Randolph "Dilda" Carter

This is a solicited ARC that I agreed, with much anticipation, to read and fairly review.  Full disclosure thingy you know.  Now that all the ethical things are out of the way.

Get ready for a wild ride through the Holy Roman and Ottoman empires as Heraclix, a sort of Frankenstein's monster, and his unlikely companion, the fairy Pomp, try to find where Heraclix came from and what he was before he was sewn together by the sorcerer Mowler.

But Mowler wants to rule Hell since he figures he's already damned, why not at least be #1 in Hell and while he's at it why not take everyone else with him so he can be top dog of everyone.  To do this he needs the Ottoman Turks to attack the Holy Roman empire.  This background is what Heraclix and fey Pomp have to deal with as they try to get to Istanbul to find out Heraclix's origins and along the way Pomp learns what it means to be non-fairy, if that makes any sense.  

Uncategorizable comes to mind.  Is it historical fiction?  Is it fantasy?  Is it horror?  The plot rolls from historical fact to to fantasy to pure horror at times and you never know how the various threads are going to come back together again especially after Pomp and Heraclix are separated.  The plot seems random at times but just hold on, it's all making sense soon.

It is helpful to know what the Holy Roman and Ottoman empires were, and a little bit about eastern European geography.  A little effort makes the ride a bit more enjoyable.