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The Memory of Flames #3
The Order of the Scales
As the various factions fight for control of the Adamatine Palace mankinds nemesis approaches. The realms dragons are awakening from their alchemical sedation and returning to their native fury. They can remember why they were created and they now know what mankind has done to them. And their revenge will be brutal. As hundreds of dragons threaten a fiery apocalypse only the Adamantine Guard stand between humanity and extinction. Can Prince Jehal fight off the people who want him dead and unite their armies in one final battle for survival? Noted for its blistering pace, awesome dragons and devious polticking Stephen Deas's landmark fantasy trilogy moves to a terrifying epic conclusion in The Order of the Scales
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2011
12 people are currently reading
691 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Deas
29 books183 followersStephen Deas is an engineer in the aerospace industry, working on communications and imaging technology in the defence sector. He is married with two children and lives near Writtle in Essex.
Also writes as Nathan Hawke and S.J. Deas.
Also writes as Nathan Hawke and S.J. Deas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 9, 2019
Mini Review:
If George R.R. Martin follows the adage 'kill your darlings' then Stephen Deas must follow the adage of 'kill your darlings and every other character as well.'
This book was brilliant but so so dark. There seriously wasn't many characters that weren't at least 50% evil but they were all so interesting. And the dragons even more so. I can't wait to see where the author goes with the plot-line in future books in the series.
If George R.R. Martin follows the adage 'kill your darlings' then Stephen Deas must follow the adage of 'kill your darlings and every other character as well.'
This book was brilliant but so so dark. There seriously wasn't many characters that weren't at least 50% evil but they were all so interesting. And the dragons even more so. I can't wait to see where the author goes with the plot-line in future books in the series.
December 3, 2020
Измина доста време откакто четохме „Елмазеният дворец” и „Скалният крал”, но ето, че продължението вече е тук. „Орденът на люспестите” (изд. „Артлайн Студиос”) е третата книга от поредицата на Стивън Диас „Спомен за пламъци” – епична и мрачна сага за един разяждан от конфликти свят на магия и дракони, изпълнен с интересни персонажи и враждуващи кралства. Но преди да се впуснем в поредната кръвопролитна битка, един съвет – не се привързвайте особено към героите, защото залозите са високи, а гаранциите нулеви и с всяка следваща страница рискувате да изпаднете в нов книжен траур по любим персонаж. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...
June 15, 2011
http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-orde...
With The Order of the Scales, Stephen Deas concludes his epic dragon trilogy A Memory of Flames. Where The Adamantine Palace was pretty decent and The King of the Crags was pretty good, The Order of the Scales is pretty brilliant. This final volume — which is definitely not the last we’ve seen of Deas’ epic world — picks up the story just before the ending of The King of the Crags and immediately explores all the elements of the previous books a little deeper than before.
Love and hate
Again, The Order of the Scales is like a rollercoaster ride with turns and twists and new thrilling discoveries behind every curve. It has the same elements as its predecessors: darkness, intrigue, murders, dragons and political schemes. However, this time the characters don’t engage as much in these political schemes, as they are forced to face the consequences of their earlier scheming.
Because of this, we finally get to truly explore the characters, something that was lacking before. While the characters of The King of the Crags were a huge improvement upon those of the first book in terms of individuality and realism, Deas has managed to give them a whole new dimension in The Order of the Scales, exploring their motivations, their passions and their fears. What was left of good and evil after The King of the Crags disappears and we are left with characters who a reader can both love and hate at the same time.
Deas the butcher
The best characters, however, are still the dragons… Lots of dragons! As more and more of them enter the story, the stakes are definitely raised. No character — or city, for that matter — is safe. With the way Deas treats his characters, that’s all too true; any character, at any time in the story, can unexpectedly face a brutal death, whether it’s being ripped apart by these amazing and horrifying dragons or any number of other random but equally horrible deaths. You never know what will happen, and up to the very last page, you have no idea who will win — dragons or humans — and who will live.
Finally, some real world building!
The best thing about The Order of the Scales is its world building. If you’ve read my reviews of the previous books, you know my main problem with Deas’ trilogy is the lack of world building, even if this lack did favor the storytelling. Fortunately, Deas has dealt with this flaw and finally given his world the attention it deserves. What’s more, he has done this without decreasing the pace. In The Order of the Scales, we get to truly glimpse the world through the eyes of the dragons and Kemir, a sell-sword whose journey leads him from one end of the land to the other. Finally, Deas takes the time to take in the scenery and describe what this world looks like.
We also get to really meet the Taiytakei, the mysterious peoples from across the ocean. While learning more about them, the true mystery of the world is only just taking shape. We are introduced to several new and intriguing magic systems — like the Elemental Men, who can take the shapes of the elements, or the Silver Kings, magicians with amazing and mysterious power — that are eagerly awaiting further exploration in future novels set in this world.
Epic to the core
This is how epic fantasy should be: horrifying dragons, political intrigue, mystery, epic world building, neck-breaking pace, interesting magic and breathtaking battle sequences. There is no wrong or right, there are no heroes; there is only blind ambition, blind devotion, and a struggle to survive. With all its layers and subplots, and a different agenda for pretty much every character, The Order of the Scales proves to be a complex story that will never grow dull.
Why should you read this book?
The Order of the Scales is a huge improvement on its predecessors. If you’ve previously read any of the books in the Memory of Flames trilogy, I highly recommend reading this one as well. If you haven’t, you should definitely give The Adamantine Palace a shot. This is a great end to a trilogy and an even greater start to a bigger story that will hopefully continue soon with Stephen Deas’ next novel The Black Mausoleum, set in the same world with some of the same characters.
With The Order of the Scales, Stephen Deas concludes his epic dragon trilogy A Memory of Flames. Where The Adamantine Palace was pretty decent and The King of the Crags was pretty good, The Order of the Scales is pretty brilliant. This final volume — which is definitely not the last we’ve seen of Deas’ epic world — picks up the story just before the ending of The King of the Crags and immediately explores all the elements of the previous books a little deeper than before.
Love and hate
Again, The Order of the Scales is like a rollercoaster ride with turns and twists and new thrilling discoveries behind every curve. It has the same elements as its predecessors: darkness, intrigue, murders, dragons and political schemes. However, this time the characters don’t engage as much in these political schemes, as they are forced to face the consequences of their earlier scheming.
Because of this, we finally get to truly explore the characters, something that was lacking before. While the characters of The King of the Crags were a huge improvement upon those of the first book in terms of individuality and realism, Deas has managed to give them a whole new dimension in The Order of the Scales, exploring their motivations, their passions and their fears. What was left of good and evil after The King of the Crags disappears and we are left with characters who a reader can both love and hate at the same time.
Deas the butcher
The best characters, however, are still the dragons… Lots of dragons! As more and more of them enter the story, the stakes are definitely raised. No character — or city, for that matter — is safe. With the way Deas treats his characters, that’s all too true; any character, at any time in the story, can unexpectedly face a brutal death, whether it’s being ripped apart by these amazing and horrifying dragons or any number of other random but equally horrible deaths. You never know what will happen, and up to the very last page, you have no idea who will win — dragons or humans — and who will live.
Finally, some real world building!
