Barren by Peter V. Brett

Pros: fast paced, realistic relationships

Cons: homophobic world which may be distressing for some to read

Selia Square’s time as speaker of Tibbet’s Brook hasn’t always been easy, and as the demons start to swarm mistakes from her past threaten to destroy the Brook.

This is a demon cycle novella set around the time of the events in the novel The Core. You’ll be lost if you haven’t read the novels.

I liked Selia, though I’ll admit that the large age gap between her and her lover did give me pause. The novella is strongly focused on her sexuality and how being a lesbian goes against the religious and moral codes of the peoples of the Brook. Though it has a happy ending, some readers may find the negative language and how an earlier affair ends distressing. The author creates his own terms so there are no slurs, but it’s still a world that doesn’t accept gay couples.

The interpersonal relationships were handled realistically. Grudges festered, past events haunted the present, the youth didn’t care much about what happened before they were born. The town and its borroughs felt real and lived in.

It’s a quick read that fleshes in what happened in Arlen’s home village after he gave them the fighting wards and helps his father redeem himself.

Book Review: The Core by Peter Brett

Pros: lots of action, character development, satisfying series ending

Cons: at a disadvantage if haven’t read the novellas

This is the fifth and final volume of the Demon Cycle. A lot has happened as Arlen and Jardir finally take their party down to the core. Their captured mind demon alerts them that the hive is close to swarm, but it’s too late for them to help their friends and loved ones who are about to be overrun at the new moon. All they can do as they journey below is hope they’ve prepared those they leave behind well enough to survive on their own.

There are a lot of point of view characters, some for the first time. This allows the reader to see events all over Thesa as the demons attack. And they attack hard. The book does a fantastic job of consolidating all of the people and places that have been visited in the series. 

Having said that, I was surprised that the people and events of some of the novellas were referenced without preamble. Derek from Brayan’s Gold shows up with no introduction and I’m assuming the novella Messenger’s Legacy (which I haven’t read) explains why Ragen and Elissa aren’t in Miln when The Core begins. While I felt Briar was properly introduced in The Skull Throne, when Regan and Elissa showed up it felt like I’d missed a chapter, as there’s no explanation of what they’ve been doing though there are a few cryptic hints that they were in Laktown looking for Briar. Once they were back in Miln I found their political situation quite interesting.

There is a lot of action both with the defenders up top and those penetrating the deeps. The battles are varied, as the mind demons fight dirty. Once or twice we’re shown the after effects of a scene rather than a scene itself, which lessened the impact of some tragedies. But on the whole it’s a whirlwind of battles intercut with preparations for surviving the next battle. 

I liked that Arlen and Jardir continue to develop as people. Seeing Jardir start to question his beliefs as he learns more about Kaji’s own descent while Arlen starts to realize there may in fact be a Creator after all, was kind of neat. I thought that the birth of Leesha’s child and the politics surrounding its identity were handled well.

There are a number of touching, heartfelt moments in the book. I particularly liked when Jardir says his goodbyes.

The final battle was hard fought and gave a very satisfying ending for the series.

Waiting for The Core

I spent all of September rereading Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle. That's four books of demon awesome. I planned my reading so that I would finish just before book five, The Core, came out on October 3rd.

On September 26th I got a shipping notification from Indigo saying my pre-ordered book was on its way. I was half way through The Skull Throne, so it was perfect. I'd get the book a bit early and be able to start reading it on Monday (I don't generally read on the weekends and I wanted a good stretch of uninterrupted time to read this).

Three days passed and the book, which started out in Toronto, which is where I live, hadn't been scanned at the Toronto depot yet or arrived at my home. Strange... Friday night I finally see an update. My package was scanned at the depot in Richmond, British Columbia. I live in Ontario. For some reason my package was sent to the other side of the country.

At this point I realize that if I'd just gone to a store to buy the book I'd have it already and my pre-order started to feel like a teasing punishment.

In order to send in a service ticket with Canada Post to figure out why my package was sent on a scenic detour, I needed the sender's postal code. So I called Indigo customer service where I was told they couldn't give out that information (really not sure why). The lady looked at the shipping info and was just as confused as I was as to why my package had been sent to BC. So she told me she could ship a replacement copy if I wanted (with the understanding that if both showed up I'd return one to a a store). I said sure, and she shipped copy 2.

Copy 2 was picked up on October 2nd, to be delivered on the 3rd. Yesterday I waited at home for my package. Usually my Indigo packages are just left at the door so I figured I'd have to wait for regular delivery, which comes around 4:30. Just after that I check the mail and find a pick-up slip for getting my package at a local post office on the 4th after 1pm. The mailman didn't even try to deliver the package, which it seems requires a signature (it was sent by a more expensive means than the other one) (ETA Got a message saying it's on its way to the post office today, so it may not have even been in the postal van).

Now, I know packages arrive at the post office the night the notices go out, so I tried calling in the evening on the off hope that it had been scanned there already. But I was told that their system was down and they couldn't do anything until tomorrow when their tech person could come and fix the problem.

So here we are, October 4th. Copy 1 is set to arrive today (will probably be left at my door), while I'm hoping to collect copy 2 at the post office just after 1pm. With any luck a few hours from now I'll be happily reading The Core. Assuming nothing else goes wrong...

Update:

At 1:30 I walked to the post office to learn that they'd JUST gotten their system running again. I handed in the notice and gave an approximate package size and the worker found it lickety split! I am now going to sit down and read this beautiful book (I mean, what a cover! I love that there's a second image under the dust jacket).

And at 2:30 copy 1 arrived at my door.

