Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "dark-fantasy"

Pure Dark Fantasy Adventure of the grim, vulgar, comical, and morally ambiguous character. Blackfeather has ugly depths, rounded off by superb characterisation. For those familiar with the genre: witch, curses, hardship, pagan gods, zealotry, and brewing vengeance.

The Red Eyed Witch’s abominable curse will be avenged by young misguided Rook, who will take leave of his village, and perhaps his senses, to hunt her; an undertaking that repeatedly appears beyond his capabilities. Rook’s grim memory of past wrongs committed to him has shaped him into a cold icy man with aggressive impulses, especially when he feels threatened.

Servant to a wealthy family, trained to become a swordsman, and learning of the whereabouts of the witch, Rook desperately requires “city skills”. Solmourne itself was an incredible feat of writing; with diverse dark characters lurking everywhere, murky canals, “clean” prostitutes, and just that extra bit of the unusual. A variety of obscene and hilarious sub-characters gave the setting personality and contrast. Superb characterisation; it’s Game of Thrones without raising characters’ hopes. Nobody pretended life was going to be much more than the dung-heap it was.

Criticism: The flashbacks of the witch’s curse were chilling, and though I thoroughly enjoyed Rook’s adventure in Solmourne, I felt as if the original quest was sometimes forgotten or sidelined. It would have been nice to have a few more battles or tests for Rook because his observations or those of other characters seemed more important. Rook grew as a character, mostly reacting rather than acting.

Overall, Blackfeather was an astounding accomplishment. The writing, setting, characterisation, and the plot will blast you into a vivid medieval world that would have been difficult to otherwise imagine. Wow!

Sorcerer-thinker Drusas Achamian hopes to find the home of the mind-reading Dunyain to learn the past of Aspect-Emperor Kellhus Anasurimbor who conquered the Three Seas and … let’s not forget … stole Achamian’s wife! On the trek to Ishual, he’s accompanied by his daughter, who is a spitting image of his wife and a constant reminder of his resolution to undo Kellhus.

There are mysteries on the trek, and the band is one of unsavoury characters headed by the unflinching murderer that is Captain Kosoter, who seems invincible and who none dare cross. Captain Kosoter has a hold over borderline-insane ancient sorcerer Cleric – who isn’t that bad really when you’re on his good side. Cleric holds a pouch full of black powder the band are addicted to and ritually consume, ‘Qirri’, but they don’t actually know what it is.

Much of TWLW follows Kellhus’ ‘Great Ordeal’, which is an army on a path to prevent a future apocalypse, from the point of view of king-without-a-backbone Sorweel, who never knows if he’s loyal to his dead father or whether he should just fit in and do as he’s told by his conquerors. He’s an intentionally weak character among the god-like Anasurimbor family and their immense army, composed as it is of what R Scott Bakker likes to call ignorant or prideful ‘men’, but who I think of as blabbering fools who aren’t keen on listening. The progression of the army and its encounters were fun, but not when they were from the point of view of the said blabbering fools!

It’s an engrossing book of immersive characters and situations in an endless flow of excellent material. However manipulative, heartless, violent, pathetic, despicable or flawed the characters are you can’t help but enjoy reading their trials and how weak, small, and vulnerable they feel in an overwhelming complex world. Do they put their loyalty or belief in this god or the other one, in this ruler or the other? I’d say TWLW was better than its predecessor The Judging Eye. TWLW puts you straight into the action, and doesn’t let go. There is always something happening. I’m anxious to read the next!