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Twilight Reign #3
The Grave Thief
Scree has been wiped from the face of the Land in a brutal demonstration of intent. While those responsible scatter to work on the next step in their plan, the stakes are raised - all the way to the heavens - as the Gods themselves enter the fray. Returning home to a nation divided by fanaticism, Lord Isak is haunted both by the consequences of his actions in Scree and by visions of his own impending death. As the full extent of Azaer's schemes become clearer, he realises prophecy and zealotry must play their part in his battle-plans if there is to be any chance of surviving the coming years. As a white-eye, Isak has had to embrace the darker parts of his own soul, but now the savage religious fervour sweeping his nation must also be accepted and turned to purpose, in the name of survival. With the battle lines vague and allegiances uncertain, the time for heartless decisions and ruthless action has come. Two figures oppose Isak and his the greatest warrior in history, who dreams of empire and Godhood, and a newborn baby whose dreams have no limit.
544 pages, Paperback
First published December 29, 2008
43 people are currently reading
887 people want to read
About the author
Tom Lloyd
47 books444 followersTom Lloyd was born in 1979 and showed almost no interest in writing until the age of eighteen. I blame the teachers myself.
Nevertheless he did eventually find himself with a long summer to spare before university, and decided to start a novel when it was suggested he get a job to pass the time. This tells you much of what there is to know about him. The rest can be derived from the fact that he first had the idea of writing a book to annoy a schoolfriend by getting published before him.
No, honestly; he's actually that shallow.
It was swiftly apparent that this was not the quick route to fame and fortune that he’d hoped for. The first sign of this was the realisation that being good at writing was required, but he managed to surprise everyone by not giving up on something he didn’t show immediate promise in.
Studying Politics and International Relations at Southampton University had very little appreciable effect on him, beyond giving him a couple of ideas for future novels, but that was largely due to spending most of those three years in London shacked up with the god-daughter of an Asian dictator. Upon leaving university he decided – along with what seemed like half of all other graduates, some of whom had had the temerity to study English – that doing “book stuff” sounded like a fun alternative to working out what sort of job he wanted to do. There was also the intriguing suggestion of literary talent being passed on by some osmosis-like process. As a result of a little work experience at Simon and Schuster - combined with some shameless flirting with the HR manager - he got a job as an editorial assistant on the Scribner list, which allowed him to mistype letters to a whole host of talented writers.
Certain luminary examples there made it clear that before he became a fantasy editor he was going to have to spend several years iron-cladding his liver. Towards this goal, he decamped to the A M Heath Literary Agency by way of Random House, which was silly because walking down Longacre would have been a lot quicker, to work in foreign rights while also freelancing for writersservices.com and constantly revising what was slowly becoming The Stormcaller.
A three year litany of madcap adventures in the crazy world of agenting ensued, but it would be far too time-consuming to detail any of that so suffice to say that his hangover cleared sufficiently one morning in 2004 for him to realise that he wasn’t quite so bad at writing now. Maybe there was something to this osmosis thing after all - although if that’s true Katie Fforde and Dave Hill might get a surprise at the effect they’d had.
Securing the services of John Richard Parker at MBA Literary Agents proved a surprisingly painless experience – despite being previously rejected by one of John’s colleagues, which just goes to show how persistent one has to be – and soon he was sat in the office of Jo Fletcher at Gollancz trying to persuade her how much of a geek he was. After four years as contracts manager at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency he decided he didn't like other authors that much so he swapped his dark corner of Camden for one at Atlantic Books where it quickly became apparent that he prefers winning arguments to scruples.
Writing part-time, also known as watching loads more TV, he also manages to play a little sport in between trips to the pub and battering his next book - into a semblance of shape.
http://tomlloyd.livejournal.com/ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?...
Nevertheless he did eventually find himself with a long summer to spare before university, and decided to start a novel when it was suggested he get a job to pass the time. This tells you much of what there is to know about him. The rest can be derived from the fact that he first had the idea of writing a book to annoy a schoolfriend by getting published before him.
No, honestly; he's actually that shallow.
It was swiftly apparent that this was not the quick route to fame and fortune that he’d hoped for. The first sign of this was the realisation that being good at writing was required, but he managed to surprise everyone by not giving up on something he didn’t show immediate promise in.
Studying Politics and International Relations at Southampton University had very little appreciable effect on him, beyond giving him a couple of ideas for future novels, but that was largely due to spending most of those three years in London shacked up with the god-daughter of an Asian dictator. Upon leaving university he decided – along with what seemed like half of all other graduates, some of whom had had the temerity to study English – that doing “book stuff” sounded like a fun alternative to working out what sort of job he wanted to do. There was also the intriguing suggestion of literary talent being passed on by some osmosis-like process. As a result of a little work experience at Simon and Schuster - combined with some shameless flirting with the HR manager - he got a job as an editorial assistant on the Scribner list, which allowed him to mistype letters to a whole host of talented writers.