The best thing about The Order of the Scales is its world building. If you’ve read my reviews of the previous books, you know my main problem with Deas’ trilogy is the lack of world building, even if this lack did favor the storytelling. Fortunately, Deas has dealt with this flaw and finally given his world the attention it deserves. What’s more, he has done this without decreasing the pace. In The Order of the Scales, we get to truly glimpse the world through the eyes of the dragons and Kemir, a sell-sword whose journey leads him from one end of the land to the other. Finally, Deas takes the time to take in the scenery and describe what this world looks like.
We also get to really meet the Taiytakei, the mysterious peoples from across the ocean. While learning more about them, the true mystery of the world is only just taking shape. We are introduced to several new and intriguing magic systems — like the Elemental Men, who can take the shapes of the elements, or the Silver Kings, magicians with amazing and mysterious power — that are eagerly awaiting further exploration in future novels set in this world.
Epic to the core
This is how epic fantasy should be: horrifying dragons, political intrigue, mystery, epic world building, neck-breaking pace, interesting magic and breathtaking battle sequences. There is no wrong or right, there are no heroes; there is only blind ambition, blind devotion, and a struggle to survive. With all its layers and subplots, and a different agenda for pretty much every character, The Order of the Scales proves to be a complex story that will never grow dull.
Why should you read this book?
The Order of the Scales is a huge improvement on its predecessors. If you’ve previously read any of the books in the Memory of Flames trilogy, I highly recommend reading this one as well. If you haven’t, you should definitely give The Adamantine Palace a shot. This is a great end to a trilogy and an even greater start to a bigger story that will hopefully continue soon with Stephen Deas’ next novel The Black Mausoleum, set in the same world with some of the same characters.
January 7, 2012
Firstly, I don't think I am a fan of books that continue to flippantly kill off the protagonists. It seems that by the end of every novel by Deas, all the characters who told part of the story end up being killed. But not in any kind of satisfying way ... in The Order of the Scales, one of the many protagonists managed to die without even having the honour of it actually being communicated to the reader. We pretty much find out when some other character happens across their body. In one way it's kind of interesting, because it's genuine and realistic, but then again it also sends everything that has been invested in that character straight down the gurgler.
tOotS (Toots, haha!) really is a fast and ruthless read. I decided that I wanted the series to be much longer and fleshed out. There is so much potential for parts of the story that were left untold to be written and I don't think it would be to the detriment of the novel. For instance, all of Jehal's past including the demise of his family, Jaslyn's relationship with Silence, the PoV from Zafir and Valmeyan ... all were kind of missing from this book. On the other hand, I did appreciate the maturity of this approach, not spelling everything out for the reader.
The ending was a little dissatisfying, especially since I was under the impression that this was a trilogy. The Black Mausoleum which is the next novel was kind of branded as a sequel rather than a continuance of the same set. Nothing was really resolved, a few key characters were killed and then it just ended, with some serious foreshadowing.
Keeping track of the names of the Kings and Queens was a little hard as it has been a while since I read the previous two books, especially in the absence of the lineage chart from this book ... and I'm the kind of person who likes to know all the names, how they're related and what kingdom they're from!
All in all, very happy with the story ... quite rich and complex but still fast moving at the same time and a good balance of action and character development.
tOotS (Toots, haha!) really is a fast and ruthless read. I decided that I wanted the series to be much longer and fleshed out. There is so much potential for parts of the story that were left untold to be written and I don't think it would be to the detriment of the novel. For instance, all of Jehal's past including the demise of his family, Jaslyn's relationship with Silence, the PoV from Zafir and Valmeyan ... all were kind of missing from this book. On the other hand, I did appreciate the maturity of this approach, not spelling everything out for the reader.
The ending was a little dissatisfying, especially since I was under the impression that this was a trilogy. The Black Mausoleum which is the next novel was kind of branded as a sequel rather than a continuance of the same set. Nothing was really resolved, a few key characters were killed and then it just ended, with some serious foreshadowing.
Keeping track of the names of the Kings and Queens was a little hard as it has been a while since I read the previous two books, especially in the absence of the lineage chart from this book ... and I'm the kind of person who likes to know all the names, how they're related and what kingdom they're from!
All in all, very happy with the story ... quite rich and complex but still fast moving at the same time and a good balance of action and character development.
July 23, 2014
The sort of (since there will definitely more in the storyline here) ending of the trilogy started in the superb The Adamantine Palace was a book that moved fast, ended the general storyline started in the debut though there is much more to come and had a few twists and turns; I kept turning the pages and generally let the novel flow so I finished it fast
What I loved about the novel and the series overall is the "take no prisoners" attitude of the author and the fast paced narration; in this book like in book 1 it was almost breathless and things happened and happened and happened; at 300+ pages I would say the narrative content is equal if not higher than in something like the 1000 page Way of Kings
Now of course this has some drawbacks too since the characters flash and go and while the main ones have clear personalities, others are just place holders, the world is sketched (well)... To be honest something in-between like the 500+ page Dragon's Path which also has the same kind of narrative content works better overall for me, especially once the novelty of the debut wore off, but still I loved the book and I am in for the duration
What I loved about the novel and the series overall is the "take no prisoners" attitude of the author and the fast paced narration; in this book like in book 1 it was almost breathless and things happened and happened and happened; at 300+ pages I would say the narrative content is equal if not higher than in something like the 1000 page Way of Kings
Now of course this has some drawbacks too since the characters flash and go and while the main ones have clear personalities, others are just place holders, the world is sketched (well)... To be honest something in-between like the 500+ page Dragon's Path which also has the same kind of narrative content works better overall for me, especially once the novelty of the debut wore off, but still I loved the book and I am in for the duration
July 30, 2017
"Arrogant? Cruel? Heartless? Look at me. Arrogance is build on hubris. We do not imagine the extend of our strength. We see it all around us, in the ruins of this castle. Do not talk to me of arrogance. Arrogance is thinking you have any say in your destiny."
This was a cataclysmic, apocalyptic end to a thoroughly entertaining series. Snow, the rogue dragon, amasses more followers snared by her beautifully deadly mind, and prepares for an assault on civilisation. Kemir has been completely subsumed by her brilliance, and even when he is cast aside his mind is far from his own. "I do not understand why you expend so much effort thinking about it when deep down you have already conceded that your life is tied to mine. Dragons do not believe in destiny." Snow is coming. The awakened hatchling Silence calls to her. "My mind is a diamond, so hard and brilliant that nothing you can do could even scratch it." Immaturity, the one remaining vulnerability of the dragons, is close to its end.
