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The Black Shriving

(Chronicles of the Black Gate #2)

Phil Tucker (Goodreads Author)

4.20 · Rating details · 2,039 ratings · 114 reviews

When invasion looms...

After a harrowing battle Lady Kyferin and her stalwart followers have earned themselves a brief respite from Lord Laur's fury. They know, however, that the next assault will be impossible to resist. Their sole hope of survival lies in forging an alliance with the only force capable of resisting the empire's might: the Agerastian heretics themselves.

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Kindle Edition, 462 pages

Published July 15th 2016

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· 2,039 ratings · 114 reviews

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Apr 04, 2017 Petrik rated it liked it

Recommended to Petrik by: Lema

Shelves: self-published-and-indie

I mentioned that I had a good feeling about this series in my review on The Path of Flames; with a heart full of sadness I have to say I’m starting to have doubts about that notion.

The Black Shriving, the second book out of five in The Chronicles of the Black Gate series is a good installment for the series but it suffers from a lot of things. First of all, the main plot itself moved at a snail pace, making this book seems like it was only a preparation for the next book. Other than Audsley’s st I mentioned that I had a good feeling about this series in my review on The Path of Flames; with a heart full of sadness I have to say I’m starting to have doubts about that notion.

The Black Shriving, the second book out of five in The Chronicles of the Black Gate series is a good installment for the series but it suffers from a lot of things. First of all, the main plot itself moved at a snail pace, making this book seems like it was only a preparation for the next book. Other than Audsley’s storyline, every character’s POV has become utterly predictable, especially for Tharok as everything he did basically follow the same storytelling direction with the previous book. I also don’t like when my epic fantasy read is full of romances, a bit is okay but here it was just too much for my taste. The romances happened in every POV except Audsley and Tharok’s. Some of the passages in my opinion also needed some editing as there were a lot of scenes that were drawn out for too long without providing a lot of importance to the quality of the book.

It’s not of course all negative, Tucker’s action scenes are great and his prose is engaging. In my opinion, Audsley’s storyline alone was the true saving grace of this book as his story dealt with a lot of world-building factors that makes the lore in the Ascendant Empire became richer. His story also wasn’t hindered by all the romances looming around all the other POV’s, especially Tiron’s and Iskra’s where I can’t help but wish they would just stop thinking about their love interest and actually proceed with the storyline.

Overall, The Black Shriving is a good book but it fell short in comparison to the promises that the first book provided. The book was equally full of up and down for me; some parts were great and some parts were not. I will maybe continue to the third book of the series but not immediately. Don’t let my review discourage you from starting this series though, I’ve heard that the series only truly shine once it reached the third book and I know I fall on the unpopular side with my opinion on this book. This means there's a huge chance that the third book will redeem the series and also that you'll have a better time with this book than me.

You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest ...more

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Mar 01, 2019 Claudia rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

The events start to pick up speed, a lot of mysteries are revealed - yet a lot more remained to be discovered -, and a fierce battle takes place.

More details are added to the worldbuilding, the Sin Casters’ stonecloud is simply amazing and the hordes of demons are nightmarish, to say the least. Tharok continues his quest in becoming the mightiest kragh in history, Asho and Kethe’s bond becomes more powerful, Iskra’s diplomatic skills are fully displayed and Audsley’s transformation is jaw-dropp ...more

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Feb 08, 2017 Lema rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

Can this series get any better? Yes it just did..

"Not fair," he said, lowering his arms. "I was about to engage in witty repartee. It's unsporting to hit a man when he's about to quip."

In this second installment we get much more world expansion as we get to visit new vivid places, there is much more political intrigue, religious conflict and heart-stopping moments. We also get a better idea about how the magic works.. let me tell you it's different and quite creepy. I think this book is at t ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 TS Chan rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle-unlimited, series-dnf

Despite a strong and promising start, I am starting to lose interest in the story and I don't care very much about most of the characters. While The Black Shriving have some really good moments, there are also some parts which didn't work well for me.

