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Mar 10, 2011

Dan rated it:

The Warded Man continues his work, spreading the wards of the ancients and the ability to fight demons, denying that he is the Deliverer. A new Deliverer rises in the southern desert, seeking to unite all of the world in the Daylight War. Can he do it? Can Leesha resist his charms? And what does the Warded Man think of it all...

Wow. If The Warded Man turned the awesomeness knob up to ten, this one turns it up to eleven. The first third of the book is an expansion of Arlen's tim More...

3 comments like (10 people liked it)

Nov 07, 2011

Mihir rated it:

Detailed review over at Fantasy Book Critic

TDS is a lengthy sequel however the story contained in those pages makes it really hard for the reader to pause in between. This book is an introduction to the world of Krasia which we saw briefly in the TPW. However this time we get a very close look at the other "Deliverer" so as to speak.

The POV list in this book is nearly doubled and we get a story which becomes much more than just a battle of survival More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 08, 2011

Andrea rated it:

Spoilers.

First off, The Desert Spear does not disappoint and is highly recommend, especially if read after The Painted man.

The first section of The Desert Spear is spent with Jardir and his point of view, and this fleshed out his back story and point of view which gives much more depth to the Krasian people. His relationship with his main wife is also a amazing addition to the overall story because he is aware that she is using him but can do nothing about it. Even thoug More...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 26, 2010

Ryan rated it:

Not surprising given the title of the book - it begins by telling the other (i.e., Krasian - the desert people) side of the story. This developed motives and characters for several key people in the book that were previously more or less just "bad guys" and/or minor characters in the first book. The Krasian's apparent cruelty makes sense when viewed in light of their culture and upbringing. I'm not even sure who the bad guys are anymore… Well, I guess the demons, daughter-rapist, a More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Nov 22, 2010

Stephen rated it:

4.0 to 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed The Warded Man, the first novel in Peter Brett's Demon Trilogy, and was really looking forward to reading this sequel. Even with high expectation, Brett does not disappoint with this second entry. Without giving away any spoilers, I will just talk about those aspects of the book that I really thought were fantastic.

First, one of the things I like about epic fantasy trilogies is when the plot begins fairly small and then develops into a larger and l More...

3 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jan 06, 2012

Suzie rated it:

WOW, wow! Wow! Frickin' WOW,!!!!

Loved, loved, loved this book!!! The strength of the characters, each of them, the way the author has continued to grow each of them. Just WOW!

I stayed up to 2:30am to finish this book, there was just no way I could put it down. I am just blown away, but sad as well because I want it to continue. When is #3 due, it can't come soon enough for my liking.

I love the pairing of Arlen and Renna, the wildness that they both share. I can't wait to learn more about Inever More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2012

Lee rated it:

I was a bit perturbed and thought it was a bad idea when the book began with Jadir's life....and I was distressed when I leafed forward and saw that Arlen and Leesha's story would not continue until around page 600 on my reader. I am so glad Peter told Jadir's story now...it was a fantastic book. It is so rich and deep in detail you truly get pulled into each of their lives. You can feel the momentum picking up and the looming inevitability of the Day War as the author now begins to spin th More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 10, 2012

Jon rated it:

When I read the reviews about this book I learned a new word, misogynistic. I agree with the other reviewer but not for the same reasons. The story of the Krasians and their Arabic style culture did not bother me. In fact, I actually enjoyed that story more than Arlen's. I think the story of the demon wars and the humans attempts to combat the indestructible hoard is a great story. I can't get enough of it. What bugs me the most is the horrible way in which Brett depicts relationships. More...

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Dec 10, 2011

Trike rated it:

I went back and forth on whether this is a 4-star or 5-star book. There were some things that felt forced to me, such as the relationship between Leesha and her mother Elona and some inconsistent behavior by Ahmann Jardir, but I've decided those were minor stumbles in an otherwise compulsively-readable book. This damn thing kept me up late a few nights in a row, because I kept wanting to see what the next page would bring.

The introduction of new elements such as new corelings keeps the More...

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Oct 27, 2011

Matt rated it:

I quite liked the first novel, The Warded Man, and I was surprised to see the Desert Spear getting lower reviews. After reading it, I do think it's a great book. The book continues Arlen's emotional journey. He's spent so much time fighting demons, he's begun to become one himself. Despite help from those he cares about, he sees more and more reason to become disillusioned with humanity. Brett brings back all the characters from Book I, and adds a new point of view in Renna Tanner, a minor chara More...

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Oct 17, 2011

Stephan rated it:

The Desert Spear is the sequel to The Warded Man, which I recently reviewed, and it’s the second book of The Demon War by Peter V. Brett.

A confession
Before I start my review, however, I must confess something. Reviewing the books I read has changed my reading experience. In many ways, it has become a much better experience, but sometimes, I find myself wishing something because it would look better in my reviews. After giving The Warden Man five stars, I found myself wishing this More...

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Aug 30, 2011

Kathy rated it:

Second in the Demon Cycle fantasy series set in a mythical world in which demons come out at night to eat you and everyone hides behind Wards when the sun sets.

The Story
The main story starts with a very young Jardir and follows him through his training to become dar'Sharum, a soldier who expects to die killing alagai. With everything in their lives determined by the bones, Jardir rises quickly through the ranks, marrying a dama'ting, Inevera, who rules every decision in his life t More...

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Aug 11, 2011

Jessica rated it:

Pros: excellent characterization, immersive writing, fast paced

Cons: some readers may not like the brutal realism of the narrative (lots of rape - though nothing is graphically described)

The Desert Spear is one of those rare books when the sequel is better than the first book. Mr. Brett really comes into his own in this book.

The plot (and if you haven't read The Warded Man/Painted Man this will contain spoilers):

Jardir, now proclaimed Shar'Dama Ka (Deliver More...

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Aug 06, 2011

R. August rated it:

Funny how this book was just as misogynistic as Game of Thrones, yet this one gets itself 5 stars. Every time I try to articulate why this is I've had problems. "The misogyny in this book is more acceptable." No, misogyny isn't acceptable. "The misogyny was more integral to the plot." No, authors have complete control over what they write and Brett could easily have written a fantasy novel without it. "It simply didn't bother me that much." While it is true, More...

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Jul 25, 2011

Nathaniel rated it:

The sequel to The Warded Man, this novel focuses primarily on Jardir, a secondary (in my opinion) character from the first book. There are significant portions of the book devoted to other characters, and the book advances the plot of the war against the demons of the night, but generally it's Jardir's story.

That said, I didn't like it as much as the first novel, not because it isn't well-written, but because I find Jardir so distasteful that having so much of a book dedicated to him More...

1 comment like

Jul 25, 2011

Carina rated it:

Meinung:
“Das Flüstern der Nacht” wird zum Großteil aus der Sicht des krasianischen Hauptmannes Ahmann Jardir erzählt, den man in Teil 1 dieses Fantasy Epos schon kennen lernt. Wirkt er dort noch wie ein oberflächiger Muskelprotz, der für Macht über Leichen gehen würde, so lernt man ihn hier von einer ganz anderen Seite kennen. An dieser Stelle hat mich vor allem Jadirs Kindheit und seine gesamte Entwicklung in der Militärschule positiv überrascht. Zugegebenermaßen war ich anfangs etwas entt More...

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Jun 07, 2011

Jacqie rated it:

I liked the first book in this series, The Warded Man. I was happy to give this one a try. Sadly, I stalled out on it. The first 200 pages (a third of the book!) are devoted to a nasty, misogynistic, pseudo-islamic culture. We are treated to this unpleasantness in order to better understand a second main POV character, who thinks he's the messiah. When he hears about a Northerner who is also considered the messiah, he decides to head north and conquer. While reading this part of the book, More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 01, 2011

Joshua rated it:

The first 200 or so pages of this book was probably the best thing Brett has ever written. Jardir was such a strong character here I almost could have cared less what was happening to everyone else.

Afterwards, some of the problems start....
- Leesha who was my least favorite character from the first book is even worse in this book. I say that because her characterization is ridiculously inconsistent and few of her decisions make sense considering previous actions.
- Jar More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 13, 2011

Chad rated it:

Very disappointed..... I loved the first book but this one just dragged. As someone mentioned the backstory of Jardir in the first part of the second book should have been in the first book. If I didn't already now he was "the bad guy" it would have been interesting, but I could really give a shit why he turned out the way he was after finishing the first novel. And it seemed on and on through the book was stuffed with "commercials" filler content meant to fill up page number More...

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Mar 05, 2011

Greg rated it:

A sequel to the much acclaimed Warded Man, Desert Spear is one of the best books I have read last year. It fills the shoes of the previous book superbly. Warded Man was an amazing book, fresh, witty and incredibly well written. The sequel continues with the story, delving deeper into the world of wards and corelings.
What I love about this book was the clash of two cultures described so well by Brett. Two completely different moral codes and cultural heritages meet; with the backstory asi More...

