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The Vanguard by SJ Griffin (view source)
Revision as of 08:37, 30 September 2020
, 08:37, 30 September 2020no edit summary
{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=The Vanguard
|sort=Vanguard, The
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Dystopian Fiction
|summary=Enjoyable post-catastrophe mystery thriller with enough twists and turns to shake a stick at. It has a super, unexpected ending and absorbing characters. SJ Griffin popped into Bookbag Towers to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To SJ Griffin|chat to us]].
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|date=August 2012
|isbn=B00904MC30
|amazonukcover=<amazonuk>B00904MC30</amazonuk>|amazonusaznuk=<amazonus>B00904MC30</amazonus>|videoaznus=B00904MC30
}}
I will say that there is a huge cast of secondary characters who appear and disappear at various places in the narrative. And I don't mind confessing that I sometimes got a bit muddled between them. Perhaps some of these could be better or more trenchantly described on their first showing to make recall easier. My mind was ejected from the narrative a few times because of this.
Otherwise, though, ''The Vanguard'' is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I loved the worldbuilding of a post-flood city filled with toxic waters and people living in, under and above previous landmark buildings. Sorcha and her band of friends lead colourful lives on the edges of legality and respectability and these are vividly described. I loved their wild, yet strangely practical, ways. It's not easy to survive in a post-apocalytpic world, but these guys are making a great - and very entertaining - fist of it. And then there's the reluctant super-hero plot. This is well thought through and straddles the boundary between fantasy and science fiction extremely well. Without dropping spoilers - I hate spoilers - the denouement is great. I wondered how Griffin would manage the lead-in to further books in the series and I really wasn't expecting it to go the way it did. So kudos to her for not being predictable.
I also enjoyed the dry wit that infuses this entire novel. Sorcha, in particular, has a mordant sense of humour and she offers many wonderfully ironic throwaway lines. Self-deprecating she might be, but she also made me laugh out loud. I'll be looking out for the next book in this series. No doubt. You might also enjoy [[The White Cat (Curse Workers, Book 1) by Holly Black|The White Cat by Holly Black]], which is set in a world where magic has been banned just as alcohol was during Prohibition. Paranoia is rife and everyone wears gloves. We think you'll also enjoy [[Connected by Simon Denman]] and [[The Guard by Peter Terrin]].
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You can read more about SJ Griffin [[:Category:SJ Griffin|here]].
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[[Category:Dystopian Science Fiction]]