Path of Revenge

Broken Man #1

by Russell Kirkpatrick

A brand new epic fantasy series from the acclaimed author of ACROSS THE FACE OF THE WORLD.Seventy years after the conclusion of the Falthan War, three great continents - and their gods - are again at war for truth and immortality. Husk is the remnant of a once-powerful magician, defeated decades ago by the Undying Man, Lord of Bhrudwo. He lies, eviscerated, in the dungeon of Andratan, planning his revenge. the three people he has manipulated from afar to bring him what he needs are on their way ... with no means of knowing what they are about. But even Husk cannot know everything ...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

530 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Russell Kirkpatrick was born in 1961 in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he lived until 2000. He is a geography PhD graduate of the University of Canterbury, and currently lectures at the University of Waikato in Hamilton. During the 1990s he was fortunate enough to work on two major atlas projects, as Deputy Editor of the New Zealand Historical Atlas (Readers Choice winner, Montana Book Awards, 1998), and as author of Contemporary Atlas New Zealand (Montana Book Award finalist, 2000). He has been involved in four other published atlas projects, and continues to work on atlases when he can. His latest project is an atlas of Bahrain.

In February 2004 Across The Face Of The World, the first book in Russell's Fire of Heaven fantasy trilogy was published by HarperCollins Voyager Australia, and has been sold into a number of overseas countries. The second volume, In The Earth Abides The Flame, was published in August 2004, with the concluding volume, The Right Hand Of God, published in February 2005. Across the Face of the World was published by Orbit in the UK in May 2006, and the second and third novels will follow at six-monthly intervals. He is now at work on another novel, The Path of Revenge.

Apart from cartography and writing, his major passions are reading, music - anything except country & western and polka - and sport. He plays golf to a 2 handicap. Russell is married to Dorinda, and they have two fine young men, a bichon frise, assorted cats, a ridiculously large Lego collection, a decent Cornishware collection and - finally - a new house in a gully. The perfect hideaway for a writer.

Reviews

[Tim Wolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This trilogy picks up quite a few years after the original trilogy with a mostly new cast, although there are a few returning characters. While the books were quite enjoyable, they take a much darker tone than the originals and I didn't enjoy them quite as much. Still quite definitely worth a read and very well written.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirkpatrick delivers a grand epic in the style of Tolkien yet again. There are few writers who can pull off the truly epic scope of a story the way that he does. There are a few things that I wasn't fond of but this may have been more the mood that I've been in lately and that I'd like more action faster. Maybe my attention span is shrinking.

Anyway, I love the Fisherman as a character and wish that there was more of him in this book but at least he isn't done and will be back in the next book. I also love the way that Stella has grown as a character. Sad that there are so few people left from the first trilogy in a way because some of them were great characters. I find myself wanting to hear more about the characters from the first three books in order to know what happened to them. Achtal especially since there was only a teaser given in this book about him and how he ended up. Basically less than a paragraph when I personally felt he was a good enough character to warrant a book of his own.

Stella. Stella kind of irritates me in some ways. She always did though. In the last books she was an irritating teenage girl who was entirely too self absorbed and incapable of basic human empathy. In this book she's so wrapped in self pity it seems like that she's just embarking on a suicidal mission for no good reason and likely to get the people following her killed with nothing to show for it.

So, if you liked the last series I would recommend this one. Book one of this one is good and I think it might only get better. That said, if you didn't like the last series, don't get this one.

[Nikhilā · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out so promising and so interesting and then fell flat on its arse when it became apparently that the author cannot write female characters.
Did't bother finishing the last few chapters and won't be tracking down the other two books in the series.

[James Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really entertaining, dark fantasy. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Mel (booksandsundry) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this many years ago. I didn't like it much then and this second try I didn't get past 130.

My partner asked me to read it, I was excused since I had read it before.

[Ayre · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only word that comes to mind when trying to describe how I feel about this book is "meh" I didn't hate it but I also didn't really like it. I'm not attached to any of the characters because they're all unlikable in some way. I had to force myself to keep picking up the book in order to finish it but there isn't anything I truly dislike about it, I might even finish the series because I still want to know what happens.

Some broad points I think other people might find annoying about this book before I get into the vague spoilers. There are a LOT of typos in this book, many of them are English words that wouldn't be picked up by a spell checker, they're just the wrong words for the situation. For example, "back" instead of "hack". There are some major personality inconstancies with some of the characters. A character described many times as someone who not only hates lying, but doesn't understand the purpose or concept of lying makes an offhanded comment about how she hates lying to someone only because the author needed an excuse to separate the characters. The author is really good at writing sexist and racist characters and all the characters are intrinsically unlikable for a multitude of reasons.

From this point on this review contains spoilers in the broadest sense of the word. Its mostly just a synopsis of the book containing no major plot points. Please don't continue to read if you want to go into this book totally blind. This book is told from the perspective of multiple characters, you get the sense that they're all tied together some how but we don't know why or how. There seems to be a trend of threes.

Immortals: There are at least 3 immortals in this universe, potentially more but some might be the same character with different names. The trapped, unnamed magician is the architect of the story, he is controlling 3 of the characters, "The Angel, the Brash Captain, and the Falthan Spy" in order obtain "the stone, the blood, and a hand of hate", all of this info is given in the prologue and random interlude chapters are told from his perspective. You also have the "Undying Man" who seems to be a ruler that we hear about but never encounter. Next is the "Destroyer", another ruler who you hear about but don't encounter. I'm a bit confused if the Destroyer and the Undying Man are the same person or not. Then you have Stella, one of the main characters, with parts of the story being told from her perspective. Finally you have the 3 Gods, the Father, the Son, and the Daughter.

There are 3 continents in this fantasy world and 3 main character groups, one representing each.

Fisherman: This group is on the Bhrudwo continent. I hate both of the main characters, one unnecessarily violent and hard to sympathize with and the other is a useless coward, the story of why they're stuck together doesn't make any sense to me. I believe, but unconfirmed, that this group has the "stone". I think the "Angel", one of the characters controlled unnamed magician's is the daughter of the main character (the fisherman) of this group but shes barely focused on so its hard to be sure.

Queen: This group is from the Faltha continent and contains the Immortal Stella, who is the queen of this land. The two other main characters of this group are one of Stella's guards and a priest whose religion paints Stella as the consort of their Satan like figure. The priest is the "Falthan spy" controlled by the unnamed magician and my guess is this group contains "the blood" as Stella has immortal blood. Both the priest and the guard are unbearably horny while also managing to be sexist.

Cosomographer: This group is on the Elamaq continent. The main characters are: Lenares, who is the cosomographer, a brilliant mind and sees everything as numbers; Torve, a slave character who belongs to a race considered inhuman; The Emperor, who wants to be immortal; "the brash captain" who we really don't get much perspective from at all I don't even remember his name I just know that he's another coward. I don't know what the "hand of hate" is but I deduct this group has it because thats the last of the 3 items remaining.

[Gav]

Path of Revenge is a series of quests. The object of the quests seems to ultimately (and in a few books time) to end at the Undying Man who has ruled for 2000 years and Husk manipulating events so that these quests culminate in his revenge against the Undying Man. The problem though is it really isn’t clear. The three threads seem so aimless. They wander around for too long and they get trusted assistance too easily. And because of the descriptions of place are detailed and the characters movement between places is so mundane it’s as if nothing happens for pages at a time.

This is a real shame as the central story and its history seems interesting and Kirkpatrick has thought it out but even he seems to loose interest towards the end of book one, which isn’t really an end as things fizzle out rather than explode, probably because he’s aiming at the long haul but I need a climax to carry me on.

As much as I liked Stella (Queen), Lenares (Cosmographer) and Neotos (Fisherman) I don’t have that need to know what happens to them as I don’t have a clear idea of what the point of the last 600 pages has been. The revelations that I was expecting didn’t really happen and in one scene where a revelation really should have been clear as crystal you’re left guessing at what second sun is burning and what secret is revealed between character but not shared with the reader.

There are nice moments. Most of them at the beginning when each character is ‘home’ and the concentration is on them rather than the place and you get to know each of them. I’m not sure that Kirkpatrick has the skills to keep everything under control. It’s as if he’s drawing the lines between numbers and missing the bigger picture.

I guess that Kirkpatrick wanted it to be an immersive experience but really I was left wanting to get them to get a move on that combined with anti-climactic ending meant that I’ve got little motivation to see them wander for another potential 1200 pages.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a good epic fantasy quest novel.

