Blade and Bone

The Book of the Black Earth #3

by Jon Sprunk

In a world of sorcery and sand, a slave rebellion is out of control and an army of undead is approaching. Does Horace have the power and strength to save what he fought so hard to win? In a setting reminiscent of ancient Egypt and Babylon, where God-Kings and God-Queens hold the power of life and death in their hands, Horace, the onetime slave who became a powerful magician, has turned the tables on his former masters. Blade and Bone, the third book in The Book of the Black Earth, follows Horace, Alyra, and Jirom as they navigate the hurdles of managing the slave rebellion under the Akeshian Empire's nose. But evil is not content to sit back and let them gather their strength. A new threat is coming in the form of an unstoppable army of the walking dead. To face this enemy, our heroes will have to dig deeper and find a strength they didn't know they possessed.

Genres: Fantasy

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2018

About the author

Fantasy author living in central Pennsylvania. I love to travel (especially places with old ruins), watch football (American NFL, not that soccer stuff), drink (rum and coke, preferred), and enjoy life.

Reviews

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.

Blade and Bone is a violent, jarring, adrenaline rush of a story which generates near constant action and excitement. I’m almost ashamed to admit I had to take it with me to work and hide it under the edge of my desk, so I could keep reading. This sword and sorcery tale an exhilarating extravaganza that is totally engrossing.

Picking up the story of Horace and Alyra, Jirom and Emanon, about three to four months after the ending of Storm and Steel, it is immediately apparent that things in the Akeshian Empire have gone to hell. Our first view of the new world shown through the eyes of Lord Pumash of Nisus who witnesses first hand the horrors unleashed by the new Manalish of Erugash and Chiresh, as this conqueror completely destroys Nisus, turning its inhabitants into undead minions; Pumash himself becoming an unwilling servant of a being so powerful death itself is an instrument of his will.

Meanwhile, along the border of Akeshia, Jirom leads the remnants of the rebel forces, determined to find a way to help the people of the land throw off the yoke of their Akeshian overlords. Horace part of the growing band, though he himself feels pulled in another direction by dreams and a longing to undertake a far different task; only his feelings for Alyra keeping him tethered to the group. And though Jirom needs the magic Horace brings to the fighting, even he does not know if his friend’s heart is truly in tune with his own.

Suddenly, though, the guerrilla war of the rebels turns far more deadly, as the undead minions of the Manalish appear. These hordes unstoppable, causing the rebels to flee into the desert. Every moment thereafter one of deadly pursuit where even a moment rest, a second of hesitation, will allow the dead to swarm over them. Horace blaming himself, feeling that his use of magic has drawn their enemies to their hiding places, and so he leaves, trying to draw the pursuit away while following his premonitions of some place he must go to in order to save not just his friends but the entire world.

I have to say Jon Sprunk absolutely delivers with this third volume of The Book of the Black Earth. The author staying true to his greatest strength as a writer: the ability to write compelling, thrilling, and understandable action. The magic, adventure, zombies, fights, emotions, diverse characters all delivered in a blistering pace which never lets you feel safe putting the book down. Blood and Bone truly a tour de force of sword and sorcery spectacle and fun.

Other the aforementioned amazing Sprunk action scenes, what really stood out to me about this narrative was the actual growth of the characters. No, there were not pages of deep contemplation or emotional angst. Instead, the author gave brief flashes of insight into these people. A scene here. A comment there. An emotional choice made. Horace, Alyra, Jirom, and Pumash slowly, meticulously molded into complete people with fears, hopes, desires, sorrows, and needs. Their true personal feelings shining through as they make rapid decisions, take action, and struggle to accomplish goals and live their life in a time of horror and sudden death.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t give a little love to the magic in this narrative. You could say it goes hand-in-hand with my praise for the overall action, but the use of magic is a little different than the concept for it, and while Sprunk doesn’t recreate a Sanderson magic system, his zoana comes to full fruition here, maturing into a compelling though mysterious force, which is quite an exciting spectacle to read about.

The only criticism I’d level against the book are a few head-scratching decisions by our main characters, especially Horace and Jirom, and a few too many lucky coincidences. Honestly, everyone makes dumb decision at times, but our two comrades do it a few too many times in my opinion. As for the lucky breaks, let’s just say they do add up by the end of the book.

To sum up, I have to state yet again Blood and Bone is a damn fine fantasy tale filled with terrifying events, a bit of gore, loads of action (both sword and sorcery), and characters which really hit their stride. And the ending . . . well, I’ll just say I can’t wait to see what Sprunk has in store for the next book.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

[Kelly]

I’ve probably said it before, but it’s worth repeating – Pyr is one of my favourite publishers of speculative fiction. What I love about their books is that they’re always a little different. Fantasy and science fiction can be so very same-same and I don’t mind that. There’s a certain comfort to be derived from sinking into a familiar setup, whether it’s a quasi-medieval fantasy world or a sprawling space opera spawned by a dying Earth. There are countless themes writers love to examine and explore and I’m there for most of them.

The trend toward the different has been evident for a while now, however, and Pyr often feels ahead of the curve on this one, particularly when it comes to the series ‘Book of the Black Earth’ by Jon Sprunk. I selected the first book for review, ‘Blood and Iron,’ based on the first line of the book description: It starts with a shipwreck following a magical storm at sea.

There is probably a trope to describe this beginning, but I call it the midlife crisis. When a character’s life is turned upside down at the beginning of the story and we get to learn about them and their new situation at the same time as they do. It’s a journey of discovery for the hero, and it’s as familiar to fantasy readers as swords and sorcery. From that inauspicious beginning, this story follows the shipwrecked Horace as he transitions from soldier to slave to sorcerer—in a world that transcends expectation.

The third book in this series, ‘Blade and Bone,’ is dark. Here, Horace will hit his lowest point and his greatest trial. In that respect, it’s a difficult read, but only because this character has become dear to me and watching him flail and fail is hard!

So, too, this book is a trial of Jirom’s resolve. The former gladiator has to take a lot on faith here, all while hoping his companions continue to trust him. There are many instances where his relationship with Emanon is stretched to breaking point, and yet their partnership continues to be a source of strength not only for Jirom but for their ever-weakening rebellion.

Yeah, that. And things were going so well!

One of the reasons I was so eager to read ‘Blade and Bone,’ was that the second book in the series ends with both triumph and questions. ‘Blade and Bone’ doesn’t answer many. What it does do is throw an entirely new wrinkle into the plot by way of a plague of walking dead. This is the difference I was talking about at the beginning of my review. Sprunk’s world has been called reminiscent of ancient Egypt and Babylon, where kings and queens serve as instruments of the gods. Mortals are little more than flotsam, collecting in eddies stirred by plots much larger than they are. Mortals will drown beneath this new tide of death, and while I should have been mourning their loss, I could only marvel at the author’s imagination with regards to whom this plague was spread. It’s gruesome and it’s brilliant and it’s what’s up next on our heroes’ list of challenges.

What the plague also does is reveal two new players. Three Moons (you’ll know who this is if you’ve read the previous book) gets a lot of page time here, becoming a much more integral character. I expect to see more of him and his crew in the next book as they will have a very interesting role to play.

Even more interesting is Pumash, a tool of the Manalish. Here again, we have that difference I love. You’re not going to like Pumash very much at the beginning of this book. But he’ll grow on you because he’s not very good at doing what he’s told.

The only character who is let down by ‘Blade and Bone’ is Alyra. She doesn’t get as much page time as I’d have liked. There was a lot else going on, but she felt forgotten until toward the end when all the big stuff happens. Alyra’s journey here does serve a purpose, and Horace needs that push, but… Okay, you’re just going to have to read this one and decide for yourself.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I looked forward to diving back into Jon Sprunk’s world and reconnecting with his characters. The plot direction came as a pleasant surprise and I look forward to seeing how things roll next time around. Recommended for fans of sword and sorcery in a unique setting with a truly diverse cast.

Reviewed for SFCrowsnest.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

5.5 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...

What you never want to have happen when you finish paging through the last chapter of a book is a profound disappointment, coupled with the thought that really, it could’ve been worse.

Yet those were my exact thoughts upon finishing Blade and Bone, the third book in the Black Earth sequence, and possibly the penultimate release of author Jon Sprunk’s career (both his author page and socials haven’t been updated in ages, hence the lack of links). Despite my feelings—and general misgivings—about the series, it is one that I am planning to continue. Three books down, one more to go.

Now, let’s examine the plot.

—

The Akeshian Empire still stands—for now.

Facing a slave revolt from within, and encroaching forces without, not to mention fomenting dissent from an ancient evil buried at the heart of the Empire.

Horace has thrown in with the rebellion, for better or worse. While he personally has his doubts, he couldn’t abandon his friends. As for the others, Jirom and Alyra are committed. But between navigating imperial soldiers and an army of the undead, Horaces services are in high demand—and his misgivings on full display. And while his friends fully support him, the other members of the rebellion aren’t so unanimous.

Facing dissent from both sides, while worrying whether or not what he’s doing will make any kind of difference at all, can Horace navigate the tides to see not only himself, but see everyone he knows and loves out the other side?

—

So, as you already know, I didn’t love this one.

The first two Books of the Black Earth released in back-to-back years, but #3 and 4 took a bit longer to get out the door. Now, that may’ve been in part to Pyr closing up shop, but the plot itself speaks to a different issue entirely. See, the story is a bit disjointed, kinda like it was written at two different times, and then filled in and reworked again just to get it over the finish line. It’s not that the whole thing is bad, exactly, it’s just that… well, it’s not great.

The main issue being that while the plot of Blade and Bone is interesting enough in and of itself, it doesn’t do much for the overarching plot. Kinda like how any zombie entry in a historically zombie-free series doesn’t do much beyond telling a confined adventure. If it were a video game, I’d call this DLC. As it is, I kinda feel like it’s worthy of a novella based in the universe, but not a solid entry on its own. Now, it’s an interesting concept, and the story is more than entertaining enough for me to recommend, but there is the overall series to consider. And since this is the penultimate chapter (and sets up the final showdown), I really would’ve expected more. There are a few bombs dropped toward the end, but little enough that they couldn’t’ve been wrapped up in a Part 1 of what would’ve been the trilogy’s end.

Which brings us beneath the surface.

While it’s good to be back in the world of the Black Earth (which is set in the same world as the author’s Shadow Saga), the backdrop doesn’t seem as robust this time around. There’s little enough set dressing to be had, and chapters rarely start with any attempt to set the scene, or give the reader anything to visualize. Now, my imagination filled in the gaps quickly enough, but—on the rare occasions where there was any kind of attempt at set dressing—I had distinct issues between my rendering of the world and whatever the author seemed to be picturing. Not exactly a problem (I read the story how I want, and very little seems to change that); it just made me notice how little the author seemed to care about adding anything beyond important events and dialogue to the mix. I mean, it reads a bit like the first few Harry Potter books—you know, where the scene just skips from event to event, ignoring everything in-between? The main problem is that unlike HP, little enough attention is even given to character development, such that pretty much all character depth has deserted us. Jirom and Emanon bicker like an old married couple, but there’s very little of any substance to the words. Horace spends most of his time caught up in his own head, and only offers one-liners of little insight. Alyra’s character seems much the same, but hers is a rarity.

