This riveting sequel starring a wizard should spark interest in the first volume.
In this second installment of an SF/fantasy series, a wizard stuck in the past fights to return to her time period and her beloved prince without altering the course of history.
In the world called Knownearth, Victoria of Ourtown became a wizard by drinking from the Waters of the Dead, which kill most who consume them. Her resultant power was so intense, Vic “almost single-handedly” ended “a decades-long war” between Latha and Relm—forcing the latter to surrender. Now, the nefarious former Lord of Relm, Lornk Korng, is imprisoned in Latha, where Vic’s foster mother, Queen Elekia, reigns. Distraught over the many she killed in her war-ending massacre, Vic leaves behind Latha and the man she loves, Prince Ashel. Later, pirates hold Ashel captive and plan on breaking Lornk out of prison. Coming to the prince’s rescue are Vic and Princess Bethniel, who both somehow disappear into the past. To return to their own time period, Vic needs a device from sorceress Meylnara, who leads the giant-bug Kragnashians. This will necessitate killing Meylnara, but Vic may also need to sacrifice something—or someone—to fulfill a prophecy of sorts and ensure that the future she already knows doesn’t change. In this gripping epic, Justice’s worldbuilding is extensive. For example, Elesendar is an abandoned spacecraft orbiting the planet, both a hint at the humans’ origin on Knownearth and a god most characters worship. Despite the dense story, there are key reminders of earlier series events, like Ashel’s torture at the hands of Lornk, and Vic as the assassin Vic the Blade. Similarly, the time-travel plot is easy to follow, save for the ending, which some may find perplexing. The author fills the pages with striking passages, including “shrieks wove a bloody tapestry” and the indelible Kragnashians “swinging their mandibles like scythes and sweeping aside the troopers like grain.”
This riveting sequel starring a wizard should spark interest in the first volume. (map, appendix, selected list of characters)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 450
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 11, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.
A fantasy adventure with a sometimes-biting wit.
Tress is an ordinary girl with no thirst to see the world. Charlie is the son of the local duke, but he likes stories more than fencing. When the duke realizes the two teenagers are falling in love, he takes Charlie away to find a suitable wife—and returns with a different young man as his heir. Charlie, meanwhile, has been captured by the mysterious Sorceress who rules the Midnight Sea, which leaves Tress with no choice but to go rescue him. To do that, she’ll have to get off the barren island she’s forbidden to leave, cross the dangerous Verdant Sea, the even more dangerous Crimson Sea, and the totally deadly Midnight Sea, and somehow defeat the unbeatable Sorceress. The seas on Tress’ world are dangerous because they’re not made of water—they’re made of colorful spores that pour down from the world’s 12 stationary moons. Verdant spores explode into fast-growing vines if they get wet, which means inhaling them can be deadly. Crimson and midnight spores are worse. Ships protected by spore-killing silver sail these seas, and it’s Tress’ quest to find a ship and somehow persuade its crew to carry her to a place no ships want to go, to rescue a person nobody cares about but her. Luckily, Tress is kindhearted, resourceful, and curious—which also makes her an appealing heroine. Along her journey, Tress encounters a talking rat, a crew of reluctant pirates, and plenty of danger. Her story is narrated by an unusual cabin boy with a sharp wit. (About one duke, he says, “He’d apparently been quite heroic during those wars; you could tell because a great number of his troops had died, while he lived.”) The overall effect is not unlike The Princess Bride, which Sanderson cites as an inspiration.
Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon.Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781250899651
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
SEEN & HEARD
An un-put-down-able start to an engrossing low-fantasy trilogy bordering on grimdark.
In a kingdom that slaughtered the gods and criminalized their worship, two god-slayers—a mercenary and a knight—join forces on a pilgrimage to save two other lives.
Years ago, Kissen lost her leg after the people of her village shifted their allegiance to a fire god and burned her family home to the ground. Only a desperate bargain with the sea god her father served saved her life. Now she works as a veiga: a state-sanctioned killer of gods. Under young King Arren's rule, all forms of worship have become illegal, as it is humans' faith that gives birth to the gods and powers them. A series of violent events leaves Kissen as sole protector to Inara, a young girl orphaned by fire and treachery and bound to a small, shrineless god called Skedi. Together, the three must journey to Blenraden, the city where the gods died, to sever Inara and Skedi's connection. Unbeknownst to Kissen and her charges, another godkiller walks in their midst. Knight-turned-baker Elo witnessed the carnage in Blenraden firsthand. It cost him everything. His mothers left the kingdom in the war's aftermath, unwilling to give up their faith. Then the king waltzes back into his orbit, afflicted with a deadly curse. Elo must join the next pilgrimage he can find—Kissen's pilgrimage—if he wants to save his old friend. No sooner has the group set out for the dead city than a god-summoned monster attacks their caravan, forcing Kissen and Elo to reveal their capabilities—and their godkilling weapons as well. In addition to being exquisitely paced and character-driven, Kaner's novel features a widely diverse cast. Queerness does not draw ridicule in Kaner's invented world, and Kissen is bisexual. Many secondary and tertiary characters are queer. Both heroes and two secondary characters have disabilities; he's living with PTSD, while she's an amputee and ambulatory wheelchair user with a handcrafted metal leg. One secondary character also uses a wheelchair, and another is deaf. Elo is coded as Black. Inara and several tertiary characters are coded as nonwhite. Kissen is white, and Skedi is a fantasy creature resembling a jackalope.
An un-put-down-able start to an engrossing low-fantasy trilogy bordering on grimdark.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9780063348271
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
© Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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