I didn't realise until I was partway through that this is a sequel trilogy to Kirkpatrick's first trilogy, Fire of Heaven, which I haven't read. But it doesn't really matter. Was totally absorbed by this and immediately picked up the next two from the library.

[Rob Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off slowly with reading this one but ended up getting hooked on it.

[Jean M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series so much! I read it before reading his first series (woops) but standalone it's really great anyway. Loved the characters, the journey and the themes. A great adventure!

[Sadie Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and gripping story.

[Soho_Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big things tend to scare me, as they're frequently filled with stuff you'll never need, or things that are simply there to take up space. Often with large books, you find lots of empty writing, which seems to be there more to increase the page count than to advance the plot. Kate Elliott's recent "Shadow Gate" was one such and, as a result, the sheer size of "Path of Revenge" was off putting.

As it turns out, there was nothing to worry about, as the story was immediately engaging. Locked in a tower lies the husk of what was once a man; beaten and imprisoned by an immortal. After years of thought, he has found a way to kill the immortal, but he needs certain tools to enable him to do so. These tools are scattered, one in each of the lands that make up the world and held by very different people; a fisherman, a young scholar and a Queen.

Husk, having once been a sorcerer, has managed to exert some form of mind control over others travelling with these people to keep them safe. We follow the start of their journeys from their respective homes, seeing the reasons they are encouraged to move on; one running in fear of her life, one seeking to rescue his kidnapped family and one placed on the road by an Emperor to seek a hole which threatens to engulf the world.

The pace is high right from the start, with the danger engulfing the characters being introduced very early on. Long journeys that characters undertake can often drag, but there is enough going on to keep the characters, as well as the reader, occupied. At no point did I feel that the journey was the be all and end all, as often felt the case with "Lord of the Rings", as when there was no immediate threat to a character, we were treated to some of their back story, which proved as fascinating as the present.

The way the story is told heightens the tension, as it is split into sections, each one dealing with a different character. This allows for plenty of time to become involved and settled into the journey of each of them, before stealing you away to the next. Fitzpatrick manages to leave each section at a point such that you want it to continue, but are forced to wait until their story comes around again; much like the episodes in a soap opera, only far more interesting.

This does cause a minor issue with forgetting what has happened to the characters at points, which was also an issue with the works of Kate Elliott mentioned earlier, although with a much smaller cast of major characters than Elliott's work the impact was far less here. We spend so long away from the individual characters that by the time you return to their part of the story, it is difficult to remember where you left them. I found myself flicking back through the pages on a couple of occasions just to pick up the thread of events. This was most noticeable with the story of the fisherman; he has the least distance to travel, so there's less of his journey to relate and so he's the one who gets the least attention. This is just a minor concern, but it did interrupt the flow of the story and slow things down a little for me.

For the most part, however, this was the only thing that could disrupt the flow of things. I found the whole idea of trying to find a way to kill an immortal a fascinating one and from the start, I was eager to see how this may be accomplished and some of Fitzpatrick's ideas concerning immortality itself were also interesting. Whilst some of the other ideas aren't quite so original, such as the stone that repels magic, the idea of such a stone being naturally occurring instead of created by magicians was slightly different and that part of the story left huge scope for the rest of the trilogy.

Indeed, it is this geological aspect that provided one of the more novel touches I've seen for some time. Whilst the traditional maps of the world were present, one of them was a geological map. As well as being unusual, this certainly helped underline the part of the story about the magic stone as well as visualise the route that parts of the story may take. One of the other maps, showing what one of the characters was looking at in another part of the story was also beautifully rendered, even incorporating a similar scale to that the character could see and this was again really helpful for seeing through the character's eyes.

This was a wonderful read and, judging by the characters locations on the map at the end, it's a trilogy with a long way yet to go. I just worry that Fitzpatrick won't be able to maintain the momentum he's built up here through another two books of this size. But that is a worry for the future; for the present, this is the perfect response to someone too quick to judge a book by the distance between the covers. There was not a word wasted and not a page that hasn't earned its place in this book and this is a path well worth travelling.

