You Die When You Die

West of West, Book 1

By: Angus Watson

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

You die when you die....

You can't change your fate - so throw yourself into battle, because you'll end the day either a hero or drinking mead in the halls of the gods. That's what Finn's tribe believe. But Finn wants to live. When his settlement is massacred by a hostile tribe, Finn plus several friends and rivals must make their escape across a brutal, unfamiliar landscape, and to survive, Finn will fight harder than he's ever fought before.

The David Gemmell Award-nominated author of Age of Iron returns with You Die When You Die - an epic fantasy adventure in which a mismatched group of refugees battle animals and monsters, determined assassins, an unforgiving land and each other as they cross a continent to fulfil a prophecy.

©2017 Little Brown (P)2017 Angus Watson

Critic reviews

"Unflinchingly bloodthirsty and outrageously entertaining." (Christopher Brookmyre on Age of Iron)
"Would I read the next one? Yes, absolutely. Bring me my hammer, bring my beer, bring it on!" (SF Crowsnest on Age of Iron)
"It simply grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go." ( BIBLIOSANCTUM, review for Age of Iron)
"A fun and addictive read." (Fantasy Faction on Age of Iron)
"Watson's tale is gore-soaked and profanity-laden - full of visceral combat and earthy humour, and laced with subtle magic." ( Publishers Weekly on Age of Iron)

I like it, more fun than other books.

I have like 10 million audio books and anytime an author can keep me interested and make me smile/laugh I give high regard. I hold Joe Abercrombie in a special place and this does not have the satirical genius of Joe or King Lear, it does spark some fire in my bones. (I just put Joe Abercrombie and Shakespeare in the same sentence. I am sorry I am not sorry)

Great book, Great performance.

I really enjoyed the other series by Angus Watson. He does a really good job of blending humor into the story without making it seem silly.
This book is just as good, and I highly recommend it.

Angus does it again!

Would you consider the audio edition of You Die When You Die to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version. Young kids, a growing career, etc. make it harder than it used to be to sit down and read print. So I pipe the audible book through my car speakers on the daily commute. And bask in the awesomeness of Angus Watson as he spins out another spellbinding tale!

What other book might you compare You Die When You Die to and why?

You Die When You Die isn't directly comparable to any other books I've read. The closest author I can think of that leaves me feeling the same way would be Joe Abercrombie. The unpredictability of the storyline, the depth of the characters, the wild mix of fantasy and humor. It's a delicious goulash of wit, fantasy, rawness, and fun.

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

My imagination could not create the vast array of character voices and emotions that Sean Barrett brings to the stories. It's like sitting by a crackling fire as grandpa reads out a great yarn.

Any additional comments?

Angus Watson caught my attention immediately after reading his first book, Age of Iron. He creates these wonderfully complex characters that lack the superhuman features often found in other fantasy books. They have their strengths, don't get me wrong, but they also have their weaknesses. And sometimes, they get killed. It's the constant surprises that Angus throws at his readers that makes his books hard to put down. Villains show a sign of goodness, and heroes occasionally fail. You just don't know what's in the next box of chocolates you open. Other than you can count on a wonderfully complex story, with complex and creative characters, and many chuckles sprinkled throughout. Keep it up Angus!

WOOOOOOTAH!

First up, fair warning - there is a cattle truck full of swearing in this book. Hilariously used, but if your boat sinks at some cussing, you'll need to look away.


Look, I love my books bat crud crazy. They can make absolutely no sense, as long as the book ‘works’ throughout the nonsensical-ness. ‘You Die When You Die’ sits right about in my happy zone, however for those that need some plot to follow, this has it. It has a ‘run-from-the-evil’ plot line, and it does use quite a few tropes.. Well, the outer skin of tropes that have been gutted, stuffed with crazy string, then stitched back up.


Honestly, just read/listen to it. Laugh crazily, snort at the antics, and just enjoy Watson's ability to mold amazing characters.


Bring on book two so I have another excuse to snort laugh at a speculative fantasy historical fiction.


(the narration by Sean Barrett was top notch as well! Bet he enjoyed swearing like a sailor!! Or a Scrayling!)