Book Review: The Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence

"Every man has his thorns, not of him, but in him, deep as bones"
                                  - Mark Lawrence, Emperor of Thorns

  These days, heroes in stories are becoming very dark. I wonder why?

Remember heroes you used to read about in stories from your younger years? For example, heroes from The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, had very black and white moral outlooks. They (Heroes) are good, villains are bad, each have their roles to play in the story, they fight each other, good versus evil. The good triumphs in the end, and everyone lives happily ever after.

We see this less and less in modern day stories.

These days, heroes are no longer the perfect embodiment of good. In modern day stories, a hero's action is often driven by mixed intentions, sometimes selfish, sometimes selfless. Along a hero's journey, the hero has weaknesses and makes mistakes, baring his/her flaws in front of the readers' eyes. Sometimes the hero can be redeemed by the goodness that lies within, the readers will hope for this, especially when the story gets very dark.

 In other words, heroes in modern day stories are becoming more and more like us. If we write fictions to explore our human nature and condition, then in an age dominated by the desire for realism, it makes sense for heroes and their journeys to be dark, because their stories can resonate with our own struggles, as we try to make sense of this strange world we live in. Since the dawn of time, the complexity of the human nature, is often expressed through story exposition.

The Broken Empire trilogy is an epic fantasy story with a dark hero, written by the author Mark Lawrence. The trilogy consists of 3 books: Prince of Thorns, King of Thorns, and Emperor of Thorns. The story arc follows the protagonist, Jorg of Ancarth, and his ascension to become the emperor of the broken empire. Firstly, a word of warning, these books are not for the lighthearted. You will not find a typical heroic fantasy story here. In fact, I am not even sure if the protagonist can be called a "hero". But if you can stomach a very dark story, a hero that's more like a sociopath, and some violence, then you will love this truly marvelous tale.

Synopsis:

  When he was nine years old, prince Jorg witnessed the murder of his mother and brother in a political assassination, which was arranged by his uncle. During the murder, Jorg was trapped in a bush of poisonous thorns, concealing him from the assassins. He was the sole survivor of the assassination. The brutal event left a traumatic impact on the young Jorg, filled him with much guilt that developed into hatred, eventually drove him to flee from his father's castle, and joined a group of bandits on the road.

At 14, Jorg could swing a sword as well as any man. He also became the leader of a bandit group, they called themselves The Brothers. Jorg led The Brothers in many successful raids, earning himself a fierce reputation by leaving behind a trail of blood and rapine. But Jorg is not content with just being the leader of The Brother. Jorg's ambition is much higher than that. Firstly, he wanted revenge for the murder of his mother and brother. In this act of revenge, Jorg planned to take out his uncle. Yet, this is only the first step to Jorg's plan, on the journey of his ascension. This is a journey to claim the throne of the emperor to reunite the broken empire. Jorg will not stop, he is willing to sacrifice anything, including his followers, friends, relatives... after all, they say a king climbs the road to power, by stepping on the bones of his followers. It's like a chess game where Jorg can play very well, and he doesn't always play fair...

What I think about this trilogy:

 I really like this trilogy. It combines elements from some of my favorite authors: It has Court intrigues like in George R.R Martin's A song of Ice and Fire series, the grittiness of Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy,  and actions like in Glen Cook's Black Company series,

The trilogy is set in a very interesting, post-apocalyptic world. Where humanity had once again, reached the level of civilization that resembles the medieval world. However, it is also a world flowing with "magic and sorcery", which the author explained as a result of advanced progress in science from the previous civilization, which blurred the difference between the reality and the will.  

The pace of the storytelling in this trilogy is good. I don't recall boring moments while reading these books. This trilogy is mostly narrated in first person perspective, enabling readers to resonate with Jorg's story. Readers travel inside Jorg's head through his journey, gaining insight to Jorg's thoughts and mind in every moments of the story. Jorg's innermost character is laid bare in front of the readers' eyes, and Jorg's thoughts aren't always pretty.

I also want to give credit to the author, for ending this series on the high note instead of dragging the story and turn it into a cash cow.

Some fantasy series start off strong, but gradually slip down hills because authors don't want to kill their cash cows and refuse to end the series on the high note. I am glad to report, the Broken Empire trilogy, does not suffer from the cash cow syndrome.

While I was reading these books, I was fascinated and chilled by my own reaction to the story. Despite Jorg being (probably) the most ruthless, twisted, and self centred protagonist ever penned in the history of fantasy, I still cheered for him whenever he succeeded, and I still hoped that somehow he could show some redemptive qualities as the story developed. But I was also wondering, can someone like Jorg ever be redeemed?