Certain luminary examples there made it clear that before he became a fantasy editor he was going to have to spend several years iron-cladding his liver. Towards this goal, he decamped to the A M Heath Literary Agency by way of Random House, which was silly because walking down Longacre would have been a lot quicker, to work in foreign rights while also freelancing for writersservices.com and constantly revising what was slowly becoming The Stormcaller.
A three year litany of madcap adventures in the crazy world of agenting ensued, but it would be far too time-consuming to detail any of that so suffice to say that his hangover cleared sufficiently one morning in 2004 for him to realise that he wasn’t quite so bad at writing now. Maybe there was something to this osmosis thing after all - although if that’s true Katie Fforde and Dave Hill might get a surprise at the effect they’d had.
Securing the services of John Richard Parker at MBA Literary Agents proved a surprisingly painless experience – despite being previously rejected by one of John’s colleagues, which just goes to show how persistent one has to be – and soon he was sat in the office of Jo Fletcher at Gollancz trying to persuade her how much of a geek he was. After four years as contracts manager at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency he decided he didn't like other authors that much so he swapped his dark corner of Camden for one at Atlantic Books where it quickly became apparent that he prefers winning arguments to scruples.
Writing part-time, also known as watching loads more TV, he also manages to play a little sport in between trips to the pub and battering his next book - into a semblance of shape.
http://tomlloyd.livejournal.com/ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
April 21, 2010
2.5 stars but I'll bump it up to 3 because I do love Isak.
This book has been the bane of my existence for the last month. Great idea, poor execution. There are many characters that really shine in this book, in this whole series: Isak Stormcaller, Kastan Styrax, Mihn ab Netren ab Felith, Zhia Vukotic, Doranei... Unfortunately, instead of focusing on them, Lloyd floods the book with scores of characters that are completely unimportant to the overall story. I want the main characters to witness important events, not some merchant's wife or a major that we never hear of again! Every other chapter introduces yet more characters that are used for one event only, but Lloyd still feels the need to give them rich background which leads to a deluge of information that's just not important! I want to know more about Isak or Legana, I want them to be out there, doing stuff.
And then there are the Gods... I'm not a religious or spiritual person, so I don't care about some false Prophet preaching to the Harlequins about some kid they should follow. I get it, tell me once, dear author, do not drag this plot out infinitely! I don't need to see the Prophet convince every one of them. I don't need to see the shadow aka Azaer aka Ruhen and his disciples do stuff in detail. Fine, they're bad. They have a plan. But they are simply boring, sorry to say! And giving them cruel stuff to do doesn't make up for how boring they are. Kastan Styrax? That one is great. Azaer? Not so much.
The most exciting parts? Isak doing his thing, fighting with daemons, using his power! That's awesome. I want to read more about that! Why do I have to trudge through heaps and oceans of unimportant, slow stuff to get to it?
This book has been the bane of my existence for the last month. Great idea, poor execution. There are many characters that really shine in this book, in this whole series: Isak Stormcaller, Kastan Styrax, Mihn ab Netren ab Felith, Zhia Vukotic, Doranei... Unfortunately, instead of focusing on them, Lloyd floods the book with scores of characters that are completely unimportant to the overall story. I want the main characters to witness important events, not some merchant's wife or a major that we never hear of again! Every other chapter introduces yet more characters that are used for one event only, but Lloyd still feels the need to give them rich background which leads to a deluge of information that's just not important! I want to know more about Isak or Legana, I want them to be out there, doing stuff.
And then there are the Gods... I'm not a religious or spiritual person, so I don't care about some false Prophet preaching to the Harlequins about some kid they should follow. I get it, tell me once, dear author, do not drag this plot out infinitely! I don't need to see the Prophet convince every one of them. I don't need to see the shadow aka Azaer aka Ruhen and his disciples do stuff in detail. Fine, they're bad. They have a plan. But they are simply boring, sorry to say! And giving them cruel stuff to do doesn't make up for how boring they are. Kastan Styrax? That one is great. Azaer? Not so much.
The most exciting parts? Isak doing his thing, fighting with daemons, using his power! That's awesome. I want to read more about that! Why do I have to trudge through heaps and oceans of unimportant, slow stuff to get to it?
March 30, 2025
Why would you hurt me with an ending like that..
