believable and relatable as those that you meet in everyday life. Yes, this is a story about superpowers, but at its heart, it is a story about humans, humanity, and the human mind.
The protagonists – John and Mackenzie – truly bear the weight of the plot, both in terms of what is done to them (and there are moments when you want to curse at what is being done to them because the author has done such a good job of creating characters that you become invested in) but also because of that believability and relatability I mentioned before. We follow John in first-person, experiencing everything alongside him, and he had such a strong character voice that it was impossible not to be drawn to him. I enjoyed his humour even in the worst situations and his pragmatic nature, and he added necessary humour to a grim plot, without hiding or glossing over his struggles with PTSD, and what has happened and is happening to him. A complicated character with a lot of heart. Mackenzie on the other hand we experience through third person, but that distance by no means lessens the impact of her POV or storyline, and the horrors that she has to endure and as much as I enjoyed John as a character, I think it was Mackenzie who truly gripped me as she was pushed and pulled, until breaking point, and I was certainly rooting for her when she got to make her move.
The characterisation was brilliant throughout, and although there were a few people whose motives I might have liked explored in a little more depth, this was true for both sides of the divide. This combined with fluid prose, excellent pacing and adept use of tension and humour to stop said tension from becoming too much, has created a beautifully written book.
The Lore of Prometheus is a book that consumes, both its own characters and the reader as it was incredibly hard to put down once I’d picked it up. It also leans heavily into the darker side, both of fantasy, but human nature in general, and while it does have lighter moments and humour it doesn’t shy away from that aspect and delves deep into trauma and torture, and so it may not be for everyone. It must be said though that Austin-King keeps a firm hand on the tiller, and as dark as things get, it never feels unnecessary or overdone, and as I tend to lean more into the darker aspect of fantasy it was right up my street. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book, and I would advise you to set the day aside because once you start, you won’t want to stop.
It’s always astounding and devastating to realise how far some humans are willing to push others in the names of their own interests, whether self-serving or in the name of some cause. This is fantasy, and the goal of the ‘villains’ here is to activate hidden abilities – superpowers/magic – abilities unlocked through the emotions triggered by trauma including rage and despair, by pushing their captives into that situation through various forms of torture. It isn’t too difficult to replace that goal with another more mundane ‘reason’ and find the situation a little too realistic. Although it must be said that Austin-King does an excellent job of keeping the plot grounded in what it is, and of exploring both sides of what is being done, as well as diving into the emotional and personal impact with skill and sensitivity.
Also, perhaps because I spent so much time watching the cartoons and films while growing up, I couldn’t help but get some X-men vibes throughout this book – albeit a more grounded and realistic version, with characters that didn’t feel quite so ‘larger than life’ and I think that is why this book strikes home as much as it does because Austin-King has created living, breathing characters who are as believable and relatable as those that you meet in everyday life. Yes, this is a story about superpowers, but at its heart, it is a story about humans, humanity, and the human mind.
The protagonists – John and Mackenzie – truly bear the weight of the plot, both in terms of what is done to them (and there are moments when you want to curse at what is being done to them because the author has done such a good job of creating characters that you become invested in) but also because of that believability and relatability I mentioned before. We follow John in first-person, experiencing everything alongside him, and he had such a strong character voice that it was impossible not to be drawn to him. I enjoyed his humour even in the worst situations and his pragmatic nature, and he added necessary humour to a grim plot, without hiding or glossing over his struggles with PTSD, and what has happened and is happening to him. A complicated character with a lot of heart. Mackenzie on the other hand we experience through third person, but that distance by no means lessens the impact of her POV or storyline, and the horrors that she has to endure and as much as I enjoyed John as a character, I think it was Mackenzie who truly gripped me as she was pushed and pulled, until breaking point, and I was certainly rooting for her when she got to make her move.
The characterisation was brilliant throughout, and although there were a few people whose motives I might have liked explored in a little more depth, this was true for both sides of the divide. This combined with fluid prose, excellent pacing and adept use of tension and humour to stop said tension from becoming too much, has created a beautifully written book.
The Lore of Prometheus is a book that consumes, both its own characters and the reader as it was incredibly hard to put down once I’d picked it up. It also leans heavily into the darker side, both of fantasy, but human nature in general, and while it does have lighter moments and humour it doesn’t shy away from that aspect and delves deep into trauma and torture, and so it may not be for everyone. It must be said though that Austin-King keeps a firm hand on the tiller, and as dark as things get, it never feels unnecessary or overdone, and as I tend to lean more into the darker aspect of fantasy it was right up my street. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book, and I would advise you to set the day aside because once you start, you won’t want to stop.
November 30, 2018
Read Lukasz and my full review over at Fantasy Book Critic
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS (MIHIR): When Graham Austin-King announced his newest a few weeks ago, I was intrigued. After reading Faithless, one thing was abundantly clear. Graham knew how to psychologically and physically torture his characters without making it exploitative. His writing and characterization were also top notch so that readers preferring a darker bent to their stories would find everything to like in his tales. The Lore Of Prometheus promised something similar and in the end turned to be much more than I thought it would be.
We being the story with John Carver, a survivor of the post 9-11 war in Iraq & Afghanistan who owes a pretty penny to a loan shark. He’s also facing issues such as the spectral presence of his battalion comrades who lost their lives back in Afghanistan. They haunt him literally and hence he has enacted three rules to keep himself mentally steady. Things however don’t quite work his way and he’s forced to take a job back in Afghanistan. Mackenzie Cartwright is the other POV character in this story and she’s facing a worse dilemma than Carver. She finds herself in a strange room and with no recollection of how she got there. Forced to survive, she will do all that she can to get out and find out who put her there. These are the two main plot threads of this book and both of them are plenty twisty and dark.
The story jumps off with a solid pace and we are taken along not knowing what will happen next. I really enjoyed this aspect of the storyline, the psychological horror that’s prevalent is very slowly and surely calibrated and amped up as well. The story is very much in line with some of the earlier psychological thrillers written by Blake Crouch and Mackenzie's POV sections are some of the darkest and most crucial ones as well. These sections though not gratuitous are very emotionally draining and might be too much for some. The tension is evenly strung out throughout the story and in the latter half, when things are turned up to an eleven is when the plot really becomes even more unpredictable.
The characterization is the best part about the book as both John Carver and Mackenzie Cartwright are normal people but circumstances in the past have changed them. Plus in the present, they are put through a psychological and physical wringer of sorts. The story focuses a lot on PTSD via war veterans and then through psychological abuse. It makes for some rough reading but the author doesn't flinch away from showcasing these hard moments. The way they react and what happens next is truly what makes this story such a standout one. Both these characters have something in their past that makes them special in the antagonist’s eyes. This also makes them that much more intriguing to read and the main twist is finding out exactly what that is. The antagonist has an idea but the readers and these characters don’t so when the reveal occurs, it is truly shocking.
The author also showcases Kabul and Afghanistan which I thought was really cool. He manages to give the reader an exact view into what life is like for soldiers over there. In this scenario, I really have to give kudos to the author’s military expert (hiya Michael) and the author for writing such a vivid landscape (dust, heat and all). The action is often kept to the personal level but it’s very explosive and still a lot of fun to read about. Overall this book ends in such a way that the readers will demand a sequel immediately.
The only negative for me about this story is that the antagonist’s background, deeper motivations and history are never made clear. This is perhaps the sole flaw in this darkly twisted thriller and because so much happens because of the antagonist’s actions and motivations. I felt that this solitary detraction perhaps undermines the story as the readers never truly get to know why things are happening the way they are shown to be. Maybe in the sequel, the author will explore more about the antagonist and his back history.
January 6, 2019
Magical Jason Bourne
Well, Mr. Austin-king you do not disappoint. I just hope there is more of this coming. After just having watched Bourne Identity with my son, I could help make the comparison. This book was an amazing ride. If you like a good action with a dose of magic this is for you.
Well, Mr. Austin-king you do not disappoint. I just hope there is more of this coming. After just having watched Bourne Identity with my son, I could help make the comparison. This book was an amazing ride. If you like a good action with a dose of magic this is for you.
April 17, 2021
I was given a review copy by the author and BBNYA in exchange for an honest review.
The Lore of Prometheus is an urban fantasy military thriller — think Myke Cole’s Shadow Ops by way of Blake Crouch. It has been very well received and has even won 2020’s inaugural Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award. I will be honest and say that this is a little outside of my typical reading wheelhouse, but I still found it to be quite an enjoyable read.
I haven’t lived in a long time; existing doesn’t count.
The book follows two different point of views, the first being that of John Carver, an ex-special forces veteran trying to get his life together after the brutal loss of several of his squadmates in Kabul, Afghanistan. Since leaving the military he has struggled to reintegrate into civilian life, falling into debt with the wrong people. They’re kind of people who will ask you for their money right before they break both of your kneecaps with a hammer. Although Carver has managed to stay in the green for quite a while, his debts come due and he needs a way to earn some cash. Cue “Fortunate Son”. Oh wait, he’s a Brit. Cue “God Save the Queen?” Either way, Carver heads back to Kabul on a private contract to whip a security team into shape and, ultimately, confront his own legend as the 'Miracle of Kabul', the man who stopped a bullet in mid-air.
Our other POV is Mackenzie, an Aussie nurse in Kabul. She is harboring her own secret, but unfortunately it hasn't been kept secret enough and she wakes up in a dark room, strapped to a wooden frame. Now she's being forced to bare all and explore how she managed to survive the fire that ravaged her home and family if she is to have any hope of being released. Her POV was by far the weakest of the two for me, with the pacing of the book often slowing to a crawl during her parts. For whatever reason, I could never get behind her as a character and she seemed to make weird decisions at times that didn't really make any sense to me.
She could feel the flames roaring within her, begging to be released. They wanted to burn, and she would let them.
The most interesting aspect of the book and what paid off the most for me in the end are Carver’s “visitors.” I loved seeing the development of the squad and, later on, the banter between them all. It produced some seriously funny moments. I will never be able to look at IKEA meatballs the same! Honestly, it makes me wish that the story had just been centered around Carver and the squad, without Mackenzie. For most of the story, she seemed like an unnecessary vehicle for the plot to progress and in the end there wasn’t really a satisfying character arc for her. I think the issue comes down to Austin-King’s use of different tenses. While Carver’s part of the story is told in a first person point of view, the author chose to use third person for Mackenzie, which made her feel flat in comparison.
Overall, I thought that The Lore of Prometheus was a fine book and, with it being fairly short (~300 pages), it was a quick and often thrilling read. The pacing sagged a bit for me in the middle parts of the story, but the frantic dash to the end was very exciting and left me on the edge of my seat. Ultimately, the few criticisms I have are fairly small gripes and Austin-King has proven himself to be a great storyteller. The ending leaves the story open for a sequel and I would definitely be interested in returning to the world that Austin-King has created.
We are each of us insane. Maybe there is no true sanity. All any of us have is the control we cling to, and any one of us can be swept away.
*Actual score is 3.5 rounded up.*
The Lore of Prometheus is an urban fantasy military thriller — think Myke Cole’s Shadow Ops by way of Blake Crouch. It has been very well received and has even won 2020’s inaugural Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award. I will be honest and say that this is a little outside of my typical reading wheelhouse, but I still found it to be quite an enjoyable read.
I haven’t lived in a long time; existing doesn’t count.
The book follows two different point of views, the first being that of John Carver, an ex-special forces veteran trying to get his life together after the brutal loss of several of his squadmates in Kabul, Afghanistan. Since leaving the military he has struggled to reintegrate into civilian life, falling into debt with the wrong people. They’re kind of people who will ask you for their money right before they break both of your kneecaps with a hammer. Although Carver has managed to stay in the green for quite a while, his debts come due and he needs a way to earn some cash. Cue “Fortunate Son”. Oh wait, he’s a Brit. Cue “God Save the Queen?” Either way, Carver heads back to Kabul on a private contract to whip a security team into shape and, ultimately, confront his own legend as the 'Miracle of Kabul', the man who stopped a bullet in mid-air.
Our other POV is Mackenzie, an Aussie nurse in Kabul. She is harboring her own secret, but unfortunately it hasn't been kept secret enough and she wakes up in a dark room, strapped to a wooden frame. Now she's being forced to bare all and explore how she managed to survive the fire that ravaged her home and family if she is to have any hope of being released. Her POV was by far the weakest of the two for me, with the pacing of the book often slowing to a crawl during her parts. For whatever reason, I could never get behind her as a character and she seemed to make weird decisions at times that didn't really make any sense to me.
She could feel the flames roaring within her, begging to be released. They wanted to burn, and she would let them.
The most interesting aspect of the book and what paid off the most for me in the end are Carver’s “visitors.” I loved seeing the development of the squad and, later on, the banter between them all. It produced some seriously funny moments. I will never be able to look at IKEA meatballs the same! Honestly, it makes me wish that the story had just been centered around Carver and the squad, without Mackenzie. For most of the story, she seemed like an unnecessary vehicle for the plot to progress and in the end there wasn’t really a satisfying character arc for her. I think the issue comes down to Austin-King’s use of different tenses. While Carver’s part of the story is told in a first person point of view, the author chose to use third person for Mackenzie, which made her feel flat in comparison.
Overall, I thought that The Lore of Prometheus was a fine book and, with it being fairly short (~300 pages), it was a quick and often thrilling read. The pacing sagged a bit for me in the middle parts of the story, but the frantic dash to the end was very exciting and left me on the edge of my seat. Ultimately, the few criticisms I have are fairly small gripes and Austin-King has proven himself to be a great storyteller. The ending leaves the story open for a sequel and I would definitely be interested in returning to the world that Austin-King has created.
We are each of us insane. Maybe there is no true sanity. All any of us have is the control we cling to, and any one of us can be swept away.
*Actual score is 3.5 rounded up.*
April 8, 2021
I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you to the blog tour organiser, BBNYA 2020, and the author for letting me be part of this tour and for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Trigger Warnings: PTSD, depression, vivid recollection of death and killings, death, kidnap, torture, amputation, fire/burning alive, murder, military environments, bullet wounds/gun violence, blood, gore, being tied up and kept prisoner, drugging, alcoholism, gambling, hallucinations, medical procedures, and violence.
