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Legends of the Duskwalker #2
Morningside Fall
The lone gunman Three is gone, and Wren is the new governor of the devastated settlement of Morningside, but there is turmoil in the city. When his life is put in danger, Wren is forced to flee Morningside until he and his retinue can determine who can be trusted.
They arrive at the border outpost, Ninestory, only to find it has been infested with Weir in greater numbers than anyone has ever seen. These lost, dangerous creatures are harbouring a terrible secret – one that will have consequences not just for Wren and his comrades, but for the future of what remains of the world.
They arrive at the border outpost, Ninestory, only to find it has been infested with Weir in greater numbers than anyone has ever seen. These lost, dangerous creatures are harbouring a terrible secret – one that will have consequences not just for Wren and his comrades, but for the future of what remains of the world.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
68 people are currently reading
1157 people want to read
About the author
Jay Posey
16 books347 followersJay Posey is a professional typist with a face for radio and a voice for print. He’s the author of the Legends of the Duskwalker trilogy (novels, THREE, MORNINGSIDE FALL, and DAWNBREAKER), and the military science-fiction novel OUTRIDERS, all published by Angry Robot Books.
He's also Expert Narrative Designer at Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment, where he has spent over a decade contributing as a writer and game designer to top franchises like Tom Clancy’s award-winning Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six, as well as several top secret projects he's not allowed to talk about.
He blogs occasionally at jayposey.com and spends more time than he probably should hanging around Twitter as @HiJayPosey.
He's also Expert Narrative Designer at Ubisoft/Red Storm Entertainment, where he has spent over a decade contributing as a writer and game designer to top franchises like Tom Clancy’s award-winning Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six, as well as several top secret projects he's not allowed to talk about.
He blogs occasionally at jayposey.com and spends more time than he probably should hanging around Twitter as @HiJayPosey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
February 24, 2014
Wren's term as Governor of Morningside is short-lived when it becomes apparent he's been targeted by people within the Council. With his mother and a group of trusted allies, he flees the city. But who is working against him and why are the Weir massing in greater numbers?
I got this from Angry Robot via Netgalley.
The Weir threat escalates in the second entry in the Duskwalker series. Wren is struggling to grow into his role as boy governor of Morningside and the influx of people into Morningside, both the dwellers outside the walls and the Awakened, the former Weir, are making the rest of the population uneasy. Sound pretty good? Well...
Okay, here's the deal. I loved Three, the first book in this series. However, I didn't love this book. I felt like it very much suffers from "Second book in the Trilogy" syndrome. There's a lot of setup toward bigger things down the road but mostly there's a lot of running through the wastelands shooting at Weir. There is no new character to take Three's lead role so we get a lot of interchangeable warrior types acting as Wren's bodyguards and with no lynchpin character driving things forward, my attention waned quite a bit. If it weren't for the last 20% of the book, I probably would have given it a 2.
The last 20% made up for a lot of my distaste for the rest of the book. A lot of stuff happens. Wren figures out how to stop the Weir, the mastermind is revealed, and a battle of monstrous proportions happens. The revelation of who the blindfolded man was was very satisfying. The third book is going to be an asskicker of Muhammed Ali proportions.
Morningside Fall is worth a read but I don't think it holds up very well when compared to Three. I do plan on sticking with the series, though. Three out of five stars.
I got this from Angry Robot via Netgalley.
The Weir threat escalates in the second entry in the Duskwalker series. Wren is struggling to grow into his role as boy governor of Morningside and the influx of people into Morningside, both the dwellers outside the walls and the Awakened, the former Weir, are making the rest of the population uneasy. Sound pretty good? Well...
Okay, here's the deal. I loved Three, the first book in this series. However, I didn't love this book. I felt like it very much suffers from "Second book in the Trilogy" syndrome. There's a lot of setup toward bigger things down the road but mostly there's a lot of running through the wastelands shooting at Weir. There is no new character to take Three's lead role so we get a lot of interchangeable warrior types acting as Wren's bodyguards and with no lynchpin character driving things forward, my attention waned quite a bit. If it weren't for the last 20% of the book, I probably would have given it a 2.
The last 20% made up for a lot of my distaste for the rest of the book. A lot of stuff happens. Wren figures out how to stop the Weir, the mastermind is revealed, and a battle of monstrous proportions happens. The revelation of who the blindfolded man was was very satisfying. The third book is going to be an asskicker of Muhammed Ali proportions.
Morningside Fall is worth a read but I don't think it holds up very well when compared to Three. I do plan on sticking with the series, though. Three out of five stars.
May 8, 2016
While far too many readers were expecting a second helping of the incredible first book of the Dustwalker series, Three, Jay Posey wrote Morningside Fall, and in doing so, greatly expanded the depth of the saga which hopefully never stops. I loved Jay's use of the spec ops team and the gratifying revelations of the book's saga plot expansion reminded me in many ways of one of the best movies ever made, The Empire Strikes back, in the classic operatic psychological second act fall, no pun intended. I refuse to give any spoilers away, and am as eager as any for the third book. Thanks again, Jay! Post-apocalyptic stories will never be the same.