The gripping pace and endless excitement pours the reader into the atmosphere of the novel from the very beginning. How could anyone be dissatisfied with the opening chapters which see Meteroa kill a dragon single-handedly, force Zafir into a duel to the death, become even more awesome by coming out as gay "I'm not having that. I'm not dying now. Calzarin, you were so beautiful, too much for me to resist. The sun to Jehal's moon. But don't pretend that you gave yourself to me unwillingly, or that you took me under duress.", and finally get his head blown off? A worthy end. The other narratives are every bit as packed. The blood mage Kithyr has taken the Adamantine spear, an old silver relic which has suddenly gained the power to turn dragons into stone. "'Old stories. You have to admire them. Like an old soldier. It might not be pretty but its got something, something that other stories didn't when they got forgotten and fell by the wayside.'" Kemir makes a final stand with the spear, killing two dragons as they invade and subvert his thoughts, only to die a very human death, off-scene and second-hand. A great battle is fought, seven hundred dragons on each side, between Jehal and the north against Zafir and her new toy-boy, the King of the Crags. "Much more important for us two to prove once and for all who's the bigger bastard." "Dragons falling from the air, scores and scores of them, a rain of monsters in futile pursuit of their fallen riders. They all looked the same. Dark. Colours lost in the wind and blur, the sun and speed. The battle had become a swirling cloud, as high as a mountain, surrounding the Pinnacles." Jehal wins through the chaos, and the alchemists poison as many of the dragons as possible knowing that they will return to the world the moment this physical form is extinguished. Jehal has been the alchemist's last hope, a schemer and tyrant who might just be able to stretch his mind far enough to see the real threat ahead.
"The egg cracking, splitting open, a head shooting out like an arrow, black and glittering, jaws already clamped around the arm of a handler. Six men and you were still half in your egg, only born seconds ago. How perfect you were. How singularly perfectly designed for what you would become."
But it is futile. A final massacre in the halls of the Adamantine palace comes to pass. Vale Tassan turns seven dragons to stone with the Adamantine spear, thousands of men give up their lives to poison the others, are crushed shooting at them with scorpion bolts, but a handful remain. They have learned patience, and with that civilisation ends. Even one dragon would have been enough.
I would have liked to see more world building in this book, and I feel that we never quite understand why Valmeyan and his brood begin the war on the other realms, or who tried to steal Snow in the first place and accidentally ended the world. I suppose none of those details particularly matter any more, but for a book centred on mostly human points of view, plagued to the end by the self-absorption that leaves them blind to the daily threat of dragons, it would have been interesting and poignant to get some closure on their puny human motives. Long live the dragons!
"That's what outsiders do, and that's what I am. We live. We do whatever it takes. Sometimes we do horrible, terrible things, but we fight so we can live. We fight so we can be free.
So do we, Kemir."
This was a cataclysmic, apocalyptic end to a thoroughly entertaining series. Snow, the rogue dragon, amasses more followers snared by her beautifully deadly mind, and prepares for an assault on civilisation. Kemir has been completely subsumed by her brilliance, and even when he is cast aside his mind is far from his own. "I do not understand why you expend so much effort thinking about it when deep down you have already conceded that your life is tied to mine. Dragons do not believe in destiny." Snow is coming. The awakened hatchling Silence calls to her. "My mind is a diamond, so hard and brilliant that nothing you can do could even scratch it." Immaturity, the one remaining vulnerability of the dragons, is close to its end.
The gripping pace and endless excitement pours the reader into the atmosphere of the novel from the very beginning. How could anyone be dissatisfied with the opening chapters which see Meteroa kill a dragon single-handedly, force Zafir into a duel to the death, become even more awesome by coming out as gay "I'm not having that. I'm not dying now. Calzarin, you were so beautiful, too much for me to resist. The sun to Jehal's moon. But don't pretend that you gave yourself to me unwillingly, or that you took me under duress.", and finally get his head blown off? A worthy end. The other narratives are every bit as packed. The blood mage Kithyr has taken the Adamantine spear, an old silver relic which has suddenly gained the power to turn dragons into stone. "'Old stories. You have to admire them. Like an old soldier. It might not be pretty but its got something, something that other stories didn't when they got forgotten and fell by the wayside.'" Kemir makes a final stand with the spear, killing two dragons as they invade and subvert his thoughts, only to die a very human death, off-scene and second-hand. A great battle is fought, seven hundred dragons on each side, between Jehal and the north against Zafir and her new toy-boy, the King of the Crags. "Much more important for us two to prove once and for all who's the bigger bastard." "Dragons falling from the air, scores and scores of them, a rain of monsters in futile pursuit of their fallen riders. They all looked the same. Dark. Colours lost in the wind and blur, the sun and speed. The battle had become a swirling cloud, as high as a mountain, surrounding the Pinnacles." Jehal wins through the chaos, and the alchemists poison as many of the dragons as possible knowing that they will return to the world the moment this physical form is extinguished. Jehal has been the alchemist's last hope, a schemer and tyrant who might just be able to stretch his mind far enough to see the real threat ahead.
"The egg cracking, splitting open, a head shooting out like an arrow, black and glittering, jaws already clamped around the arm of a handler. Six men and you were still half in your egg, only born seconds ago. How perfect you were. How singularly perfectly designed for what you would become."
But it is futile. A final massacre in the halls of the Adamantine palace comes to pass. Vale Tassan turns seven dragons to stone with the Adamantine spear, thousands of men give up their lives to poison the others, are crushed shooting at them with scorpion bolts, but a handful remain. They have learned patience, and with that civilisation ends. Even one dragon would have been enough.
I would have liked to see more world building in this book, and I feel that we never quite understand why Valmeyan and his brood begin the war on the other realms, or who tried to steal Snow in the first place and accidentally ended the world. I suppose none of those details particularly matter any more, but for a book centred on mostly human points of view, plagued to the end by the self-absorption that leaves them blind to the daily threat of dragons, it would have been interesting and poignant to get some closure on their puny human motives. Long live the dragons!
"That's what outsiders do, and that's what I am. We live. We do whatever it takes. Sometimes we do horrible, terrible things, but we fight so we can live. We fight so we can be free.
So do we, Kemir."
February 20, 2025
Un roman qui m’a malheureusement laissé sur une note amer, j’avais tant aimé le tome précédent que j’avais énormément d’attentes pour celui ci, attentes qui n’on malheureusement pas été escompté. Le nombre de mort précipité m’a empêché de m’attacher à un personnage assez suffisamment pour être peiné, l’intrigue des dragons a éclipsé totalement les complots et les trahisons politiques qui me plaisait tant dans les autres tomes. Par conséquent j’avoue être déçu de ce dernier tome malgré tout je garde quand même un bon souvenir de la saga ( rien que pour shemzira)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2025
This last book is so very dark fantasy. Will any of the characters will alive after the dragons regain their consciousness and begin their revenge?
The whole story is full of fear and vengeance. There is a bit of humor with Jehal. He’s arrogant and selfish, but he always has a smart remark.
Although the dragons are relentless and savage, I was routing for them. Their situation isn’t their fault, and the humans deserve some humble pie. But what destruction and atrocities happen!
The battles between the dragons and humans were just amazing. Just constant action. The last book ties up everyone’s storylines very neatly albeit bloodly many times. A very satisfying end.
The whole story is full of fear and vengeance. There is a bit of humor with Jehal. He’s arrogant and selfish, but he always has a smart remark.
Although the dragons are relentless and savage, I was routing for them. Their situation isn’t their fault, and the humans deserve some humble pie. But what destruction and atrocities happen!
The battles between the dragons and humans were just amazing. Just constant action. The last book ties up everyone’s storylines very neatly albeit bloodly many times. A very satisfying end.