Book Review: The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold by Peter V. Brett

This is a collection of 2 short stories and 2 passages that were cut from The Warded Man.  Each story has a short introduction from the author explaining either where the ideas came from or why the scene was cut.  The stories were originally published as limited edition hardcovers by Subterranean Press, with this new combined edition being published in trade paperback by Tachyon Publications.  The book also includes a short Krasian dictionary, which is not really necessary as all the required terms are explained in the stories themselves, and some examples of wards and the types of demons they’re used to protect against, which is pretty interesting to read. 

***** Brayan’s Gold - While an apprentice messenger, Arlen and his master are assigned a longer run than usual, transporting thundersticks to Brayan’s Gold, high in the mountains.  But while the compensation is generous, the risks are also high: bandits, harsh conditions, and several nights outdoors with only warded circles as protection against demons.  This is a fantastic story with a lot of different elements to it.  There’s a surprising amount of variety to the troubles Arlen faces as he heads into the mountains.

***** The Great Bazaar - Using a map procured from Abban, a khaffit from the great bazaar in Fort Krasia, Arlen hunts for treasure, and discovers demons he’s never faced before.  This story has scenes from both Arlen and Abban’s point of views.  It’s a pretty focused story, but you do get to see a little more of what life is like for the underclass in the bazaar.

Brett manages to pack a lot of content into both stories and writes them in such a way that they fill in gaps left by the novels but explain everything required to enjoy them if you haven’t read the books.

***** Arlen - This is a prologue that didn’t make the book, dealing with Arlen’s life before the events of The Warded Man.  It’s an interesting look at his youthful personality and how he was already pushing boundaries.

**** Brianne Beaten - This passage deals with a scene from Leesha’s life that kind of stands on its own, though it involves an unmentioned incident that ruined a friendship.  It helps to know what that incident is, but the scene still works if you don’t.  

It’s a pretty short book, but the stories are high quality and help flesh out Arlen’s character.  If you missed the Subterranean Press editions, then this is a good time to get the stories.  If you’ve never read Brett, it’s a great sampler of his work and will whet your appetite for more.

Out July 14th.

Book Review: The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett

Note: This book picks up exactly where book 3 ends, therefore everything in the review is a spoiler, including the synopsis.  I highly recommend the Demon Cycle series, because while there are some grimdark elements (rape, murder, etc) it also has something a lot of grimdark fantasies lack: a sense of hope.  In this way it reminds me of books by the authors I grew up reading (Brooks, Eddings, etc.), books that are now classics of the genre.  Here's my review of book 1, The Warded Man (The Painted Man in the UK) if you've not read the previous books.

Pros: lots of politics, lots of intrigue, complex characters, the last 100 pages will blow you away

Cons: have to wait for the next book

Both Arlen and Jardir disappear after their fall from the cliff, putting Inevera in a difficult position to keep her sons alive and off the Skull Throne, while maintaining the unity of the clans that she and Jardir fought so hard for.  Leesha and her companions return to the Hollow where she agonizes over what to do about her coming child, her growing love for Count Thamos, and organizing the gatherers.  The Hollow leaders are soon called to Angiers by the royal family.  Leesha, to help cure the Duke’s infertility; Gared, to find a wife; and Rojer, to introduce his Krasian wives to the court.   Meanwhile, Arlen has a dangerous plan in mind.

Get ready for deep intrigues and a lot of politics.  This book is fast paced and a quick read, despite its near 700 pages (which includes the ever helpful Krasian dictionary at the end).  

The characters remain complex, with tough decisions to make and lots of compromises between how they want the world to become versus dealing with how it actually is.  I loved the scenes from Ashia’s point of view, getting to know her and the other sharum’ting (female warriors).  Their training was interesting, as was the family politics she was thrown into with regards to her marriage.  I felt both admiration for her and pity for her situation.  Though I started to find Leesha irritating in book 3, here she’s back to the woman I admired in books 1 and 2, only with more responsibilities and harder choices to make.  I love Inevera as a character, even though she can be quite horrible at times.  This book made me again appreciate her intelligence and drive while pitying her when things start to spiral out of control.  Abban’s manipulation of power made him less sympathetic in this book, but his storyline remains intriguing.  The interplay between Rojer and his wives is so interesting, especially given their various abilities.

Unlike book 3, this one doesn’t end with a cliffhanger, but it will have you cursing the fact that book 5 isn’t out yet. The last hundred pages or so really ramps up the action as all of the political maneuvering comes to fruition in unexpected ways.  This series continues to get better and I can’t wait to read what’s going to happen next.

*** SPOILER SECTION ***

SERIOUSLY, I’LL BE MENTIONING SOME MAJOR SPOILERIFIC THINGS,  SO IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE BOOK YET, DON’T READ THIS

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TURN BACK

ALRIGHT, YOU ASKED FOR IT

The day after I finished the book I thought of something that’s potentially a plot hole.  After the Milnese use their fire weapons (ie guns) so successfully to defeat the Krasians I was left wondering why Lord Sament of Miln and his 50 soldiers, weren’t equipped with them as well.  It’s possible that the guns were supposed to be part of the leverage of the marriage contract between the Duke and Lorain, and were therefore kept under lock and key until that marriage took place.  But had I been one of Sament’s men, I’d have been pissed knowing our side was about to die because the higher ups wanted to keep the guns secret and/or used for political leverage.  Then again, given the forces they faced, 50 men with guns may not have turned the battle, so logistically it probably was a smart idea to keep them hidden until a more strategic time.

I REALLY wanted to comment in my review about how Peter V. Brett George R. R. Martined the ending of this book.  Those last 100 pages where so many people dropped dead was such a surprise to read.  But I didn’t want to ruin that for others.