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I have been dreading this review in a way. 

Because I’m not sure I can properly do this. Benjamin Liar’s THE FAILURES is a book that intimidated me, for sure. DAW reached out to me on the early side & sent me a really fun influencer box with an ARC for this one. And then kindly followed that up with a beautiful finished hardcover. And I just…kept putting it off. This is a BIG book, with relatively small print. And it sounded complicated and maybe a little confusing. So I let it intimidate me a lot, which I try never to let happen. It’s a fantasy novel, after all. Which, hey…I love fantasy!

And well…the only way to get to the end of a 530-page chonker like this one is to just start the damn thing, so that’s what I did.

And this…is probably my favorite book of the year? If it’s not, it’s a damn close thing. THE FAILURES is a fucking treasure! I really don’t know what I expected out of this book, and I’m even less sure how to articulate my thoughts in this review…but this is an extremely special book & I loved it with my whole heart. 

But here I am, looking at all this blank space & unsure where to begin. I think one of the things to keep in mind, and the thing that perhaps surprised me the most is…for how massive, epic, and totally unlike anything else I’ve ever read it is, THE FAILURES is extremely approachable. It’s also fucking hilarious, too. Is it weird? Definitely. Is it occasionally overwhelming/challenging/maddening? 

It decidedly is. 

THE FAILURES is wildly ambitious & beyond impressive. If you’re looking for something epic in scope, and totally unique, this one should definitely be on your radar! 

Landing somewhere (kinda) between an apocalyptic/dystopian vibe and dark/epic fantasy, THE FAILURES is set in The Wanderlands. This is a strange, mysterious world, largely subterranean, and with ever-decreasing sources of light. The story is…fragmented. Fractured. Told in different timelines without necessarily announcing it to the reader. It takes a bit to get the hang of, but it all works. 

The cast of characters is reasonably big, but never overwhelmingly so. And I want to focus on just a few of them here. 

For sure it’s Sophie Vesachai that became my favorite character in the book. As a kid, Sophie saved the world. Or so the story goes. Now exiled by her powerful family & imbued with a forbidden/powerful magic (silver wrapped around her bones), she leads a group called The Killers. Not everyone in The Killers is really who they claim to be, but they are a tight-knit group of ruffians & thieves, drinking their way through The Keep, the monolithic city-within-an-impossibly-big-mountain at the center of this story. There are so many BIG personalities within this group, and Liar does great work building in all the one-on-one dynamics and backstories for each character. Spending time with The Killers is a lot…they’re an unpredictable group, but you will be entertained, and also find yourself really moved by the strength of their bonds. 

Elsewhere, we’ve got Jackie & Gun, two friends known as Behemoth, who actually seem to be from our world, brought to this world through inscrutable means, and hilariously fucking shit up. In this world, Jackie & Gun are seemingly…indestructible? Which is a whole thing. And Gun has a magical sword, so that fucking rules. These two are hilarious & endearing & give each other so much shit. You want relentless but well-meaning banter? There’s plenty to go around. I loved Jackie & Gun a whole lot. 

And then there’s this massive underground prison which is where the Giant named Kindaedystrin is kept. And depending on who you ask, Kindaedystrin is either this world’s salvation or damnation. So some people want to kill the Giant & others want to release him, in the hopes that Kindaedystrin will restore light to the Wanderlands.

Ok, make sense? No. I know. I’ve struggled mightily trying to get this far into this review. Like days & days I’ve been working on this. THIS BOOK IS MUCH SMARTER THAN ME! But for all its intricacies & deeply complex world building, THE FAILURES is a whole lot of fun! And while it’s considerably long, the pace felt pretty brisk to me & the chapters are relatively short. There were just a lot of elements here that made this a book I couldn’t stand to be away from for very long. 

I’ve been writing book reviews for quite a few years now & have just come to realize some books are easier to review for me than others. I had hoped to breeze through this one & really capture some small part of what felt so special to me about THE FAILURES, and I definitely haven’t been able to. 

But this is without a doubt one of the most impressive fantasy books I’ve ever read. I feel like this is a book (and hopefully a whole trilogy) that will kind of slowly develop a bit of a cult following. But for now, hi, I’m here. In the cult. I think anyone with an interest in dark fantasy, sci-fi, apocalyptic stuff…you’ll find something here that you’ll love. I sure did. I’ll be thinking about (and likely rereading) THE FAILURES for years to come, and I’m not-so-patiently waiting for news of book two. This is an epic, original, wondrous story and I’m so glad to have read it.

Massive thanks to DAW for sending this one my way!