This review may also appear, in whole or in part, under my name at any or all of www.ciao.co.uk, www.thebookbag.co.uk, www.goodreads.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.dooyoo.co.uk

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Zealand fantasy author Russell Kirkpatrick returns to his immpressively realised world in his second fantasy series "Husk". Seventy years have passed since the company from Firanes saved Faltha from a Brudwho invasion, and now Kirkpatrick's vision expands to encompass the three continents. Husk is the shattered shell of a once-powerful magician, imprisoned deep in the dungeons of Andratan by the ruler of Brudwho; the Undying Man. From afar he manipulates three people, drawing them inexhorably nearer to him and his plans for revenge.

In Faltha we find ourselves with a familiar character from his "Fire of Heaven" trilogy; the Queen of Instruere, embarking on a quest up the path of the Aleinus River towards Adratan and an pulling she has fought her entire life. In Brudwho we follow the plight of a fisherman who must track government recruiters who have kidnapped his family. While in the south, in Elamaq, a devoted servant and a gifted girl who sees the world in numbers set out to assist their Emperor in his enduring quest for immortality.

"Path of Revenge" is in essence three separate narratives, linked only by brief interludes that return us to Husk's plight within his prison. There's the feel of a setup about the book, with only the fisherman's narrative really resolving itself within the book. There's no doubt that these narratives will come together in the second and third installments, but for now each must be appreciated on their own, and unfortunately they don't perhaps deliver as well as they could.

Kirkpatrick is a fantastic worldbuilder, and this new novel provides an opportunity to explore more of his well-crafted world. It's easy to be lost in the volume of details and his lofty prose. However the Faltha and Elamaq narratives in particular lack independent structure in this first volume, and the story suffers somewhat for it. The queen's story in particular, feels like a mere episode from a journey, with very little arc from beginning to end.

Despite this flaw, Kirkpatrick sets the reader up for a vast and epic continuation of the narrative, which will satisfy most readers. Those familiar with Kirkpatrick's style will find much that's recognisable. His treatment of his characters is ruthless; he seldom allows his characters to remain comfortable for long, and he manages to maintain the feeling that everything could fall apart at any moment.

[Matt Richter · Rating 4 out of 5]

even though i didn't know anything about russell kirkpatrick, i liked the cover of this book and the premise (how does this magician organise his revenge when he's locked up in a dungeon?) sounded intriguing and i wasn't disappointed.



my favourite character was this girl called Lenares -- a cosmographer. i found her and the concepts surrounding her profession, most intriguing.



apart from writing, kirkpatrick is also a mapmaker himself. and this certainly shows in his writing. i appreciated the detailed maps at the front of the book, but also his integration of a more developed sense of geography into his story. For example, I found it fascinating how in his world's history, people at one time used a directional system where the 360 degrees on a compass were not split into four as we're used to with north, south, east and west, but instead were split into three based on their understanding of a triune deity and (if i remember correctly) were called fatherward, sonward & daughterward.



anyway, they were the main things that stuck with me. i look forward to reading the second book which has recently been released.

[Nico · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whole lot of characters to get to know. As well as the land they live in.
The way it is written is very clear and complete which I love in fantasy books.
The main plot is still unclear so the reader has to fill things in for themselves.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

c2007. Set in the same world as his previous trilogy, the world setting remains excellent and the writing style appears to have matured. The story is great and, I for one, was glad to get some subtle or not so subtle reminders of the stories that went before. Great characterisation - so much more than the synopsis indicates. My new favourite characters are Noetos and, strangely enough the mysterious Halite - Conal. I also rather like Robal. Who else would have written "the cirrus laced sky". Lovely! I can only hope that the trilogy strenghtens and does not run out of steam which I seem to recall that I felt about the first one. This novel won a Sir Julius Vogel Award (New Zealand science fiction and fantasy awards) for Best Novel - Adult, in 2008.

[Ebony Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world building in this book is vast, detailed and exquisite. The characters are complex and varying, with realistic ambitions and motivations. As a writer, I thoroughly admired the craftsmanship of this book. Some parts were a little dry, and I would have liked a little more emotionality from the characters, as well as more vivid and sentimental character interactions (I'm a sucker for intense, complicated relationships between characters), but overall the book was a masterpiece. This book only missed out on the fifth star due to my personal preferences - I'm sure that the things I found lacking may be very different through another person's eyes. I'll definitely be continuing on with the series, and Kirkpatrick's other works.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirkpatrick creates a vast world, with interesting and complex politics, characters and history. The book focuses of three characters; a fisherman who is more than he appears, a queen escaping her kingdom, and a young cosmographer who sees the world in numbers. Each sets out on their own quest, but their paths are not clear and they are being controlled by a force unknown to them.

