11th May 2024

Book two of the Nightfall Saga, sequel series to the original Demon Cycle, sees our teenage heroes regroup in a journey to save their parents, and the world.

It feels long, and is incredibly detailed, painting a picture of what this world has become and following some long journeys. It’s not really quite what I was expecting, because it doesn’t do what the original series did with building out to another character - instead we continue to follow just the two points of view.

Both characters continue to grow through the book, and it’s clear they’ve gained in confidence and ability, and it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out in book three with the changes to the dynamic that will result from the events of this book.

It took me a while to get through it, but was still an enjoyable world to visit.

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29th December 2021

I wasn’t sure about this return to the world of the Demon Cycle for a second series, and it took me a while to get back into it.

We’re now a generation later, and following children born at the end of the original series as they grow into their teenage years and start to become embroiled in the politics of their world and get attacked by demons.

Brett’s created a new pair of engaging characters who manage to not feel like a repeat of the originals, even though some of the plot covers similar ground. There are two point-of-view characters who are switched between somewhat erratically, but together tell an engaging story.

It felt like it was dragging a bit in the middle, but by the end I was racing through. I look forward again to more.

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13th January 2019

The fourth short story from the world of the Demon Cycle - this time focussing on relationships between some of the minor characters from the series, and showing how their world and culture has evolved over time, neatly paralleling changes in the real world.

It was a nice chance to revisit this series after I read the conclusion of the main narrative earlier in 2018. My memory of the characters that appear here was a little sketchy, but that didn’t stop my enjoyment.

I hope that this is a sign that there will be some more trips into this world, but failing that I remain excited to see what Brett’s mind brings us readers next.

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26th May 2018

The grand finale of the Demon Cycle brings us back to a world infested by demons who rise from the ground each night to terrorise the human population.

We’ve gradually been introduced to a lot of characters over the course of this series, and I must admit I struggled a little to remember each of their backgrounds as they play their part in this story.

What struck me the most as I read further and further through was how close I was getting to the end of the book, and yet there was little sign of a resolution to the story in sight. And yet of course, as I knew, this is the last book of the series (excepting spin-offs) and the resolution did arrive. And yet despite this the conclusion did not feel rushed - it was perfectly paced and wrapped up the story of these characters in a satisfying manner.

I’ve really enjoyed this series, and hope that Brett goes on to create more worlds and more characters for me to read in the future.

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7th September 2017

The fourth novel in the Demon Cycle sees us rejoin the characters of the first three stories (and indeed the novellas) as they deal with the events that concluded the third novel, and the absence of two of their number.

It's... different. It's a while since I read the other books, but while they spent a lot of time world building from different cultures and different points of view, that almost felt like a secondary aspect here - touching only briefly on the backgrounds of new characters, and in one part featuring an extended (but shorter than usual) flashback recalling life so far.

Most of the narrative then is taking up with fighting. Indeed, apart from a brief pause in the middle of the book for some politics, almost the entire 750 pages is taken up with some sort of fight. I found this tiresome - action sequences in books rarely work for me as my imagination isn't amazingly visual, and slowing down to try to absorb what was happening blow by blow interrupts what for me is the enjoyable part of storytelling.

So overall a bit disappointed in part four. It feels a little like it's just shuffling pieces into place ready for the finale, and I hope that when it comes in a few months' time it's able to bring the series back up to its original high standard.

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6th July 2016

A short novella from Brett's Demon Cycle series, Messenger's Legacy is the tale of a young man, the victim of a prejudiced society and a horrifying accident. It's hard to say more without spoilers.

Apparently the first chapter has previously been published on its own, and it was clear how it could work as such, but the later chapters really turn the story up a notch and develop it in a way that I wasn't expecting.

It's an interesting new look into a world that already has a lot of different views, and if, as I'm led to believe, the events of this book have an effect on later events in the main series then it's a good extra to have read.

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6th January 2016

The second short story from The Demon Cycle depicts another moment in the life of Arlen, one of the main characters from the novel series, taking part in one of the moments that feel between chapters in (i think) the first novel, The Painted/Warded Man.

I found it fascinating to read from a number of perspectives. It adds some crucial worldbuilding that parallels events in the first novella, provides insight into two of the major characters from the series, and reveals an element from the plot that I hadn't even realised was missing from the main series.

A really enjoyable short read for anyone who is devouring Brett's novels that fills a pleasant half hour gap between the longer tomes.

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