As I read Jorg's story, I began to sympathize with Jorg, because haunted memories from his past made him who he was. I won't spoil the story here, but the story of Jorg asked me, if I was put in his place, under the same circumstance, would I have acted differently?

As I close the last page of this trilogy, both satisfied and surprised by the ending, my thoughts wandered off to explore a question the author seemed to be asking:

"As we are all bound by our human conditions, can we really judge a person as being beyond redemption?"

 The Broken Empire Trilogy, is a marvellous fantasy series. It has court intrigues that will rival George R.R Martin at his best, and it has grittiness that will make Joe Abercrombie proud.

Happy reading!

Book Review: The Godborn by Paul Kemp

I don't play Dungeon and Dragons games. In fact, I've never played D&D RPG. But I really enjoy reading novels based on D&D universe, because it has a fantastic, imaginative world packed with epic stories about heroes and villains with intriguing characters. And this is why today, I am going to write a review for this book (another thing I love about this series is these books have very beautiful cover arts).

The Godborn, is the second book in "The Sundering" series. The Sundering, is an event that took place in the D&D world, where past heroes and villains walked the world again. There are 6 planned books in The Sundering Series. Each of these books is a stand alone novel, featuring stories of individual heroes in different parts of the world. The first book, was R.A Salvatore's book, The Campanions, featuring the beloved Drow ranger Drizzt Do'Urden and his friends, the book was mostly very light hearted and very warming at certain places.

However, this second book, The Godborn, is not the same as the first book. It is much darker and more complex, and I love it!

Synopsis:

Erevis Cale's son, Vasen Cale grows up in an abbey, and became the servant to the Lord of Light who raised him. Shielded by the dead god Mask, Vasen Cale was protected from the evil schemes of his father's enemies. However, Vasen is constantly haunted by dreams about his father. Deep down inside, Vasen knows his peaceful life at the abbey will eventually come to pass, and he will one day assume the role he has to play in the drama of the sundering, which was taking place across the world, lest the world as he knew will cease to exist. For Vasen, he knows failure is not an option...

What I think about this book:

As I have said already, I love this book. Mostly because all characters in this book are intriguing. They are not cardboard characters to fill the gaps in the story, no, all characters in this book are 3 dimensional characters, with lots of development through personal struggles. While the story is quite dark, but it is also accompanied with interesting perspectives embedded with much welcomed complexities.

But I do have to say, although I really like the story and characters in this book, but I did find the story started a bit slow. In fact, I only found the story becoming interesting after the first 100 pages (and this is a 300 page book), this means the first 100 page of this book was quite slow. Thankfully, the story unfolds with thunder and lightning in the last two thirds of the book, and it is a very, very good story.

 

Book Review: The Wise Man's fear by Patrick Rothfuss

"“It's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, all he gains is a little fact. But give him a question and he'll look for his own answers.”

                                                                - Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man's Fear

The Wise Man's Fear, is the sequel to Patrick Rothfuss' Award-Winning novel, The Name of the Wind. This book is almost twice as long as the first one, it is a 1000 page tome. But is longer = better? Let's find out.

Synopsis:

The story in this book picks up where the first book ended. Kvothe continues to tell the chronicler his story on the second day. In this part of the story, Kvothe described how he was forced to leave the University to after his feud with a fellow student. After leaving the University, Kvothe traveled to the city of Severen and enlisted under the mayor's service. From here, Kvothe took his first step into becoming a legend, by leading a group of mercenaries to hunt down bandits, and acquired martial skill training from the city of Ademre... things are finally looking up for Kvothe, but how long before his story becomes dark again?

What I think about the book:

Like The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man's Fear is very well written. The author really has a way with words and writes beautifully. The story and the character developments in this book is gripping like the previous book. However, truth be told, I prefer The Name of the Wind. The reason is, the pace of the story in The Wise Man's Fear is too slow, and at times I just can't be bothered to read all the details but simply browsing and paging the book forward; and this book is too long. I wonder, if the book is cut down to 300 page from its whopping 1000 pages, it would have read better.

Having said this, I still enjoyed The Wise Man's Fear, it is still a good book. Well written, good story, and interesting characters, and I look forward to reading the last book in this trilogy, which is to be released in 2014.

Halloween special: The essence of fear - Supernatural Horror VS Naturalistic horror

"We made up horrors to help us cope with the real ones"

                                                   - Stephen King

Human beings have the tendency to tell horror stories, every culture has it. We are a people fascinated by horror stories, our books and movies are full of them. What attracts us to horror? Is it because through horror stories, we get to take the backseat, and experience our deepest fears as an audience?

