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Tower and Knife Trilogy #2
Knife Sworn
The brother of a fallen emperor ascends to the throne of the Cerani Empire in the second installment of the Tower and Knife trilogy.
After a lifetime locked in his tower room, Sarmin has come into his own. He is the crowned emperor; he has wed Mesema of the horse tribes; the Pattern-Master is dead. Everything should be happy-ever-after.
But war ignites in the north, and in the palace, Sarmin’s new baby brother is seen as a threat to Mesema’s unborn child. Scheming courtiers surround the Petal Throne, and when a peace envoy is invited, their plots blossom. Sarmin has no royal assassin as proof against their treachery; no one to whom he can give the twisted Knife.
Those whom Sarmin saved from the Pattern-Master’s curse, unsure how to live without the Many, turn to Mogyrk, the god of their ancient foe, for comfort. And Sarmin has not been left the remnants of the Many haunt his thoughts; he hears their voices in the darkness of his room. The worst damage left by the Pattern-Master is about to take Sarmin unawares . . .
After a lifetime locked in his tower room, Sarmin has come into his own. He is the crowned emperor; he has wed Mesema of the horse tribes; the Pattern-Master is dead. Everything should be happy-ever-after.
But war ignites in the north, and in the palace, Sarmin’s new baby brother is seen as a threat to Mesema’s unborn child. Scheming courtiers surround the Petal Throne, and when a peace envoy is invited, their plots blossom. Sarmin has no royal assassin as proof against their treachery; no one to whom he can give the twisted Knife.
Those whom Sarmin saved from the Pattern-Master’s curse, unsure how to live without the Many, turn to Mogyrk, the god of their ancient foe, for comfort. And Sarmin has not been left the remnants of the Many haunt his thoughts; he hears their voices in the darkness of his room. The worst damage left by the Pattern-Master is about to take Sarmin unawares . . .
346 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2012
11 people are currently reading
1066 people want to read
About the author
Mazarkis Williams
15 books185 followersMazarkis Williams is a writer with roots in both the US and the UK, having worked in and been educated in both countries. Each year is divided between Boston and Bristol and a teleport booth is always top of the Christmas wish-list.
Mazarkis has degrees in history and physics, and a diverse set of interests accumulated while mispending a hectic youth. Cooking has always been a passion, and in addition to feeding six children and a sizeable herd of cats, Mazarkis regularly caters for crowds of permanently hungry friends.
The Emperor's Knife is Mazarkis' first novel.
Mazarkis has degrees in history and physics, and a diverse set of interests accumulated while mispending a hectic youth. Cooking has always been a passion, and in addition to feeding six children and a sizeable herd of cats, Mazarkis regularly caters for crowds of permanently hungry friends.
The Emperor's Knife is Mazarkis' first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 6, 2015
This is the aftermath...
The sequel to 'The Emperor's Knife' has a rather melancholy feel. It emphasizes how hard it can be to put together the pieces...
The Pattern Master whose evil magic threatened the Cerani Empire is defeated. Sarmin has been elevated to Emperor - all should be well, no? Well, no.
Sarmin is haunted by ghosts, including, perhaps, that of his brother, the former Emperor Beyon. What remains of Beyon's personality seems to be a burning jealousy. Can Sarmin continue to rule while he's plagued by spirits and may not even be in control of all of his actions?
Meanwhile, the experiences of a kitchen girl, Rushes, show that while the Empire may be free, not everyone within the Empire is free. The concerns of the aristocracy may not extend down as far as ensuring the well-being and safety of the more 'lowly' inhabitant of even the palace. But Rushes, also, is hearing voices, the residual effect of the Pattern Masters' spells, which inform her actions and lead her to be entwined in something greater than she guesses.
Grada, the low-caste woman who shared a special bond with now-Emperor Sarmin in the previous book, is still here - and she may be one of the only people Sarmin can trust. He will ask her a favor that may go against all of her life's philosophy.
As I said, the story here is a bit pensive. It shows that 'triumphant' victories are rarely so simple. It moves a bit slowly, and has a bit of the feel of a 'middle' book, but I really enjoyed it.
On to the last in the trilogy...
The sequel to 'The Emperor's Knife' has a rather melancholy feel. It emphasizes how hard it can be to put together the pieces...
The Pattern Master whose evil magic threatened the Cerani Empire is defeated. Sarmin has been elevated to Emperor - all should be well, no? Well, no.
Sarmin is haunted by ghosts, including, perhaps, that of his brother, the former Emperor Beyon. What remains of Beyon's personality seems to be a burning jealousy. Can Sarmin continue to rule while he's plagued by spirits and may not even be in control of all of his actions?
Meanwhile, the experiences of a kitchen girl, Rushes, show that while the Empire may be free, not everyone within the Empire is free. The concerns of the aristocracy may not extend down as far as ensuring the well-being and safety of the more 'lowly' inhabitant of even the palace. But Rushes, also, is hearing voices, the residual effect of the Pattern Masters' spells, which inform her actions and lead her to be entwined in something greater than she guesses.
Grada, the low-caste woman who shared a special bond with now-Emperor Sarmin in the previous book, is still here - and she may be one of the only people Sarmin can trust. He will ask her a favor that may go against all of her life's philosophy.
As I said, the story here is a bit pensive. It shows that 'triumphant' victories are rarely so simple. It moves a bit slowly, and has a bit of the feel of a 'middle' book, but I really enjoyed it.
On to the last in the trilogy...
November 12, 2012
http://www.rantingdragon.com/review-o...
One of my favorite reads of last year was Mazarkis Williams’s epic debut The Emperor’s Knife. Needless to say, when I was offered a review copy of Knife Sworn, I jumped at the opportunity. Knife Sworn continues the story of Sarmin, who had been locked up in a tower by his brother, the Emperor, for most of his life, and of Mesema, once a young foreign girl, brought to Nooria to marry Sarmin against her will. Like Williams’s writing, these characters have matured. Knife Sworn is everything that The Emperor’s Knife was—stunningly mysterious, original, and magically epic—but grown up, with higher stakes and an increased dose of intrigue and mystery.
An unspoken promise
The Emperor’s Knife is in many ways a standalone novel. While it is the first book in the Tower and Knife trilogy, it tells a contained story and builds its own complete world. Williams definitely left enough room for fleshing out this world, however. In a way, she made a promise to the readers of The Emperor’s Knife: “Look, here’s an awesome world with awesome magic, but I’m only telling you what you need to know; if you want more, you’ll simply have to come back for it.”
It’s this unspoken promise that Knife Sworn seems to focus on. For a brief moment, we leave the Arabian-influenced Cerani desert empire behind and travel to mountains and forest lands, where we meet a new culture, and more importantly, a new religion. This new religion plays a pivotal part in the plot of Knife Sworn. It doesn’t come entirely out of nowhere; the Mogyrk religion gracefully reticulates with the mysterious magic system established in The Emperor’s Knife. This magic system was one of the most significant strengths of the first book and continues to be so in Knife Sworn. Sarmin has come a long way in understanding the magic since the start of the trilogy, but his grasp of it was intuitive at best. When he is faced with the new challenges and complications of a magic he hardly understands, he often faces frustrations and repeatedly makes mistakes. Williams has chosen to go a different way than most epic fantasy authors in allowing her characters to take their time to develop magically, and she does it well. Sarmin’s abstract, almost philosophical endeavor to comprehend his world’s magic generates some of the best scenes in modern fantasy.
Stories old and new
As I said, The Emperor’s Knife told a contained story; Knife Sworn continues this. Yet, Williams does not in the least forget the events that came before. More than anything, this sequel deals with the aftermath of its predecessor. The empire has been left scarred by the final events of The Emperor’s Knife, and everyone in the city can feel consequences of the actions that were taken. This may be a contained story in many ways, but none of it would be relevant if not for what happened before. Everyone was changed, especially the main characters, and the way they deal with this change is what makes Knife Sworn a more mature revolution of The Emperor’s Knife. Williams has written a beautiful and intriguing character study chronicling the effects of her first novel, while still telling a new story that is equally bold and engrossing. In fact, she raises the stakes by introducing a new—and worse—thread to morally ambiguous characters who are already struggling.
Untapped potential
While its healthy dose of realism makes Knife Sworn a character-driven story worth reading, this also slows it down at times. Just like the first book, this is definitely not a page-turner. The well fleshed out characters, political intrigue, and magical mystery ensure it never becomes monotonous, but Knife Sworn does lack progression at times. Too much time is spent establishing the various political stances of characters and laying out the problems they are facing before a climax is reached.
Additionally, once things start moving again in a marvelously orchestrated grand finale in which many threads of the plot are skillfully brought together, the execution lacks oomph. The ending comes all too soon and some stories are left untold. Frankly, after Williams took so much care to set higher stakes and lead the characters into such an explosive situation—which she truly does better than most any fantasy authors I’ve read—the pay-off is underwhelming at best. The rushed ending left a lot of Knife Sworn’s potential untapped. I can only hope that Williams intends to revisit some of these storylines in future novels in the Tower and Knife trilogy.
Why should you read this book?
Knife Sworn is a solid sequel in a marvelous trilogy of high fantasy. Unfortunately, it isn’t as good as The Emperor’s Knife, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. Williams is a wonderful author and fans of epic fantasy will love this magical, character-driven trilogy. If you haven’t picked up The Emperor’s Knife yet, I recommend you do so—especially if you’re a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s school of original magic systems and well-wrought new worlds.
One of my favorite reads of last year was Mazarkis Williams’s epic debut The Emperor’s Knife. Needless to say, when I was offered a review copy of Knife Sworn, I jumped at the opportunity. Knife Sworn continues the story of Sarmin, who had been locked up in a tower by his brother, the Emperor, for most of his life, and of Mesema, once a young foreign girl, brought to Nooria to marry Sarmin against her will. Like Williams’s writing, these characters have matured. Knife Sworn is everything that The Emperor’s Knife was—stunningly mysterious, original, and magically epic—but grown up, with higher stakes and an increased dose of intrigue and mystery.
An unspoken promise
The Emperor’s Knife is in many ways a standalone novel. While it is the first book in the Tower and Knife trilogy, it tells a contained story and builds its own complete world. Williams definitely left enough room for fleshing out this world, however. In a way, she made a promise to the readers of The Emperor’s Knife: “Look, here’s an awesome world with awesome magic, but I’m only telling you what you need to know; if you want more, you’ll simply have to come back for it.”
It’s this unspoken promise that Knife Sworn seems to focus on. For a brief moment, we leave the Arabian-influenced Cerani desert empire behind and travel to mountains and forest lands, where we meet a new culture, and more importantly, a new religion. This new religion plays a pivotal part in the plot of Knife Sworn. It doesn’t come entirely out of nowhere; the Mogyrk religion gracefully reticulates with the mysterious magic system established in The Emperor’s Knife. This magic system was one of the most significant strengths of the first book and continues to be so in Knife Sworn. Sarmin has come a long way in understanding the magic since the start of the trilogy, but his grasp of it was intuitive at best. When he is faced with the new challenges and complications of a magic he hardly understands, he often faces frustrations and repeatedly makes mistakes. Williams has chosen to go a different way than most epic fantasy authors in allowing her characters to take their time to develop magically, and she does it well. Sarmin’s abstract, almost philosophical endeavor to comprehend his world’s magic generates some of the best scenes in modern fantasy.