August 13, 2010
The Grave Thief is the third book in Tom Lloyd’s Twilight Reign series following both The Stormcaller and The Twilight Herald. Where as The Twilight Herald broadened the scope of the series beyond Isak’s travails The Grave Thief increases the complexity of the plot and the gravity of the threat in the series. Where The Stormcaller stayed more tightly focused on Isak and his coterie The Grave Thief continues to expand upon the cast and players in the Twilight Reign. This was both boon and bane to the novel; the latter primarily because I waited something close to 7 months to read this latest volume.
Perhaps my favorite element of The Grave Thief’s plot spins directly out of the events of The Twilight Herald. After the events in Scree the Gods are angry, so angry in fact that they have driven those dedicated to them into rage and outright insanity. This has direct ramifications across various plots in the series from causing political problems for Isak’s theologically supported rulership, to creating violence and panic in the cities with the clergy taking a “firm” stance in enforcing the tenets of their religion, and in a personal sense for hero characters pledged to the service of a God; forcing them into horrific acts. Last but not least the sudden anger of the religious has a profound effect on the the average lay person playing right into a certain faction’s hands. The religious furor the pervades throughout the novel creates a wonderfully tense atmosphere across many fronts and is probably one of most original plot elements I’ve seen in many novels (or at least an original take on a wrath of God motif).
The Grave Thief is sort-of a follow up and set up book. It deals mostly with the fallout from The Twilight Herald and feels more like a denouement to that novel rather than its own distinct entity. It advances the overall plot of the series to a degree but it leaves much unresolved at its end and numerous questions spring from its conclusion with very little resolution. To be fair this is the middle volume of a projected five book series and the final seen, of a character more-or-less staring into the distance, forcibley reminded me of the closing scene of The Empire Strikes. This novel, like Empire, left many questions unresolved and left the heroes in dire straits. (This is the 7th review in which I’ve compared a book to Empire, one day I’ll find a new movie to use.)
The Grave Thief doesn’t spend too much time with any one character. We do spend some time with Major Amber, a soldier in Kastan Styrax’s army who provides a nice grounded point of view. I’m a sucker for the soldier’s perspective when it comes to fantasy novel, blame Glen Cook and Steven Erikson for that, so I particularly enjoyed my time with Amber especially towards the end of the novel and his bemusing role as a sounding board for Styrax’s magical research. I was also particularly moved by the Gods’ effects on King Emin of Narkang. It is a short quiet moment that manages to touch on a smaller more human element than the rest of the epic events of the story. I definitely of the opinion that this series should see more of that; while the big movers and shakers of the story certainly make for excitement and adventure a tighter focus on the human cost of the events of novel would provide significant grounding for the novel and a greater emotional impact from what we’ve seen. As it is the spread of characters is a bit too broad to allow for the reader to grow emotionally attached to any single character and while the fates of a number of character’s are certainly up in the air after the big climax of The Grave Thief I found the impact of that fact curiously shallow.
Still, The Grave Thief is another excellent entry into the Twilight Reign series. Dark and violent without ever being particularly gloomy Lloyd’s fiction makes for exciting reading that leaves one hungry for more. Readers are still curiously in the dark about the overall goals of the series’ big bad Azaer but the knowledge that it isn’t good, and that the Gods are so inept at even recognizing the threat, adds an certain “last stand” feel to the actions and decisions of heroes as the novel, and the series at large, progresses. The game changing conclusion to The Grave Thief left me hungry to know where things are going next; thankfully The Ragged Man is due out within the next few weeks!
Perhaps my favorite element of The Grave Thief’s plot spins directly out of the events of The Twilight Herald. After the events in Scree the Gods are angry, so angry in fact that they have driven those dedicated to them into rage and outright insanity. This has direct ramifications across various plots in the series from causing political problems for Isak’s theologically supported rulership, to creating violence and panic in the cities with the clergy taking a “firm” stance in enforcing the tenets of their religion, and in a personal sense for hero characters pledged to the service of a God; forcing them into horrific acts. Last but not least the sudden anger of the religious has a profound effect on the the average lay person playing right into a certain faction’s hands. The religious furor the pervades throughout the novel creates a wonderfully tense atmosphere across many fronts and is probably one of most original plot elements I’ve seen in many novels (or at least an original take on a wrath of God motif).
The Grave Thief is sort-of a follow up and set up book. It deals mostly with the fallout from The Twilight Herald and feels more like a denouement to that novel rather than its own distinct entity. It advances the overall plot of the series to a degree but it leaves much unresolved at its end and numerous questions spring from its conclusion with very little resolution. To be fair this is the middle volume of a projected five book series and the final seen, of a character more-or-less staring into the distance, forcibley reminded me of the closing scene of The Empire Strikes. This novel, like Empire, left many questions unresolved and left the heroes in dire straits. (This is the 7th review in which I’ve compared a book to Empire, one day I’ll find a new movie to use.)
