The Fall of the Dagger

The Forsaken Lands #3

by Glenda Larke

Sorcerers, pirates, and thieves collide in this thrilling conclusion to Glenda Larke's epic fantasy adventure series, The Forsaken Lands.

Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction, Romance

464 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2016

About the author

Glenda was born in Western Australia, the daughter of a farmer. She was educated at government state schools and the University of Western Australia, where she obtained a degree in history and a diploma in education. Married to a Malaysian scientist, she has grown-up children, and now lives in Malaysia, where she is actively involved in rainforest conservation.
Author of The Isles of Glory trilogy (The Aware, Gilfeather, The Tainted); The Mirage Makers trilogy (Heart of the Mirage, The Shadow of Tyr, Song of the Shiver Barrens) and, writing as Glenda Noramly, a stand-alone book Havenstar.

Reviews

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of reasons Glenda Larke is one of my favorite authors: 1. Her beautiful, seemingly effortless writing that lets me just sit back and immerse myself in the story, 2. Her exotic world-building that always takes me to the coolest places (all of you Sanderson fans clamoring for more in the Sixth of Dusk world should pick up a Glenda Lark series for the same encompassing atmospheres spread throughout her trilogies), 3. Her characters, who aren’t perfect, but are endearing in their humanity, and 4. Her infusion of nature (flora/fauna) into the stories. She’s one of my trusted guaranteed-good-read authors.

I can’t decide whether Fall of the Dagger or Dagger’s Path (book 2) is my favorite of the trilogy. Daggers Path had so many good moments (and my favorite setting of the trilogy), but Fall of the Dagger was a very satisfying trilogy-ender with more action. I especially like this series because of the characters. Each POV, while not terribly complex in motivation, always seemed earnest and realistic. I can’t quite put my finger on why I like them so much, suffice to say that I was always invested in their plight. The magic system in this series is also a selling point – there’s an avian-centric magic system that I’ve never come across before that appealed to me with its originality.

Compared to Glenda Larke’s other books, my favorite is still either the Isles of Glory Trilogy or the Watergivers Trilogy, but this one has definitely earned its keep among them. If I’m honest, it’s not a complete “knock-your-socks-off” fantasy read that will shred your soul (like Robin Hobb), but it’s still fun adventure to get absorbed in. I enjoyed them immensely.

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

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[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally Posted at: https://civilianreader.wordpress.com/

The Forsaken Lands series has been my favorite fantasy series of the past year or so. The first two books of this series were so good that I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of the final installment, The Fall of the Dagger. Easily my most anticipated book of 2016, I’m happy to say that Larke more than delivered the goods with this finale.

With the previous volumes of this epic fantasy trilogy, Larke crafted compelling and likeable characters; a twisty and complex plot that entertains, while also keeping the reader guessing; and a villain who seems far too powerful and cunning to overcome. When I finished the second book, I couldn’t help but feel that the heroes, and the innocent people who populate this world, were in truly dire straits with no chance to overcome. A situation that left me salivating for the finale like a dog staring at a full platter of bacon.

I found the Forsaken Lands Trilogy to be a very well-measured series. Larke manages to mix in a lot of fun and engaging elements (magic, religion, corruption, heroism, violence, love, and companionship to name a few), without going overboard, nor allowing any element to dominate or drown the story. This is something I really appreciated as a reader. While many fantasy authors can be a bit heavy-handed with some of these elements, this was certainly not the case here. Instead, I was able to fully immerse myself in the story and enjoy it on a number of levels.

I’ve praised Larke’s characters in my reviews of the previous Forsaken Lands novels, but it bears mentioning again that Larke writes characters and character development very well. By the end of the book, I felt like I was leaving behind friends whose lives I had grown close to and in whose fates I was certainly invested.

These days, when fantasy novels are incredibly thick and authors painstakingly describe every single detail of seemingly everything, it was refreshing to read a series that stuck to the point and kept the plot moving. There were times when I thought the plot might slow down, or meander off into side-plots with greater detail, but thankfully Larke didn’t submit readers to any unnecessary tangents. Larke keeps the focus firmly on the characters and the plot. She even had some less interesting elements take place “off stage”. As a reader who finds it all too easy to drop a series midway or after the opening volume, for the lack of things “happening”, I was very happy that Larke prioritized pacing and plot development.

Taken as a whole, the Forsaken Lands trilogy is very good. Easily the most fun and engaging series I’ve read in a handful of years. Larke delivers the goods on all fronts, and has written a series that deserves a widespread readership. There’s something here for fantasy fans of every ilk, while feeling fresh and new.