May 7, 2012
I'm very fussy about my fantasy these days, the death of the great David Gemmell really dented my ability to read this genre, but every now and again a series comes along that is just a cut above the usual dross, something so well written, with great characters, tight plotting and well paced that i just have to read it, and keep reading it.... in the last few years the only fantasy authors to do this are Hoffman, Roothfus Martin and now Deas.
This really is a must read for fantasy readers, but also for others outside the genre, there is much to be enjoyed and gained by fans of Historical fiction, action adventure etc.. its just one of those truly great series that keeps its quality from book one to the end of the excellent book 3.
what next for Mr Deas I wonder?
(Parm)
Product Description (from back of book)
As the various factions fight for control of the Adamatine Palace mankinds nemesis approaches. The realms dragons are awakening from their alchemical sedation and returning to their native fury. They can remember why they were created and they now know what mankind has done to them. And their revenge will be brutal. As hundreds of dragons threaten a fiery apocalypse only the Adamantine Guard stand between humanity and extinction. Can Prince Jehal fight off the people who want him dead and unite their armies in one final battle for survival? Noted for its blistering pace, awesome dragons and devious polticking Stephen Deas's landmark fantasy trilogy moves to a terrifying epic conclusion in The Order of the Scales
This really is a must read for fantasy readers, but also for others outside the genre, there is much to be enjoyed and gained by fans of Historical fiction, action adventure etc.. its just one of those truly great series that keeps its quality from book one to the end of the excellent book 3.
what next for Mr Deas I wonder?
(Parm)
Product Description (from back of book)
As the various factions fight for control of the Adamatine Palace mankinds nemesis approaches. The realms dragons are awakening from their alchemical sedation and returning to their native fury. They can remember why they were created and they now know what mankind has done to them. And their revenge will be brutal. As hundreds of dragons threaten a fiery apocalypse only the Adamantine Guard stand between humanity and extinction. Can Prince Jehal fight off the people who want him dead and unite their armies in one final battle for survival? Noted for its blistering pace, awesome dragons and devious polticking Stephen Deas's landmark fantasy trilogy moves to a terrifying epic conclusion in The Order of the Scales
April 20, 2015
Okay so it isn't a trilogy, at least with an ending like that I hope it isn't. If it is then this is a poor end, with no resolution at all. If not then I did enjoy it but I do feel like the author could do with tightening up the story. I probably have two main questions. Firstly, what is the story? Man v dragons? Dragons v their captors? The Silver Folk's return? Jehal's machinations? The sub plots do have a tendency to take over (witness Snow just disappearing for half the book again) and stories that look like important threads have a tendency to just abruptly end, often with the characters untimely and rather flippant death. Which brings me to the second question. Who is the hero? I mentioned in my review of The Adamantine Palace that there aren't any really likeable characters. Well by the end of The Order of the Scales there aren't really any characters. Mostly because everyone you grew to like, or dislike but be rooting for anyway is now dead. I think Lystra and Jeiros might still be alive. Maybe.
I'll be reading the Black Mausoleum in the hope that it brings some resolution, and because I am still enjoying the read despite my criticisms, but I don't think I'll bother buying any more of the series. They aren't books that I'll be returning to again and again.
I'll be reading the Black Mausoleum in the hope that it brings some resolution, and because I am still enjoying the read despite my criticisms, but I don't think I'll bother buying any more of the series. They aren't books that I'll be returning to again and again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2020
I really wanted to finish this book cause i already invested time in the first two but I couldn't.
I was already struggling with the very lackluster writing of female characters : lystra, a plot point more than a character and with no agency (but she got a "badass" fighting scene instead of any char development yeah !). Zafir is a "power-crazy" woman who fucked her way to her seat, and who's acting more like a sex-driven idiot than anything. And that's not including the background women who only exist for the rape/murder combo
I feel like the author was more concerned about which decision will create the most shocking twists and betrayals than what actually makes sense for the characters to do. This has the unfortunate effect of making most of the supposedly smart and plotting characters look like utter dumbasses.
And then there was the only gay character who was revealed to have a (probably pedophilic but i dont even know for sure because that's how bad the world building is) incestuous relationship with his nephew (who could be his son because he also fucked his mom), so i gave up on the book.
I was already struggling with the very lackluster writing of female characters : lystra, a plot point more than a character and with no agency (but she got a "badass" fighting scene instead of any char development yeah !). Zafir is a "power-crazy" woman who fucked her way to her seat, and who's acting more like a sex-driven idiot than anything. And that's not including the background women who only exist for the rape/murder combo
I feel like the author was more concerned about which decision will create the most shocking twists and betrayals than what actually makes sense for the characters to do. This has the unfortunate effect of making most of the supposedly smart and plotting characters look like utter dumbasses.
And then there was the only gay character who was revealed to have a (probably pedophilic but i dont even know for sure because that's how bad the world building is) incestuous relationship with his nephew (who could be his son because he also fucked his mom), so i gave up on the book.
August 3, 2012
Ooooof. That did NOT end in any way I expected. In fact, if I didn't know that there were more books coming in the same universe, I'd be seriously upset. As it is, I'm looking forward to the dragons. Although I have to admit, I can't see where this is going to go. But I'm intrigued enough to keep reading.
Note: Only read this if you've read The Adamantine Palace and The King of the Crags, otherwise this won't make a lot of sense!
Note: Only read this if you've read The Adamantine Palace and The King of the Crags, otherwise this won't make a lot of sense!
July 11, 2012
Hmm...downer. That would be the operative word here. I shouldn't really have been surprised to the degree of soul crushing involved in this book, having read the rest of the series, but I didn't really expect it to go THAT far.
I like dragons most of the time, this book makes me want to stab a dragon in the face. (A dragon, as well as a few fictional characters...)
Since it's pretty clear this book is supposed to make you a little closer to wanting to kill yourself, I think it's pretty successful there. Deas made me like characters that I REALLY didn't want to like, and... moving on.
I recommend this series to people that like their dark fantasy to be more like black fantasy. Like death metal fantasy.
I like dragons most of the time, this book makes me want to stab a dragon in the face. (A dragon, as well as a few fictional characters...)
Since it's pretty clear this book is supposed to make you a little closer to wanting to kill yourself, I think it's pretty successful there. Deas made me like characters that I REALLY didn't want to like, and... moving on.
I recommend this series to people that like their dark fantasy to be more like black fantasy. Like death metal fantasy.
June 5, 2019
While this was a great read, by the end of the book I kept rooting more and more for the dragons to just hurry up and burn everyone. Most of the human characters have extremely unpleasant personalities to say the least and as a result I found it supremely difficult to work up any concern for their welfare.
June 20, 2011
Stephen Deas' dragon trilogy is easily one of the three best epic fantasies of the past decade, even considering the rather surprising, Scorsese-like ending to The Order of the Scales. Highly recommended.
June 24, 2017
I really wanted so much to give it more stars but I don't understand why nearly all characters were killed.