It is a great fantasy read and I will certainly be getting the other books in the series. The story is well written, though at times it was annoying to have been following one character and be absorbed in their story, then find that the next chapter was about someone else. Switching back and forth, which at times made the story lose momentum. Overall though a great read.

[PRJ Greenwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn't hold a candle to the first series. This series lacks energy, it's full of fantasy tropes, it's overwritten, it's ponderous, and it tries hard to be the Next Great Work of Fantasy. The first series was compelling and bristled with an earnestness that was refreshing. With this series, it's as if the author has suddenly decided (or has been told) - yeah bro, you've made it to the Fantasy Big League now, add all these ingredients to the pot, stir it and watch how it comes out.

And they just get worse. I couldn't even finish the last book. There was nothing and nobody in that book I could remotely care about. I wasn't given a reason to.

[Peter Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

70 years after the previous series by Kirkpatrick, this next series can stand on it's own. I found the writing and action much better in this book than the previous series, with less filler content.

The story is broken into 3, following 3 major characters and their unique talents/items. And each is captivating in their own respect. There is a thread binding them together but its still a little sketchy how as of yet. I am looking forwad to the next two in the series and see where these 3 characters wind up.

All in all an enjoyable read, not necessarily something you'll read over and over, but better than a lot in the genre.

[Pamela Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apart from Lord of the Rings, I've never really been into fantasy but I picked up this book by Russell Kirkpatrick at the Library recently. Apparently it is Book One of a follow on series - I wish they'd tell you that stuff before you start reading. Not having read the previous series didn't really affect my understanding of this book and I enjoyed it very much. Some great characters, especially the Cosmographer Lenares. One of the reasons I don't much like fantasy is because of the magic, don't know why, but it was okay in this book. Off to the Library this morning to look for the next in the series.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised this author has such a small following. The first trilogy was excellent and the first book of his second trilogy has started in the same vein. The characters are engaging, the plot interesting and the books are both easy and enjoyable to read.

I would go as far as saying the first few chapters were as good as virtually any book I've read. I really want to follow the fisherman's thread and the author has me hook, line and sinker (I had to say it!)

My only problem was in locating a copy of the book. I got lucky whilst browsing a second hand book store and found all three books. I've made a start on the second book and am already loving it.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is awsome. I don't give it five starts, becuase I still like Eddings better, but Kirkpatrick is getting closer. I had to run out and get the second book before I finished this one to ensure I was not left in the lurch.
This takes off 70 years after where "The Right Hand of God," ends. The struggle is completey new, which keeps this continuing series fresh. Technically it is a new series, though an offshoot.

[Yvarasdevolos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, guys I kind of like the stand alone books. English is not what one says my " forte " ,but I loved this book. The atmosphere is dark the characters well chosen and the world that the scenario is taking place is the best! What I loved most is that the story is not the classic "the good guy takes the girl and the kingdom". It has to do with loss and perdition.
I look forward to the sequel and I strongly recommend the book,

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good story telling. As noted in a previous post some definite allusions to the Dune series and concepts therein. This was book one in a 3 book series so once I get through book 2 I will have a better feel for the overall tale. Good character development in this book, has peeked my interest as to how he is going to merge the three different story lines that have started.

[Lbd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started out as keeping my attention, then it started to drift and had too many mini-stories going on. Not like the first trilogy, although it does answer a few questions that were left unanswered in the last book.

[Andrea Lublink · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is better than his first books. A little slow in the beginning, but got into the characters well enough. Totally knew how this 1st book would end, so it was a little disappointing.

I will read the rest, but not right away.

[Substance · Rating 3 out of 5]

the book and story was decent, but it lacked the quality that the first trilogy had.

im still to read book 2, but im not exactly rushing out to get it...

[Krissss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like it until toward the end. Still didn't love it but felt compelled to pick up the next in the series. Loved that one

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange series...but not a terrible read, kinda my back burner series