Friday 22 July 2016

Crossroads of Twilight - Robert Jordan

RATING: THREE STARS

Elaine Trakand has yet to secure the Lion Throne and her rivals are moving about her, gathering allies and swaying major houses to support their claim. She is desperate to attain the throne that was her mother's, the throne that his hers by right. She is determined to win the Kingdom of Andor for herself and is still angry at Rand al'Thor for offering the throne to her. Elaine means to have it without his help, both from a sting of pride and from a desire not to be known as a queen who's in the pocket of the Lord of the Morning, the Dragon Reborn. The fact that she carries Rand's child is still a closely guarded secret and any that knew would find ways to use it against her. All of them, including her competitors, the agents of the Black Ajar she has sworn to hunt down and the Darkfriends that move in the deepest shades of secrets about her.

Meanwhile, Egwene al'Vere has problems of her own. She is still one of two who have declared for the Amrylin Seat and remains labelled as a rebel to the Aes Sedai. The White Tower is still broken, but Eqwene's war for her seat is coming to a head. With the help of her general, Lord Gareth Bryne, she has amassed a sizeable army. With the use of Travelling, a Skill still forgotten by Elaida's loyalists, Eqwene's army has laid siege to Tar Valon. Yet Egwene is loath to spill Aes Sedai blood and still hasn't moved. Her reluctance is beginning to be seen as weakness and, even within her own camp, there are those who are beginning to see her as a stooge-Amrylin once again . . . Time is short and Egwene knows she will lose all if she doesn't move soon.

The Good and the Bad
Once again Robert Jordan tells a story of epic proportions, one that is filled with magic and darkness. He was woven the threads of his story arcs together masterfully and simultaneously tells the tales of a number of his main protagonists. These stories are interesting, but once again their slow pace fails to carry the story forward much (which is why I have combined my customary 'good' and 'bad' headings into one for better discussion). Despite Crossroads of Twilight being another mammoth tome, very little actually happens in the book aside from talking and I was a bit disappointed when all of the characters and their storylines were in pretty much the same place at the end of the book as they were at the beginning. I can't help but think back to the epic climaxes I fell in love with in the earlier books in the series and I think that Jordan slowing the series pace down is largely responsible for my disappointment. For, despite my criticism, the book wasn't actually boring and I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I just think it's time for him to pick up the pace a bit and get the story moving again.

The book barely mentioned Rand, who is arguably the centrepiece of the saga, who got one or two insignificant chapters at most towards the end. Matt and Perrin probably accomplished the most in the novel, yet their positions have still barely changed from when it begun. Likewise, little has happened to carry Elaine's and Egwene's struggle to secure their power and the Forsaken have dropped into the background, doing little at the moment that's worth mentioning . . .

I hope that the pace of the series picks up in the next instalment, which it logically should since the end is drawing ever closer! Because don't get me wrong, I'm still adamant that The Wheel of Time is a masterpiece of fantasy and Jordan has created something that's truly special. His characterisation remains as fantastic as ever, his world is still deeply populated with danger and mythology and he has created an iconic version of magic that works well for his story. It's just a shame that his pacing is letting him down and it's something he can very easily remedy . . .

Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Crossroads of Twilight is a great read and, although I've only given it three stars, it should be born in mind that I'm comparing the novel to the previous books in The Wheel Time saga and it's still much better read than many other works of fantasy, especially with the wealth of world building Jordan has already sunk into the ten books I've read so far. The only thing that has let it down it the fact that pretty much nothing of consequence happens in almost a thousand pages, but his writing, character development and ability to describe impending doom are still as brilliant as ever.

Wednesday 6 July 2016

The Phoenix Reckoning - Richard L. Sanders

RATING: THREE STARS

The Empire is still divided, gripped in a brutal civil war where the heir of the Akiran throne, Queen Kalila, fights for recognition against the ursurping King, Caewyn of House Martel. There has already been a terrible battle that devastated both sides, weakening strength that the Empire sorely needs. For the Rotham are coming and only Kalila and her fleet stands to meet them in the Corridor. If that territory is taken, the Rotham will have free access into human space and will be able to conquer uncontested.

But what's more, the Polarian Dread Fleet is moving. It is a host of ships from the darkest legends, ships that leave every planet they encounter scoured, burned and lifeless. If they truly mean to bring their holy war into human space, then even united we cannot hope to repel them. Kalila needs the throne and she needs to unite humanity against this threat, trusting hope to the efforts of Calvin and his crew aboard the Nighthawk. Kalila doesn't know it, but Calvin has taken his ship deep into Polarian Forbidden Space and means to stop the Dread Fleet at its source. He is adamant that the leaders of the Polarian Faith have been replaced by replicants and, if so, it will reveal that the Phoenix Ring is more powerful an enemy than any have dared to dream . . .

The Good
The Phoenix Reckoning is another action-packed, powerful space opera by Richard L. Sanders. He has written an exciting story that carries the overall plot of the series forward well and he continues to build upon and develop his characters. There are as many battles and webs of intrigue as in the previous instalments and, once again, he has produced a book that is well worth reading.

The Bad
Once again, I found myself a little disappointed at the lack of description in Sanders' prose. He has created a dynamic universe, full and space ships, aliens and thrones, but they are largely left to the reader's imagination. While too much description can be a bad thing that detracts from the story, too little is likewise problematic and it's difficult sometimes to form a clear picture of the character's surroundings.

Final Thoughts
I was impressed with The Phoenix Reckoning and it was great instalment to The Phoenix Conspiracy series. It's fast paced and immersing, being a good example that indie authors can produce science fiction that's well worth reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I'm glad that Sanders decided to split this book into two so he could complete the series in a way that was not rushed and did justice to his story. I recommended giving this series a go and I'm looking forward to concluding the struggles of Captain Calvin Cross and his friends in The Phoenix Requiem soon.

Friday 1 July 2016

Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb

RATING: FIVE STARS

Fitz is a bastard and had no great plans for adventure and service for his life. Yet he is no mere boy born outside of wedlock and is the son of Chivalry Farseer, the King-In-Waiting and heir to the throne of the Six Duchies. He has royal blood in his veins and it shouldn't have come as much as a surprise when he was taken to Buckkeep Castle and left there, for his rich family to raise him. Yet none could have expected the scandal that his existence caused. Chivalry abdicated his claim to the throne, the honour of which went to Prince Verity, his younger brother. None wanted anything to do with Fitz save a cantankerous old man, Burrich, the castle's Master of Stables.

It was Burrich that raised Fitz, teaching him the care of animals and how to remedy them, all the while aware that the boy possessed the Wit - a forbidden magic that allows Fitz to know the minds of animals, to commune with them and live a life outside of the rules of man. Burrich did his best to quash the Wit in Fitz, to keep him busy and his mind occupied. The weapons training from Hod, scribing tuition from Fedwren, chores and duties around the castle . . . All helped Burrich's goals. But Fitz is a King's Man, sworn to Shrewd who seeks to use him for his own ends and it is in secret when Fitz meets Chade. It is out of mind and knowledge of the court that he trains to be an assassin, learns to use poisons and powders to kill a man innocuously. He learns the Skill, a magic highly coveted by the Farseer dynasty, and not a life for himself. He exists only to serve, and he is needed now more than ever for the Red Ships have come. They raid the Duchies coastlines with impunity at will, killing that they want and Forging the rest, which the people quickly learn is a fate worse than death itself . . . And in the shadows behind it all, plots are formed and a game is played. There are those that are not happy with Shrewd's rule and Verity's succession . . .

The Good
I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much when I started reading Assassin's Apprentice. I'd heard it was good, but had read The Rain Wild Chronicles by Robin Hobb and, while I enjoyed it, I wasn't overly impressed by it. I expected more of the same from this book, but I was wrong. The quality of Assassin's Apprentice was evident, right from page one and I had become addicted to Hobb's story, her characters and world within just a few chapters.

I hadn't even finished the novel before I knew it was becoming one of my favourites and it truly is "a diamond in a sea of zircons' as the quote from GRRM on its back cover suggests. I think there are many reasons for this, the first of which is due to the story itself. It's exciting, being full of action and political intrigue which I greatly enjoyed. What's nice and different about this story though, is due to Fitz and his position in the royal court. Obviously, as a bastard, he has no power and although he is aware of the political schemes, manoeuvrings and conspiracies, he has no way of preventing or directly combating them. He merely tries to survive them, all the while doing what's best for King Shrewd, even when he knows he's being used as an expendable piece on the game board. This adds a real sense of helplessness and tension to the book, which is very different to the intrigue of one powerful lord fighting another.

I also really liked Hobb's concept of magic in the book and she has managed to write in a form that's unarguably terrifying in its power and has great potential to be abused. Yet she has kept the abilities and uses it provides subtle and the book isn't filled with people flinging fireballs from their hands or calling lightning down from the sky. It's simply a tool that can only be used in certain circumstances and I thought this added an immersing and captivating layer to the story, especially when I stopped to consider its implications.

Hobb's characterisation is also fantastic and I quickly fell in love with them all, where each character is like a real person who is struggling with their own issues in life: love, loneliness, ambition, anger . . . Her characters run on emotions that we all have and drive everything we do. I also loved her portrayal of animals and how dearly Fitz holds them as friends. They add another layer to a story that is as captivating and exciting as it is heartbreaking at times.

The Bad
The bad . . . The bad . . . I have to say that this is another of those books that I cannot fault and Hobb has done a superb job in writing it. I was quickly addicted to her work and there was nothing about the novel that I did not enjoy.

Final Thoughts
Assassin's Apprentice truly is a masterpiece of the fantasy genre and I can see just why it's so renown and acclaimed. I couldn't put the book down once I began it and I not ashamed to say that the novel brought a few tears to my eyes at times, clear evidence of the power of Hobb's writing. No author aside for Alice Sebold in The Lovely Bones has managed this feat and I strongly urge you to give this masterpiece a go if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed if you do.