February 6, 2019
Found this series a tolerable read but lacked any real depth. Prob a 5 out of 10
May 13, 2017
The dragon realms have fallen into open warfare. As armies of dragon-riders do battle in the skies over the nine kingdoms, different factions maneuver and jockey for position during the chaos. The Taiytakei scheme to gain control of dragons themselves, whilst the alchemists fret over their dwindling supplies of the potions that control the dragons. If the supply runs out, a cull must take place. In the middle of it all, Jehal, the Speaker of the Realms, furthers his own ambitions and Snow, a dragon freed from the control of humans, continues her plans to liberate all dragons from the yoke of humanity, forever.
The Order of the Scales brings to a conclusion the Memory of Flames trilogy, following on from The Adamantine Palace and The King of the Crags. The first two novels left the world of the dragon-riders in a precarious state, and The Order of the Flames pushes it over the edge into full-blown warfare. Those who enjoy the idea of vast armies of hundreds of dragons engaging in battle will be well-catered for here. However, Deas maintains the focus on the characters, most notably Jehal and Kemir, and shows their plots and lives unravelling in the face of the chaos they have both set in motion.
As with the first two books, this is a relatively short volume by epic fantasy standards (340 pages in tradeback) and Deas packs a huge amount in. There are moments when a pause for breath might be appreciated, or subtler moments of characterisation might be expanded upon, but the ferocious pace of the series is one of its hallmarks, and Deas packs in enough side-detail to give the world the feeling of depth without resorting to filler. As a result it's a relentless read, though I'd recommend re-reading or at least skimming the first two books to reacquaint yourself with the storyline and characters, as Deas takes no prisoners with characters picking up exactly where The King of the Crags left them and carrying on without a pause for breath.
As the conclusion of the series, the book is extremely ruthless, with a startling number of major character deaths. It's also a somewhat messy finale, with numerous plot strands left dangling for future books. And yes, there will be more books in the same world, with another volume, The Black Mausoleum, already on the way to follow up on the ending of this trilogy. There is enough closure to make this book mostly satisfying, though those looking for happy, neat ending are directed elsewhere.
The Order of the Scales (****) is a fast-paced and violent conclusion to an interesting series, epic in scope but low in bloat and marked out by memorably vicious characters (scaled and unscaled).
The Order of the Scales brings to a conclusion the Memory of Flames trilogy, following on from The Adamantine Palace and The King of the Crags. The first two novels left the world of the dragon-riders in a precarious state, and The Order of the Flames pushes it over the edge into full-blown warfare. Those who enjoy the idea of vast armies of hundreds of dragons engaging in battle will be well-catered for here. However, Deas maintains the focus on the characters, most notably Jehal and Kemir, and shows their plots and lives unravelling in the face of the chaos they have both set in motion.
As with the first two books, this is a relatively short volume by epic fantasy standards (340 pages in tradeback) and Deas packs a huge amount in. There are moments when a pause for breath might be appreciated, or subtler moments of characterisation might be expanded upon, but the ferocious pace of the series is one of its hallmarks, and Deas packs in enough side-detail to give the world the feeling of depth without resorting to filler. As a result it's a relentless read, though I'd recommend re-reading or at least skimming the first two books to reacquaint yourself with the storyline and characters, as Deas takes no prisoners with characters picking up exactly where The King of the Crags left them and carrying on without a pause for breath.
As the conclusion of the series, the book is extremely ruthless, with a startling number of major character deaths. It's also a somewhat messy finale, with numerous plot strands left dangling for future books. And yes, there will be more books in the same world, with another volume, The Black Mausoleum, already on the way to follow up on the ending of this trilogy. There is enough closure to make this book mostly satisfying, though those looking for happy, neat ending are directed elsewhere.
The Order of the Scales (****) is a fast-paced and violent conclusion to an interesting series, epic in scope but low in bloat and marked out by memorably vicious characters (scaled and unscaled).
March 13, 2012
Again, this third book of the trilogy starts where the previous one left off, with the war still going on and the rogue dragon Snow still working to free more of her dragon pals from human slavery. The author's strength is in action, and there's no shortage of it here. The dragon/human battles are terrific, and Deas constantly reminds us of the dragons' vastly superior size and strength - the earth shaking as they land, the turbulance in the air when they take off, the heat and smoke when they spit flames, and the numerous ways in which they can kill humans without even trying. He captures the physicality of riding them brilliantly too.
Unfortunately, the action seems to be a substitute here for a coherent story. The one truly interesting story - the dragons, their ways and their history, and dealing with the escaped Snow - is muddied by various distractions, such as the ill-fated religious uprising, and the political in-fighting between the royal families which culminated in a disastrous war. This ensures that the final confrontation with the rogue dragons is a desperate battle for survival, but it's hard to believe that the dragon kings and queens can be quite so stupid. To be honest, everyone comes across as stupid, dragons and humans alike, which is a pretty nihilistic world view, it has to be said.
Creating realistic characters or relationships has not been the author's strongest suit in this series, but the surviving characters have built some history over the course of the trilogy, and thereby acquired at least a little depth. For some of them, in fact, there are the beginnings of something more profound. Kemir's wavering between suicidal bravado and survival at all costs never seemed totally believable, but it does give his character an edge of pathos. And, astonishingly, I had a lot of sympathy for Jehal in this book. It's bad enough to be shot at by your mother-in-law, but to be taunted for being a cripple by the man who put the crossbow in her hands is a bit rich. I'm still not quite sure whether he cares more for his wife or his lover, though. It seems to depend a great deal on which one is with him and available, and therefore boring, and which is believed dead or held prisoner, and needs to be avenged or retrieved, and is therefore more desireable. The grass is always greener, I suppose.
The ending is not one of those uplifting, heartwarming, victory-against-all-odds affairs. This is not really a spoiler, because anyone who has read the first two books will know all about the author's wanton destructive tendencies. Towards the end, there was a real question in my mind as to whether even one main character or eyrie or tower would be left standing at the finish. As I said in my reviews of the previous two books, I think it's a dangerous strategy for an author to wilfully kill or maim quite so many main characters, since it tends to disconnect the reader - what's the point in getting invested in a character who might die at any moment? And these are not satisfying redemptive deaths, or even (it seems) essential for the overall plot, rather they are simply throw-away moments, not even shocking after so many previous examples. Characters simply disappear without trace, or are presumed to be dead. Sometimes they turn out to be alive after all, only to die for real a few pages further on, or else they survive endless trauma only to be casually dispatched with hardly a mention. At least one disappeared without my noticing at all. Maybe this is all meant to be a Terribly Clever Commentary (life's a bitch and then you get squashed by a dragon, maybe?), but I got tired of it pretty quickly.
At the end there were enough dangling plot-threads to knit quite a long scarf. Like who did steal the white dragon, for instance. Actually, I thought we solved that in book one, but obviously I was wrong. How the magic spear works. Who or what the Silver Kings really are, and their relationship with the Taiytakei. Why they wanted dragons, and why (since they had some seriously powerful magic) they couldn't just take them. Actually, the whole magic system was a mess, a real hotch-potch of this and that, none of it made clear or apparently connected to anything else. It felt as if we needed another book just to join all the dots (assuming they could be joined).