Stories old and new
As I said, The Emperor’s Knife told a contained story; Knife Sworn continues this. Yet, Williams does not in the least forget the events that came before. More than anything, this sequel deals with the aftermath of its predecessor. The empire has been left scarred by the final events of The Emperor’s Knife, and everyone in the city can feel consequences of the actions that were taken. This may be a contained story in many ways, but none of it would be relevant if not for what happened before. Everyone was changed, especially the main characters, and the way they deal with this change is what makes Knife Sworn a more mature revolution of The Emperor’s Knife. Williams has written a beautiful and intriguing character study chronicling the effects of her first novel, while still telling a new story that is equally bold and engrossing. In fact, she raises the stakes by introducing a new—and worse—thread to morally ambiguous characters who are already struggling.
Untapped potential
While its healthy dose of realism makes Knife Sworn a character-driven story worth reading, this also slows it down at times. Just like the first book, this is definitely not a page-turner. The well fleshed out characters, political intrigue, and magical mystery ensure it never becomes monotonous, but Knife Sworn does lack progression at times. Too much time is spent establishing the various political stances of characters and laying out the problems they are facing before a climax is reached.
Additionally, once things start moving again in a marvelously orchestrated grand finale in which many threads of the plot are skillfully brought together, the execution lacks oomph. The ending comes all too soon and some stories are left untold. Frankly, after Williams took so much care to set higher stakes and lead the characters into such an explosive situation—which she truly does better than most any fantasy authors I’ve read—the pay-off is underwhelming at best. The rushed ending left a lot of Knife Sworn’s potential untapped. I can only hope that Williams intends to revisit some of these storylines in future novels in the Tower and Knife trilogy.
Why should you read this book?
Knife Sworn is a solid sequel in a marvelous trilogy of high fantasy. Unfortunately, it isn’t as good as The Emperor’s Knife, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. Williams is a wonderful author and fans of epic fantasy will love this magical, character-driven trilogy. If you haven’t picked up The Emperor’s Knife yet, I recommend you do so—especially if you’re a fan of Brandon Sanderson’s school of original magic systems and well-wrought new worlds.
March 29, 2018
7.5/10
After an impressive debut that created many expectations, Mazarkis Williams returns in Knife-Sworn, the second installment of the Tower & Knife trilogy, with another uniquely magical adventure, bringing us amidst a new threat that will shake the Cerani Empire, and managing also, through his wonderful characters, to take us even deeper into the secrets of this beautifully crafted world.
It’s been almost a year since the events that brought them against Helmar’s curse and cost them more than they had ever imagined, and now, free from his everlasting captivity, the rule of the Cerani Empire lies at Sarmin’s hands.
But the problems of the empire’s are far from over as, with Sarmin wanting to bring peace between the Cerani and their enemies, the Fryth, who where unjustly attacked under General Arigu’s blood-thirsty command, new plots and schemes will rise for the power of the Petal Throne that will bring him - now half-mad by the thoughts of the Many - his newborn son, and his brother against new threats and against an upcoming war.
However, for Grada, an Untouchable who shares a bond with Sarmin as no other, things are entirely different as, having found now her own freedom from the Pattern after a long time, she will try to find her own way to the world undertaking a mission that can bring her into a great adventure, and that may well lead her to a fate where nobody else desires. While on the other side, Rushes, a young servant-girl who was taken from her home, will find herself, too, in her own adventures as, when she discovers an old, forgotten object that could change her fate forever, she will find herself deep into the empire’s plots.
Somewhere deep in the heart of the empire, thought, the acts of Helmar’s curse have created a hollow and, with Mogyrk's ancient sacrifice awakening from its eternal lethargy, the Many - driven by a Longing that may lead them even into madness - will quickly turn to another god; a god who will bring an illness and that may lead them all not only to their destruction, but also to the eternity of the Nothing.
In the second book of the series Williams’s writing shows a perceptible improvement and, even though the story’s central idea is not as strong as that of the first book, he/she manages thus to give greater attention to characters development and to make them even more interesting than before, but also to manage, through his/her wonderful world-building, to take us deeper into the secrets of its unknown magic.
Besides these, of course, who’s certainly seems to be managing well enough there, Williams’s biggest disadvantage comes however from the story itself and that is because, as his/her writing moves at a relatively fast pace, he/she sometimes passes through some chapters, perhaps, more quickly than it needed and so leaving you with a bittersweet feeling - and especially toward the end of the book, even more.
Nevertheless, though, the book has, too, its own unique and wonderful moments that make it stand out without losing too much of the magic that Mazarkis Williams’ created in The Emperor's Knife , and without failing also at managing to take us once more to a magical adventure.
All in all, despite its problems, Knife-Sworn proves to be a quite interesting continuation as, with Mazarkis Williams weaving his/her own magic through his/her writing, he/she manages to bring another special story - bringing us amidst new characters and their adventures, and also crafting and an even more beautiful world-building.
Ελληνική κριτική:
After an impressive debut that created many expectations, Mazarkis Williams returns in Knife-Sworn, the second installment of the Tower & Knife trilogy, with another uniquely magical adventure, bringing us amidst a new threat that will shake the Cerani Empire, and managing also, through his wonderful characters, to take us even deeper into the secrets of this beautifully crafted world.
It’s been almost a year since the events that brought them against Helmar’s curse and cost them more than they had ever imagined, and now, free from his everlasting captivity, the rule of the Cerani Empire lies at Sarmin’s hands.
But the problems of the empire’s are far from over as, with Sarmin wanting to bring peace between the Cerani and their enemies, the Fryth, who where unjustly attacked under General Arigu’s blood-thirsty command, new plots and schemes will rise for the power of the Petal Throne that will bring him - now half-mad by the thoughts of the Many - his newborn son, and his brother against new threats and against an upcoming war.
However, for Grada, an Untouchable who shares a bond with Sarmin as no other, things are entirely different as, having found now her own freedom from the Pattern after a long time, she will try to find her own way to the world undertaking a mission that can bring her into a great adventure, and that may well lead her to a fate where nobody else desires. While on the other side, Rushes, a young servant-girl who was taken from her home, will find herself, too, in her own adventures as, when she discovers an old, forgotten object that could change her fate forever, she will find herself deep into the empire’s plots.
Somewhere deep in the heart of the empire, thought, the acts of Helmar’s curse have created a hollow and, with Mogyrk's ancient sacrifice awakening from its eternal lethargy, the Many - driven by a Longing that may lead them even into madness - will quickly turn to another god; a god who will bring an illness and that may lead them all not only to their destruction, but also to the eternity of the Nothing.
In the second book of the series Williams’s writing shows a perceptible improvement and, even though the story’s central idea is not as strong as that of the first book, he/she manages thus to give greater attention to characters development and to make them even more interesting than before, but also to manage, through his/her wonderful world-building, to take us deeper into the secrets of its unknown magic.
Besides these, of course, who’s certainly seems to be managing well enough there, Williams’s biggest disadvantage comes however from the story itself and that is because, as his/her writing moves at a relatively fast pace, he/she sometimes passes through some chapters, perhaps, more quickly than it needed and so leaving you with a bittersweet feeling - and especially toward the end of the book, even more.
Nevertheless, though, the book has, too, its own unique and wonderful moments that make it stand out without losing too much of the magic that Mazarkis Williams’ created in The Emperor's Knife , and without failing also at managing to take us once more to a magical adventure.
All in all, despite its problems, Knife-Sworn proves to be a quite interesting continuation as, with Mazarkis Williams weaving his/her own magic through his/her writing, he/she manages to bring another special story - bringing us amidst new characters and their adventures, and also crafting and an even more beautiful world-building.
Ελληνική κριτική:
November 18, 2013
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
The Tower and Knife series continues with Knife Sworn, and the second book is as full of magic, intrigue and beauty as the first -- if not even more so! One might be tempted to stop with The Emperor's Knife, its story having wrapped up so nicely at the end after all, with Sarmin coming into his own and the Pattern Master vanquished forever. But trust me, you won't want to miss this.
The events at the end of The Emperor's Blade saw Prince Sarmin free at last, taking his place on the throne after years of being locked up in a tower. Mesema, the girl sent from the horse tribes is now his wife and empress, and has just given birth to a boy. However, Sarmin's own mother the Empire Mother Nessaket has also just recently borne a son, throwing the matter of succession into question. And as the first book has shown, too many boys with royal blood at the palace has always led to bad news.
On top of this, Sarmin has been suffering from memory lapses and getting pressure from his advisers to name a new royal assassin, or a knife-sworn. He's also just received an unwanted gift of a harem of concubines, which he suspects is actually harboring a spy. There are only a few people close to Sarmin he can trust, and with the births of the princes and the arrival of a Yrkman peace convoy, they become more important to him than ever before.
First and foremost of these characters is Grada, whom we met in The Emperor's Knife and has since become one of Sarmin's closest companions and his trusted investigator. I mentioned in my review of the first book that out of all the points-of-view featured, my favorite one was Mesema's. In Knife Sworn, she takes on a less central role, but in her place Mazarkis Williams has given us the narratives of three other women, all strongly characterized and well-written. I've already mentioned Grada, whose complex past and warring emotions made her the most interesting person in the book. There's also Nessaket, who was almost a villain in my eyes in The Emperor's Knife, but in Knife Sworn I actually sympathized with her. And finally, my favorite character in this book was Rushes, the slave girl who instantly endeared me to her with her good heart.
Mazarkis Williams' writing is also in a league of its own, invoking such powerful and vivid imagery. It has been many, many months since I read The Emperor's Knife, but I still remember a certain scene involving blooming flowers in the desert, which Williams had brought to life with exquisite attention to detail. The writing was simply beautiful, and it is even more so now in Knife Sworn since the storytelling has become cleaner and more robust. It's the prime reason why I enjoyed this sequel even more than the first book; in The Emperor's Knife I sometimes found myself lost in terms of which character I was supposed to be following or trying to figure out where I was. I experienced none of that here, in the smooth flowing pace and structure of Knife Sworn.
The author has also ramped up the intrigue. If that was your favorite part of the first book, you will not be disappointed here. Conspiracies, secret agendas and betrayals abound, with twists thrown in. Almost everyone can be seen as a friend or a foe, depending on whose perspective you're following. I read this book much faster than I expected, because I wanted badly to see what certain characters would do.
The only thing I would have liked to see more of in Knife Sworn is the magic. Specifically, I wouldn't have minded a bit more about how it works; the first book introduced a very interesting system involving relationships between mages and spirits, and it was one of the coolest ideas I've ever come across in fantasy. Mages didn't play as big a role in this one, though with the emergence of a new magical threat to the empire, I hope the third book will offer a deeper and more detailed look at the magic of this world.
On that note, The Tower Broken will be coming out very soon! I wouldn't miss it for the world.
The Tower and Knife series continues with Knife Sworn, and the second book is as full of magic, intrigue and beauty as the first -- if not even more so! One might be tempted to stop with The Emperor's Knife, its story having wrapped up so nicely at the end after all, with Sarmin coming into his own and the Pattern Master vanquished forever. But trust me, you won't want to miss this.
The events at the end of The Emperor's Blade saw Prince Sarmin free at last, taking his place on the throne after years of being locked up in a tower. Mesema, the girl sent from the horse tribes is now his wife and empress, and has just given birth to a boy. However, Sarmin's own mother the Empire Mother Nessaket has also just recently borne a son, throwing the matter of succession into question. And as the first book has shown, too many boys with royal blood at the palace has always led to bad news.