The Grave Thief doesn’t spend too much time with any one character. We do spend some time with Major Amber, a soldier in Kastan Styrax’s army who provides a nice grounded point of view. I’m a sucker for the soldier’s perspective when it comes to fantasy novel, blame Glen Cook and Steven Erikson for that, so I particularly enjoyed my time with Amber especially towards the end of the novel and his bemusing role as a sounding board for Styrax’s magical research. I was also particularly moved by the Gods’ effects on King Emin of Narkang. It is a short quiet moment that manages to touch on a smaller more human element than the rest of the epic events of the story. I definitely of the opinion that this series should see more of that; while the big movers and shakers of the story certainly make for excitement and adventure a tighter focus on the human cost of the events of novel would provide significant grounding for the novel and a greater emotional impact from what we’ve seen. As it is the spread of characters is a bit too broad to allow for the reader to grow emotionally attached to any single character and while the fates of a number of character’s are certainly up in the air after the big climax of The Grave Thief I found the impact of that fact curiously shallow.
Still, The Grave Thief is another excellent entry into the Twilight Reign series. Dark and violent without ever being particularly gloomy Lloyd’s fiction makes for exciting reading that leaves one hungry for more. Readers are still curiously in the dark about the overall goals of the series’ big bad Azaer but the knowledge that it isn’t good, and that the Gods are so inept at even recognizing the threat, adds an certain “last stand” feel to the actions and decisions of heroes as the novel, and the series at large, progresses. The game changing conclusion to The Grave Thief left me hungry to know where things are going next; thankfully The Ragged Man is due out within the next few weeks!
April 27, 2012
The good and the bad. I enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons. The grave Thief is like is predecessor (Twilight Herald) a story told from many different points of view. Also like the previous books in the series the name refers to one of its characters. As previous characters have fallen and new ones start adding both confusion and a certain point of view from several different aspects of this world, as well as from different sides of the conflict. By now there is a sense that Tom Llyod is trying to paint a large epic, with what could be considered a series of interlocking shorter stories (broken up by chapters and placed near chronologically), about characters who somehow are interconnected in this epic. All of the complexity, both add to the story while disguising the direction, and giving each character a chance to be a star in his or her own way. I am eager to read on as Lloyd takes chances, and isn't afraid to kill those characters we have followed for the stake of the story.
October 16, 2010
Links to my review, as posted, at:
1. Speculative Book Review - http://speculativebookreview.blogspot...
2. Ubiquitous Absence - http://ubiquitous-absence.blogspot.co...
1. Speculative Book Review - http://speculativebookreview.blogspot...
2. Ubiquitous Absence - http://ubiquitous-absence.blogspot.co...
May 29, 2019
A very confusing mish mash of a novel!
April 26, 2021
In the Grave Thief, the Gods themselves have entered the fray and add to the chaos. Isak, plagued by his actions in Scree and haunted by visions of his impending death, is shackled by prophesies and plots. His nation is deeply divided by religious fanaticism and he has two dangerous opponents.
For Lloyd’s Twilight Reign series I like to take some time to read through all the books. It isn’t really the type of story that I would just pick up and binge within a day, and that’s perfectly fine. Just as in the second book, I deeply appreciate the detailed worldbuilding of Lloyd and am impressed by the intricate plotlines in the books so far.
There’s way more Isak in this book, and for that I’m glad as I love his character and really enjoy to see him grow into his role as lord of the Fahlan. Cardinal Certinse too, brief though his appearance was, is a character I’ve developed a liking to. Something about his dialogue really spoke to me and amused me. I was also glad to see more of Lord Styrax in this book, and the last gruesome battle... Man, I didn’t see that ending coming. Can’t wait to see where the Ragged Man takes the story!
For Lloyd’s Twilight Reign series I like to take some time to read through all the books. It isn’t really the type of story that I would just pick up and binge within a day, and that’s perfectly fine. Just as in the second book, I deeply appreciate the detailed worldbuilding of Lloyd and am impressed by the intricate plotlines in the books so far.
There’s way more Isak in this book, and for that I’m glad as I love his character and really enjoy to see him grow into his role as lord of the Fahlan. Cardinal Certinse too, brief though his appearance was, is a character I’ve developed a liking to. Something about his dialogue really spoke to me and amused me. I was also glad to see more of Lord Styrax in this book, and the last gruesome battle... Man, I didn’t see that ending coming. Can’t wait to see where the Ragged Man takes the story!
March 30, 2019
This is one of those series that can reach the double digits in installments.
April 3, 2019
What a place to end that book on!