February 8, 2021
A pretty fantastic second book in the series although one thing nagged at me the whole time. I loved the continuation of the story and the action was tense as hell but the eight year old kid from book one seemed to age, even though this picks up right after the events of book one, twenty years and everyone around him also seemed to treat him as such. He was the Governor of the town, he was part of the city council, made adult decisions, talked liked Socrates and shit and I kept thinking of my eight year old nephew and was oh hell no. I don't know, maybe it's me but that totally kicked me out of the flow of things a couple of times. As the book progressed he acted more like his age but in the beginning some of the stuff with him was pushing the boundaries of toeing the line of stuffing envelopes with my suspension of disbelief.
Besides that the book is great. There's an action scene in the middle with the crew navigating a city, going building to building, clearing everything as they go and it is among the most tense and claustrophobic scenes I have ever read. Like sweat dripping, looking around frantically every few seconds, tilting the coffee cup upside-down for those last few drops intense. I read Posey writes for video games and I can totally see that. The "being there" "living this" feelings and sensations were very strong during those parts, kudos to that.
Everything sort of circles back around to people and places from book one but hardly anything is the same. This book has more action and a faster pace than book one however it is missing a lot of the person to person stuff and character interactions, those things are still there but in smaller doses.
Solid book two and cool enough a story to motivate me to go right into book three.
Besides that the book is great. There's an action scene in the middle with the crew navigating a city, going building to building, clearing everything as they go and it is among the most tense and claustrophobic scenes I have ever read. Like sweat dripping, looking around frantically every few seconds, tilting the coffee cup upside-down for those last few drops intense. I read Posey writes for video games and I can totally see that. The "being there" "living this" feelings and sensations were very strong during those parts, kudos to that.
Everything sort of circles back around to people and places from book one but hardly anything is the same. This book has more action and a faster pace than book one however it is missing a lot of the person to person stuff and character interactions, those things are still there but in smaller doses.
Solid book two and cool enough a story to motivate me to go right into book three.
April 20, 2015
It’s getting hard to find science fiction books that aren’t dystopian. Because of that, they’re all starting to blend together. This book series manages to stand out by showing a world in the aftermath of a combined robot/zombie apocalypse.
I was excited to get an ARC off NetGalley and from the good people at Angry Robot. I really enjoyed Three, the first book in the Legends of the Duskwalker series. I loved the futuristic biotech, the fast paced story, and the special-forces like action. The story manages to stay high action by giving the bare minimum of back story.
Autor, Jay Posey, brings all that back in Morningside Fall. But instead of being as engaging as the first book, this one was exceptionally average. What went wrong?
The last book is named Three, after one of the main characters. He was a mysterious action hero and a dynamic character. He starts out as a bounty hunter that cares for no one. For reasons he doesn’t fully understand, he risks his life to save a couple of strangers, Cass and Wren. He’s a strong character, mysterious, and full of human contradiction. He’s the main reason I liked the book. But he dies in the end of the first book.
A story is only as strong as their characters. Morningside Fall doesn’t measure up to Three because of the lack of a strong character to replace Three. Or because of too many Three-like characters.
Cass and Wren have one goal, self-preservation. While that’s a strong goal for dealing with external conflict, it doesn’t do much for internal character drama. Their only purpose is being damsels in distress. While they are given some extra motivations in the Morningside Fall, it’s not enough to make up for the loss of Three.
A team of guards try to fill that hole. They’re fun to read about. They’re all highly trained special-ops types. They become Cass and Wren’s sworn protectors after Wren becomes governor of Morningside. But that’s all we know about them. There’s no character drama. Because there’s so many of them, we don’t get to know any of the individual team members enough to really care about them.
They’re like chess pieces. We learn enough about each one to see how they move and how they’re different from each other, but not enough to care about any of them as people. What’s at stake for them? Why’d they take the job? What does failure mean to them personally? I don’t know.
Another big issue is the lack of a clear villain. The beginning of the book is all politics. It’s Cass, Wren, and a political council. Some of the council members are kind of bad, but they’re no villains. The Weir make great bad guys, and they’ve grown as a threat since the last book, but they’re not a major issue until later in the book.
Morningside Fall has potential, but without strong characters to anchor the story, character drama gets lost in the large scope of the story. Cass and Wren aren’t strong enough characters to fill the hero role, at least not until the end of the book. The team of guards could have filled the role, but there are too many of them. None of team members are developed enough to stand out from the crowd. Same goes for the villain role. Throughout the book, pretty much everyone is a villain. We don’t have a solid villain until near the end.
Because of this, I feel like the story didn’t really get started until two-thirds of the way through. This book reads like an introduction for the next book. That said, the book ends with a solid hero and a solid villain in place. So I have high hopes for the next book.
I was excited to get an ARC off NetGalley and from the good people at Angry Robot. I really enjoyed Three, the first book in the Legends of the Duskwalker series. I loved the futuristic biotech, the fast paced story, and the special-forces like action. The story manages to stay high action by giving the bare minimum of back story.