Highly recommended.

[Ryan Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another good read in a trilogy I enjoyed quite a bit. There's plenty of action and heroic characters you want to root for. The climax didn't quite have the punch I would have liked in a series finale, and that brings down my overall opinion of the book and series. It's still a good read, but I didn't like it quite as much as Larke's Stormlord trilogy.

Rating: 8/10

[Stephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Saker, Sorrel, and Ardhi travel back home to discover the shrines have disappeared. Saker’s king has gone mad and it’s up to them to save the land from evil sorcery. With Ardhi’s climbing ability, Sorrel’s magical camouflage, and Saker’s bond with birds, they fight to take their land back from sorcery.

The Fall of the Dagger is the third book in Larke’s The Forsaken Lands trilogy. While Larke finishes the story in a satisfying way, I found the ending and interwoven story lines lacked luster. All the main characters of the novel come together for a final battle with plenty of hijinks, soiled plans, and a few mended hearts.
 
Saker, Sorrel, and Ardhi come back to find the King has gone straight up crazy pants. The King wants the gift their captain brought for him destroyed and his boat to be put into his service. He has exiled his son and one time heir who is held up in a castle, holding out from bombardment—least they take his new born baby. When the exiled prince realizes that soon something has to give, he tells his wife and guard to take their son and run to his sister’s kingdom. They agree but are captured right away.
 
Our trio then goes to rescue the princess and baby, after helping out the prince. This brings them into contact with Gerelda, who has a past with Saker. The relationships between characters straighten out in a way most readers will see coming. A lot of romantic interests are put on hold while our trio figures out how to save the day. It also seems like the first time the majority of the main cast shows up at the same place.
 
There are a few things the novels never explained in the end. Gerelda travels with a boy who can spot sorcerers. The two have been traveling around, killing the ones the find. Gerelda worries about the effect murder might have on her charge, but never worries enough to stop him. The two meet a sorcerer who might not be evil. Born into it, the sorcerers have the potential for evil, but do they have the potential for good? Which became a nagging question for me the rest of the novel.
 
The world and the characters are still interesting and fun but towards the end the plotline became predictable. A lot of time was spent putting each thread together, and in some ways it felt rushed.
 
The Fall of the Dagger starts out with a likely and fun escapade. A crazy king, an invisible girl, guards fighting, people yelling, complete and utter chaos. This scene stuck with me, even more than the grand ending of the trilogy. The trilogy as a whole started out strong for me, but the ending fell a little flat.
- Elizabeth

[Wayne Inkster · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent end to a trilogy that I thoroughly enjoyed. Saker, Sorrel & Ardhi face their greatest challenges yet.

[Henriette · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the final volume, the heroes Saker, Ardhi, and Sorrel return to Ardrone from the Spicerie for their final confrontation with Fox. Upon arriving they realize that the oak shrines have vanished and that Fritillary is dead with Fox having succeeded her. The king of Ardrone is no longer the master of his senses and lets the Grey Lancers lay siege to his son's castle in order to get his grandson who he has proclaimed his heir. Amidst all the chaos and destruction our trio has their work cut out for them.

One of the things I liked about this series was that it had a truly evil villain. He comes from a family that has been killing babies for centuries for power. But he still manages to surpass them when it comes to committing horrible acts, as he not only rapes women to father illegitimate sons, which he then raises so that they can use their powers in his stead, he also kills them to sustain his own power. This guy is quite simply beyond contempt.

I also liked how the series portrayed prejudices such as the Va-cherished and the Va-forsaken hemisphere, but also the royal children, Mathilda and Rhys. Mathilda is a spoilt brat, but you understand where she comes from. Mostly because of her interaction with Sorrel, who in a way had suffered the same fate, but also through Saker's compassion for her, which was why he was understanding of her betrayal. And in the third book, Rhys finally became a true ruler. There is a scene about the needs of the many outweighing the few. Saker is angry at Rhys, but then Juster explains to him, why this has to be done. It reminded me of a movie I saw a long time ago called The Musketeer. If you don't know it, don't bother, it was horrible. In this movie, the villain wants the queen to sign a letter that will entice a war. To force her hand he threatens the life of a servant, who happens to be a child. Thus the queen signs and I thought to myself that's a horrible queen. She just sentenced thousands to death to save the life of a single person.

Having said that, I got the impression that either the author hadn't planned her series until the end or changed her mind at some point because there were certain aspects that didn't make an awful lot of sense.

