Cryosurge by E. P. Soulless

Blurb:

This isn't just another novel; it's a mirror held up to the ugliest parts of humanity, then shattered and shoved into your eyes.

In a world where indifferent Moon-Gods loom, Idd, a disgraced shaman, is blackmailed into a monster hunt that will force him to confront the parasitic curse whispering in his skull. Meanwhile, Korthe, a vengeful mercenary, carves a bloody path across the realms, only to discover her quest for justice is a single thread in a vast conspiracy.

They are two broken people, weapons being aimed by a self-serving hand. Their inevitable collision will either save the Nine Realms or leave them in ashes.

Cryosurge is a love letter to the new wave of Grimdark, a debut for connoisseurs of the craft. It blends the intricate, philosophical world-building of authors like Steven Erikson and R. Scott Bakker with the sharp, character-driven brutality of Joe Abercrombie, all with its own cryptic spin.

Review:

A very interesting and unorthodox grimdark debut. This is a book that explores many different flaws in humanity and though the book is set in a fictional context, the underlying themes, ranging from merciless violence, to wanton cruelty, to stark indifference—both at individual or collective levels—are all very relatable. While this is perhaps not for the faint of heart, there is also not as much deliberate vividness when it comes to the gruesome parts that readers accustomed to mainstream dark fantasy themes might feel unsettled.

Humanity. The word itself was a foul taste in Idd's mouth. A promise that always, eventually, disappointed. Repeatedly.

I loved the presentation. The writing style initially comes across as simplistic but soon you begin to notice the many subtle ways humor, grief and tragedy are woven in. My recurring complaint with books in similar genres is that the humor is often too on-the-face, but in this case it worked out perfectly. Eddie is incredibly skilled with words and I enjoyed every single chapter. Even the slightly unhinged ones—like the full chapter coverage of the bird’s life. 

The fictional world of the nine realms is perhaps not where you’d want to settle. Life is always about to serve you lemons, but then, is it that so different from the apathy and genocide infested quagmire we currently live in? 

Usually, memories of the past stung. But today... today was a clear day.

I loved the world-building, esp. how the many moon gods influence differing virtues and flaws in their followers. Though some of the chapters (e.g. the traveler's experience in the secluded regressive island) did feel unexpectedly disconnected from the flow of the story, and I felt a stronger focus on the plot direction might have helped.

Mathematics follows unchanging principles. So should plans.

When it comes to the story as a whole, things get a bit complicated. The non-linear presentation style can be a double edged sword, but that is not where my concern lies. While the chapters are great individually, they did not connect to build up a plot as satisfying. I am perfectly fine with the first book of a series ending with open tangents, I just wish more of the plot and connecting elements were covered in the first book. It's not that the plot doesn’t have potential—it absolutely does. I just felt it was pruned a bit too much and snipped a bit too early.

Having said that, the pacing is great throughout and what I have seen is more than enough to make me look forward to the future books of the series. 

That's what a life of integrity and a carefree attitude—paired with just enough riches to never feel lacking—gets you. A scroll. A scroll packed with inflated conclusions and a pat on the back from your fellow researchers.

Among the characters, Idd and Korthe were both incredible. 

Idd is a reclusive frost shaman, living in a cave, brewing suspicious potions while mysterious voices whisper in his head. As an individual who is something of a recluse myself, I found the choice of protagonist and his depiction very relatable. 

Overthinking hurt worse than any physical strain. Rituals were his salvation. He focused on the work, the simple, repetitive motions. Pumping the bellows, fetching the ice from the creek, shaping pots from clay, getting lost in some dumb story. These things mattered. They were a wall against the quiet. A way to escape the passing of time.

Korthe is a more conventional protagonist, a skilled assassin travelling with a caravan, equipped with a sentient blade that revels in bloodlust. Sentient weapons are one of my favorite tropes in fantasy, and the author’s presentation of her dagger was quite beautiful. 

It was her brightest, sharpest smile, a savage grin, finding a twisted peace in the bats' macabre dance and the raw, uncomplicated truth of hunger in the dark.

The two complement each other well, and each of them has enough depth to be impressive on their own. They meet only towards the very end, but I am curious how their dynamics (could possibly) evolve given the shocking events in the last chapter. 

The book does not have a singular antagonist, and in many ways a story like this transcends conventional norms around heroes and villains. Nevertheless, I absolutely loved Idd’s encounter with the Crawler. Facing an enemy diametrically opposed to your values is one thing. But finding yourself unexpectedly staring at a twisted reflection of yourself, distorted by the malevolence you already know resides within you—that is a whole different level. 

A masterpiece born of regret and ambition.