A Book Review; Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames (The Band #2)

What if mercenaries in the fantasy world are like rock stars in our world?

It is a rare idea, and it inspired Nicholas Eames, a budding author, to write a fantasy novel called Kings of the Wyld. It was a sword and sorcery adventure which rocked and rolled in my reading world. Kings of the Wyld was my favorite book of 2017, and for the past year I have been praying to Crom, day after day, for a sequel:

"Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember which book was good or bad. Why we read or why we dreamed. No, all that matter is one story stood out from the many. That's what's important. Glory pleases you, Crom, so grant me one request – grant me Bloody Rose! And if you do not listen, then the hell with you!"

And Crom answered my prayer!

Two weeks ago, Bloody Rose, the sequel to Kings of the Wyld, finally arrived at my mailbox. I read it during the weekend. 

And? 

Well this is it, boys and girls, I have found my favorite book of 2018!

Synopsis:

Fable is the biggest and the most famous band this side of the Heart Wyld, and they just rolled into town. 

Walking at Fable's front is the lead, Bloody Rose. Two swords rest on Rose's armored back, and with their sharp edges she carved herself a monster-slaying history as crimson as the color of her hair. On Rose's side is a rabbit-eared warrior, the hilt of a giant sword is protruding from his shoulder. His name is Freecloud, an immortal, and he will fight monsters and gods, not for gold or for glory, but for Rose's love. 

Trailing at Fable's rear is a pair of unlikely friends; a giant of a man and a tattooed woman. The big man's name is Brune, and he is deadly, not because of the twin glaives swinging in his hands, but for his shape-shifting ability that will make even Beorn envious. Meanwhile, the tattooed woman, Cura, is armed with nothing but a pair of daggers. Yet, one should know better than undermining Cura because it will be too late to regret when she summons nightmarish allies from the inks on her skin.

Yep, that is a screenshot for Fable, the legendary band. But something is missing in the picture, don't you think? I mean, legends must be told, so who in Fable is singing and telling the world about their tales and exploits? Members of Fable must have thought so too, for upon their arrival in town, Fable announced they were auditioning for a bard. That was when Tam, a tavern girl from the sleepy town, seized the opportunity and signed on as a bard, to become a part of a life-changing epic.

My thoughts on this book:

In Bloody Rose, Nicholas Eames made a bold move, he featured a cast of new characters instead of continuing with ones from Kings of the Wyld. A few characters, from the previous installment, did appear in Bloody Rose, but their roles are minor, because this book is predominantly about a different band. This also means Bloody Rose is pretty much a stand alone story, although you might appreciate it more if you already read Kings of the Wyld.

This book has an interesting narrative style. The story is about Rose, but it is was told from the perspectives of Tam, who is Fable's bard. At the beginning of the story Tam was thrilled to join Fable because she was under the charm of their legendary reputation. Later on, however, Tam observed that behind their heroic reputations these people are really just flawed people like everyone else, and so in the process Tam began to bond with her band members while at the same time learning about the world. 

I like that Nicholas Eames used Tam as the POV character, because from her eyes, we see these characters for who they really are; not just as heroes, but real people with struggles and flaws. These blemishes made them feel more real. Every character in Bloody Rose is just as likable and memorable as our beloved heroes from Kings of the Wyld. I loved every character in this book and I was sad to wave goodbye to them. Furthermore, the villains were also well written, and their motives are sympathetic. In the fantasy world of Bloody Rose, the humans who adventured into the Heart Wyld and killed "monsters" were hailed as heroes, but to those non-human creatures living in the Heart Wyld, the humans were the monsters slaughtering them. This story raised a good point - one does not become a hero in one story without being a villain in another.

The characters, however, are not the only changes in Bloody Rose. The tone and the theme in this book are also more serious than the previous installment. Kings of the Wyld was a story about the parents' love for their children, and the bonds between old friends. Kings of the Wyld was heartwarming story, but it was also light hearted. Bloody Rose is also about family, but this time the story is not just about the family you were born into, but it is also about those who you have chosen to be family with. Bloody Rose is more emotional than Kings of the Wyld, it is also heartwarming, but this time it is also heartbreaking.

