M.R. Carey's books are strange and fascinating. Earlier I read and reviewed The Book of Koli and was eager for this second book in the Rampart trilogy. Read The Book of Koli first to get the background because this is one of those trilogies that requires an introduction to the post-apocalyptic world and the characters. It's worth it.

from description: "Koli never planned to set foot outside his small village. He knew that beyond its walls lay a fearsome landscape filled with choker trees, vicious beasts and Shunned men. But when he was exiled, he had no choice but to journey out into this strange world where every moment is a fight for survival.

And it’s not just Koli’s life that is threatened. Whole villages just like his are dying out.

But Koli heard a story, once. A story about lost London, and the mysterious tech of the Old Times that may still be there. If he can find it, there may still be a way for him to change his own fate – by saving the lives of those who are left."

The Trials of Koli takes Koli, Ursula, and Monono forward on their journey to London. They are joined by Cup, first as an unwilling prisoner, later as part of the group. The journey is dangerous and the threats from man and nature are plentiful, but working together the group weathers the hardships and the damages inflicted.

Interesting (and surprising to me) was the addition of a second voice. Spinner, Koli's friend in Mythen Rood who married a Rampart, begins a second narrative about what happened in Mythen Rood after Koli's exile. While her experiences are vastly different from those of the group headed toward London, they are just as fascinating and informative.

I've been a fan of M.R. Carey since The Girl with All the Gifts, and I've appreciated both books in this new trilogy. Now, a wait for the final book. I do hate waiting.

Read in May; blog review scheduled for Aug. 25.

NetGalley/Orbit Books
Post-Apocalyptic. Sept. 15, 2020. Print length: 480 pages.

That’s it! I am adopting Koli! I’m also adopting a few new terms: pizzle (penis), quarant time (quarantine), Febry (February), and tumbling (sex/quickie?).

Koli is so real and warm to me, I want to wrap him in bubble wrap to keep him safe. Same goes for Monono, in spite of her virtual-ness, or as Ursala likes calls her: “dead girl”.

I am normally jarred by the sudden addition of a character POV, when we’re already headlong into a series. It feels ominous to me, but for some reason this gives me hope for a positive outcome. With Spinner’s perspective, it’s nice to see what’s going on at Mythen Rood. I’m a little creeped out that some of the hoopla is reflective of what’s happening in our reality, but it’s nice to check in on these people.

I’m a little bummed that we’re stuck with another cliffhanger, but I am pumped for the conclusion! I just hope I can survive this extra long choker season, until I can get my hands on book 3. I love seeing this world expand and become trippier than book 1. I still want to know more about the Unfinished War, and if the Sword of Albion has anything to do with the book series.

Thank you Orbit for granting me early access to pre-read this book. This series is building a comfortable spot in my heart.

I'm always pleased to see a new Thomas Perry book, and this was no exception. This is Perry's fourth visit to the setting of his first book, the Butcher's Boy and yet Perry still shed more light on the nameless main character and how his life developed. It also led me to go back and read the first three books in this particular series. Perry makes the hitman who is the main character a fascinating read, in spite of the character's sociopathy. One insight I got from going back to the first book was the introduction, which identified one of this writer's strengths. Every character comes alive in just a few words, even the ones who will shortly be dead. The aging of the characters is also well done. Not ignored, but not debilitating. I think this could easily be read on it's own, but having read the other books provides a richer experience, not a repetitive one.


#EddiesBoy #NetGalley

Lets be honest, if you're looking at this you have either read the first book, or are thinking about reading it. Let me tell you that book 2 it the reason to start reading the series if you haven't already!

It picks up right were the first one left off and, since I was used to it already, I didn't have to adjust to Koli's voice and writing style like the first one.. We get to dive deeper into this strange world and continue Koli's journey. Since we know the landscape and the pieces in play from the book 1, MR Carey got the chance to flex his narrative muscles. I've felt in other Carey books the pacing of the story could sometimes become exhausting, however I did not feel that way with the Trials of Koli. I was absolutely entranced by the story as it moved along and kept me engaged until the end..