As I left this for way too long, I am afraid a full review will not be forthcoming. I have decided to DNF the series because I don't really care about the characters and cheesy demonic speeches. ...more

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Sep 04, 2017 Kells Next Read rated it really liked it

Actual Ratings: 4.75

I didn't think that this book could outdo it's predecessor. Oh but by the Black Freaking Gate it did. I just can't with the sheer Epic Awesomeness that is this series. The world, the characters, the magic oh dammit it's bloody perfection.

I'm racing onto book three without any delay as I must have more, more, more "miniacal laughter* Wait why am I wasting time rabbling when I should be reading. See you in a book beat.

Read this Series!!!! It's freaking awesome 😘😘😘😘😘 ...more

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Jul 16, 2019 J.J. rated it really liked it

Well, lets just say I'm onto book 3, nnn0w. ...more

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Apr 22, 2017 Mark rated it it was amazing

This book knocked my friggin' socks off! It was stupendous! I feel that I am a reasonably generous reviewer and often hand out 4 stars to books I liked. But the coveted 5 star review I am a bit stingy with. This book earned all five stars without breaking a sweat.

The best thing about this book is that Mr. Tucker writes his characters doing the things that you want them to do. Often time authors create great characters and make big promises and then take hard left turns. In THE BLACK SHRIVING all ...more

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Jul 24, 2017 Bogdan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magic, best-fantasy-books, grimdark

In this new volume all the things have goten better! Almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger and the stories of all the characters are, also, much more consistent and interesting than in the first one.

We also have a lot of new explanations and the story evolves in some darker places of land and space, but also, of the heart! We have a lot of smart dialogues, impressive lines, and an amazing depth to some of the characters quotes.

I could compare it to some of Abercrombie work, a bloody and ...more

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Oct 22, 2018 Jody rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thoughts: The Black Shriving was a very good continuation of the Chronicles of the Black Gate series. The first half of the book was a bit slow for me, but the second half more than made up for it. Mr. Tucker maintains his skillful worldbuilding as new cities, cultures, and characters are introduced. The tension and intensity seems to have increased in this volume, and I expect that to continue throughout the series.

The story still follows the same 6 POV's, and they have all grown in their own ...more

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Jan 04, 2018 Esme rated it it was amazing

It’s always difficult for me to do reviews for books that aren’t the first in the series. If you’re thinking about reading this one you’ve already read the first so you’re familiar with the characters and world building and writing style. If I reveal too much about the plot it gets spoilery.

I love that Audsley gets so much page time in this one, I love his character I definitely think he’s my favorite of the bunch. It might be his firecat that really has me won over.

We find out what’s up with As ...more

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Jun 22, 2020 Timothy Boyd rated it liked it

nice 2nd book in this Fantasy series. Good story and a quick and entertaining read. Nice world setting. Recommended

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Sep 01, 2017 Hanzel rated it it was amazing

Does the end truly justify the means??? For this particular novel, what the major protagonists did seem to.......

Book two, WOW!!!! Another page turning book, pringles in book form once you start you can not stop, the second book introduces the forgotten practice of sin casting or the path of the flame, the magic system for this reality, lost when the Ascendant gain dominance, Mr. Tucker is truly in his element for this one, every bend of the corner surprises abound, I hope he still has some left ...more

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Jan 21, 2019 Calvin Park rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

The Black Shriving is epic fantasy in the vein of Eddings and Brooks, with some Tad Williams sprinkled on for seasoning. Phil Tucker isn’t content to simply tell an interesting tale with high stakes, however. He sets these empire-shattering stakes in the midst of a brilliantly crafted and amazingly unique world that feels familiar in all the right ways while simultaneously offering fresh ideas.

I absolutely adore the world that Tucker has envisioned in these books. There are familiar pieces, cer The Black Shriving is epic fantasy in the vein of Eddings and Brooks, with some Tad Williams sprinkled on for seasoning. Phil Tucker isn’t content to simply tell an interesting tale with high stakes, however. He sets these empire-shattering stakes in the midst of a brilliantly crafted and amazingly unique world that feels familiar in all the right ways while simultaneously offering fresh ideas.

