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Arts of Dark and Light #1
A Throne of Bones
In Selenoth, the race of Man is on the ascendant. The ancient dragons sleep, the evil Witchkings are no more, their evil power destroyed by the courage of Men and the fearsome magic of the Elves. The dwarves have retreated to the kingdoms of the Underdeep, the trolls hide in their mountains, and even the most savage orc tribes have learned to dread the iron discipline of the mighty Amorran legions. But after four hundred years of mutual suspicion, the rivalry between two of the noble Houses Martial that rule the Senate and People threatens to turn violent, even as unrest sparks rebellion throughout the imperial provinces. In the north, the barbarian reavers who have long plagued the coasts of the White Sea sue for peace and beg for royal protection from the King of Savondir, fleeing a mysterious race of ravenous wolf-demons. In the east, there are wars and rumors of war as orcs and goblins gather together in unprecedented numbers, summoned by their dreadful gods.
But when the Most Holy and Sanctified Father is found dead in his bed, leaving the Ivory Throne of the Four Apostles unclaimed, the temptation to seize the Sacred College and wield Holy Mother Church as a weapon is more than some fallen souls can resist.
This book is currently on pre-order, and will be available in December 2012.
But when the Most Holy and Sanctified Father is found dead in his bed, leaving the Ivory Throne of the Four Apostles unclaimed, the temptation to seize the Sacred College and wield Holy Mother Church as a weapon is more than some fallen souls can resist.
This book is currently on pre-order, and will be available in December 2012.
934 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2012
176 people are currently reading
692 people want to read
About the author
Vox Day
66 books451 followers Theodore Beale does much of his writing under the pseudonym Vox Day. Three-time Hugo Award nominee Vox Day writes epic fantasy as well as non-fiction about religion, philosophy, and economics. His literary focus is military realism, historical verisimilitude, and plausible characters who represent the full spectrum of human behavior. He is a professional game designer who speaks four languages and a three-time Billboard top 40 recording artist.
He maintains a pair of popular blogs, Vox Popoli and Alpha Game, which between them average over 20 million annual pageviews. He is a Native American and his books have been translated into ten languages.
He is the Lead Editor of Castalia House, and is also, with Tom Kratman, the co-creator of the military science fiction anthology series, RIDING THE RED HORSE.
He maintains a pair of popular blogs, Vox Popoli and Alpha Game, which between them average over 20 million annual pageviews. He is a Native American and his books have been translated into ten languages.
He is the Lead Editor of Castalia House, and is also, with Tom Kratman, the co-creator of the military science fiction anthology series, RIDING THE RED HORSE.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
March 14, 2016
Given the author's publicly-stated beliefs that "genetic science presently suggests that we are not equally homo sapiens sapiens)... we do not view her [author Jemisin] as being fully civilized for the obvious reason that she is not... Unlike the white males she excoriates, there is no evidence that a society of NK Jemisins is capable of building an advanced civilization" it is difficult not to suspect that the "savage orc tribes" represent non-white people subjugated to the "iron discipline of the mighty Amorran legion." Notice how the "barbarians" who had previously been independent of "royal protection" come begging to be taken under the wing of the ruling class? I'm sure the slave owners who argued that their slaves needed to be taken care of would love that part.
[I had this book marked not-to-read with no review and it was deleted in the Purge, so here is an actual review. My hatred can be explicit rather than implicit if that's what goodreads requires.]
January 21, 2013
This book will surprise you. When you first read of a world populated by orcs, goblins, elves and humans, you will assume that Vox Day is recycling Tolkien and his imitators. You will be wrong. And pleasantly surprised.
Day brilliantly re-imagines ancient Rome with warlike neighbors including orcs, goblins and trolls playing the roles of nomadic mongols, marauders from Gaul, and more generally, the anarchy that threatened and eventually enveloped the Roman empire during its fall in the 5th century. Except Day's Rome also features magic. And a neighboring human empire that behaves much like feudal England. And a fading Elvish empire reminiscent of the Greeks. And interesting god-like villains who serve as agents of change, but may not be villains at all.
How does Day make this bizarre hodge-podge work? I don't know. He just does. It probably helps that Day is a serious, adult writer who has published several major works on religion and economics. Fantasy novels routinely suffer from good ideas poorly executed by mediocre writers. Day falls in almost the opposite camp. The conceptual framework of his universe borrows heavily from history and existing fantasy themes, but Day's execution of the story is superior: the dialogue is sophisticated and entertaining, the characters interesting and likable, the plot twists smart and surprising.
This is not a "young adult" book. Roman political and military life were complex, and Day's faithful rendering of the Roman world may overwhelm fantasy readers in search of simpler tales. For those of us who love fantasy but hate mediocre writing, Throne of Bones is a treat.
Day brilliantly re-imagines ancient Rome with warlike neighbors including orcs, goblins and trolls playing the roles of nomadic mongols, marauders from Gaul, and more generally, the anarchy that threatened and eventually enveloped the Roman empire during its fall in the 5th century. Except Day's Rome also features magic. And a neighboring human empire that behaves much like feudal England. And a fading Elvish empire reminiscent of the Greeks. And interesting god-like villains who serve as agents of change, but may not be villains at all.
How does Day make this bizarre hodge-podge work? I don't know. He just does. It probably helps that Day is a serious, adult writer who has published several major works on religion and economics. Fantasy novels routinely suffer from good ideas poorly executed by mediocre writers. Day falls in almost the opposite camp. The conceptual framework of his universe borrows heavily from history and existing fantasy themes, but Day's execution of the story is superior: the dialogue is sophisticated and entertaining, the characters interesting and likable, the plot twists smart and surprising.