The big difference between this and book 1 is that the reader gets another voice, that of Spinner. I enjoyed her tale and narration just as much as Koli's, but don't know why this wasn't in the first book. It almost feels like it was added in after the fact to beef up the belly of the book. But it adds another perspective and a whole new adventure.

Overall this fascinating and terrifying world gets even bigger with new characters, towns, and threats, while leaving so much more to explore. I love being taken in this world and didn't want to leave! Ugh! i'll just have to wait for book three!

This is turning out to be my absolute favorite series of the year, possibly of all time! I love these characters and this world that M.R. Carey has created. This review took longer for me to get to because when I picked up The Trials of Koli, I didn't realize that it was the second book of the series. In the back of my mind I knew that M.R. Carey, who wrote a brilliant novel called The Girl With All The Gifts, had a new novel in the works and the name Koli stuck in my mind. I didn't remember the full title, just Koli. My apologies to M.R. Carey! So upon realizing that this was the second book of the series, I dropped everything and went to pick up the first book of the series, The Book of Koli and began reading. I absolutely loved the first book and was glad that I had the second book lined up.

The Trials of Koli picks up right were The Book of Koli left off. Koli, Monono, Ursala and Cup begin their journey to London. In this book we get to see how the relationship of these characters bond while experiencing an incredible adventure full of challenges and dangers along the way. While the first book only focused on Koli, in this book we also get to read about how things are going back in Mythen Rood as we follow Koli’s best friend and crush, Spinner, from the first novel. Spinner begins her new life as a Vennastin, now that she is married to Haijon Vennastin. As she is getting adjusted to her new life, she also start learning some of the family secrets that are kept from everyone in Mythen Rood. The author does a brilliant job of trading back and forth between Koli and Spinner’s storylines. Both Koli and Spinner grow immensely in this book. While in the first book they were young adults, trying to find their place and going through the struggles of growing up, in this book they seem to have matured as their stories have taken a more serious path.

I am very thankful that I was able to read both books back to back. Now comes the hard part. I don’t know when the third book comes out so I must wait. I am looking forward to the final book of the trilogy, The Fall of Koli and I plan to read that as soon as it is available. I highly recommend this series! Thank you to M.R. Carey for sharing these characters and this fascinating world with us.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't think that the second book in the series could be better than the first, but M.R. Carey did it! Bringing in Spinner's point of view into the story was a genius idea. It gives us a new perspective onto the whole situation and helps us understand what happened to the other characters and how they behaved while Koli was away.

As for Koli himsel, he's still growing up and becoming more mature, discovering more of the world and learning how to deal with hopes and disappointments. The trio he forms with Cup and Ursala - 4 if you include Monono, of course - is funny and dysfunctional, and yet they grow closer to each other every day and they manage to survive while trying to save the world.

I can't wait to see how they do it!

I guess this is actually book two of a trilogy, though I picked up what I needed to. Koli and Spinner are from a small village in post-apocalyptic Britain. Post-apocalyptic Britain has a little bit of leftover self-healing tech; a lot of nature that will aggressively kill you; and a dying human race that seems determined to accelerate the end, village by village, despite the existence of good people as well. Carey is good at this stuff but I could not really enjoy another apocalypse.

CW: Spoiler free discussion of transphobia

This one is going to be a tough one to tackle, I think. Or at least, it is for me. This is very clearly a second book in a trilogy, and after a certain point it feels like it’s spinning its wheels to keep it from fully advancing to some degree. We get a second POV that I honesty wish would have been introduced back in book one, because the first parts of her narration end up going back over events from the last book, which feels a lot like backtracking. And here’s the other thing - I’m honestly way more interested in that secondary POV and the story that we get than I am Koli’s.

Part of it is because there’s a very long pause in the seaside village they go to. If it was just a pause/side quest I think I would’ve been a lot more okay with it. But a solid chunk of this segment seems to be to remind us that Koli is Good because he sees the trans character as her gender and helps her get puberty blockers and that Hey Kids Did You Know Being Trans Is Suffering And That Transphobia Is Bad. It feels like a lack of imagination that Carey makes a major choice in the back half of the book hinge on transphobia and to nudge the plot in the way he wants it to go. I think he could’ve used a sensitivity reader here, at minimum. It’s also frustrating that he seems to be unable to imagine a future in which transphobia doesn’t exist.

