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The Monarchies of God #3-5
Century of the Soldier
THE TIME OF THE WOLF IS AT HAND...
Struck down in his moment of victory, Hebrion's young King Abeleyn lies in a coma, his city in ruins and his fiancée and former lover vying for the throne. Corfe Cear-Inaf, now a colonel, is given a ragtag command of ill-equipped savages and sent on a hopeless mission by a jealous King who expects him to fail.
Richard Hawkwood and Lord Murad return bearing news of horror on a savage new continent, with something terrible lurking in the hold.
The Church is tearing itself apart, even as the champions of truth fight to bring peace between Ramusian and Merduk; but in the far West, a terrible new threat is rearing its head...
The Century of the Soldier collects the final three books in Paul Kearney's explosive The Monarchies of God series, revised and expanded for this edition: 'The Iron Wars', 'The Second Empire' and 'Ships From The West'.
Struck down in his moment of victory, Hebrion's young King Abeleyn lies in a coma, his city in ruins and his fiancée and former lover vying for the throne. Corfe Cear-Inaf, now a colonel, is given a ragtag command of ill-equipped savages and sent on a hopeless mission by a jealous King who expects him to fail.
Richard Hawkwood and Lord Murad return bearing news of horror on a savage new continent, with something terrible lurking in the hold.
The Church is tearing itself apart, even as the champions of truth fight to bring peace between Ramusian and Merduk; but in the far West, a terrible new threat is rearing its head...
The Century of the Soldier collects the final three books in Paul Kearney's explosive The Monarchies of God series, revised and expanded for this edition: 'The Iron Wars', 'The Second Empire' and 'Ships From The West'.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
33 people are currently reading
395 people want to read
About the author
Paul Kearney
35 books528 followersPaul Kearney was born in rural County Antrim, Ireland, in 1967. His father was a butcher, and his mother was a nurse. He rode horses, had lots of cousins, and cut turf and baled hay. He often smelled of cowshit.
He grew up through the worst of the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland, a time when bombs and gunfire were part of every healthy young boy's adolescence. He developed an unhealthy interest in firearms and Blowing Things Up - but what growing boy hasn't?
By some fluke of fate he managed to get to Oxford University, and studied Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Middle English.
He began writing books because he had no other choice. His first, written at aged sixteen, was a magnificent epic, influenced heavily by James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Robert E Howard, and Playboy. It was enormous, colourful, purple-prosed, and featured a lot of Very Large Swords.
His second was rather better, and was published by Victor Gollancz over a very boozy lunch with a very shrewd editor.
Luckily, in those days editors met authors face to face, and Kearney's Irish charm wangled him a long series of contracts with Gollancz, and other publishers. He still thinks he can't write for toffee, but others have, insanely, begged to differ.
Kearney has been writing full-time for twenty-eight years now, and can't imagine doing anything else. Though he has often tried.
He grew up through the worst of the 'Troubles' in Northern Ireland, a time when bombs and gunfire were part of every healthy young boy's adolescence. He developed an unhealthy interest in firearms and Blowing Things Up - but what growing boy hasn't?
By some fluke of fate he managed to get to Oxford University, and studied Old Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Middle English.
He began writing books because he had no other choice. His first, written at aged sixteen, was a magnificent epic, influenced heavily by James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Robert E Howard, and Playboy. It was enormous, colourful, purple-prosed, and featured a lot of Very Large Swords.
His second was rather better, and was published by Victor Gollancz over a very boozy lunch with a very shrewd editor.
Luckily, in those days editors met authors face to face, and Kearney's Irish charm wangled him a long series of contracts with Gollancz, and other publishers. He still thinks he can't write for toffee, but others have, insanely, begged to differ.
Kearney has been writing full-time for twenty-eight years now, and can't imagine doing anything else. Though he has often tried.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 31, 2018
Heavy guns, small-arms, men shouting to encourage themselves or intimidate others. Men screaming in agony -a noise unlike any other. It all coalesced into a stupendous barrage of sound which stressed the senses to the point of overload. And when one was in the middle of it -right in the belly of that murderous madness -it could invade the mind, spurring men on to inexplicable heroism or craven cowardice. Laying bare the very core of the soul. Until it had been experienced, no man could predict how he would react to it.
August 13, 2017
This review covers the whole Monarchies of God series. I loved the first book in the series and while the whole series didn't quite live up to that book it is still a very strong, well written military fantasy series that has a bit of everything- great military and battle scenes, political machinations, religious factions battling each other and some of the seven kingdoms, magic and horror. And GRRM has nothing on Kearney when it comes to killing off characters.
8/10
8/10
July 20, 2018
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December 12, 2017
A great clash of civilisations is underway. From the east and north come the Merduks of Ostrabar, having overthrown the Holy City of Aekir and now prosecuting the invasion of Torunna. Stymied before the guns of Ormann Dyke, the Merduks have now outflanked the fortress through a seaborne invasion and threaten to destroy its defenders from the rear. From the west an army of the Fimbrian Republic marches to Torunna's relief, but the ultimate fate of the kingdom rests in the hands of a lowly cavalry colonel and his ragtag troops.
The heretic kings Abeleyn of Hebrion and Mark of Astarac have regained their thrones and thrown back the forces of the Himerian Church, but a greater danger is now unveiled as a single ragged ship flees out of the Great Western Ocean, bearing stories of madness and death in a new and untamed land.
Century of the Soldier collects together the latter three volumes of Paul Kearney's Monarchies of God series: The Iron Wars (1999), The Second Empire (2000) and Ships From the West (2002), and concludes the series in a strong, if not flawless, manner.
The structure of this omnibus is different to that of the first. The Iron Wars and The Second Empire form one long narrative as the Ramusian and Merduk armies clash for dominance of eastern Normannia, civil conflict breaks out within the Ramusian Church over certain revelations about its origins and as Abeleyn battles to hold his throne, whilst Ships From the West is effectively a sequel to the rest of the series, set seventeen years further down the line when the threat glimpsed during Richard Hawkwood's adventures is finally unleashed in full fury. The success of this structure has been hotly debated over the years, with a general feeling that Ships From the West is not as strong a conclusion as may be wished.
Before reaching that point, the third and fourth books are a triumph. Whilst writing them Kearney took part in massive American Civil War re-enactments in the USA and this informs the writing of the several huge battle sequences in these volumes, among the most impressively-described ever achieved in the epic fantasy subgenre (the Battle of the North More, the King's Battle and the conflagration at Armagedir vastly outstrip any of the battles in A Song of Ice and Fire or the Malazan series in their vividness). Yet Kearney is implacable in his refusal to glorify warfare. It is depicted as brutal and horrific, particularly a jaw-dropping sequence in the fourth volume when Kearney nails the problems faced by commanders when a small Torunnan force has to stand by outside a town being sacked by a large enemy formation whilst awaiting reinforcements. It's a horrible and disturbing scene, dropped in as an ugly reality check amongst the impressive cavalry charges and roaring artillery exchanges, and works very well.
His character-building is also impressive, with Corfe becoming a particularly well-realised figure. His extremely rapid rise from ensign to colonel and to higher rank is on the fast side (although, that said, Napoleon's rise from artilleryman to general was fairly meteoric as well) but in the context of the story it is plausible. The notion of a man stripped of all the things that connects him to the world save his abilities in war becoming a great general is a familiar one, backed up here by a tragedy which the reader is aware of long before the characters, leading to a powerful conclusion that should feel contrived, but doesn't thanks to the circumstances that leads the characters to that point.