I absolutely adore the world that Tucker has envisioned in these books. There are familiar pieces, certainly—knights, lords, ladies, pages—but these are set in a world where one must travel through Solar Gates in order to travel from one city/plane to another. This gets wrapped up in the religion of the world, as well. The dominate religious system believes that one’s soul ascends to the next plane when one dies and is reborn there, provided one’s behavior warrants it. Conversely, poor behavior might get one’s soul reincarnated one or more planes lower on the hierarchy. Wrapping the physical world building into the religious system is something that makes the whole setting feel both unique and authentic. In addition to the world build, Tucker has a way with writing action sequences that makes the fights leap off the page at you. They’re thrilling to read and keep you on the edge of your seat. The suspense of the battles is also aided by the fact that Tucker has really begun to flesh out his characters. I particularly enjoyed Audsley’s arc in this book, though there was growth on the part of each of the viewpoint characters. Finally—in terms of what I thoroughly enjoyed—this novel teases us with some tantalizing possibilities for the magic system. The concept of taint in magic could certainly be considered a trope after the Wheel of Time, but there are a lot of possibilities here and a lot going on. I can’t wait to see where Tucker takes things.

I have a couple criticisms. The first of those is that the pacing felt a bit slow for me in the early part of the novel, particularly in the second quarter of the novel. Things picked up again after the halfway point and rushed to a satisfying conclusion, but I felt like the second quarter had a different feel than the rest of the novel because of the slower pace. I also found it frustrating how the characters spend most of the story trying to hold to religious beliefs that don’t seem to align with what the actions they are currently taking. My issue with this was that none of the characters seemed to be particularly introspective regarding how their beliefs were obviously being revealed as false. This was partially alleviated during the endgame, but I just felt like Tucker could have added some interesting issues for his characters to wrestle with that would have helped us connect with them more.

Readers looking for their next big epic fantasy series should absolutely give the Chronicles of the Black Gate consideration. The Black Shriving is a great second entry for the series. Full of epic battles, important revelations, and characters striving against incredible odds, it quickly finds a comfortable place amongst one’s favorite epic reads.

4.0/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing ...more

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Dec 20, 2016 T.L. rated it really liked it

A thoroughly enjoyable follow-up to The Path of Flames.

I really enjoyed the exploration of Starkadr and Audsley's chapters were still a delight even while becoming imbued with greater meaning and danger. I was glad to see Tiron get to do something other than scowl and glower and I am intrigued more and more by the Agerastians, the mysteries of the portals, and, of course, the rapidly disintegrating theory of Ascension.

Tharok's chapters felt uneven to me and this is, I think, partially due to hi ...more

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Jun 28, 2019 Joe Jackson rated it really liked it

Tucker continues his broad and sweeping epic in resounding fashion. As should be the case in a sequel, we get broader stakes, tighter scrapes, deeper characters, and an expanding view.

Everything that was great about the first book continues in this one, but it wasn't without a few issues for me. Keep in mind, though, that I'm an extremely picky audience member, and I hold books to a lot of standards that most readers don't. The things I usually dislike in these sorts of stories are typically thi Tucker continues his broad and sweeping epic in resounding fashion. As should be the case in a sequel, we get broader stakes, tighter scrapes, deeper characters, and an expanding view.

Everything that was great about the first book continues in this one, but it wasn't without a few issues for me. Keep in mind, though, that I'm an extremely picky audience member, and I hold books to a lot of standards that most readers don't. The things I usually dislike in these sorts of stories are typically things others enjoy the hell out of. Tharok's ending and the promise of what's still to come has kept my interest piqued, and so I've already downloaded #3. I had a couple of issues with this one, but make no mistake: this series remains fantastic and I recommend it to everyone who likes a deep, thinking man's (or woman's) epic fantasy.

We still have two disparate storylines here, set to converge in the next book it looks like, based on the title. The long chapters can make it a challenge to keep track of everyone now, as the separate groups have split into even more groups, but that's probably more my reading habits than anything - trying to get serious reading done with small children in the house... well, let's just say this took me 4x longer to read than it should have, at least. But Tucker is pulling the threads tighter at a gentle pace, building anticipation and avoiding the pitfalls of revealing everything too soon.

I mentioned some of my favorite characters in the first book, so let me touch on how they've progressed in this one:

Audsley - He made a terrible choice, but one he honestly had little say in. It's all at once terrifying what he's given himself over to and yet still admirable that he was willing to make such a sacrifice not to save himself, but to make sure he could save his friends. I have this image of the Terminator lowering into the molten metal at the end of T2, but Audsley has opportunity to fix what he had to break to survive and protect his friends. Let's hope he does.

Tharok - It's amusing to witness the disparity between circlet-Tharok and no-circlet-Tharok. But his vengeance is slowly coming to a boil, and it's going to be terrible to witness. He's a minorly sympathetic character in my book, but I'm not going to shed any tears if and when he gets killed. Where most of the characters do the right thing for the wrong reasons, Tharok instead does the wrong things for the right reasons. He makes an interesting mirror image of our protagonists as a whole because of that. To quote the old Buffalo Springfield song For What It's Worth, "Nobody's right if everybody's wrong."

Ser Wyland - Jander got the short end of the stick in here somewhere, pretty much railroaded out of town with little explanation. Somehow he's been branded as complicit or even a co-perpetrator of everything Lord Kyferin did when at his worst. It felt like an unfair surprise, really, a justification to vilify someone standing up for what he thinks is right because he doesn't agree with the MCs. One wonders where the forgiveness and clean slate handed to Ser Tiron were when it came to Ser Wyland; after all, Ser Tiron must have been involved in all the same crimes being attributed to Ser Wyland, no? Sadly, I think Ser Wyland's storyline is probably coming to an end, and what was a brave, upstanding man is going out as a scoundrel in the minds of our MCs, if not the readers.

Anyway, why are you still reading? Go get the first book if you haven't already.

If you want to know why 4 stars instead of 5, the simple answer is that A) I felt people turned away and in fact demonized the Ascendancy religion too quickly to feel organic (see Ser Wyland above), and B) the superpowers of Asho, Kethe, and Audsley rendered the other characters almost inconsequential except outside of combat. ...more

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Sep 01, 2018 Mark Romero rated it really liked it

3.5 stars

Tough because the story has so much potential and I enjoyed this book more than the first. A lot more of the world was introduced and was described in better detail. And I'm still curious and eager to see how the story unfolds.

However, the story telling still lacks a bit of consistency and clarity. For me, its the misuse of multiple POV which is causing an unbalanced story. For example, Tharok is the only POV with his own unique plot. His character feels like its developing much better ...more

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Apr 16, 2021 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: self-published

4,75

Man, this was such a fun read. Did not expect the slight horror elements but I loved every second of them. All characters stories were fascinating, although I have to say, that Thorak was at the beginning slightly less interesting to read about than for example Audsley who killed it this book, honestly. He really grew on me. His search for knowledge was exactly how I felt, I wanted to know and still do, what really happened at Starkadr and it's citizien (?).

In the end I am really looking ...more

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Jan 01, 2017 Ryan Mueller rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, five-star, epic-fantasy

I was nervous going into this one because I didn't think it could possibly be as good as The Path of Flames. As it turns out, it wasn't as good. It was better. The action was almost nonstop at times, and I loved the aspects of horror that worked their way into this one. There were also quite a few surprises when it came to character decisions and plot progression.

I also feel like Tucker improved as a writer between the first book and the second. Except for a few missed typos, the writing read ve ...more

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Nov 08, 2017 Lanko rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017

Surprisingly great.

The first book had a more low-fantasy setting, with magic only present at the very beginning and near the very end (and more subtly in Tharok's POV) but now the fantastical really steps up here.
Starkadr, the Hold, Agerastos, Tharok's journey... all presented some fantastic things but never forgetting to still make things matter to characters.