For example, Saker's origin, which featured quite prominently in the first book. Even Fox remarked about it and Saker went to confront Fritillary about it. In this book, the secret is revealed. I had actually guessed who his father was. But it has no impact on the storyline or on Saker as a character. And it makes you wonder why Fritillary was still cagey in the first book when Saker was more than old and mature enough to get it.

Another example would be Fox's ascension to Prime. Fox must have planned all of this for quite some time. While the Grey Lancers were something that wasn't implemented until recently, he needed his children to reach a certain age. Some of them are in their twenties. But then it is mentioned in the book that Fox being appointed to Prime was basically a coincidence because the king started hating the shrines for not being able to save his wife.

The last example is the relationship between the three main characters, which actually is true for the entire series. In the first book, Sorrel fell in love with Saker. Though that relationship wasn't exactly deep as it was mostly a result of Saker being handsome and the polar opposite of Sorrel's husband. It, however, ran deep enough for her to risk herself to save him. When he inadvertently dragged her and Piper to the Spicerie, she was of course very angry with him. Ardhi barely featured in the first book. In the second book, everyone is angry at Ardhi as he is the true reason why they all have to go to the Spicerie and he did control Saker for a while. By the end of the book, this turned into camaraderie and Sorrel convinces him not to sacrifice himself. And according to the birds, there is a love triangle blooming. On the yearlong voyage from the Spicerie to Ardrone, the relationship between Saker and Sorrel suddenly turned into something akin to the love between siblings, and Sorrel was madly in love with Ardhi, even if Piper always came first. Mostly because Ardhi is handsome and he needs her because he is an outcast. Theoretically, he still could have gone to Pashali, where he has lots of friends and used to study.

Overall I really liked this series. I just found it sad that when it comes to character building the series didn't keep the promise from the first book. The relationship between Sorrel, Mathilda, and Saker was more complex than all the relationships later in the series. The author kind of dropped the ball there. This might be the reason why I found the characters likable, but a little flat. I still intend to read more from this author.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5.

So. This will be more of a review of the whole trilogy in one.

Once again, Glenda has delivered a wonderful world, great characters, deep and engaging politics, and a unique magic system that uses strange powers in new and big ways. But, here are some of my favourite attributes of this series, and the one thing that pulls this from a perfect 5 to a 4.5.

THE GOOD:

- Glenda Larke is a master of writing culture. Every culture in this world feels fleshed out and deep, with constant hints to more and more layers of the world. She really nails that small things that make a people feel real and alive. I just love existing in her worlds, and the world of the Forsaken Lands is no different.

- The characters, as usual, are just super fun to be around. I loved all three of the main leads - Saker, Sorrel, and Ardhi. I loved their chemistry, and the endgame romances the build throughout the series are just adorable. ESPECIALLY Sorrel and Ardhi. Freaking cute.

Also, Juster Dornbeck, Noble Privateer Extraordinaire. Enough said, the man's a treasure.

- on the flip side, Glenda is also gifted at making me utterly despise the characters I’m supposed to hate, which is exactly what she was trying to do.

- I've never seen a man so salty about having magic.

- The politics are engaging and remain interesting through the whole series, as well as being easy to understand.

WHAT KNOCKED IT DOWN HALF A STAR:

- Even though the plot was tied up very well, and all the questions were answered, I couldn't help but feel a sense of hollowness at the end. I can't put my finger on it, but there was just something that felt empty. Maybe it was me, but even though all the ingredients for a satisfying ending were there, I didn't feel hyped or excited at the end. Which is unfortunate, because again everything did tie up nicely, all my questions were answered, and it left on a nice, bittersweet note.

Again, I can't quite put my finger on what it was, but the emptiness of the ending unfortunately knocks it down, for me.

- I wish we had more scenes with the villain being villainous. Valerian Fox has a lot of charisma that we saw in the few times he appeared in the previous books, and I would have loved to see that charisma being put to more use in this one. (Probably one of the reasons I had trouble with the ending - his defeat didn't feel like as much of a payoff as I wanted it to, due to not having more time with him interacting with the heroes.)

OVERALL:

Like the whole trilogy, this was a fun and engaging read. I love Glenda's storytelling, and I really look forward to reading the rest of her published works.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that's an interesting end to the series, scope to return to the world (which was satisfyingly complex for me) and I enjoyed how people had different motivations and purposes and things were not simple for the chosen ones.
 
Oh man, that was a series that caught me and kept me interested.  Magic and evil and a complex society that wasn't predictable, all good, my kind of read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful refreshing trilogy that rekindled my love of fantasy. I’m so glad to have rediscovered Glenda Larke after loving her books years ago. This trilogy has beautiful writing and such creative world building and ideas. I have gone down the path of different genres in recent years and it was so good to come back to an amazingly written and immersive fantasy.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 So. Finally got there. Am glad I continued but cannot completely forget the annoyance at the constant “omg trembling with fear” with people who should not have been. Last chapters were satisfying albeit largely predictable

[Schuyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid conclusion to the series. After the trio returns from the Va-Forsaken lands, they attempt to set things right. Lots of plotting, action, weird magic, and 17th century terms. A good read, 3.75 stars or so.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in this trilogy keeps the story going at the same pace and is a real page turner. I really enjoyed it and am very sad to have reached the end.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying conclusion to a well written and developed trilogy.

[Tsana Dolichva · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fall of the Dagger by Glenda Larke is the final book in the Forsaken Lands trilogy. I have previously read and reviewed the first two books, The Lascar's Dagger and The Dagger's Path. I should warn you, the very blurb for The Fall of the Dagger contains spoilers for the earlier two books, as will my review.

I have always enjoyed Glenda Larke's work and The Forsaken Lands trilogy has been no exception. I definitely see myself rereading it at some point, especially since I expect the trilogy will be even more enjoyable if read in quick succession, rather than with a year-long gap in between books.

Nevertheless, picking up The Fall of the Dagger a year after the previous instalment was not difficult to get back into. The three main characters, Saker, Sorrel and Ardhi, return to the Va-cherished hemisphere with some idea of how to defeat the evil sorcery that has taken over the land. Saving the world, however, is never easy and the three of them can't do it alone.

I quite liked that it actually took a lot of people working together to win the day, and not just the chosen three, so to speak. Also, I enjoyed the post-climax action. Usually, the world is saved and that's the end of it, but Larke bothered to show that it's not quite that clean and easy to resolve everything when the bad stuff has been building up for several years. And I think that's as much as I can say without spoilers, really.

I really enjoyed this series and highly recommend it to all fans of BFF (big fat fantasy) books, especially anyone looking for worlds beyond the standard medieval Europe setting. This is also not the kind of series where you can pick up the later books without having read the earlier books, so I definitely recommend starting with the multi-award-winning The Lascar's Dagger if you are new to this series. If you've already read the earlier books, why wouldn't you pick up this one? Go on— don't you want to see how it all ends?

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog.

[Phillip Berrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final of the Forsaken Lands trilogy where all of the various threads of the story are all brought together and tied off neatly.

As is Glenda Larke's normal style, the book is well researched and written and it was good to see all the various storylines resolved in a sensible and realistic manner with some of the main characters even making small sacrifices for the greater good, which are possibly at odds with what they really want.

The only reason why I have given this book 4 stars (4.5 really, but not 5) is that, although the climactic scene between the ensemble cast of heroes and the chief villain made lots of sense as to how it came about, it seemed to lack the tension that such a scene should have.



One reason for this might be because the story was set over such a long period of time and such a large area that it was hard to justify the author bringing the chief antagonist and the main point-of-view characters together for confrontations before the climax. There was therefore little personal enmity on the part of the villain against some of the people who brought him down; he had, in fact, not even met one of the main characters before that final scene.

I'm not saying what the author did with this story was wrong—everything the main characters did made perfect sense considering the level and nature of the power the main villain had—it just that that personal connection was missing. Something that the author's Watergiver series had in spades.

Your mileage may differ.

[Helen Venn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this, the third book in 'The Forsaken Lands' trilogy, disgraced witan, Saker, and his fellow terrion members, Sorrel and Ardhi, arrive back from the Summer Seas to find that much has changed in the two years of their absence.

In 'The Fall of the Dagger', armed only with their witcheries and the magical gifts given them by the Chenderawesian Rani (which they have no idea how to use), Saker, Sorrel and Ardhi together with Adronnese privateer Lord Juster must take on the sorcerer and his army as well as searching for a way to destroy the sorcerous infection of two innocent children. They are not the only ones still battling sorcery. There are a few left who have witcheries and others who have joined the fight against the sorcerer but despite all these efforts, as Fox's power continues to grow, the prospects for Va-Cherished and Va-Forsaken alike look equally dire.

The world building is strong and detailed, the characters are well drawn and believable and the tension ramps up steadily. I loved it and didn't want to put it down. A thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, all the more enjoyable because of the unexpected twists and turns in the plot. Oh and I mustn't forget to mention the maps by Perdita Phillips which help to make the world even more clear.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book mostly because I liked this trilogy as a whole. I was already deep into the characters and story and awaiting what happened next!

