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Emaneska #3
Dead Stars - Part One
The sky is falling.
The world trembles beneath it.
Emaneska is crying out for a saviour.
Somebody is hunting down the Written mages in the wilds. Murdering and skinning them alive. Who? A mere girl. A girl who was born to rip the stars from the sky and bring them crashing down to earth. The direst enemy Emaneska has ever faced.
In the wake of the Battle of Krauslung, the world has changed. For the darker. For the stranger. Magic swells like a storm, spilling from the stunned lips of farmboys and milkmaids, burning spell books to cinders at the lightest of touches.
As Krauslung unknowingly balances on a knife-edge, tension mounts. Insidious whispers have begun to spread, drawing new enemies to the surface. Discontent, fear, betrayal... it seems that the girl is not the only enemy Emaneska faces.
Who can stand in their way? Will it be a pair of struggling Arkmages, one blind, one Written? An Albion maid, on the cusp of her wedding day? Three shadows of gods? Or will it be a ghost, a bloody rumour, lost in a dark world of murder and bitter memories? One question above all lingers on their lips: where in Emaneska is Farden?
The world trembles beneath it.
Emaneska is crying out for a saviour.
Somebody is hunting down the Written mages in the wilds. Murdering and skinning them alive. Who? A mere girl. A girl who was born to rip the stars from the sky and bring them crashing down to earth. The direst enemy Emaneska has ever faced.
In the wake of the Battle of Krauslung, the world has changed. For the darker. For the stranger. Magic swells like a storm, spilling from the stunned lips of farmboys and milkmaids, burning spell books to cinders at the lightest of touches.
As Krauslung unknowingly balances on a knife-edge, tension mounts. Insidious whispers have begun to spread, drawing new enemies to the surface. Discontent, fear, betrayal... it seems that the girl is not the only enemy Emaneska faces.
Who can stand in their way? Will it be a pair of struggling Arkmages, one blind, one Written? An Albion maid, on the cusp of her wedding day? Three shadows of gods? Or will it be a ghost, a bloody rumour, lost in a dark world of murder and bitter memories? One question above all lingers on their lips: where in Emaneska is Farden?
482 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2013
103 people are currently reading
974 people want to read
About the author
Ben Galley
51 books850 followersBen Galley is a British author of dark and epic fantasy books who currently hails from Vancouver, Canada. Since publishing his debut Emaneska Series, Ben has released the award-winning weird western Scarlet Star Trilogy and standalone The Heart of Stone, the critically-acclaimed Chasing Graves Trilogy, and the new Scalussen Chronicles.
When he isn’t conjuring up strange new stories or arguing the finer points of magic systems and dragon anatomy, Ben explores the Canadian wilds, sips Scotch single malts, and snowboards very, very badly. One day he hopes to haunt an epic treehouse in the mountains.
Find all of Ben’s books or join his Discord and Patreon at: www.linktr.ee/bengalley
When he isn’t conjuring up strange new stories or arguing the finer points of magic systems and dragon anatomy, Ben explores the Canadian wilds, sips Scotch single malts, and snowboards very, very badly. One day he hopes to haunt an epic treehouse in the mountains.
Find all of Ben’s books or join his Discord and Patreon at: www.linktr.ee/bengalley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 2, 2020
This gets 3.5-stars for me.
The author has some good ideas but there was way too much in the way of description for me to say I enjoyed it.
If you like the idea of reading dark fantasy with description then you will probably enjoy this. What I would say is that I think the author originally intended to write a trilogy but that it turned into four books. There's nothing wrong with that at all, though I think it could have easily been reduced by cutting out the descriptive stuff. My Brother-in-law would disagree with me entirely; he loves books that describe just about everything and dispises the use of too much conversation in literature.
I will be going on to read part 2 of this book next.
Thanks for reading.
The author has some good ideas but there was way too much in the way of description for me to say I enjoyed it.
If you like the idea of reading dark fantasy with description then you will probably enjoy this. What I would say is that I think the author originally intended to write a trilogy but that it turned into four books. There's nothing wrong with that at all, though I think it could have easily been reduced by cutting out the descriptive stuff. My Brother-in-law would disagree with me entirely; he loves books that describe just about everything and dispises the use of too much conversation in literature.
I will be going on to read part 2 of this book next.
Thanks for reading.
June 12, 2023
3.5
So many events start to make sense here. Although we see Farden at an all time low, but we hope to see him find his way back to the other Written and friends. We learn about Lilith and Samara and watch the letter’s power grow. She is a force to be reckoned.
There were some descriptions and sentence structures that were a bit off for me. This pulled me away from the immersion experience. Some turns of phrases I liked, but some things didn’t work for me.
I also expected to see more of the dragons and Sirens. Also there wasn’t much of Ilios, who really is a star of his own. I’m very worried about the fate of this character in particular.
We start to understand more about the Nine and Korrin. I assume more will be revealed in the last book.
One daemon announces “Gods’ blood” at Scalussen armor, which makes me wonder the implications of that. So the last 100 pages begins the confrontation between the “stars” and the humans. People survive but what will be the outcome of this? Can Farden really bring down his own daughter, who is a monster?
So many events start to make sense here. Although we see Farden at an all time low, but we hope to see him find his way back to the other Written and friends. We learn about Lilith and Samara and watch the letter’s power grow. She is a force to be reckoned.
There were some descriptions and sentence structures that were a bit off for me. This pulled me away from the immersion experience. Some turns of phrases I liked, but some things didn’t work for me.
I also expected to see more of the dragons and Sirens. Also there wasn’t much of Ilios, who really is a star of his own. I’m very worried about the fate of this character in particular.
We start to understand more about the Nine and Korrin. I assume more will be revealed in the last book.
One daemon announces “Gods’ blood” at Scalussen armor, which makes me wonder the implications of that. So the last 100 pages begins the confrontation between the “stars” and the humans. People survive but what will be the outcome of this? Can Farden really bring down his own daughter, who is a monster?
December 28, 2023
I've been really enjoying Emaneska so far, but sadly for me that experience did take a bit of a hit with this one because I really didn't have a great time with it. I thought the story in The Written and Pale Kings was really well told. It really developed quite nicely and I was on board with the characters and where they were and what they were doing, but then that all kind of changed in Dead Stars, Part One.
There was a bit of a time jump and I was trying to piece together what would happen to lead our main character, Farden, to where I found him at the start of the book. It really threw me but I also just didn't like where we landed with it. I felt that the storyline here was at such a disconnect from the previous books that I'd enjoyed so much, and maybe that played into my overall view—I didn't enjoy it that much in general but perhaps it felt worse because it was such a letdown from the previous books.
Eventually, the book does move back to where I was expecting it to be, but it took too long to get there, and didn’t grip me enough along the way.