Oh yes, by the way, have I mentioned the action scenes in this book are phenomenal? Probably not, well then, for the record, the battles in this book are climatic and they will rattle the bones your ancestors! You ask, where will the thunder rumble? The answer: pretty much the entire book. But without spoiling the story let me just say two battles scenes in particular, one from 2/3 into the book, and the final battle, these two battles scenes are stuff of legend, it is something you have never imagined before.

Anyway, while the laugh-out-loud humors from Kings of the Wyld are still present in Bloody Rose, but overall this book feels darker than the previous one. Personally, I think Bloody Rose has a slight edge over Kings of the Wyld because it delivered a stronger emotional impact than the last (and I think the battles scenes in Bloody Rose are better than their counterparts in Kings of the Wyld too). Having said this, these novels are my favorite books in two consecutive years. I believe Nicholas Eames is planning to release the third, and the final book in this trilogy in 2019, so take a guess what will be my favorite book of 2019?

The most damnable thing is, I have to wait a whole year to read the next one.

So I shall pray to Crom again....

My seven favorite non-English books and series

"Stories are the communal currency of humanity"

• Tahir Shah, in Arabian Nights

 Some people say human beings think in metaphors and learn from stories. This is because story, though fictional, embodies a storyteller's values, experiences, and the perspective of the world. In other words, every story can be considered as a facet of humanity, so the more stories we read, the more complete the picture we will have about mankind. I love stories, but I have a limited exposure to the stories around the world because I am only bilingual. Fortunately, in these days more and more books are being translated into English. I believe all the stories I have read, in English or otherwise, will matter one day, where it will help me building bridges instead of erecting walls. Meanwhile, I compiled a list of my seven favorite books and series which were penned by non-English authors, but have been translated into English, and I would like to share the list with you, my gentle readers, in the hope that it may add more colors to your reading world. 

P.S. While I do love ancient classics and epics, such as The Divine Comedy, The Romance of Three Kingdoms, The Iliad and The Odyssey etc... but in this list I am focusing on the "modern" books. This means the books from the last one hundred years.

7. The Name of the Rose

Author: Umberto Eco

Language: Italian

English translator: William Weaver

Genre: Historical murder mystery

Published in: 1980

The Name of the Rose is a story like Sherlock Holmes, but set in the medieval times. Its author, Umberto Eco, was a semiotician and a brilliant philosopher, and the story is a series of intellectual puzzles consisting of semiotics, biblical analysis, literary criticism, and medieval studies. At its heart, The Name of the Rose is a book about books, and it made a ton of references to medieval literatures written in Latin, and as a result this is one of the hardest book I have ever read. At the end of the day, though, the efforts were well worth it.

6. The Witcher saga

Author: Andrzej Sapkowski

Language: Polish

English translation: David French­

Genre: Fantasy

The first story published in: 1986

Elves and dwarves are common in fantasy, but in the world of The Witcher they are not lords and ladies like in The Lord of the Rings. No no, in the world of The Witcher the elves and dwarves are terrorists and victims of racial discriminations, it is a world torn asunder by power struggles and civil wars, waged by religious fanatics, and tyrannical kings advised by court sorceress and politicians. The story of The Witcher follows one Geralt of Rivia, a mutant monster hunter who travels from one city to another slaying monsters for bags of coins. Geralt carries two swords; a silver sword for killing the monsters, and a steel sword for dealing with his human foes. The Witcher saga is somewhere between A Song of Ice and Fire and The Lord of the Rings, and it consists of 7 books (5 full length novels and 2 compilations of short stories). The stories are rich with Eastern European folktales as well as Arthurian legends. In short, if you like A Song of Ice and Fire but you also want more high fantasy settings with elves and dwarves, then check out The Witcher Saga. (Apparently Netflix is planning to adapt it into a TV series)