May 27, 2019
A good easy to digest fantasy book. A good effort to read this on my behalf as I do tend to struggle with this genre
September 2, 2025
4/5 Stars
August 3, 2012
Difficult to review, this one. I so, so want to love these books. Isak is a freakin' GREAT character, and his trials and tribulations and growing power and personal growth are immensely satisfying to watch. Similarly, Kastan Styrax is a fantastic antagonist - highly intelligent, intriguing, slightly unfathomable. Fabulous. Plot summaries are not what I do - and I couldn't do one at knife point because this book is such a mess, plotwise - so I'll go with the usual nit-pickery:
The Good
- Isak has really come into his own. His character's development is splendid, and even though he still has doubts and, now, strange visions to deal with, he displays the strength and wisdom he has earned, which is extremely gratifying to someone who has read the first two books.
- Kastan Styrax. Much more than just a villain, the dude has A Plan, one which I can't wait to figure out. He's a great character, with this quiet intelligence, his calming influence on his son, great tactical finesse, and some far-reaching motive I've either forgotten or yet to find out. Fascinating.
The Not-So-Good
- I do not understand the lay of the Land. I've lost count of the number of times I had to turn to the map, only to see where everyone was, and then be disappointed because it'd be somewhere in a city and I'd forgotten which one, so the map didn't help. The many parts of the Circle City were just too much - and I still don't understand why we needed them, and the various rulers, and some flood coming down from the mountain in that one part of the town...and who lived in that part of town again? And why was it important? I do not know.
- Either I'm not clever enough, or Tom Lloyd expects a bit too much from his readers. Some gaps in the story-telling were too hard to bridge. I couldn't follow, had to spend time turning the pages back to see if something had been explained elsewhere, often to no avail. (Example: Isak needs to go to war, needs to take the Farlan to meet Kastan Styrax's army in battle. He is worried about the Elves invading while he's gone (which they MIGHT do, but there's no knowing), so, instead of leaving some of the army in the northeast to deal with the POTENTIAL threat, he makes a bargain with a Goddess that, in his words, will cause "genocide". He "can't even count how many will die from this." And he cries. WHAT THE HELL? Why was that necessary? I do not know.)
- Much is made of the chrystal skulls. Everyone is hunting for them. Some people already hhave one or two. What are they good for? I do not know.
The Bad
- There are toooooo many characters in this book. I mean it. I'm no stranger to multiple plots and entire hosts of characters (witness my love for the Malazan series), but I need at least some justification of why a character is given the time of day. For example: There's a three-page back story on a minor character who doesn't show up again. Wasted words. We have Doranei pining after Zhia, and King Emin suffering the aftermath of Scree, both characters appearing but having no hand in current events. Wasted words. A Goddess dies - spectacularly, I have to admit - and a mortal takes her place, but why that whole episode had to be in this book, I do not know. Misplaced words. Minh (Minh! Who is awesome!) is suddenly angst-ridden, and we spend a lot of time following his dealings with some witch who's making him more awesome - but there's not enough pay-off to warrant ALL THE WORDS. And so on. Too many people, too many places, and too many gaps.
- Nit-pickery: There are some really, REALLY jarring POV problems in here. They mostly manifest in word choice, for example: When King Emin comes home to his wife, a broken man from the horrors in Scree, he tries to tell her what happend and 'There was pain in his voice now, and he hugged his royal bride tighter' - Um. His royal bride? Is that what you call the wife you love? I'm not sure...
The Sad
By rights, this should be an awesome, awesome read. Ruhen is creepy enough to create suspense and threat. Kastan Styrax's plotting is amazing, and I can't wait to see what comes of the 'grave robbery'. (That whole thing with the riddle was really, really cool.) Nai is splendid, and mysterious and funny. Isak is heart-breaking and breath-taking, even if I didn't understand any of his military strategy. There was just too much. Of everything. I will continue the series, because I harbour secret hopes of unexpected alliances and eppic ass-kickery, but it was hard, hard work loving this book.
The Good
- Isak has really come into his own. His character's development is splendid, and even though he still has doubts and, now, strange visions to deal with, he displays the strength and wisdom he has earned, which is extremely gratifying to someone who has read the first two books.
- Kastan Styrax. Much more than just a villain, the dude has A Plan, one which I can't wait to figure out. He's a great character, with this quiet intelligence, his calming influence on his son, great tactical finesse, and some far-reaching motive I've either forgotten or yet to find out. Fascinating.
The Not-So-Good
- I do not understand the lay of the Land. I've lost count of the number of times I had to turn to the map, only to see where everyone was, and then be disappointed because it'd be somewhere in a city and I'd forgotten which one, so the map didn't help. The many parts of the Circle City were just too much - and I still don't understand why we needed them, and the various rulers, and some flood coming down from the mountain in that one part of the town...and who lived in that part of town again? And why was it important? I do not know.