There was a bit of a time jump and I was trying to piece together what would happen to lead our main character, Farden, to where I found him at the start of the book. It really threw me but I also just didn't like where we landed with it. I felt that the storyline here was at such a disconnect from the previous books that I'd enjoyed so much, and maybe that played into my overall view—I didn't enjoy it that much in general but perhaps it felt worse because it was such a letdown from the previous books.
Eventually, the book does move back to where I was expecting it to be, but it took too long to get there, and didn’t grip me enough along the way.
August 16, 2018
Well. This was a step up from the previous two Emaneska books (which I thoroughly enjoyed). First off, gone are the typos - Galley has refined his craft and learned on the job. In terms of the prose, I think his descriptive and lyrical style is second to none. The character development was intriguing too, mostly Farden's. Bitter and twisted in exile, the once-great warrior mage has abandoned his homeland and his magic, and sought the wildlands of Albion as a hired blade.
Meanwhile, his demonic daughter is wreaking havoc among the world's surviving Written, hunting them down and killing them wherever she can find them. Durnus (cured of his vampirism) and Tyrfing are struggling to rebuild Krauslung in the wake of Vice's treacherous assault on the great city of the Arka, and the narrative takes us across many years to chart their increasingly difficult lives.
This one felt a bit lower on the magic and supernatural than the previous two books, and is understandably more gritty as a result. I still love the richly detailed setting: it feels as though the author spent many years building up the history and back story of his world, and many questions remained unanswered ahead of the final instalment.
I would definitely recommend this series, and hope Galley edits the first two books at some point to bring them up to the same excellent standard as this one.
Roll on Part II!
Meanwhile, his demonic daughter is wreaking havoc among the world's surviving Written, hunting them down and killing them wherever she can find them. Durnus (cured of his vampirism) and Tyrfing are struggling to rebuild Krauslung in the wake of Vice's treacherous assault on the great city of the Arka, and the narrative takes us across many years to chart their increasingly difficult lives.
This one felt a bit lower on the magic and supernatural than the previous two books, and is understandably more gritty as a result. I still love the richly detailed setting: it feels as though the author spent many years building up the history and back story of his world, and many questions remained unanswered ahead of the final instalment.
I would definitely recommend this series, and hope Galley edits the first two books at some point to bring them up to the same excellent standard as this one.
Roll on Part II!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2013
I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this book. Having really enjoyed The Written & Pale Kings I was looking forward to reading this one. Ben is a master story teller, his descriptive language really brings the book to life. His characters are believable & the storyline exciting, once I started I just couldn't put it down. (Most of it was read in my breaks at work on my iPhone, such was my enthusiasm to keep reading). A truly brilliant book!
February 19, 2019
Fabulous, I've loved every page of this epic fantasy, though there have been times where I've wanted to reach into the page and give Farden a bloody good shake. Anyway must go got to start Dead Stars part two.
March 30, 2022
I can see why this is called Dead Stars - Part One. This definitely felt like a build up to the final book. I think in part due to there being a 15 year gap between this book and the last one. Ben needed to bring all the characters up to date. Plus, detail how much has changed in this world over that time, and there has been A LOT of change. Really looking forward to the last book and conclusion to Farden's story. Full RTC!
Actual Rating: 4 stars ****
Actual Rating: 4 stars ****
May 30, 2013
Dead Stars is the concluding novel to Ben Galley's Emaneska series. The book is so big; Ben has released it in two volumes, the first of which I'll review today. Discussing this book will unavoidably provide spoilers for books one and two, The Written and Pale Kings respectively. If you want to remain unspoiled for the prior books, please click away or skip to the last paragraph of this review.
Ben Galley is one of the two self-pubbed authors I've reviewed on the blog and as such is somewhat of a rare breed. While I enjoyed the story of his Emaneska series so far, I had some trouble with his treatment of his female characters and some, admittedly highly personal, issues with his writing style. While Dead Stars: part one definitely continues the strong story, unfortunately Galley's female characters remain problematic and his prose still doesn't sit easy with me.
The story picks up fifteen years after the ending of Pale Kings. Arka is rebuilding under the joint leadership of Durnus and Tyrfing, but reconstructing a city and a society that have been so thoroughly shattered, is proving to be more difficult than anyone could have thought. Magick has begun to flourish, turning up in surprising places and individuals and the events in Pale Kings has caused an upwelling of new religious cults and sects. The consequences of Farden's choices haunt those in Krauslung in the form of his murdering daughter. The forbidden fruit of his union with his dead lover Cheska, she has begun to kill off mages and especially Written at an alarming rate. Meanwhile Farden has disappeared to Albion to eke out an existence which will let him forget his losses, leaving those who care for him behind. Galley intersperses this narrative with flashbacks to the creation of the Scalussen Nine, the legendary knights, parts of whose magical armour are Farden's most treasured possessions. We don't see much of the intervening years and the book only picks up the story once things are once again coming to a head. Galley builds up his narrative tension to a massive crescendo at the end of the book where we have a natural break in the action to end this first part and switch to the second. While the build-up is well done, a large section of the book remains exactly that, the build-up to the main plot of the book: Farden's need to deal with his daughter. While logical in light of this only being half the book, it still creates the illusion of a lot of pages invested and little pay off. Then again, even if there is a lot of setting the stage involved with the first third of this volume, the narrative doesn't drag anywhere; it all seemingly has a function.
At the beginning of The Written I had a hard time connecting to Farden, because he was a hard character to pin down, especially in the early parts of the book he's unlikeable and I wasn't sure whether he was the good guy or the bad guy. For much of this volume he is quite unlikeable, and in some places even unsympathetic. Taking all he's been through into account it's perhaps not a surprising development, but it was rather hard to read about Farden's retreat into darkness. As such, the way Galley starts to draw him back into human society was quite well done and makes even the slightest smile encouraging. Tyrfing, Durnus, and Modren remain much as they were before, though worn by responsibility. A new character I rather liked was Loki, one of the younger gods who is embodied and comes to Emaneska to help the Arka protect themselves against Farden's daughter. The mixture of aloof godling and curious youngster was appealing. Loki keeps tasting and sniffing things, because he doesn't know what it's like to be human and all these sense are new to him.
In general, Galley's characters are good, though not all of them well-rounded, except for his female characters. It feels as if I keep harping on this with this series, but that is because there is a lot of potential in these ladies and it's sad to see it peter out. This manifests most clearly with Elessi. What is it with Elessi? The only agency she seems to have is the desire to land herself a Written husband. In addition, her anger at or perhaps even hatred of Farden is somewhat over the top. Yes, he broke her heart, but this vindictiveness just didn't seem to fit the Elessi from the previous books. The two main antagonists in the story Samara and Lilith are just villains with no other dimensions. I felt like Samara's motivations could have been far more developed and instead we just get her desire for revenge on the people who killed her supposed father, Vice. There are two more women who have a significant part in the narrative. The first is Moirin, the abused trophy wife of one of the Albion Dukes, who seemingly is only there to provide some motivation for Farden's dislike of her husband. The second is Jeasin, an Albion whore who reminds Farden of Cheska, who is forced to betray him and who he is pressured into taking along back to Krauslung. At one point he even describes her as 'just a lump of baggage' and beyond a desire to protect her girls, she doesn't really seem to have an agenda of her own, and even that is taken away once Farden whisks her to Krauslung. And that is the extent of significant female characters. I kept wondering what had happened to Lerel and the Sirens? Hopefully they'll make an appearance in the second volume of the book, as they seem to be the only hope for a strong female character.