5. Blindness

Author: José Saramago

Language: Portuguese

English translator: Giovanni Pontiero

Genre: Literary fiction

Published in: 1998

Most people you come across in your day-to-day life seem like nice, upright citizens. But how will these people behave if everyone, that is, everyone in the whole world, collectively become blind tomorrow? Jose Saramago, the winner of Nobel Prize in Literature, wrote Blindness to explore the dark side of the human nature. This book is shocking, raw, and brutal, it is not for the faint hearted, yet it is also the most thought provoking book I have ever read. Strangely Jose Saramago is not more widely known in the English speaking world. This is unfortunate considering his works are stunning. Make sure to check out Blindness, and if you like this book then you can also read The Gospel according to Jesus Christ, which, alongside Blindness, are commonly regarded as this brilliant man's best works.

4. The Club Dumas

Author: Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Language: Spanish

English translator: Sonia Soto

Genre: Mystery/Crime thriller

Published in: 1993

Not many people have heard of The Club Dumas, but if I mention the cult classic movie, The Ninth Gate, then it may ring the bell for some people. The Ninth Gate, starring Johnny Cage and directed by Roman Polanski, was a movie adaptation of The Club Dumas (the novel). However, I strongly recommend you read the book and forget about watching the movie, because the movie only adapted half of the book and it is but a shadow of the book's true glory! The Club Dumas is macabre and deeply fascinating, it is a book that truly made me feel as if I was reading about some forbidden knowledge not meant for the mortal eyes!

3. The Long Ships

Author: Frans G. Bengtsson

Language: Swedish

English translator: Michael Meyer

Genre: Historical fiction/Adventure

Published in: 1941

Apparently The Long Ships is a very famous book in Scandinavia, but few in the English speaking world has heard of it. This is a historical adventure novel, set in the late Viking age, and it tells the story of Red Orm, a viking chieftain whose adventures spanned across half the globe, from the frozen tundra of Northern Europe all the way to the sun-scorched desert in the Middle East. This is a ripping yarn about treasures, blood feuds and politics, with a special focus on the exclusivity of Christianity and Islam. If you want to read a fun and interesting Viking story, then you cannot go wrong with The Long Ships.

2. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Language: Spanish

English translator: Lucia Graves

Genre: Gothic/Mystery

The first book published in: 2001

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books is a tetralogy consisting of four books; The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, The Prisoner of Heaven, and The Labyrinth of Spirits. The series's author, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, wrote so beautifully it hurts. These books are set in Barcelona, in the 1950s, but the stories are inspired by the Gothic genre, with mysteries and dramas galore. Last year I read the first three books of the series and they are magical. I am looking forward to read The Labyrinth of Spirits, which will conclude the series. I recommend this series to anyone who likes stories and want to read good books.

1. Remembrance of Earth's Past

Author: Cixin Liu

Language: Chinese

English translator: Ken Liu

Genre: Science fiction

The first book published in: 2008

I am not big on sci-fi, but I loved Remembrance of Earth's Past. This trilogy falls into a subgenre in sci-fi called, "hard science fiction"; meaning, a type of science fiction which uses the established or carefully extrapolated science as its backbone. In other words, for "hard science fiction", think of 2001 Space Odyssey, or the works of Arthur C. Clarke. In fact, Cixin Liu, the author for Remembrance of Earth's Past, is dubbed the Arthur C. Clarke of China. With the first book in the trilogy, The Three Body Problem, winning the Hugo award for best novel in 2015 and also Nebula award for best novel in 2014, it is no wonder why such high regard was paid to Cixin Liu. The book's success in the US is even more astonishing considering it is a Chinese novel winning multiple literary awards which are supposedly for the English books. If you are still not convinced, then just ask Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg, both are loyal fans of this trilogy who won't hesitate at recommending it.

