Look at that, I actually liked book 2 more. That does not happen a lot but here, maybe it was because now I knew the world, now I was truly invested, or maybe just because book 2 kicked it up a notch.

Lom and Maroussia return to the city. There are more to Lom than meets the eye and I do wonder about his origin. While Maroussia is no longer the confused woman on the run, she now has a goal. Together they must run from those who seek them. Closer and closer to the Pollandore which might change the world.

The world is still awesome. War is coming closer, the dictator is dead. The leadership of the city had changed, and yes the angel is still watching and playing.

This book is about a journey through the city, fighting for your life, seeking and what war do. And the end, oh that was rather evil wasn't it. Now I need more. Now I need to know what will happen to Vlast. ( )

A worthy follow-up to 'Wolfhound Century.'

The author provides a web page with a list of books that inspired or were used for research while writing this book... the collection gives a good idea as to the 'feel' of the book:

http://www.wolfhoundcentury.com/bookshelf-truth-and-fear/

The story follows the characters from the previous book (now-former) Inspector Vissarion Lom and Maroussia Shaumian, both on the run from the secret police. Meanwhile, political coups and plots throw the Vlast (state) into chaos, and under the struggling leadership of the sadistic Commander Lavrentina Chazia and the slippery, tyrannical Josef Kantor, the capital city of Mirgorod becomes a chancier and chancier place to be.

I felt like this sequel was a bit more alt-historical and a bit less 'fantasy' than its predecessor. Yes, we still have a character who happens to be a werewolf, alien golems, and more. The mysterious and magical (?) artifact, the Pollandore, is the MacGuffin that drives the action. But this is very much a close analogue of Stalinist Russia, complete with not-exactly-Jewish ghettoes, pogroms, the same kind of military conflicts and state violence. There is more attention given to these realistic details than to the more fantastic elements of the book.

It works very well. And although this world is bleak and horrible in many ways, it is beautifully, beautifully written. Higgins' way with words elevates this to a full 5 stars. That said, it is a little middle-book-ish. You need to have read 'Wolfhound Century' first for this to make sense, and you'll definitely want to read 'Radiant State' when you're done. I'll be reading the final book in the trilogy soon!

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