Now, it’s entirely possible that this takes a major turn next book. But as it is, I can’t recommend this to enby/trans friends. I want to see how this ends but this book has made me more hesitant to recommend the trilogy at large.

Having burned through the first book in this series I was eager to start this one and see what it to offer, unfortunately it just wasn’t quite the same. It was a bit slower through the middle and just seemed to set up for the last one towards the end.

This is not really a stand-alone, but it is a good continuation of the series. The series has great world building and characters to live in it, and it is very well written. It's about as compelling as the first book. Looking forward to the next. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

Koli's adventure picks up in the second book of the Rampart Trilogy by M.R. Carey.

Koli, Ursula, and Cup continue their travels to Lost London in The Trials of Koli. Immersed directly into the wasteland of a future earth ravaged by the technology we humans spewed upon it, Koli and friends run into more troubles while continuing their quest. They follow a strange signal with hopes of finding old technology that can help the human race continue to survive.

The story fluctuates between Koli's perspective and that of Spinner, a woman married into the Rampart family, the Vennastens, back at Mythen Rood, the village from which Koli was exiled. We learn more about the Unfinished War, and what kind of danger the Rampart kind means to the survival of this futuristic world.

Like all of Carey's work, the world-building is abundant. The character bonds deepen in The Trials Of Koli, and introductions to new dangers expand the novel into epic scope. Koli's strange speech could be offputting to readers. However, looking at it as a further indication of the world Carey has created only deepens the foundation of this primitive future he has concocted for the Rampart Trilogy.

The Trials Of Koli does suffer from the usual illnesses of a second book, becoming mired in the development of the arc and introducing further trials and tribulations. It is crucial to know that this book does not stand alone. Following the tradition of oral storytelling, The Trials Of Koli picks up where book one left off and plows onward.

For those who can withstand Koli's narrative voice, the split story between him and Spinner, and the forward momentum of these interlocking books, there is much reward in the Rampart Trilogy's first two volumes.

Koli, Ursala, and Cup continue their travels to Lost London in search of the signal and a hope for a new future for mankind. Along the way they will face new dangers both from the wild and those who intend to survive. Meanwhile the people back in Mythen Rood are dealing with trials of their own. In parallel stories told from Koli and Spinner's perspectives we are immersed in a world where science has created monsters and humankind will have to be stronger and smarter to survive.

All the stars and then some! The Trials of Koli is the amazing second novel in The Rampart Trilogy. I am a big fan of M.R. Carey's novels. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Book of Koli, so I was very excited to see how the story continued. I loved this second novel so much I didn't want to put it down. In this novel we get to travel along with Koli, Ursala, and Cut as they search for a mysterious signal appearing to come from Lost London. We also get a new perspective as Spinner becomes the storyteller beginning with the events leading up to Koli becoming a faceless man and continuing with the events occurring in Mythen Rood after. The novel switches between the two perspectives making for an even more intense and action packed read. I loved the original cast of characters and we really get to see them develop, grow, and bond in this novel. We also get introduced to new characters, tribes, and monsters along the way. This was such an exciting and engaging read and I can't wait for the third book in this series. This trilogy will definitely be added to my personal library to be read and loved over and over again...this is a must read series!

Thank you so much to net galley for sending a copy of this book for me. I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. I really like this series of a post apocalyptic world and old tech in England. Koli was kicked out of Mythen Rood and heads toward London with Ursula, the Drudge and Monomo. Their path is, of course, full of danger and they pick up one more member.

I read through this so fast because I was so on edge after the Book of Koli ended. This started where the other book ended and mostly goes back and forth between Koli and Spinner. There is still a lot of discussion about the Unfinished War because there is leftover technology still found from it like flame throwers and bolt cutters but sometimes drones show up. Spinner married into "the Ramparts" at the end of book one and more is revealed about what is happening at Mytheen Rood, the community where Koli is exiled from. I like that we are learning more about who and what the ramparts are because of Spinner, but they aren't the only danger. Don't forget about the killer trees and plants!

Without giving too much away, so much happens in this book even if there is a little bit of "middle book" syndrome. Other readers need to know Book of Koli needs to be read first or this will not make any sense. So excited for book 3, "the fall of Koli."