A Book Review: The Tower of Living and Dying by Anna Smith Spark (Empires of Dust #2)

The Tower of Living and Dying is the sequel to Anna Smith Spark's debut novel, The Court of Broken Knives. I adored The Court of Broken Knives, but I also thought the book's pacing was a bit uneven. The Tower of Living and Dying, however, is an improvement over its predecessor. This sequel ironed out the pacing issue from the previous book, and it also expanded the story's scope and its characters. The Tower of Living and Dying is one of the finest grimdark novels I have ever read.

Synopsis:

Marith, king destroyer, bent his will on a dark conquest to bring the world down to its knees. A darkness, promised by Marith's ancestry, consumed him while he unleashed wholesale destruction on the world. Only his queen, Thalia, the light of Sorlost, could bring out the last shred of humanity in him. But is she enough? Or will Thalia join Marith to embrace their dark destinies?

My thoughts on this book:

The Tower of Living and Dying is as beautifully written as its predecessor. One cannot fail to notice the book's lyrical prose, it is exquisite and poetic, rendering a mythical atmosphere into a story as dark as it is tragic. The writings also vividly portrayed a cast of strangely sympathetic characters despite all their flaws. This book reminded me of the Skaldic poems and epics of old, as if it is meant to be read out loud, by a bard at a campfire.

This is a character-driven book, where much of the story revolved around the development of its characters. The main protagonist(s), arguably, were Mariah and Thalia. It is very interesting to read about their relationships, about how, Thalia was the last foothold, preventing Marith from giving in and become that which he always feared to be. A reader cannot help but to hope that somehow Thalia's influence on Marith can be his redemption. The book also explored Thalia's inner struggles and conflicts, and it successfully created a tension where the readers were constantly worrying if Thalia might give in and join Marith on his dark path.

The third POV character in this book was Orhan. In the previous book, we saw him rise to the height of political power at Sorlost. In this book, Orhan's rivals returned to challenge him, and forcing him to play a deadly game where the winner takes all and the loser dies. I won't spoil Orhan's role in this book, but it suffices to say, even though his story arc was mostly about court intrigues, but it was suspenseful and the stakes were high. Furthermore, his story arc also explored the consequences of Thalia's exodus from Sorlost, and towards the conclusion the book began to merge Orhan's story together with that of Marith and Thalia's. It would be very interesting to see how the story will unfold in the next book.

Next, we also have POV characters such as Tobias and Landra. Tobias was a washed up mercenary, while Landra was a disfigured lady who lost everything. Both of them had one thing in common – they wanted revenge against Marith. I liked both of these characters despite their many flaws, because I could sympathize with, and understand their motives for desiring revenge. Tobias and Landra may not be heroes, but neither were they villains. As a reader, I felt torn by these characters, because I liked and understood them, I wanted all of them to live and succeed, yet they were on a collision course to destroy each other. This is a story where its characterizations successfully moved beyond the typical "hero vs villain" settings. 

The last page in the book shocked me. It was a cliffhanger, but it was also a fitting conclusion to the saga's middle book. I closed this book and felt a burning desire to read the next one. Unfortunately, Anna Smith Spark is still working on the third book, and I can only hope its release will be imminent. I dearly wish to resume the dark and twisted tale of Marith and Thalia. In the meantime, The Tower of Living and Dying is exemplary of the grimdark subgenre. The first book was good, but this one is even better. I highly recommend this trilogy.

A Book Review: The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark (Empires of Dust #1)

I like fantasy novels, especially those of the grimdark persuasion. This is why The Court of Broken Knives has been on my radar for a while. This book, is the debut for the British novelist Anna Smith Spark. The readership for this book grew rapidly following its release. Readers in the grimdark circles are raving about this book. Meanwhile, some are hailing Anna Smith Spark as the new queen of grimdark.

However, the opinions about this book are divisive. Some readers loved it, while some are less enthusiastic of it. As for me, I loved this book. The Court of Broken Knives tells the type of story that I like, and I am committed to reading the entire trilogy (when the author completes it)

Synopsis:

The city of Sorlost is ancient and unconquered. From its throne the emperor governed the richest empire the world has ever known. The imperial glory and wealth, however, were but facades veiling an ugly truth, for decadence was slowly killing the empire.

