Books you may not have read: The Darkest Hand trilogy
Back in the good old days of Twitter when people were nice, and I was still finding my feet as an author in this big bad world, my favourite thing was connecting with different authors and discovering their work.
I can't remember how now, but I somehow struck up a conversation with Tarn Richardson on there one day, and he ended up very kindly sending me his debut book, The Damned. I think I might have sent him a copy of The Centurion's Son in return? Not sure now. I do remember however, that The Damned was AWESOME and my debut paled in comparison.
It's a real world fantasy series set at the onset of WWI. Werewolves, Inquisitors, Bishops, Cardinals, beautiful women and a whole lotta guns, great fun!
The main storyline centres around Inquisitor Tacit, as he battles through war ravaged France to put a stop to a plot designed to throw the world into greater peril. He has a dark past, does Tacit, which is unravelled brilliantly by the author with the use of multiple timelines, bringing you action from the late 1800's through to 1914, in short, sharp, cinematic chapters. You get a real feel for the man, sympathise with what he has been through, and understand why he is the anti-hero he has become.
It has been some years now since I read these books, and I have read (and written) a whole load of words since then. But Tacit still lingers in my memory, which is more than can be said for many other protagonists I've read across the years!
The best way I can sum up the trilogy is by re-sharing the review I wrote for the third book, The Risen, once I had finished reading it. Here it is below.
"This is a real world fantasy series that has all the hallmarks of epic adventure with the in-depth research and world building of historical fiction.
It is a series of books seemingly written for the screen, with each chapter a short, sharp burst of action or drama, as the action flips between the sweeping landscapes of war torn Europe to the dark and tense corridors of the Vatican city.
The cast of characters, fronted by Inquisitor Poldek Tacit, are brilliantly created, each has hidden depths, dark secrets lurking in the shadows of their past, some of which are revealed in this final chapter of the trilogy.
Tacit himself is a wonderful character. A scarred old warrior with a tortured past, a man with a destiny that has been hidden to him until now. His secret is the darkest of all. There is something inside of him, something desperate to get out. To defeat his enemies, it seems that Tacit must first overcome himself.
I love the concept of the church fighting a hidden war against a backdrop of the devastation of WWI. And last of all, I cannot finish a review of this book without bringing up the Spanish flu. A secret vial opened in China that spreads a deadly virus across the world - remind you of anything? Covid 19 and the devastating effect it's had on the world will be talked about for a thousand years, but the Spanish flu that ravaged the world at the end of WWI was every bit as deadly, and at a time where countries were so focused on killing each other and medical science was not as evolved as it is today, it must have been a truly terrifying time to be alive. Tarn weaves this into the plot brilliantly, I genuinely didn't see it coming.
As a trilogy I've found the three books to be fantastic, it is a story arc that could stand proudly with grimdark fantasy greats such as Joe Abercrombie whilst being every bit as immersive as anything written by Conn Iggulden, and I can't wait to see what Tarn writes next!"
These really are three brilliant books. And because of they are so unique, they would fit well on the shelves of any reader who loves Historical fiction, horror or fantasy, as they blend between the three.
So go check them out! You won't be disappointed.
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