EXMORTUS 2
BOOK TWO: TEMPLES DIABOLIC
Todd Maternowski
Ash is back at Exmortus Abbey,
pursued by the White Demon, his only hope the mysterious key that was given
unto his protection. Unfortunately he has no idea what the key is for or what
he should do next. Steed is badly wounded and the Abbott seems to have gone mad
following months of being trapped in the Abbey alone, but Ash knows the Abbott
may have the answers he needs and so he has no choice but to try and coax
information from the madman.
Old Bill, the trader that Ash met
on his journey from Exmortus all those months ago, is alive and well in the
Abbey, but he turns out to be more than just a beer and silk merchant. Sooner
rather than later his behaviour pushes Ash to the limit of his patience, to
detrimental consequence. Things go from bad to worse when a mysterious stranger
from Ash’s distant past appears in Exmortus. The odds are rapidly stacking up
against our young hero.
With danger so close and his
friends missing Ash is left truly alone with no one to watch his back and only
his wits to lead him this time. His journey will be bleaker and more difficult
than anything he has faced up to this point, and with only his trusty horse,
Vex, he sets out to discover the secret of the key and face the demons of his
past.
The pace of Exmortus 2 is excellent; the action picks up straight away from
where events were left off at the end of book one and doesn’t let up until the
end, making this another great page turner in the series. The compromise to this
fast pace is that on occasion the story lurches forward in time from scene to
scene and it sometimes felt like the jump was a little too fast, the pace being
forced onwards perhaps rather than naturally progressing and giving the reader
time to come to terms with the conclusion of each chapter before the next
crisis began.
The humorous tone of the writing
works well again in contrast to the violent and guttural aspects of the
narrative, but I did feel that with Steed taking a much lesser part in this book
the overall feel was darker and at times I missed the crude banter and witty
frustrations that Steed’s character brought to book one. Ash suffers just as
much in this story but his lack of steady companions for much of the narrative
made his journey seem too arduous to contemplate at times, and it was perhaps
harder to root for him when survival seemed so unlikely.
The positive side of this was
that Ash’s character was developed even more in this book, and by the end of it
the reader had much more of a sense of his self, his desires and his weaknesses
rather than just seeing his self-centred attitude. Through this portrayal it
becomes evident how much he has grown through the series so far. The
continuation of Ash’s internal monologue being available in the narrative works
fantastically in illustrating this character development, because the reader is
right there in his head throughout the story and is seeing his reactions to
events firsthand.
Violent and dark deeds abound in
this story and I felt the horror elements were stronger in this book than the
first instalment giving it a definite darker tone overall. This series would be
enjoyed by readers who like work at the gritty edge of the genre and who aren’t
afraid to face the baser aspects of life and human behaviour.
This is a strong follow up and
the final instalment looks set to wind up the characters’ journeys as well as
giving some more definition and understanding of the relationships between the
characters for the reader. Steed and Ash certainly have unresolved business and
I look forward to finding out how things will end between them as much as I do
the wider story.
Elloise Hopkins.
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