A bigger problem in these two volumes is that events in the west take not so much of a back seat as an extended vacation, with Hawkwood and Murad's appearances reduced to mere cameos despite the gravity of the new threat from the west. However, this does resolutely focus the narrative on Corfe's story, to its benefit.
The final volume of the series has been criticised over the years for a number of reasons (most stringently by the author himself), and Kearney has addressed some of these issues through around 5,000 words of new material and rewrites. The fates of several characters left unresolved in the original book are now made clearer (most notably Avila and Abeleyn) and there are some tweaks here and there which clarify certain points. However, the biggest problem with the book, namely the extreme rapidity of the passage of events and the rushed feeling of the book (despite their short lengths by epic fantasy standards, the previous four books never felt rushed, whilst the fifth does), remains an issue, as does a potential plot hole regarding the fact that the enemy's Achilles heel as been extremely well-known since the first volume but is not militarily exploited until quite late in the day here, despite the seventeen years of preperation for the conflict.
That said, whilst the fifth book does not fulfil its true potential, it is also hardly a disaster of the same magnitude as Greg Keyes' The Born Queen (which wrecked the series almost beyond redemption) or Alan Campbell's God of Clocks (which rendered the entire trilogy pointless). The character and story arcs are brought to satisfying, if exceptionally bloody, conclusions and there is a dark irony in the conclusion which is still grimly amusing.
Century of the Soldier (****½) is an epic fantasy book about war, the reasons for it, what it costs people and the fact that its resolution is rarely just or dramatic. The final volume remains a little undercooked, although Kearney's rewrites do alleviate some of the issues, but overall this is a worthy conclusion to the story begun in the first omnibus. The book is available now in the UK and USA.
The heretic kings Abeleyn of Hebrion and Mark of Astarac have regained their thrones and thrown back the forces of the Himerian Church, but a greater danger is now unveiled as a single ragged ship flees out of the Great Western Ocean, bearing stories of madness and death in a new and untamed land.
Century of the Soldier collects together the latter three volumes of Paul Kearney's Monarchies of God series: The Iron Wars (1999), The Second Empire (2000) and Ships From the West (2002), and concludes the series in a strong, if not flawless, manner.
The structure of this omnibus is different to that of the first. The Iron Wars and The Second Empire form one long narrative as the Ramusian and Merduk armies clash for dominance of eastern Normannia, civil conflict breaks out within the Ramusian Church over certain revelations about its origins and as Abeleyn battles to hold his throne, whilst Ships From the West is effectively a sequel to the rest of the series, set seventeen years further down the line when the threat glimpsed during Richard Hawkwood's adventures is finally unleashed in full fury. The success of this structure has been hotly debated over the years, with a general feeling that Ships From the West is not as strong a conclusion as may be wished.
Before reaching that point, the third and fourth books are a triumph. Whilst writing them Kearney took part in massive American Civil War re-enactments in the USA and this informs the writing of the several huge battle sequences in these volumes, among the most impressively-described ever achieved in the epic fantasy subgenre (the Battle of the North More, the King's Battle and the conflagration at Armagedir vastly outstrip any of the battles in A Song of Ice and Fire or the Malazan series in their vividness). Yet Kearney is implacable in his refusal to glorify warfare. It is depicted as brutal and horrific, particularly a jaw-dropping sequence in the fourth volume when Kearney nails the problems faced by commanders when a small Torunnan force has to stand by outside a town being sacked by a large enemy formation whilst awaiting reinforcements. It's a horrible and disturbing scene, dropped in as an ugly reality check amongst the impressive cavalry charges and roaring artillery exchanges, and works very well.
His character-building is also impressive, with Corfe becoming a particularly well-realised figure. His extremely rapid rise from ensign to colonel and to higher rank is on the fast side (although, that said, Napoleon's rise from artilleryman to general was fairly meteoric as well) but in the context of the story it is plausible. The notion of a man stripped of all the things that connects him to the world save his abilities in war becoming a great general is a familiar one, backed up here by a tragedy which the reader is aware of long before the characters, leading to a powerful conclusion that should feel contrived, but doesn't thanks to the circumstances that leads the characters to that point.
A bigger problem in these two volumes is that events in the west take not so much of a back seat as an extended vacation, with Hawkwood and Murad's appearances reduced to mere cameos despite the gravity of the new threat from the west. However, this does resolutely focus the narrative on Corfe's story, to its benefit.
The final volume of the series has been criticised over the years for a number of reasons (most stringently by the author himself), and Kearney has addressed some of these issues through around 5,000 words of new material and rewrites. The fates of several characters left unresolved in the original book are now made clearer (most notably Avila and Abeleyn) and there are some tweaks here and there which clarify certain points. However, the biggest problem with the book, namely the extreme rapidity of the passage of events and the rushed feeling of the book (despite their short lengths by epic fantasy standards, the previous four books never felt rushed, whilst the fifth does), remains an issue, as does a potential plot hole regarding the fact that the enemy's Achilles heel as been extremely well-known since the first volume but is not militarily exploited until quite late in the day here, despite the seventeen years of preperation for the conflict.
That said, whilst the fifth book does not fulfil its true potential, it is also hardly a disaster of the same magnitude as Greg Keyes' The Born Queen (which wrecked the series almost beyond redemption) or Alan Campbell's God of Clocks (which rendered the entire trilogy pointless). The character and story arcs are brought to satisfying, if exceptionally bloody, conclusions and there is a dark irony in the conclusion which is still grimly amusing.
Century of the Soldier (****½) is an epic fantasy book about war, the reasons for it, what it costs people and the fact that its resolution is rarely just or dramatic. The final volume remains a little undercooked, although Kearney's rewrites do alleviate some of the issues, but overall this is a worthy conclusion to the story begun in the first omnibus. The book is available now in the UK and USA.
February 14, 2019
I really enjoyed this series as a whole, but i felt a bit let down at the end. I think the author lost his way with story and ended up leaving it somewhat rushed and unfinished.
February 25, 2015
I really wanted to give this series four stars but Mr. Kearney screws us near the end of the story. The series is, to me, that good up to this point. As I noted in my review of the earlier omnibus (books 1 & 2), his writing is good solid military fantasy.
As the story winds down it feels as if the writer lost all enthusiasm for this project. The problem is he hooked us and he really needed to finish strong rather than turn his back and give us the finger. So what, specifically, am I complaining about?
Bardolin's conversion to Aruan's general happens in between books, "off stage." We are invested enough in Bardolin from the earlier books that he deserved to have this transition "on the stage." And later, too much of his negotiations with Golophin are only hinted at until the very end.
The loss of King Abeleyn wasn't TOO poorly written but it was still overly abrupt for a character who survived so much. He gets swarmed in a sea battle and that is the last we see of him.
The conclusion between Murad and Hawkwood (along with the end of Isolla) was tragically wooden. C'mon! Of all the characters beyond Corfe we have the most investment in Hawkwood. Why is his fight with Murad told to us almost by 3rd party? It isn't technically written that way but it sure felt like it. We have chapters of cat and mouse on the high seas ended so abruptly as to feel cheated. Golophin has the power of translocation and he sacrificed much of himself (and Isolla) to heal Hawkwood before. Why could he not have shown up to save him from a festering wound?