On top of this, Sarmin has been suffering from memory lapses and getting pressure from his advisers to name a new royal assassin, or a knife-sworn. He's also just received an unwanted gift of a harem of concubines, which he suspects is actually harboring a spy. There are only a few people close to Sarmin he can trust, and with the births of the princes and the arrival of a Yrkman peace convoy, they become more important to him than ever before.
First and foremost of these characters is Grada, whom we met in The Emperor's Knife and has since become one of Sarmin's closest companions and his trusted investigator. I mentioned in my review of the first book that out of all the points-of-view featured, my favorite one was Mesema's. In Knife Sworn, she takes on a less central role, but in her place Mazarkis Williams has given us the narratives of three other women, all strongly characterized and well-written. I've already mentioned Grada, whose complex past and warring emotions made her the most interesting person in the book. There's also Nessaket, who was almost a villain in my eyes in The Emperor's Knife, but in Knife Sworn I actually sympathized with her. And finally, my favorite character in this book was Rushes, the slave girl who instantly endeared me to her with her good heart.
Mazarkis Williams' writing is also in a league of its own, invoking such powerful and vivid imagery. It has been many, many months since I read The Emperor's Knife, but I still remember a certain scene involving blooming flowers in the desert, which Williams had brought to life with exquisite attention to detail. The writing was simply beautiful, and it is even more so now in Knife Sworn since the storytelling has become cleaner and more robust. It's the prime reason why I enjoyed this sequel even more than the first book; in The Emperor's Knife I sometimes found myself lost in terms of which character I was supposed to be following or trying to figure out where I was. I experienced none of that here, in the smooth flowing pace and structure of Knife Sworn.
The author has also ramped up the intrigue. If that was your favorite part of the first book, you will not be disappointed here. Conspiracies, secret agendas and betrayals abound, with twists thrown in. Almost everyone can be seen as a friend or a foe, depending on whose perspective you're following. I read this book much faster than I expected, because I wanted badly to see what certain characters would do.
The only thing I would have liked to see more of in Knife Sworn is the magic. Specifically, I wouldn't have minded a bit more about how it works; the first book introduced a very interesting system involving relationships between mages and spirits, and it was one of the coolest ideas I've ever come across in fantasy. Mages didn't play as big a role in this one, though with the emergence of a new magical threat to the empire, I hope the third book will offer a deeper and more detailed look at the magic of this world.
On that note, The Tower Broken will be coming out very soon! I wouldn't miss it for the world.
November 13, 2012
I read 'The Emperor's Knife' (first book in this trilogy) last week. If you have read my review, you probably noticed that although some concepts and ideas were very original, when you calculate all the flaws the book was just an average read to me.
So I tentatively started reading 'Knife Sworn'. After all this book would be a deal-breaker to me, it will decide if I will continue to read this series or give up.
I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the 'Knife Sworn'. It's surprising to see how much Mazarkis Williams's style matured and improved in a year. While I was reading, I felt like he read my review and worked on all the things that really bothered me in 'The Emperor's Knife'. Of course that is not possible, except if he does not own a time traveling machine. :)
All the good things from the first book are still here in 'Knife Sworn': character driven story and show don't tell principle of writing. But switches between different points of view are not so sudden anymore. There is less tension because of chapter per character concept, but I feel it was worth it, because the story flow feels much smoother now.
Whose point of view we now have, since half of them were killed in the first book?
Sarmin is the main storyteller of course. He is now the emperor and he tries to applies all those ideals of peace to his country. To spice up the things and give us some different perspectives and views of events, we also have Grada, Nessaket and Rushes (a servant girl).
You all for sure remember Grada. I complained how I simply could not understand insta-love between Sarmin and her. I hoped that listening to story from her point of view would help, but I still don't understand and do not like her very much.
Nessaket, on the other hand, was a real surprise. We get to know what drives her actions and I think that you could never look at her and think of her as power-grabbing stops-at-nothing b...h again. Mazarkis Williams really managed to breathe a soul to her character.
'Knife Sworn' touches some interesting subjects. It shows us that seizing and getting control of the empire is the easy part. Healing & ruling it fairly are the hard ones.
What will Sarmin do, when the best advice he gets is: "You should find a new place, Sarmin emperor. This one is undone."
"How a man who could not rule himself might speak for a nation and heal the emptiness that threatened to consume them all"?
Read the book to find out. ;)
This book does not end in real cliffhangers but there are a lot of revelations and new decisions in the end that I can't wait for the next book to be released. I need to find out what will happen next!
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on Amazon and my blog.
So I tentatively started reading 'Knife Sworn'. After all this book would be a deal-breaker to me, it will decide if I will continue to read this series or give up.
I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the 'Knife Sworn'. It's surprising to see how much Mazarkis Williams's style matured and improved in a year. While I was reading, I felt like he read my review and worked on all the things that really bothered me in 'The Emperor's Knife'. Of course that is not possible, except if he does not own a time traveling machine. :)
All the good things from the first book are still here in 'Knife Sworn': character driven story and show don't tell principle of writing. But switches between different points of view are not so sudden anymore. There is less tension because of chapter per character concept, but I feel it was worth it, because the story flow feels much smoother now.
Whose point of view we now have, since half of them were killed in the first book?
Sarmin is the main storyteller of course. He is now the emperor and he tries to applies all those ideals of peace to his country. To spice up the things and give us some different perspectives and views of events, we also have Grada, Nessaket and Rushes (a servant girl).
You all for sure remember Grada. I complained how I simply could not understand insta-love between Sarmin and her. I hoped that listening to story from her point of view would help, but I still don't understand and do not like her very much.
Nessaket, on the other hand, was a real surprise. We get to know what drives her actions and I think that you could never look at her and think of her as power-grabbing stops-at-nothing b...h again. Mazarkis Williams really managed to breathe a soul to her character.
'Knife Sworn' touches some interesting subjects. It shows us that seizing and getting control of the empire is the easy part. Healing & ruling it fairly are the hard ones.
What will Sarmin do, when the best advice he gets is: "You should find a new place, Sarmin emperor. This one is undone."
"How a man who could not rule himself might speak for a nation and heal the emptiness that threatened to consume them all"?
Read the book to find out. ;)
This book does not end in real cliffhangers but there are a lot of revelations and new decisions in the end that I can't wait for the next book to be released. I need to find out what will happen next!
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on Amazon and my blog.
November 13, 2012
Pros: tight storytelling, several interesting viewpoints, complex characters
Cons: no book one synopsis/reminders
A year as Emperor hasn't brought Sarmin or his empire peace. His army, under General Arigu at the command of the previous emperor, has attacked Fryth. In an attept to mitigate the army's evils, Sarmin invites a Fryth envoy to discuss peace between their nations.
Cuious about the gifts of concubines he has received, Sarmin sends the untouchable Grada to follow the slave caravans that train the women.
Meanwhile, Sarmin's mother is worried that his new child will force the death of her own newborn son and a kitchen slave hears more than she ought while avoiding a fellow slave who likes to beat her. And Mesema finds Sarmin turning away from her as a dangerous emptiness spreads from Beyon's tomb.
If you haven't read the first book, The Emperor's Knife, you'll definitely need to before picking this book up. And if you haven't read the first book recently, you'll want to reread or skim it as this book has no recap for those with poor memories.
The writing is tight with several interconnected plots running through the book, showing various viewpoints. The characters are all complex, with some unrepentant scoundrels as well as serious growth by Sarmin and his mother.
As with the first book I highly recommend this series. And the ending really has me wishing the third book were already out.
Cons: no book one synopsis/reminders
A year as Emperor hasn't brought Sarmin or his empire peace. His army, under General Arigu at the command of the previous emperor, has attacked Fryth. In an attept to mitigate the army's evils, Sarmin invites a Fryth envoy to discuss peace between their nations.
Cuious about the gifts of concubines he has received, Sarmin sends the untouchable Grada to follow the slave caravans that train the women.
Meanwhile, Sarmin's mother is worried that his new child will force the death of her own newborn son and a kitchen slave hears more than she ought while avoiding a fellow slave who likes to beat her. And Mesema finds Sarmin turning away from her as a dangerous emptiness spreads from Beyon's tomb.
If you haven't read the first book, The Emperor's Knife, you'll definitely need to before picking this book up. And if you haven't read the first book recently, you'll want to reread or skim it as this book has no recap for those with poor memories.
The writing is tight with several interconnected plots running through the book, showing various viewpoints. The characters are all complex, with some unrepentant scoundrels as well as serious growth by Sarmin and his mother.
As with the first book I highly recommend this series. And the ending really has me wishing the third book were already out.
November 3, 2021
Long time between reading the first novel and the second in the series; the author brought the reader up to speed smoothly, kept a continuation of characters and referenced events in the previous book that made me remember the story and epicness. Good middle book, moved the plot along and defined the main “villain” that will be hopefully be solved in the final book.
November 11, 2012
It was great to get back into the world that Mazarkis Williams has so skilfully created, and I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Knife Sworn. This book is a lot more polished than its predecessor and the story flows more smoothly. The return of many of our favourite characters, and the introduction of some intriguing new ones, make Knife Sworn an interesting and engaging read.
It’s been a long time since I read Knife Sworn, and I dearly wish I’d had the time to re-read it. Williams begins his novel without recapping or explaining what had occurred in the last book – which meant that I floundered for the first few chapters until I remembered who was whom and how they were connected to Sarmin and Beyon. Once I got my bearings, however, I was able to enjoy the adventure and intrigue that the author lays out for us, and I can’t say I was the least bit disappointed.
One of things that really stands out about this author is the methods he employs to tell his story. He is very much a fan of show rather than tell, and so while we get to see Sarmin do certain things and make certain decisions, his motivations are not exactly clear until later on. This caused some confusion for me but I think ultimately added to the story, because I was always curious as to what he could see that I couldn’t. I think Sarmin was a more sympathetic character when he was the underdog, and now as Emperoer he’s become conflicted and lost, and I found myself sometimes losing patience with him.
In contrast, Grada’s passages confused me because I couldn’t place her actions into the larger scheme of the novel until fairly late – I’m not sure if this was intentional or not. My favourite chapters are definitely those told from Nessakit’s point of view – the author does such a wonderful job of realising her hopes, fears, dreams and schemes, and I found myself simultaneously feeling incredibly sorry for her and wishing for her death.
I have to mention the romance in this book – having been disappointed in the romantic element in the first book I was pleased that this one doesn’t dwell on unnecessary entanglements between the characters. This is not to say that the book is devoid of romance all together – but it comes across much more subtly and is nuanced by Sarmin’s conflicted feelings between Mesema and Grada.
Overall, Knife Sworn is a commendable accomplishment and showcases the growth Williams has undergone as a writer. This series brings a new and exciting facet to the genre of Fantasy, and fans would so well to acquaint themselves with it. The book ends with the hardening of Sarmin’s stand regarding the ruling of his Empire and leaves readers breathless for the next instalment: it’s obviously going to be a game changer. I can’t wait!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic .
It’s been a long time since I read Knife Sworn, and I dearly wish I’d had the time to re-read it. Williams begins his novel without recapping or explaining what had occurred in the last book – which meant that I floundered for the first few chapters until I remembered who was whom and how they were connected to Sarmin and Beyon. Once I got my bearings, however, I was able to enjoy the adventure and intrigue that the author lays out for us, and I can’t say I was the least bit disappointed.
