Aaron's Series Challenge

[Aaron]

Well I forgot this was a Fantasy club and so I have dropped all the Sci Fi I had in the list. Makes this much more likely to be done.

Powder Mage - Brian McClellan 3/3
Night Angel - Brent Weeks 0/3
Raven's Shadow - Anthony Ryan 0/3
Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne - Brian Staveley 3/3
Codex Alera - Jim Butcher 0/6
The Broken Empire - Mark Lawrence 1/3
The Red Queen's War - Mark Lawrence 0/3

Wish me luck!

[Rowan]

Good luck... :)

[Helen, I·ᴍ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪʙʀᴀʀʏ]

Hey, we're happy for you to finish a sci-fi series.

[Angela]

Good luck Aaron.

[Aaron]

Thank you and it's all good :) TBH I am more likely to get the above done.. and anything to put off Dune haha. I am keen for it but the length of the series is daunting.

[Aaron]

Prince of Thorns - Mark Lawrence

Well I finally finished The Prince of Thorns, book one in the Broken Empire series. Whilst it looks like it took me over a month the reality is I have been unable to read in the last month.

(view spoiler)[ The book itself was very different from what I was expecting going in. Granted I hadn’t actually heard anything about it so expecting the standard hero format but instead getting Jorg of Ancrath was… shocking to say the least. I understand that you are not meant to like the character and for that, I commend Mark Lawrence for taking that approach, not many authors would be willing to take that kind of risk on their first novel.

I originally found it strange that it was set on Earth, as most of my limited fantasy experience the author has created their own worlds. But once I got to "that" moment It made sense and was probably my favorite reveal/moment of the book.

The writing is done very well, although personally, I prefer slightly more descriptive fantasy. None of the characters are likable though that is by design so that is actually a compliment. Can’t remember another time I have actively hoped the main character didn’t survive. The plot took a little bit of time to get going but was decent enough to keep you reading through the pages. (hide spoiler)]

I plan to read on but my give it a slight break between books to settle it in my mind.

[Aaron]

The Emperor's Blades - Brian Staveley

Not much to say as I plan to move straight through this series as I really enjoyed the first book.

The plot had me hooked almost instantly and the pacing, for me, was just right. But it's the World Building that I am most impressed with, I can not wait to find out more about the land and its history.

Hope the rest of the series is up to this standard.

[Aaron]

Providence of Fire - Brian Staveley

Valyn is an idiot, Adare and Kaden aren't far off. But still, the book is so good. I do hope that we get some smarter decisions in the final book, but I am taking a slight break with a small book before finishing it, just to let everything settle into place.

[Angela]

Great progress Aaron. I enjoyed the Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne trilogy, even if sometimes the characters annoyed me. Especially Adare.

[Helen, I·ᴍ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪʙʀᴀʀʏ]

Lol

[Aaron]

The Last Mortal Bond - Brian Staveley

Solid end to an outstanding series, but I do feel like this was the weakest entry. While a lot of questions got answered there is still a lot about the world we don't know, and I guess we never will.

(view spoiler)[Having Gwenna and the team more involved in the story was a great move as her POV chapters were some of the best. In fact, those 3 ended up being some of my favorite characters. While all three Malkeenian characters are more competent than they were in the last book, I was not a fan of the direction Valyn was taken. He felt, almost, like an entirely different character. I kept thinking, what if Ha Lin saw him like this? Also once he met up with his team again he should have reverted. "Losing" them was one of the main turning points for him.

Overall the plot throughout the series is fantastic, and you are thrown enough doubt throughout to keep you guessing which truth is real. The one thing I would change is how 2 of the 3 final fights go down. Balendin dies without a word and Nira/Oshi happens offscreen (who wouldn't want to see the last two Atmani going out it) (hide spoiler)]

Still, happy to recommend this, everyone should read the series, it is amazing for a debut trilogy. Brian Staveley will be an author to follow in the future.

[Scott]

You should read the prequel Skullsworn which was very good as well.

[Aaron]

Thanks for the recommendation Scott, I plan on reading that pretty soon, Pyrre was one of the most interesting characters so I am looking forward to it.