Review: The White Song (Chronicles of the Black Gate Book 5), by Phil Tucker

This is sort-of the last book in the series (there’s a sixth but it’s a prequel), which I’ve enjoyed reading over a couple of years.

Reviewing a fifth and final (in chronological terms) story is a little odd because if you’ve made it this far and liked the four preceding books then it’s nigh on certain you’ll like this. Naturally, major spoilers for preceding entries abound, so read on at your own risk.

 

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The pinnacle of the empire is about to be under attack from a seemingly unstoppable horde of demons and while the medusa and Tharok (and the kragh generally) are now allies rather than foes, it seems the world is about to be doomed. Obviously, that doesn’t happen in the first few chapters or it’d be a short book, but the odds are very much against the good guys.

One thing I’ve always liked about this series has been the varying character of protagonists in terms of both capability and attitude. Audsley has been one of the most entertaining, and his fall from grace last time is redeemed (at least to an extent) by his intelligence and bravery in this one. Asho is as defiant as ever, and there are strongly differing opinions from major figures regarding how to try and save the world.

The various discordant allies must try to come together, for if they fail then all will be doomed. And when an ancient and immensely intelligent former enemy offers to assist it remains to be seen if he, or the medusa, can be trusted. For that matter, can they even win?

It’s difficult to elaborate much more without ruining the plot, but I will say I found it enjoyable, once again, and a fitting conclusion.

Overall, I enjoyed this fifth and (sort-of) final part of the Chronicles of the Black Gate. It’s been a fairly old school sort of read, managing to keep the black-and-white distinction of good and evil in some areas (demons) while having more complicated hues with the likes of Tharok and, especially, Audsley. The world-building has been great, with a good combination of intrigue and action.

As already mentioned, characters have been nicely varied, making them both interesting in their own right and also bringing different strengths (and weaknesses) to the table, including legitimately varying perspectives.

Looking forward to reading the prequel, but for those in any doubt I would definitely recommend giving this series a look. The first five parts can be bought as a box set e-book, which is the most cost effective way of doing it and also means you’ll have (probably, I only got it later on) a larger sample size to find out for free if it’s your cup of tea.

 

Thaddeus

Review: The Iron Circlet (Chronicles of the Black Gate Book 4), by Phil Tucker

I really enjoyed the first three books in this series, and have been looking forward to the fourth entry for a while. Naturally, spoilers abound.

 

We resume our adventure with Tharok on the rampage and set fair to invade the very pinnacle of the Empire, which has just ‘fallen’ in surprisingly concordant fashion to Iskra Kyferin. Meanwhile, Tiron, and his vastly diminished band of allies, manage to escape the massacre of the Ascendant’s forces but find themselves in the middle of nowhere and with precious few supplies.

One of the things I like the most about this series is the combination of internal and external struggles, and how well the storylines weave together. Perhaps the best example of this is Audsley, who goes from bookworm to demonically destructive. But is he the manipulator, or the manipulated?

The remaining forces of the Empire assemble to try and fend off the seemingly unending tide of kragh, the first of many grand battles within this book. Another aspect I like is that while the author is unafraid to have prolonged storylines he’s also not worried about snipping them off when the time is right, and we see a number of significant secondary characters meet their doom, alongside a very dramatic ending that utterly alters, in a plausible yet unexpected fashion, the nature of the conflict.

It remains a very easy to read series, with more depth added to the backstory of the world in a way that’s relevant rather than being a full-blown info-dump, so if the lore of this world is something you’re into then the revelations here add quite a bit.

I’ll probably read something else next, just for the sake of variety, but fully plan to read parts 5 and 6 fairly soon. If you haven’t read any of this series I’d strongly advocate checking it out.

Thaddeus