Review: Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archive book 4), by Brandon Sanderson.

This one took me a while to read because it’s quite hefty at over 1,200 pages. Returning to the world of Roshar, there are spoilers aplenty for preceding books in this review. So, beyond the cover below this paragraph, be aware of that.

 

We find war ongoing between the coalition of countries/leaders, led by Dalinar (master of the ancient tower of Urithiru), and the immortal (but also partly insane) Fused, led by the domineering god Odium.

The enemy is no fool, and has a number of intelligent leaders who aim to use a combination of treachery and sly, bold manoeuvres to rob the Urithiru alliance of their single greatest asset.

Advancing technology in a fictional world, particularly one with a developed magic system, is an interesting part of the story, and from the flying ship to certain other innovations, they add to the plot in a credible way, mingling magic and science.

There’s quite a lot in the way of mental health as a major theme, with addiction (Teft), being ground down (Kaladin), and what feels to me like the dulled, almost drug-like state of functional existence of Moash (we spend a lot less time with him). Perhaps most of all, the multiple personalities of Shallan. By and large it does fit in with the world and story, although there are parts where it feels Kaladin’s situation gets too much word count, which slows the pace.

However, I should stress this is very much not a problem in the last couple of hundred pages where there’s an excellent sense of crescendo building as the various plot points come to a head and leave them very nicely poised for the next instalment.

I also very much enjoyed (again) Taravangian, the elderly man who can vary from Machiavellian ruthless genius to eminently likeable yet pathetically ineffectual. In addition, portraying the enemy not as uniformly evil or mindless villains helps to make both the storylines more complicated and the world/plot more credible.

The Stormlight Archive is one of a few fantasy series I have on the go, and I’m looking forward to the next part.

Thaddeus

Review: Assassin’s Fate, by Robin Hobb (book 3 of the Fitz and the Fool trilogy)

And so to the third part of the third trilogy featuring the eponymous Fitz and the Fool. I’ve been a little slower reading this than the others, partly due to a natural tendency to drag out endings of books/series I enjoy.

But I devoured the last two hundred pages in a little over a day. The climax of the story as our namesake heroes head to Clerres to try and wrest Bee, Fitz’s daughter, from the vicious, torturous grasp of the Servants is a highlight of the trilogies. I won’t betray the ending, but I found it to be perfectly done.

Naturally, there are spoilers for earlier entries in this series, as well as the preceding trilogies (Farseer, and Tawny Man).

 

The main characters have come a long way from the first book, and are accompanied by Lant (the son of Chade, who was Fitz’s mentor), Spark (Chade’s last protégé as a shadow-sneaking thief-spy-assassin), and Perseverance, the aptly named stableboy who has sworn to rescue Bee. There are some unexpected allies both within and without Clerres, some of whom may be more trouble than they’re worth. Will Bee survive? Will she see her father again? And will saving her cost him his life?

As always, Hobb absolutely excels at emotive writing that’s also incredibly easy to read, letting the reader get swept away on a churning river that ranges from slow sentimentality to rapid stress, gnawing dread, and tentative hope.

It’s a wonderful book, and if you’ve got this far then frankly you’re a daft sod if you miss out on the final book in the final trilogy.

Thaddeus

Deadly Games (Emperor’s Edge Book 3), by Lindsay Buroker

The previous entries in this series have been reviewed here for book 1, and here for book 2. There may well be spoilers for earlier instalments within this review.

Amaranthe and the assorted members of the Emperor’s Edge (think steampunk A-Team) return just as the fictional equivalent of the Olympics are being held. But athletes are going missing, and nobody knows why. The Emperor’s Edge sets about investigating, only for a couple of their most capable warriors to captured, leaving Amaranthe and the rest to try and work out where they are and how to save them.

The side-plot is trying to get a newspaper editor on-side to get some good PR to counteract the widely held but false perception of the group as terrorist, violent nutcases.

One thing I like about this series is the character development, which falls into neither the trap of becoming stale nor into overly rapid/inconsistent changes. The people do change in a natural, credible way, and while each individual adventure is largely self-contained, the underlying group dynamics evolve along the way (reminds me a little of Tales of the Ketty Jay, by Chris Wooding, in that regard).

Similarly, the tone remains as before, adventurous and occasionally a little serious without straying into grimdark. It’s a really easy read, a rollicking tale of good versus evil, with occasional moral ambiguity and genuine tensions between mercenaries. And the ending is very good as well.

In short, if you liked the first two entries in the series, the third book will also be right up your street. 

Thaddeus

Review of Fool’s Quest (book 2 of Fitz and the Fool), by Robin Hobb

Alarmingly quickly after finishing the first book (reviewed here) I polished off the second in this third trilogy by Robin Hobb. I’ll keep things as light as possible but there will necessarily be spoilers for the first book below.

Lashings of anguish and concern lace the storyline, which has twists that turn things around in a way that’s credible and fits perfectly with the characters and plot.

Bee and Shun have been taken, but Withywoods is far from Buckkeep and a lingering curse means word will be a long time coming. Will Fitz and his allies find out in time, or will his daughter and ward be spirited away to the unknown realm of Clerres, out of reach forever?

The story feels quite close rather than being grand in scale, but loses none of its impetus or urgency for that. Indeed, the more personal stakes make it more immediately sympathetic than a global war or suchlike. As an undertone, the ageing Fitz seeing the court change around him and his old ways becoming outdated has a sentimental realism that can be readily appreciated, whether the reader is old or not.

As before, I read this book far faster than my usual rather sedate pace, in much the same way I eat chocolate rather more enthusiastically than lesser treats. I’m taking a short break before I start the third and final book.

Thaddeus