But one man, Orhan Emmereth, saw the heart of the problem, and he planned to heal the empire with a surgery.

Out of the desert came a band of mercenaries. They looked like killers. The band was destined for the imperial palace in Sorlost, where Orhan contracted them to assassinate the emperor.

Among the band walked one strange, beautiful boy. His name was Marith, and he was no ordinary soldier. As the band moved closer to Sorlost, it also became apparent that Marith was a man walking with a darkness within him. But no one could have known the horror and the beauty Marith would unleash upon the world when he finally stepped into the Golden City...

My thoughts on this book:

The Court of Broken Knives has everything I like about the grimdark subgenre. The story is morally ambiguous, featuring a cast of characters whose motives and moral compass point to shades of grey, and so there was no obvious "hero" or "villain" in the story. There are 4 major characters in this book, I particularly enjoyed reading about Marith, whose story sets the centre stage for this saga. Marith is tormented by his past. He knew a special power resided within him but he shunned it, fearing what he might become if he embraced it. Marith reminds me a little of Elric of Melnibone, where both men were cursed by destructive talents they do not wish to possess, yet cannot live without, and so they are doomed to destroy their enemies as well as those closest to them. This book foreshadowed the sort doom and destruction which Marith can unleash upon his world. We see the conflicts within Marith and the irony, where the more he tried to escape from his hidden power, the closer he came to become the destroyer whom he believed he may become. In many ways, Marith is both the main protagonist and the antagonist in the story. He is a deeply conflicted man.

The second character I liked was Thalia. She was a high priestess in a temple, whose job was performing rituals of human sacrifice for her god, until a civil unrest forced her into leaving her clerical works behind. In this book, Thalia constantly reflected on her past life as a temple priestess. She felt guilty about the killings. This part of the book was very interesting. Later on, Thalia would become Marith's romantic interest, and she was the only character in the book who sympathized with Marith, because of her own past. The book did really well at portraying Thalia's feeling for Marith – admiration and disgust. Talia adored Marith for all his finer qualities, yet Thalia's disgust of Marith was born out of her own past, because what Marith had within him, the side of him that would bring many deaths and destructions, it reminded Thalia of all the people she killed as a temple priestess.

I also liked Orhan, he was a politician in Sorlost who plotted the emperor's assassination, because he wanted to save the empire from further decline. In this book, Orhan engaged in a series of political games and court intrigues to achieve his mission. He was like a spider laying down the web. I enjoyed reading Orhan's part of the story. I found his character, and his motive, complex and interesting. This is the sort of characterization that makes grimdark my favorite literary genre above all!

Many in the grimdark community have praised this book, but some readers don't share the same enthusiasm. The divisive opinions about this book, it appears, is based Anna Smith Spark's writings.

Is this a badly written book? No. Anna Smith Spark's writings are beautiful and exquisite, it has a poetic and bardic quality to it. Her writings made me feel as if it was meant to be read out loud, like a bard standing in front of a camp fire and telling a tale. However, I think this is also why some readers didn't like this book, because her writing style is unusual in the fantasy genre. Most fantasy novels use plain and simple writings to tell stories. But Anna Smith Spark's wrote as if she was writing poetry. Her writings are emotional, lyrical, and also descriptive. This also means The Court of Broken Knives is not easy to read. To appreciate this book, a reader has to read it carefully. I adored her writings even though I am not a guru of English literature. When I was reading The Court of Broken Knives, there were times when I paused just to admire how beautifully written the sentences were in this book.

I am gushing over this book, but I also think the book has some weaknesses, especially in its pacing, which was a bit uneven. For the most parts, this book was very fast paced, but several travel scenes felt drawn out and slow. I believe this book would have been even better if the lengths for the travel scenes were edited down a bit. However, the pacing issue is minor, because it occurred only at a few places in the book. On the whole, I adored The Court of Broken Knives, this is a very impressive debut novel, and it shows a promising start to (what I believe) a would-be grimdark classic. I highly recommend this book.