One of things that really stands out about this author is the methods he employs to tell his story. He is very much a fan of show rather than tell, and so while we get to see Sarmin do certain things and make certain decisions, his motivations are not exactly clear until later on. This caused some confusion for me but I think ultimately added to the story, because I was always curious as to what he could see that I couldn’t. I think Sarmin was a more sympathetic character when he was the underdog, and now as Emperoer he’s become conflicted and lost, and I found myself sometimes losing patience with him.
In contrast, Grada’s passages confused me because I couldn’t place her actions into the larger scheme of the novel until fairly late – I’m not sure if this was intentional or not. My favourite chapters are definitely those told from Nessakit’s point of view – the author does such a wonderful job of realising her hopes, fears, dreams and schemes, and I found myself simultaneously feeling incredibly sorry for her and wishing for her death.
I have to mention the romance in this book – having been disappointed in the romantic element in the first book I was pleased that this one doesn’t dwell on unnecessary entanglements between the characters. This is not to say that the book is devoid of romance all together – but it comes across much more subtly and is nuanced by Sarmin’s conflicted feelings between Mesema and Grada.
Overall, Knife Sworn is a commendable accomplishment and showcases the growth Williams has undergone as a writer. This series brings a new and exciting facet to the genre of Fantasy, and fans would so well to acquaint themselves with it. The book ends with the hardening of Sarmin’s stand regarding the ruling of his Empire and leaves readers breathless for the next instalment: it’s obviously going to be a game changer. I can’t wait!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic .
December 10, 2012
”A fantastic, original and character-focused follow up that will satisfy readers of The Emperor’s Knife.” ~The Founding Fields
Warning! There are spoilers for the first novel in the trilogy, The Emperor’s Knife, which I strongly recommend that you read before reading this one.
The Emperor’s Knife, Mazarkis Williams’ debut, was an awesome read, so when I found out that Knife Sworn, the sequel – was available on NetGalley with some decent cover art, I jumped at the opportunity, and thankfully, I had my request accepted. Now, several pages later, I found myself at the end of another great, if slow-moving, instalment of The Tower and Knife Trilogy, and I can’t wait to see what Williams provides us with in the final outing.
After spending most of his life in captivity, Sarmin now sits upon the Throne of Cerana. But his reign is an uneasy one. And the emperor’s own heart is torn between two very different women: Mesema, a Windreader princess, and Grada, a lowborn untouchable with whom Sarmin shares a unique bond. In times past, a royal assassin known as the Emperor’s Knife served to defend the throne from menace, but the last Knife has perished and his successor has yet to be named. Sarmin must choose his own loyal death-dealer . . . but upon whom can be he bestow the burden of the Knife-Sworn?
The originality of the concept and the setting was one thing that drew me into The Emperor’s Knife. Everything that was good about that book carried on over to its sequel, making it arguably the better of the two. Whilst it may not have been a page turner, Knife Sworn was nonetheless a great read, character-focused and enjoyable.
Sarmin is the main storyteller as half of our dramatis personae from Book 1 don’t make it to the sequel. Grada is another character who gets a lot of page time, and they are both developed further in this book. Characters are a strong point of Williams, and Knife Sworn shows that he can write them well. We get a varied and strong cast, with no perfect or archetypical characters here, even if Grada’s story is perhaps the most uninteresting, as we don’t gain anything from having her POV in here, which is a real shame and one of my two main issues with this book.
Read the full review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/12/....
Warning! There are spoilers for the first novel in the trilogy, The Emperor’s Knife, which I strongly recommend that you read before reading this one.
The Emperor’s Knife, Mazarkis Williams’ debut, was an awesome read, so when I found out that Knife Sworn, the sequel – was available on NetGalley with some decent cover art, I jumped at the opportunity, and thankfully, I had my request accepted. Now, several pages later, I found myself at the end of another great, if slow-moving, instalment of The Tower and Knife Trilogy, and I can’t wait to see what Williams provides us with in the final outing.
After spending most of his life in captivity, Sarmin now sits upon the Throne of Cerana. But his reign is an uneasy one. And the emperor’s own heart is torn between two very different women: Mesema, a Windreader princess, and Grada, a lowborn untouchable with whom Sarmin shares a unique bond. In times past, a royal assassin known as the Emperor’s Knife served to defend the throne from menace, but the last Knife has perished and his successor has yet to be named. Sarmin must choose his own loyal death-dealer . . . but upon whom can be he bestow the burden of the Knife-Sworn?
The originality of the concept and the setting was one thing that drew me into The Emperor’s Knife. Everything that was good about that book carried on over to its sequel, making it arguably the better of the two. Whilst it may not have been a page turner, Knife Sworn was nonetheless a great read, character-focused and enjoyable.
Sarmin is the main storyteller as half of our dramatis personae from Book 1 don’t make it to the sequel. Grada is another character who gets a lot of page time, and they are both developed further in this book. Characters are a strong point of Williams, and Knife Sworn shows that he can write them well. We get a varied and strong cast, with no perfect or archetypical characters here, even if Grada’s story is perhaps the most uninteresting, as we don’t gain anything from having her POV in here, which is a real shame and one of my two main issues with this book.
Read the full review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/12/....
November 9, 2014
It has been at least a year since I read "The Emperor's Knife", and I found it a little difficult to catch up with what was going on in "Knife Sworn". However, after around 50 pages or so things begin to come back to me, and I found that I had become really immersed in Mazarkis Williams' world again. Believe me when I say this is not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.
While I was disappointed that some of the character viewpoints from the "The Emperor's Knife" did not make into "Knife" sworn, I don't think that it really detracted much from the book. The book still contained plenty of action, political intrigue, deep character relationships and a unique magic system. All things that when put together correctly make up a very solid 3.5 to 4 star fantasy novel.
Williams does quite well at avoiding the "sophomore slump" with "Knife Sworn". However, at times I found myself having to go back a paragraph or three to figure out what was taking place. The arcane system at times just confused me a little, and I would have to say to myself "What in the world is going on here?". Minor I know, but still worth mentioning.
The deep complex characters and their relationships with each other is where I think Maz really shines. There is an interesting dynamic between Sarmin, Mesema and Nessaket. I also found the relationship between Sarmin and Grada to be very interesting as well.
With excellent action sequences and deep intrigue Mazarkis Williams has crafted a very well written second effort. I recommend giving "The Tower and Knife" trilogy an opportunity. Of course if you are new to the series you will want to read "The Emperor's Knife" before trying to jump into "Knife Sworn", but if you enjoyed "The Emperor's Knife" then you will find "Knife Sworn" to be right up your alley. An excellent read.
Check it out!
While I was disappointed that some of the character viewpoints from the "The Emperor's Knife" did not make into "Knife" sworn, I don't think that it really detracted much from the book. The book still contained plenty of action, political intrigue, deep character relationships and a unique magic system. All things that when put together correctly make up a very solid 3.5 to 4 star fantasy novel.
Williams does quite well at avoiding the "sophomore slump" with "Knife Sworn". However, at times I found myself having to go back a paragraph or three to figure out what was taking place. The arcane system at times just confused me a little, and I would have to say to myself "What in the world is going on here?". Minor I know, but still worth mentioning.
The deep complex characters and their relationships with each other is where I think Maz really shines. There is an interesting dynamic between Sarmin, Mesema and Nessaket. I also found the relationship between Sarmin and Grada to be very interesting as well.
With excellent action sequences and deep intrigue Mazarkis Williams has crafted a very well written second effort. I recommend giving "The Tower and Knife" trilogy an opportunity. Of course if you are new to the series you will want to read "The Emperor's Knife" before trying to jump into "Knife Sworn", but if you enjoyed "The Emperor's Knife" then you will find "Knife Sworn" to be right up your alley. An excellent read.
Check it out!
October 15, 2015
This is the second book in the Tower and Knife Trilogy. I got this book as a Goodreads giveaway. The book starts where book one left off, the Pattern Master is defeated and Sarmin has become Emperor. But all is not well in the Empire. Although the Pattern Master has been defeated the consequences of his curse remain. Sarmin must find a way to heal his Empire before he can bring it the peace he desires. And with no Knife to call he may not be able to reach his goal.
I received the first book in the series as a Barnes and Noble Free Friday book. And I go the second book as a Goodreads giveaway. I liked them both so much that now I will need to go buy the third book to see how it all ends!
I received the first book in the series as a Barnes and Noble Free Friday book. And I go the second book as a Goodreads giveaway. I liked them both so much that now I will need to go buy the third book to see how it all ends!
November 14, 2012
We reviewed The Emperor’s Knife, Book #1 in the Tower and Knife series by Mazarkis Williams, when it was published late last year. I’ve been anxiously awaiting Book #2 and it’s finally here. Knife Sworn picks up fairly soon after The Emperor’s Knife ended. For those of you who haven’t read Book #1, this series blends court intrigue, political conspiracy, thriller and fantasy into a world that’s absolutely fascinating. Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=4942.
February 14, 2013
Mazarkis evokes an original tale in Knife Sworn. Characters are deep and complex. The world is filled with mysterious arcana that must be understood to save it from nullification. The writing is enchanting. Buy this book and enjoy!
More review to come, but I am on a deadline at work...
More review to come, but I am on a deadline at work...
July 10, 2013
Wow! Like the first of the series, Knife Sworn was good fantasy, laced with political intrigue. I wondered how Williams would make the stories flow together, as the first novel wrapped up so nicely - she made it not only work, but work beautifully. I can't wait to read the third novel!
Want to read
July 22, 2012This will be great.
That is my evaluation from the ~1/4 I read.
I'm excited and can't wait to read it. :)
That is my evaluation from the ~1/4 I read.
I'm excited and can't wait to read it. :)
June 30, 2014
originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2014...
Last year when I got introduced to the line up of books from Jo Fletcher many titles had caught my attention and one of them was The Emperor's Knife by Mazarkis Williams. I am always a sucker when it comes down to an epic fantasy story that features magic, sword fighting, political intrigues and of course assassins. The story and the world that Mazarkis Williams started to build had some very cool idea's and the influences, middle eastern, Arabian thousand and one nights really made it stand out from the rest. Furthermore he left his story of The Emperor's Knife on one major cliffhanger!
The story of Knife Sworn picks up directly after the events of The Emperor's Knife. The first thing that felt to note here was that the tone of the story is slightly different than to what you were introduced to in the first book of the Tower and Knife Trilogy. In the first book we were introduced to the only surviving brother of the Emperor, Sarmin and to many other perspectives, but in the end Sarmin took to the Emperor's seat and became the new ruling voice, it is thus by these events that the book focuses on the all the courtly dealings that now accompanies Sarmin's new task. That of ruling the Cerani empire. This type of change does remind of the one that Jay Posey introduced in his series, first writing a action packed an brutal start but then delving deeper and deeper into the world and story itself and though for some readers this might come as a shock if you just sit back and take it all in it does definitely inspire a feeling of grandness to the story. And this is also why I am pleased that Mazarkis Williams went into this direction, because besides the building Sarmin's character further, he doesn't at all skip out on the action, it might be present in a less pronounced way but it is still there and just a word up front, an emperor needs a knife...