TL;DR

All in all, Blade and Bone is a mixed bag. It’s okay, but certainly not the buildup to the sendoff I think this series really deserves. It tells a contained adventure that is both entertaining—and at times even thrilling—but does little to further the overarching plot. It also seems a bit bare bones at times, like the soul of the story has departed, leaving us with an undead meat-suit just masquerading in its place. Set dressing and character development didn’t make the cut, as the plot jumps from event to event, relying almost entirely on—what I assume is supposed to be—witty dialogue to see it through. Now, I’m curious, and I’ll definitely be continuing the series, but it’s a hard thing for me to recommend it to newcomers. For the rest of you—if you’ve come this far, what’s a little farther? Be aware, however, that the ebook prices for these are not entirely reasonable. When I looked a week ago, books #3 and 4 sat at $17 a pop. Since then, they’ve fallen to match the $13 price point of the other two, but… I mean, I picked up a used paperback (in the same year the book was published, no less) for $4. If you can do that, I’d certainly recommend it. If not, maybe see if your local library has a copy (mine did not). Otherwise… it’s a tough call.

[Travis Prino · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Felix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series! Horace's heart is torn asunder and is now committed for the final battle/chapter?

[Celine DePoitiers · Rating 5 out of 5]

//////////DISCLAIMER: I got this as a digital ARC but this hasn’t influenced my review in any way.////////////

I honestly didn’t know that this was the third book in a series, so at first I have struggled a little to get into the plot. After those first moments of confusion, though, I have started to really get involved in the story.

This fantasy series is absolutely a must read. First of all because of all the plot twists, that have reminded me of G.R.R. Martin writing style. I have loved the kind of magic described, the dark forces involved in the book and the way all the characters are depicted in such a vivid and realistic way. At a certain point I could almost feel like I had read all the three books and knew them from the beginning.
So, bonus point for the writer’s ability to entertain and hook the reader’s attention. It’s not common for this kind of fantasy books to be so involving and interesting.

The main characters fascinated me, both the good and the evil ones. The start, in the middle of action, after a cruel and terrible battle, has really hooked me to the pages. I’ve never thought that not having read the first books in a series would have made the following books more interesting. I think this was the case. I was interested in knowing more, discovering what had happened and why things were this way or that.

I can give this book 5 stars out of 5 without a second thought, because I like how this fantasy novel was set up. The locations were original and interesting, well described, but not taking up too much space. It was brilliant and captivating.

I really recommend everyone who’s into fantasy to read this series, you won’t regret it. Trust me!

[Rusty Dalferes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy this series as a good fantasy action book, and even some of my previous issues with the author's editorial or writing tendencies were cleared up in this book. I give it a hearty recommendation for fantasy fans.

The third novel in the Book of the Black Earth series again follows the exploits of the three main characters: Horace, Alyra, and Jirom -- the sorcerer, the spy, and the soldier. At the beginning of this book, the three somehow find each other amidst the retreat into the desert of the slave rebellion, now led by Jirom after his lover, Emanon, handed over leadership. While the rebellion began its efforts fighting against the Akeshian Empire, as the novel progresses the enemy that presents the biggest threat is the horde of undead chasing them, the raised-from-the-dead victims of Horace's sorcerous nemesis, Astaptah, who has used his dark powers to conquer half of the cities of the Empire. This threat soon forces the three to split in different directions, as Jirom tries to lead the remnants of his rebel soldiers and freed slaves to safety, as Horace goes on a journey of discovery to understand his powers and his connection to Astaptah, and as Alyra tries to use her skills as a spy to scrounge any intelligence to bring down the Empire. Ultimately, the three main characters and all of their friends and enemies find themselves in the city of Thuum for a climactic showdown, including the re-appearance of a certain queen who featured prominently in the earlier books and was thought dead.

The story continues to be enjoyable. It's got plenty of magic for the lovers of a fantasy setting (and even includes in this third entry the introduction of an alternate magic plane that Jirom's friend and nature wizard, Three Moons, visits with his band of mercenaries). It's got plenty of straight-up battles for the lovers of action stories. That bad guys and gals are creepy, sinister, or weaselly enough to make the reader want to hate them; the good guys and gals are inspirational, uncertain of themselves, brave, and resourceful enough to make the reader root for them. The plot builds to crescendos, just to build again to bigger crescendos, so the tension is nice and constant. The characters are interesting and emotionally developed, and even include a number of instances of gay and lesbian love and sexuality presented as a normal and respectable concept, which is refreshing to see in action fantasy books. And while the novel ends at a satisfying stopping point, it definitely teases at least one more book, because the Big Bad is still out there.

