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THE FAILURES

Benjamin Liar

Evoking the irreverence of Deadpool, and incorporating elements of Dr. Who and traditional fantasy, weird and wonderful THE FAILURES is the debut of a brilliant new voice in fantasy fiction.
The first of three books sold to DAW, a subsidiary of Astra, this interconnected, complex story follows a rich ensemble of characters, led by Sophie Vesachai, once child-hero and current cynical and disillusioned leader of a gang of runabout degenerates, ironically and affectionately called The Killers. Now, Sophie once again finds herself embroiled in a struggle for the very fate of the world. But unfortunately for the fate of the world, Sophie turned her back on that kind of bullshit years ago. She and a small group of ragtag and failed heroes, from scattered placesand timesall across the Wanderlands will follow the summons of a strange dream and find each other in one of the last places in this doomed world to hold any light: the underground Keep, where a buried giant has awakened and threatens to destroy their entire civilization. Benjamin Liar is a writer, musician, filmmaker and game designer. He has been writing for most of his life, but THE FAILURES will be his first published novel. He has performed his music under many names and in many places, has won several local awards for short filmmaking, and recently published a virtual reality game. His name is clearly a pseudonym, but you still shouldn't trust anything he says. You can find him on most of the things @benjaminliar.
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Published 2024-07-02 by Daw Books

Comments

Liar's writing is like the world it depicts: a finely-tuned piece of clockwork. The Failures is the kind of science fantasy little made these days, and the sort of book I could read again and again.

the author has put together a video to describe this very-difficult-to-describe project. It shares a bit about the world of THE FAILURES, but also gives us a glimpse of the artist behind the book. Read more...

Benjamin Liar's "The Failures" is a wonderful and gripping Fantasy tale of misfits trying to save the world in their own twisted ways. Well served by a realistic dialogues and a meticulously woven intrigue, "The Failures" engulfs the reader in a sinister yet thrilling wild-goose chase where intentions, good or bad, are never quite enough. Benjamin Liar is a master story-teller who reinvents Dark Fantasy through familiar tropes he takes an obvious pleasure in deconstructing. If you love Steven Erickson, Patrick Rothfuss or the early VanderMeer, you will immediately be hooked.

The Failures is an unabashed triumph of speculative fiction. It's not exactly science fiction, not quite fantasy, but a synergistic mix. Descriptors are tough, as even a small army of them wouldn't convey this book's inviting complexity, but if I had to pick a few sitting top tier in the pantheon I'd point to: deep, thrilling (I'm looking at you, Deadsmith), and masterfully atmospheric.

Italy (Mondadori), Serbia (Carobna Knjiga)