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MY ⭐️ RATING: 4.5/5
Format: Kindle Whispersync
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Meet Caltro Basalt. He’s a master thief, a selfish wastrel, and as of his first night in the colossal city of Araxes, stone cold dead.
They call it the City of Countless Souls, the jewel of the Arctian Empire, and all it takes to be its ruler is to own more ghosts than any other. For in Araxes, the dead do not rest in peace in the afterlife, but live on as slaves for the rich.
While Caltro struggles to survive and tries to reclaim his freedom, those around him strive for the emperor’s throne in Araxes’ cutthroat game of power.
The dead gods whisper from corpses about a dark prophecy. A soulstealer seeks to make a name for himself with the help of an ancient cult. A princess plots to purge the emperor from his armoured Sanctuary. And a murderer drags her dead husband across the wyrm-infested deserts, set on reaching Araxes no matter the cost.
One thing is certain in the City of Countless Souls: death is only the beginning.
MY REVIEW
I originally listened to Chasing Graves on audio five years ago, before I became a book reviewer. As a novice reader back then, I didn’t fully appreciate what I was hearing, but I also learned shortly after that audio-only isn’t for me; I need to see the words to focus on the story, which is why I went the Whispersync route this time. Now, as a more seasoned reader and reviewer, I decided it was time to revisit the series and give it a proper review beyond just a star rating and hopefully give the series a boost. One thing’s for certain: Ben Galley is a very talented writer with an easy to read prose, which is why Chasing Graves is so engaging, well thought out, and masterfully executed. I mean, there aren’t very many stories that kill the main character at the very beginning!
The story stands out for its uniqueness, there’s not much to compare it to. It’s a grimdark murder mystery fantasy laced with humor, touching on themes of slavery, betrayal, and creepy magic, all rooted in Egyptian-inspired mythology. The closest parallels I can draw are a blend of Neil Gaiman’s afterlife twists and Joe Abercrombie’s brooding darkness, with the beginnings of a heist subplot for good measure. In terms of movies, shows, and comics, it reminds me most of R.I.P.D. (starring Ryan Reynolds), Jonah Hex, and Moon Knight, all featuring a clever rogue protagonist who dies early on and ends up controlled or bound in some way, with Moon Knight adding that Egyptian mythology tie-in.
“It was power’s curse. Like the ocean, once a man tastes its depths, he is drawn to discover how deep it goes, no matter if it drowns him to get there.”
Galley excels at world-building and character development, painting a vivid picture of the towering, labyrinthine city of Araxes, where the rich collect shades, its dark underbelly of shadowy lawless streets plagued by soulstealers, controlled by ruthless crime lords, and its sprawling deserts reminiscent of Dune. He gives multiple characters their own POVs with depth and distinct voices: the roguish Caltro, navigating servitude in the afterlife; the strong, independent Nilith, fighting for survival in the desert; the calculating empress-in-waiting, Sisine, scheming her takeover; and the power-hungry villain Temsa, always grasping for more.
The narration was fantastic, having multiple narrators can be tricky, especially if one is good and the other is not, but in this case, both gave top notch performances that helped immerse me into the world and its characters. The first narrator that voices Nillith, Empress Sisine and Temsa’s POVs is Moira Quirk, who has also done Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang and one of the narrators on Dark Age by Pierce Brown. The second narrator is Samuel Roukin, who brings Caltro’s POV to life with perfection, Roukin is also the voice of Ghost from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, as well as the voice behind the Sun Eater Saga by Christopher Ruocchio, and last and certainly not least, the 2024 Wolfmantula Top Narrator award winner, for his work on the Sun Eater Saga.
Honestly, this series is underrated and not talked about nearly enough as it should be; I originally gave this 4 stars, but am moving it to 4.5 stars now. So, if you’re craving a grimdark fantasy with a murder mystery heist subplot, plenty of humor, Egyptian-based mythology, and multiple POVs, Chasing Graves is the perfect fix to satisfy that hunger. Last but certainly not least, I can’t wrap this up without shouting out the stunning cover art by Chris Cold, which drew me in initially and motivated this reread to spotlight a series that truly deserves more attention.
Wolfmantula.com 