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The Chaos Cycle #2
Chains of Legacy
After defeating the Warlord of the Turan Khar, Rylan Lauchlin has assumed his place…and his troubles. Deprived of the ancient magic that allowed the Khar Unity to exist in harmony, their society is slowly dying, and it is now up to Rylan to save it. But only one man has the knowledge to release the magic of the Core—the same man who locked it away in the first place—and that man is imprisoned within Rylan himself.
On the other side of the world, the rulers of the Kingdoms have taken advantage of the devastation of Karikesh to mount a counter-invasion. Gil and Ashra find themselves pressed to protect the people of Malikar from a genocidal campaign aimed at driving them back into the Black Lands.
If you love grimdark fantasy filled with vivid realism, brutal warfare, and raw emotion, this new adventure is just for you.
On the other side of the world, the rulers of the Kingdoms have taken advantage of the devastation of Karikesh to mount a counter-invasion. Gil and Ashra find themselves pressed to protect the people of Malikar from a genocidal campaign aimed at driving them back into the Black Lands.
If you love grimdark fantasy filled with vivid realism, brutal warfare, and raw emotion, this new adventure is just for you.
391 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2020
About the author
M.L. Spencer
21 books773 followersM.L. Spencer is an epic fantasy author. Her debut novel Darkmage won the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Award for Fantasy, and her novel Dragon Mage won the 2021 Readers' Favorite Gold Award for Fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 9, 2022
Captivating story line
Normally I do t enjoy stories that flip between characters but the Chaos Cycle books keep you pressing on to find out what is going to ha open next! Really well written, keeps you guessing. Great character building....can t wait for the next book in the series!
Normally I do t enjoy stories that flip between characters but the Chaos Cycle books keep you pressing on to find out what is going to ha open next! Really well written, keeps you guessing. Great character building....can t wait for the next book in the series!
August 9, 2022
Chaos and war continue to tear the Rhen apart.
The fight seems endless. Heros switch sides and fight valiantly for the former enemy. Right and wrong are just a perspective. I can't tell who will end up where. Lots of action and character growth. You really want each character to survive.
The fight seems endless. Heros switch sides and fight valiantly for the former enemy. Right and wrong are just a perspective. I can't tell who will end up where. Lots of action and character growth. You really want each character to survive.
June 11, 2020
Awesome book!
The storyline continues effortlessly as battles continue to rage against the Turan Khar. I can't wait for the next book!
The storyline continues effortlessly as battles continue to rage against the Turan Khar. I can't wait for the next book!
May 24, 2021
Nice follow up story
I enjoyed this next phase of the adventure in this world. It’s nice seeing the next generation and the struggles they endure.
I enjoyed this next phase of the adventure in this world. It’s nice seeing the next generation and the struggles they endure.
January 28, 2022
Great reading.
Fantastic series of books. Amazingly real, complex characters, entwined in complex situations. Expands the mind, let's imagination soar. Fabulous story telling.
Fantastic series of books. Amazingly real, complex characters, entwined in complex situations. Expands the mind, let's imagination soar. Fabulous story telling.
May 13, 2022
Loved the series so far
When you’ve read everything it’s always a pleasure to find a new author that rights for a broad audience. Have loved all her books!
When you’ve read everything it’s always a pleasure to find a new author that rights for a broad audience. Have loved all her books!
January 24, 2023
Just a wonderfully written story! Very entertaining & enjoyable. Highly recommend to anyone that enjoys fantasy stories. This is a good one!
July 5, 2022
Sooo, where's book 3? 😊
May 1, 2020
The armies of the Turan Khar have been driven off by the combined efforts of Rylan Lauchlin and Gil Archer. Now, one has to take up arms against his fellow countrymen while the other sets out to save the race he had considered an enemy.
This review is based on a beta copy I received from the author.
