Malarkoi by Alex Pheby (Galley Beggar, £17.99)
Mordew, the first volume in the trilogy, was hugely praised, and this sequel is eagerly awaited. It is certainly as unusual and ambitious an epic fantasy as its predecessor, but the narrative has shattered into multiple storylines from multiple viewpoints, and none (apart from the talking dog) is quite as engaging or compelling as the original protagonist. It can be a struggle to keep up with all the characters, their alliances, enemies and progress (a common issue with lengthy fantasy series); and despite leavenings of dark humour, the situations are grotesque and unrelentingly grim, creating the sense of being trapped in a nightmare. This is a world where magic works because it is fuelled by sacrifice, so demigods and magicians maintain their power with casual mass slaughter. Pheby is an undoubted original, turning the standard tropes of modern fantasy into something much weirder and more disturbing, but this is not a book fans would wish to live in.