The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King is a standalone fantasy set in our world in which the main characters John Carver and Mackenzie Cartwright are thrust into a world they never imagined and subjected to untold horrors. The author has a way with words and I could picture each place and room vividly, and the atmosphere suffused into the setting really came through the writing and kept me turning the pages as fast as I possibly could.
I think out of all the characters in this book, my favourite character was definitely John. He suffers from PTSD and survivor’s guilt because he wasn’t able to save some of the men in his squad during an event that named him the “Miracle of Kabul”, and he blames himself constantly for their deaths. I was instantly drawn to his character and felt an immense amount of compassion. I can’t begin to understand what it would feel like to go through what he did, but I really have to applaud the author because while the subjects tackled are very delicate and can be done badly, here I think, there was sensitivity alongside realism that made everything believable and very poignant. I really liked John as a character and I just wanted him to be okay.
The kind of fantasy that I read jumps straight into imagined worlds with a tonne of magic, political intrigues, a touch of romance, but this is definitely NOT what I got here – which is not bad though! This book was very slow to show you the “fantasy” side, which was new for me, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I would say it’s a lot more urban fantasy than fantasy itself as we only see the fantasy side towards the middle. I liked how everything was built up from the characters’ recollections and feelings concerning their powers and it was very intriguing to see how the author created such a unique take on my favourite genre. If you are hoping for full-on fantasy from page 1, this is not it, but it is something very interesting and worth your time for sure.
Overall, this was such a unique, interesting and well-executed book that thoroughly deserved the winner spot in the BBNYA competition last year. I found the writing style to be tight, well-executed and very, very good. Graham tackled some very delicate issues very well and I will certainly be looking into more of his books.
I gave this book 4 stars. It was an incredibly well written, thought-out, researched and executed book that I thoroughly enjoyed and that had me thinking and had me in various emotional states throughout. As I mentioned above, please don’t read this book if you have any of those TWs because they are all relatively vivid and graphic. If you like poignant, raw and touching topics in unique urban fantasy books with very complex characters, a well-thought-out plot, discussions on human nature and ethics as well as a fabulous writing style, then this is the book for you, I highly recommend it.
Trigger Warnings: PTSD, depression, vivid recollection of death and killings, death, kidnap, torture, amputation, fire/burning alive, murder, military environments, bullet wounds/gun violence, blood, gore, being tied up and kept prisoner, drugging, alcoholism, gambling, hallucinations, medical procedures, and violence.
The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King is a standalone fantasy set in our world in which the main characters John Carver and Mackenzie Cartwright are thrust into a world they never imagined and subjected to untold horrors. The author has a way with words and I could picture each place and room vividly, and the atmosphere suffused into the setting really came through the writing and kept me turning the pages as fast as I possibly could.
I think out of all the characters in this book, my favourite character was definitely John. He suffers from PTSD and survivor’s guilt because he wasn’t able to save some of the men in his squad during an event that named him the “Miracle of Kabul”, and he blames himself constantly for their deaths. I was instantly drawn to his character and felt an immense amount of compassion. I can’t begin to understand what it would feel like to go through what he did, but I really have to applaud the author because while the subjects tackled are very delicate and can be done badly, here I think, there was sensitivity alongside realism that made everything believable and very poignant. I really liked John as a character and I just wanted him to be okay.
The kind of fantasy that I read jumps straight into imagined worlds with a tonne of magic, political intrigues, a touch of romance, but this is definitely NOT what I got here – which is not bad though! This book was very slow to show you the “fantasy” side, which was new for me, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I would say it’s a lot more urban fantasy than fantasy itself as we only see the fantasy side towards the middle. I liked how everything was built up from the characters’ recollections and feelings concerning their powers and it was very intriguing to see how the author created such a unique take on my favourite genre. If you are hoping for full-on fantasy from page 1, this is not it, but it is something very interesting and worth your time for sure.
Overall, this was such a unique, interesting and well-executed book that thoroughly deserved the winner spot in the BBNYA competition last year. I found the writing style to be tight, well-executed and very, very good. Graham tackled some very delicate issues very well and I will certainly be looking into more of his books.
I gave this book 4 stars. It was an incredibly well written, thought-out, researched and executed book that I thoroughly enjoyed and that had me thinking and had me in various emotional states throughout. As I mentioned above, please don’t read this book if you have any of those TWs because they are all relatively vivid and graphic. If you like poignant, raw and touching topics in unique urban fantasy books with very complex characters, a well-thought-out plot, discussions on human nature and ethics as well as a fabulous writing style, then this is the book for you, I highly recommend it.
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