This was a genuinely odd seeming coda for the series. I found it an engaging novella, but one that would've felt much more suitable if placed between This was a genuinely odd seeming coda for the series. I found it an engaging novella, but one that would've felt much more suitable if placed between any of the later books. For spoilery character reasons it could only have been set after book 12 though, and I don't think it functions particularly well as a short story send-off to such a long series.
The Expanse authors did something similar with a novella the Sins of our Fathers set after the final 9th novel, and there the story worked perfectly as a suitable emotional coda to the whole endeavor, leaving a satisfying sense of closure while also keeping a sense of wonder about what the future might hold.
I couldn't really tell you what Gardens did for me or the series...which is what makes this such an oddity especially since there are only two pieces of short fiction set in this world, so I kinda expected this one to have more of an impetus behind it besides providing something of a horror/slasher movie bit of entertainment for 123 pages.
My honest suggestion: skip the novella and let Risen be the last word you experience on the series....more
4.5 stars for yet another extremely fun Miles Vorkosigan adventure. I learned in Bujold's afterward in the Young Miles omnibus that she could have eas4.5 stars for yet another extremely fun Miles Vorkosigan adventure. I learned in Bujold's afterward in the Young Miles omnibus that she could have easily split this one into two separate books, with the first chunk feeling completely different as we follow Miles to his first military post after graduating from the academy -- as a weather officer on an arctic outpost under a sadistic commander. I was not in love with this section and was worried it was going to be the whole book, so I was so relieved when Miles quickly found himself caught up in the same kind of mad-cap political/military space plot that characterized Warrior's Apprentice, making the last 2/3 of this one feel like a true sequel.
Miles's inner monologue, cracklingly clever dialogue, and character development are a real highlight here and I think will continue to be the main draw of the series. The beginning/middle of the space plot was a bit convoluted and hard to follow, but it had immense payoffs toward the climax and resolution, and I think getting in over our heads with Miles amidst so many political factions and individual players in this galactic game is a feature and not a bug of Bujold's storytelling here.
I'm so curious to see what Miles gets up to next now that he's gone through plenty of young adult growing pains....more
This penultimate 11th volume was straight fire. A bunch of the long-simmering conflicts in the series came to a head here in some of the most extendedThis penultimate 11th volume was straight fire. A bunch of the long-simmering conflicts in the series came to a head here in some of the most extended and gripping action set pieces Jacka has written. I found them to be quite cinematic and easy to visualize in the way many of Jim Butcher's big set pieces have felt for me throughout the Dresden Files.
Jacka tied up a few loose threads and now the pieces are in place for an intense and explosive finale. If you're a fan of the series early on I can't imagine the trajectory of these late books disappointing you, and this second half has been a thrilling rollercoaster. I'm so invested in Alex's tale in this moment that I think I have to dive right into the final book and see how it all ends. ...more
4.5 stars for another solid early Gemmell read and a worthy sequel to Legend (I can now safely view the lackluster actual sequel in King Beyond the Ga4.5 stars for another solid early Gemmell read and a worthy sequel to Legend (I can now safely view the lackluster actual sequel in King Beyond the Gate as an early-career stumble and happily move past it knowing the publisher was forcing him to write something so similar).
Quest for Lost Heroes carves its own identity separate from Legend and feels like a very different kind of story. It delivered a rousing emotional tale of a bunch of aging warriors getting the band back together to go on a quest to save a captured villager (pretty much the premise of Kings of the Wyld). There were some moments of levity to break up the drama, but like Legend, this one was a gritty tale full of against-the-odds heroism that carried a good deal of emotional weight with its ensemble of older-middle-aged protagonists. The idealistic youth who gathers them for the quest provided a nice emotional counterbalance to some of their more prickly cynicism, and a complex and reflective swordmaster forms a solid core for the narrative to turn around.
This book is a more balanced one with a stronger start I think than Legend and without the same kind of extended battle scenes the previous two books had. It's more of a character drama punctuated by tense short action scenes every now and then with an over-arching plot that feels tight and interesting with a pace that keeps things moving extremely briskly. I cared about what was happening and even felt myself getting a bit emotional by the end which caught me by surprise.
