Collecting And Reading

Author: Daniel Polansky
Free on Kindle Unlimited

This was a really fun little novella set in the wider Low Town universe.

In the words of Geraldine, “fucking shit-eating motherfucking cunt.” Which may now be my favourite line in any book I’ve ever read, and is actually an extremely good way to describe the kind of story you’re about to read.

The Soft Touch is actually a novella set AFTER the three Low Town books that have already been released.

Of which I have read none.

As a result, I was extremely apprehensive going into this, I had very little foresight on the characters, or the story. Though Pete over at GDM gave me 150 words to read as a sneak peak, and needless to say, I was hooked and wanted to read on.

The Soft Touch felt very much like a Lies of Locke Lamora (Scott Lynch) based bastard-led narrative. But what made this so up my street, was that it was infused with far more magic and excessive swearing. Needless to say I was a fan.

In The Soft Touch, we follow Wren, who returns to his old haunts – a charismatic, endearing, and roguish, well, bit of a bastard – through a gang fuelled drug trade, peace talks with a foreign land, and a city wide feud. At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking that he was a bit of a dandy, and a soft touch (Daniel, I see what you did there).

But the longer we experience his forays into Low Town, it very quickly becomes evident that this is not just a fop of a man, primed and ready for a villainous mugging by one of the many rogues he is about to encounter.

There are ups and downs, twists and turns, and Polansky genuinely keeps you guessing. His character work, scene setting, and ability to make you almost smell some of the downright horrific places via the medium of words is genuinely a sight (or smell) to behold.

This is genuinely a really good standalone and has made me want to read the other books in the series given how fun this was.

Thank you to Grimdark Magazine for a copy, and thank you to Daniel for letting me read your book ahead of release.

Be sure to check it out!

4.0/5.0