Ascension, Starkadr, demons and the whole thing going on behind it all seems something orchestrated by Sanderson in steroids. Really go ...more

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Jul 31, 2016 Krudant rated it liked it

A good beginning, but the cameo starts flagging. I hope the author redeems himself on the 3rd book. There isn't much progress on the core narrative, and there is some stagnation on development of the characters. ...more

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Jul 19, 2017 Vaelin rated it it was amazing

This excellent tale just keeps rolling along nicely!

Book 3 will be read later this year!

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Apr 17, 2019 Kevin Potter rated it really liked it

Oh, what a followup! If anything, I'm sorry it took me so long to continue this series!

As always, apart from a couple of odd pronunciations Noah Michael Levine gives us a fantastic performance! His character voices and skill in manipulating tempo and inflections are top notch.

There are so many awesome things going on in this book, I hardly know where to begin.

We aren't introduced to any new POV characters, giving us the opportunity to get to know our established characters that much better.

T ...more

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Oct 30, 2017 Ross Thompson rated it it was amazing

The action continues straight on from where the Path of Flames left off. The story follows Tiron and Audsley's journey after they step through the mysterious portal, Asho and Kethe's journey into the mountains to investigate the second Black Gate, and Tharok's attempts to unite the kragh tribes and make an assault on the humans.
The story rarely dips in terms of excitement but does start to follow a number of different paths and take on different paces. While there is exciting action as Asho and ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Trevor Sherman rated it really liked it

A very good read with a pretty original magic system and world. I have been binge reading this series starting book one like 5 days ago and am half way through book 4 now. Will write up a full review soon for my blog https://thebloggoblin.com/ ...more

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Jul 28, 2017 Julie Bird rated it it was amazing

Great, epic fantasy read!

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Jun 21, 2017 Noha rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 20, 2016 Vivek rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I liked this book better than the first. Rather than Asho, I found myself rooting for Audsley. Weyland finally does something other than what you expect "knightly" characters in books to do.
(view spoiler)

Though the stor ...more

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Nov 17, 2016 Lukasz rated it really liked it

I've enjoyed Path of Flames a lot, so once I've finished it I bought second book and plunged myself into Tucker's world once again. Overall I was impressed with the book. I've enjoyed the writing, twists, Audsley, Tiron, Tharok, Iskra development. On the other hand I felt tired by Asho and Kethe POV's chapters that felt too much like YA novella. I have nothing against YA and I know they're young and still need to discovea a lot about the world and themselves but I can't help but say that I just ...more

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Mar 31, 2019 Olivia rated it really liked it

I'm surging through these books like a black flame of Asho's blade wreaking vengeance upon the dragon demon and it is GLORIOUS!!

Once again Mr Tucker has done it! I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first. ...more

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Sep 30, 2016 Gardavson rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy-romance

Excellent read, very exciting. Smart, well written. Excellent pacing. Didn't want to put it down. Wish the next in the series was out! ...more

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About Phil Tucker

Phil Tucker

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Thanks for visiting my page! I'm Phil Tucker, a Brazilian/Brit who currently resides in Asheville, NC, where I resist the siren call of the forests and mountains to sit inside and hammer away on my laptop.
THE CHRONICLES OF THE BLACK GATE

r/Fantasy 2016 Stabby Award Finalist
2016 #SPFBO Finalist
2016 Indie Spotlight - BestFantasyBooks.com

A war fueled by the dark powers of f ...more

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Quotes from The Black Shriving

“Hannus' face was clear of concern, unriven by the cruel lines wrought by grief and loss. A young face. A blank sheet on which time would write its woes.” — 2 likes

“No," said Asho, his voice hollow. "I remember now. Something the demon said. This time 'round, he's not returning to the Black Gate when he's done cleansing the Hold. He's going to keep on. He said he would sweep out across the land and drown everything in flame and shadow." "Well, fuck," said Brocuff. He stood again, and this time he did stalk off. Ser” — 2 likes

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