I am happy to report that the issues I had with the edit and the writing in the first two books were mostly gone in this one. Sprunk still uses "a couple" with unnecessary frequency to mean "an indeterminate small number," but he's finally decided to use "of" with the phrase (as in "a couple of days" instead of "a couple days," which was like nails down my mental grammarian chalkboard). I didn't see many issues of missing, misspelled, misplaced, or misused words, so I really didn't have any complaints about the mechanics of the book. While I don't consider Sprunk's writing to be "high" fantasy, it's certainly entertaining, and with this third entry, it's also well-constructed.

In short, it was an exciting and enjoyable read. I recommend it for fans of action fantasy.

Thanks to Pyr (and my Book Fairy) for providing me with a copy of this book.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so I’m sick to my stomach at the ending. Things got even more real people! However, it was a necessary ending for the story to have such impact. I have to say though, I’m still depressed. Once again Jon Sprunk weaves his particular story telling style & it’s really good. The conflicts within are a great retelling of the basic trope: the battle/struggle between good & evil. However it has the uniquely written style of Sprunk. The struggle is seen through the various races, the slaves or free men, those who have & those who do not have anything among many others. I liked the characters final evolution into what the previous books had shown everything they endured which changed them. The magic system he has in his stories is unique to the story despite being one that some would assume as being what is standard. He also does something with this magic system when it’s battle time between mages or priests, etc which I’m not a fan of when I read. That’s where the protagonist or whomever is fighting the good fight is giving all they have & yet, nope that powerful magic that’s been so outstanding up to the point of the said battle where it has become less than or much weaker than what is needed to actually win this final battle. It’s just something that I personally am not a fan of; especially when the protagonist has gone through so much & practiced so often yet the worlds’s only hope for survival against whomever is the despot of the story at that point. Failing? Yes I get the writing behind such a move, but it should only be used sparingly. Too much of one thing is just too much. I cant complain about anything else. Because it was such a good series. I’d recommend it for anyone to read who loves this type of story.

[Clay Kallam · Rating 1 out of 5]

After a promising start with "Blood and Iron," Jon Sprink's Book of the Black Earth series has gone steadily downhill, reaching its nadir in volume three, "Blade and Bone."

To be fair, there is at least one more book to come that might upgrade things a bit, but "Blade and Bone" is 285 pages of unremitting negativity, spiced up with plenty of gore. And of course the villain is pretty much all-powerful, as he reanimates the dead (does every average fantasy author have to do this?) and of course gives the zombies completely black eyes. But despite the zombies' huge numbers (cities have been turned into zombie factories) and the difficulty in killing them, the heroic fighters continually hold them off, despite lack of sleep, food, water and manpower.

Sprunk throws in a couple of pointless deus ex machinas, and also keeps up his annoying habit of reviving dead characters to inject, well, something (and does every average fantasy author have to do this?).

Presumably, the series will end in an explosive victory for good over evil (and why do the evil archenemies want to destroy all life?), as the conflicted protagonist Horace finally embraces his full powers, but I'm not going to be around. This, sadly, is hack work, and not worth a penny of your hard-earned money. You've been warned.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this fast-paced, high-stakes fantasy. The surprises within are fantastic. My favorite part hands down is one of these surprises. After the battle in Erugash in Storm & Steel, events lead all parties to Thuum. Manalish, Dark Lord and a force of nature, uses Pumash and his army of the undead to gradually dwindle the numbers of the Bronze Blade & the rebellion army to a point of serious concern. But it will take a final act of desperation for Jirom and the company to realize that the war is not about slaves and rulers, but something much bigger. They must save humanity!