Roots is an enjoyable Coldharbour novella story by Matthew Ward, who you’ll likely know from Grimdark Magazine #4, Evil is a Matter of Perspective, and the hotly anticipated Legacy of Ash.
In Roots, Isra’s business partner is off on another payless errand, and their office is falling apart around them. A job walks through the door in the form of a lawyer named Cole, and he’s asking her to confront her fear of the London Underground… and something else she thought left in her past.
Told in a not-quite-noir detective / private eye style with Ward’s excellent ability to build a world around you through his characters (the author is obviously very comfortable in his London-esque urban fantasy world Coldharbour) this story is an engaging read. I have always especially liked Ward’s verbal fencing between his characters, and that shines through here.
Roots is an excellent little novella well worth your time. It doesn’t have the grimdark themes our fans love, but I highly recommend throwing a few bob and an hour’s reading time at it when maybe you need a bit of a break to brush the grit from your teeth.