Galley's prose is becoming an ever lighter shade of lavender and so became easier to connect with for me. It'll be interesting to see whether this development continues. This being volume one of the book, it's not surprising that there is absolutely no resolution of the story, whatsoever. But the final chapters of the book raise the stakes and I wonder how Galley will conclude the series in the final volume. Hopefully Elessi and the other ladies will find themselves some agency and we'll see some more of the Sirens and the dragons too. Because however many flaws I point out, in the end Dead Stars: part one is a good story, one that kept me entertained and invested and one I want to see through to the end.
This book was provided for review by the author.
Ben Galley is one of the two self-pubbed authors I've reviewed on the blog and as such is somewhat of a rare breed. While I enjoyed the story of his Emaneska series so far, I had some trouble with his treatment of his female characters and some, admittedly highly personal, issues with his writing style. While Dead Stars: part one definitely continues the strong story, unfortunately Galley's female characters remain problematic and his prose still doesn't sit easy with me.
The story picks up fifteen years after the ending of Pale Kings. Arka is rebuilding under the joint leadership of Durnus and Tyrfing, but reconstructing a city and a society that have been so thoroughly shattered, is proving to be more difficult than anyone could have thought. Magick has begun to flourish, turning up in surprising places and individuals and the events in Pale Kings has caused an upwelling of new religious cults and sects. The consequences of Farden's choices haunt those in Krauslung in the form of his murdering daughter. The forbidden fruit of his union with his dead lover Cheska, she has begun to kill off mages and especially Written at an alarming rate. Meanwhile Farden has disappeared to Albion to eke out an existence which will let him forget his losses, leaving those who care for him behind. Galley intersperses this narrative with flashbacks to the creation of the Scalussen Nine, the legendary knights, parts of whose magical armour are Farden's most treasured possessions. We don't see much of the intervening years and the book only picks up the story once things are once again coming to a head. Galley builds up his narrative tension to a massive crescendo at the end of the book where we have a natural break in the action to end this first part and switch to the second. While the build-up is well done, a large section of the book remains exactly that, the build-up to the main plot of the book: Farden's need to deal with his daughter. While logical in light of this only being half the book, it still creates the illusion of a lot of pages invested and little pay off. Then again, even if there is a lot of setting the stage involved with the first third of this volume, the narrative doesn't drag anywhere; it all seemingly has a function.
At the beginning of The Written I had a hard time connecting to Farden, because he was a hard character to pin down, especially in the early parts of the book he's unlikeable and I wasn't sure whether he was the good guy or the bad guy. For much of this volume he is quite unlikeable, and in some places even unsympathetic. Taking all he's been through into account it's perhaps not a surprising development, but it was rather hard to read about Farden's retreat into darkness. As such, the way Galley starts to draw him back into human society was quite well done and makes even the slightest smile encouraging. Tyrfing, Durnus, and Modren remain much as they were before, though worn by responsibility. A new character I rather liked was Loki, one of the younger gods who is embodied and comes to Emaneska to help the Arka protect themselves against Farden's daughter. The mixture of aloof godling and curious youngster was appealing. Loki keeps tasting and sniffing things, because he doesn't know what it's like to be human and all these sense are new to him.
In general, Galley's characters are good, though not all of them well-rounded, except for his female characters. It feels as if I keep harping on this with this series, but that is because there is a lot of potential in these ladies and it's sad to see it peter out. This manifests most clearly with Elessi. What is it with Elessi? The only agency she seems to have is the desire to land herself a Written husband. In addition, her anger at or perhaps even hatred of Farden is somewhat over the top. Yes, he broke her heart, but this vindictiveness just didn't seem to fit the Elessi from the previous books. The two main antagonists in the story Samara and Lilith are just villains with no other dimensions. I felt like Samara's motivations could have been far more developed and instead we just get her desire for revenge on the people who killed her supposed father, Vice. There are two more women who have a significant part in the narrative. The first is Moirin, the abused trophy wife of one of the Albion Dukes, who seemingly is only there to provide some motivation for Farden's dislike of her husband. The second is Jeasin, an Albion whore who reminds Farden of Cheska, who is forced to betray him and who he is pressured into taking along back to Krauslung. At one point he even describes her as 'just a lump of baggage' and beyond a desire to protect her girls, she doesn't really seem to have an agenda of her own, and even that is taken away once Farden whisks her to Krauslung. And that is the extent of significant female characters. I kept wondering what had happened to Lerel and the Sirens? Hopefully they'll make an appearance in the second volume of the book, as they seem to be the only hope for a strong female character.
Galley's prose is becoming an ever lighter shade of lavender and so became easier to connect with for me. It'll be interesting to see whether this development continues. This being volume one of the book, it's not surprising that there is absolutely no resolution of the story, whatsoever. But the final chapters of the book raise the stakes and I wonder how Galley will conclude the series in the final volume. Hopefully Elessi and the other ladies will find themselves some agency and we'll see some more of the Sirens and the dragons too. Because however many flaws I point out, in the end Dead Stars: part one is a good story, one that kept me entertained and invested and one I want to see through to the end.
This book was provided for review by the author.
August 13, 2024
3.0/5
This should have been a novella.
300 pages of what Farden was doing in Albion for 15 years (killing people as a mercenary). Did we get something of importance out of all of that? No, then it should have been a novella and the last book made longer and kept it a trilogy.
So far the three books follow the same pattern: Introduction of new characters and situation of the world, drama, big magic fight at the end. All three.
And I'm getting tired of the female characters only existing to push the male characters plot or to fall in love with the MC. Cause they all do.
I like the world building and the main story, so I'll read the last one, but I doubt I'll read the second series in this universe.
This should have been a novella.
300 pages of what Farden was doing in Albion for 15 years (killing people as a mercenary). Did we get something of importance out of all of that? No, then it should have been a novella and the last book made longer and kept it a trilogy.
So far the three books follow the same pattern: Introduction of new characters and situation of the world, drama, big magic fight at the end. All three.
And I'm getting tired of the female characters only existing to push the male characters plot or to fall in love with the MC. Cause they all do.
I like the world building and the main story, so I'll read the last one, but I doubt I'll read the second series in this universe.
March 11, 2025
This one was slow to start and really suffered from over description in lieu of plot, but it got there. Once it did, it was good. Really good.