This is not a "young adult" book. Roman political and military life were complex, and Day's faithful rendering of the Roman world may overwhelm fantasy readers in search of simpler tales. For those of us who love fantasy but hate mediocre writing, Throne of Bones is a treat.
November 15, 2013
An ambitious high fantasy mash up of Wheel of Time with Republican Rome. Day's style compares favorably with Tolkien--better than Jordan. (Hopefully he will not let himself get so carried away with his storytelling that he fails to finish his story.) Lacks the brooding sense of ancient evil of The Lord of the Rings, but the reader feels it coming.
While a working knowledge of Roman history and Latin are helpful, the story gives enough detail to drag in the tyro. Day dumps the reader straight into the story, filling in back story only as necessary. Good job.
Nice map. Doesn't show well on a digital reader.
Manages to portray the grit and horror of combat and the infighting and betrayal of politics with sufficient finesse to not offend regular readers of epic fantasy.
Too large a cast with too much hopping from one to another. And, while some events are coincident, others seem disjointed and out of step. My worst criticism is that the story just stops, rather than ends. While Day left many threads loose for to tie into the next volume, the skein he leaves the reader is a bit too tangled.
Looking forward to more.
While a working knowledge of Roman history and Latin are helpful, the story gives enough detail to drag in the tyro. Day dumps the reader straight into the story, filling in back story only as necessary. Good job.
Nice map. Doesn't show well on a digital reader.
Manages to portray the grit and horror of combat and the infighting and betrayal of politics with sufficient finesse to not offend regular readers of epic fantasy.
Too large a cast with too much hopping from one to another. And, while some events are coincident, others seem disjointed and out of step. My worst criticism is that the story just stops, rather than ends. While Day left many threads loose for to tie into the next volume, the skein he leaves the reader is a bit too tangled.
Looking forward to more.
November 27, 2017
Epic fantasy in the classic mold. No politics or alt-right philosophy present at all.
Having heard about Vox Day's political views, I went into the read expecting at least some of those philosophical views to bleed through into the writing, but there really wasn't any of that. At all. rather, A Throne of Bones was a straight forward epic fantasy centered upon a Romanesque Empire and a certain prominent family having to deal with struggles against warring goblins and heated rivalries from other families within the empire. There was a touch of magic mixed into the narrative and a bit more Christian faith, but the main focus was on a growing conspiracy within the Empire and some issues with the elves. It was not a bad story by any means, but it was rather slow developing, which eventually caused me to put it down and not return. I might go back to it in the future, because I was already 58% in when I called it quits.
Having heard about Vox Day's political views, I went into the read expecting at least some of those philosophical views to bleed through into the writing, but there really wasn't any of that. At all. rather, A Throne of Bones was a straight forward epic fantasy centered upon a Romanesque Empire and a certain prominent family having to deal with struggles against warring goblins and heated rivalries from other families within the empire. There was a touch of magic mixed into the narrative and a bit more Christian faith, but the main focus was on a growing conspiracy within the Empire and some issues with the elves. It was not a bad story by any means, but it was rather slow developing, which eventually caused me to put it down and not return. I might go back to it in the future, because I was already 58% in when I called it quits.
nope-not-interested
January 24, 2013Hell no, fuck no, not even if you paid me to read it. I don't care if someone else paid for this pile of junk, it would go straight in the shredder. No no and even more no.
Note: I added this part so that if I ever forget why it's on my DNR list, I will recall my feelings in this moment. I think I want to go vomit now.
Note: I added this part so that if I ever forget why it's on my DNR list, I will recall my feelings in this moment. I think I want to go vomit now.
January 4, 2016
I have two comments. First, this book was a pleasure to read and a welcome addition to my book collection. Vox is a competent writer and may not have the skill of a Tolkien but The Throne of Bones is definitely inspired by the best in this genre. Throne of Bones definitely is better crafted than most modern books in this genre and if you like well written books along the line of old school fantasy that is not burdened by political correctness, than this book is for you.
My second comment is related to some of the extreme negative comments. It is obvious these reviewers are out of touch with reality and have NOT read this book. They are purely leftist ideologues trying to destroy Vox's reputation. Don't be fooled by these reviews.
My second comment is related to some of the extreme negative comments. It is obvious these reviewers are out of touch with reality and have NOT read this book. They are purely leftist ideologues trying to destroy Vox's reputation. Don't be fooled by these reviews.
nope
June 1, 2015Looks like derivative fantasy with a Capitalization fetish.
Pass.
Pass.
kill-me-if-i-ever-think-of-reading
October 20, 2013I will never read this book. And this is why. Its author writes, concerning the African-American writer N. K. Jemisin:
"Jemisin has it wrong; it is not that I, and others, do not view her as human, (although genetic science presently suggests that we are not equally homo sapiens sapiens), it is that we do not view her as being fully civilized for the obvious reason that she is not.
She is lying about the laws in Texas and Florida too. The laws are not there to let whites “just shoot people like me, without consequence, as long as they feel threatened by my presence”, those self defense laws have been put in place to let whites defend themselves by shooting people, like her, who are savages in attacking white people.
Jemisin’s disregard for the truth is no different than the average Chicago gangbanger’s disregard for the law…
Unlike the white males she excoriates, there is no evidence that a society of NK Jemisins is capable of building an advanced civilization, or even successfully maintaining one without significant external support. Considering that it took my English and German ancestors more than one thousand years to become fully civilised after their first contact with an advanced civilisation, it is illogical to imagine, let alone insist, that Africans have somehow managed to do so in less than half the time with even less direct contact. These things take time.