It still had its rough-around-the-edges moments for me where the writing lost my full engagement or suspension of disbelief for a brief minute, and I'll be curious to see if Gemmell's writing continues to evolve and click even more for me as I get to his more recent 90s and 2000s books. I'm glad I continued with Drenai with this one and look forward to more!...more
This was a dynamite late series book that just about read itself. Even for a short book I rarely devour them in less than 2 whole days like I did withThis was a dynamite late series book that just about read itself. Even for a short book I rarely devour them in less than 2 whole days like I did with this one which I just could not put down for the life of me.
The stakes have been steadily rising in the back half of the series and this is a book where a lot of that tension comes to a head for some absurdly dramatic moments and meaningful character turns. I especially love how extremely minor details and side characters from throughout the entire series might come back around to be important again at any moment, which really rewards paying close attention to everything.
The development of the central protagonist continues to be a highlight of the series for me, and I'm sad there are only a couple more of these engaging books to go!...more
4.5 stars for a delightful and engaging series continuation that handed off the POV deftly to the new main character in Miles after the Cordelia-focus4.5 stars for a delightful and engaging series continuation that handed off the POV deftly to the new main character in Miles after the Cordelia-focused duology I loved so much. It's wickedly funny yet filled with an underlying pathos at the same time that gives it plenty of emotional weight.
Miles is an utterly relatable protagonist, caught as he is in the net of unrequited love, societal expectations, parental shadows, physical limitations, and personal ambition. The series has such a unique feel for me in how it's breezy sci-fi adventure yet written in a slightly more elevated style than my average reads, and I love how it's changing things up for me between all my other fantasy/hist-fic books.
This reset the series in such a perfect way, and I can't wait to see what Miles gets up to next....more
4.5 stars for a solid continuation from where things were, though it was a bit less impactful than the last few and had the feel of being a bit more t4.5 stars for a solid continuation from where things were, though it was a bit less impactful than the last few and had the feel of being a bit more transitional and hence the slight ratings drop. A few pretty monumental things occurred on the plot and character front that are going to continue to reverberate, and there were some tense action scenes as usual even if they weren't as explosive and gripping as I've come to expect (but I do respect Jacka switching things up and not sticking to any kind of formula).
(view spoiler)[Seeing Alex in the inner Council room arguing with everyone on the Senior Coucil was a highlight that I would never have expected to see on the page earlier in the series with where Alex stood in mage society. My favorite scene might've been Alex's encounter with the dragon -- just a banger of a 3-questions/prophecy style sequence that was just chilling stuff. Alex battling with dark Anne and coming to grips with his feelings for regular Anne was also quite impactful -- I hope the two of them can have their happy ending they deserve. (hide spoiler)]
These books continue to be fantastic little palate cleansers when I'm in the mood for something effortlessly engaging. I just love spending time with Alex and company, and I can't wait for the final three books!
I’ve made it something of a tradition to read one of A.R. Witham’s books during the readathons he periodically runs, which have been so much fun to beI’ve made it something of a tradition to read one of A.R. Witham’s books during the readathons he periodically runs, which have been so much fun to be a part of with his utterly infectious personality that I just love to death. This book was full of his trademark lively and heartfelt voice, but I found it a bit tough to really get grounded and immersed in this tale that's very playful and silly yet darkly set almost entirely within a fantastical island prison camp. There are the tropes you might expect like a scheming evil commandant, cliques among the prisoners with plenty of bullies to go around, street smart toughs scraping out advantages for themselves—and some things you wouldn’t expect, like the deadly spiders that sweep over the island at sundown every night.
I suspected during the Legend of Black Jack that I wasn’t quite the target audience for these books, but the high-stakes quest that dominated that plot won me over in the end. Here we weren’t traveling towards a goal, and I never found Rooker and Jack’s travails trying to survive the prison (when I knew they would somehow) and figure out an escape plan to be enough to get me invested just yet in the series, but I’m hopeful I’ll get there with the next book if the plot evolves towards something grander.
If you love just basking in Witham’s humor and zaniness, then I imagine this book will be a great time, but I think for better or worse I’m just not able to suspend my disbelief around the character/plot stakes with a book this silly (maybe I need to let my inner child out more? Very possible.)...more
The ending of this one definitely got me in the feels. Speaking Bones is pretty easily my favorite entry in the series, and while there were still somThe ending of this one definitely got me in the feels. Speaking Bones is pretty easily my favorite entry in the series, and while there were still some moments and characters I didn't connect with, it had me gripped to the point that I could finish a thousand-plus page chunker in less than a week.
There were immense payoffs here on the action and political plots, bringing to fruition Liu's expansive thematic vision in a very satisfying way. The Dandelion Dynasty is an extraordinarily creative parable of modernity, setting forth an inspiring vision for how people from different backgrounds and cultures might move past tribalism and cycles of violence to forge a harmonious multicultural world.
It's definitely doing something unique in modern fantasy, and I will miss the vivacity and energy of many of the characters and even of the omniscient narrator who was just so filled with enthusiasm for anyone and anything no matter how seemingly small in the grand scheme....more
This was an engaging Sonder-POV novelette, and the first time we have anything in the series from a non-Verus POV. I wish Jacka did it more often in tThis was an engaging Sonder-POV novelette, and the first time we have anything in the series from a non-Verus POV. I wish Jacka did it more often in the vein of Jim Butcher with his many non-Harry POVs, but it looks like this was a one-off.
This gave a much deeper look into one of the side characters and a fun look at how different side characters interact with others when Alex is not around. Shame there’s not more of these but big series fans should eat this up. ...more
This series is cooking with gas now. The stakes have been steadily rising over the past few books until things have finally boiled over and reached a This series is cooking with gas now. The stakes have been steadily rising over the past few books until things have finally boiled over and reached a tipping point. I'm all in on the story and gripped as can be right now, and think I need to read the next one immediately to continue the first real binge I've done of the series and go back-to-back-to-back.
This is Jacka's Changes, and while there are some recognizably similar plot beats to that greatest of Dresden books, I don't mind the homage. There's a reason Changes feels like such an awesome mid-series book, as there's something so intense about putting your main character through the toughest wringer imaginable and up against the wall with no good options for how to move forward, all while he's getting his previous life utterly demolished by those after him.
Admittedly this one doesn't get as nuts as Changes, but then again I wasn't wanting it to since this series has always been quieter and more understated in its approach. Jacka did take a page out of Butcher's book though with dropping a bomb on the main character on the first page that sets up the highest imaginable tension for the remainder of the book. Unlike other Verus books, this one doesn't resolve around a mystery but instead focuses on strategizing around the situation and a couple very suspenseful and emotionally gripping climactic sequences. Jacka has been steadily improving at building up a stable of 3-D side characters around Verus, and that really pays off in this book since Verus caring about his friends has to feel compelling to us for this one to create the tension that it does.
The ending was just dynamite, setting up the next part of the series in the most engaging way I could've imagined. It took a little while to get to a 5-star level for me but it was worth the wait.
Just a quick note of interest here -- a very minor side character appears named Barrayar, which just so happens to be the title of the Lois McMaster Bujold book I finished last week -- a wild coincidence, and I'm guessing that means Jacka is also a fan of Vorkosigan which was fun to see....more
This was a satisfying Verus book with plenty of tension and narrative thrust, a great mid-book action scene, and the typical suspenseful climactic seqThis was a satisfying Verus book with plenty of tension and narrative thrust, a great mid-book action scene, and the typical suspenseful climactic sequence. Jacka is getting better at delivering engaging mystery plots for me that have more than a few moving parts and not an obvious answer as to what's behind it.
There was an interesting plot turn I didn't see coming (view spoiler)[ with Verus joining the Keepers and working under Caldera, (hide spoiler)] which provided a new dynamic that I really enjoyed. Interestingly something very similar happened with Harry in one of the Dresden books, but I don't mind that at all as this still felt very organic for Verus and this series.
This series has just been delivering solid book after solid book and I'm so eager to see what happens next I think I'm going to just dive into bk 7.
Another very solid Dandelion Dynasty chunker that's sitting where Wall of Storms was around 4.5 stars for me. I still have yet to fully and deeply conAnother very solid Dandelion Dynasty chunker that's sitting where Wall of Storms was around 4.5 stars for me. I still have yet to fully and deeply connect to the story or maybe the storytelling style, though I was engaged the whole way through and never felt like it was a slog or just a set-up book for the finale.
As with the last book, we get some new youthful POV characters here who just jumped off the page for me and were so endearing and joyful to spend time with in Dandelion and Kinri. Kinri's journey and then intersecting plot with Dandelion was a series highlight so far, and the hundreds of pages we spend at the restaurant and in the restaurant contest were just so heartfelt and such a nice change of pace. There were some great passages of elegant writing full of wisdom in this section that elevated the read along with relatable and poignant inner character conflicts.