October 14, 2017
Absolutely amazing series - loved it. Unusual fantasy - would highly recommend.
June 12, 2013
Another brilliant book by Ben Galley the third in the very original "Emaneska" series, Dead Stars part one continues the story where Pale Kings ended. Fifteen years later the great city of Krauslung has been rebuilt after the disastrous battle. Tyrfing, Farden's uncle and the blind vampyre Durnus are the new twin Arkmages and Modren is undermage but all is not well.... Farden has disappeared and worse still someone is tracking down and killing the written one by one.. Can Farden's powerful renegade daughter Samara be to blame? An amazing read, it will have you hooked from the beginning and will suck you into to an incredibly rich and believable fantasy world. It's dark and nasty in places but this is it's charm. Bloody brilliant fantasy and I shall be eagerly reading on into the final book "Dead Stars part two". The only trouble is I don't want this series to end...!
September 8, 2016
Awesome follow-up to The Written and Pale Kings! I'm immediately starting Dead Stars Part 2 as I just can't wait. I have really enjoyed this series tremendously. Ben has huge talent and a brilliant future ahead of him.
October 15, 2020
Another solid entry in this saga. Although I had some issues with the first book, The Written, that barely managed to seep into the second book, Pale Kings, I found this third book in the series had really managed to find its footing. This tale has turned into something of a redemption story, and that aspect of it is quite well done.
This is technically the first part of what might have supposed to been a very large book that was cut in two. You know, like LotR was. But I find it interesting that it was something that had to occur, considering the steps that this story takes to get to its 'finale'. I'm pretty sure there could hve been more cutting of scenes, perhaps some of the ones involving certain god-characters because they actually don't contribute much to the story. I say this, of course without knowledge of what comes next in book 4. I'll read that next and perhaps my thoughts will change.
The same grammatical issues are present in this one, the UK vs US use of certain words. And again, like I said in the reviews for the previous 2 books, I've no problem with either one's use. I read and enjoy it either way. But because the author had a person listed in their tank you page as someone they'd paid to 'convert' from UK to US it seems that was an ill-advised service, is all.
All-in-all, I think my only true issue with the story now is the use of the name Orion for Demon. That still bugs me, considering the etymology of the name. But that's just me.
A cool story with heavy Norse influence.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
This is technically the first part of what might have supposed to been a very large book that was cut in two. You know, like LotR was. But I find it interesting that it was something that had to occur, considering the steps that this story takes to get to its 'finale'. I'm pretty sure there could hve been more cutting of scenes, perhaps some of the ones involving certain god-characters because they actually don't contribute much to the story. I say this, of course without knowledge of what comes next in book 4. I'll read that next and perhaps my thoughts will change.
The same grammatical issues are present in this one, the UK vs US use of certain words. And again, like I said in the reviews for the previous 2 books, I've no problem with either one's use. I read and enjoy it either way. But because the author had a person listed in their tank you page as someone they'd paid to 'convert' from UK to US it seems that was an ill-advised service, is all.
All-in-all, I think my only true issue with the story now is the use of the name Orion for Demon. That still bugs me, considering the etymology of the name. But that's just me.
A cool story with heavy Norse influence.
Join the RK King readers' list for an exclusive FREE short story, plus inside info, musings, promos and more: RK King Writes
January 8, 2020
Like a fine wine (although I don't actually drink much wine) this series is getting better and better. This book gives us an insight into the lives of many of the main characters following on from the aftermath of what happened at the end of the second book culminating in an epic final battle. I really enjoyed this instalment and look forward to moving onto the fourth and final book to see how it all ends.
May 31, 2013
After the epic conclusion of Pale kings, we initially join the story nine years later with the return of Lilleth the seer and Samara, Farden's Daughter. Lilleth was entrusted by Vice, to bring up Samara, fill her head with lies and hatred, to bring to fruition the evil plans of Vice.
Samara is nine years old and has been slowly but surely brainwashed, poisoned against those who could possibly have any feelings for her and the truth kept as far from her as possible.
They keep a low profile, travelling in the countryside, staying in small inn's as Lilleth instructs Samara in the ways of murder, brutal but with a purpose as their goal becomes written mage's and the tattooed books they possess on their bodies. Her power is developing under the seer's guidance, hatred blossoming, she is a tool under destructive guidance and she will bring devastation.
All Krauslung has searched for them for many years but none have come close and long will they continue.
We leap another six years into the future as we join the self imposed exile of Farden, fifteen years after the battle for Krauslung. Farden has changed dramatically, addicted to the drug nevermar, his magick long forgotten but still highly accomplished with a blade. He works as an assassin for the Duke of Kiltyrin in Albion, hidden from all who search for him and a solitary recluse. His employer takes an interest in the armour Farden wears, the Scalussen armour that has seen him age not a day since he started wearing it and the Duke will do anything to get it.
In Krauslung the search for Farden intensifies as events unfold, Durnus and Tyrfing are now the Arkmages and rulers of Krauslung and in collaboration with the Gods Heimdall and Loki, who they send to seek him out. Not only do the Arkmages face the impending doom of Samara but also the political back stabbing of their council some of whom would see them cast aside.
Also running in parallel to the story in Krauslung is the story of Korrin set 1568 years earlier, Korrin is the son of a farmer and he is chosen as one of the nine, an unlikely choice he is trained in the arts of warfare but the reasons are kept from him and his comrades.
There is the introduction of more major characters for the series, the most prominent being the God Loki, who faces the impossible task of bringing Farden home, Farden's stubbornness remains a distinguishing feature of his character and their interaction is a highlight of the story. Samara also develops into an interesting character, influenced heavily by the evil seer but you can't help feeling there is some way back for her even as their plans unfold.
Dead Stars part 1 sets up the events for the finale perfectly, you may not agree with the choices Farden makes but he is still a riveting character, if not as formidable as he was in the previous novels but the path he must take is obvious to all but himself and its certainly good reading as he stumbles and circumnavigates around every corner.
Luckily we don't have to wait for to long for the release of the final novel as Dead Stars parts 1 & 2 are to be released simultaneously.
Samara is nine years old and has been slowly but surely brainwashed, poisoned against those who could possibly have any feelings for her and the truth kept as far from her as possible.
They keep a low profile, travelling in the countryside, staying in small inn's as Lilleth instructs Samara in the ways of murder, brutal but with a purpose as their goal becomes written mage's and the tattooed books they possess on their bodies. Her power is developing under the seer's guidance, hatred blossoming, she is a tool under destructive guidance and she will bring devastation.
All Krauslung has searched for them for many years but none have come close and long will they continue.
We leap another six years into the future as we join the self imposed exile of Farden, fifteen years after the battle for Krauslung. Farden has changed dramatically, addicted to the drug nevermar, his magick long forgotten but still highly accomplished with a blade. He works as an assassin for the Duke of Kiltyrin in Albion, hidden from all who search for him and a solitary recluse. His employer takes an interest in the armour Farden wears, the Scalussen armour that has seen him age not a day since he started wearing it and the Duke will do anything to get it.
In Krauslung the search for Farden intensifies as events unfold, Durnus and Tyrfing are now the Arkmages and rulers of Krauslung and in collaboration with the Gods Heimdall and Loki, who they send to seek him out. Not only do the Arkmages face the impending doom of Samara but also the political back stabbing of their council some of whom would see them cast aside.
Also running in parallel to the story in Krauslung is the story of Korrin set 1568 years earlier, Korrin is the son of a farmer and he is chosen as one of the nine, an unlikely choice he is trained in the arts of warfare but the reasons are kept from him and his comrades.
There is the introduction of more major characters for the series, the most prominent being the God Loki, who faces the impossible task of bringing Farden home, Farden's stubbornness remains a distinguishing feature of his character and their interaction is a highlight of the story. Samara also develops into an interesting character, influenced heavily by the evil seer but you can't help feeling there is some way back for her even as their plans unfold.
Dead Stars part 1 sets up the events for the finale perfectly, you may not agree with the choices Farden makes but he is still a riveting character, if not as formidable as he was in the previous novels but the path he must take is obvious to all but himself and its certainly good reading as he stumbles and circumnavigates around every corner.
Luckily we don't have to wait for to long for the release of the final novel as Dead Stars parts 1 & 2 are to be released simultaneously.
May 31, 2023
While I really enjoyed the promise of a drastically transformed world and thought there were some very interesting ideas introduced, the story decides to spend very little time on it's most interesting elements and instead follows an exiled Farden who is in an even more pitiable state than when we found him in the first book.
SETTING/WORLD
While settings can sometimes grow stale over the course of a series, Galley really shakes things up by introducing some rather drastic changes to the Emaneska that we'd come to know. Since the events of PALE KINGS, the magic of the land has changed and seemingly grown more potent as Farden's daughter grows in years. This has some rather interesting implications on the world, it's social structures, and the politics that have surrounded magic users since the start of the series. I wish we got to see a little more of this aspect of the worldbuilding as it is probably the book's most interesting element, but perhaps a lot of that is being saved for the next part.
The land itself is fairly standard this time around. Farden travels to a number of different towns, but they were all fairly standard medieval fantasy fare. His beachside hideaway was an interesting and fittingly grubby base of operations for him and I loved the scenes where he visited an old couple living out in the middle of nowhere at their cozy little cabin. The real highlight is actually in visiting the new Krauslung. The capital city has transformed into a thriving mercantile hub that bustles with magic-infused commerce and serves as a preaching ground for various new religious factions that have made somewhat fanatical devotions to specific gods. The ways in which the magic council transformed were equally interesting and it was fascinating to lightly explore the implications of not being able to make more Written (though the fact that it all hinged upon one person in the first place seems like a rather fragile system). All in all, I think this element continues to be the best part of the series.
CHARACTERS
Starting off with some positives, I think the supporting cast really shined through this time around. Durnus's development in particular was really interesting and I liked how Tyrfing came off in this book as well (though I still cannot stand the voice the narrator does for him or Mordren). Elessi is still Elessi, but at least we get to see her move past her truly baffling crush on Farden. Mordren takes on a more noteworthy role and I enjoyed seeing him on the good side this time. That said, I still don't really buy his friendship with Farden at all. They're like two guys who can get along for five minutes before they remember they actually hate each other and then get needlessly abrasive for the rest of the time. Other characters have much more fulfilling relationships with Farden, though I fully support Elessi's treatment of him. Newcomers like Jeasin and some of the more antagonistic characters from Farden's early misadventures mostly fell flat for me. I also found myself missing characters like Farfallen who do not make an appearance, though Illios has an endearing and important role to play during certain parts of the book. I also really enjoyed the three main gods that come down to earth and appreciated how distinct each of them were. The representations of Hiemdall and Loki in particular felt both fresh and familiar which is something else that really impressed me.
Farden on the other hand, is really just not great. I understand that his arc was all about falling into the pits of despair and having to crawl out of that state, but I just did not enjoy his chapters at all and the book spends so much time on him being a greedy, murderous, and overall lousy human being. Adding that to the fact that he's effectively cut himself off from magic with his relapsed drug addition and I just found him to be a very hard character to route for. I also wasn't totally sure why everyone was so obsessed with bringing him back. I understood that they care about him and that he's been a very impressive fighter in the past, but it just kind of felt like that trope in fiction where the story forcefully uplifts the main character to more than what they are because they are the main character.
PLOT/TONE
As I mentioned, a ton of time is spent on Farden's life as a sellsword. We see him kill, steal, and just be a generally lousy human being. He interacts with other lousy human beings. While some of the "bad guys" get their comeuppance, I didn't necessarily feel satisfied since Farden wasn't all that much better of a person than they were. There is a bit of interesting Scallusen lore that is revealed along the way as well as some more endearing moments with a pleasant old couple that care for Farden as best they can as well as a friendly rodent who offers him some companionship. Throughout the story, we also get chapters that detail how things are developing in Krauslung and those remain my favorite parts of the story. Another really interesting element is in the flashback sequences that introduce us to a character from the distant past. It's not really clear why he's important until the book's final chapter/epilogue, but I rather enjoyed the ongoing mystery that this brought to the table.
Although she's pretty aloof for most of the story, I did enjoy the parts that show how messed up Farden's daughter is as well as her involvement in the finale. Oddly enough, the finale contains really the only action scenes of note. There's certainly some violence in Farden's life leading up to those events, but nothing quite like the action sequences that the series has sprinkled in up until now. While I felt like the first book had an overwhelming number of them, I sort of wished that this one was a bit more action packed and that the stakes felt a bit higher earlier on. Nothing is really resolved in the end either. While this is somewhat expected, since this is a "Part One," I still wish there was a little more done to wrap things up, especially since these are not short books.
THE EBOOK/AUDIOBOOK
I again read part of this book via the eBook and the rest of it on Audio. The length makes it hard to avoid leaning on the audio format in order to keep pace with the read along (especially since I wanted to read another rather long book this month). While I think the audio is serviceable and actually does improve noticeably here, there are still just so many things about it that make it a less than ideal experience for me. Some of the character voices were just not great, but then others were actually quite entertaining. The intonations when reading the prose were a lot better, but I still feel like there's something about it that does not lend itself well to audio and is best enjoyed by reading visually.
CONCLUSION
DEAD STARS PART ONE is sort of like a rather prolonged version of a TV episode that's all about building up to the next one. While I did not find it especially satisfying in and of itself, I am quite curious to see where things go in the fourth (and final???) book. Here's hoping that some of the more interesting aspects of this installment get a little more room to breathe.
