Relics—The Folded Land by Tim Lebbon
Titan Books (March 2018)
336 pages; $13.09 paperback; $9.99 e-book
Reviewed by Dave Simms
Tim Lebbon knows how to spin a tale that envelops the reader in a world they know, and then twists that reality into a unique playground for his characters to battle monsters and create stories which always sidestep cliché.
After a couple of straight-up thrillers, Lebbon returned to the land of weird horror with Relics last year, a novel that detailed the hidden world of the Kin, creatures who existed alongside humans yet are rarely seen. Fairies, nymphs, and monsters beyond description fought for their survival against enemies both human and supernatural.
The Folded Land picks up where Relics left off. Heroine Angela Gough finds herself on the run from everyone, and everything, until her niece, Sammi, is struck by lightning, twice, and then brought into another world by a creature who may or may not be against mankind. Another creature is hunting down the Kin for his own wicked purposes, taking “treasures” from each one he kills. Angela teams up with her boyfriend Vince, who has been working with the Kin to find Sammi before the others do.
Nephalim Lilou, an intriguing character, a female who can turn any human’s mind, yet is still vulnerable, enlists gangster Meloy, former collector of Kin relics, to travel to America to help find the faerie they rescued in the previous novel and stop the plan she has concocted that may doom many on both sides.
Lebbon has shown that he cannot write a story that bores readers, regardless of the genre. With this series, he mixes in the best of the genres he loves—horror, fantasy, and thriller/adventure—resulting in another winner.
His writing keeps the story moving while his building of the world of the Kin is folded into the plot seamlessly.
Another recommended novel by Lebbon.