Being an educated, but ignorant savage, with no more understanding of what it took to build a new literature by “a bunch of beardy old middle-class middle-American guys” than an illiterate Igbotu tribesman has of how to build a jet engine, Jemisin clearly does not understand that her dishonest call for “reconciliation” and even more diversity with SF/F is tantamount to a call for its decline into irrelevance…
Reconciliation is not possible between the realistic and the delusional."
This is an author behaving badly.
See Ceridwen's review for a great discussion of this.
[PLEASE FLAG THIS REVIEW, SINCE IT DEALS WITH AUTHOR BEHAVIOR AND NOT THE CONTENT OF THE BOOK.]
"Jemisin has it wrong; it is not that I, and others, do not view her as human, (although genetic science presently suggests that we are not equally homo sapiens sapiens), it is that we do not view her as being fully civilized for the obvious reason that she is not.
She is lying about the laws in Texas and Florida too. The laws are not there to let whites “just shoot people like me, without consequence, as long as they feel threatened by my presence”, those self defense laws have been put in place to let whites defend themselves by shooting people, like her, who are savages in attacking white people.
Jemisin’s disregard for the truth is no different than the average Chicago gangbanger’s disregard for the law…
Unlike the white males she excoriates, there is no evidence that a society of NK Jemisins is capable of building an advanced civilization, or even successfully maintaining one without significant external support. Considering that it took my English and German ancestors more than one thousand years to become fully civilised after their first contact with an advanced civilisation, it is illogical to imagine, let alone insist, that Africans have somehow managed to do so in less than half the time with even less direct contact. These things take time.
Being an educated, but ignorant savage, with no more understanding of what it took to build a new literature by “a bunch of beardy old middle-class middle-American guys” than an illiterate Igbotu tribesman has of how to build a jet engine, Jemisin clearly does not understand that her dishonest call for “reconciliation” and even more diversity with SF/F is tantamount to a call for its decline into irrelevance…
Reconciliation is not possible between the realistic and the delusional."
This is an author behaving badly.
See Ceridwen's review for a great discussion of this.
[PLEASE FLAG THIS REVIEW, SINCE IT DEALS WITH AUTHOR BEHAVIOR AND NOT THE CONTENT OF THE BOOK.]
September 2, 2018
I found Vox Day's short stories online years ago. (They were previously free but now part of his SUMMA ELVETICA HC release.) I loved the setting and tone. They feel familiar to fantasy fans with enough twists and novelty to make it fresh. I found many of his ideas fascinating. Particularly the manner in which faith in God is addressed. I also love the way his world mixed science and magic. His SUMMA ELVETICA was a fun and quick read. In some ways, the short stories included eclipsed the main story somewhat. But it was a great continuation of the short stories I'd loved.
This tome is a welcome addition to that realm. It is dense but, thankfully, the pacing is swift. The plot carried me along very well. I never felt I had to trudge through it, as in parts of LOTR. I appreciate how lean the prose is. I progressed through the book quickly and found its ending only whet my appetite for more.
The POV characters switch often but it does not distract from the overall story. Seeing how the disparate chapters interweave becomes compelling towards the end. The characters are varied, distinct and interesting. Even when their actions shocked me, they rang true. And even when I didn't like the person depicted, I liked the depiction itself.
I would highly-recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy fiction.
This tome is a welcome addition to that realm. It is dense but, thankfully, the pacing is swift. The plot carried me along very well. I never felt I had to trudge through it, as in parts of LOTR. I appreciate how lean the prose is. I progressed through the book quickly and found its ending only whet my appetite for more.
The POV characters switch often but it does not distract from the overall story. Seeing how the disparate chapters interweave becomes compelling towards the end. The characters are varied, distinct and interesting. Even when their actions shocked me, they rang true. And even when I didn't like the person depicted, I liked the depiction itself.
I would highly-recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy fiction.
April 30, 2013
Fantastic book. My new favorite fantasy series,can't wait for the next book.
how-about-no
June 20, 2017I'm still bewildered that anyone could call himself a Christian yet be so lacking in humility and decides to name himself the "voice of God". Get some help. Your delusions of grandeur are concerning.
October 29, 2013
Aw, shizz. Someone forgot to delete the Toilet Paper shelf. In case you need a reminder, dear peoples of Goodreads internship, I give you this piece of fecal matter right chere.
*Waves howdy to zee Pars Dat Be*
*Waves howdy to zee Pars Dat Be*
January 5, 2016
A Throne of Bones was not originally on my list of books to read. Honestly, I gave up on fantasy, especially pseudo-alt-historical fantasy more years ago than I would like to admit. I gave it a try due to the excellent and mind expanding science fiction published by the author.
Wow. This book is a joy. Despite having too many characters to make this an easy book to start, the character development is so good that you just have to wrap your head around it and get going. Character development should be in parts. One, how are the characters developed in your mind. Can you see them? Do you like them? Do you know them? The other is how the characters develop in the book. And it should be a development, that is, how they (hopefully) mature, how experience breaks or tempers them. And do they stay true to themselves? Vox does this not only well, but exceptionally well on both counts. Easily one of the best books I’ve read in the last 10 years. Plot and geographically speaking, it is a remarkably solid foundation, building upon other books in the world that if wide, seem appropriate for the world being built. Those looking for cookie cutter plots need not bother, as the plot formulas that drove me out of the fantasy genre aren’t here. Neither are the surprise endings where the character/entity introduced in the second to last chapter saves the day.