And then there were the motivations: I was never very clear exactly why all the dragon-kings and queens were so hell-bent on war, and so ignorant (or perhaps careless) of the threat of the rogue dragons. I get that a lot of knowledge had been lost over the years, or had degenerated into myth and legend, and I also get the secrecy of the alchemists, but the whole point of a multiple realms arrangement is to prevent this kind of collective madness (checks and balances, and so forth). But maybe they were just too inbred after centuries of intermarrying. And as for the dragons, revenge isn't a very clever strategy either (and although they said that wasn't their objective, it's hard to think of another word for what they did). Once free of human enslavement, they should have been planning for their own future: finding safe, hidden eyries, and working out that the best way to provide themselves with a reliable food supply is to nurture the humans who breed the cattle. So not a lot of intelligence on display on either side.
There's a great deal to enjoy in this book. The battles are terrific, and if you like dragon action, this is definitely the series for you. The dragons are brilliant, actually. Daft, very often, but brilliant. The pacing is better this time, with less backstory to be shoehorned in, so that the action lurches page-turningly from battle to town burning to confrontation to battle again with hardly a pause for breath. There are also some laugh out loud moments, some deliciously spiteful exchanges and a wedding that ranks up there with one or two of George R R Martin's (no, no, not that one - and not that one either - Tyrion's, maybe, or Littlefinger's, in terms of gloriously mismatched but very funny couplings). This ought to have been a good four stars, but for me it never quite lived up to the promise of the first of the trilogy, and the muddled ending and the cavalier treatment of so many characters holds it down. If I'd cared much about any of the characters I'd knock this back to two stars out of spite at what the author did to them, but let's say three stars for the action and humour. And the dragons, of course. Gotta love the dragons.
Unfortunately, the action seems to be a substitute here for a coherent story. The one truly interesting story - the dragons, their ways and their history, and dealing with the escaped Snow - is muddied by various distractions, such as the ill-fated religious uprising, and the political in-fighting between the royal families which culminated in a disastrous war. This ensures that the final confrontation with the rogue dragons is a desperate battle for survival, but it's hard to believe that the dragon kings and queens can be quite so stupid. To be honest, everyone comes across as stupid, dragons and humans alike, which is a pretty nihilistic world view, it has to be said.
Creating realistic characters or relationships has not been the author's strongest suit in this series, but the surviving characters have built some history over the course of the trilogy, and thereby acquired at least a little depth. For some of them, in fact, there are the beginnings of something more profound. Kemir's wavering between suicidal bravado and survival at all costs never seemed totally believable, but it does give his character an edge of pathos. And, astonishingly, I had a lot of sympathy for Jehal in this book. It's bad enough to be shot at by your mother-in-law, but to be taunted for being a cripple by the man who put the crossbow in her hands is a bit rich. I'm still not quite sure whether he cares more for his wife or his lover, though. It seems to depend a great deal on which one is with him and available, and therefore boring, and which is believed dead or held prisoner, and needs to be avenged or retrieved, and is therefore more desireable. The grass is always greener, I suppose.
The ending is not one of those uplifting, heartwarming, victory-against-all-odds affairs. This is not really a spoiler, because anyone who has read the first two books will know all about the author's wanton destructive tendencies. Towards the end, there was a real question in my mind as to whether even one main character or eyrie or tower would be left standing at the finish. As I said in my reviews of the previous two books, I think it's a dangerous strategy for an author to wilfully kill or maim quite so many main characters, since it tends to disconnect the reader - what's the point in getting invested in a character who might die at any moment? And these are not satisfying redemptive deaths, or even (it seems) essential for the overall plot, rather they are simply throw-away moments, not even shocking after so many previous examples. Characters simply disappear without trace, or are presumed to be dead. Sometimes they turn out to be alive after all, only to die for real a few pages further on, or else they survive endless trauma only to be casually dispatched with hardly a mention. At least one disappeared without my noticing at all. Maybe this is all meant to be a Terribly Clever Commentary (life's a bitch and then you get squashed by a dragon, maybe?), but I got tired of it pretty quickly.
At the end there were enough dangling plot-threads to knit quite a long scarf. Like who did steal the white dragon, for instance. Actually, I thought we solved that in book one, but obviously I was wrong. How the magic spear works. Who or what the Silver Kings really are, and their relationship with the Taiytakei. Why they wanted dragons, and why (since they had some seriously powerful magic) they couldn't just take them. Actually, the whole magic system was a mess, a real hotch-potch of this and that, none of it made clear or apparently connected to anything else. It felt as if we needed another book just to join all the dots (assuming they could be joined).
And then there were the motivations: I was never very clear exactly why all the dragon-kings and queens were so hell-bent on war, and so ignorant (or perhaps careless) of the threat of the rogue dragons. I get that a lot of knowledge had been lost over the years, or had degenerated into myth and legend, and I also get the secrecy of the alchemists, but the whole point of a multiple realms arrangement is to prevent this kind of collective madness (checks and balances, and so forth). But maybe they were just too inbred after centuries of intermarrying. And as for the dragons, revenge isn't a very clever strategy either (and although they said that wasn't their objective, it's hard to think of another word for what they did). Once free of human enslavement, they should have been planning for their own future: finding safe, hidden eyries, and working out that the best way to provide themselves with a reliable food supply is to nurture the humans who breed the cattle. So not a lot of intelligence on display on either side.
There's a great deal to enjoy in this book. The battles are terrific, and if you like dragon action, this is definitely the series for you. The dragons are brilliant, actually. Daft, very often, but brilliant. The pacing is better this time, with less backstory to be shoehorned in, so that the action lurches page-turningly from battle to town burning to confrontation to battle again with hardly a pause for breath. There are also some laugh out loud moments, some deliciously spiteful exchanges and a wedding that ranks up there with one or two of George R R Martin's (no, no, not that one - and not that one either - Tyrion's, maybe, or Littlefinger's, in terms of gloriously mismatched but very funny couplings). This ought to have been a good four stars, but for me it never quite lived up to the promise of the first of the trilogy, and the muddled ending and the cavalier treatment of so many characters holds it down. If I'd cared much about any of the characters I'd knock this back to two stars out of spite at what the author did to them, but let's say three stars for the action and humour. And the dragons, of course. Gotta love the dragons.
October 17, 2021
GENRE: Fantasy
MY RATING
Main characters 2.5/5
Secondary characters 2.5/5
Storyline 3.5/5
Structure of novel 3/5
Overall rating 3/5
ABOUT THE BOOK
As the various factions fight for control of the Adamatine Palace mankind’s nemesis approaches. The realms dragons are awakening from their alchemical sedation and returning to their native fury. They can remember why they were created and they now know what mankind has done to them. And their revenge will be brutal.
MY THOUGHTS
Well I got what I wanted, more story told from the perspective of the Dragons. They whilst they are condescending a-holes, I much preferred them to the know-it-all “leaders” of the realms.
I am actually really salty that my favourite character got killed off without much of a mention... I had hoped he would go out in a blaze of glory facing the dragons…
I feel that I was just going through the motions with this series and I found that after my favourite character died, I just didn’t really care about the rest of the characters anymore, which made each death in this last book have less of an impact on me.
Whilst this is meant to be a trilogy, there were still quite a lot of things unresolved as there is another series that picks up where this leaves off. I felt quite dissatisfied with the ending of the book but I guess that just leaves me with the choice of whether I want to pick up the next series to continue the story.