Jemilla's lie about her son's father is just left to fester? There isn't even any value in it, with the Fimbrians taking over the world at the end. It would have felt so much more "right" for Bleyn to know who his father really was, especially at Hawkwood's end.
And finally, we do not get enough time with Aruan, considering he is the entire counterbalance to the forces of non-magical humanity, the ultimate villain of the story. It felt like the author himself cared only about Corfe's tale and the story suffered mightily for it.
As the story winds down it feels as if the writer lost all enthusiasm for this project. The problem is he hooked us and he really needed to finish strong rather than turn his back and give us the finger. So what, specifically, am I complaining about?
Bardolin's conversion to Aruan's general happens in between books, "off stage." We are invested enough in Bardolin from the earlier books that he deserved to have this transition "on the stage." And later, too much of his negotiations with Golophin are only hinted at until the very end.
The loss of King Abeleyn wasn't TOO poorly written but it was still overly abrupt for a character who survived so much. He gets swarmed in a sea battle and that is the last we see of him.
The conclusion between Murad and Hawkwood (along with the end of Isolla) was tragically wooden. C'mon! Of all the characters beyond Corfe we have the most investment in Hawkwood. Why is his fight with Murad told to us almost by 3rd party? It isn't technically written that way but it sure felt like it. We have chapters of cat and mouse on the high seas ended so abruptly as to feel cheated. Golophin has the power of translocation and he sacrificed much of himself (and Isolla) to heal Hawkwood before. Why could he not have shown up to save him from a festering wound?
Jemilla's lie about her son's father is just left to fester? There isn't even any value in it, with the Fimbrians taking over the world at the end. It would have felt so much more "right" for Bleyn to know who his father really was, especially at Hawkwood's end.
And finally, we do not get enough time with Aruan, considering he is the entire counterbalance to the forces of non-magical humanity, the ultimate villain of the story. It felt like the author himself cared only about Corfe's tale and the story suffered mightily for it.
May 30, 2011
This is one of my favorite series of all time and Corfe is one of my favorite characters. Paul Kearney writes some of the most emotionally charged scenes I've ever read. Do yourself a favor and buy The Monarchies of God series.
December 1, 2023
Aaaaaand done. Phew. That's a grand total of 1520-odd pages set in a very small font, and my eyes will never be the same again. Beware, for there are likely spoilers ahead.
If Carlsberg did under-appreciated fantasy epics, the result would look something like The Monarchies of God. Across five - relatively slender, if you figure 300 pages for each one - volumes, Paul Kearney follows the lives and deaths of a handful of kings, queens, mariners, mages and soldiers as they change the nature of two religions and transform the geopolitical history of an entire continent, with all the blood and thunder such an epic canvas demands. Where the first two books (collected in an omnibus edition, Hawkwood and the Kings) spread themselves across the main cast, giving each a chance to either shine or suffer (mostly a mix of both), Century of the Soldier as its title suggests focuses far more on the travels and travails of Corfe and it becomes clear that he is Kearney's focal protagonist. One by one the other characters fall by the wayside or are sidelined so that by the time the reader reaches Ships From The West even Richard Hawkwood has only a small portion of the limelight and his nemesis/antagonist Murad is but a caricature of his former self. Corfe meanwhile endures truly Gemmellian levels of emotional hardship, especially after he discovers the truth that his wife Heria still lives.
Under the pen of another author such decisions might not have been made and more time given to Hawkwood et al, but despite the disappointment in not seeing enough of favourite characters as the series progresses (and some epic battles actually happen unseen, away from the narrative, just to ensure the focus stays tightly on Kearney's path) you can also imagine how the series would have bogged down under such an inflated text. It's maybe a divisive tactic, but by paring the narrative down to a single path Kearney gives himself much more leeway in the final apocalyptic volume.
And here, enter the werewolves. And werelobsters. And were-pretty much everything, though the wolves are the major players. If this hadn't been signalled back in the second book (The Heretic Kings) you might start to think that Ships From The West was tacked onto the end to provide closure, just like Season 5 of Babylon 5. As it is, the narrative leaps 17 years to allow for the birth and growth of new characters, and in that time the overall Big Bad sorcerer Aruan has affected to take over most of the Western kingdoms. Somehow, Palpatine returned.
Once over that stumbling block, the reader will find Ships From the West to be the most grim of the five books in the series. Most of the grimness can be placed square at Corfe's feet, though none of it is truly his fault. Little wonder the poor man just wants to lose himself in battle. Kearney starts clearing the decks as early as the prologue, with the scuttling of the Osprey and doesn't stop until Corfe is at last at rest. Between those two points are mountains of fighting, armies and crews ground up as grist for the story. The tone is different to the other books - Kearney has a lot of "telling" to do and little time for "showing".
Worth your while? If you missed this series first time around (and let's face it, most people did) and you've a hankering for something that tastes of Gemmell, of Gwynne, with some of the emotional gutting and precision language of Smith Spark, then I'd say yes. If it's not perfect, it's pretty close to Carlsberg.
If Carlsberg did under-appreciated fantasy epics, the result would look something like The Monarchies of God. Across five - relatively slender, if you figure 300 pages for each one - volumes, Paul Kearney follows the lives and deaths of a handful of kings, queens, mariners, mages and soldiers as they change the nature of two religions and transform the geopolitical history of an entire continent, with all the blood and thunder such an epic canvas demands. Where the first two books (collected in an omnibus edition, Hawkwood and the Kings) spread themselves across the main cast, giving each a chance to either shine or suffer (mostly a mix of both), Century of the Soldier as its title suggests focuses far more on the travels and travails of Corfe and it becomes clear that he is Kearney's focal protagonist. One by one the other characters fall by the wayside or are sidelined so that by the time the reader reaches Ships From The West even Richard Hawkwood has only a small portion of the limelight and his nemesis/antagonist Murad is but a caricature of his former self. Corfe meanwhile endures truly Gemmellian levels of emotional hardship, especially after he discovers the truth that his wife Heria still lives.
Under the pen of another author such decisions might not have been made and more time given to Hawkwood et al, but despite the disappointment in not seeing enough of favourite characters as the series progresses (and some epic battles actually happen unseen, away from the narrative, just to ensure the focus stays tightly on Kearney's path) you can also imagine how the series would have bogged down under such an inflated text. It's maybe a divisive tactic, but by paring the narrative down to a single path Kearney gives himself much more leeway in the final apocalyptic volume.
And here, enter the werewolves. And werelobsters. And were-pretty much everything, though the wolves are the major players. If this hadn't been signalled back in the second book (The Heretic Kings) you might start to think that Ships From The West was tacked onto the end to provide closure, just like Season 5 of Babylon 5. As it is, the narrative leaps 17 years to allow for the birth and growth of new characters, and in that time the overall Big Bad sorcerer Aruan has affected to take over most of the Western kingdoms. Somehow, Palpatine returned.
Once over that stumbling block, the reader will find Ships From the West to be the most grim of the five books in the series. Most of the grimness can be placed square at Corfe's feet, though none of it is truly his fault. Little wonder the poor man just wants to lose himself in battle. Kearney starts clearing the decks as early as the prologue, with the scuttling of the Osprey and doesn't stop until Corfe is at last at rest. Between those two points are mountains of fighting, armies and crews ground up as grist for the story. The tone is different to the other books - Kearney has a lot of "telling" to do and little time for "showing".
Worth your while? If you missed this series first time around (and let's face it, most people did) and you've a hankering for something that tastes of Gemmell, of Gwynne, with some of the emotional gutting and precision language of Smith Spark, then I'd say yes. If it's not perfect, it's pretty close to Carlsberg.
February 16, 2019
Century of the Soldier is an omnibus that stitches three books into one volume. The books being "The Iron Wars", "The Second Empire", and "Ships From The West". This finishes off the Monarchies of God cycle. With as few spoilers as possible, I'd like to talk about how well it accomplishes this.
THE IRON WARS
Book 3 picks up the story as well as can be expected. The reader is back in the action right away, and the plot moves swiftly along, giving us more war, more arcane terror, and more religious treachery.
My only issue with the book is the absence of Richard Hawkwood. He and his plot do not show up at all in The Iron Wars, and while that means he's only absent for the first quarter of this Century of the Soldier omnibus, it means fans of the book when this series still ran had to wait a whole extra book to find out what happened to Richard after the events of the previous book. And since he was the best part of that book, it just seems like a bad structural decision. However, in the context of this being an omnibus made of SHORT books, it wasn't that big an issue.
THE SECOND EMPIRE
Book 4 DOES finally give us Richard Hawkwood chapters, and as before, they're great. But this book would probably be my least favorite in the entire series. Except for the ending and Hawkwood's plot, this book feels like it has little reason to exist. It does the same things the previous books did, and the events that transpire within this one feel extremely rushed and glossed over. That's how many of the plots feel at this point.
But the ending does change up the plot quite a bit, and is one of the most bittersweet things I've ever read. The character development for one character in particular is really good, and I found myself quite invested in the tragedy of his love life, and I never care for love plots.
All in all, a good read still, but the ending and Richard's plot could have been shifted back into The Iron Wars, and the series would feel less repetitive.
SHIPS FROM THE WEST
The final book really shakes things up. Yes, it continues the plots and characters established in previous books, but it makes a narrative decision that really jars and breaks the flow of the story. By the time I got acclimated to the change, I felt like the change didn't even matter. These developments could have been shifted back into the previous books, and it would have been more consistent.
But it's in this final book where the rushed nature of the story really shows itself. Many resolutions feel heartless and glossed over, confrontations feel underwhelming and less important than previous books, and characters feel even more one-note than they did before. This series gets the ending it deserves, yes, but the delivery is severely anti-climactic and bland.
CENTURY OF THE SOLDIER
So, the omnibus. I typically don't talk about the formatting of a book, but the copy I got was really bad, during The Second Empire. Numerous typos, frequent lack of quotation marks, and even one instance of the wrong name. (A historical character named Kaile is at one point called Kyle.)
Despite my complaints, I did get wrapped up in this story. The focus was in all the right places, most of the time, and I am satisfied with the directions the story took. It's just that the way there could have been written better.
Worth a read if you liked the previous books.
THE IRON WARS
Book 3 picks up the story as well as can be expected. The reader is back in the action right away, and the plot moves swiftly along, giving us more war, more arcane terror, and more religious treachery.
My only issue with the book is the absence of Richard Hawkwood. He and his plot do not show up at all in The Iron Wars, and while that means he's only absent for the first quarter of this Century of the Soldier omnibus, it means fans of the book when this series still ran had to wait a whole extra book to find out what happened to Richard after the events of the previous book. And since he was the best part of that book, it just seems like a bad structural decision. However, in the context of this being an omnibus made of SHORT books, it wasn't that big an issue.
THE SECOND EMPIRE
Book 4 DOES finally give us Richard Hawkwood chapters, and as before, they're great. But this book would probably be my least favorite in the entire series. Except for the ending and Hawkwood's plot, this book feels like it has little reason to exist. It does the same things the previous books did, and the events that transpire within this one feel extremely rushed and glossed over. That's how many of the plots feel at this point.
But the ending does change up the plot quite a bit, and is one of the most bittersweet things I've ever read. The character development for one character in particular is really good, and I found myself quite invested in the tragedy of his love life, and I never care for love plots.
All in all, a good read still, but the ending and Richard's plot could have been shifted back into The Iron Wars, and the series would feel less repetitive.
SHIPS FROM THE WEST
The final book really shakes things up. Yes, it continues the plots and characters established in previous books, but it makes a narrative decision that really jars and breaks the flow of the story. By the time I got acclimated to the change, I felt like the change didn't even matter. These developments could have been shifted back into the previous books, and it would have been more consistent.
But it's in this final book where the rushed nature of the story really shows itself. Many resolutions feel heartless and glossed over, confrontations feel underwhelming and less important than previous books, and characters feel even more one-note than they did before. This series gets the ending it deserves, yes, but the delivery is severely anti-climactic and bland.
CENTURY OF THE SOLDIER
So, the omnibus. I typically don't talk about the formatting of a book, but the copy I got was really bad, during The Second Empire. Numerous typos, frequent lack of quotation marks, and even one instance of the wrong name. (A historical character named Kaile is at one point called Kyle.)
Despite my complaints, I did get wrapped up in this story. The focus was in all the right places, most of the time, and I am satisfied with the directions the story took. It's just that the way there could have been written better.
Worth a read if you liked the previous books.
August 24, 2022
There are two main conflicts here. The first is the war with the Middle-Eastern-like culture. The second is the civil war between the secular rulers and the religious leaders (which includes Hawkwood's journey across the ocean).
I'm torn because the war between the two cultures becomes increasingly epic, nuanced, and interesting. My frustration with a generic European-like culture being invaded by a generic Middle-Eastern-like culture faded away as the monks dug into the religious texts and added to the lore underpinning both of these cultures. That extra layer added something special. And, damn, the battles, the tension! This may be the most riveting war in all of fantasy.
But I'm torn because the religious war became very silly very quickly. We have a scary enemy made lame by a generic and crippling weakness. The religious leader isn't all that interesting of a villain, either. He's so powerful that it's hard to imagine what he might do, making the rules less clear, and thus undermining the stakes. But he winds up not really doing anything, which makes little sense, and so it ruins the internal logic of the story.
So, overall, we've got one awesome story, another that's not so great. Still, the writing is beautiful, the protagonists are worth caring about, and none of them are safe, keeping the tension incredibly high. It gripped me to the end. I enjoyed it very much.
I'm torn because the war between the two cultures becomes increasingly epic, nuanced, and interesting. My frustration with a generic European-like culture being invaded by a generic Middle-Eastern-like culture faded away as the monks dug into the religious texts and added to the lore underpinning both of these cultures. That extra layer added something special. And, damn, the battles, the tension! This may be the most riveting war in all of fantasy.
But I'm torn because the religious war became very silly very quickly. We have a scary enemy made lame by a generic and crippling weakness. The religious leader isn't all that interesting of a villain, either. He's so powerful that it's hard to imagine what he might do, making the rules less clear, and thus undermining the stakes. But he winds up not really doing anything, which makes little sense, and so it ruins the internal logic of the story.
So, overall, we've got one awesome story, another that's not so great. Still, the writing is beautiful, the protagonists are worth caring about, and none of them are safe, keeping the tension incredibly high. It gripped me to the end. I enjoyed it very much.