This is a dark book, but not one lacking in Hope. Metaphors abound within the covers but they neither overpower, nor detract from the story. A story that, like the characters themselves, stays true to itself. At the end of the book I was yelling for the sequel, and not happy at all at the prospect of waiting another year to read it. Highly Recommended.
Wow. This book is a joy. Despite having too many characters to make this an easy book to start, the character development is so good that you just have to wrap your head around it and get going. Character development should be in parts. One, how are the characters developed in your mind. Can you see them? Do you like them? Do you know them? The other is how the characters develop in the book. And it should be a development, that is, how they (hopefully) mature, how experience breaks or tempers them. And do they stay true to themselves? Vox does this not only well, but exceptionally well on both counts. Easily one of the best books I’ve read in the last 10 years. Plot and geographically speaking, it is a remarkably solid foundation, building upon other books in the world that if wide, seem appropriate for the world being built. Those looking for cookie cutter plots need not bother, as the plot formulas that drove me out of the fantasy genre aren’t here. Neither are the surprise endings where the character/entity introduced in the second to last chapter saves the day.
This is a dark book, but not one lacking in Hope. Metaphors abound within the covers but they neither overpower, nor detract from the story. A story that, like the characters themselves, stays true to itself. At the end of the book I was yelling for the sequel, and not happy at all at the prospect of waiting another year to read it. Highly Recommended.
January 4, 2020
I'd read somewhere that the author, unable to sell his work to a publisher, founded a publishing house to release his work.
Christ, but no wonder.
The book opens with a man (named, I shit you not, Ahenobarbus) studying a painting. In it, six men stand over a body sprouting seven wounds. Someone, concludes Ahenobarbus, had struck twice, it not occurring to him that, say, maybe one dude did all the stabbing and everyone else looked on. Ahenobarbus asks the dead man in the painting who it was; the man, being both dead and, well, a painting, refrains from comment.
This overtly melodramatic broo-ha-ha leads to this exchange, where "a noble prince of the Church" named (God help me) Giovannus Falconius Valens (somehow not dressed like a plague doctor) walks in.
Cue our first piece of rotten dialogue:
If you read that in one breath, congratulations.
This rot takes a turn for the hilarious when Valens manages to have his eyebrows in two positions simultaneously:
Do it. Frown and raise your eyebrows.
Valens (Falconnius!) studies the painting, catching a few interesting facts about it. This leads to Ahenobarbarastreisand's first bout of amnesia, the first of the amnesia-riddled plot-holing in this godforsaken book:
And how does this "noble prince of the church" reply?
So I guess he's more of a noble prince in the figurative sense.
Anyway, that leads to this bit of inanity:
The book calls him out on his insane comment, because criticism is not a talent. This leads to a beautifully surreal moment which sets the tone for the book:
Or, in other words:
"You are talented."
"I am not. But he is talented."
"Yes. Even though he is talented and I agree that you are not talented, you are talented."
That's the logic that underlies this book. It doesn't have to make sense. But we'll put it in there because Day wants it. So on and on and on.
It's a clumsy effort. The exposition is a real drag, the prose is about as interesting as dry paint, and the storytelling is frequently a self-parody. You'll get the idea after reading the preview on Amazon; it's sufficiently long.
I discovered the author's blog a few days after finishing this book. It's certainly candid, and, for precision, at least, much better than A Throne of Bones. But the truth is between the lines: all the times Vox Day insists he is extremely intelligent, for example, emphasise his extreme insecurity towards his intellectual capability, and this is reflected in the desperate Christian scholarship in the book, mixed with bigotry.
His pseudonym, used without irony, is derived from vox dei, Latin for "the voice of God"; the author's real name is Theodore Beale; he's the son of felon Robert Beale, who was convicted for tax evasion. There's a slight Dunning-Kruger effect at work here; Day isn't an idiot, but he is a washed-up troll, and behind the mask is a sad, sad man with average intelligence and a penchant for racist, misogynist ideology who is capable of writing nice-sounding but inane (and completely reprehensible) nonfiction that doesn't translate well into good storytelling.
In short, it turns-out he's a Nazi.
And because everything's a victory to the deranged, he measures his success through (I, once again, shit you not) page views, bragging the 40,000 views (wowww) he gets. He lives for the fact he has comments (by a band of followers, but also by outraged victims), and keeps himself in the center of attention again and again by rationalizing his own bigotry.
None of this means he can write a good novel, and A Throne of Bones is inane.
I picked it up at a bargain bin for 10p; I wish I hadn't bothered. It goes from being clumsy-but-interesting to boring, boring to terrible (in a way that Tommy Wiseau fans would appreciate), and then quickly delves into Star Wars Holiday Special levels of awfulness.
Day, if you read this, I want you to know:
It wasn't that I'm not up to your standards of intelligence.
It was that your book sucked.
Christ, but no wonder.
The book opens with a man (named, I shit you not, Ahenobarbus) studying a painting. In it, six men stand over a body sprouting seven wounds. Someone, concludes Ahenobarbus, had struck twice, it not occurring to him that, say, maybe one dude did all the stabbing and everyone else looked on. Ahenobarbus asks the dead man in the painting who it was; the man, being both dead and, well, a painting, refrains from comment.
This overtly melodramatic broo-ha-ha leads to this exchange, where "a noble prince of the Church" named (God help me) Giovannus Falconius Valens (somehow not dressed like a plague doctor) walks in.
Cue our first piece of rotten dialogue:
"Holiness." Valens kneeled and kissed the sacred ring of office that adorned his right hand. "How may I be of service to you in this...unusual setting? I was surprised when Father Hortensius said you wanted me in the vaults. I half expected to find you knee deep in dust and relics. Are you well? I saw Gennarus Vestinae led the evening mass."
"I am as well as any man with twelve years more than his alloted four score and ten may hope to be, my son." Ahenobarbus led him to the painting. "What I require of you at the present is your eyes. I suspect they are better than my own. This picture here. When you look at the man who has been struck down by the others, what do you see."
If you read that in one breath, congratulations.
This rot takes a turn for the hilarious when Valens manages to have his eyebrows in two positions simultaneously:
Valens frowned, and his eyebrows momentarily rose.
Do it. Frown and raise your eyebrows.
Valens (Falconnius!) studies the painting, catching a few interesting facts about it. This leads to Ahenobarbarastreisand's first bout of amnesia, the first of the amnesia-riddled plot-holing in this godforsaken book:
Valens took a candle and used it to peer more closely at the victim's face. "The likeness is uncanny, especially when the limitations of Mariattus's primitive technique are taken into account."
Ahenobarbus smiled. "Of course you would recognize the brush. How does a poor monk come to know so much of art and culture?"
And how does this "noble prince of the church" reply?
Valens shrugged slightly. "I fancy myself an ascetic aesthete, Your Holiness."
So I guess he's more of a noble prince in the figurative sense.
Anyway, that leads to this bit of inanity:
Valens set the candle down. "If I may hazard a guess, I should venture to say this is Excessum Inmortuus. No, I fear my memory fails me. Decessus Inmortuus. Painted sometime around the year 185 Provitiatus for a noble of the Severan house. It came into the possession of the Church after the fall of Andronis and the establishement of the Republic. I did not know it had been removed from the vaults. Had I know, I would have come to see it sooner. It is a joy to behold."
"You have a prodigious talent, my son."
The book calls him out on his insane comment, because criticism is not a talent. This leads to a beautifully surreal moment which sets the tone for the book:
"Mariattus had a prodigious talent. I am merely blessed to appreciate his skill."
"Even so."
Or, in other words:
"You are talented."
"I am not. But he is talented."
"Yes. Even though he is talented and I agree that you are not talented, you are talented."
That's the logic that underlies this book. It doesn't have to make sense. But we'll put it in there because Day wants it. So on and on and on.
It's a clumsy effort. The exposition is a real drag, the prose is about as interesting as dry paint, and the storytelling is frequently a self-parody. You'll get the idea after reading the preview on Amazon; it's sufficiently long.
I discovered the author's blog a few days after finishing this book. It's certainly candid, and, for precision, at least, much better than A Throne of Bones. But the truth is between the lines: all the times Vox Day insists he is extremely intelligent, for example, emphasise his extreme insecurity towards his intellectual capability, and this is reflected in the desperate Christian scholarship in the book, mixed with bigotry.
His pseudonym, used without irony, is derived from vox dei, Latin for "the voice of God"; the author's real name is Theodore Beale; he's the son of felon Robert Beale, who was convicted for tax evasion. There's a slight Dunning-Kruger effect at work here; Day isn't an idiot, but he is a washed-up troll, and behind the mask is a sad, sad man with average intelligence and a penchant for racist, misogynist ideology who is capable of writing nice-sounding but inane (and completely reprehensible) nonfiction that doesn't translate well into good storytelling.
In short, it turns-out he's a Nazi.
And because everything's a victory to the deranged, he measures his success through (I, once again, shit you not) page views, bragging the 40,000 views (wowww) he gets. He lives for the fact he has comments (by a band of followers, but also by outraged victims), and keeps himself in the center of attention again and again by rationalizing his own bigotry.
None of this means he can write a good novel, and A Throne of Bones is inane.
I picked it up at a bargain bin for 10p; I wish I hadn't bothered. It goes from being clumsy-but-interesting to boring, boring to terrible (in a way that Tommy Wiseau fans would appreciate), and then quickly delves into Star Wars Holiday Special levels of awfulness.
Day, if you read this, I want you to know:
It wasn't that I'm not up to your standards of intelligence.
It was that your book sucked.
December 12, 2012
It's a good if long epic fantasy that was better than I expected. While the edginess doesn't bother me, there might be an issue for some with how thin the Christianity is in the book, considering the publisher. One of the stronger Marcher Lord Press books in terms of craft, though.
The book starts off as the soldiers of one of the legions of Amorr face off against a goblin army. One particularly brash officer challenges a goblin leader to a duel, and while he wins and routs them once the army backs him up, he finds he has a harsh price to pay for it. Meanwhile in the nation proper, intrigue abounds, and builds to the point where the nation itself is in peril. But they are not the only ones in danger: across the sea come refugees fleeing from another monstrous army, and orcs are spotted on the move too. There's a purpose behind all this, and men, elves, and dwarves may have realized it only too late.
It's hard to sum it up since so much goes on in the book. At 800 pages, it's long, and the first MLP hardcover release. The length doesn't feel too tedious though, with only the start of the book dragging a bit. Once it gets past discussing the upcoming goblin fight, it gets much better, as each new character has their own story and part to play.
The world is very interesting too. It's sort of a fusion of Rome and medieval Europe-imagine Rome with its legionnaires and patricians with a church like in Thomist times and Vikings mingling with supernatural creatures like elves and werewolves. The main focus is on Rome though, and it adds a lot to the book by setting it apart from the generic fantasy land it could be. It's not just the gladiators and phalanxes, but he gets the ethos of each nation and group right. You get inside their heads, and it's well done indeed.