Ok so for the story. Sarmin has taken up on the throne of the Cerani empire, after finally being freed from his years of imprisonment. In the first book he was given a wife, Mesema and she has given Sarmin a young boy and heir to the throne. However to make things complicated, the mother of Sarmin, Nessaket has also given birth to a young boy, this raises the question as to who should be emperor. This coincidence raises some deadly stakes for Sarmin and his new family... However the job of an Emperor isn't only to mingle into family affairs, the predecessors of Sarmin had started many fights in order to expand the Cerani empire and this is one job that also falls onto Sarmin's lap, he has to deal both with the birth of his own son and that of his mother as well as waging war and everything that is accompanied by this. Added to this are his own personal "problems" he is receiving flashbacks and is hearing voices in his head besides his own...
The main focus of the story is on Sarmin and his dealings as new emperor but Mazarkis Williams also shows different sides of the story by several secondary characters: Grada, Nessaket and Rushes. Grada was also a character who was introduced in the first book and she had and still has a strong bond with Sarmin, in Knife Sworn their relation continues in a most precarious kind of way, on one hand Sarmin is strongly drawn to Mesema but on the other one he can't seem to forget Grada. Nessaket is one perspective that dots the i's when it comes down to playing dirty. Though we had already seen some of her character in the first book she now takes on a much more pronounced role and you see her planning and scheming about for the faith of her own born son. I can't really say that Nessaket is the evil person in the story but her character is one that has a high maternal instinct when it comes down to letting her son survive and with Mazarkis Williams laying such an emphasis on showing just what her character thinks and how she acts really helped to flesh her fully and t definitely mark her out as being dangerous.
One aspect that I was very pleased about was the whole development given to Sarmin's character. If you have read the first book you know that he was imprisoned for many years and that he due to specific circumstances rose up to claim the Emperors throne. However this shift from being imprisoned to being the strongest or better phrased powerful persons in the world isn't one that you can do in the blink of an eye and this is exactly what Mazarkis Williams shows in Knife Sworn. You can clearly see that the years of Sarmin's imprisonment has changed his point of view on several levels and he really wants to see the better in every person he meets but unfortunately this simply is impossible and this strains him. He even appoints a new Emperor's Knife in the hope that he never has to use it during the time of his reign he would rather try to solve everything by talking and discussing instead of drawing blood. But blood had to be drawn by his predecessors to make the Cerani empire what it is... Will Sarmin has to resort to this as well? Great character development and this promises a lot for the third and final book in the Tower and Knife Trilogy.
The last thing I want to mention about Knife Sworn, and which also was notable in The Emperor's Knife was the writing style of Mazarkis Williams. It's one that comes over as rock solid and very confident. With this he writes directly to the point, keeping the pacing and action in the book pretty tight. However this doesn't in anyway mean that there is a comprise being made between pacing and building the world of the Tower and Knife trilogy. It is precisely by this type of writing that Mazarkis Williams embodies so much more surrounding his world, he paints some very detailed surrounding in his story that if the setting weren't that grim and bleak would definitely invite you to spend your Thousand and one night adventure in!
The ending of Knife Sworn does allow you to guess just what Mazarkis WIlliams might want to show in the third book of the Tower and Knife Trilogy, Tower Broken, but I also had an assumption about how Knife Sworn would go but was wrong on that front. What Mazarkis Williams has shown is that you will be in for a surprise!
Knife Sworn is just a book that the Tower and Knife Trilogy needs. With The Emperor's Knife Mazarkis Williams gave a solid introduction into his world and just what kind of story he wanted to see, with the sequel, Knife Sworn, Mazarkis Williams goes into a quite a different direction but one that works in many ways to take his story further. It's not one that focuses heavily on the sword and sorcery aspect but one that cleverly builds on the court politics and intrigues that accompany the rise of the new emperor Sarmin. I for one was very pleased to have seen such a developments for many of the characters and in particular Sarmin. This taken all together can mean only one thing. Tower Broken will be one epic conclusion!
Last year when I got introduced to the line up of books from Jo Fletcher many titles had caught my attention and one of them was The Emperor's Knife by Mazarkis Williams. I am always a sucker when it comes down to an epic fantasy story that features magic, sword fighting, political intrigues and of course assassins. The story and the world that Mazarkis Williams started to build had some very cool idea's and the influences, middle eastern, Arabian thousand and one nights really made it stand out from the rest. Furthermore he left his story of The Emperor's Knife on one major cliffhanger!
The story of Knife Sworn picks up directly after the events of The Emperor's Knife. The first thing that felt to note here was that the tone of the story is slightly different than to what you were introduced to in the first book of the Tower and Knife Trilogy. In the first book we were introduced to the only surviving brother of the Emperor, Sarmin and to many other perspectives, but in the end Sarmin took to the Emperor's seat and became the new ruling voice, it is thus by these events that the book focuses on the all the courtly dealings that now accompanies Sarmin's new task. That of ruling the Cerani empire. This type of change does remind of the one that Jay Posey introduced in his series, first writing a action packed an brutal start but then delving deeper and deeper into the world and story itself and though for some readers this might come as a shock if you just sit back and take it all in it does definitely inspire a feeling of grandness to the story. And this is also why I am pleased that Mazarkis Williams went into this direction, because besides the building Sarmin's character further, he doesn't at all skip out on the action, it might be present in a less pronounced way but it is still there and just a word up front, an emperor needs a knife...
Ok so for the story. Sarmin has taken up on the throne of the Cerani empire, after finally being freed from his years of imprisonment. In the first book he was given a wife, Mesema and she has given Sarmin a young boy and heir to the throne. However to make things complicated, the mother of Sarmin, Nessaket has also given birth to a young boy, this raises the question as to who should be emperor. This coincidence raises some deadly stakes for Sarmin and his new family... However the job of an Emperor isn't only to mingle into family affairs, the predecessors of Sarmin had started many fights in order to expand the Cerani empire and this is one job that also falls onto Sarmin's lap, he has to deal both with the birth of his own son and that of his mother as well as waging war and everything that is accompanied by this. Added to this are his own personal "problems" he is receiving flashbacks and is hearing voices in his head besides his own...
The main focus of the story is on Sarmin and his dealings as new emperor but Mazarkis Williams also shows different sides of the story by several secondary characters: Grada, Nessaket and Rushes. Grada was also a character who was introduced in the first book and she had and still has a strong bond with Sarmin, in Knife Sworn their relation continues in a most precarious kind of way, on one hand Sarmin is strongly drawn to Mesema but on the other one he can't seem to forget Grada. Nessaket is one perspective that dots the i's when it comes down to playing dirty. Though we had already seen some of her character in the first book she now takes on a much more pronounced role and you see her planning and scheming about for the faith of her own born son. I can't really say that Nessaket is the evil person in the story but her character is one that has a high maternal instinct when it comes down to letting her son survive and with Mazarkis Williams laying such an emphasis on showing just what her character thinks and how she acts really helped to flesh her fully and t definitely mark her out as being dangerous.
One aspect that I was very pleased about was the whole development given to Sarmin's character. If you have read the first book you know that he was imprisoned for many years and that he due to specific circumstances rose up to claim the Emperors throne. However this shift from being imprisoned to being the strongest or better phrased powerful persons in the world isn't one that you can do in the blink of an eye and this is exactly what Mazarkis Williams shows in Knife Sworn. You can clearly see that the years of Sarmin's imprisonment has changed his point of view on several levels and he really wants to see the better in every person he meets but unfortunately this simply is impossible and this strains him. He even appoints a new Emperor's Knife in the hope that he never has to use it during the time of his reign he would rather try to solve everything by talking and discussing instead of drawing blood. But blood had to be drawn by his predecessors to make the Cerani empire what it is... Will Sarmin has to resort to this as well? Great character development and this promises a lot for the third and final book in the Tower and Knife Trilogy.
The last thing I want to mention about Knife Sworn, and which also was notable in The Emperor's Knife was the writing style of Mazarkis Williams. It's one that comes over as rock solid and very confident. With this he writes directly to the point, keeping the pacing and action in the book pretty tight. However this doesn't in anyway mean that there is a comprise being made between pacing and building the world of the Tower and Knife trilogy. It is precisely by this type of writing that Mazarkis Williams embodies so much more surrounding his world, he paints some very detailed surrounding in his story that if the setting weren't that grim and bleak would definitely invite you to spend your Thousand and one night adventure in!
The ending of Knife Sworn does allow you to guess just what Mazarkis WIlliams might want to show in the third book of the Tower and Knife Trilogy, Tower Broken, but I also had an assumption about how Knife Sworn would go but was wrong on that front. What Mazarkis Williams has shown is that you will be in for a surprise!
Knife Sworn is just a book that the Tower and Knife Trilogy needs. With The Emperor's Knife Mazarkis Williams gave a solid introduction into his world and just what kind of story he wanted to see, with the sequel, Knife Sworn, Mazarkis Williams goes into a quite a different direction but one that works in many ways to take his story further. It's not one that focuses heavily on the sword and sorcery aspect but one that cleverly builds on the court politics and intrigues that accompany the rise of the new emperor Sarmin. I for one was very pleased to have seen such a developments for many of the characters and in particular Sarmin. This taken all together can mean only one thing. Tower Broken will be one epic conclusion!
January 8, 2014
Knife Sworn is the second book in the Tower & Knife series and the middle book of a trilogy. As such it had a tall order in front of it; it had to live up to the first book and keep the narrative going so there will be a strong draw back for the third book. And of course, it has to avoid middle-book-syndrome. And people wonder why writing that second book is harder than writing the first! So you'll be glad to know that Knife Sworn did the first and the second and was relatively successful at avoiding the last. I was quite pleased with how Williams continued the story after the relatively self-contained
The Emperor's Knife
and the book's ending definitely left me eager to start the final book. However, while it wasn't less action-packed, slower-paced or only a bridge between book one and book three, Knife Sworn certainly doesn't stand on its own; one could read it without having read the first book, but you'd miss a lot of background and the story doesn't have as satisfying an ending as The Emperor's Knife. Still, Knife Sworn is a very enjoyable read and shows Williams' growth as an author quite well.
The book features different points of view than the previous one. Sarmin makes a return, and we get new viewpoints from Grada, Rushes and Nessaket. Which means this time we get three women and one man, whereas last time it was one woman and three men. I do have to say I missed Mesema's point of view in this book, as I'd come to care for her and I was sad to only see her at a remove in this book. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Rushes' and Grada's story arcs and I appreciated getting to know Nessaket better and seeing what makes her tick. All of the point of view characters are unreliable in some way as well, which made the narration of the novel even more interesting as you had to keep reading closely. I really liked Rushes, as she's an interesting character and she provides an informative view not just of the lower classes in the palace, but also more insight into the Mogryk faith.
Sarmin's development from the imprisoned prince in the tower to a ruling emperor is a rough road and quite fascinating, especially with the pattern magic factored in. However, my favourite arc in the book was Grada's. I loved the way she has to learn to live with what she has done as part of the Many and what that experience has made of her. She essentially has to remake herself, find her own identity again by incorporating all that's been added to her by the Patterning. It's a hard lesson to learn, but I found it quite moving and I really enjoyed Grada's voice as well.
Ostensibly Knife Sworn is about Sarmin dealing with the Nothing, an unexpected after-effect of the Pattern Master's final pattern, a mysterious force that is one of unmaking and negation. But it is also about remaking; not just that which has been destroyed by the Nothing, but identity, self, peace, a nation, and people's lives. I found Williams' incorporation of The Longing of the Unpatterned, those who Sarmin cured of the Patterning and returned from the Many to themselves haunting. The sense of loss these people experienced and the loneliness Grada and Rushes feel is heart-breaking and you'd almost wonder whether Sarmin shouldn't have found a way to make them better while still being able to connect to the Many. Especially Rushes' story shows us why Sarmin was right in what he did and Rushes' realisation of this was quite bitter-sweet.
Knife Sworn was the sequel The Emperor's Knife deserved and in many ways was even better. The book felt better paced and the writing was far more certain and unflinching. There are some beautiful and gruesome scenes in here and Williams almost gave me a heart attack with a few of the developments. I found this quite an exciting read and I can't wait to start The Tower Broken, the concluding book of the trilogy, which is what I'll be doing once this review is up. A review for the final book will be up in the near future.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
The book features different points of view than the previous one. Sarmin makes a return, and we get new viewpoints from Grada, Rushes and Nessaket. Which means this time we get three women and one man, whereas last time it was one woman and three men. I do have to say I missed Mesema's point of view in this book, as I'd come to care for her and I was sad to only see her at a remove in this book. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Rushes' and Grada's story arcs and I appreciated getting to know Nessaket better and seeing what makes her tick. All of the point of view characters are unreliable in some way as well, which made the narration of the novel even more interesting as you had to keep reading closely. I really liked Rushes, as she's an interesting character and she provides an informative view not just of the lower classes in the palace, but also more insight into the Mogryk faith.
Sarmin's development from the imprisoned prince in the tower to a ruling emperor is a rough road and quite fascinating, especially with the pattern magic factored in. However, my favourite arc in the book was Grada's. I loved the way she has to learn to live with what she has done as part of the Many and what that experience has made of her. She essentially has to remake herself, find her own identity again by incorporating all that's been added to her by the Patterning. It's a hard lesson to learn, but I found it quite moving and I really enjoyed Grada's voice as well.
Ostensibly Knife Sworn is about Sarmin dealing with the Nothing, an unexpected after-effect of the Pattern Master's final pattern, a mysterious force that is one of unmaking and negation. But it is also about remaking; not just that which has been destroyed by the Nothing, but identity, self, peace, a nation, and people's lives. I found Williams' incorporation of The Longing of the Unpatterned, those who Sarmin cured of the Patterning and returned from the Many to themselves haunting. The sense of loss these people experienced and the loneliness Grada and Rushes feel is heart-breaking and you'd almost wonder whether Sarmin shouldn't have found a way to make them better while still being able to connect to the Many. Especially Rushes' story shows us why Sarmin was right in what he did and Rushes' realisation of this was quite bitter-sweet.
Knife Sworn was the sequel The Emperor's Knife deserved and in many ways was even better. The book felt better paced and the writing was far more certain and unflinching. There are some beautiful and gruesome scenes in here and Williams almost gave me a heart attack with a few of the developments. I found this quite an exciting read and I can't wait to start The Tower Broken, the concluding book of the trilogy, which is what I'll be doing once this review is up. A review for the final book will be up in the near future.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
December 16, 2014
Once again, I find myself having divided opinions.
The Emperor’s Knife could easily have been a stand-alone novel. In some ways, it might even have been better if it had been. But alas, the author decided to make a trilogy of the story begun in that first book.
While I am beyond excited at getter to know the amazing universe better, I do think that this sequel starts rather heavily dealing with the aftermaths of a finished story. It makes it a little tough to really get into it.
But once you are in the middle of it, you do get caught up in the entanglements and twists of the plot. It was not a page-turner for me like The Emperor’s Knife was. But still it kept my attention and built its own painfully slow suspense toward the end.
It is a story of strong elements.
A Distinctive Narrator’s Voice:
Mazarkis Williams has a brilliant flair for shaping the language into the most beautifully poetic prose. She has really managed to create her own distinctive voice as a narrator – a quality I admire greatly in an author. There is no generic use of language in her books. Even when the story is slow, it is never boring to read.
The story is slow in Knife Sworn. My thoughts of The Emperor’s Knife was that it was almost too fast-paced; this time around, it seems she has taken a slight detour in the opposite direction.
Strong Characters under Development:
One point at which Mazarkis Williams seem to do better in this sequel is the characters. I loved her characters in The Emperor’s Knife, but I thought they needed something more. In my review I asked for more depth, and I am happy to report that in Knife Sworn I am beginning to really feel some of the characters. Especially the young Grada blooms into a strong character that demands the reader’s attention.
I love the fact that none of her characters are perfect, they each have their problems they need to overcome. They come across as very human and fallible. And they have really grown a lot since the events of the first book - and the author seems to have grown with them. Her characterisations and development seem to be a little more refined in Knife Sworn. I cannot wait to see how these characters will evolve through the third book.
A Plot of Mysteries and Secrets:
The plot of this book seems a lot more subtle than the one in the first book. The immediate threat of The Emperor’s Knife has been deflected and the young prince Sarmin has won the throne that was his by right, but the troubles does not end there. Much bigger and more mysterious events lie in wait to threaten the empire.
In Knife Sworn we only get little hints and suggestions at what might come to pass. The reader is trapped in a world full of half-revealed mysteries and ancient secrets. That is the part that left me breathless and expectant after all the pages had been touched and turned. And I must admit that I am itching to get my hands on the last book of the trilogy so I can see the hammer fall already.
A Magical Ever-Expanding Universe:
What I love most about this series is still the universe. In The Emperor’s Knife we only saw a fraction of it, and it was mostly concerned about the amazing magic system that never ceased to make the reader go wide-eyed in awe. In Knife Sworn Marzarkis Williams slowly expands our view of the world. She still only shows us bits and pieces here and there, making us wonder.
Knife Sworn definitely leaves the reader eager to pick up the next in the series. It has its strengths and its weaknesses but at the end, it is a very interesting read. On the one hand, I found it somewhat less fascinating than The Emperor’s Knife; but on the other hand, it shows a visible growth of the author.
The Tower and Knife trilogy is definitely still a strong fantasy series, which I would recommend any day.
This book was given to me by Jo Fletcher Books in exhcange for this review.
More High Fantasy reviews by hypervorean at Numinous Publications
The Emperor’s Knife could easily have been a stand-alone novel. In some ways, it might even have been better if it had been. But alas, the author decided to make a trilogy of the story begun in that first book.
While I am beyond excited at getter to know the amazing universe better, I do think that this sequel starts rather heavily dealing with the aftermaths of a finished story. It makes it a little tough to really get into it.
But once you are in the middle of it, you do get caught up in the entanglements and twists of the plot. It was not a page-turner for me like The Emperor’s Knife was. But still it kept my attention and built its own painfully slow suspense toward the end.
It is a story of strong elements.
A Distinctive Narrator’s Voice:
Mazarkis Williams has a brilliant flair for shaping the language into the most beautifully poetic prose. She has really managed to create her own distinctive voice as a narrator – a quality I admire greatly in an author. There is no generic use of language in her books. Even when the story is slow, it is never boring to read.
The story is slow in Knife Sworn. My thoughts of The Emperor’s Knife was that it was almost too fast-paced; this time around, it seems she has taken a slight detour in the opposite direction.
Strong Characters under Development:
One point at which Mazarkis Williams seem to do better in this sequel is the characters. I loved her characters in The Emperor’s Knife, but I thought they needed something more. In my review I asked for more depth, and I am happy to report that in Knife Sworn I am beginning to really feel some of the characters. Especially the young Grada blooms into a strong character that demands the reader’s attention.
I love the fact that none of her characters are perfect, they each have their problems they need to overcome. They come across as very human and fallible. And they have really grown a lot since the events of the first book - and the author seems to have grown with them. Her characterisations and development seem to be a little more refined in Knife Sworn. I cannot wait to see how these characters will evolve through the third book.
A Plot of Mysteries and Secrets:
The plot of this book seems a lot more subtle than the one in the first book. The immediate threat of The Emperor’s Knife has been deflected and the young prince Sarmin has won the throne that was his by right, but the troubles does not end there. Much bigger and more mysterious events lie in wait to threaten the empire.
In Knife Sworn we only get little hints and suggestions at what might come to pass. The reader is trapped in a world full of half-revealed mysteries and ancient secrets. That is the part that left me breathless and expectant after all the pages had been touched and turned. And I must admit that I am itching to get my hands on the last book of the trilogy so I can see the hammer fall already.
A Magical Ever-Expanding Universe:
What I love most about this series is still the universe. In The Emperor’s Knife we only saw a fraction of it, and it was mostly concerned about the amazing magic system that never ceased to make the reader go wide-eyed in awe. In Knife Sworn Marzarkis Williams slowly expands our view of the world. She still only shows us bits and pieces here and there, making us wonder.
Knife Sworn definitely leaves the reader eager to pick up the next in the series. It has its strengths and its weaknesses but at the end, it is a very interesting read. On the one hand, I found it somewhat less fascinating than The Emperor’s Knife; but on the other hand, it shows a visible growth of the author.
The Tower and Knife trilogy is definitely still a strong fantasy series, which I would recommend any day.
This book was given to me by Jo Fletcher Books in exhcange for this review.
More High Fantasy reviews by hypervorean at Numinous Publications
March 24, 2013
(There may be some minor spoilers in here)
Williams writes with the same magnificent prose as in The Emperor’s Knife. I really love her writing, it’s so complex, so deep, intimate and lyrical. For both The Emperor’s Knife and Knife-Sworn this is a big plus. But this isn’t a book you can read easily, due to the complexity Williams puts in her writing, you really have to keep your head in the game ‘cause otherwise a lot of information will get lost on you.
The book got off to a rather slow start, with a lot of random scenes describing the aftermath of the destruction of the Pattern and the Pattern Master on the people and on Sarmin. We meet the two new additions to the imperial family and there are some new mysteries introduced, this all mixed with a background of military, political and religious tactics. It could have used a stronger beginning to grab the attention of the reader right at the start, but I’m all for giving books a chance, so I read on without complaint.
It took a while for the story to get a grip on me. In the first book I never really had a connection with the story, though it fascinated me. Around page 100 of “Knife-Sworn” I was finally drawn in and it didn't let me go. I don't know what changed, but there was some sort off click that made me immerse myself in the story. It was much easier to keep reading and to feel emotions while reading some of the chapters. Especially the chapter where Sarmin sees the memory of Gallan and how that ended really touched me. The unfairness of it all, the cruelty left a deep impression on me.
Knife Sworn is, just as its predecessor, an intriguing and fascinating book. The author resolved the problem of the pattern at the end of the first book, but not all is well in Nooria. First all were connected with each other through the pattern, sharing grievances, pain and joy alike, but now everyone's abruptly alone again. This loneliness haunts the citizens of Nooria and it is referred to as "the Longing". People take drastic measures to escape this longing (suicide, drugs,...), but out of the desert comes an old faith, banished from Cerana years ago, promising to unite the people once again. But is there truth in this promise? And with people desperate for a new connection with their fellow Unpatterned, is there any way to stop it when there's something darker beneath the smooth words of the Mogyrk priests?
To top it off, The Longing is not all the Pattern has left behind. At each anchorpoint used by Helmar for his Pattern, a nothingness is consuming everything in its path. What is it, and can it be stopped?
Lots of intrigue and mystery in this second book of the Tower and Knife series, just how I like it. And this time I did connect with some of the characters. Williams gave more dimension to her characters, showing sides that were hidden in the first book and created more depth.
The author sets yet again a scorching pace, with twists and turns every few pages, throwing obstacles on our character's paths and introducing questions that trouble character as well as reader. Though in the first book the pacing was a bit too fast to my liking, I had no problem with it this time.