I don't mean to say I was disappointed in the ending but this was my least favorite of the three books. My biggest qualm being that the ending seemed rushed. At times I felt more like I was reading a summary than an actual novel. Part of this comes from the final "take down" being rather anticlimactic. The other part is that, while I have been invested in the characters, Larke's writing sometimes lacks believable emotion.

The love triangle from the ending of the second book was almost completely dropped and the ends tie up too neatly. The characters have been put through many trials, but rarely do I feel their emotion as a reader. While I enjoyed the series, this book didn't leave me laughing, crying or hanging on the edge of my seat.

The second book had such a build up of original and creative ideas that the end to this one seemed too schematic.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

c2016: FWFTB: Excommunicated, sorcerer, illusionist, islander, feather: Nicely concluded and, I think in retrospect probably the best one of the trilogy. It gets very dark and there is an uncomfortable scene featuring a 17 year old mid-way through the book which I am not terribly sure about. The result of the action did get rid of one character in the end and there was a teeny-weeny bit of an insight into the mind of the baddie but I am still not 100% sure that that particular action was required. But it didn't take up more than a page and wasn't particularly graphic. Nicely paced and the world was consistent. Recommended to those amongst the crew that have read the first two books. "Neither 'old' nor 'witch' is an insult, my dear. Think of something else if you wish to be derisive."

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I read (devoured?) this in less than 24 hours... I think that sums up how I feel about book 3.

I really enjoyed this series. There were all the things I love in a book. Flawed heroes. A great magic system. A large, well developed world. A truly evil villain (tho' there are several characters that are neither hero nor villain, but a bit of both). A little romance. Some heart-wrenching deaths (but not too many). Even the politics (not my usual taste) was well balanced.

Actually, I think well balanced is the best way to describe this series. The story moved well, with battles and other actions well paced and well placed. I never felt bogged down by tedious descriptions, but felt that everything was there for a reason.

So if you like a well paced action adventure fantasy series, I highly recommend this one.

[Nick Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

The end of the trilogy and doesn’t quite live up to the previous two books. It seems to take itself more seriously than the others and does come to a bit of an abrupt end.
You do need to read the others first, and here we find the good guys (and girl) returning from the South islands to find that a sorcerer is Pontifact and the King has gone mad and is on his death bed. Somehow the gang have to figure out how the magic feathers they were given can help right the wrongs.
Less fun than the previous and more complex, I was hoping for a more satisfying end to the series. Not bad but not as great as it should have been.

[Paul Allard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third part of the trilogy does everything that it should: it brings the whole convoluted plot to a conclusion and brings all the main characters together in a variety of ways. Saker Rampion, Sorrel Redwing and Ardhi all work together to rid the lands of Fox's presence and influence. Other characters all have their part to play: Perie, Gerelda, Mathilda, Ryce and many others.

This is a worthy end to the story and highly recommended: I prefer this trilogy to the Stormlord one and all fantasy fans will enjoy it.

[Edward Silverman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every part of this trilogy felt like a slightly different style of book, but this worked very well for me. The antagonist is a bit cartoonishly evil but hey those types exist in real life now. The magic systems were interesting and as mechanism was revealed, became even more so. Larked did a wonderful job on the climactic battle scenes as well. I think I had too long of a gap between books and this would read smoother back to back to back but it took me a little while to reimmerse. Would recommend to Lackey fans or possibly Jemisin fans as well.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally I really like Glenda Larke's books but this one had a lot of edit errors that even I noticed (and thats really saying something!!) and I also got lost a little bit with the characters. Overall I will still look forward to any book written by her but this last book didnt make this trilogy a favorite of hers to me.

[Annette Gisby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful end to the series. I could hardly put it down. It doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but there are subtle hints that it might be possible for a later series with some of the characters when they've grown up perhaps. I for one would certainly read if there was more in this universe :)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fall of the Dagger caps off a very enjoyable trilogy. The more I read Glenda Larke the more I want to read Glenda Larke. The world of the Lacsar's Dagger is wonderfully constructed and leaves wide open the possibility for future books. I would be excited to read more about Saker and company.

[Carol Ryles · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always Glenda Larke's world building shines along with its mix of complex and fascinating characters. Lots of surprises and twists in this compelling read. A fabulous conclusion to a fabulous trilogy. Definitely recommended.

[Boneist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series, although there is a rather large opening for a follow up book/series.

[Thoraiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really hope the open ending is because Larke is writing more of these :)

[George Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

satisfying conclusion to Glenda's best since The Isles Trilogy

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* - 8,5 out of 10.