I also found that it fixed something that I didn't like about Game of Thrones. One of the issues I had with the first book in that series was that the supernatural and fantasy aspects felt tacked in, as opposed to purely human drama. Vox though always makes the fantasy part noticeable if not prevalent. This isn't just "let's make it fantasy because we really want to tell a historical fiction story and ignore the parts we don't like," but magic and fantasy have as much a part to play as the intricate machinations between nobles. If anything, you wish there was a bit more focus on it. The elves in particular.
There are some issues, but they are minor. One issue is that if you don't like long books, you'll have issues with it. There's no padding though-it's simply long because it tells a grand story with a lot of characters, and if anything I kind of wish even more focus was given to some of them.
There's also the edginess. This is also the first book in the Marcher Lord Hinterlands imprint, which is for works that may contain things that offend some people. Marcher Lord is a Christian Speculative fiction press, so the edginess is more in line with traditional fantasy stylings. It's similar to secular novels. There's a lot of (period accurate) violence, and realistic attitudes towards sex and other things for the time. I didn't mind the edginess as it was in the book. To be honest, given Vox's views as a pundit, I was worried it would be more edgy than it was, in bad ways. But it's restrained and it's in service of the novel. Just don't buy it for your grandmother who likes to read Donita K. Paul.
The last issue is the Christianity. Honestly, it feels very thin in the book, and this easily could have been published as straight up secular fantasy. It's there, but in general it feels more about a Roman morality-a classical paganism-about town, city, and country than a particularly Christian one. This is partly due to that he is focusing on kings, soldiers, and patricians as opposed to plebians and the rest, and their values dominate the book. There is one of the consuls who is a Christian, but he's too captive to events to really show his faith apart from one scene resolved by a deus ex machina. But the ethos in the book felt to me more about martial values than Christian ones. A couple of Christian interjections from other characters feel a bit tacked on, as they didn't show any leanings to faith before hand. It doesn't harm my enjoyment of the book, and considering this book feels like a fantasy spin on the fall of Rome it may be warranted, but it's a head's-up for the more devout.
All in all, it's a good, epic fantasy novel. It was better than I expected. If you like more traditional Christian fantasy fare that is clean and more aggressively spiritual (if not evangelistic) you may not like this. But people who like well-written fantasy and Christians who are okay with more realism and edginess to their books will probably enjoy it quite a bit.
The book starts off as the soldiers of one of the legions of Amorr face off against a goblin army. One particularly brash officer challenges a goblin leader to a duel, and while he wins and routs them once the army backs him up, he finds he has a harsh price to pay for it. Meanwhile in the nation proper, intrigue abounds, and builds to the point where the nation itself is in peril. But they are not the only ones in danger: across the sea come refugees fleeing from another monstrous army, and orcs are spotted on the move too. There's a purpose behind all this, and men, elves, and dwarves may have realized it only too late.
It's hard to sum it up since so much goes on in the book. At 800 pages, it's long, and the first MLP hardcover release. The length doesn't feel too tedious though, with only the start of the book dragging a bit. Once it gets past discussing the upcoming goblin fight, it gets much better, as each new character has their own story and part to play.
The world is very interesting too. It's sort of a fusion of Rome and medieval Europe-imagine Rome with its legionnaires and patricians with a church like in Thomist times and Vikings mingling with supernatural creatures like elves and werewolves. The main focus is on Rome though, and it adds a lot to the book by setting it apart from the generic fantasy land it could be. It's not just the gladiators and phalanxes, but he gets the ethos of each nation and group right. You get inside their heads, and it's well done indeed.
I also found that it fixed something that I didn't like about Game of Thrones. One of the issues I had with the first book in that series was that the supernatural and fantasy aspects felt tacked in, as opposed to purely human drama. Vox though always makes the fantasy part noticeable if not prevalent. This isn't just "let's make it fantasy because we really want to tell a historical fiction story and ignore the parts we don't like," but magic and fantasy have as much a part to play as the intricate machinations between nobles. If anything, you wish there was a bit more focus on it. The elves in particular.
There are some issues, but they are minor. One issue is that if you don't like long books, you'll have issues with it. There's no padding though-it's simply long because it tells a grand story with a lot of characters, and if anything I kind of wish even more focus was given to some of them.
There's also the edginess. This is also the first book in the Marcher Lord Hinterlands imprint, which is for works that may contain things that offend some people. Marcher Lord is a Christian Speculative fiction press, so the edginess is more in line with traditional fantasy stylings. It's similar to secular novels. There's a lot of (period accurate) violence, and realistic attitudes towards sex and other things for the time. I didn't mind the edginess as it was in the book. To be honest, given Vox's views as a pundit, I was worried it would be more edgy than it was, in bad ways. But it's restrained and it's in service of the novel. Just don't buy it for your grandmother who likes to read Donita K. Paul.
The last issue is the Christianity. Honestly, it feels very thin in the book, and this easily could have been published as straight up secular fantasy. It's there, but in general it feels more about a Roman morality-a classical paganism-about town, city, and country than a particularly Christian one. This is partly due to that he is focusing on kings, soldiers, and patricians as opposed to plebians and the rest, and their values dominate the book. There is one of the consuls who is a Christian, but he's too captive to events to really show his faith apart from one scene resolved by a deus ex machina. But the ethos in the book felt to me more about martial values than Christian ones. A couple of Christian interjections from other characters feel a bit tacked on, as they didn't show any leanings to faith before hand. It doesn't harm my enjoyment of the book, and considering this book feels like a fantasy spin on the fall of Rome it may be warranted, but it's a head's-up for the more devout.