If so, what then, is the essence of fear which motivates the telling of these horror stories?

I have some interests in the genre of horror, and it is difficult to find a kindred spirit with similar interest in the Christian community. The truth is, you will probably see a few raised eyebrows and suspicious looks from people in the Christian community, if you openly admit you like horror and research this genre... they will probably tell you to read Chronicles of Narnia or the Bible instead of reading horror stories written by secular authors.

I have a different opinion about horror stories compared to the general church culture. In my opinion, horror stories express mankind's deepest longings, hopes and fears. This means we should not develop prejudice against them.

 Let me explain:

In my experience with the horror genre, I've noticed 2 major types of horror; the supernatural horror, and the naturalistic horror.

Supernatural horror stories, often contain elements such as ghosts, demons, evil spirits, or some sort of mystical creatures not from the natural world. The plots of these supernatural horror stories, often revovles around the supernatural entity wanting revenge against the living. The concept of "vengeful spirits" is historically common in all cultures. Even today, horror stories of this nature appears frequently in horror movies, comic books, and novels. For example, movies such as "The Crow", "Mama", The Grudge". or the comic book "Spawn" all revolve around the concept of vengeful spirits. I wonder, if people tell horror stories about vengeful spirits because it is an extension of mankind's thirst for justice and righteousness?

On the other hand, supernatural horror stories about ghosts and demons often take us into a world not our own, with ideas about after life, good and evil, and a sense of divine order. Perhaps this means people tell ghost stories to help them deal with the fear of one's mortality? Perhaps telling ghost stories, is an exhilirating way to assure us "this is not it", there is more than just this life, and there are meanings to everything.

I call the second type of horror, naturalistic horror. This is a fascinating genre invented by author H.P. Lovecraft. Before Lovecraft came along, supernatural horror stories dominated the genre, and they often tell stories about ghosts and demons. Such as the book "Ghost stories of antiquity" published in 1904. However, when H.P. Lovecaft entered the stage, he turned the genre upside down.

H.P. Lovecraft is most famous for his horror stories about forgotten, otherworldly elderitch horror and cosmic entities, lying dormant in ancient, cyclopean megalithic structures while gazing upon the mankind with indifference. In other words, the real horror of Lovecraft's stories is when he asks us to consider the possibility, that life on earth has no meaning, no purpose, while this ancient universe gazes upon us with indifference... because the universe does not care. It is the fear of the unknown, that should we ultimately discover the utter meaninglessness of life, we should either go mad, or flee back into the blessings of ignorance (see the opening lines of "The call of Cthulhu")

By now, you can probably see very clearly, that supernatural horror is more akin to theistic view of life, while naturalistic horror is resembles atheist view of life.

So you might ask, which version is more reasonable?

Personally, I think both views can be intellectually reasonable, depending on your personal convictions.

However, if we tell horror stories to help us understand our deepest fears, then perhaps we can explore this question from a different angle, by asking a different question: why do we have fears?

Happy Halloween.

Book Review: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.” 

                             - Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

When you name a person, or a thing, have you ever pondered at the significance of it? Not only does a name serve the purpose of identification, but it also speaks for the character of a person, or indicating a position in an establish order. Furthermore, this means the name we give to someone can either build and encourage, or destroy and hurt; names have great powers. So what does it mean, to search for the name of the wind?

Then Name of the Wind, is a fantasy novel. It is written by Patrick Rothfuss, who spend 7 years writing this novel during his pursuit in the degree of BA in English. This is a very well written novel, and have won numerous awards after the book was published in 2007. It is also the first book in a trilogy.

Synopsis:

The story follows a mysterious individual called Kvothe, and is told in 2 interwoven parts. The first part is told in the present, describing scenes of Kvothe sitting in an inn telling a chronicler the story about himself, Kvothe revealed his entire story will take 3 days to tell, and The Name of the Wind is day one of his story. The second part of the story is Kvothe's narrative of his story.

Kote is the Innkeeper of Waystone Inn. Together with his assistant, Bast, the duo manage the sparsely used inn. One night, Kote saved a chronicler from an attack from magical creatures known as "fae".Afterward, Kote brought the chronicler to his inn. Subsequently, the chronicler identified Kote's hidden identity is actually Kvothe. A famed magician, musician, and an unparalleled swordsman with a legendary past.

Kvothe agreed to tell the chronicler the true story about himself. Insisting the telling will take 3 days. The story told in day one constituted this book. 