MY RATING
Main characters 2.5/5
Secondary characters 2.5/5
Storyline 3.5/5
Structure of novel 3/5
Overall rating 3/5
ABOUT THE BOOK
As the various factions fight for control of the Adamatine Palace mankind’s nemesis approaches. The realms dragons are awakening from their alchemical sedation and returning to their native fury. They can remember why they were created and they now know what mankind has done to them. And their revenge will be brutal.
MY THOUGHTS
Well I got what I wanted, more story told from the perspective of the Dragons. They whilst they are condescending a-holes, I much preferred them to the know-it-all “leaders” of the realms.
I am actually really salty that my favourite character got killed off without much of a mention... I had hoped he would go out in a blaze of glory facing the dragons…
I feel that I was just going through the motions with this series and I found that after my favourite character died, I just didn’t really care about the rest of the characters anymore, which made each death in this last book have less of an impact on me.
Whilst this is meant to be a trilogy, there were still quite a lot of things unresolved as there is another series that picks up where this leaves off. I felt quite dissatisfied with the ending of the book but I guess that just leaves me with the choice of whether I want to pick up the next series to continue the story.
October 24, 2023
The Order of the Scales is most certainly a book that can be read. A lot of the improvements from the second book are still present here. The characters are better and actually have depth and the plot is pretty good. It also holds what I consider to be the best scene in the trilogy, of course involving Kemir and Snow.
What bugs me most in this book is the way it kills of its characters. Now don’t get me wrong, character and PoV death can be done greatly, for an example look at the second book in this series. But the deaths have to be substantial, earned and have meaning, otherwise it just leaves you feeling empty. This book kills its characters off in such a way that leaves me confused, empty or just disappointed. At one point I didn’t even realize a character had died until I was nearly done with the book and I wondered why he hadn’t shown up in over 200 pages, only to realize that apparently he had died in this book.
I just want to highlight one character which is by far the worst in the entire trilogy, that being the King of the Crags Valmeyan. He is by far the least important ‘important’ character I’ve ever read in a book. He is also completely braindead and nothing he does makes any sense. For any that are interested I’ll just mark his complete character throughout the three books here as I want to vent about him.
What bugs me most in this book is the way it kills of its characters. Now don’t get me wrong, character and PoV death can be done greatly, for an example look at the second book in this series. But the deaths have to be substantial, earned and have meaning, otherwise it just leaves you feeling empty. This book kills its characters off in such a way that leaves me confused, empty or just disappointed. At one point I didn’t even realize a character had died until I was nearly done with the book and I wondered why he hadn’t shown up in over 200 pages, only to realize that apparently he had died in this book.
I just want to highlight one character which is by far the worst in the entire trilogy, that being the King of the Crags Valmeyan. He is by far the least important ‘important’ character I’ve ever read in a book. He is also completely braindead and nothing he does makes any sense. For any that are interested I’ll just mark his complete character throughout the three books here as I want to vent about him.
November 19, 2019
Alright so, i have finished this book few weeks ago.
I cant believe what's this ending. It's an end to the first three books ( including ) this one. Main characters died where you don't suspect they would.
Everything was pretty cool. The war, dragons, character development. I really enjoyed but felt sad and a bit of nostalgy of how it was finished. There are like four more books i think, the next is going to be definetely a new chapter and different from the previous ones !!!
I cant believe what's this ending. It's an end to the first three books ( including ) this one. Main characters died where you don't suspect they would.
Everything was pretty cool. The war, dragons, character development. I really enjoyed but felt sad and a bit of nostalgy of how it was finished. There are like four more books i think, the next is going to be definetely a new chapter and different from the previous ones !!!
May 16, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
This is ramping up into a phenomenal series. This was a rollercoaster of gripping events! It’s so like the “tales of the unexpected,” because you just don’t see something coming.
This is ramping up into a phenomenal series. This was a rollercoaster of gripping events! It’s so like the “tales of the unexpected,” because you just don’t see something coming.
June 2, 2020
No other series about dragons quite does it as well as this series. Politics, mayhem, dragons that destroy an empire after freeing themselves and a totally unexpected conclusion.
November 10, 2020
Third in the series. I really like the internal dialog of the characters. Looks like the dragons are winning. And the series isn’t done.
July 11, 2025
3.5/5 Not good enough to want to dive into the next trilogy. I previewed the characters and all the least interesting ones from this trilogy are at the forefront of the next series.
February 14, 2023
I could have swore this was a trilogy. So I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending and how many loose threads were left. However, it appears this is actually a four-book series. Would have been good to know going in!
This book seems to be making up for the slower paced second book by throwing battle after battle after battle at the reader, so much so that it becomes confusing and disorienting. But maybe that's the point. Humans are fighting each other over anything and everything, no one even remembers why or for what anymore. (At least I don't!)
Funnily, I said that Kemir and Jaslyn's chapters were my favorites in the second book, and they are my least favorite in this one. Kemir's mostly consist of running away from dragons, hiding, and taking advantage of a drugged-up girl (gross). Jaslyn's... don't really exist. We don't get her POV in this book, so she's just in the background looking sad and being spoken of like she's gone crazy. And what does that build up to? Nothing. Except marrying a dude and drugging herself to sleep with him (gross). But hey, we get the little factoid that she's apparently a lesbian in this one. That's at least a little bit of added character details.
Jehal seems to be the only character with an arc in this one, but it didn't turn out how I had expected. I have yet to determine if I like that or not. I do like how the ending has his story come full circle.
Zafir's scenes were my favorites in this one--again funny because she was one of my least favorites in the prior book. I loved when she and Lystra were set to fight each other and everyone assumed Lystra, being the sweet, weepy little flower she is, would fall to her knees and beg for no violence, but then she ends up whoopin' some ass. (Her mother was a warrior queen. DUH! It makes sense and I loved the subversion.) I also liked when Zafir was captured and started stabbing bitches. Good stuff.
Snow's story didn't make as much sense to me as it has in the previous installments. It feels like she's just meandering around waiting for the last 20 pages of the book so she can finally make her big move.
Oh, did I mention that the big battle with Snow and her dragons doesn't happen until the last 20 pages? So all the battles before then are pretty much pointless scuffles between the kings and queens that result in nothing but deaths of nameless characters. And the named ones weren't present before their deaths anyway.
I'm still trying to figure out my feelings on this book. A lot of my gripes really come down to that I thought this was the finale, so it left me feeling unfulfilled. I'll get to the fourth book eventually. I MUST know what happens! And hopefully it'll be a satisfying end to a good series!
This book seems to be making up for the slower paced second book by throwing battle after battle after battle at the reader, so much so that it becomes confusing and disorienting. But maybe that's the point. Humans are fighting each other over anything and everything, no one even remembers why or for what anymore. (At least I don't!)
Funnily, I said that Kemir and Jaslyn's chapters were my favorites in the second book, and they are my least favorite in this one. Kemir's mostly consist of running away from dragons, hiding, and taking advantage of a drugged-up girl (gross). Jaslyn's... don't really exist. We don't get her POV in this book, so she's just in the background looking sad and being spoken of like she's gone crazy. And what does that build up to? Nothing. Except marrying a dude and drugging herself to sleep with him (gross). But hey, we get the little factoid that she's apparently a lesbian in this one. That's at least a little bit of added character details.
