Book Review: A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham (Long Price Quartet #2)

Long Price Quartet is a series of epic fantasy novels written by Daniel Abraham. This series distinguished itself from the mass of fantasy novels in the genre, breaking the mould of fantasy archetypes and tropes. 

A Betrayal in Winter is the second book in Long Price Quartet. The story in this sequel takes place 13 years after the events in its predecessor, A Shadow in Summer. I read A Shadow of Summer last week and really liked it. This week, I read A Betrayal in Winter.

In my opinion, I think A Betrayal in Winter is a better book than its predecessor in every aspect. Let me start this review, by providing a synopsis.

Synopsis:

Machi stands proud as the most powerful city in the northern lands. The city is ruled by Khai, who is slowly dying of old age. Traditions dictate the sons of Khai must kill each other, until only one remains to succeed as the new Khai.

Yet, the tradition of fratricide is not the only problem facing Machi. An empire called Galt, harbors an ambition to aggressively expand its influences. This time, Galt is plotting a scheme with someone from inside Machi, to eliminate Khai's entire family. The conspiracy began, when Khai's eldest son was murdered.

Otah Machi, the 6^th son of Khai, was exiled as a boy. With his father dying, and his brother murdered, Otah became the number one suspect for the murder of his brother. Under these circumstances, against his will, Otah found himself drawn into the centre of conflicts at Machi.

What I think about this book:

I think A Betrayal in Winter is a better book than A Shadow in Summer. Daniel Abraham went up a notch in his skills as a novelist, and this installment is more compact than the previous book . This also means, in A Betrayal in Winter, the storytelling is more coherent and engaging than in A Shadow in Summer.

Like its predecessor, the story in A Betrayal in Winter moves at a slow pace. However, the slow paced story acts in favor for this book. This is a character driven story, the plot is driven by intrigues. Naturally, the slow pace allows readers to explore the characters in depth, and become immersed in the world of Long Price Quartet. Personally, I really like this book (and this series). But in my opinion, if you are looking to read a fast-paced, hack & slash styled fantasy novel, then you probably won't like A Betrayal in Winter.

The characterization is probably the strongest aspect in this book. This book is cast with memorable dramatis personae. Every character, from the protagonists, supporting characters, to the antagonists, are portrayed vividly. Furthermore, I think the characterization in Abraham's books is superior than most novels in the fantasy genre. Let me explain:

These days, fantasy authors try to steer away from the traditional “good guys” versus “bad buys” storyline. Because in the real life, conflicts aren't always about “good guys” versus “bad guys”. Instead, in reality, “being human” means we all try to do our best, based on the circumstances we are given. This means, if fantasy novels can begin to accurately depict the complexities of “being human”, then dressed it up with fantastic, exciting stories set in worlds where imagination is the limit, then fantasy fictions will become a marvelous literary genre to behold.

However, very few fantasy novels have fully achieved this goal yet. In fact, most fantasy novels, not matter how “grim-dark” they are, still base their stories on conflicts about “some sort” of good guys versus “some sort” of bad guys.

This is where this book (and this series) truly distinguished itself from other books in the genre, and shines brightly as one the most unique stories I've read. You see, in A Betrayal in Winter, it is really hard for a reader to point the finger at the antagonists and judge them. Don't get me wrong, this book is NOT blurring the line between right and wrong. Instead, what I am saying is, in this book, the author gave his readers an omniscient view, showing the circumstances surrounding every character and their thoughts. Then the book turns around and ask its reader; if you were put in a character's circumstances and become that person, can you really say you can do better?

At 300 pages, A Betrayal in Winter is not a long book. Yet, I spent 4 days to read this book. The pace of the story is slow, but when I turned to the last page of the book, I realized how rewarding and memorable this book is. I was still thinking about this book for days after I finished reading it. At the end of this review, I would recommend this book (and the series) to fans of epic fantasy novels looking for something different to read. If you don't mind reading a relatively slow paced book, and a lack of hack & slash action don't bother you, then you would probably find a lot to like about this book.