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Feb 09, 2011

Kiel rated it:

Sequel to The Warded Man, the beginning of this book focused a lot on a minor character from the first book, who becomes the other warded man, developing his life story and explaining why he is the way he is. Used flashbacks from what I can recall. Seems to be his formula: Characterization by single event that defines that person, then plot may continue. Also introduced a lot more uses of the runes/wards as a means of utilizing demon magic, and fleshed out that aspect some more. Did a good amou More...

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Nov 12, 2010

Jim rated it:

Fairly bland book. The characters are my biggest criticism, while Brett creates a range of differing personalities to contrast against each other, not much thought is put into their actions (reactions most of the time). The brain fades are common, where even the supposed intelligent characters lack the basic psychological sense. Interactions between them often left me frustrated, bemused and cringing. This severely takes away from the realism of the world, as it becomes apparent most of dialogue More...

3 comments like

Jul 15, 2010

Jessi rated it:

Summary: The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that arise as the sun sets, preying upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind ancient and half-forgotten symbols of power. These wards alone can keep the demons at bay, but legends tell of a Deliverer: a general—some would say prophet—who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. Those times, if they ever existed, are long past. The demons are back, and the return of the Deliver More...

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Jul 02, 2010

Dark rated it:

I thought it was a good book except for the back story on Jardir. The other thing I didnt like was Leesha's horrible choice of men. I couldnt stand to see her get close and come to love Jardir, it gave me the creeps. Also, I dont think Rena compliments Arlen half as much as Leesha, not to mention the fact that Arlen has a better chemistry with Leesha. I can tolerate it if Leesha chose Roger but I just cant stand the fact that she loves Jardir. One of the reasons I liked Painted Man so much was t More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 30, 2010

T. rated it:

The Desert Spear follows Brett's first novel The Painted Man, a tale about a demon ridden world where humans huddled in fear of the night hours. The novel essentially followed a rather D&D format as we saw three children grow to become the warrior (Painted man), Healer and Bard.

In many ways Desert Spear almost feels like an apologetic piece. Many of the criticisms I and many other reviewers had were addressed in a sort-of rewrite of history. The wierd hook-up between Arlen and Leesha More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 09, 2010

Simcha rated it:

The problem with reading a really good book is that eventually you have to finish it. You can put off the inevitable for a while by taking frequent breaks or reading very slowly, but ultimately the last page will be reached. Last week I found myself mourning this unfortunate fact after reluctantly completing The Desert Spear, Peter Brett's sequel to The Warded Man.

In The Warded Man, Brett had introduced a world in which demons rise from the ground each night, slaughtering anyone they More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 02, 2010

Kevin rated it:

No spoilers from me. And no summaries, either. For those, thou shalt have to seek elsewhere.

Instead, let me speak about the craft in this novel: I tend to read quite a bit, often into the night, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times a book has made me exclaim aloud involuntarily, waking up my wife in the process. The Desert Spear is one of those.

Brett makes you care about his characters—and not just the ones you like. The villains are as richly dr More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Sep 27, 2011

Jayre rated it:

A few things;

I enjoyed the warded man. I liked the cast of a characters, the conflict the world ect... it was a great book.

However there seemed to be a lack of a flow as the narrative moved from character perspective that in my opinion made the overall novel suffer just a little bit. However, by the conclusion of the novel the individual story arches blended together well and I felt more than satisfied with the overall experience.

Not so with desert spea More...

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Apr 27, 2011

Justus rated it:

I read the first book a while back and thought it was one of the better "standard fantasy" setups I'd read in a while. The setting was somewhat interesting and the primary character, Arlen, was good value. I really liked most things in the first book, though several things at the end were extremely dubious choices. Nevertheless, I was looking forward to seeing how the trilogy played out.

The Desert Spear is quite possibly the worst sequel I've ever read, seen, or heard of. You More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 09, 2011

Ryan rated it:

I found the second book in Brett's series to be almost as entertaining as the first, though the flaws in his writing seemed more evident this time around. As before, the story is pretty character-driven, and this book fills in the backstory of the Krasian warrior Jardir, revealing him to be a more sympathetic figure than he seemed in the first book. The reader learns a lot about the desert culture of Krasia, which resembles a mix of the Middle East and ancient Sparta. While this digression away More...

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