- Either I'm not clever enough, or Tom Lloyd expects a bit too much from his readers. Some gaps in the story-telling were too hard to bridge. I couldn't follow, had to spend time turning the pages back to see if something had been explained elsewhere, often to no avail. (Example: Isak needs to go to war, needs to take the Farlan to meet Kastan Styrax's army in battle. He is worried about the Elves invading while he's gone (which they MIGHT do, but there's no knowing), so, instead of leaving some of the army in the northeast to deal with the POTENTIAL threat, he makes a bargain with a Goddess that, in his words, will cause "genocide". He "can't even count how many will die from this." And he cries. WHAT THE HELL? Why was that necessary? I do not know.)
- Much is made of the chrystal skulls. Everyone is hunting for them. Some people already hhave one or two. What are they good for? I do not know.
The Bad
- There are toooooo many characters in this book. I mean it. I'm no stranger to multiple plots and entire hosts of characters (witness my love for the Malazan series), but I need at least some justification of why a character is given the time of day. For example: There's a three-page back story on a minor character who doesn't show up again. Wasted words. We have Doranei pining after Zhia, and King Emin suffering the aftermath of Scree, both characters appearing but having no hand in current events. Wasted words. A Goddess dies - spectacularly, I have to admit - and a mortal takes her place, but why that whole episode had to be in this book, I do not know. Misplaced words. Minh (Minh! Who is awesome!) is suddenly angst-ridden, and we spend a lot of time following his dealings with some witch who's making him more awesome - but there's not enough pay-off to warrant ALL THE WORDS. And so on. Too many people, too many places, and too many gaps.
- Nit-pickery: There are some really, REALLY jarring POV problems in here. They mostly manifest in word choice, for example: When King Emin comes home to his wife, a broken man from the horrors in Scree, he tries to tell her what happend and 'There was pain in his voice now, and he hugged his royal bride tighter' - Um. His royal bride? Is that what you call the wife you love? I'm not sure...
The Sad
By rights, this should be an awesome, awesome read. Ruhen is creepy enough to create suspense and threat. Kastan Styrax's plotting is amazing, and I can't wait to see what comes of the 'grave robbery'. (That whole thing with the riddle was really, really cool.) Nai is splendid, and mysterious and funny. Isak is heart-breaking and breath-taking, even if I didn't understand any of his military strategy. There was just too much. Of everything. I will continue the series, because I harbour secret hopes of unexpected alliances and eppic ass-kickery, but it was hard, hard work loving this book.
February 29, 2024
That's it?? After reading through all those war scenes and all the build-up and that's how it ends? Kinda disappointed with how anti climactic this was. Hope the last book delivers more
February 20, 2011
3.5 stars. Book # 3/5. A fantasy series of mostly classic ideas spiced up and transformed just a tad.
For the first book of this series I noted that I wasn't quite sure what I liked about it, but that it was fresh. In the second, a large part of the book seemed to drag, and the ending seemed to be the entire focus of the book.
For the third installment, it seems quite clear that Mr. Lloyd prefers to leave a lot of the details up to the readers' imagination. What I mean by that is that a lot of the plot is kind of hard to follow, or in some cases, isn't even explained. It seems he wants you to figure out what actually happened. For me, however, this wasn't always possible and I feel that a lot of things went unnoticed or misunderstood. A benefit is that each book contains a three page synopsis of the previous book, but I've noticed that these synopses contain information that is simply never stated outright in the actual book.
Another observation of this series is that there is a whole lot of unused "coolness". There are a heck of a lot of characters that, from their casual observations or few actions, seem like they would be very interesting to read about, or they would be just plain "cool". However, these characters are rarely present, and when they are, they rarely do anything at all. It's kind of like saying "That man over there at that table in the restaurant is the most dangerous kung fu master in the world, and if you get on his bad side, he'd tear down the whole building", but then all he does is sit and drink a diet coke. This is also true with plot devices, such as the "12 crystal skulls", which are described as having enormous power and are each named something like "the skull of blood" or "the skull of hunting", etc. Yet again, they don't really do anything. The characters get them and are described as "using their power" but the effects of this are undetectable or simply not described.
Though more detail would have made the books gigantic, I still would have loved to have it, maybe cutting back on some of the "filler" material, which I can't remember a day after reading the book anyways.
Still, the book is mostly enjoyable and I want to continue the series. Still not sure why.
For the first book of this series I noted that I wasn't quite sure what I liked about it, but that it was fresh. In the second, a large part of the book seemed to drag, and the ending seemed to be the entire focus of the book.
