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The Sword Chronicles #2
The Sword Chronicles: Child of Sorrows
BOOK 2 IN THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING SERIES!Sword thought it was over.She thought that when she killed the Chancellor and ended the corrupt reign of the Emperor, that everything would get better. That the suffering would end in Ansborn. That the people would be free.But now a new terror has been born. A trio of warriors who live only for vengeance, who know only hate, have set their sights on Sword and on those she holds dear. They are powerful, they are deadly, and they are impossible to kill.And worst of all, they are but harbingers of what is to come.Because after a thousand years, the unknown enemy that lies below the mountains of Ansborn is at last on the move. And it is coming for them all. Death from among them. Death from below. And only one person – one Sword – has any chance of stopping it.Fans of Sanderson, Jordan, Feist, and more will thrill to the adventures of a land unlike any you've ever seen. Tap the link and grab your copy of The Sword Chronicles now!
471 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2016
43 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Michaelbrent Collings
92 books660 followersOne of the most versatile writers around, Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally bestselling novelist, produced screenwriter, and multiple Bram Stoker Award finalist. While he is best known for horror (and is one of the most successful indie horror authors in the United States), he has also written bestselling thriller, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, humor, young adult, and middle grade works, and Western Romance.
In addition to being a bestselling novelist, Michaelbrent has also received critical acclaim: he is the only person who has ever been a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award, a Dragon Award, a RONE Award, and a Whitney award: and he and his work have been reviewed and/or featured on everything from Publishers Weekly to Scream Magazine to NPR. He is also a frequent guest at comic cons and on writing podcasts like Six Figure Authors, The Creative Penn, and Writing Excuses.
Find more about him at his website, WrittenInsomnia.com, or sign up for his mailing list (and get a free book!) at http://writteninsomnia.com/michaelbre....
In addition to being a bestselling novelist, Michaelbrent has also received critical acclaim: he is the only person who has ever been a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award, a Dragon Award, a RONE Award, and a Whitney award: and he and his work have been reviewed and/or featured on everything from Publishers Weekly to Scream Magazine to NPR. He is also a frequent guest at comic cons and on writing podcasts like Six Figure Authors, The Creative Penn, and Writing Excuses.
Find more about him at his website, WrittenInsomnia.com, or sign up for his mailing list (and get a free book!) at http://writteninsomnia.com/michaelbre....
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 19, 2017
Source/Version: Free Audible copy for honest review
The first in The Sword Chronicles series (Child of the Empire) was a stunning read, and I’ve been looking forward to the next instalment of Sword’s tale, especially as the first book ended with her successfully deposing the corrupted king and advisor. What happens after a country has its power toppled (if invisibly to the public), with wide reaching new laws (no child slavery, no corruption!) and after serious disasters that destroyed cities and families?
Change doesn’t come easily, and power is very grudgingly ceded – the conflicts and dilemmas of which Collings considers realistically, while also putting his characters through hell emotionally, physically, and even culturally. The travails and difficulties Sword, Armor, Wind, the Brothers – really, the entire remaining cast from book 1 – go through aren’t plot devices, but believable repercussions from actions and decisions made minutes and even years ago.
New enemies emerge in Child of Sorrows, from history, from unexpected quarters and even from beneath the clouds. The pace of the action is fierce, the quiet lulls and creepy builds even more powerful for the variation in gallop. Collings makes some astounding choices (but ARE they choices? Really?) in plot twists, devastations and sheer convention non-compliance (read: brilliantly executed and wow/whoa/WHAT inducing), but the same choices gut you, hang you by your heartstrings, while your head admits “It’s a perfectly reasonable and realistic outcome… DAMMIT!!!”
Yet again Collings has me invested in his characters, yelling at them not to do the eminently dangerous/noble/stupid/well-intentioned thing, then shoving my expectations so far to the left I’m not sure what day it is, let alone what’s going to happen next. Just like Child of the Empire, Child of Sorrow had me intrigued and committed, and I’ll be pre-ordering the third in the series as soon as Collings announces its availability.
As for the Audible narration: a few words of caution. Those words are mostly summarised into “Play the preview first, a couple of times.” I have an ear for accents, and for the first two hours at least of the book the narrator’s accent was driving me insane. Not because it grates, or she was grossly mispronouncing words (a difficult claim for an Australian to make) – but because on words that end with “-ing” the narrator was saying “-ing-guh”. You may not hear it, it’s a tiny little English inflection, but I couldn’t NOT hear it. Couldn’t ignore it every time a word ended in “-ing”. And the main character, Sword? She does a lot of verbing. Fighting, running, thinking, wondering…. Fighting-guh. Running-guh. Thinking-guh. It literally took me a few hours to train myself not to hear it and wince. Luckily, the audio book runs to just over 15 hours, so there was lots of scope to practice.
Two other things took getting used to – the narrator’s cadence rarely changed during fight/action scenes, and there wasn’t much differentiation between any character’s voice if they were between 15 and 30 years of age. If you lose track of who is thinking what, it may mean you hit rewind a few times, and pay more attention. You will certainly be rewarded for the extra attention, but if such initial work irritates you, listen to the preview a few times and make up your own mind.
Yes, the narration took some getting used to for me – but the voices of the older characters were spectacular and added brilliance to the already sparkly gem of a tale.
If you are worried about the narration, don’t waste a minute – go buy the book! Problem solved!
Literary/wordcraft discussion:
Collings has a canny yet subtle joy in intertexuality, which contributes to the world-building strengths he also wields. The use of common phrases as ancient quotes in a world so different – but with intriguing, tickling glimpses of familiarity – teases and rewards the reader. Use of internal monologue from multiple characters keeps the pace moving, while providing depth and development of character arcs and conflict. What struck me most from Collings latest is his boldness in ignoring literary plot conventions, which broke the potential of the story so much wider than expected (think football game tackle suddenly plowing through the crowd, demolishing the stadium wall, and in a few chapters there’s someone’s Grandma punching a shark above Neptune – THAT much extra room for the plot to move [albeit much more believably]).
Collings appreciation of older characters as individuals – with their own foibles, histories and traits beyond the stereotypical bent over, slow and cranky – was outstanding. Youth and age were shown to both be strengths and weaknesses, and the humanity of each explored with humour, compassion and – again – frankness that I’m seeing as a trait of Collings’ storytelling (and an exceptional one).
Recommended to:
Anyone after an epic adventure with difficult decisions to be made and incredible plot hijinx.
Those looking for a new series and world to sink into (Congratulations, you have two books of three waiting!)
Readers who like to have relatable, cranky, hilarious and awesome people in their adventurous fiction.
Not recommended for:
Anyone after an epic adventure with dwarves, elves, dragons or combinations/variations thereof.
Those looking for some braincandy to easily read.
Readers who like everyone to have a very happily ever after as painlessly and cheerfully as possible.
If you like the sound of this book, I also recommend The Sword Chronicles: Child of the Empire (first book in this series!), The Illuminae Files series (Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – for the drama and decision repercussions, it’s sci-fi not fantasy), The Original Shannara Trilogy (Terry Brooks) and Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card – again, complex repercussions, again sci-fi).
The first in The Sword Chronicles series (Child of the Empire) was a stunning read, and I’ve been looking forward to the next instalment of Sword’s tale, especially as the first book ended with her successfully deposing the corrupted king and advisor. What happens after a country has its power toppled (if invisibly to the public), with wide reaching new laws (no child slavery, no corruption!) and after serious disasters that destroyed cities and families?
Change doesn’t come easily, and power is very grudgingly ceded – the conflicts and dilemmas of which Collings considers realistically, while also putting his characters through hell emotionally, physically, and even culturally. The travails and difficulties Sword, Armor, Wind, the Brothers – really, the entire remaining cast from book 1 – go through aren’t plot devices, but believable repercussions from actions and decisions made minutes and even years ago.
New enemies emerge in Child of Sorrows, from history, from unexpected quarters and even from beneath the clouds. The pace of the action is fierce, the quiet lulls and creepy builds even more powerful for the variation in gallop. Collings makes some astounding choices (but ARE they choices? Really?) in plot twists, devastations and sheer convention non-compliance (read: brilliantly executed and wow/whoa/WHAT inducing), but the same choices gut you, hang you by your heartstrings, while your head admits “It’s a perfectly reasonable and realistic outcome… DAMMIT!!!”
Yet again Collings has me invested in his characters, yelling at them not to do the eminently dangerous/noble/stupid/well-intentioned thing, then shoving my expectations so far to the left I’m not sure what day it is, let alone what’s going to happen next. Just like Child of the Empire, Child of Sorrow had me intrigued and committed, and I’ll be pre-ordering the third in the series as soon as Collings announces its availability.
As for the Audible narration: a few words of caution. Those words are mostly summarised into “Play the preview first, a couple of times.” I have an ear for accents, and for the first two hours at least of the book the narrator’s accent was driving me insane. Not because it grates, or she was grossly mispronouncing words (a difficult claim for an Australian to make) – but because on words that end with “-ing” the narrator was saying “-ing-guh”. You may not hear it, it’s a tiny little English inflection, but I couldn’t NOT hear it. Couldn’t ignore it every time a word ended in “-ing”. And the main character, Sword? She does a lot of verbing. Fighting, running, thinking, wondering…. Fighting-guh. Running-guh. Thinking-guh. It literally took me a few hours to train myself not to hear it and wince. Luckily, the audio book runs to just over 15 hours, so there was lots of scope to practice.
Two other things took getting used to – the narrator’s cadence rarely changed during fight/action scenes, and there wasn’t much differentiation between any character’s voice if they were between 15 and 30 years of age. If you lose track of who is thinking what, it may mean you hit rewind a few times, and pay more attention. You will certainly be rewarded for the extra attention, but if such initial work irritates you, listen to the preview a few times and make up your own mind.
Yes, the narration took some getting used to for me – but the voices of the older characters were spectacular and added brilliance to the already sparkly gem of a tale.
If you are worried about the narration, don’t waste a minute – go buy the book! Problem solved!
Literary/wordcraft discussion:
Collings has a canny yet subtle joy in intertexuality, which contributes to the world-building strengths he also wields. The use of common phrases as ancient quotes in a world so different – but with intriguing, tickling glimpses of familiarity – teases and rewards the reader. Use of internal monologue from multiple characters keeps the pace moving, while providing depth and development of character arcs and conflict. What struck me most from Collings latest is his boldness in ignoring literary plot conventions, which broke the potential of the story so much wider than expected (think football game tackle suddenly plowing through the crowd, demolishing the stadium wall, and in a few chapters there’s someone’s Grandma punching a shark above Neptune – THAT much extra room for the plot to move [albeit much more believably]).
Collings appreciation of older characters as individuals – with their own foibles, histories and traits beyond the stereotypical bent over, slow and cranky – was outstanding. Youth and age were shown to both be strengths and weaknesses, and the humanity of each explored with humour, compassion and – again – frankness that I’m seeing as a trait of Collings’ storytelling (and an exceptional one).
Recommended to:
Anyone after an epic adventure with difficult decisions to be made and incredible plot hijinx.
Those looking for a new series and world to sink into (Congratulations, you have two books of three waiting!)
Readers who like to have relatable, cranky, hilarious and awesome people in their adventurous fiction.
Not recommended for:
Anyone after an epic adventure with dwarves, elves, dragons or combinations/variations thereof.
Those looking for some braincandy to easily read.
Readers who like everyone to have a very happily ever after as painlessly and cheerfully as possible.
If you like the sound of this book, I also recommend The Sword Chronicles: Child of the Empire (first book in this series!), The Illuminae Files series (Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – for the drama and decision repercussions, it’s sci-fi not fantasy), The Original Shannara Trilogy (Terry Brooks) and Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card – again, complex repercussions, again sci-fi).
October 18, 2016
Let me say that I LOVED the characters in Book 1, and they remained as epic in Book 2. The unique abilities they possess are fascinating, and they are all very well-written, very well-developed characters. Plus, the world built by the author is rich, detailed, and sucks you in.
There was one part where I felt the writing fell a bit flat: the death of an important character (I can't say which for fear of spoilers). The character's chapter ended a bit abruptly without any real indication of what happened, then their later appearance in the book isn't written with the impact I'd expect from a character death.
That being said, I was sucked in by the book once more—instead of focusing on rebellion, it focused on trying to control an Empire rotting from the inside out. I can't wait to read Book 3 and find out what the hell is going on beneath the clouds, and why no one who ever goes below returns alive. SO MUCH to look forward to!
There was one part where I felt the writing fell a bit flat: the death of an important character (I can't say which for fear of spoilers). The character's chapter ended a bit abruptly without any real indication of what happened, then their later appearance in the book isn't written with the impact I'd expect from a character death.
That being said, I was sucked in by the book once more—instead of focusing on rebellion, it focused on trying to control an Empire rotting from the inside out. I can't wait to read Book 3 and find out what the hell is going on beneath the clouds, and why no one who ever goes below returns alive. SO MUCH to look forward to!
November 2, 2018
Once again I had the opportunity to read a novel by Michaelbrent Collings. This time it was the second book of The Sword Chronicles. Child of Sorrows. I thought at the start it was a bit slow. Especially in context with the first book, where the action is on, from page 1. It hiccuped a little bit in the middle, but at the end of the book I was left wanting more and itching for the next book in the series.
Thankfully it is on its way and I can’t wait to follow Samira on her journey.
In this book Collings definitely uses his skills as a horror writer way more than he did in the previous book, because 'Child of Sorrows' is the definition of a dark middle chapter.
I was at a loss how to give a summary of the book without spoiler, so instead I’m going to use the one from the author himself.
Samira thought it was over.