I really enjoyed “Knife-Sworn”, more so than I did “The Emperor’s Knife”. This shows to me that Mazarkis Williams is only growing with every new book and I’m hoping the third book “The Tower Broken” will be even better. I’ll certainly be reading it as soon as it hits shelves (or if I’m lucky and I can snatch up a review copy somewhere, even sooner!)
Williams writes with the same magnificent prose as in The Emperor’s Knife. I really love her writing, it’s so complex, so deep, intimate and lyrical. For both The Emperor’s Knife and Knife-Sworn this is a big plus. But this isn’t a book you can read easily, due to the complexity Williams puts in her writing, you really have to keep your head in the game ‘cause otherwise a lot of information will get lost on you.
The book got off to a rather slow start, with a lot of random scenes describing the aftermath of the destruction of the Pattern and the Pattern Master on the people and on Sarmin. We meet the two new additions to the imperial family and there are some new mysteries introduced, this all mixed with a background of military, political and religious tactics. It could have used a stronger beginning to grab the attention of the reader right at the start, but I’m all for giving books a chance, so I read on without complaint.
It took a while for the story to get a grip on me. In the first book I never really had a connection with the story, though it fascinated me. Around page 100 of “Knife-Sworn” I was finally drawn in and it didn't let me go. I don't know what changed, but there was some sort off click that made me immerse myself in the story. It was much easier to keep reading and to feel emotions while reading some of the chapters. Especially the chapter where Sarmin sees the memory of Gallan and how that ended really touched me. The unfairness of it all, the cruelty left a deep impression on me.
Knife Sworn is, just as its predecessor, an intriguing and fascinating book. The author resolved the problem of the pattern at the end of the first book, but not all is well in Nooria. First all were connected with each other through the pattern, sharing grievances, pain and joy alike, but now everyone's abruptly alone again. This loneliness haunts the citizens of Nooria and it is referred to as "the Longing". People take drastic measures to escape this longing (suicide, drugs,...), but out of the desert comes an old faith, banished from Cerana years ago, promising to unite the people once again. But is there truth in this promise? And with people desperate for a new connection with their fellow Unpatterned, is there any way to stop it when there's something darker beneath the smooth words of the Mogyrk priests?
To top it off, The Longing is not all the Pattern has left behind. At each anchorpoint used by Helmar for his Pattern, a nothingness is consuming everything in its path. What is it, and can it be stopped?
Lots of intrigue and mystery in this second book of the Tower and Knife series, just how I like it. And this time I did connect with some of the characters. Williams gave more dimension to her characters, showing sides that were hidden in the first book and created more depth.
The author sets yet again a scorching pace, with twists and turns every few pages, throwing obstacles on our character's paths and introducing questions that trouble character as well as reader. Though in the first book the pacing was a bit too fast to my liking, I had no problem with it this time.
I really enjoyed “Knife-Sworn”, more so than I did “The Emperor’s Knife”. This shows to me that Mazarkis Williams is only growing with every new book and I’m hoping the third book “The Tower Broken” will be even better. I’ll certainly be reading it as soon as it hits shelves (or if I’m lucky and I can snatch up a review copy somewhere, even sooner!)
September 8, 2013
Review from Fixed on Fantasy.
Knife Sworn is the second installment in the Tower and Knife Trilogy after The Emperor's Knife (see my review - with spoilers - here).
What was frustrating earlier on quickly became a highlight for me in this novel - it was confusing as all hell. There's a lot to say about reading a story through the experience and perception of protagonists that are probably a little unhinged. As readers we take their word as gospel truth, especially after being privy to their internal dialogue. But when that view is limited, so too is ours, sometimes without us realising it.
Emperor Sarmin, affected by his closeted upbringing and now left with the aftershocks of being one of the Many as well as trying to rule Cerana, is not having a great time. There are gaps in his logic and memory, and we are swept into it without so much as a paddle, let alone a life raft. Grada is also one very strange individual, who the pressure has obviously gotten to.
The first third of the book leaves you struggling to keep up, giving you only snatches of information and certainly no solid ground to get your bearings. Characters such as as Nessaket and Rushes give us enough reprieve to get a semblance of a story together, but Sarmin remains thoroughly batty until the end. The magic and religion layered into the story are never explicitly explained or handed over to reason, although I found it easy in the end to roll along with the complex mystery of it all.
I did find that in comparison with book one, Knife Sworn feels like it was written by a different author, such is the change in tone and direction. Not even the characters feel the same. Even though the blurb claims that the book is the story of Sarmin and Mesema and focuses on Sarmin's decision to name a new Knife Sworn, this is hardly the case.
Mesema has been relegated to the role of bedside table, which is a real shame as she was a great presence in The Emperor's Knife. Sarmin and Mesema's relationship which seems to strong at the end of book one now seems almost non-existent. And on the matter of the Knife Sworn ... well it couldn't have had a less signficant role if it tried, not to mention that it was extremely late to the party.
Knife Sworn for me just felt like a watered-down version of The Emperor's Knife. Sarmin is once again faced with a new magical plague, tenuously linked to the Patterning. There's a half-hearted attempt at some political undertakings, but they really just die in the rear. What it ultimately feels like is that The Emperor's Knife was a story in itself, and that Knife Sworn is just left to find a sequel amongst the pieces, after most of the good characters have been killed off. The ending did have potential, but was extremely rushed and fell flat.
Honestly I don't really know how I feel about it all. It was truly a complex, mature and enjoyable read, and I was particularly drawn to the world that Williams created ... but some things were just a little inconsistent and rough for me; it lacked a clear purpose or drive. Nevertheless, still an interesting read if you like high fantasy with a strong signatory world and magic system.
Book three, The Tower Broken, comes out this November - still on my to be read list!
Knife Sworn is the second installment in the Tower and Knife Trilogy after The Emperor's Knife (see my review - with spoilers - here).
What was frustrating earlier on quickly became a highlight for me in this novel - it was confusing as all hell. There's a lot to say about reading a story through the experience and perception of protagonists that are probably a little unhinged. As readers we take their word as gospel truth, especially after being privy to their internal dialogue. But when that view is limited, so too is ours, sometimes without us realising it.
Emperor Sarmin, affected by his closeted upbringing and now left with the aftershocks of being one of the Many as well as trying to rule Cerana, is not having a great time. There are gaps in his logic and memory, and we are swept into it without so much as a paddle, let alone a life raft. Grada is also one very strange individual, who the pressure has obviously gotten to.
The first third of the book leaves you struggling to keep up, giving you only snatches of information and certainly no solid ground to get your bearings. Characters such as as Nessaket and Rushes give us enough reprieve to get a semblance of a story together, but Sarmin remains thoroughly batty until the end. The magic and religion layered into the story are never explicitly explained or handed over to reason, although I found it easy in the end to roll along with the complex mystery of it all.
I did find that in comparison with book one, Knife Sworn feels like it was written by a different author, such is the change in tone and direction. Not even the characters feel the same. Even though the blurb claims that the book is the story of Sarmin and Mesema and focuses on Sarmin's decision to name a new Knife Sworn, this is hardly the case.
Mesema has been relegated to the role of bedside table, which is a real shame as she was a great presence in The Emperor's Knife. Sarmin and Mesema's relationship which seems to strong at the end of book one now seems almost non-existent. And on the matter of the Knife Sworn ... well it couldn't have had a less signficant role if it tried, not to mention that it was extremely late to the party.
Knife Sworn for me just felt like a watered-down version of The Emperor's Knife. Sarmin is once again faced with a new magical plague, tenuously linked to the Patterning. There's a half-hearted attempt at some political undertakings, but they really just die in the rear. What it ultimately feels like is that The Emperor's Knife was a story in itself, and that Knife Sworn is just left to find a sequel amongst the pieces, after most of the good characters have been killed off. The ending did have potential, but was extremely rushed and fell flat.
Honestly I don't really know how I feel about it all. It was truly a complex, mature and enjoyable read, and I was particularly drawn to the world that Williams created ... but some things were just a little inconsistent and rough for me; it lacked a clear purpose or drive. Nevertheless, still an interesting read if you like high fantasy with a strong signatory world and magic system.
Book three, The Tower Broken, comes out this November - still on my to be read list!
June 25, 2021
https://undertheradarsffbooks.com/202...
We return to the Cerani Empire and the isolate prince Sarmin now sits on the Petal Throne as Emperor. Sarmin soon discovers that victories are never so simple and the repercussions will leave ripples across the Empire. A new war is starting in the north and the palace has its own inner turmoil to combat. It seems the only person the Emperor can trust is the same person he fears the most. This will be a spoiler free review but I will be discussing spoilers from the previous novel.
Sarmin has been removed from the tower and elevated to the throne following the death of his brother Beyon. Sarmin is also married to the tribal girl Mesema, whom is also pregnant with child and conceived by the late Emperor Beyon. The Pattern Master is dead and his curse has been lifted from the land with the help of Sarmin and his magic, but the people are still disheveled. The people once afflicted with the pattern feel empty and when seeking comfort to fill that void they turn to Mogyrk, the god of their ancient foe. Also present in the palace is Sarmin’s mother and her new-born child with the now dead traitor Tulvani. Soldiers, servants, and the political powers alike believe this new child to be a threat to the Petal Throne and plead Sarmin for its execution. Sarmin having lived through the deaths of his family to protect the heirs at the hands of the Emperor’s blade refuses and creates enemies for himself. It is for this reason that Sarmin still hasn’t filled the role of his blade to anyone and this is seen as a sign of weakness.
In Knife Sworn we get two new POV perspectives and they were both a joy to read. The first new character is Grada, once a Carrier of the curse and almost executioner of Sarmin, she is now freed and shares a special bond with the Emperor. Sarmin gives Grada a secret mission that may go against her morals and virtues. The other new character is the servant girls Rushes and we see the effect the patter had on normal citizens. Rushes eventually is responsible for taking care of the new infant prince when she starts to hear talks of betrayal and secret alliances. The one character whom is not a POV after book one is Mesema and this was a bit disappointing, but as I made my way through the story I realized the author was looking to expand the reach of the story through other characters as Mesema spends almost all the book at the palace. All the while, Sarmin is still haunted by the ghost of his brothers and more recently Beyon. He bears the weight of the lost souls of the knife and they seem to be driving him mad. How the author dealt with this plot arc was beautiful and you can see through the writing how much care was put into this.
Knife Sworn does suffer a bit from being the middle book in a series as it has a lot of build up and tension with very little in the terms of big payoffs. What this book does offer is a link to the moral implications of being in power and the costs any one person would have to bear. How someone’s mental illness can have a devastating toll on even the most simplest task and how help can come from the most unlikely of places. I got all of this and more from reading Knife Sworn and I wish more readers know about this series. I can’t guarantee that everyone will love this series like I did, but it is one to be remembered after ten years of life passing me by.
Cheers!
We return to the Cerani Empire and the isolate prince Sarmin now sits on the Petal Throne as Emperor. Sarmin soon discovers that victories are never so simple and the repercussions will leave ripples across the Empire. A new war is starting in the north and the palace has its own inner turmoil to combat. It seems the only person the Emperor can trust is the same person he fears the most. This will be a spoiler free review but I will be discussing spoilers from the previous novel.
Sarmin has been removed from the tower and elevated to the throne following the death of his brother Beyon. Sarmin is also married to the tribal girl Mesema, whom is also pregnant with child and conceived by the late Emperor Beyon. The Pattern Master is dead and his curse has been lifted from the land with the help of Sarmin and his magic, but the people are still disheveled. The people once afflicted with the pattern feel empty and when seeking comfort to fill that void they turn to Mogyrk, the god of their ancient foe. Also present in the palace is Sarmin’s mother and her new-born child with the now dead traitor Tulvani. Soldiers, servants, and the political powers alike believe this new child to be a threat to the Petal Throne and plead Sarmin for its execution. Sarmin having lived through the deaths of his family to protect the heirs at the hands of the Emperor’s blade refuses and creates enemies for himself. It is for this reason that Sarmin still hasn’t filled the role of his blade to anyone and this is seen as a sign of weakness.
In Knife Sworn we get two new POV perspectives and they were both a joy to read. The first new character is Grada, once a Carrier of the curse and almost executioner of Sarmin, she is now freed and shares a special bond with the Emperor. Sarmin gives Grada a secret mission that may go against her morals and virtues. The other new character is the servant girls Rushes and we see the effect the patter had on normal citizens. Rushes eventually is responsible for taking care of the new infant prince when she starts to hear talks of betrayal and secret alliances. The one character whom is not a POV after book one is Mesema and this was a bit disappointing, but as I made my way through the story I realized the author was looking to expand the reach of the story through other characters as Mesema spends almost all the book at the palace. All the while, Sarmin is still haunted by the ghost of his brothers and more recently Beyon. He bears the weight of the lost souls of the knife and they seem to be driving him mad. How the author dealt with this plot arc was beautiful and you can see through the writing how much care was put into this.
Knife Sworn does suffer a bit from being the middle book in a series as it has a lot of build up and tension with very little in the terms of big payoffs. What this book does offer is a link to the moral implications of being in power and the costs any one person would have to bear. How someone’s mental illness can have a devastating toll on even the most simplest task and how help can come from the most unlikely of places. I got all of this and more from reading Knife Sworn and I wish more readers know about this series. I can’t guarantee that everyone will love this series like I did, but it is one to be remembered after ten years of life passing me by.
Cheers!
January 2, 2014
Not just the first book I've finished in 2014, but the first fantasy book I've finished in a while.
I had been struggling my way through books by two different writers. Such towering figures within the genre that my travails of readership left me wondering "is it me?" So I turned at last to Knife Sworn book two in Mazarkis William's trilogy and found at last a book that could have me turning the pages in eagerness to see what happened next, yet still determined to make sure I caught every word.
In the Emperor's Knife I had been intriged by the world Mazarkis had imagined - a Cerani Empire built on rigid hierarchies and the most absolute of absolute monarchies. It had at once the air of mystery bound by threads so familiar they felt like strands of our own history.
In Knifesworn the world building is complete from a reader's perspective and the story plunges abruptly into themes of world destruction as the Emperor Sarmin finds threats of every kind assail him from without and from within to the point where even the one person he should be most sure of turns out to be the one most likely to betray him.
The theme of "the pattern" from the Emperor's knife is revisited and developed. I liked the idea that there had been a kind of value in the way that the pattern bound people together in a collaborative entity which leaves some survivors bereft and lonely. It put me in mind of my dim grasp of William Blake's railing against the imprisonment of man in the mental prison of his own individuality sampling the world through five imperfect senses.
The magic and the mystery are not laboured; Mazarkis Williams offers no lectures on her world's systems, no disconcerting authorial asides to the reader. It is a story that you experience through the eyes and ears of its protaganists seeing and feeling only what they do. You are swept along the narrative river and sometimes you might wonder at some feature that has flown by, but all the threads converge at the end.
I had been struggling my way through books by two different writers. Such towering figures within the genre that my travails of readership left me wondering "is it me?" So I turned at last to Knife Sworn book two in Mazarkis William's trilogy and found at last a book that could have me turning the pages in eagerness to see what happened next, yet still determined to make sure I caught every word.
In the Emperor's Knife I had been intriged by the world Mazarkis had imagined - a Cerani Empire built on rigid hierarchies and the most absolute of absolute monarchies. It had at once the air of mystery bound by threads so familiar they felt like strands of our own history.
In Knifesworn the world building is complete from a reader's perspective and the story plunges abruptly into themes of world destruction as the Emperor Sarmin finds threats of every kind assail him from without and from within to the point where even the one person he should be most sure of turns out to be the one most likely to betray him.
The theme of "the pattern" from the Emperor's knife is revisited and developed. I liked the idea that there had been a kind of value in the way that the pattern bound people together in a collaborative entity which leaves some survivors bereft and lonely. It put me in mind of my dim grasp of William Blake's railing against the imprisonment of man in the mental prison of his own individuality sampling the world through five imperfect senses.
The magic and the mystery are not laboured; Mazarkis Williams offers no lectures on her world's systems, no disconcerting authorial asides to the reader. It is a story that you experience through the eyes and ears of its protaganists seeing and feeling only what they do. You are swept along the narrative river and sometimes you might wonder at some feature that has flown by, but all the threads converge at the end.
November 26, 2013
The Pattern-Master has been defeated. Sarmin now reigns as emperor of Cerana, with Mesema by his side. Together they will raise Mesema's son, secretly fathered by Beyon, Sarmin's brother. But all is not well in Cerana. The Many, now free of the Puzzle-Master's taint, are feeling lost, and the Longing drives some to suicide and others to a foreign religion. Sarmin himself has taken on a great burden: some former souls, freed of the Many but with nowhere else to go, have taken up residence within him. Sarmin is not always himself, and this loss of control drives him to spend increasing amounts of time alone in his former room. And now a foreign diplomat has come calling to discuss peace, while the last remnants of the Pattern-Master's plan come to fruition deep in the desert. Plots and potential treachery are thick about the Petal Throne, and Sarmin must find some answers before it is too late.
The second book of Mazarkis Williams' “Tower and Knife” series picks right up where the first volume left off, literally; if you don't remember what is going on in the plot, don't look expect to find a refresher in “Knife Sworn.” That, in of itself, is refreshing; all three-hundred-plus pages of this novel are devoted entirely to new story. This fascinating series delivers just as its predecessor does, with plotting and betrayal and an interesting infusion of religion that will keep readers turning the pages and eagerly awaiting the final volume.
This review originally written for Another Universe.
The second book of Mazarkis Williams' “Tower and Knife” series picks right up where the first volume left off, literally; if you don't remember what is going on in the plot, don't look expect to find a refresher in “Knife Sworn.” That, in of itself, is refreshing; all three-hundred-plus pages of this novel are devoted entirely to new story. This fascinating series delivers just as its predecessor does, with plotting and betrayal and an interesting infusion of religion that will keep readers turning the pages and eagerly awaiting the final volume.
This review originally written for Another Universe.
December 7, 2012
Knife sworn
New characters come to rise and Mesema takes a backseat. I'm a little thrown by that - her importance seems to simply have been to bear Beyon's child. As I read the book, I noticed some things that definitely reminded me of the time of the Crusades. Religions clashing and war being waged. I'm curious if Mazarkis' end result for everyone.
By the middle of the book, I felt like a pattern master in training given a new piece of the pattern to figure out. I was overwhelmed and had to reread sections. I even talked out loud to myself as I put together the crazy new information that had been dropped in my lap. I went from nervous to loving the chaos as I tried to find a way to get a step ahead and figure out the plot. Haven't been right once yet. :)
By the end of the book, Mazarkis has successfully blown me out of the water and has secured a place as a favorite author. The books are fantastic. I look at the pressure I put to my own writing and our styles do not agree. There is a lot in our style, characters, and method that do rub me wrong. Stuff I kept saying I would do differently. Safe to say, the right person is writing this tale. The plot and ideas are amazing and I cannot wait to see what happens to Sarmin and Mesema.
New characters come to rise and Mesema takes a backseat. I'm a little thrown by that - her importance seems to simply have been to bear Beyon's child. As I read the book, I noticed some things that definitely reminded me of the time of the Crusades. Religions clashing and war being waged. I'm curious if Mazarkis' end result for everyone.
By the middle of the book, I felt like a pattern master in training given a new piece of the pattern to figure out. I was overwhelmed and had to reread sections. I even talked out loud to myself as I put together the crazy new information that had been dropped in my lap. I went from nervous to loving the chaos as I tried to find a way to get a step ahead and figure out the plot. Haven't been right once yet. :)
By the end of the book, Mazarkis has successfully blown me out of the water and has secured a place as a favorite author. The books are fantastic. I look at the pressure I put to my own writing and our styles do not agree. There is a lot in our style, characters, and method that do rub me wrong. Stuff I kept saying I would do differently. Safe to say, the right person is writing this tale. The plot and ideas are amazing and I cannot wait to see what happens to Sarmin and Mesema.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2015
This is an intriguing story. I kept reading it more for the story and the writing, than for any sense of suspense. Beautifully written, with rich imagery, complex political intrigue, and fantastical settings, this is not your usual fantasy. Much of the plot is political, so it requires paying attention. There is a strong sense of mystery. The mythology surrounding the story is deep, though only hinted at.
The story makes few attempts to catch up the reader. It's nice, on the one hand, that it just continues forward with the story. There are reminders to what happened in the first book, but they're not intrusive, overbearing, or distracting. There are some things I don't remember clearly, but I still know what's going on, and I think if someone picked this book up without having read Book 1, they'd still understand what's going on.
The story makes few attempts to catch up the reader. It's nice, on the one hand, that it just continues forward with the story. There are reminders to what happened in the first book, but they're not intrusive, overbearing, or distracting. There are some things I don't remember clearly, but I still know what's going on, and I think if someone picked this book up without having read Book 1, they'd still understand what's going on.
April 2, 2017
Why do I continue reading this?
To say this series is twisted is an understatement.
The primary character is a weak ass emperor who can barely walk.
There is not one character in the book that doesn't have several screws loose, ok that's a lie, there is not one character that even comes close to sanity.
After the first book I was expecting that at least Sarmin would climb the stairs half way to sanity.
Nope, sure he doesn't talk to the paintings anymore (well he tries, but they don't answer).
And the only other character I liked, "Amalya" is dead.
tsss...
Update:
Done, nothing changes, nothing happens.
To say this series is twisted is an understatement.
The primary character is a weak ass emperor who can barely walk.
There is not one character in the book that doesn't have several screws loose, ok that's a lie, there is not one character that even comes close to sanity.
After the first book I was expecting that at least Sarmin would climb the stairs half way to sanity.
Nope, sure he doesn't talk to the paintings anymore (well he tries, but they don't answer).
And the only other character I liked, "Amalya" is dead.
tsss...
Update:
Done, nothing changes, nothing happens.
March 14, 2017
This is yet another series where something intrigued me enough to buy them all, but as I read them they are mediocre at best. The flow just doesn't suit me and at times I can only read about 10 pages before having to put it down. The story itself is pretty good, but I struggle with the way it was told.
September 2, 2020
I've finally finished. The end wasn't even that satisfying or interesting.
Don't think I can push myself the read the last book just yet, this was far too dull and annoying to interest me further at the moment. I shall have to wait and see if it ever piques my interest in the future.
Don't think I can push myself the read the last book just yet, this was far too dull and annoying to interest me further at the moment. I shall have to wait and see if it ever piques my interest in the future.
July 14, 2013
A good middle book for a trilogy, setting up what I expect to be dynamite finale. The characters continue to be compelling.
September 21, 2013
loved it.. can't wait for the final novel.
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