For the third installment, it seems quite clear that Mr. Lloyd prefers to leave a lot of the details up to the readers' imagination. What I mean by that is that a lot of the plot is kind of hard to follow, or in some cases, isn't even explained. It seems he wants you to figure out what actually happened. For me, however, this wasn't always possible and I feel that a lot of things went unnoticed or misunderstood. A benefit is that each book contains a three page synopsis of the previous book, but I've noticed that these synopses contain information that is simply never stated outright in the actual book.
Another observation of this series is that there is a whole lot of unused "coolness". There are a heck of a lot of characters that, from their casual observations or few actions, seem like they would be very interesting to read about, or they would be just plain "cool". However, these characters are rarely present, and when they are, they rarely do anything at all. It's kind of like saying "That man over there at that table in the restaurant is the most dangerous kung fu master in the world, and if you get on his bad side, he'd tear down the whole building", but then all he does is sit and drink a diet coke. This is also true with plot devices, such as the "12 crystal skulls", which are described as having enormous power and are each named something like "the skull of blood" or "the skull of hunting", etc. Yet again, they don't really do anything. The characters get them and are described as "using their power" but the effects of this are undetectable or simply not described.
Though more detail would have made the books gigantic, I still would have loved to have it, maybe cutting back on some of the "filler" material, which I can't remember a day after reading the book anyways.
Still, the book is mostly enjoyable and I want to continue the series. Still not sure why.
September 8, 2014
As mentioned in my review of Book 2, I really disliked the prologue for this book. In fact, I'll be honest--I picked up this book on a sale, in equal part on a whim (I needed to grab a book for a "buy 3, get 1 free" deal to kick in, and part macabre curiosity "I wonder just how bad can this get?". I bought it and it sat on my shelf for a while (over a year, I think). then I decided to give it a shot and re-read the first 2 books prior to reading this. This led to me developing a much more benign opinion on Book 2, and I approached this one with a more-or-less open mind.
Prologue is still terrible. I don't buy the "tragic flaw that leads a group to act like idiots, leading to bad things happening, because they were so TRAGICALLY FLAWED", I never have, probably never will. I can rant about this for a while, so let's move on.
What's good about "Grave Thief?". Well, first and foremost: there's A LOT less Isak. instead we get multiple PoVs, including from a number of new/previously unimportant characters, and the scope of the story really grows. Lloyd's pacing really improves in this one--there's still a massive convergence and action scene in the end, but prior to that there's enough steady action to keep the pace crisp and it keeps the reader interested constantly. A lot more players are thrown in the mix, and Lloyd makes plot jump in some interesting dirctions from time to time. The ending is as good as it may be unexpected.
Seriously, this is the book to read to get hooked on the series. It's a real shame it took Lloyd 3 books to get to this point. But if oyu've gotten this far, it only gets better from here.
Prologue is still terrible. I don't buy the "tragic flaw that leads a group to act like idiots, leading to bad things happening, because they were so TRAGICALLY FLAWED", I never have, probably never will. I can rant about this for a while, so let's move on.
What's good about "Grave Thief?". Well, first and foremost: there's A LOT less Isak. instead we get multiple PoVs, including from a number of new/previously unimportant characters, and the scope of the story really grows. Lloyd's pacing really improves in this one--there's still a massive convergence and action scene in the end, but prior to that there's enough steady action to keep the pace crisp and it keeps the reader interested constantly. A lot more players are thrown in the mix, and Lloyd makes plot jump in some interesting dirctions from time to time. The ending is as good as it may be unexpected.
Seriously, this is the book to read to get hooked on the series. It's a real shame it took Lloyd 3 books to get to this point. But if oyu've gotten this far, it only gets better from here.
November 16, 2016
I'm not really sure how to review this book, my opinion of it changed frequently while reading it.
I was drawn in by the start, pulled right back into the world of Isak and co. That I liked a lot.
Then it got confusing, so many new places and people introduced with very little to explain where they fit with current locations and character factions. This irritated me beyond words.
I like the development of Isak and Styrax but the whole Illumene / shadow thing bugs my happiness. The vampires are cool. Other than Isak's inner circle, I don't really understand who anyone else is so there are probably tons of mini story arcs and subtlety I'm missing.
The ending was excellent if you can ignore the confusion of characters (if you've understood who they all are and how their relationships interact, I'm sure it's even more excellent).
I will read the next one but I need to indulge in something needing a little less brain power first.
I was drawn in by the start, pulled right back into the world of Isak and co. That I liked a lot.
Then it got confusing, so many new places and people introduced with very little to explain where they fit with current locations and character factions. This irritated me beyond words.
I like the development of Isak and Styrax but the whole Illumene / shadow thing bugs my happiness. The vampires are cool. Other than Isak's inner circle, I don't really understand who anyone else is so there are probably tons of mini story arcs and subtlety I'm missing.
The ending was excellent if you can ignore the confusion of characters (if you've understood who they all are and how their relationships interact, I'm sure it's even more excellent).
I will read the next one but I need to indulge in something needing a little less brain power first.
May 20, 2014
Just finished the 3rd book in Tom Lloyds epic fantasy series "The Twilight Reign", and I'm flooded with mixed emotions about this whole series, so far. Each book seems to get a little more convoluted, and require more effort on the part of the reader to keep up with all that is going on. Believe me, there is A LOT going on.
That being said, if the reader can persevere to roughly halfway through the book the reward is worth it. "Grave Thief" is flooded with political power struggles, magic, all varieties of different creatures from Minotaurs to Elves and a bad ass of a lead character named Isak.
"The Grave Thief" is worth the read, but a little effort must be put into it. Also the ending is big. Give it a shot if you have read books one and two.
That being said, if the reader can persevere to roughly halfway through the book the reward is worth it. "Grave Thief" is flooded with political power struggles, magic, all varieties of different creatures from Minotaurs to Elves and a bad ass of a lead character named Isak.
"The Grave Thief" is worth the read, but a little effort must be put into it. Also the ending is big. Give it a shot if you have read books one and two.
March 9, 2016
Príbeh pokračuje, rozohratá partia sa komplikuje (čo znamená spestrenie už tak dosť pestrého spektra postáv). Zaujímavý svet, ktorý točí klasickú fantasy schému, ale spôsob podania príbehu mi absolútne vyhovuje, vrátane odlišných POViek, keďže ide o temnejšiu fantasy, nenachádzajú sa tu otravné psychoretrospektívy a im podobné plniče stránok. Príbeh graduje a finále v poslednej kapitole je výborne vypointované (a zároveň predznačené). Mierne nechápem, že táto séria má v porovnaní s iným balastom pomerne malú čítanosť, ale keďže to nie je kríženec mainstreamu YA UF ani YAF , tak sa autor našťastie vyhol klišé zvyšujúcimi predajnosť, ktoré z fantasy urobili blivajz pre adolescentov.
April 28, 2014
Excellent third installment in the series. Cliffhanger ending seemed much too abrupt for me. Several parts of the story seems to be extraneous plot lines that crop up and get resolved immediately, making me wonder why they were included. Instead, a more developed final two or three chapters could have been put together. But, in total, a very good read that makes me interested in reading the next part of the series.
July 23, 2011
c2008. Oh dear. The plot still seems to have been lost. I really tried to lose myself in the story but sadly still resulted in the feeling that the second and third books did not hold up to the first book at all. Perhaps, it was just a case of trying to string out the story? Anyway, I don't really care about Isak so the next book will remain unread. Not recommended.
March 25, 2014
Much, much better. This epic series is finally beginning to connect with me. The plotting is more coherent by far, the characterisation is improved, and the general quality of the writing has taken vast steps forward.
It has always been quite an original series but I now can't wait to see where this story goes.
It has always been quite an original series but I now can't wait to see where this story goes.
Read
October 9, 2009Not spectacular. But what a brilliant finish. Maybe it was the medium or perhaps, it is all the stuff going on with me personally, but, I found it very difficult to stay invested in this book. But, the finish made it all worthwhile
January 1, 2015
For large part of the book I couldn't stop reading when I finally came to read in it again. The only thing I'd have liked to be more detailed were Isak's relationships. I feel like he should've interacted more with his peers. Other than that a great continuation of the series.
January 4, 2014
The best & darkest book of the series so far, and the first to give equal weight to all sides of the main story. One slight issue is the speed with which new characters are introduced & become major players in the storyline.
December 4, 2014
Now that the ending has been spoiled for my by the goodreads book for summary. I have lost all interest in this book
As with the other books, this series has many characters with no backstory rather then a few we care about. I don't recommend this series at all
As with the other books, this series has many characters with no backstory rather then a few we care about. I don't recommend this series at all
October 25, 2014
It's really up to the editors to control the size of these books.
This one could have been a lot shorter.
What started out as an amazing series is slowly starting to annoy me.
It still has scope and is well told, but it could have been even greater minus the over-indulgence with the length.
This one could have been a lot shorter.
What started out as an amazing series is slowly starting to annoy me.
It still has scope and is well told, but it could have been even greater minus the over-indulgence with the length.
August 29, 2015
It took me months to finish this one. I got sidetracked by other books, and lost a bit of interest for this. But now, my renewed interest grows more each time I turn a page of uts next book. This series might become one of the ones I love the most
could-not-finish
March 11, 2010I don't know what it was about this book but I just couldn't get into it. I read about 130pages and was able to make myself keep reading. Maybe will try again later.
March 21, 2011
interesting sub plots throughout
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