I also want to shout out the first part of the book with new POV Goztan, which was just such an incredible flashback to establish that character and another angle of the political and cultural conflicts going on.
I was less a fan of the time spent in other locations, where things either felt predictable (specifically the major setback for one of the groups) or less interesting with characters I didn't find as compelling. Liu goes into full caricature mode for certain antagonists in this series, and that's just something that never really works for me. Also there are A LOT of side characters, and about half of them feel 3-D and distinctive, while the other half never really feel like much of anything to me besides a name, and that is definitely hurting my overall investment in a lot of these sequences.
Overall though this massive tome was a worthwhile read, and I'm eager to see how everything plays out!...more
What a fantastic follow up to Shards of Honor, bringing an end to the Cordelia POV novels far too soon if you ask me. Based on the epilogue though I hWhat a fantastic follow up to Shards of Honor, bringing an end to the Cordelia POV novels far too soon if you ask me. Based on the epilogue though I have a strong suspicion I'm going to love the Vorkosigan-POV books to follow, but man will I miss being in Cordelia's emotionally poignant and complex perspective.
The first half of this one was delivering an interesting slice-of-life style of book as Cordelia settled into a more of a settled living situation from the craziness of all the movement in Shards. Cordelia is an outsider living on a new planet now and trying her best to find her cultural and political and familial footing, and I found her inner life in this section to be extremely compelling even if no plot fireworks were being set off.
But boy did the fireworks come about halfway through to send the book into a long breathless climactic tailspin, at which point it was basically impossible for me to put the book down. The tension in this part was sky-high, and Cordelia was being put through the wringer but always able to rise to the occasion or buoy those around her so they could come through in the clutch. Cordelia in two short books has become one of my favorite characters, someone so fully realized through all her internal complexity and interpersonal relationships.
Bujold in this book did some of the strongest building of non-POV side characters I've ever experienced, and the dynamics among the core group of characters had me utterly emotionally invested. Bujold is not afraid to sally forth into very deep and complicated human psychology and have her characters talk through tough tough thoughts and feelings, and everyone getting page time feels fully three dimensional and multi-faceted including the antagonists. There's also a wonderfully developed mature romance at the heart of this duology which is not something you often get in modern sff.
I think these first two Cordelia-focused books would have extremely wide appeal to those looking for character-driven sff with a lot of psychological realism a la Robin Hobb, though in this case delivered in a punchy sci-fi adventure format that's extremely fast-paced. What an incredible start to this series for me, and I can't wait to continue!...more
4.5 stars for a great follow-up to Grace of Kings. The things I loved in this epic chunker I really loved -- from a new main child POV character who c4.5 stars for a great follow-up to Grace of Kings. The things I loved in this epic chunker I really loved -- from a new main child POV character who charmed me the instant she stepped onto the page and then throughout her coming-of-age journey, to some fascinating new worldbuilding that gets explored in Liu's unique sweeping mytho-historical style, to a very intense plot turn that led to plenty of suspenseful and fresh action scenes. There is also so much thematic depth being carried through from book 1 in terms of the challenges of founding a new nation and the way that history lives on and gets interpreted and used in future generations
I enjoy how Liu has a lot of very competent leaders and military strategists on all sides of conflicts in this series, and watching them face off against each other and pull off surprising and clever strategic moves to try to counter each other is a continual delight. I also like how he'll cut to flashback in the middle of a battle scene to show how a new piece of strategic knowledge was learned, for us then to see it applied in an exciting way in the present. The focus here on contributions by scholars and engineers is just so satisfying.
And while I think the action set pieces are fantastic, I also loved some of the quieter sequences such as when the new precocious POV character is learning alongside her teacher while going on some adventures together. There are also some heartfelt scenes I couldn't get enough of revolving around finding friendship and romance, and on the flip side there were some harrowing and dark tales relayed to catch other characters up on years of experiences that had me on the edge of my seat.
It wasn't all perfect for me though, as a few things kept popping out to me that maybe were dampening my investment in the story. One is that Liu doesn't do the greatest job establishing all of the named side characters, and even though I read this essentially back-to-back with Grace of Kings, a bunch of characters that carried over from that book just made very little mark with me. And in a story with lots of high stakes conflict and plenty of time passing by, there are a lot of character deaths that happen on page and I thought a bunch of them had pretty low impact with characters that I barely felt like I knew outside of their name (that wasn't the case with every side character though, as a couple definitely got me a bit emotional with a brave last stand or heroic sacrifice, as in those cases Liu had brought them to vivid life, with one instance getting me invested from a very brief conversation and backstory we got on a common soldier).
Also at a tense turning point in the middle of the book, a character was placed in a situation to give away very specific military tactics in such a goofy way that it took me out of an otherwise very high-stakes sequence, and it was just so unnecessary for what followed.
Liu also spends a lot of the first half of the book in a plot line that didn't engage me much involving a conniving character trying to foment rebellion, and I think I would've preferred if that all took up a lot fewer pages. Some of my disengagement in that section I think stemmed from how great it feels to be with Liu's less cynical POVs, and then switching back to someone who's like Liu's version of Cersei Lannister (though much less compelling to me than Cersei) just never hit right with me for some reason. Other readers I know appreciate this character much more, and she is definitely complex and multi-faceted, so it could definitely be a me-thing that this side of the story wasn't working much for me.
While I was getting a bit worried in the first half that this book wasn't taking off for me, a major new plot turn came into play about halfway through that shook up the whole series in a really cool way and sent the book in a new direction. The second half was straight fire, and I'm extremely eager to continue the tale!...more
Another solid Verus book! I was getting kinda worried in the first half that it wasn't going anywhere interesting with a standard find-the-friend-who'Another solid Verus book! I was getting kinda worried in the first half that it wasn't going anywhere interesting with a standard find-the-friend-who's-been-captured plot, but the second half was an absolute banger and totally raised the stakes for the series.
With the second half developments here, I think Jacka noticeably leveled up in his writing of one of the main side character friends of Alex -- finally giving a non-POV an interesting level of depth that has been missing for me up until this point.
I think there was also a clear leveling up in the writing of some of the new dark mage antagonists that showed up on the page, and as names that had been mentioned for a while, their appearances did not disappoint. They both came off as complex, mysterious, and extremely powerful and threatening -- which is something Jim Butcher also does so well with a lot of the Dresden antagonists and which I'd been feeling the lack of in this series up to this point.
The climax was emotionally tense with a fun mix of different magical powers involved in the action scenes, and at the closing of the last page I found myself eager to continue on to the next book. I picked this up as a slim palate cleanser after a very heavy read in Disquiet Gods, and it definitely answered the call!...more
My first 4.5 star Alex Verus read and my favorite out of the first four. This one moved away from the mystery-focused plotting of the earlier books, aMy first 4.5 star Alex Verus read and my favorite out of the first four. This one moved away from the mystery-focused plotting of the earlier books, and instead presented a clear and dangerous threat that Verus had to go up against that also allowed for some key flashback sequences to help us get the full picture of our protagonist's rough life.
Verus's past has caught up with him here, and the group of young adults going after him think they're on the good side and are not people Verus wants to harm in the course of defending himself. That creates an interesting tension and ethical dilemma throughout the book, and I think Jacka leveraged that for some deep and emotionally laden character work that had me feeling closer than ever to Alex. This is a fully 3-dimensional POV character that I have been really enjoying spending time with, and I resonate with someone like Alex who is trying his best to grow into a better person after making poor choices as a youth.
This book featured some of the most thrilling action scenes in the series up til now on top of its great character development for our protagonist, and it also set up a truly horrifying threat that figures to play a major plot role going forward. The one thing that's still holding back my complete investment in Jacka's storytelling might be the lack of building out a deeply 3-dimensional secondary cast -- I like the interesting mix of characters around Verus, but they just haven't vividly jumped off the page in the way they might usually do in my favorite reads.
Overall though I was quite happy with this blisteringly paced, high-stakes middle book that has me very ready to continue the tale....more
Welp that was not a fun time. I liked but never fell in love with Dune when I read it for the first time a couple years ago, and I remember thinking iWelp that was not a fun time. I liked but never fell in love with Dune when I read it for the first time a couple years ago, and I remember thinking it felt satisfying as a standalone. I just saw the Dune pt 2 movie and so had some momentum with the story again, which got me to finally pick this one up. And boy did it fall flat for me.
The story never came alive off the page. It felt like a talking-heads stage play a lot of the time, where I couldn't shake the feeling that the characters were 2-D mouthpieces for Herbert's philosophical ramblings or cleverly vague pronouncements with double/hidden meanings. The only exception was Scytale the Face Dancer, who jumped off the page for me in 3-D and whose inner monologue and scenes were pretty much the only thing I found engaging. I kind of wish this was fully Scytale's book honestly, since seeing the conspiracy play out through his eyes was always exciting. Unfortunately those scenes were few and far between, slotting in around much duller fare. A lot of the other inner monologues felt similar and repetitive, but I guess I could see this book really working for readers who find compelling the kind of anguish or indecision that comes from having immense oracular powers.
Not me though. I never felt a reason to care about the politics playing out, since these settings don't feel real to the point where I care about the different possible outcomes. Unlike the galaxy in Sun Eater, or Arbonne in GGK's masterpiece, this Herbert galaxy doesn't feel lived in. I should be caring about billions of people dying in wars off page, or whether Paul can survive, or if the Bene Gesserit plots succeed...but all of it left me cold.
I may just need to read summaries of the rest of the series since I think I can use my own magical powers of future-sight to predict that the next books are not going to turn things around for me when I clash with Herbert's writing style and narrative priorities this much....more
3.5 stars rounded up yet again for exactly the kind of breezy palate cleanser fantasy-mystery I was looking for during a busy couple of work days. I l3.5 stars rounded up yet again for exactly the kind of breezy palate cleanser fantasy-mystery I was looking for during a busy couple of work days. I like spending time with the clever and resourceful mage Alex Verus and his wide-eyed sidekicks, even if admittedly these haven't been the most memorable or impactful reads of my life. The mystery at the heart of this one was ok, and some aspects with how it played out were predictable while one major reveal at the end caught me by surprise. The highlight of this series continues to be seeing how Verus uses his future sight, whether to solve problems or to save his skin during a great variety of tense action scenes.
Each book continues to build out the lore bit by bit along with the cast of characters, and I'm betting on these episodic early books paying off later by laying the foundation for more interconnected and epic storytelling to come. ...more
This was a ridiculously thrilling conclusion to an electrifying and gritty and unique-feeling fantasy trilogy. My buddy reading friend Kyle summed it This was a ridiculously thrilling conclusion to an electrifying and gritty and unique-feeling fantasy trilogy. My buddy reading friend Kyle summed it up aptly, describing the book as "All killer, no filler." This particular novel may be the most efficiently told epic fantasy story I've ever read, fitting in so much in under 400 pages or 12 hours of audio. And it wasn't a typical series finale in just wrapping up the threads established before, as it set up an entire new threat and plot while expertly leveraging the character building of the previous two books to epic effect. It also had a particular nighttime raid battle scene on an enemy army camp that might be one of my favorite fantasy/military action scenes I've ever read.
If you want a slow burn epic fantasy, look somewhere else. You want to be transported to another world with oodles of fantastical worldbuilding across a giant map of exotic places and cultures to explore -- look elsewhere. But do you want a series that's immediately gripping where something interesting and unpredictable is going to occur in every brief chapter? Then look here. You want something easy to fall into with accessible prose and very few new worldbuilding terms and ideas to have to wrap your head around? This is your happy place.
The series mainly focuses on events surrounding one city over the course of just a few years during some very tense crises, with a core cast of lovable misfit loners and outsiders and accomplished warriors to get us emotionally invested. I found myself getting a bit emotional toward the end, which is always the best sign to me that the series left its mark and is going to go down as a favorite. The character work throughout is just top notch, both in establishing extremely distinctive personalities, but also in how no one ever felt like a caricature from minor side characters to the antagonists. The adults who made up the ensemble cast often acted with surprising humanity, wisdom, nuance, and thoughtfulness in a way that is often just absent from a lot of epic fantasy series outside of their core protagonist or two.
I'll try to sum up who this series is for, so if this sounds good you should put it on the tbr or better yet take the plunge and read it. It's like if you take the voice-filled POVs of Joe Abercrombie that get you to care so much about the misfit cast, do even less geopolitical worldbuilding by putting them in an alternate version of Earth in something like the 1700s, and then ramp up the magic so that there are cool artifacts and individual abilities all over the place playing important roles in the plot and action sequences. While there might not have been tons of creative political worldbuilding, Iggulden's creativity was on full display with the magical elements that added so much spice and quirkiness to the story. It was such a fun and unpredictable ride, and each of the three books told a satisfying story on its own while working great as a set that felt perfect to binge over the course of a week and a half.
I can't wait to try more of Iggulden's writing now, and I have a feeling he might become a new favorite author....more
Loading...
