Infidel (Bel Dame Apocrypha) [Paperback]

INFIDEL is the sequel to Hurley's break-out novel, GOD'S WAR. The series is set on a desert planet which was settled by humans with decidedly middle-Eastern cultural roots, a long time ago. Due to difficulties with the native environment, technology on this planet has been developed based on various kinds of insects and a kind of magic through controlling them. There are several nations on this planet and a centuries-long religious war going on.

Like the first book, INFIDEL is shockingly good at presenting strange technologies and cultures without bewildering the reader and without pages and pages of exposition. This is no easy thing and is, frankly, shocking in such a young (two published books) author. Having avoided that major pitfall of science fiction, Hurley manages to go on to present believable and engaging, if not always likable, characters who are wrapped up in a complicated and action-filled plot.

The general writing on the page in INFIDEL is clearly a lot stronger, which makes me very excited to see what Hurley will produce in the future. However, the story was noticeably weaker than the first book. GOD'S WAR may not have been the tightest writing ever done, but the story was believable and engrossing. That was no easy feat considering the necessity of believing our not entirely top shelf main character was consorting with Queens and the fate of nations rested in her hands. That all happened while some heavy and very intimate interpersonal relationships were woven. In INFIDEL, it feels like the same basic thing was intended. However, the political machinations feel a lot more like something the reader is simply told, rather than shown; and, the interpersonal issues are drawn out a little long making them feel a bit repetitive and weak. That being said, the amazing world-building and tightly engrossing action sequences remain fantastic.

Overall, INFIDEL is a good read and has a lot of great elements. It just wasn't quite as fun and not as consistently engaging as GOD'S WAR. I'd still highly recommend it to anyone looking for some science fiction/fantasy that is not the usual space marines or elves & orcs.

It got better.

All the world-building and morally grey characters I loved in the first novel are just as good as before and all the problems I had with the plot are...GONE. Without having to dish out epic size awesome amounts of world-building Hurley gets to instead spend more time on fine tuning pace and plot and there's tons of pay off here. A quick, engaging, twisting read.

But don't think the world-building just went away. No, we get a whole new ride in our amusement park. Tirhan is kind of the Jerry Springer of our Bugpunkian world; it's polite, it wears a suit, and when it seems like things are getting boring in the war department it throws in a chair to spice things up. Add in some familiar refugees, some new shifter tricks, EVAL sand, and a group of rogue bel dames for plot stewing. The chair isn't even really needed for plot purposes, but it does prove Nyx can kill people with just about anything.

There are some brutal, Wow Out Loud moments in "Infidel". Go check out "God's War" if you haven't and get this one at the same time. This series is only getting better.

Four and half stars, rounded up.

Book Info: Genre: Dark fiction/science fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: fans of dark fiction, deep thoughts.
Trigger Warnings: killing, biological warfare, murder and torture (including of children)

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Bel Dame Apocrypha series, following God's War (review linked here where formatting allowed). The third book was recently released, and it is called Rapture.

This book is very dark, but there were rare moments of humor that brought a laugh out of me, like this one: "Nyx had finished off a fifth of vodka for breakfast, since she'd sworn off whiskey." I really enjoy Kameron Hurley's descriptions, too, such as, "...Suha spit and mutter and bang around the hub like a woman possessed by gun-loving angels."

At its root, I am starting to believe this book is very much about a world at war with itself and unable to find a way to stop fighting. As Nyx says, "All you do is learn how to fight a war... Nobody ever teaches you how to stop." As such, the story is very dark, and very intricate, since there are several disparate groups of people involved at different levels. Definitely a book that needs to be read at its appropriate point in the series; not to be read on it's own. If you like a dark story that will make you think, then definitely check out this book, and this series.

Disclosure: I bought this e-book for myself. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Nyx is a bodyguard in Mustallah, the capital city of Nasheen. The centuries-long holy war between Nasheen and Chenja is taking its toll, with shortages and rationing causing the Queen to lose power and popularity. While protecting the daughter of a Ras Tiegan Diplomat, Nyx is attacked by a group of assassins. Nyx survives, but begins to suffer from a strange, debilitating condition that nobody can identify. Caught up in a whirl-wind of intrigue involving Bel Dame Assassins plotting against the Queen, Nyx must learn who the rouge Bel Dame is, and find a cure for her illness, while avoiding the wrath of the queen she is trying to protect. The danger that swirls around her may have finally become to much, and Nyx's colleagues and friends began to die. Will Nyx be next?