Review: The Long Moonlight by Razörfist

If you’re at all familiar with the rapid-fire commentary of the longhaired, band shirt-bedecked YouTube personality known as Razörfist, you know his love for pulp, rock n’ roll and video games runs as deep as his love of withering political commentary. A longtime fan of the groundbreaking stealth franchise [easyazon_link identifier="B00XUKVJRK" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Thief[/easyazon_link], the influence of the game’s world comes across in vivid homage in [easyazon_link identifier="9527303109" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]The Long Moonlight[/easyazon_link]. At a mere 126 pages with beautiful black and white illustrations, no time is wasted setting master thief Xerdes smack in the middle of brewing tensions between two rival crime lords in the bustling city of Menuvia, a place that’s dirty in more ways than one.

eBook and audiobook versions are now available from Arkhaven Publishing. eBook link Audiobook link

The story

The tale starts with Xerdes breaking into a lavishly appointed tavern to relieve it of a set of valueable silverware. Naturally things go awry when he hears a panicked, yet familiar voice on the other side of a nearby door pleading for mercy. A small-time picklock is being throttled by one Cy Welliver, who happens to own the tavern Xerdes was in the middle of robbing. After learning via eavesdrop that Cy is embroiled with rival Rolf Egheston, Xerdes manages to save his colleague and dash upstairs to escape, only to run into the beautiful barbarian Saryss, who’s at the tavern on behalf of Egheston to dispense of Welliver. One introductory fistfight later, and what began as a simple job becomes an arson that has now also drawn the attention of the City Guard. What follows from there is a taut, packed tale of reluctant alliances, double-crosses and daring thefts with just a smattering of romance, all told in the author vlogger’s distinct verbiage.

The characters

Xerdes is a stand-in for Garrett of the aforementioned [easyazon_link identifier="B00XUKVJRK" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Thief video games[/easyazon_link]in all but name . Cynical and sarcastic, he never takes any but the direst of circumstances too seriously, but never veers either into full-blown camp or grimdark. He proves an able hero as he melts between the shadows soundlessly, and while no swordsman, can handle himself in a brawl or with a dagger. Saryss, a member of a race of warlike mountain folk, is written with enough personality to make her distinct, and a capable enough warrior to fight alongside Xerdes, even saving his life from ambush at one point. Though strong willed, she never crosses the line into preachy, and is a well written example of an actual Strong Female Character. The warring criminals Cy Welliver and Rolf Egheston are opposite sides of the same coin, the former large and boisterous, the latter cold and well-spoken, and both come across as ruthless in their appointed trades. Playing the Watson in all of this is Inspector Coggins, the one noble and duty-bound City Guardsman trying to put a lid on the growing chaos. His character plows ahead despite being hampered by lazy upper ranks who want quick answers and widespread corruption among his own men. I found myself rooting for his progress throughout the book as he connects the dots of the carnage left in the wake of the main characters.

The world

Menuvia is a gaslight Victorian-inspired city; datelines at the beginnings of chapters are even set in some alternate mid-19th century. Crowded and dirty, the majority of its citizens are poor, and ruled over by a Senatorial political class. Settings run the gamut between desperate urban squalor and Baroque decadence. Where Razor’s worldbuilding really shines is in the depth given to Its criminal class. Naturally many of the major players front legitimate businesses, but the world is also populated by lesser thieves, assassins, hired muscle, fences, forgers and corrupt city guardsmen happy to turn a blind eye to it all for the right amount of palm grease. In addition to this, helpful footnotes help to flesh out finer details of the world without resorting to dreaded exposition dumps.

The politics

Despite the presence of a Senate within the world, political drama is nonexistent. The characters operate outside of the law, and the plot wisely disregards government intrigue in favor of break-ins, clashing steel and booby trapped mansions.

Content warning

There is a moment when a building hinted-at sexual tension boils over, but is handled as a fade-to-black closing out a chapter. Violence is more graphically described, though never gratuitous.

Who is it for?

Anyone looking for a solid adventure offering. The story only takes up 115 pages, and nothing is wasted. Razörfist fans will immediately recognize the YouTuber’s prose, which at times is so purple it verges on indigo. This may be a turn off for some, and indeed there are moments where Xerdes comes off a bit more sarcastic than a scene calls for, but its an infrequent and minor annoyance. Fight scenes are terse and smooth, the dialogue and plot aren’t bogged down, and its overall a refreshing display of wordsmithing.

Why read it?

It’s fast-paced, swashbuckling action, pure and simple. Whether you’re a fan of the author, a fan of the Thief series, or just a fan of stories that reside squarely within Pulp Noir, you won’t regret picking this up.