Jehal seems to be the only character with an arc in this one, but it didn't turn out how I had expected. I have yet to determine if I like that or not. I do like how the ending has his story come full circle.
Zafir's scenes were my favorites in this one--again funny because she was one of my least favorites in the prior book. I loved when she and Lystra were set to fight each other and everyone assumed Lystra, being the sweet, weepy little flower she is, would fall to her knees and beg for no violence, but then she ends up whoopin' some ass. (Her mother was a warrior queen. DUH! It makes sense and I loved the subversion.) I also liked when Zafir was captured and started stabbing bitches. Good stuff.
Snow's story didn't make as much sense to me as it has in the previous installments. It feels like she's just meandering around waiting for the last 20 pages of the book so she can finally make her big move.
Oh, did I mention that the big battle with Snow and her dragons doesn't happen until the last 20 pages? So all the battles before then are pretty much pointless scuffles between the kings and queens that result in nothing but deaths of nameless characters. And the named ones weren't present before their deaths anyway.
I'm still trying to figure out my feelings on this book. A lot of my gripes really come down to that I thought this was the finale, so it left me feeling unfulfilled. I'll get to the fourth book eventually. I MUST know what happens! And hopefully it'll be a satisfying end to a good series!
June 13, 2011
Joe Abercrombie said it right: "A sharp, fast and ruthless read." Didn't think book three would take it this far, though. Holy shit, could certain characters not have been given a worthier death? I liked these people... Then again, after reading GRRM and Abercrombie, I should be used to such things, I suppose.
The stakes are high, mysteries are shimmering, and I can't wait for the Black Mausoleum. Thankfully, Deas is a quick writer (or it's because his books aren't all that long compared to a lot of other fantasy) and we won't have to wait long. Huzah!
I'm very curious to see how (or if) mankind will survive the dragon onslaught, but I'm sad that some of my favourite characters won't be making it till the end, since they died in this book. This leaves room for new characters in the next trilogy, of course, but will they be as cool? As selfish? As cruel? I surely hope so, but there is doubt in my heart.
Anyway, what I'm mostly wondering about is what the hell is going on with the Taiytakei? What are their plans? What are the silver men doing? What are their powers? Why are they back? Are there enough people left in the realms to mount any credible defence against the rogue dragons? What will the few kings that still have dragons, do?
All in all, fast, ruthless and full of truly monstrous dragons. I rather like that. However, the copy-editor or whatever you call it should be fired. I'm a grammar nazi with a love for decent spelling, and I've found at least 8 spelling mistakes in the book, of which the writer will be notified, of course. It was the same with book one and two, I'm afraid. Maybe I should ask to be a beta reader... ;)
Still, this book is heartily recommended!
The stakes are high, mysteries are shimmering, and I can't wait for the Black Mausoleum. Thankfully, Deas is a quick writer (or it's because his books aren't all that long compared to a lot of other fantasy) and we won't have to wait long. Huzah!
I'm very curious to see how (or if) mankind will survive the dragon onslaught, but I'm sad that some of my favourite characters won't be making it till the end, since they died in this book. This leaves room for new characters in the next trilogy, of course, but will they be as cool? As selfish? As cruel? I surely hope so, but there is doubt in my heart.
Anyway, what I'm mostly wondering about is what the hell is going on with the Taiytakei? What are their plans? What are the silver men doing? What are their powers? Why are they back? Are there enough people left in the realms to mount any credible defence against the rogue dragons? What will the few kings that still have dragons, do?
All in all, fast, ruthless and full of truly monstrous dragons. I rather like that. However, the copy-editor or whatever you call it should be fired. I'm a grammar nazi with a love for decent spelling, and I've found at least 8 spelling mistakes in the book, of which the writer will be notified, of course. It was the same with book one and two, I'm afraid. Maybe I should ask to be a beta reader... ;)
Still, this book is heartily recommended!
November 29, 2012
I really liked this book. The people are utterly unlikable and you don't want to be any of them. Its not so much of an escapist exercise in reading but a tragic unfolding drama of unfortunate characters. Don't get attached to any one person because like life, there aren't any real superheros here. Its a dark story about survival and base human instincts. Stephen Deas does a great job of relaying the pain some of these people go through and on many occasions brought a wince of sympathy from me. I am intrigued with this story and really want to continue with it. I especially like that it isn't tied to any one central character, well perhaps the white dragon Snow. But even that story arch can end and it would still be an interesting series to continue with.
What I found different about this series was, the author doesn't put you as the reader on this high level view where you can see the full arch of the story. You tend to feel more like a hidden observer on the ground level watching as things unfold. You may have guesses as to what is going to happen next, but you really don't know until it happens, as that next door opens and the person there walks through. But its not done in a contrived way. It never feels like the author is messing with you because he can. It feels real. and for a Fantasy book about dragons and magic, I really like that.
What I found different about this series was, the author doesn't put you as the reader on this high level view where you can see the full arch of the story. You tend to feel more like a hidden observer on the ground level watching as things unfold. You may have guesses as to what is going to happen next, but you really don't know until it happens, as that next door opens and the person there walks through. But its not done in a contrived way. It never feels like the author is messing with you because he can. It feels real. and for a Fantasy book about dragons and magic, I really like that.
March 6, 2018
Edit: reread
I just keep coming back to this series. I think I love the books more everytime. Favourite part this time when Silence and Snow are snarking at each other about their colour. Why these aren't better known is beyond me.
I found this book ultimately a tad frustrating. On the plus side there are some fantastic characters whose POV I enjoyed sharing, including the dragons, and the concept behind the series is engaging and original. Deas also isn't afraid to kill off characters in order to move the story along. So far so GRRM. However at times the story seems to jerk forward with little development or explanation and, considering that this is book 3 of a trilogy, we don't get much in the way of a resolution or wrap of the overall 'dragons seeking their freedom' theme which seemed to me the major plot arc here. In many ways I felt that this was an extended prequel for another series of books which will delve more into the mystery of where the dragons came from and who the silver mages are, which is a weakness in my eyes. If it hadn't been marketed as a trilogy I'd have rated it a 4 star; after all, you can't beat a bit of dragon on dragon action despite the flaws in the story telling.
I just keep coming back to this series. I think I love the books more everytime. Favourite part this time when Silence and Snow are snarking at each other about their colour. Why these aren't better known is beyond me.
I found this book ultimately a tad frustrating. On the plus side there are some fantastic characters whose POV I enjoyed sharing, including the dragons, and the concept behind the series is engaging and original. Deas also isn't afraid to kill off characters in order to move the story along. So far so GRRM. However at times the story seems to jerk forward with little development or explanation and, considering that this is book 3 of a trilogy, we don't get much in the way of a resolution or wrap of the overall 'dragons seeking their freedom' theme which seemed to me the major plot arc here. In many ways I felt that this was an extended prequel for another series of books which will delve more into the mystery of where the dragons came from and who the silver mages are, which is a weakness in my eyes. If it hadn't been marketed as a trilogy I'd have rated it a 4 star; after all, you can't beat a bit of dragon on dragon action despite the flaws in the story telling.
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