One of the things I always like about M.L. Spencer’s novels is that, for a lot of the characters, there is rarely a clear cut division between good and evil and this one is no exception. After the events of the previous novel, the city of Karikesh is still recovering from the devastating battle with the Turan Khar when the armies of the Rhen rise up to take back the territory the Malikari took from them. As one character puts it, he could detest them for their opportunism even while acknowledging that he would likely do the same in their place. The ruthlessness and brutality with which they attack their former invaders is shown in only a few chapters but sticks in the mind of both characters and reader.
Another common theme is the characters being confronted with the consequences of their actions. Here Rylan discovers that, as a result of the steps he took during the invasion, he has inadvertently set in motion a series of events that will result in hundreds of human sacrifices. Unwilling to have that on his conscience, he sets off looking for a way to fix what he has broken, even if it means his own death.
It’s often hard to review the middle part of a trilogy since it is fundamentally dependent on knowledge of the 1st part and that the major plot threads are left unresolved until the next instalment. Having said that, enough of the background is given without info-dumping to make it possible (although not recommended) to read this without first having read Chains of Blood. Perhaps more importantly, the ending of this novel left me cursing that I would have to wait to find out what happens next. And that is what you want from a middle instalment.
4 out of 5 unstable Sky Portals
This review is based on a beta copy I received from the author.
One of the things I always like about M.L. Spencer’s novels is that, for a lot of the characters, there is rarely a clear cut division between good and evil and this one is no exception. After the events of the previous novel, the city of Karikesh is still recovering from the devastating battle with the Turan Khar when the armies of the Rhen rise up to take back the territory the Malikari took from them. As one character puts it, he could detest them for their opportunism even while acknowledging that he would likely do the same in their place. The ruthlessness and brutality with which they attack their former invaders is shown in only a few chapters but sticks in the mind of both characters and reader.
Another common theme is the characters being confronted with the consequences of their actions. Here Rylan discovers that, as a result of the steps he took during the invasion, he has inadvertently set in motion a series of events that will result in hundreds of human sacrifices. Unwilling to have that on his conscience, he sets off looking for a way to fix what he has broken, even if it means his own death.
It’s often hard to review the middle part of a trilogy since it is fundamentally dependent on knowledge of the 1st part and that the major plot threads are left unresolved until the next instalment. Having said that, enough of the background is given without info-dumping to make it possible (although not recommended) to read this without first having read Chains of Blood. Perhaps more importantly, the ending of this novel left me cursing that I would have to wait to find out what happens next. And that is what you want from a middle instalment.
4 out of 5 unstable Sky Portals
May 2, 2020
ML Spencer weaves an intricate tapestry of intermingling lives across time and space in this, the 2nd book in the Grimdark epic fantasy series, The Chaos Cycle. In Chains of Legacy we read about two men whose lives are bound by chains as we follow the story of Rylan Lauchlin, who is embodying within himself the soul of Keio Matu, the man who had brought down so much devastation on the people of Shira when he had destroyed the sky portal. Now Rylan had accepted to wear the A’isan which bound him to the rest of the Turan Khar, as Empress Isaerae bound him to her as her husband and Khar Warlord. On the other hand we read about Gil, the Battlemage and his acolyte Ashra of the Malikari, who has been declared Sultana by her people after her father and brothers were killed in the war waged against them by the people who wanted to send them back to the black lands, the lands without sun. Gil decides to save her people and go against his own by using his magical powers which went against all the rules of the Lyceum. By his actions he was considered a traitor by his people, as well as a traitor to the Lyceum, however he had fallen in love with Ashra and her people, and could not bear to lose them. Both men take on travels far and wide across dangerous terrain in order to save their people. In this book the long dead like Keio Matu is given a second chance to see for himself the havoc he had wrecked through his decision, and to atone, maybe also to change his mind about his long time enemy the Turan Khar once he too experienced the joy of community and belonging through the wearing of the A’isan. This is a story of redemption, of courage and love, but also one of desperate choices, as people are torn between duty and love, in the war torn lands of the Malikar Empire.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews