A Winter’s Mercy
By Phil Williams
This is the third part in a series, and if you’ve read the previous two books (reviewed here), you’ll be happy to hear that A Winter’s Mercy is more of the same – in the best of ways.
Captain ‘Wild Wish’ Evans is still as miserable as ever, the war still as atrocious. Stupid orders are still orders, ignorance breeds confidence, and people, in the best and worst of ways, are still people. Phill Williams is still an excellent writer and storyteller.
If you’ve read and enjoyed the previous two books, you’ll enjoy this one too.
One of the things that impress me with the Blood Scouts series is the incredibly solid sense of place it conveys. From names to locations to people, everything feels real, tangible, and plausible. I have no idea where Low Slane is, but while I’m reading, I know it’s real.
I’ve never been on a battlefield or in a town being shelled by heavy ordnance, but while I’m reading, I’m there. Having watched movies from and about World War I and II, I have a notion of what it might look like, and that probably helps, but even in the movies, there were no ogres or mages on the battlefield. I’ve never come across anything like The Stranded in any other fantasy book I’ve read, and the same goes for many of the other Myriad races.
The Blood Scouts series may be fantasy, but it’s also very clearly its own unique thing, and the story is carving out a niche of its own. Optionally, it’s helping me find something I wasn’t aware existed. I’d be happy to read more like this. If you have recommendations, let me know.
The plot of A Winter’s Mercy is broadly the same as the previous books: Wild Wish leads the Blood Scouts on an insane mission behind enemy lines, shit goes wrong, everything is terrible, and then it’s over until next time.
Until next time…
That’s what gets you. Wild Wish and the Blood Scouts suffer through misery and trials, and once they’re finally done, the war is still there, and it still needs fighting, and it’s only a matter of time before some cheerful general in clean boots orders them to go out and do it all again. There’s no rest. There’s no reward. The good guys don’t win. There are no good guys. It’s war, and everyone suffers, but at least if you suffer, it means you’ve not been killed, yet.
What I’ll whine about
Spoilers – no, not like that.
A few years ago, I read an article about how spoilers can enhance a story rather than ruin it (here’s another article about the same thing). Turns out that knowing how the story will end can make you appreciate it all the more.
While reading A Winter’s Mercy this became clear to me in a practical way. Both of the previous books in the series have included chapters from the point of view of someone on the other side – an enemy acting in opposition of Wild Wish and the Blood Scouts.
In both previous books, these enemies have come across as dangerous, formidable opponents actively working towards a goal that will ruin everything for our heroes. They’re a clear threat in and of themselves.
In A Winter’s Mercy there are once again chapters from the enemy’s point of view. Only, this time, the enemy character is something of a hapless fool. They’re ignorant, uncertain, and inept. Their actions still pose a threat to Wild Wish, but more as a consequence of incompetence than through any kind of intent.
As I read, I kept expecting that something the enemy did would mess things up and ruin everything, but I had no way of predicting what. In the previous books, I had an idea of what was to come, and I respected the enemy. In this one, I have no respect for the enemy, and I couldn’t predict in which way they’d mess things up for the characters I rooted for.
This is what I meant by spoilers. The bumbling unpredictability of random chance as opposed to the expected consequences of intent. It would be so disappointing if everything failed because some idiot messed something up and accidentally thwarted everyone’s carefully laid out plans. Although, admittedly, it would be on theme for the series. Not being able to guess what would happen made the story less enjoyable than when I could see the storm coming.
(spoiler: I still enjoyed the story a lot)
What I’ll gush about
Quality. I guess quality will do to sum this up. The book is just plain solid good. There are no flaws or mistakes. There are no boring scenes, no filler characters, no slacking pace, no broken immersion. As a reading experience, and as a story and world to escape into, A Winter’s Mercy, and the entire Blood Scouts series just kind of gets it. It’s everything I wish for in a book.
The ending. There’s no cliffhanger, but the ending is such that it opens up for a lot more story to come. This will not be the last we see of Wild Wish and her crew, but the way the ending raised the stakes and anticipation of what’s to come sent chills down my spine, and I’m absolutely looking forward to the next book in the series.
Continuity. This ties in with the above notes about the ending. The Blood Scouts series tells an ongoing tale, but each book is very much a finished story of its own. In that regard, the books can be read in any order. You will enjoy the books more if you do start from the beginning, but you don’t have to. In the same way, the fact the series isn’t finished yet shouldn’t keep you from picking it up and digging in. As mentioned, there’s no cliffhanger, and the wait for the next book is sweet rather than frustrating.
Final Words
The Blood Scouts series is wonderfully realised fantasy tale in a World War 2 setting, and you should read it.
