‘Dead of Veridon’ – Tim Akers (Solaris)

The longer this blog rumbles on, the more sequels to previously reviewed books end up being reviewed here. On the whole, I’m cool with that. It’s only when a book fails to live up to its billing that I wonder why I took the time to read it but isn’t that the case with us all?
I read Tim Akers’ ‘Heart of Veridon’ way back in 2009. You can read the full review over Here or you can stay right where you are for a copy/pasted bit from the original review where I said that, ‘Heart of Veridon’ is a book that suffers from a lack of background for the plot to ground itself on; sometimes I found myself thinking that this book could be set anywhere... There are enough hints to keep you going though and the plot is ultimately rewarding although a little too abrupt in it’s end. If there is another book in this setting I would pick it up.’ I wasn’t sure if there would be a sequel but I was proved wrong when ‘Dead of Veridon’ came through the door. As you can tell, I wasn’t too keen on how ‘Heart of Veridon’ was set up but there was enough about the character of Jacob Burn to make me pick up this book to find out what he gets up to next...

Since the events of ‘Heart of Veridon’, Jacob Burn’s life has gone from bad to even worse. Not only has his family disowned him but one of the most powerful underworld figures in the city has removed his protection and warned Jacob not to cross his path again. This is the thanks you get for saving the city from a mad angel...
And now things are about to get even worse. Jacob takes on the job of delivering a package to the water dwelling Fehn; an easy enough job you might think, certainly not something that might lead to an army of clockwork zombies rampaging through the city. Yet rampage they do and now Jacob must get to the bottom of this mystery before the city suffers from an even greater threat lurking in the shadows. Enemies are now friends and former allies will stand in Jacob’s way. No change there then...

Reading ‘Dead of Veridon’ was exactly like reading ‘Heart of Veridon’ all over again, exactly the same problems leading to exactly the same end result, a book that suffers from a lack of grounding. At the same time though, Akers manages to reprise all the things that he did very well last time round. I found myself frustrated and gripped by ‘Dead of Veridon’ in equal measure.

Akers is clearly more interested in telling his story than setting it against any kind of discernible background. You are given the vaguest of outlines but that’s about it; you could say that you need to have read the first book (to get a feel for the setting) but this is Akers’ approach in ‘Heart of Veridon’ as well. As with ‘Heart of Veridon’, you are left with the feeling that the plot isn’t really grounded in anything. Part of the reason I posted this review today is that I thought it would be interesting to show a book where the balance has swung in completely the opposite direction from ‘The Quantum Thief’. This time round the plot is given a lot more airtime (more on that in a moment) but it’s played out against an almost empty stage...
I guess the bottom line is this. How am I meant to care about the fate of Veridon when I’ve left knowing next to nothing about the city itself or the vast majority of its occupants? I could find no real reason to care, in this respect, and that did leave me wondering why I was reading at times.

When it came, the answer was very simple. Akers gives us a lead character that is nothing less than engaging and throws him headlong into a mystery that is handled very well in terms of its pacing and the questions that it throws up.
After having read ‘Heart of Veridon’, I said that Jacob Burn sometimes verged on being the stereotypical thug with a heart of gold. I’m pleased to say that this isn’t the case here. Burn still isn’t afraid to use his fists (or shoot before asking any questions at all) but certain elements are introduced to the plot which means that although he still wants to do the right thing, he goes about things in a way that is a lot darker. Having been effectively ostracised for trying to do the right thing in the past, Burn is a lot less trusting this time round and a lot more self serving as a result. There’s a lot more to Burn in this book and this is probably the main reason why I would pick up another instalment. I love the way Burn’s character is developing and I want to see more of him.

The plot isn’t a bad one either with something big promised initially and then carefully teased out through some shrewd timing as far as questions and answers go. Just when you think you know what’s going on, suddenly you’re not so sure. Akers writes a mean action sequence as well which stirs things up beautifully.

It’s a real shame then that things just feel so unbalanced in terms of plot vs. background setting. I’ve said it before but it’s worth saying again, if you can’t make me care about the setting then I’ll be left wondering why the hero is fighting so hard to save something so flimsy.
Jacob Burn is such an engaging character though that I’ll more than likely find myself back to see what happens to him next. In the meantime I’ll be hoping for a more balanced book when it does appear...

Seven and Three Quarters out of Ten