In the city’s affluent quarters, Len’s partner Vli-Rana Talie works as a lector at the university, studying the history of a species that once ruled the world. As the temperature rises for her partner, Vli will soon realize that delving into history, that some would prefer was forgotten, will carry risks of its own. Especially when the ambitions of empires are affected.
Meanwhile, there is an election coming up, and the tension simmering in the city is reaching a boiling point. Vli and Len must find what allies they can and face the powers that threaten their home.
History never ends, and unless its lessons are heeded what was once the past might become the present.
Purchase Link - https://books2read.com/UnbrokenTruth
Review
A fascinating read in a richly different world.
In a city beset by rust and xenophobia, a homicide detective must solve a high-profile murder as her partner delves into dangerously ancient history. As tensions rise and election day looms, they find their paths may not be so separate after all.
It took me a little while to get into this book due to the deep worldbuilding with multiple characters, races, places, and terminology. It made the world rich and the characters vivid but also delayed the plot, so that the inciting murder only occurred about a third of the way through. I think a map, character list, and/or a glossary might have eased this. Don't get me wrong, the author did a great job of avoiding an infodump and putting everything together, but it was a lot to take in.
Once I got stuck in, however, I was caught by the story as many of the undercurrents and themes, while clothed in rusted steelpunk fantasy, mirror our own world. Xenophobia is rampant, the city is divided by political factions with deep ideological differences, and there is an election coming up. It looks very different to the here and now, but in some ways it feels very similar. Into this simmering mix, add a dead body and stir for chaos - in the book, of course.
I definitely enjoyed this book and would be interested in reading the sequel however will note that there were a lot of plot threads that sprouted here but seemed to be pointed towards future stories. With the worldbuilding at the start and the lack of resolution at the end, this felt more like a taster than a standalone. I think I would've preferred a more self-contained story that didn't leave so much hanging, especially for a introduction to this world and the characters. On the other hand, I'm keen to read what happens next, so perhaps it was intentional!
For fans of steelpunk, thrillers, or something completely different, dive deep into this book. It's an investment, but a worthwhile one.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own
Author Bio
Lukas Lundh grew up around books and started writing in early childhood. He speaks English, Swedish and Japanese from living in New Zealand as a teen and studying for a year in Japan in early 20s.
He is educated in philosophy, game design, creative writing and is currently working on a history degree.
Between reading course books which inspire history flash-fictions, Lukas writes everything in between space opera, fantasy steelpunk, and post-ap war dystopias.
His debut novel, a steelpunk spy thriller, Unbroken Truth, is available for pre-order. He doesn’t blog, but he is active on twitter.
Social Media – @LundhLukas
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