(+) Beatufully described scenery and some interesting towns
(+) Even more involvement from some of the gods
(+) Some interesting flashback sequences to a time long ago
(+) Some really interesting concepts introduced as the magic of this world seems to amplify
(+) The supporting cast truly carries this one
(+) The small expansions to the mythology and lore were nice
(-) Farden has truly never been more insufferable
(-) The female characters still don't do much for me
(-) The audio is improved, but still not my preferred way to consume the story.
(-) An ending that's really just a lead into the next book (giving weight to the "Part One" side of the title)
SETTING/WORLD
While settings can sometimes grow stale over the course of a series, Galley really shakes things up by introducing some rather drastic changes to the Emaneska that we'd come to know. Since the events of PALE KINGS, the magic of the land has changed and seemingly grown more potent as Farden's daughter grows in years. This has some rather interesting implications on the world, it's social structures, and the politics that have surrounded magic users since the start of the series. I wish we got to see a little more of this aspect of the worldbuilding as it is probably the book's most interesting element, but perhaps a lot of that is being saved for the next part.
The land itself is fairly standard this time around. Farden travels to a number of different towns, but they were all fairly standard medieval fantasy fare. His beachside hideaway was an interesting and fittingly grubby base of operations for him and I loved the scenes where he visited an old couple living out in the middle of nowhere at their cozy little cabin. The real highlight is actually in visiting the new Krauslung. The capital city has transformed into a thriving mercantile hub that bustles with magic-infused commerce and serves as a preaching ground for various new religious factions that have made somewhat fanatical devotions to specific gods. The ways in which the magic council transformed were equally interesting and it was fascinating to lightly explore the implications of not being able to make more Written (though the fact that it all hinged upon one person in the first place seems like a rather fragile system). All in all, I think this element continues to be the best part of the series.
CHARACTERS
Starting off with some positives, I think the supporting cast really shined through this time around. Durnus's development in particular was really interesting and I liked how Tyrfing came off in this book as well (though I still cannot stand the voice the narrator does for him or Mordren). Elessi is still Elessi, but at least we get to see her move past her truly baffling crush on Farden. Mordren takes on a more noteworthy role and I enjoyed seeing him on the good side this time. That said, I still don't really buy his friendship with Farden at all. They're like two guys who can get along for five minutes before they remember they actually hate each other and then get needlessly abrasive for the rest of the time. Other characters have much more fulfilling relationships with Farden, though I fully support Elessi's treatment of him. Newcomers like Jeasin and some of the more antagonistic characters from Farden's early misadventures mostly fell flat for me. I also found myself missing characters like Farfallen who do not make an appearance, though Illios has an endearing and important role to play during certain parts of the book. I also really enjoyed the three main gods that come down to earth and appreciated how distinct each of them were. The representations of Hiemdall and Loki in particular felt both fresh and familiar which is something else that really impressed me.
Farden on the other hand, is really just not great. I understand that his arc was all about falling into the pits of despair and having to crawl out of that state, but I just did not enjoy his chapters at all and the book spends so much time on him being a greedy, murderous, and overall lousy human being. Adding that to the fact that he's effectively cut himself off from magic with his relapsed drug addition and I just found him to be a very hard character to route for. I also wasn't totally sure why everyone was so obsessed with bringing him back. I understood that they care about him and that he's been a very impressive fighter in the past, but it just kind of felt like that trope in fiction where the story forcefully uplifts the main character to more than what they are because they are the main character.
PLOT/TONE
As I mentioned, a ton of time is spent on Farden's life as a sellsword. We see him kill, steal, and just be a generally lousy human being. He interacts with other lousy human beings. While some of the "bad guys" get their comeuppance, I didn't necessarily feel satisfied since Farden wasn't all that much better of a person than they were. There is a bit of interesting Scallusen lore that is revealed along the way as well as some more endearing moments with a pleasant old couple that care for Farden as best they can as well as a friendly rodent who offers him some companionship. Throughout the story, we also get chapters that detail how things are developing in Krauslung and those remain my favorite parts of the story. Another really interesting element is in the flashback sequences that introduce us to a character from the distant past. It's not really clear why he's important until the book's final chapter/epilogue, but I rather enjoyed the ongoing mystery that this brought to the table.
Although she's pretty aloof for most of the story, I did enjoy the parts that show how messed up Farden's daughter is as well as her involvement in the finale. Oddly enough, the finale contains really the only action scenes of note. There's certainly some violence in Farden's life leading up to those events, but nothing quite like the action sequences that the series has sprinkled in up until now. While I felt like the first book had an overwhelming number of them, I sort of wished that this one was a bit more action packed and that the stakes felt a bit higher earlier on. Nothing is really resolved in the end either. While this is somewhat expected, since this is a "Part One," I still wish there was a little more done to wrap things up, especially since these are not short books.
THE EBOOK/AUDIOBOOK
I again read part of this book via the eBook and the rest of it on Audio. The length makes it hard to avoid leaning on the audio format in order to keep pace with the read along (especially since I wanted to read another rather long book this month). While I think the audio is serviceable and actually does improve noticeably here, there are still just so many things about it that make it a less than ideal experience for me. Some of the character voices were just not great, but then others were actually quite entertaining. The intonations when reading the prose were a lot better, but I still feel like there's something about it that does not lend itself well to audio and is best enjoyed by reading visually.
CONCLUSION
DEAD STARS PART ONE is sort of like a rather prolonged version of a TV episode that's all about building up to the next one. While I did not find it especially satisfying in and of itself, I am quite curious to see where things go in the fourth (and final???) book. Here's hoping that some of the more interesting aspects of this installment get a little more room to breathe.
(+) Beatufully described scenery and some interesting towns
(+) Even more involvement from some of the gods
(+) Some interesting flashback sequences to a time long ago
(+) Some really interesting concepts introduced as the magic of this world seems to amplify
(+) The supporting cast truly carries this one
(+) The small expansions to the mythology and lore were nice
(-) Farden has truly never been more insufferable
(-) The female characters still don't do much for me
(-) The audio is improved, but still not my preferred way to consume the story.
(-) An ending that's really just a lead into the next book (giving weight to the "Part One" side of the title)
February 8, 2016
This book continues the story of Farden, the anti-hero mage. It's actually quite a heart-wrenching book as it deals with the emotional aftermath of Farden seeing the woman he loves die and his daughter escape, potentially to fulfill the dark prophesy surrounding her birth. Farden, in this book, reminded me a lot of Don Draper from Mad Men: he is amazingly skilled when he is properly engaged, and we can't help liking him and rooting for him despite his bad choices and self-destructive tendencies. You know that if he would just show a little humility or gratitude, so much would change, but he seems incapable to show the smallest dependence on anyone else.
This book is a full 15 years after the events of "The Pale Kings", and the years have not been kind to Farden. If you're expecting the same master mage that was in the last two books, you'll be disappointed. Farden has sunk into a pit of self-loathing and anger, and a lot of the book is spent trying to see if he'll be able to pull himself out of it.