April 11, 2016
Dentro da literatura de fantasia contemporânea, um dos maiores desafios dos autores é manter várias narrativas paralelas e centenas de personagens sem inflar muito o número de páginas. A dramatização de cenas, a necessidade de mostrar de maneira cinematográfica os acontecimentos, algo exigido pelo leitor de fantasia contemporânea, faz com que a maioria dos autores gastem muitas páginas, tanto na exposição, construção do cenário quanto na dramatização. Mas, ao terminar a saga Monarquias de Deus, de Paul Kearney, fiquei impressionado com sua habilidade de condensar a narrativa e de focar a trama nas cenas extremamente essenciais para a história, intercalando com sumários narrativos muito bem escritos. Nas mãos de um outro escritor, a saga Monarquias de Deus levaria três vezes mais páginas do que as mil e oitocentas que ele usou!
A saga e seu autor estão começando a se tornar conhecidos entre o público de fantasia, e com justiça. A série, como descrevi na resenha do primeiro volume, é uma mistura de fantasia brutal ao estilo George R. R. Martin com aventura marítima (como as descritas na excelente literatura de Patrick O´Brian, que teve um dos seus livros adaptado para o filme Mestre dos Mares, com o Russel “Gladiador” Crowe). Kearney é um especialista em navegação marítima, e essa sua especialidade aparece na narrativa, principalmente nas ótimas cenas de combate marítimo.
Nesse segundo volume, chamado Century of the Soldier, que reúne os terceiros, quarto e quinto volumes lançados originalmente (respetivamente The Iron Wars (1999), The Second Empire (2000) e Ships From the West (2002)), Kearney narra o conflito entre duas civilizações, os Merduks de Ostrabar (inspirados nos reinos árabes medievais) e o reino de Torunna (que é uma mistura de reinos ocidentais medievais com uma ética guerreira quase espartana). Além desse conflito, vindo de um continente inexplorado no ocidente, surge a ameaça do Segundo Império, um exército de transmorfos, magos, bruxas, feiticeiros e monstros, liderados por um arquimago imortal em busca da dominação completa dos reinos humanos.
A estrutura desse volume é diferente do anterior, que conta uma narrativa única. Dentro do Century of the Soldier, os volumes Iron Wars e The Second Empire contam uma história completa, dos conflitos entre os Merduks e os Ramusianos pelo domínio da Normannia oriental, enquanto uma guerra civil se inicia dentro da Igreja Ramusiana por conta das revelações de um monge quanto a origem da religião dos reinos da Normannia, e o Rei Abeley luta para manter o controle de seu trono.
Já o volume Ships From The West é uma sequência direta de toda a série, e se passa dezessete anos após o final do volume Second Empire. Nesse volume, a narrativa da asceção do Second Empire chega a um clímax bem forte, , apesar de um pouco corrido demais, até para o estilo do Kearney, mas que fecha todas as narrativas paralelas e dando destinos muitas vezes extremamente cruéis para os protagonistas.
É uma saga de fantasia de leitura rápida e emocionante. Kearney se tornou um dos meus autores favoritos na fantasia brutal, e pretendo ler tanto sua série Sea of Beggars (Mar dos Pedintes) incompleta por causa da burrice dos seus antigos editores) com The Mark of Ran (2004) e This Forsaken Earth (2006) e a elogiada série The Macth (dizem que é sangrenta até dizer chega, OWWW YESSSS!) que é composta pelos livros The Ten Thousand (2008), Corvus (2010)e Kings of Morning (2012. Fica a recomendação! :)
TÉCNICAS NARRATIVAS OBSERVADAS NO CENTURY OF THE SOLDIER:
Seguem algumas anotações que fiz durante a leitura:
Revertendo tropos: Uma das narrativas é da relação de amor entre o protagonista masculino, seguindo o tropo do herói guerreiro, e uma mulher bem mais velha (ele com trinta e ela com mais de sessenta anos), achei bem legal essa inversão do tropo tradicional nesse tipo de literatura (homem mais velho com mulher bem mais nova).
Compressão narrativa, cortando direto para o essencial e usando sumários narrativos de maneira habilidosa, entrecortada com micro cenas dramatizadas (mostradas ao invés de narradas). E a importância dos sumários narrativos em fantasia épica para mostrar um panorama geral, mas sempre correndo o risco de diminuir o interesse do leitor. Ler o Monarquias me lembrou que tenho que ler Guerra e Paz
Uso de cenas muito fortes de estupro de mulheres. Fortes mesmo, e que, apesar de ilustrarem a brutalidade e as realidades da guerra em um cenário pseudo-medieval-renascentistas, não foram tão essenciais para a narrativa.
Uso dos dilemas morais comuns em uma guerra, por exemplo, sacrificar uma vila para vencer uma batalha.
Uso de injustiça como mecanismo de trama, narrativas de traição sempre ajuda a revitalizar uma trama, o leitor fica do lado do injustiçado e continua lendo tentando ver se haverá punição para o traidor.
Usar os personagens uns contra os outros, sem limites. Como sempre conflito é a chave de narrativas interessantes.
PRÓXIMAS LEITURAS
Estou terminando de ler o The Art of Plotting, da Linda J. Cowgill, um livro muito comentado sobre estrutura de trama, estou gostando e devo postar uma resenhazinha por aqui. Devo terminar hoje mesmo, e começar o festiva de verdão doidimais Rubem Fonseca, o Rubão “sangue nos zóio, faca na guela”, meu mais recente vício na literatura. Lerei em sequência, os seguintes livros de contos do Rubão: Amálgama (2013), Feliz Ano Novo (1975), O Buraco na Parede (1995), O Cobrador (1979) e Pequenas Criaturas (2002, todos muito curtinhos mais fodásicos (esse povo semi-retardado nas editoras do Rubão tinha que lançar logo um “Obras Completas” do véio, ô caray sô!). Depois é cair de cabeça na trilogia Bas-Lag do China Mélville Perdido Street Station (2000), The Scar (2002)e o Iron Council (2004), intercalando com minha leitura obrigatória da saga completa do Tempo e o Vento do Érico “Monstro dos Pampas” Veríssimo: O Continente (1949), O Retrato (1951) e O Arquipélago (1962).
E vamos ler porque ler é doidimais! :D
A saga e seu autor estão começando a se tornar conhecidos entre o público de fantasia, e com justiça. A série, como descrevi na resenha do primeiro volume, é uma mistura de fantasia brutal ao estilo George R. R. Martin com aventura marítima (como as descritas na excelente literatura de Patrick O´Brian, que teve um dos seus livros adaptado para o filme Mestre dos Mares, com o Russel “Gladiador” Crowe). Kearney é um especialista em navegação marítima, e essa sua especialidade aparece na narrativa, principalmente nas ótimas cenas de combate marítimo.
Nesse segundo volume, chamado Century of the Soldier, que reúne os terceiros, quarto e quinto volumes lançados originalmente (respetivamente The Iron Wars (1999), The Second Empire (2000) e Ships From the West (2002)), Kearney narra o conflito entre duas civilizações, os Merduks de Ostrabar (inspirados nos reinos árabes medievais) e o reino de Torunna (que é uma mistura de reinos ocidentais medievais com uma ética guerreira quase espartana). Além desse conflito, vindo de um continente inexplorado no ocidente, surge a ameaça do Segundo Império, um exército de transmorfos, magos, bruxas, feiticeiros e monstros, liderados por um arquimago imortal em busca da dominação completa dos reinos humanos.
A estrutura desse volume é diferente do anterior, que conta uma narrativa única. Dentro do Century of the Soldier, os volumes Iron Wars e The Second Empire contam uma história completa, dos conflitos entre os Merduks e os Ramusianos pelo domínio da Normannia oriental, enquanto uma guerra civil se inicia dentro da Igreja Ramusiana por conta das revelações de um monge quanto a origem da religião dos reinos da Normannia, e o Rei Abeley luta para manter o controle de seu trono.
Já o volume Ships From The West é uma sequência direta de toda a série, e se passa dezessete anos após o final do volume Second Empire. Nesse volume, a narrativa da asceção do Second Empire chega a um clímax bem forte, , apesar de um pouco corrido demais, até para o estilo do Kearney, mas que fecha todas as narrativas paralelas e dando destinos muitas vezes extremamente cruéis para os protagonistas.
É uma saga de fantasia de leitura rápida e emocionante. Kearney se tornou um dos meus autores favoritos na fantasia brutal, e pretendo ler tanto sua série Sea of Beggars (Mar dos Pedintes) incompleta por causa da burrice dos seus antigos editores) com The Mark of Ran (2004) e This Forsaken Earth (2006) e a elogiada série The Macth (dizem que é sangrenta até dizer chega, OWWW YESSSS!) que é composta pelos livros The Ten Thousand (2008), Corvus (2010)e Kings of Morning (2012. Fica a recomendação! :)
TÉCNICAS NARRATIVAS OBSERVADAS NO CENTURY OF THE SOLDIER:
Seguem algumas anotações que fiz durante a leitura:
Revertendo tropos: Uma das narrativas é da relação de amor entre o protagonista masculino, seguindo o tropo do herói guerreiro, e uma mulher bem mais velha (ele com trinta e ela com mais de sessenta anos), achei bem legal essa inversão do tropo tradicional nesse tipo de literatura (homem mais velho com mulher bem mais nova).
Compressão narrativa, cortando direto para o essencial e usando sumários narrativos de maneira habilidosa, entrecortada com micro cenas dramatizadas (mostradas ao invés de narradas). E a importância dos sumários narrativos em fantasia épica para mostrar um panorama geral, mas sempre correndo o risco de diminuir o interesse do leitor. Ler o Monarquias me lembrou que tenho que ler Guerra e Paz
Uso de cenas muito fortes de estupro de mulheres. Fortes mesmo, e que, apesar de ilustrarem a brutalidade e as realidades da guerra em um cenário pseudo-medieval-renascentistas, não foram tão essenciais para a narrativa.
Uso dos dilemas morais comuns em uma guerra, por exemplo, sacrificar uma vila para vencer uma batalha.
Uso de injustiça como mecanismo de trama, narrativas de traição sempre ajuda a revitalizar uma trama, o leitor fica do lado do injustiçado e continua lendo tentando ver se haverá punição para o traidor.
Usar os personagens uns contra os outros, sem limites. Como sempre conflito é a chave de narrativas interessantes.
PRÓXIMAS LEITURAS
Estou terminando de ler o The Art of Plotting, da Linda J. Cowgill, um livro muito comentado sobre estrutura de trama, estou gostando e devo postar uma resenhazinha por aqui. Devo terminar hoje mesmo, e começar o festiva de verdão doidimais Rubem Fonseca, o Rubão “sangue nos zóio, faca na guela”, meu mais recente vício na literatura. Lerei em sequência, os seguintes livros de contos do Rubão: Amálgama (2013), Feliz Ano Novo (1975), O Buraco na Parede (1995), O Cobrador (1979) e Pequenas Criaturas (2002, todos muito curtinhos mais fodásicos (esse povo semi-retardado nas editoras do Rubão tinha que lançar logo um “Obras Completas” do véio, ô caray sô!). Depois é cair de cabeça na trilogia Bas-Lag do China Mélville Perdido Street Station (2000), The Scar (2002)e o Iron Council (2004), intercalando com minha leitura obrigatória da saga completa do Tempo e o Vento do Érico “Monstro dos Pampas” Veríssimo: O Continente (1949), O Retrato (1951) e O Arquipélago (1962).
E vamos ler porque ler é doidimais! :D
August 1, 2018
Lord almighty Paul, what a ride.
I’ve never been drawn into a book I despise so much. The victories are hollow, and the defeats brutal. But the main characters had depth for such short books, and made a lot of grey decisions. This series is cold, efficient and lethal.
I did have some gripes with it. There’s a lot penned in few pages and the series does seem rushed at times. A villain could have been better fleshed out, and there are a couple noticeable gaps in time I’m not sure we’re necessary. That said, I’m thrilled with the work all in all.
I’ve never been drawn into a book I despise so much. The victories are hollow, and the defeats brutal. But the main characters had depth for such short books, and made a lot of grey decisions. This series is cold, efficient and lethal.
I did have some gripes with it. There’s a lot penned in few pages and the series does seem rushed at times. A villain could have been better fleshed out, and there are a couple noticeable gaps in time I’m not sure we’re necessary. That said, I’m thrilled with the work all in all.
January 14, 2021
Three and a half stars
Definitely a well written story, very much in line of the authors other work's. While I enjoyed the plot and characters ( battles were unbelievable) the last part of this journey was predictable and some decisions were poor. This story hit its peak two books ago, wow, what a book that was!
Definitely a well written story, very much in line of the authors other work's. While I enjoyed the plot and characters ( battles were unbelievable) the last part of this journey was predictable and some decisions were poor. This story hit its peak two books ago, wow, what a book that was!
March 23, 2021
The story is excellent. Kearney rushed some of the threads...some of the characters seemed forgotten and their plot threads brought to an abrupt conclusion. Some fantastically written chapters...balanced it all out.
October 8, 2017
The Monarchies of God series is one of the best fantasy series. Kearney is very under rated.
October 15, 2018
4 stars. Good continuation
January 5, 2023
Such a good book to start of the year. A bit rushed sometimes, especially towards the end, but very enjoyable.
February 18, 2023
Even with the new content book 5 is still too short but otherwise a solid second half.
November 9, 2024
Rich, Dark, and Violent
I loved the battles seen through a military genius' eyes. The equipment used in war is interesting. A time when sword and gun power were used equally.
I loved the battles seen through a military genius' eyes. The equipment used in war is interesting. A time when sword and gun power were used equally.
July 24, 2014
An unhappy marriage between two separate tales which seem to fall into two quite different genres. This collection of the final three books in this series is even less enjoyable than the previous two. Unlike the previous two books, which despite the problems had me interested to read on and see how the story developed, these were a turgid mess of mostly all too predictable dreariness which I really had to slog through and force myself to finish reading.
The main storyline gets rounded up in the first two parts and while they have a few moments, mostly some battle scenes, they mostly just kept me from being terminally bored. The story concludes with few surprises and the characters fail to really develop in any meaningful way, mostly being vehicles for the events which unfold.
Then comes the final third of the book, in which suddenly, and abruptly we are faced with what pretty much amounts to a totally different story, alluded to along the way, but pretty much of equal importance if not more to the previous four parts... but yet this is crammed together into a single book. I would have been more irritated by the slapdash way that this ended, if it had not been for the fact that I was so thoroughly sick of reading this series that if it had been dragged out any longer, I would not have read it - and in fact, if the final book was not bundled with the others in this collection, I would never have bought it either.
The explanations for why things were happening in the end were particularly feeble and the whole plot seemed to fall apart in a series of strange assumptions which are glossed over so that all the loose ends can finally be tied up. In particular the motivations of various characters were particularly murky, making them even less able to be identified with.
On the good side, Kearney uses some nice language during the book and I enjoyed his actual prose for the most part - it was just his plot and story that I found so terminally boring, which for a book filled with major momentous deeds, is not a good thing. Also, final handling of the main characters was interesting and somewhat novel for me. I must admit that after so much predictability, I was caught off guard by how Kearney chose to finish things off. However, due to the way the rest of the book was handled, I am not sure if that is really down to him intentionally taking an unorthodox route, or if it down to a sloppiness in just wanting to make sure all the strands are neatly tied up.
In the end, I really did not enjoy this book, and while I did not loathe it with a passion or feel the need to wax vehement in bile about it as I have occasionally done so about some 'books', I definitely will not be bothering to read anything by this author again. Dull, dull, dull.
The main storyline gets rounded up in the first two parts and while they have a few moments, mostly some battle scenes, they mostly just kept me from being terminally bored. The story concludes with few surprises and the characters fail to really develop in any meaningful way, mostly being vehicles for the events which unfold.
Then comes the final third of the book, in which suddenly, and abruptly we are faced with what pretty much amounts to a totally different story, alluded to along the way, but pretty much of equal importance if not more to the previous four parts... but yet this is crammed together into a single book. I would have been more irritated by the slapdash way that this ended, if it had not been for the fact that I was so thoroughly sick of reading this series that if it had been dragged out any longer, I would not have read it - and in fact, if the final book was not bundled with the others in this collection, I would never have bought it either.
The explanations for why things were happening in the end were particularly feeble and the whole plot seemed to fall apart in a series of strange assumptions which are glossed over so that all the loose ends can finally be tied up. In particular the motivations of various characters were particularly murky, making them even less able to be identified with.
On the good side, Kearney uses some nice language during the book and I enjoyed his actual prose for the most part - it was just his plot and story that I found so terminally boring, which for a book filled with major momentous deeds, is not a good thing. Also, final handling of the main characters was interesting and somewhat novel for me. I must admit that after so much predictability, I was caught off guard by how Kearney chose to finish things off. However, due to the way the rest of the book was handled, I am not sure if that is really down to him intentionally taking an unorthodox route, or if it down to a sloppiness in just wanting to make sure all the strands are neatly tied up.
In the end, I really did not enjoy this book, and while I did not loathe it with a passion or feel the need to wax vehement in bile about it as I have occasionally done so about some 'books', I definitely will not be bothering to read anything by this author again. Dull, dull, dull.
November 17, 2021
The second volume of the series, incorporating the last three novels, manages to be great and uneven at the same time despite being rewritten by the author in order to address its problems. Here Corfe emerges as the main character and clearly Kearney's favorite, his arc is interesting and ultimately satisfying, unfortunately it is the only one. Other characters are either forgotten or rushed to a conclusion for the sake of closure only. Great new characters are introduced only to be almost ignored later as if the author didn't know what to do with them. Kearney completed his story in the end and it is a great story worth reading despite its problems and lost opportunities.
November 17, 2010
I had to give this one five stars for the mere fact I read it in only a few days. It kept me that engrossed. I found myself again mesmerized with the detail put into the tactical side of the battles whether on the ground or in the naval combat. Kearney does an excellent job in bringing these scenes to light and makes you truly gain an image of the leaders plotting and seeing all that lies before them as if sitting in front of a chessboard.
I would have to warn though that if you think George Martin kills off characters then this series would put that to shame easily. You never know who will stand in the end or who will fall. But at the same time there are so geniuene heroes in these books and not overly gray characters that I feel are becoming more constant in our fantasy favorites these days. So if you want a heroic tale with the term that we toss around as "realistic" then this is definitely a good series to go off of. You'll get your fair share of monsters, some magic and fast pace action scenes.
In regards to the magic I wouldn't say it was overly done very well. Is it bad? No. It's just not something that catches your attention like in some other series. It's there, it exists and is a main theme in regards to the story but you still don't get scenes of magical encounters for the most part. One scene that was meant to be such an encounter left me with an empty feeling.
I would have to warn though that if you think George Martin kills off characters then this series would put that to shame easily. You never know who will stand in the end or who will fall. But at the same time there are so geniuene heroes in these books and not overly gray characters that I feel are becoming more constant in our fantasy favorites these days. So if you want a heroic tale with the term that we toss around as "realistic" then this is definitely a good series to go off of. You'll get your fair share of monsters, some magic and fast pace action scenes.
In regards to the magic I wouldn't say it was overly done very well. Is it bad? No. It's just not something that catches your attention like in some other series. It's there, it exists and is a main theme in regards to the story but you still don't get scenes of magical encounters for the most part. One scene that was meant to be such an encounter left me with an empty feeling.
September 3, 2011
Kearneys world building is although a little bit unimaginative pretty solid and I'm not really sure about how much I like is characterization but this man really is a master of writing military fantasy. The battle scene's are among the best I've ever read and his description of armies and commanders tickles all the right spots of my imagination.
The main problem is that the fantasy aspects of the story are at most mediocre and that's where the end of the book fails. The military conflict that is the center of the first part of the book is resolved at two thirds of the book and after that the more fantasy orientated conflict that was going on along side the 'interesting' story in first part of the book and in the first book still had to be resolved. On top of that he choose to resolve it 17 years after the climax in a very rushed way. It's a pity that costs the book the 5th star.
As said before Paul Kearney is on of the best writers of military fantasy and I thoroughly enjoyed the fantasy setting analogous to 15/16th century Europe with pike and shot formations adding something new instead of the usual knights and stuff. I understand the his second series still isn't finished and the blurp seems to indicate some fantasy heavy elements so I'll leave that one alone for now. But his ten thousand and corvus books appear to be excellent reads heavily orientated on that what he is good in: War.
So I can't wait to read those
The main problem is that the fantasy aspects of the story are at most mediocre and that's where the end of the book fails. The military conflict that is the center of the first part of the book is resolved at two thirds of the book and after that the more fantasy orientated conflict that was going on along side the 'interesting' story in first part of the book and in the first book still had to be resolved. On top of that he choose to resolve it 17 years after the climax in a very rushed way. It's a pity that costs the book the 5th star.
As said before Paul Kearney is on of the best writers of military fantasy and I thoroughly enjoyed the fantasy setting analogous to 15/16th century Europe with pike and shot formations adding something new instead of the usual knights and stuff. I understand the his second series still isn't finished and the blurp seems to indicate some fantasy heavy elements so I'll leave that one alone for now. But his ten thousand and corvus books appear to be excellent reads heavily orientated on that what he is good in: War.
So I can't wait to read those
May 9, 2012
The second half of Monarchies of God was still pretty good, but no where near as strong as the first two books. The pace begins to rush, plot lines are paid no more than base lip service, and some of the story lines end in very anti-climatic fashion.
Consisting of three books, the omnibus starts very strong. The third book is just as good as the first two. If you liked them, you will have no problems with the early portions. It is the forth book(middle section of this omnibus) where things go downhill. The well balanced story; the political battle of a religious schism and the kingdoms that aligned with each side, the voyage to another world, and the plight of magic uses--All were abandoned in favor of one kingdom's war. While for the most part interesting, it was a jarring change. There was also an abrupt change in writing style for one short chapter that was out of place and didn't sit well with me.
The fifth book brought back the major sub-plots, but rushed through some of them. It is one thing to kill off major characters, but to make it feel like an after thought shows how rushed the author was in these final books.
All in all, I still recommend this series. The first three books were as good of fantasy as I have read in a while, and there is enough going in the final two to be worth finishing. For those looking for a short, completed series with a lot of good ideas, I would still recommend the two omnibuses.
