The Vagrant by Peter NewmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
You will have seen the hooks already.
Through the wastelands walks a man, the Vagrant. He carries with him a baby and drags along a goat. A man, a baby, and a goat.
He walks the world mute; unable to utter a single sound.
An odd collection of characters and an individual that is unable to speak with everyone around them. How do you make a good book out of that?
Peter Newman has managed it quite well.
The Vagrant is on a mission to get out of a demon infested land and back to the lands occupied by humans and guarded...somewhat...by the six angels remaining of seven angels. He is almost a knight. The Vagrant is cursed by the sword he carries that he did not earn.
Peter Newman's use of language leaves the impression of Japanese anime. Bodies that grow new shapes laced with green veins. Demons inhabiting people that are revealed in divergent shadows. Cities made from the remains of floating citadels that have crash landed. Subterranean passages that evoke the remains of technology left to rust.
Along the way, the Vagrant travels from place to place. He saves everyone he can from the demons that rule the land; even when it would have been more prudent to pass them by and focus on his mission to reach sanctuary.
The one criticism that I have is that the book starts to drag a bit. We know the Vagrant aspires to be a true knight. He attempts to live up the knight's code of protecting all who ask for protection. So at some point, the additional stops along the way become a bit repetitive.
Otherwise, this is a fine read and well worthy of your time.
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