A young storyteller must embrace his own skills—and the power of stories—to save a nation from economic ruin, in the standalone sequel to A Conspiracy of Truths.
These footnotes are the clearest implementation of Rowland’s notable skill at tailoring her prose to the character in this work ... a fascinating meta-literary experience, made all the more compelling by the moments when the nameless editor appears in the narrative itself ... Setting aside Rowland’s technical skill, her plot and characters are compelling as ever. She continues to offer tantalizing slices of a comprehensive, well-designed world ... should be on the reading list of any fan of darkly comic fantasy. Preferably just below its predecessor. Stories should be told in order, after all.
A story of discovery and growth, interspersed with other short fables and creative footnote commentary that unfolds into a superbly crafted world of intriguing characters and lush setting ... reveals the author’s stunning prose, beautiful worldbuilding, and emotional detail. Highly recommended.
Reading A Choir of Lies is like sitting in a room with two full length mirrors, reading the book and yet seeing reflections of yourself doing the same thing. It’s an unnerving experience, having the reflections mimic your actions, and comment on them at the same time by their presence. The reflections are inescapable, and to take as a whole, necessary to a full appreciation of the text and what it is trying to do ... It is a strange thing to read a book, to consume a story, with a commentator who believes ardently that the act of writing a story down that I can later read is a vile act ... My decision on whether I enjoy the metafictional, metatextual, cosmopolitan, erudite and engaging fantasy that Alex Rowland creates is clear–I most certainly do.