Farden's armor, including the seeminly thrown-in-because-they're-cool vambraces from the first book, are finally explored in detail. It's hard to tell if this was always intended from the beginning, but Ben has really woven it into the main storyline with a lot of skill. That part of the book was really interesting and probably could have been expanded into its own book.
It has been fun to see Ben's progression as an author, and he seems to have things well in hand at this point. His books do tend to follow similar pattern, especially ending as they do with large battles. However, he has, so far, avoided the sort of shortcuts that one would expect when the main character is a wreck; no jumps in time, no sudden changes of heart. Farden has really screwed himself up and there are consequences to that that we are seeing in this book. The question is, how will that resolve itself in the last book?
These are fun books, and it's tough to stop reading them once you get going. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends.
This book is a full 15 years after the events of "The Pale Kings", and the years have not been kind to Farden. If you're expecting the same master mage that was in the last two books, you'll be disappointed. Farden has sunk into a pit of self-loathing and anger, and a lot of the book is spent trying to see if he'll be able to pull himself out of it.
Farden's armor, including the seeminly thrown-in-because-they're-cool vambraces from the first book, are finally explored in detail. It's hard to tell if this was always intended from the beginning, but Ben has really woven it into the main storyline with a lot of skill. That part of the book was really interesting and probably could have been expanded into its own book.
It has been fun to see Ben's progression as an author, and he seems to have things well in hand at this point. His books do tend to follow similar pattern, especially ending as they do with large battles. However, he has, so far, avoided the sort of shortcuts that one would expect when the main character is a wreck; no jumps in time, no sudden changes of heart. Farden has really screwed himself up and there are consequences to that that we are seeing in this book. The question is, how will that resolve itself in the last book?
These are fun books, and it's tough to stop reading them once you get going. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends.
July 25, 2013
This is so much better than Galley's last two books. The difference is stunning, but it's obvious that it's still the same author. He just worked hard and improved significantly.
I was a little tired of the characters from the previous two books, but I think if the previous two had been written with the quality of this one it would not have been the case. When Galley is done with these characters and does a new story altogether, his improved writing will serve him very well. He has earned a spot in my "will buy just to check out the new story" slot, and given how cheap I am that isn't easy to do.
There are some paragraphs in Dead Stars that are simply beautiful. Some of Galley’s descriptions are overmuch or technical without beauty, but there are concise bits in Dead Stars that are just plain good. Galley paints a vivid picture of the Duchies of Albion as Farden stalks the enemies of his patron. One scene in particular, an assassination in a rainstorm, was so delightfully murky and dreary that I could almost feel the soaking downpour.
Bottom Line:
Ben Galley shows remarkable improvement and writes scenes and character arcs that rival some of the works of A-listers with this story. If all of his books were like this, all of them would be “must reads.” If he writes a similar standalone story, I’ll probably buy it and read it. Cutting this story away from the rest of Emaneska would strengthen it a lot. As it is, it is a solidly enjoyable offering and boosts the rest of the series simply by existing.
For a complete review with spoilers and some plot analysis, check out the full version on my blog:
http://anthonyhadrian.com/?p=761
I was a little tired of the characters from the previous two books, but I think if the previous two had been written with the quality of this one it would not have been the case. When Galley is done with these characters and does a new story altogether, his improved writing will serve him very well. He has earned a spot in my "will buy just to check out the new story" slot, and given how cheap I am that isn't easy to do.
There are some paragraphs in Dead Stars that are simply beautiful. Some of Galley’s descriptions are overmuch or technical without beauty, but there are concise bits in Dead Stars that are just plain good. Galley paints a vivid picture of the Duchies of Albion as Farden stalks the enemies of his patron. One scene in particular, an assassination in a rainstorm, was so delightfully murky and dreary that I could almost feel the soaking downpour.
Bottom Line:
Ben Galley shows remarkable improvement and writes scenes and character arcs that rival some of the works of A-listers with this story. If all of his books were like this, all of them would be “must reads.” If he writes a similar standalone story, I’ll probably buy it and read it. Cutting this story away from the rest of Emaneska would strengthen it a lot. As it is, it is a solidly enjoyable offering and boosts the rest of the series simply by existing.
For a complete review with spoilers and some plot analysis, check out the full version on my blog:
http://anthonyhadrian.com/?p=761
July 19, 2013
This is the third book in the series but I get the feeling that is should have been book 2 or another series altogether.
I enjoyed book 2 but the beginning of book 3 was a step back. Farden was back to being a druggy and whining and feeling sorry for himself. Time has moved on and fifteen years have passed but farden has not aged due to his Scalussen armour. The drug Nevermar has coooked his memories and he is a part time assassin. Then his half daemon daughter appears and farden is dragged back into the fray.
The writing has improved since book 1 but the author seems unable to write a trilogy and I am unsure as to what he is trying to achieve with this odd collection of 4 overall books. I will read the final part which is dead Stars Part 2 (for some odd reason - did the author run out of titles?) but I am heartily annoyed with it all now.
I enjoyed book 2 but the beginning of book 3 was a step back. Farden was back to being a druggy and whining and feeling sorry for himself. Time has moved on and fifteen years have passed but farden has not aged due to his Scalussen armour. The drug Nevermar has coooked his memories and he is a part time assassin. Then his half daemon daughter appears and farden is dragged back into the fray.
The writing has improved since book 1 but the author seems unable to write a trilogy and I am unsure as to what he is trying to achieve with this odd collection of 4 overall books. I will read the final part which is dead Stars Part 2 (for some odd reason - did the author run out of titles?) but I am heartily annoyed with it all now.
October 27, 2014
Fantastic. The best of this compelling series so far.
Set about fifteen years after the last book. A mysterious girl has appeared, and she is targeting Written all across the land, once they encounter her they don't get far. Why is this happening?
Meanwhile Farden has become surly, complacent and sold his soul to the man. However when a real threat comes along can be be convinced to help? Or is he too wrapped up in his own problems?
The characters in this are so two sided, no one is inherently good or inherently evil. The duality of man is explored hugely in this.
Unputdownable. A cracking installment of this fab series, including a huge look into the long history of the fantasy world of Emaneska.
Set about fifteen years after the last book. A mysterious girl has appeared, and she is targeting Written all across the land, once they encounter her they don't get far. Why is this happening?
Meanwhile Farden has become surly, complacent and sold his soul to the man. However when a real threat comes along can be be convinced to help? Or is he too wrapped up in his own problems?
The characters in this are so two sided, no one is inherently good or inherently evil. The duality of man is explored hugely in this.
Unputdownable. A cracking installment of this fab series, including a huge look into the long history of the fantasy world of Emaneska.
April 15, 2016
I discovered Ben Galley and his work around a year or so ago and was immediately impressed. I started the "Emaneska" series, but (for reasons unknown) I took a massive break before starting on "Dead Stars".
