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Agents of Kalanon #3
Battle's Legacy
Stalked by a foe that has eluded them before, Brannon and his team face a threat they fail to understand. People are dying by magic in ways reminiscent of the war. Despite Brannon’s attempts to abandon those memories, history will not be silenced. As Magus Draeson faces an awful choice and Brannon seeks to define his burgeoning relationship with Ambassador Ylani, a change from Nilar could fracture both their lives and the peace they’ve fought so hard to protect.Bodies are piling up and the king himself is threatened. If the team cannot find the source of the magical attacks fast, history will repeat in the most deadly of ways and all of Alapra will pay the price.What readers are ★★★★★ Excellent crime/murder mystery set in a fantasy world of wizards, necromancers, royalty, diplomacy, and past conspiracies of two warring countries now at a fragile peace.★★★★★ A thoroughly enjoyable read and can't wait for the next in the series.★★★★★ I really, really liked this series! I actually picked up this book first and ended up reading the whole thing in one day.
- GenresFantasy
477 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2020
4 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 13, 2023
This is a tough one to review. I've met Darian Smith a couple of times in person, and he's a great guy. I've also enjoyed the previous books in the series (with a couple of reservations), and included them on my Best of the Year lists. And from a storytelling point of view, it works: the characters have arcs, they struggle, they use their alliances and their skills and their history and determination and courage to persevere and succeed, they're determined to do the right thing even if it costs them. All of this is good, and would normally get it an automatic spot on my Best of the Year for 2023, with no hesitation.
On the other hand, it could do with a lot more polish, which was one of the reservations I mentioned regarding the earlier books. This one is even worse than the others, though. The whole ebook is formatted as one long "chapter," so the "time left in chapter" and "time left in book" numbers are the same, and what should be em dashes are all hyphens, inconsistently spaced. There are a number of small words missing out of sentences (a hard error to spot) and occasionally added to sentences, "let's eat Grandma" errors (missing comma before term of address), missing question marks, and a remarkably complete collection of other common errors, over 100 of them, which is more than I spotted in the other two books put together (see my highlights and notes). Towards the end, the continuity gets a little suspect, as well, and at least one person misses something that should be completely obvious to him so that an enemy's move can succeed.
My other big reservation about the earlier books was that they are darker than I prefer, with a lot of death, tragedy, pain, and overall angst. That's a personal taste thing; other people will find that a feature, but I don't, and that's the main reason (along with the low standard of editing) that I won't be getting the fourth book when it comes out. I'm pretty confident I can see some of where that book will be going, and I have no desire to experience it.
So where do I land in terms of a score and a recommendation? I've been privately judgmental in the past of authors who are, I think, too kind when they review books by their fellow authors who they like as people, and I don't want to fall into the same behaviour. On the other hand, I have allowed some books onto the bottom tier of my Best of the Year list this year that, while they have terrible mechanics and/or are darker than I prefer, are well-told stories, and this is one of those.
In the end, because I know that there are people who will enjoy this more than I did (not noticing the many errors and not minding the death and dismemberment), it just barely squeaks into the very bottom of the Bronze tier of my 2023 list, and I still feel conflicted about letting it on there. In a year where I was judging more harshly, it would get three stars.
On the other hand, it could do with a lot more polish, which was one of the reservations I mentioned regarding the earlier books. This one is even worse than the others, though. The whole ebook is formatted as one long "chapter," so the "time left in chapter" and "time left in book" numbers are the same, and what should be em dashes are all hyphens, inconsistently spaced. There are a number of small words missing out of sentences (a hard error to spot) and occasionally added to sentences, "let's eat Grandma" errors (missing comma before term of address), missing question marks, and a remarkably complete collection of other common errors, over 100 of them, which is more than I spotted in the other two books put together (see my highlights and notes). Towards the end, the continuity gets a little suspect, as well, and at least one person misses something that should be completely obvious to him so that an enemy's move can succeed.
My other big reservation about the earlier books was that they are darker than I prefer, with a lot of death, tragedy, pain, and overall angst. That's a personal taste thing; other people will find that a feature, but I don't, and that's the main reason (along with the low standard of editing) that I won't be getting the fourth book when it comes out. I'm pretty confident I can see some of where that book will be going, and I have no desire to experience it.
