Review: However many must Die by Phil Williams

A post-patriarchal Saving Private Ryan, set in a savage, monster and magic filled war with little sign of letting up.

As always, I will avoid spoilers and plot points like a blood-puddled minefield, but aim to give you the feel, quality and experience you can expect should you choose to follow my advice and read this book.

These women know survival, they know loss and they know war. Not once did I see beyond Williams’ veil of relentless warfare or the emotional cost of existing through this bitter period of conflict…I was too invested to peek above the trenches. Each scene moves at a pace relevant to the number of shells filling the magic-infused air. 

We have moments of camaraderie, time for these veterans to bounce off each other and taste their own grief, but we are always at threat of the looming chaos of war. 

When the pace of combat increases, we are blessed with a first-hand scramble through pandemonium that delivers action scenes beautifully before the pendulum swings back to the cost of a soldier’s capability. Williams balances these polar opposites with the deft hands of a bomb disposal veteran. Presenting exhilarating, guilt-free action before extracting the toll in the quieter, more thought-provoking moments.

As we move further into the plot another element is introduced, another perspective that delivers the perfect narrative split that achieves something essential in my eyes. That tiny buzz of excitement when your new favourite character starts a section and you fall in with their thread with ease (then rinse and repeat). Not only does this aspect provide another perspective, but it further develops the subtle world building that Williams does so well. Without being forced, we learn more about the war we have been dropped into, more about the nations involved and we are given a very stealthy sense of urgency as our two protagonists pincer manoeuvre towards their goals. Goals that are most definitely not aligned. 

Don’t get me wrong here, this is not a neat and tidy device from SFF novel-writing school. This is another skilful incursion into the storm of war. Bullets are still raining and death is still lurking around every sandbag. 

Mr Williams does not shy away from the stray bullet inherent in warfare. In fact, I’d warn you to be careful who you get close to during a conflict this realistic.

The obvious and biggest reference running throughout this book are our own world wars and (I’m pretty certain) this is entirely intentional. As with all good fantasy we need an anchor point for our imagination to lean out from and here, despite the changed terminology, we have everything required to indulge ourselves in our own wartime fascinations. We have tech, magic, race, espionage, fanatics and the innocently conscripted. We have the landscapes and the inevitable changes made by the powers that be. We have people of all kinds swept into this devastatingly destructive phenomena. 

This book has it all, and it is delivered in slick, lightweight prose that does not miss a beat, yet somehow flows like a blockbuster.

I read at an injured snail’s pace these days, but somehow this book clambered over my barbed-wire and I was through it in no time! This in itself is testament to how great this book is and how much I suggest you go and buy it so Phil Williams can further his motivation to keep writing books of this calibre.