Release date of The Core (Demon Cycle Book 5) is announced!

The Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett is one of the most exciting fantasy series being written at the moment and has had a long run, with The Painted (Warded) Man being released back in 2008 in the UK and 2009 in the US. Brett has published the next instalment of the series every year or so since then, along with a number of subsidiary short stories, and it's grown to be a hugely successful series, selling over 2 million copies worldwide! I'm excited to learn that the release date for the fifth and final book in the series has been announced, with The Core being due to be released on the 10th August 2017 in the UK and 15th August in the US!

Needless to say, I can't wait (even though I have fallen behind with the series and still need to catch up on book 4) and I'm really looking forward to reading it. With the announcement, Brett has also written a pleasantly sentimental article about his experience writing the series and how it all began, which his fans might find interesting and can read on his blog here.

Messenger's Legacy - Peter V. Brett

RATING: THREE STARS

Peter V. Brett continues The Demon Cycle and the story Mudboy (which was first published in Unfettered in 2013). Messenger's Legacy is set just after the events of The Daylight War and introduces a new character to the series, Briar Damaj. Born as a son of two people's, Briar Damaj is only a child when a tragic accident sees his family killed in a vicious Coreling attack. But rather than accept the help of his village, Briar flees into the wilderness and makes his home amidst a refuse dump where he must hone his physical and mental skills if he hopes to survive the demons that hunt there . . .

The Good
Messenger's Legacy provides an interesting insight into one of the series new characters and develops his background well, using the fact he personally knows Ragan, Arlen's mentor, to help develop his history in the story, rather than just introducing him as a random person. As well as this, Brett uses the story to reveal more about demon behaviour and introduces some new ways of fighting them in circumstances where warded weapons are not available.

The Bad
Sadly, Messenger's Legacy isn't quite as exciting as the other intermediary novellas Brett has written for The Demon Cycle and I would have liked to have read more about Arlen's past than anything (as in The Great Bazaar and Brayan's Gold). The story is lacking the same excitement seen in the others and, since many of the characters are new, it's hard to engage with them in the same way because the story isn't long enough for them to be developed fully.

My Thoughts
Messenger's Legacy is an interesting introduction for who is clearly going to be a prominent character in the later books of The Demon Cycle. It's definitely worth a read for any fan of the series and has really wet my appetite for The Skull Throne, which is due to be released on 9th April 2015 in the UK!

Read an excerpt from The Skull Throne

We still have a long wait before The Skull Throne, the next instalment of Peter V. Brett's epic Demon Cycle, is released (on the 24th March 2015). The months until then are bound to go slowly and I am extremely eager to continue reading about Arlen's adventures in what is one of the best fantasy series that's being written at the moment.

Brett has recently published his latest intermediary novella in the series called Mudboy (which can be read in Unfettered, by Shaun Speakman), but the months before March are certainly going to go very slowly. Luckily, Brett has taken pity on us and has decided to sate our appetites by releasing the first chapter of the The Skull Throne as an excerpt on his website!

It's not as good as the whole book, but, hey, it'll do for now and I guess we'd all better visit Brett's site in case he decides to take it down!

The Demon Cycle Book 4 release date is announced!

Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle is one the best fantasy series being written at the moment and the release date of the forth book in the series has just been announced! The book is called The Skull Throne and is due to be released 24th March 2015!

Unfortunately, there's very little information about the book available online at this stage, but its cover has been released and can be viewed on Goodreads here.

The Daylight War - Peter V. Brett

RATING: FOUR STARS

In The Daylight War, Brett continues the story of humanity's struggle against the vicious demons that rise from the Core in night in epic detail. Even as Ahmann am’Jardir am'Kaji, now hailed as the Second Deliverer, increases his stranglehold on the lives and minds of his territories in the north, Arlen Bales begins to realise that the free-folk of Cutter’s Hollow will never view him as anything except their own Deliverer. 

But while each man struggles to organise their own bloating armies, the demons are not idle. The demon princes have finally begun to see the organisation of humans around the deliverers as a threat. Worse still, they have learnt that the ancient fighting wards of Kaji have been found. The first of their brothers to have risen from the Core have not returned and more demons are dying since the time of the first Daylight War. They know that they must strike now - if they can kill the deliverers, then the unity of humanity will crumble once again…

The Good

For the most part The Daylight War is exciting, being packed with sprays of blood and demon ichor. Brett continues telling the current story in graphic detail, while delving into the originals of Inevera; revealing how she rose from the shackles of a common birth to becoming leader of the Damaji'ting and the First Wife of Ahmann. Her story is every bit as interesting to read about as the current events of those struggling against the demons and really brings her character to life.

Brett also begins to show that the demons are organising themselves to resist the newfound strength of humans. This leads to much more brutal, epic battles than what we have read about in the previous books and begins to show that demons are still dangerous. I think that this was something Brett had begun to lose since the battle wards were discovered, as Arlen and those with the weapons could kill them too easily – an author’s heroes are only as good as their villains, so it’s nice to read about the demons stepping up to become feared again.

The Bad

Sex. The middle section of the book was full of it and it was really, really boring. I’ll admit that I understand why Brett has included it, since he’s mainly using it to develop certain characters, but he’s just overdone it. The sex is not graphically described like in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire or smut books, but there are enough ‘scenes’ to really distract from the story and Brett really hasn't done them well. Furthermore, Brett gets carried away with his PoV characters love life, which I understand is important to them in the story, but it just sounds cheesy and faked in the book. Many authors manage to pull relationships and love off well in their writing, with Patrick Rothfuss writing about Kvothe’s love for Denna being an obvious example, but, sadly, Brett isn't one of them and he should have just left most of it out. 

Secondly, I thought the pace of the book was grossly out. The first third was okay and read well, but after that Brett kind of lost it a bit. There were pages and pages in which nothing at all really happened expect for his characters’ having sex or whining about their respective relationship issues, before the ending of the book suddenly rushed in from nowhere. Obviously I won’t spoil the book’s ending, but I think Brett should have spent more time developing the events underlying it and really should have made more of an effort to link some of the choices made to the personalities of his main characters.

My Thoughts

Despite my qualms with The Daylight War, I still really enjoyed it. Brett has continued the Demon Cycle with his most epic story yet and has really set the scene for his next book. Once again, I recommend that Brett’s books are a must read for any fan of fantasy.

Brayan's Gold - Peter V. Brett

RATING: FOUR STARS

In Brayan’s Gold, Peter V. Brett gives us yet another slice of Arlen’s unwritten story as he tells of a daring messaging run he makes while he is still a young guild apprentice. Being deep into the mountains, the run can only be described as arduous at best and wouldn't normally have been given to an untested messenger at all. That is, of course, if the usual messenger hadn't broken his leg. With no-one else to turn to, the messenger’s guild must give the mission to Arlen and the wizened messenger who is asked to take him beyond the safety of the city’s walls.

As always, Arlen is desperate to test himself against the savage Corelings that stalk the wilds and is only too eager to take on the mission – being determined to deliver a cache of thundersticks to the count of Lord Brayan’s coveted gold mine. However, he quickly finds that the run isn't as easy as he first anticipated and finds that not only is the delivery of his wares jeopardised, but his life nearly comes to a violent and untimely end.

My Thoughts

Just like The Great Bazaar, Brayan’s Gold is a short novella that fills the gap between two of the Demon Cycle’s main instalments. The novella is set between The Painted Man and The Desert Spear, and provides a captivating escape into the ruins of Brett’s desolate world. Aside from being well written and imaginative, Brayan’s Gold is fast paced right from the first page and was extremely difficult for me to put down. It really shows the true grit of Arlen’s character, revealing once again the lengths he will go to in order to survive the Corelings and resist bowing down to them out of fear. In fact, I will say that Brayan’s Gold is a gripping read that will leave you more than ready for the third novel in the series, The Daylight War.

'The Daylight War' release date and upcoming 'Demon Cycle' titles

Although there has been much speculation regarding the release date of The Daylight War, the third book in Peter V. Brett's stunning Demon Cycle series, it now appears to be set and the novel is due to be released on the 11th February 2013 in the UK (published by Harper Voyager) and on the 12th February 2013 in the USA (published by Del Ray).

Furthermore, Brett has made it clear that The Daylight War will not be the last instalment of the Demon Cycle and the widely held belief that the series is a trilogy stems from false information that was disseminated when The Painted (Warded) Man was first released in 2008. In fact, the series is going to consist of five books - with the remaining titles currently being listed as The Forest Fortress and The Core (although Brett has said that since these novels are works in progress, their titles could well be changed).

In addition to releasing these novels, Brett has also been commissioned to write a sixth book in the series. He says that this book is not a 'core' instalment of the Demon Cycle, but rather reads as a standalone spin-off that features some shared characters with the earlier five books. Brett also says that he has already planned this book and expects that fans of the series will enjoy it!

Brett also intends to continue writing a short story inbetween each novel (like he did with The Great Bazaar and Brayan's Gold), which are intended to add a greater sense of understanding to the overall story. The Great Bazaar and Brayan's Gold certainly did this and Brett says that Mudboy, which is set between books three and four and introduces a new character, is mostly written so may also hit the shelves soon!

The Desert Spear - Peter V. Brett

RATING: FIVE STARS 

After scrupulously acquiring the Spear of Kaji, the fabled weapon of the First Deliverer, Ahmann Jardir declares himself as the first Shar’Dama’Ka since Kaji himself and vows to unite the scattered populations of mankind into one great army to finally wage the long-prophesised Daylight War against the demons that rise from the Core each night. 

But in order to do this, Jardir knows that he must first conquer the lush greenlands of Thesia, usurp their dukes and break the spirits of their people. And so, with the Spear of Kaji in his hand and the Crown of Kaji upon his brow, Jardir marches his vast Krasian army from the Desert Spear – killing the demons that prey upon mankind by night and subjugating Thesan settlements to his religious regime by day. 

The Desert Spear doesn't disappoint as the sequel to The Painted Man and makes for a captivating read that is filled with the same flowing prose, brutal violence and deep characterisation that I have come to expect from the Demon Cycle. Like its predecessor, The Desert Spear uses Arlen Bales, Leesha Paper and Rojer Halfhand as the main POV characters and tells of their adventures in the aftermath of the Battle of Deliver’s Hollow and how they plan to resist the advancing Krasian forces. 

In addition to these familiar characters, The Desert Spear also introduces Ahmann Jardir as a major POV character, particularly in the beginning of the book where Peter V. Brett ‘flashes back’ to describe Jardir’s life as a child where he trained in the brutal martial arts and war craft that his people are famed for. This fascinating account paints a vivid picture of a harsh life that is difficult to understand and sets up a good conflict of interest throughout the rest of the book – despite knowing what Jardir is doing is wrong, Brett has laid enough ground work for you to understand and empathise with his position and decisions! 

Thus, The Desert Spear incited a great cacophony of mixed feelings in me as I read it, which I found gave the book an extra dimension that many novels lack! Due to this, along with its remarkable plot lines, action and characters, I go as far as saying that it is even better than The Painted Man and, with The Daylight War due to be released in February, what better time to delve into The Desert Spear or to begin the Demon Cycle with The Painted (Warded) Man?

The Great Bazaar - Peter V. Brett

WARNING - CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE PAINTED (WARDED) MAN

RATING: FIVE STARS

One of the key events in the The Painted Man is when Arlen Bales, a young and daring messenger, finds an ancient spear in the ruins of Anoch Sun that has been marked with the fabled 'attack' wards. These wards are needed in order to kill the hordes of demons that rise from the Core each night and have been lost for centuries, meaning that all mankind has been able to do to resist them is to repel the demons from our homes and scant remaining cities using lesser wards that cannot harm or kill them.

As Arlen explores Anoch Sun in The Painted Man, Peter V. Brett reveals that the Messenger had found the city using an old and extremely rare map that he bought from his friend, Abban, who is a common merchant in Fort Krasia. How Abban acquired this map however, is a mystery, as Brett picks up Arlen's adventure after a brief hiatus where he jumped ahead by a few years so that Arlen had matured from a teenager (when he last appeared) into a young man and fully-trained Messenger.

The Great Bazaar then, is a short story set in this hiatus and tells of how Arlen and Abban came to possess this map, describing how the pair developed a daring plan to steal it from Krasia's elite religious caste - taking it from under their very noses!

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed reading the The Great Bazaar and found it to be a valuable and insightful companion to the story told in The Painted Man, one of my favourite books ever! Due to this, I would recommend reading the story to any fan of the Demon Cycle - saying that it is an excellent warm-up before reading the second book in the series, The Desert Spear.

The Painted Man - Peter V. Brett

RATING: FIVE STARS

The Painted Man (released as The Warded Man in the USA) is the first instalment of the Demon Cycle series of novels and supporting novellas by Peter V. Brett. The book is high fantasy; set in a world where human civilisation collapsed hundreds of years ago and its survivors now spend their nights cowering behind magical wards while they are hunted and terrorised by the malicious demons that rise from the Core each night.

The ruin of our civilisation has meant the loss of all of our technology and science, so we now live quaintly with only the basic necessities to sustain us as we once did. Even worse than this, Brett explains that during the 'Age of Ignorance', when our technological understanding grew, our knowledge of the magical world declined and the wards to harm the otherwise invincible Corelings were lost and forgotten... 

And this, in the long-established aftermath of the war, is where Brett's gripping story picks up, beginning with a young farm boy called Arlen who dreams of fighting demons so that men and women will no longer have to spend their entire lives living in fear of dying in the night. This is easier said than done however, and Arlen knows that he must first find and replicate the attack wards from the First Demon War that have long been lost... 

Deciding that this is worth dedicating his life too, Arlen abandons his young life and sets out to join the guild of Messengers - men who travel between towns and villages to keep them in contact with the Dukes who rule from the Free Cities - so that he can search for lost relics. His quest is harder than he could have known, filled with pain, loss and betrayal, but he knows that the prizes he could obtain are worth it and is adamant that he will not die as a coward trembling in the night like countless others before him. 

Although this story-line makes up the bulk of the book, with Brett focusing mainly around the adventures of Arlen - outlining his growth from a child into a young man, there are two other sub-plots included that tell of the hardships endured by Leesha, a healer and one of few guardians of the old science; and of Rojer Halfhand, a young jongleur who is determined to learn how to defend himself... Their stories are both heartbreaking, even more so than Arlen's, and help to give an interesting and bigger picture of how Brett's recusant society works. 

I found The Painted Man to be a superbly written book that is packed with action from the very beginning, making it a must read for any fan of fantasy. But be warned before you start reading it - The Painted Man is addictive and is extremely difficult to put down, so make sure you have a lot of spare time to hand when you first pick it up!