So where do I land in terms of a score and a recommendation? I've been privately judgmental in the past of authors who are, I think, too kind when they review books by their fellow authors who they like as people, and I don't want to fall into the same behaviour. On the other hand, I have allowed some books onto the bottom tier of my Best of the Year list this year that, while they have terrible mechanics and/or are darker than I prefer, are well-told stories, and this is one of those.
In the end, because I know that there are people who will enjoy this more than I did (not noticing the many errors and not minding the death and dismemberment), it just barely squeaks into the very bottom of the Bronze tier of my 2023 list, and I still feel conflicted about letting it on there. In a year where I was judging more harshly, it would get three stars.
March 18, 2021
I really, really liked this series! I actually picked up this book first and ended up reading the whole thing in one day, then went and borrowed #1 and #2 because I enjoyed it so much.
It's refreshing to have a fantasy plot that isn't just 'oh no the Evil Country(TM) is going to attack us'. While Kalanon and Nilar have tense diplomatic relations, the Nilarian characters (especially Ylani, who I *love*) have motivations other than just.. Being Evil: they're trying to do the best they can for their country just as Brannon and the team are for Kalanon.
I also really love the gradual reveal of information about the characters we get and the way it's linked into the current plot instead of just thrown out all at once as some other books do. While Brannon at times falls into some generic fantasy hero tropes, the characters are very human, and the silly human mistakes they make affect the plot appropriately, which is nice.
It's refreshing to have a fantasy plot that isn't just 'oh no the Evil Country(TM) is going to attack us'. While Kalanon and Nilar have tense diplomatic relations, the Nilarian characters (especially Ylani, who I *love*) have motivations other than just.. Being Evil: they're trying to do the best they can for their country just as Brannon and the team are for Kalanon.
I also really love the gradual reveal of information about the characters we get and the way it's linked into the current plot instead of just thrown out all at once as some other books do. While Brannon at times falls into some generic fantasy hero tropes, the characters are very human, and the silly human mistakes they make affect the plot appropriately, which is nice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2022
What It's About: Brannon is only called in when unusual crimes occur--usually magical ones. But there's something particularly ominous about these corpses, killed by magic he doesn't recognize--magic that looks too much like the war that left him scarred forever.
What I Thought: I am so bummed that there's no more of this series. They had that super-readable feel a lot of serialized works do. I honestly flew right from one to the next, and I felt like I could have kept going forever! I hope there will be more soon. This was a great installment in the series. It explored a lot of Brannon's psychology and how his past in the war affected him. Also, the more we see of magic in this series, the more I like it! It has both mystical and "hard" magic elements. Honestly, no quibbles here!
What I Thought: I am so bummed that there's no more of this series. They had that super-readable feel a lot of serialized works do. I honestly flew right from one to the next, and I felt like I could have kept going forever! I hope there will be more soon. This was a great installment in the series. It explored a lot of Brannon's psychology and how his past in the war affected him. Also, the more we see of magic in this series, the more I like it! It has both mystical and "hard" magic elements. Honestly, no quibbles here!
February 19, 2021
Recommended
I had a lot of fun reading this book! It was interesting getting more insight into Brannon’s and Draeson’s past, and the enemy was definitely intriguing. The only bit that I’d change is that the book likes to be more medically realistic, but there’s one instance where Brannon hits the back of his head hard enough to fall unconscious for at least thirty seconds and there’s no mention of even the slightest concussion after that. Overall though the book was great!
I had a lot of fun reading this book! It was interesting getting more insight into Brannon’s and Draeson’s past, and the enemy was definitely intriguing. The only bit that I’d change is that the book likes to be more medically realistic, but there’s one instance where Brannon hits the back of his head hard enough to fall unconscious for at least thirty seconds and there’s no mention of even the slightest concussion after that. Overall though the book was great!
November 9, 2021
Book three, the characters are developed more along with their interactions with each other. I did find some of this storyline a bit more predictable, but that might be because I read all three books in quick succession and I am getting a feel for the authors style. A thoroughly enjoyable read and can't wait for the next in the series.
March 21, 2021
We bought the first two books at Armageddon 2019 and followed up with the purchase of this one at Armageddon 2020 - what a good find! It's been a really enjoyable journey so far following the adventures and intrigue of Kalanon and team. Looking forward to the next installments.
April 10, 2021
Excellent crime/murder mystery set in a fantasy world of wizards, necromancers, royalty, diplomacy, and past conspiracies of two warring countries now at a fragile peace.
September 23, 2023
Another great book, I really enjoyed the mystery and action. Waiting for the next ones.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews