wraithsBy Mark Morris

Titan Books, out now

Alex Locke must fulfil his role in history – or die trying…

Mark Morris’ concluding chapter in his Obsidian Heart series wraps things up in exactly the way they need to be – as one of the characters observes, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you learn all the answers. Some of them Morris leaves for you to work out for yourself; others are full of intriguing possibilities (and which present a chance for future stories featuring some of the same people). There are multiple twists and turns – if you’ve been reading the books carefully (and you’re as steeped in Doctor Who and other time travel tales as the author!) you’ll be ahead of Alex; other revelations you may well, as I did, want to kick yourself for missing the clues.

There’s a lot of discussion of the problems inherent with time travel and dealing with situations that, from the point of view of some of the participants, have already happened. Quite a bit of the book is spent putting the pieces in place for events that occurred in the earlier volumes, but that doesn’t mean that it’s plain sailing – the Dark Man’s presence is felt throughout and Morris ensures that there’s always that uneasy feeling that things could be derailed at any stage.

There are some very evocative passages: just as Morris brought the reality of the streets of late Victorian London to life in the earlier volumes, so he encapsulates the horrors – and the banality – of life for soldiers during the First World War. It’s a balancing act to incorporate the more fantastical elements into this without it feeling like it’s just using an obscene historical event as a backcloth, but Morris achieves it, in part by what he doesn’t say as much as by what he does.

If you’ve not met the Wolves of London and the others involved with the Obsidian Heart, then pick up a set of the entire trilogy now – if you’re a fan of dark time travel stories with a horror bent, then you’re going to love them.

Verdict: The perfect end to a gripping series. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order The Wraiths of War from Amazon.co.uk