All in all, it's a good, epic fantasy novel. It was better than I expected. If you like more traditional Christian fantasy fare that is clean and more aggressively spiritual (if not evangelistic) you may not like this. But people who like well-written fantasy and Christians who are okay with more realism and edginess to their books will probably enjoy it quite a bit.
February 10, 2017
Oops. I read something I wasn't supposed to. And loved it too.
January 26, 2013
A really good read and a worthy epic fantasy. There were a few odd chapter-ending choices that left me scratching my head, but I'm looking forward to the rest of this series, whenever it may be available.
November 20, 2014
Finished this recently and I have to say that it was much better than I had expected. I've read some of the author's previous fiction. While he has always told a good story, the prose was somewhat clunky at times. It is apparent that the author is getting better at his craft and it shows with AToB. It does start slowly, but rapidly sets the hook and picks up the pace. The setting is interesting, juxtaposing Roman republic style state and Church with a feudal european-style kingdom in a fantasy setting, and having a workable and interesting history and mythology to go with it. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of fleshing-out detail in the world building of Selenoth.
One thing I particularly enjoyed was the author's take on that fantasy staple: Elves. The author explores the question of what would a society of materialist, quasi-immortal beings converge on...and arrives at something refreshingly different than the ethereal, beatific elves of Tolkien's Middle Earth.
Another item I thought very well done was the setup and description of the battle scenes: some of the best low-level descriptions I have read, major points for verisimilitude here on an emotional level. One scene in particular involving the hand-to-hand clash between legions had a tense claustrophobic feel that took me back to memories of combat exercises and training when I was in the military.
I read exhaustively for work, so when I get to read non-fiction, I read strictly for entertainment, not for enlightenment, political hand-holding, or anything other than escape from the commonplace. By that measure I very much enjoyed AToB. For something like this I give 4 stars...(5 stars would be for something on the order of Middle Earth) Selenoth gladly gets 4 stars and a spot on my "buy the sequel in dead-tree format" shelf.
One thing I particularly enjoyed was the author's take on that fantasy staple: Elves. The author explores the question of what would a society of materialist, quasi-immortal beings converge on...and arrives at something refreshingly different than the ethereal, beatific elves of Tolkien's Middle Earth.
Another item I thought very well done was the setup and description of the battle scenes: some of the best low-level descriptions I have read, major points for verisimilitude here on an emotional level. One scene in particular involving the hand-to-hand clash between legions had a tense claustrophobic feel that took me back to memories of combat exercises and training when I was in the military.
I read exhaustively for work, so when I get to read non-fiction, I read strictly for entertainment, not for enlightenment, political hand-holding, or anything other than escape from the commonplace. By that measure I very much enjoyed AToB. For something like this I give 4 stars...(5 stars would be for something on the order of Middle Earth) Selenoth gladly gets 4 stars and a spot on my "buy the sequel in dead-tree format" shelf.
August 23, 2024
The start of an epic fantasy by Christian author Vox Day, A Throne of Bones is loosely based on the Roman social-wars of the late Republic, with various fantasy elements thrown in, as well as a representation of the catholic church. (Vox Day is not catholic, but in creating the wold of Selenoth for earlier works Summa Elvetica and short stories, he was inspired by the fact that while most fantasy writers draw on medieval Europe very heavily for inspiration, they almost universally ignore what was in many respects the single most influential force of the medieval period, namely, the catholic church.)
I found it not without merit and not without fault. His setting is intriguing, his characters interesting, and his treatment of real-life issues (economy, war, politics) more grounded in reality than you usually see in fantasy. The Christianity of his work is more implied than explicit; he is not preaching the gospel or trying to convey a particular theme, rather he is attempting to tell an interesting story about realistic people, some of whom are obviously Christian and some of whom are not, all stemming from his own Christian world view.
However, Day does write very 'realistically'. ATOB is a somewhat gritty work, definitely aimed at adults. While nothing is terribly graphic, the dialog is sometimes coarse, sometimes vulgar, (a large portion of the book takes place in the legions, after all) and there is some light treatment of sensual material.
His writing is average; there seem to be a few time-confusions when jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint, it is often difficult to keep track of the names (not entirely his fault; the Roman naming-system is very unimaginative--names are repeated a LOT amongst one family)
Overall, a work that I enjoyed, but cannot recommend without some reservation. If grit doesn't bother you, and military stratagem and politics interest you, you will probably enjoy this book.
I found it not without merit and not without fault. His setting is intriguing, his characters interesting, and his treatment of real-life issues (economy, war, politics) more grounded in reality than you usually see in fantasy. The Christianity of his work is more implied than explicit; he is not preaching the gospel or trying to convey a particular theme, rather he is attempting to tell an interesting story about realistic people, some of whom are obviously Christian and some of whom are not, all stemming from his own Christian world view.
However, Day does write very 'realistically'. ATOB is a somewhat gritty work, definitely aimed at adults. While nothing is terribly graphic, the dialog is sometimes coarse, sometimes vulgar, (a large portion of the book takes place in the legions, after all) and there is some light treatment of sensual material.
His writing is average; there seem to be a few time-confusions when jumping from viewpoint to viewpoint, it is often difficult to keep track of the names (not entirely his fault; the Roman naming-system is very unimaginative--names are repeated a LOT amongst one family)
Overall, a work that I enjoyed, but cannot recommend without some reservation. If grit doesn't bother you, and military stratagem and politics interest you, you will probably enjoy this book.