She thought that when she killed the Chancellor and ended the corrupt reign of the Emperor, that everything would get better. That the suffering would end in Ansborn. That the people would be free.
But now a new terror has been born. A trio of warriors who live only for vengeance, who know only hate, have set their sights on Samira and on those she holds dear. They are powerful, they are deadly, and they are impossible to kill.
And worst of all, they are but harbingers of what is to come. Because after a thousand years, the unknown enemy that lies below the mountains of Ansborn is at last on the move. And it is coming for them all.
I know I am repeating myself, but I am excited to see how this series ends.
Thankfully it is on its way and I can’t wait to follow Samira on her journey.
In this book Collings definitely uses his skills as a horror writer way more than he did in the previous book, because 'Child of Sorrows' is the definition of a dark middle chapter.
I was at a loss how to give a summary of the book without spoiler, so instead I’m going to use the one from the author himself.
Samira thought it was over.
She thought that when she killed the Chancellor and ended the corrupt reign of the Emperor, that everything would get better. That the suffering would end in Ansborn. That the people would be free.
But now a new terror has been born. A trio of warriors who live only for vengeance, who know only hate, have set their sights on Samira and on those she holds dear. They are powerful, they are deadly, and they are impossible to kill.
And worst of all, they are but harbingers of what is to come. Because after a thousand years, the unknown enemy that lies below the mountains of Ansborn is at last on the move. And it is coming for them all.
I know I am repeating myself, but I am excited to see how this series ends.
September 13, 2020
Child of Sorrows was not as good as its predecessor, Child of the Kingdom. This is book 2 of a trilogy and has similar issues I've seen from other authors. This is a bridge book between the introductions and setup presented in book 1 to the promised conclusion in book 3.
I enjoyed book 1. I feel like I have made it through the muddled middle of the story with book 2. I’m still looking forward to reading book 3, but my anticipation has waned.
You can read the complete review at https://guildmastergaming.blogspot.co...
I enjoyed book 1. I feel like I have made it through the muddled middle of the story with book 2. I’m still looking forward to reading book 3, but my anticipation has waned.
You can read the complete review at https://guildmastergaming.blogspot.co...
November 11, 2018
Holy crap.
Just finished this book and OH MY GOSH I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. The ending was so intense and unexpected, I'm still in shock. I love when a book can do that to you! The characters are wonderful and well-rounded, and they have developed so much in two books. I plan to go home and purchase the final book TONIGHT, I need to know what happens to Sword and all the other characters to whom I have grown so attached!
Just finished this book and OH MY GOSH I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. The ending was so intense and unexpected, I'm still in shock. I love when a book can do that to you! The characters are wonderful and well-rounded, and they have developed so much in two books. I plan to go home and purchase the final book TONIGHT, I need to know what happens to Sword and all the other characters to whom I have grown so attached!
November 8, 2021
Sword Chronicles review
I really enjoyed this trilogy of books. They were very immaginitive. I really had feelings for Sword and the life she had had. I would like to read more books in the series.
I really enjoyed this trilogy of books. They were very immaginitive. I really had feelings for Sword and the life she had had. I would like to read more books in the series.
April 24, 2020
An amazing Part 2!
A terrific follow-up to Child of Empire This series continues to impress with mystery, action, character development and wonderful storytelling. On to Part III!
A terrific follow-up to Child of Empire This series continues to impress with mystery, action, character development and wonderful storytelling. On to Part III!
December 20, 2020
Great follow up to Book 1. 4 stars only because there was so much action, so quickly that I couldn’t process it all and had to step away a few times. Never would have expected that reveal.
January 17, 2019
Well, this certainly fit the "dark middle chapter" motif. I thought it started off a little slow and kinda hiccuped in the middle, but it really managed to stick the landing and left me wanting more.
(Edit): Re-reading in preparation of the third book in the series coming out. Not quite sure what I was talking about with the book starting slow and hiccupping. Still a 4-star book, but it seems I liked it more this time around than the first time.
(Edit): Re-reading in preparation of the third book in the series coming out. Not quite sure what I was talking about with the book starting slow and hiccupping. Still a 4-star book, but it seems I liked it more this time around than the first time.
July 10, 2016
Thrilling Read
For the 2nd book in the series I was hoping there would not be a dip in the story or characters and I was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it kept me interested and wondering how things would turn out. I did not expect some of the outcomes that occurred and cannot wait for the next book.
For the 2nd book in the series I was hoping there would not be a dip in the story or characters and I was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it kept me interested and wondering how things would turn out. I did not expect some of the outcomes that occurred and cannot wait for the next book.
November 4, 2016
Review coming soon
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews