Immortals' Requiem by Vincent Bobbe

I'll start by saying this much, Immortals' Requiem by Vincent Bobbe is not for the squeamish. Blending slashes of horror with dark fantasy, the story follows the points of view of multiple characters as they begin their descent into the catastrophic events that play out when an ancient evil awakens in Manchester. The apocalypse has arrived, and it's very hungry.

Cu Roi, otherwise known as The Miracle Child, is out of control, and after thousands of years asleep, intends to make his mark on a world ill equipped to deal with the being and his monstrous children, the barghests. In the time that he has been out of circulation, magic has faded even more, and those who would oppose him face a seemingly insurmountable challenge to fight a monster and its spawn.

If you, like me, don't have huge piles of time, this story is perfect – each section is short, and filled with non-stop action, so it's the kind of novel you can read bits of when you're on the go. At times I did feel that I had a little whiplash from all the shifting points of view, but overall Bobbe does a decent job of giving each character some screen time.

Briefly we dip into the world of the elves and their ilk, where a great cataclysm has all but destroyed the way of life of the two towers where the fair folk live. My favourite character out of the entire story was Cam, who's lived among humans for most of his life, having spurned his elven heritage, and who has fallen into a nihilistic pit of despair thanks to the fact that his people's magic is dying. The smart-mouthed elf is merely marking time, from bottle to bottle, and the fact that he doesn't want to be a hero, makes the fact that he's dragged, kicking and screaming into misadventure, all the more entertaining to watch.

Immortals' Requiem is a blood-drenched, ultra-violent quest that features a veritable bestiary of supernatural creatures. There's not much time for navel-gazing, and I'll hazard to say, don't pick too many favourites, as the body count is high. Be warned: this novel has its Army of Darkness moments. That should give you more than enough idea of what to expect.