Overall, Emperor’s Blades had all of the things that excite me about reading fantasy – in abundance! I won’t endorse it as the perfect read, but it was a perfect match for me and I loved every single gut-wrenching moment. Molly Templeton Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega Are Probably Going to Have a Very Bad Weekend in A24’s Death of a Unicorn 4 hours ago

Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne (3 book series) Kindle Edition

[email protected] He has a few signed, lined, and dated copies, and pretty soon will have copies in which I’ve sketched little extra maps. Grimdark is a subgenre that describes a particular the tone, style or setting of speculative fiction (especially fantasy) that is, depending on the definition used, markedly dystopian or amoral, or particularly violent or realistic. Thanks so much for the kind, thoughtful letter! I’m just thrilled that you’re enjoying the story. That that there are people like you out there that are connecting with these characters — rooting for them, screaming at them, whatever — is the greatest thing I could hope to hear. I used to have a long commute, during which I listened to books on tape, so I know that feeling well, and I’m glad to have brightened the mornings and evenings a little bit. As for Talal, I share your fondness for the guy — one of the nicer, more honest characters in the whole story. But as irritating as it was to watch Adare do the thing she knew she shouldn't be doing (b/c just couldn't help it?), Valyn was who really made me lose my mind:

I had a huge review for this written and ready to go. I talked about the incredible characterization, the complexity of the plot, the gorgeous writing, and the mind blowing way that they were all executed. And you know what? I can’t post it. It doesn’t do this book justice. So for now, I’ll say this: This was Stavely's debut novel so I'm really excited to see what he follows up with and how much he has grown as a writer.

The Providence of Fire by Brian Staveley | Goodreads The Providence of Fire by Brian Staveley | Goodreads

The Emperor has been murdered, leaving the Annurian Empire in turmoil. Now his progeny must bury their grief and prepare to unmask a conspiracy. Finished Blades last night – now I can give my poor family some attention, I’ve seriously neglected them of late.. Till the next one. If you are uncomfortable with the image I’m painting you need to ask yourself why you were ok with Staveley doing it to Lin. wiredog on Five SF Visions of Society Free From Rules, Regulations, or Effective Government 42 mins ago A fantastic and compelling fantasy world […] an excellent author […] a compelling narrative. The next entry in the series, The Providence of Fire, is due out in 2015, and I already can’t wait to see what happens.” — io9And that brings me to another thing- the murdered prostitute Amie. When Lin criticizes another character for soliciting sex from a thirteen year old girl she is shamed. I'm including the lot so no one can argue I've ignored context. That is great news! I like traditional book-in-hand reading, but also enjoy audio books, especially in the car, on planes, and when exercising. Simon is fantastic and I am glad he is slated to perform all of the books. Nothing irks me more than when a new narrator pronounces the names of characters differently than the original narrator. A good (or bad) example of this is the Song of Ice and Fire narrator. The first few books were narrated by Roy Dotrice (who is on par with Vance). When the 4th book came out there was a new narrator who obviously didn’t bother to find out how the established speaker had pronounced important character names. One example of this was Littlefinger, Petyr Baelish. Roy pronounced this as Pah-Tyer while the new guy used the more common Peter. Inconsistencies like this in audio books are just the worst! Am I just crazy, or does everyone else feel this way? It took me a little while to get into it because of that, but once this book got going, it was really quite good. Staveley brings together a richly imagined world and vibrant characters, and serves them up with monks and monsters, tension and treachery—an exhilarating adventure.” —Elspeth Cooper, author of Songs of the Earth this one's hardly a surprise, given the recent history of the great american doorstopper—but man, what a disappointingly het male gaze. every woman's body is lavishly described (unlike those bigassed birds). also, they're always either hysterical or cold as ice—from princesses to assassins to whores, i shit you not, if they are female, they are either super-upset or frigid—but either way, an aaaaaaawful lot of words go into speculating about their bodies. as a result, i swear i know what every titty in this book looks like.

Brian Staveley - Wikipedia

Brian Staveley is an American fantasy writer. He has written an epic fantasy trilogy, The Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, the first volume of a sequel series, Ashes of the Unhewn Throne, a prequel novel, Skullsworn, and a selection of short fiction.Lin was not a real person. Every decision she made aimed at pushing Valyn along his path to character growth. Consider that in one scene she ruthlessly kills a girl to teach Valyn the importance of recognizing the greater good. A few scenes later she teaches him the importance of compassion. Lin loses her temper, which leads him to play the hero and also teaches him the lesson that he should not let his emotions rule him. It also helps inspire sympathy in the reader for Valyn and increases our desire to see him succeed over the assholes. The trials his mastery of the vaniate requires run the gamut from the cruel to the unusual, from being buried alive for a period of weeks to drawing the disemboweled bodies abandoned by the monster that’s been murdering its way round the mountains. I don’t think it is too much to ask of authors that they ensure their female characters are fully-fleshed out. The first chapter takes place many thousands of years after the prologue. Kaden, the youngest son of the Annurian emperor Sanlitun hui’Malkeenian and his heir, has spent most of his life in the remote monastery of Ashk’lan, studying the ancient discipline of the Shin monks. Life is largely a matter of running, working, and meditation until the day he discovers a brutally slaughtered goat deep in the mountains. As the monks try to find the creature responsible for the killing, responsibility for Kaden’s instruction is transferred to a new monk, the scarred and inscrutable Rampuri Tan. Tan goes at Kaden’s training with an unprecedented intensity, determined to teach him the ancient art of the vaniate, the empty trace toward which all the Shin aspire.

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I don’t know about you but to me, that sounds like a recipe for a badass narrative. 🤞 Well... it’s also a recipe for half the fantasy books out there but... we’re not gonna dwell on that. Girl’s tryin’ to make a point here. Flush with her triumph over her father’s murderer, Adare settles into her new life, comfortable with both her role and her relationship with il Tornja. When she finally turns her attention to her inheritance, however, a single volume of history left her by her father, she finds a note from the late emperor, a message from beyond the grave proving that Uinian was, in fact, innocent of his murder, and laying the blame at the feet of the kenarang, the regent, Adare’s new lover, Ran il Tornja. Such obstacles should allow his intelligence, his ability to strategize, the "leadership" potential we keep hearing about shine . . . BUT. Instead, he seems emotional and prone to drawing rash conclusions. Like Kaden, Valyn is approaching the end of his training, yet he wrestles regularly with the wrongness of what he’s been taught. Before he has the chance to put the Kettral code into practice, however, he’ll have to survive a increasingly suspicious series of accidents and a final test that could end in his death. Takes a story of family, loss, conspiracy and revenge and gives it new legs. It’s epic fantasy with a sharp, jagged edge to it, a modern sensibility, prose as tight as the leather wrapped about a sword’s hilt, and characters that you can relate to and give a damn about. I look forward to the next installment of Staveley’s chronicle.” —R. S. Belcher, author of The Six-Gun Tarot

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Valyn - Cadet, training to become a Kettral, which is a very high rank and a very prestigious title in their military that flies with a group on a giant bird. Yes, you read that right.