Galley's writing has always been good, but "Dead Stars - Part One" is on another level. I love Farden's development throughout this novel; he is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite characters. I also really enjoyed reading the parts about Samara and I'm interested to see where Galley takes her character in Part 2.
The final two scenes set things up beautifully for the next book and I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into it!
Galley's writing has always been good, but "Dead Stars - Part One" is on another level. I love Farden's development throughout this novel; he is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite characters. I also really enjoyed reading the parts about Samara and I'm interested to see where Galley takes her character in Part 2.
The final two scenes set things up beautifully for the next book and I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into it!
February 6, 2014
Like the others in this series, this book build and builds! There is such a depth to this series and here what I really loved was the change in prose throughout between the characters and the gods. IN many ways this is a journey book and set up to the final battle but this doesn't in any way mean its not a great read. The cover is fantastic as always and makes me glad that I picked this series up when I did.
August 7, 2016
I feel as though this book lost its way, the narrative was quite dry and lacklustre and I felt that farden lost a lot of what made him such a vulgar yet charming character, and in the wake of losing that character I found that I just did not care enough for his new persona or that of others in the book to finish it. I got through almost all of this book but near to the end I had had enough. It was a bit of a disappointment for me after this series seemed to start off so well.
June 25, 2013
I just finished reading the book, and I have to say it was terrific. Ben Galley has put a wonderfully epic story together. I am looking forward to reading book 2, feeling like I shouldn't rush to the end.
May 29, 2013
Loved it! Great 3rd book in the Emaneska series. If you enjoyed The Written and Pale Kings, this book needs to be read. It will be released on May 31st along with Dead Stars Part 2! I couldn't stop reading the last half of Part 1, so I definitely can't wait to see how the series ends!
June 18, 2013
Great continuation of the Emaneska series.
May 7, 2023
5/5 what a ride this book was! Definitely one of my favourite self pub series and I'm so glad I invested in the special edition of the written because I will cherish this series forever
January 7, 2023
Book Review - Dead Stars Part 1
Two down two to go!!!
I’ve loved the first two instalment in the Emaneska series by Ben Galley.
Based on how Pale Kings ended I was really interested to see where Ben would take this story.
What happened to Farden, has he found his daughter, is the world safe and in harmony?
Plenty of questions to hopefully have answered.
Dead Stars start a few years I’m the future post the ending of Pale Kings, things are not as they once were, The Written are a dying breed. Not respected and someone is hunting them.
When we return to Farden we find him a shell of the man we previously knew.
A drug addict assassin, with no plans on life, happy to just get his blood money for his next fix.
It was such a shame to see Farden in this sorry state, but based on the end of Pale Kings, this wasn’t really that surprising.
I have real mixed feeling about this book. Don’t get me wrong it’s not bad and still has all the great magic, creatures from the first two books.
It’s just this book felt out of sync from the first two book, in fact it felt like I was starting a completely new series with the same characters, not the 3rd in a 4 book series.
If I was to view this book as an entry into a new series I would say it was very good, but as it’s meant to be a continuation of a series, it was quite confusing.
However, the final few chapters were a great set up for the final book in the series. I’m really interested to see were Ben takes the story from here.
As with the previous two book we still get Ben’s seamless writing style, I just love how he makes reading his books feel effortless and not a slog.
In this book we also get a number of chapters from different perspective, Korrin.
The chapters for Korrin were set some 1500 year in the past.
At first I thought these chapter were put in as a palette cleanse but and you get further into them you see how they connect to the main story, which was a nice touch.
My final rating from this book was really hard to lock down. In the end I settle on 7 but this book could’ve be anything from 6 to 8 out of 10.
Rating 7/10 ⭐️
Two down two to go!!!
I’ve loved the first two instalment in the Emaneska series by Ben Galley.
Based on how Pale Kings ended I was really interested to see where Ben would take this story.
What happened to Farden, has he found his daughter, is the world safe and in harmony?
Plenty of questions to hopefully have answered.
Dead Stars start a few years I’m the future post the ending of Pale Kings, things are not as they once were, The Written are a dying breed. Not respected and someone is hunting them.
When we return to Farden we find him a shell of the man we previously knew.
A drug addict assassin, with no plans on life, happy to just get his blood money for his next fix.
It was such a shame to see Farden in this sorry state, but based on the end of Pale Kings, this wasn’t really that surprising.
I have real mixed feeling about this book. Don’t get me wrong it’s not bad and still has all the great magic, creatures from the first two books.
It’s just this book felt out of sync from the first two book, in fact it felt like I was starting a completely new series with the same characters, not the 3rd in a 4 book series.
If I was to view this book as an entry into a new series I would say it was very good, but as it’s meant to be a continuation of a series, it was quite confusing.
However, the final few chapters were a great set up for the final book in the series. I’m really interested to see were Ben takes the story from here.
As with the previous two book we still get Ben’s seamless writing style, I just love how he makes reading his books feel effortless and not a slog.
In this book we also get a number of chapters from different perspective, Korrin.
The chapters for Korrin were set some 1500 year in the past.
At first I thought these chapter were put in as a palette cleanse but and you get further into them you see how they connect to the main story, which was a nice touch.
My final rating from this book was really hard to lock down. In the end I settle on 7 but this book could’ve be anything from 6 to 8 out of 10.
Rating 7/10 ⭐️
February 21, 2018
After reading the first two parts a few months ago, I was eager to read parts three and four, which were bought for me as a gift. The story begins fifteen years after Pale Kings left off, with Durnus and Tyrfing trying to rebuild Krauslung, a difficult task after the debacle which it had suffered. It seems that Magick is being found in places where it never was before and there is a murderous young girl ( the illicit daughter of Farden) slaying ‘Written’ indiscriminately. A group of three young Gods appear to help them in their plight. Meanwhile most of the first half of the book is spent with Farden who has descended into a dim, dark and lowly existence of a hired assassin while also being hooked on the so powerful drug Nevermar. Deep in the depths of death he is miraculously saved and brought back to Krauslung and so begins his climb back to near normality, but is not, and probably never will be, the person he was before. He is surly, angry, bad tempered and still fighting with his own demons.
With the murderous young Samara, rebellious townsfolk and the callup of three mighty deamons, there is a big build up to an almighty ending which leaves us craving for the next instalment of the final part of this great Emaneska series. One thing that disappointed me was that there is no mention or part played by Farfallen and the Sirens who were memorable and very likeable characters from parts one and two. I hope that they turn up in the final episode. This is the sole reason why I marked it down to four.
With the murderous young Samara, rebellious townsfolk and the callup of three mighty deamons, there is a big build up to an almighty ending which leaves us craving for the next instalment of the final part of this great Emaneska series. One thing that disappointed me was that there is no mention or part played by Farfallen and the Sirens who were memorable and very likeable characters from parts one and two. I hope that they turn up in the final episode. This is the sole reason why I marked it down to four.
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