February 15, 2014
As I was putting this book down, I realized that I would have a hard time giving it a proper score. For I really enjoyed "A Throne of Bones" by Vox Day, but the book had a few significant flaws. The novel's main strength, its relentless amount of action, gave me a great deal of enjoyment and kept my attention. Unfortunately, this overabundance of action was marred by sub-plots skipping along at points so that the story returned to the sub-plot with the moment of resolution already long past. Lastly, I wish that the book had more slices of life within it which would have provided descriptions of the fantasy world that Vox has created. Obviously, Vox was not terribly interested in describing every goblet and goblin, so I really cannot blame him for refraining from long descriptions. Nonetheless, I am hooked on this world and eagerly await the next novel in this series.
February 26, 2014
5 stars = Yearly re-read
4 stars = Re-read eventually
3 stars = Very Good
2 stars = OK
1 stars = Pass on this one.
0 stars = Couldn't finish it.
4 stars = Re-read eventually
3 stars = Very Good
2 stars = OK
1 stars = Pass on this one.
0 stars = Couldn't finish it.
January 5, 2016
A very compelling attempt at worldbuilding and telling a very broad story. It was a bit confusing at first keeping track of each different area at first, since the chapters jumped around, but this is common in many books and I got in the groove about the time the book ended.
I am looking forward to the sequel to see what happens to all the characters in the book.
I am looking forward to the sequel to see what happens to all the characters in the book.
September 13, 2016
Don't miss out on this book!
I feel like Vox Day struck the perfect balance of every element of an epic fantasy. Breadth and depth of characters, creatures, and magic went well with realistic dialogue and pace. Can't wait to read more.
I feel like Vox Day struck the perfect balance of every element of an epic fantasy. Breadth and depth of characters, creatures, and magic went well with realistic dialogue and pace. Can't wait to read more.
August 17, 2019
I found myself thinking about Mccoullough´s "First Man in Rome" series when I read this. I think that all the bad reviews here is for his(the author) politics, not the book.
The sheer complexity and knowledge of the human soul floored me to be honest. The authors depth of knowledge of history and the classic literature shines in this book so if you just want a great book in a great setting this is the book for you.
The sheer complexity and knowledge of the human soul floored me to be honest. The authors depth of knowledge of history and the classic literature shines in this book so if you just want a great book in a great setting this is the book for you.
May 10, 2017
I haven't read fantasy in years, this series has shown me it can still be enjoyable I like Vox Day specifically because he breaks rules, or at least does not let them get in his way. He writes his world as he sees it, not as the PC crowd dictates it will be. Artistic freedom is incredibly important. Those clamoring here to censor this author are missing one of his main points--which is that all art should not be forced to mold itself to current mainstream political views. It must help us expand our minds and to do that, it needs a good measure of artistic freedom.
It is obvious the Vox is a deep thinker and well read on military strategy. Despite people's accusations of him being "racist", I have actually never read a fantasy book where the author goes so deep inside the minds of characters on all sides of a great conflict. The Orc's are vicious barbaric creatures, yet at a certain point you start to understand their point of view and morality as well.
Although Vox models himself as "Dark Lord", what I see is someone not afraid to show the world as it can really be -- intensely cruel, yet also with beautiful potent moments. He doesn't sanitize things.
I would humbly suggest anyone wanting to comment here should read the book first, and include your thoughts on it as at least part of your post.
It is obvious the Vox is a deep thinker and well read on military strategy. Despite people's accusations of him being "racist", I have actually never read a fantasy book where the author goes so deep inside the minds of characters on all sides of a great conflict. The Orc's are vicious barbaric creatures, yet at a certain point you start to understand their point of view and morality as well.
Although Vox models himself as "Dark Lord", what I see is someone not afraid to show the world as it can really be -- intensely cruel, yet also with beautiful potent moments. He doesn't sanitize things.
I would humbly suggest anyone wanting to comment here should read the book first, and include your thoughts on it as at least part of your post.
March 3, 2017
It's funny, had I not read everyone's negative reviews based on the author's politics, I would not have read this book. That made me suspicious, so I thought I'd give it a try. I am definitely glad I did. It was outstanding. Classic fantasy of elves, dwarves, and goblins mixed in with humans in a Roman-based setting complete with political scheming and legionary warfare. With a little magic thrown in, to boot. Don't be deterred by the negative reviews , book #1 of this series is worth the read.
August 10, 2020
Update: 5/5
All of the one-star reviews citing a magnificent speech by Vox Day (need to look him up now) are the best endorsement imaginable for a fantasy book in this age of far-Left ideological axe grinding in science fiction and fantasy.
A friend's review put this at the top of my 'to read: fiction' pile; all the upvoted one-star reviews put it in the 'drop everything I'm reading and start this' pile.
This did not disappoint: it is one of the best fantasy books I've ever read, even though it doesn't come to a conclusion.
All of the one-star reviews citing a magnificent speech by Vox Day (need to look him up now) are the best endorsement imaginable for a fantasy book in this age of far-Left ideological axe grinding in science fiction and fantasy.
A friend's review put this at the top of my 'to read: fiction' pile; all the upvoted one-star reviews put it in the 'drop everything I'm reading and start this' pile.
This did not disappoint: it is one of the best fantasy books I've ever read, even though it doesn't come to a conclusion.
January 5, 2016
Unlike most modern fantasy epics, this one shows creativity and a grasp of what such a reality may actually be like. This is loosely based on the Roman Social Wars, but only as a framework to set the story in. In my opinion at least the match of the earlier books of GRR Martin's series. Certainly superior to the latter books.
August 30, 2013
Great story about a similar world to the Roman Empire but mixed with magic and Orcs, Goblins and Elves. I like to read about Roman Empire history and this story presents an alternate world so different to our actual past. Very refreshing.
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