In his narrative, Kvothe revealed in his childhood, he grew up in a troupe and showed considerable talents at learning things quickly. His parents were travelling performers. One day, a mysterious band appeared and murdered the entire troupe, including Kvothe's parents. Left alone in the world, Kvothe told the story of how he survived on the streets of a big city as an urchin, and his eventual acceptance into the University at very young age, to study and became an arcanist (or wizard). But Kvothe's study at the University is just the beginning, a stepping stone that will one day make him one of the most famous legends in the world..

What I think about this book:

The Name of the Wind is very well written. Most of the book is about Kvothe's time spent at the University as a student learning magic. In some ways, The Name of the Wind feels a little bit like Harry Potter, both have scenes of the protagonist studying magic at a school. However, Kvothe is a character with a much stronger personality than Harry Potter.

The pace of the story can become a bit slow at certain places, but I was never bored while reading this book. Most importantly, Kvothe is a fascinating character, full of mysteries. While reading this book, I always wanted to find out find out more about Kvothe and his past. Overall, The Name of the Wind is a great read. If you like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, then you will definitely like this book.

Book Review: The Last Oracle by James Rollins

 Humanity has always been fascinated with the ability to foretell the future. History tells us in the past, prophets and oracles were among the most revered and important people in ancient societies. Even today, prophecies remain as the cornerstones of many religious faith, and their trace can be found in ancient manuscripts and religions' holy texts.

Author James Rollins, weaved a fantastic story, mixing elements of history, science and science fictions, he crafted a highly memorable tale in the 5th book to Sigma Force series, titled "The Last Oracle".

Synopsis:

Outside of Sigma Force's central command centre at Washington D.C. A man was shot by an assassin and dies in the arms of commander Gray Pierce. The murdered man clutched a bloodied, ancient coin in his hand. As Gray Pierece discovered later, this ancient relic can be traced back to the Oracle of Delphi in ancient Greece. This coin, will also lead Sigma Force to discover a conspiracy, leading back to the Cold War, and can shake the foundation of our understanding of humanity. Imagine, if technology can be used to bioengineer the next great prophet; Buddha, Muhammad, or perhaps Jesus? Will such an action elevate mankind? Or will it be the cause of our extinction, if it falls into the wrong hand?

Gray and his team race around the globe, searching for clues to prevent a terrorist group from unleashing the power of the Last Oracle upon mankind...

What I think about this book:

The Last Oracle is great, it has a really interesting story, mixed with both facts and fictions from history and science. Furthermore, The Last Oracle has the esoteric vibe that I liked so much from Map of Bones; combined with nail biting suspense, explosive actions, and a very moving ending, The Last Oracle is one of the best Sigma Force novels in the series. If you are a fan of treasure hunts, and conspiracy thrillers, then this is definitely the book for you.

Book Review: The Judas Strain by James Rollins

  The Judas Strain, is James Rollin's 4th Sigma Force novel. This story reads like a Hollywood blockbuster thriller. This is a story featuring: treasure hunts, car chase, actions, ancient mystery, conspiracy, and a deadly virus threatening to wipe out mankind from the face of the earth.

Synopsis:

A lethal plague arise from the depth of the Indian Ocean, upon the tide of the incoming plague rides the harbinger of death for mankind. Operatives of Sigma Force, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk, boarded a cruise in hope of investigating the origins of this horrible plague. Unfortunately, a terrorist group hijacked the cruise ship, revealing their intention to manipulate the virus for their own purposes..

In the meantime, across the world in the United States, Commander Gray Pierce discovered the first clue to the cure of this deadly plague. He joined force with his former nemesis, a deadly assassin who works for a terrorist group known as the "guild". Together, Gray and his team embarked on a most fantastical quest to discover an ancient secret hidden for centuries, by following the trailer of the legendary explorer Marco Polo.

Can Sigma Force thwart the ambitions of terrorist groups and discover the cure to the virus in time? Or will the history of humanity be forever changed?

What I think about this book:

Since the day I opened the first page of Sand Storm, the first Sigma Force novel, I was intrigued by Rollins' ability to spin a heart pumping, page turning book. As I read more and more Sigma Force novels, I became a fan to this series. I loved Map of Bones, and I loved Black Order. I am also happy to report, I also loved The Judas Strain.

This is a good book, it has all elements required for a great action thriller story, blended with historical mysteries and interesting science (and science fiction). The pace of the story is very fast, just like the previous Sigma Force novels. There are also some minor twists and unexpected moments in the story to keep the reader at the edge of their seats. However, I do have to say, I like Map of Bones and Black Order a bit more than The Judas Strain. This is because it seems to me the storytelling was smoother in those 2 novels than The Judas Strain. Nonetheless, The Judas Strain is an excellent thriller, and I look forward to reading the next Sigma Force novel.