If you want a solid trilogy, this is it. Koli is such a sensitive character but he is tough as hell. I am a fan. Thanks to Netgalley, MR Carey and Orbit Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 9/15/20

Koli's story continues in M.R. Carey's richly-imagined post apocalyptic world. This is "Ingland" of the far future, a land where bio-engineered trees are one of more dangerous threats to the remnants of humanity, not to mention all the other creatures--needles, mole snake, tree-cats, sea bears, and so forth--who are likely to kill and eat the unsuspecting. And that doesn't include the remnants of tech, including the occasional drone left over from the Unfinished War, that will sometimes suddenly drop into a walled village and open fire on the unwary. Other tech remains as well, including protective gear that is wielded by the Ramparts, or village protectors--a flame thrower, bolt gun, knife/cutter, etc. This time around, in addition to Koli's story, we also find out what's happening back at Mythen Rood, the village that Koli was exiled from, as we follow the story of Spinner and the discoveries she makes among the Rampart family, the Vennastens. The focus shifts back and forth between Mythen Rood and Koli and his small band (Cup, Ursala, and the AI, Monono) as they trek towards London and a signal that is still broadcasting from a place called "Sword of Albion." Koli and friends are taken in by the villagers of the seaside town of Many Fishes and find a place of relative safety (sea bears) and potential happiness. But the signal is still out there. I've really enjoyed these first two books, which I ended up reading back-to-back. It's going to be a hard wait for the final book in this trilogy, The Fall of Koli, but I'll be looking forward to it.

Great yarn with top-notch character development. No complaints outside a couple continuity quibbles.

The Trials of Koli by M.R. Carey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think it needs to be said: trilogies need to come back.

Certain stories require more page space. This second book continues The Book of Koli in a wonderful way. A sympathetic character in Koli is given a lot more dimension by other PoVs, but what really makes this shine is all the time and other character development out in the wide world of Ingland. :)

I'm not entirely certain how far in the future this Earth is, but all the remnants of high-tech weaponry and quasi-AI and massively altered plant and animal life make this a RICH setting to tell a big post-apocalyptic world. And that's just the first book.

This one quite naturally widens our scope and we see how several other sides live in this twilight of humanity.

I should mention that the text is mostly written by Koli who is "creatively literate" and maybe not surprisingly, there is plenty of evidence of language drift.

How cool is that? Most authors don't bother, but the evidence for some deep worldbuilding is everywhere in these. Just what happened in the Unfinished War? So many things combined to spell out our slow demise.

By just getting out on their own, fighting to live another day, I'm really invested in the story. I had a very good time.

That being said, this IS the second book. It doesn't stand on its own. But then, it does follow a very old tradition and I really don't mind it at all. We could have had one HUGE book with all three combined or we could them as they are split up here. To me, it's all one big story and I'm rocking to it. :)

First of all thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I started this book with a mistake. I somehow missed that this was book #2 in the series. Looking at the description again I'm not sure how I missed it. So I was determined to try and read it anyways. Hoping that I could figure out what was going on with the information provided. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get very far. The main character Koli has a very distinct way of speaking. Kind of an uneducated southerner slang. It was SOOOO hard to read. I can see what the author was going for but the grammar was so hard to read! I was reading at a quarter of the speed because it was so distracting. I'm not a "silently correcting your grammar" kind of person so if this was hard for me to read I'm sure I will not be alone in feeling this way.

The Trials of Koli is the 2nd book in The Rampart Trilogy by M.R. Carey. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me continue this amazing journey with Koli, Cup and Ursula!
This book picks up shortly after the first book, "The Book of Koli", after the three of them escaped the caves of the shunned men. What I really liked about this book is that the story went back and forth between Koli and Spinner who had just married into the "Rampart" clan. You knew from the end of the first book that the lies that had been perpetuated by the family controlling who learned the tech was quickly falling apart. The story being told by Spinner and how that is starting to happen really rounded out the story for me.
This book also develops Cup's character more fully with the struggle of their sexuality and how their relationship develops with Koli and Ursula. Overall a great follow up to the first book and it definitely leaves you hanging at the end of the book. I cannot wait for the final book!