Violence & Vigilance by David T. List
Blurb:
Violence & Vigilance is book one of Turesia Untamed, an epic fantasy series featuring an eternal vendetta, scars of grief and loss, untethered rage, and hope against all odds.
Irdessa the Undying, a renowned arena fighter in Fohrvylda, has escaped imprisonment but at great cost. Broken and alone, she must outwit and outfight her pursuers.
Basalt Kale, a failed Consonant monk of the lowest order, embarks on a quest to improve Ausgan but discovers vile secrets of his order that he cannot abide.
The heathens of Fohrvylda amass ships and beasts of war to sail the Faithless Sea and assault the monks of Ausgan, who will greet the steel-bearing invaders with elemental destruction.
Violence & Vigilance is a story of survival with dark humor, exotic settings, savage beasts, and damaged characters. If you enjoy the grittiness of Joe Abercrombie's First Law or the urgency of Pierce Brown's Red Rising, you'll love Violence & Vigilance.
Review:
David T. List has graced us with a top-tier work of grimdark fantasy. I have no doubt that this–-my first read of 2026–-will be one of my favourites of the year.
Luckily, the second and final volume in Turesia Untamed titled The Heathen Tide is set to release this year. It’s a truly special feeling when a highly anticipated book exceeds expectations once you finally get around to reading it. Yet another instance of why didn’t I get to this sooner?
Violence & Vigilance quickly hooked me with its tense and gritty tone, topped with magnificently unique world-building, seamless prose, and deeply flawed characters navigating through devastating song-magic, brutal politics, and relentless chaos.
“(He) crawls toward consciousness but it flees from him down a cavernous maze. If he’s not diligent he’ll never catch it.”
As a character-driven reader, it was a treat to find myself easily swept into the minds and inner workings of the characters in this story. There are quite a number of POV characters, and at times List employs a clever slew of POV hops during certain scenes, similar to The Heroes by Abercrombie. The main cast consists of a grizzled, pain- and alcohol-addicted bandit; a skilled and fierce warrior fuelled by grief and vengeance; and a suicidally depressed monk harbouring profound, unexplored abilities.
Each character offers intriguing plot threads and a satisfying amount of development throughout the book. Fans of bloody action and intricate battle scenes to rival the likes of Malazan will not be disappointed. Court rivalries are tense and unforgiving, tactics are employed both on and off the battlefield, and an array of unique creatures and cultural dynamics played a huge role in the immersive, gripping reading sessions I happily succumbed to.
Now, while Violence & Vigilance is a wonderfully crafted story with many elements worthy of praise, I’d like to focus on the aspect that captured my utmost attention throughout—the prose.
“Exercising faith feels a lot like spitting in the face of lessons life has taught you.”
List has delivered an excellent quality of prose and writing style, arguably the best for grimdark. It flows effortlessly and feels polished, while still carrying that signature grimdark edge. Adding to the brilliance is the unique incorporation of third-person present narration, which fits so well for the story.
I’ve always been a fan of the “say more with fewer words” approach, and it’s pulled off here to perfection. Those tense, subtle moments and character beats say more than any exposition ever could. And there is a special thrill in capturing details throughout the story that allow for certain situations to require no context.
The humour is accentuated through specific physical altercations and crudely hilarious metaphors that work especially well for me. It plays out just enough to undercut tension while keeping the reader immersed and painting a visceral reality with very human characters and events.
For all fans of the darker side of fantasy, Violence & Vigilance is a read that will not disappoint.
