Last Winter Sun by G.R. Matthews is a mix of dystopian novel, magic, orks and other beasts. The blurb says “A-Team meets World of Warcraft” and as someone who enjoyed both a whole lot, I obviously had to read it!

It is set sometime in the future. Some 20 years ago a rift opened up, and all sorts of creatures have come through. Most of the world has fallen, and travelling between the left over human settlements is a dangerous adventure.

“The tarmac of the old, narrow road was pitted and potholed. Years of neglect, of freezing winters and cool summers had lifted the man-made surface. Tree roots had folded it up into ridges and sharp edges which were always ready to trip the unwary walker. To their right, the trees were high and spread their skeletal branches over the road, adding to the gloom.”

We follow a team of mercenaries, who are doing their job for the money, but also are still good people at heart. Caleb is their leader. An older ex soldier who’s joints creak and crack more than they used to. Then we have Wei, a small Asian woman who you don’t want to be in a gift with. Thorsson, of Scandinavian descent, who can fix almost anything, and loves everything that goes *boom*.

And then we have Radley, a teen magician who they kind of adopted at some point, but who more than pulls his weight with his powers.

“Caleb’s chest hurt. The chill winter air burned all the way down his throat and his lungs were screaming in agony. His heart was thumping against his ribs as if it wanted to burst free. His muscles complained on every step and his tread was heavy. Feet like iron weights were hard to lift and trembling legs strained on every step.”

The book is a quick paced read, with plenty of action. Lots of fight scenes, which felt realistic and smooth to me. Sometimes they just feel like a technical manual, but here they easily kept me hooked.

There are a few really dark scenes, but overall the tone is not as bleak as some other dystopian novels I read. Especially the occasional banter, and the friendships and bonds made for a nice balance.

“Blood from the entry wound bubbled. A child’s entertainment, blowing bubbles in soapy water, turned obscene as each tiny bursting bubble of blood carried with it the man’s last breath.”

I loved exploring this new / old world, and trying to figure out what happened. Being able to track their quest on a map of England was pretty awesome as well!

As a long time fan of the author, I adored the little nods to his Forbidden List and Corin Hayes series. This starts to feel a bit like a cosmere situation, with this being a link between the ancient tomes and the far future…

I am not sure if there will be sequels, the “A Rift Novel” lets me hope there will be more. The ending for this is satisfying, but leaves open more questions than it answers! It doesn’t feel so much like a cliffhanger, more like an intentional open ending. However I definitely want more!

Last Winter Sun is available for pre-order now