Consisting of three books, the omnibus starts very strong. The third book is just as good as the first two. If you liked them, you will have no problems with the early portions. It is the forth book(middle section of this omnibus) where things go downhill. The well balanced story; the political battle of a religious schism and the kingdoms that aligned with each side, the voyage to another world, and the plight of magic uses--All were abandoned in favor of one kingdom's war. While for the most part interesting, it was a jarring change. There was also an abrupt change in writing style for one short chapter that was out of place and didn't sit well with me.
The fifth book brought back the major sub-plots, but rushed through some of them. It is one thing to kill off major characters, but to make it feel like an after thought shows how rushed the author was in these final books.
All in all, I still recommend this series. The first three books were as good of fantasy as I have read in a while, and there is enough going in the final two to be worth finishing. For those looking for a short, completed series with a lot of good ideas, I would still recommend the two omnibuses.
April 29, 2013
As the rating suggests, and despite everything I'll say past this point, I definitely liked what actually was in this book. However, what's missing from it would be enough for another Song of Ice and Fire. Even worse than in the first volume, potentially important characters are barely even mentioned and secondary ones may be introduced and then completely forgotten, entire storylines are reduced to mere glimpses, major plot points may either be limited to a quick presentation of their conclusions or, quite the contrary, completely lack them, and when the time comes to skip forward, the readers are largely left to figure out what happened in the missing years on their own.
I'll say that the author seemed in more of a rush to see the end than the reader would be expected to be. Worse, whether due to lack of skill or lack of will, this haste doesn't merely result in compressed action, but often in completely skipped action. Add the fact that some moments are overly simplified, some timing and editing issues and the countless loose ends left after the last page, and I'll say that this series has the potential to offer a lifetime of work to anyone who'd want to fill in the blanks and flesh it out better... And perhaps somebody should do that if the author himself won't, because it seems to me that it had the potential to become one of the best fantasy series ever written, which makes it even more of a pity that most of it is missing.
I'll say that the author seemed in more of a rush to see the end than the reader would be expected to be. Worse, whether due to lack of skill or lack of will, this haste doesn't merely result in compressed action, but often in completely skipped action. Add the fact that some moments are overly simplified, some timing and editing issues and the countless loose ends left after the last page, and I'll say that this series has the potential to offer a lifetime of work to anyone who'd want to fill in the blanks and flesh it out better... And perhaps somebody should do that if the author himself won't, because it seems to me that it had the potential to become one of the best fantasy series ever written, which makes it even more of a pity that most of it is missing.
May 13, 2021
The second half of the series has much the same strengths as the first: Gritty action, well-crafted prose, a wide-ranging and engaging narrative. Most of the characters suffered greatly in the first two books, and bear the scars of that suffering. Kearney does well to ratchet up the drama again after something of a reset, as the story drives to an epic conclusion.
However, I don't know that I enjoyed it as much as the first part of the series. And that's down mainly to Corfe, who emerges as the spotlight protagonist. After the restrained and nuanced approach of the earlier books - almost historical realism in its tone - Kearney amps up Corfe to the uber-heroic scale so common in fantasy fiction. Corfe is a beloved leader of men, a tactical genius, a strategic genius, a devastating warrior on the battlefield, an irresistible lover - the usual drill. He's a doom-haunted Conan.
In its climax, the books become less than their buildup, as the drama is subsumed to the worship of martial virtues and a near-fascistic reverence for bloody sacrifice. This is essentially military fiction, so it's hard to fault the author too much. It's part of the genre. It's just somewhat disappointing after the earlier books offered something more.
However, I don't know that I enjoyed it as much as the first part of the series. And that's down mainly to Corfe, who emerges as the spotlight protagonist. After the restrained and nuanced approach of the earlier books - almost historical realism in its tone - Kearney amps up Corfe to the uber-heroic scale so common in fantasy fiction. Corfe is a beloved leader of men, a tactical genius, a strategic genius, a devastating warrior on the battlefield, an irresistible lover - the usual drill. He's a doom-haunted Conan.
In its climax, the books become less than their buildup, as the drama is subsumed to the worship of martial virtues and a near-fascistic reverence for bloody sacrifice. This is essentially military fiction, so it's hard to fault the author too much. It's part of the genre. It's just somewhat disappointing after the earlier books offered something more.
September 23, 2014
Century of the Soldieris the omnibus edition of The Iron Wars (1999), The Second Empire (2000) and Ships from the West (2002), and is the concluding volume of Paul Kearney’s re-issued THE MONARCHIES OF GOD. It is as compelling and readable as Hawkwood and the Kings, and while it does not enjoy five-star status with its predecessor, it is an excellent conclusion, and I stand by my statement in my previous review: any person who loves good epic fantasy must read these books.
In many ways,Century of the Soldier is a very different book from Hawkwood and the Kings. The first two thirds continue where Hawkwood left off, dealing with the ongoing Merduk conflict in... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
In many ways,Century of the Soldier is a very different book from Hawkwood and the Kings. The first two thirds continue where Hawkwood left off, dealing with the ongoing Merduk conflict in... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
July 9, 2013
War with the invading Merduks continues to rage and several conflicts within the kingdoms as well as within the church have erupted. How will all of this resolved? Especially when the true threat from the Western continent is still looming over everyone.
Eh.
Like the first book in this duology, this is actually multiple books (in this case three) packaged together. The first two, while at still overflowing with plot, managed to be cohesive and interesting and would have merited more stars on their own. Unfortunately the final book (which takes place after a time skip and finally addresses the threats from the west) felt tacked on and needlessly negative.
Eh.
Like the first book in this duology, this is actually multiple books (in this case three) packaged together. The first two, while at still overflowing with plot, managed to be cohesive and interesting and would have merited more stars on their own. Unfortunately the final book (which takes place after a time skip and finally addresses the threats from the west) felt tacked on and needlessly negative.
September 10, 2010
Epic! This type of books, although rare, is the reason why I love fantasy. Great characters, great plot, great style. I cannot ask for more.
Court intrigue, discovery of a new world, great military action, multi-dimensional characters, multi-threaded story, very realistic and mature style of story-telling, all make this series one of the best I've ever read.
Even though I had a few minor problems with the last book, I loved The Monarchies of God series. I was so sad to turn the last page. I'm going to miss some of Kearney's characters.
Court intrigue, discovery of a new world, great military action, multi-dimensional characters, multi-threaded story, very realistic and mature style of story-telling, all make this series one of the best I've ever read.
Even though I had a few minor problems with the last book, I loved The Monarchies of God series. I was so sad to turn the last page. I'm going to miss some of Kearney's characters.
January 8, 2011
This omnibus contains book three to five - The Iron Wars - The Second Empire - Ships from the West - in the Monarchies of God series.
Today (December 25th, 2010) I finished The Iron Wars which is far beyond to be a typical middle book of a series. The story continue with full power and pace.
I'm so glad that the series has been published again. Even without knowing the last two books I can say that this is one of the best series I read so far. Kudos Paul Kearney
Full review of all books in the series is in progress ....
Today (December 25th, 2010) I finished The Iron Wars which is far beyond to be a typical middle book of a series. The story continue with full power and pace.
I'm so glad that the series has been published again. Even without knowing the last two books I can say that this is one of the best series I read so far. Kudos Paul Kearney
Full review of all books in the series is in progress ....
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