Autor, Jay Posey, brings all that back in Morningside Fall. But instead of being as engaging as the first book, this one was exceptionally average. What went wrong?
The last book is named Three, after one of the main characters. He was a mysterious action hero and a dynamic character. He starts out as a bounty hunter that cares for no one. For reasons he doesn’t fully understand, he risks his life to save a couple of strangers, Cass and Wren. He’s a strong character, mysterious, and full of human contradiction. He’s the main reason I liked the book. But he dies in the end of the first book.
A story is only as strong as their characters. Morningside Fall doesn’t measure up to Three because of the lack of a strong character to replace Three. Or because of too many Three-like characters.
Cass and Wren have one goal, self-preservation. While that’s a strong goal for dealing with external conflict, it doesn’t do much for internal character drama. Their only purpose is being damsels in distress. While they are given some extra motivations in the Morningside Fall, it’s not enough to make up for the loss of Three.
A team of guards try to fill that hole. They’re fun to read about. They’re all highly trained special-ops types. They become Cass and Wren’s sworn protectors after Wren becomes governor of Morningside. But that’s all we know about them. There’s no character drama. Because there’s so many of them, we don’t get to know any of the individual team members enough to really care about them.
They’re like chess pieces. We learn enough about each one to see how they move and how they’re different from each other, but not enough to care about any of them as people. What’s at stake for them? Why’d they take the job? What does failure mean to them personally? I don’t know.
Another big issue is the lack of a clear villain. The beginning of the book is all politics. It’s Cass, Wren, and a political council. Some of the council members are kind of bad, but they’re no villains. The Weir make great bad guys, and they’ve grown as a threat since the last book, but they’re not a major issue until later in the book.
Morningside Fall has potential, but without strong characters to anchor the story, character drama gets lost in the large scope of the story. Cass and Wren aren’t strong enough characters to fill the hero role, at least not until the end of the book. The team of guards could have filled the role, but there are too many of them. None of team members are developed enough to stand out from the crowd. Same goes for the villain role. Throughout the book, pretty much everyone is a villain. We don’t have a solid villain until near the end.
Because of this, I feel like the story didn’t really get started until two-thirds of the way through. This book reads like an introduction for the next book. That said, the book ends with a solid hero and a solid villain in place. So I have high hopes for the next book.
May 9, 2014
originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2014...
Around this time last year I read another one of my favourite debuts. Three from Jay Posey. AND WOW!! Yes it really was that good. I am still fired up by it. My god I can still slap myself when I think that Three escaped my attention, luckily I was notified by Angry Robot about the release, was send an ARC and totally lost myself in the world that Jay Posey created in Three. It had a very raw feeling and the lone gunman Three readily pulled the story forward. Three was one of those protagonists that only raised more questions and didn't answer any, however nearing the ending Three parted ways with Wren and Morningside. When Angry Robot mentioned they send out a review copy I put my tent next to the postbox, I needed this book. Badly. But the big question does remain, can Jay Posey live up to his stellar debut Three? You will find out below...
I don't know whether I should say that you should be warned when you pick up Morningside Fall, but just a note upfront: the tone of Morningside Fall is different that Three. A lot of other readers let it owe to the fact that Three if out of the picture, and they feel they lack strong characterization. Well to be honest, I find that the characterization is just as strong but since the whole point of view has been changed it just took some getting used to. Though it is a direct sequel and leave the thoughts that you want to have Three in the picture again. My advice focus on the current characters and the amazingly rich and yet again creative story that Jay Posey manages to put down.
Ok, first off, the prologue to Morningside Fall. This was really, really great, directly in the action-packed lines of what I have come to learn from it predecessor Three. It shows some of the troubles that might start to run rampant later on in the book. Jay Posey keeps a lot of things unclear but near the end of the prologue he does drop one name. That of Painter. If this is an "episode" he goes through regularly it could proof more that troublesome... With this prologue Jay Posey had put the mood just right for the continuation of Three.
After the prologue the story of Morningside Fall focuses on the young boy Wren instead of the lone gunman Three, Three left Wren behind in the settlement of Morningside at the end of book one. Wren showed that he has an amazing gift, being able to "awaken" the Weir. It's by these powers that he has been held in awe by most of the inhabitants of Morningside. However it does soon come to show that not everyone is in favor of Wren being the new governor of Morningside. The situation becomes so dire for Wren that he has to face off assassins and starts to fear for his own life and that of his mother Cass. After all the lingering threats that Wren had to fight, the council, his mother and Wren himself find that the best solution is to flee Morningside, but whether this is a temporary solution or permanent they don't know yet, but it is the safest so far. Now that Wren, his friends and his mother have left Morningside behind they find themselves yet again in the midst of the destroyed wastelands, they were relative safe behind the walls of Morningside, but out in the open, with hardly any protection, you will start to fear when the Weir start to cry out at night... They still roam the wastelands in many, many numbers... I mentioned that I loved the aspect of the Weir in Three, these are a bit like zombie creatures, only a bit though! As you soon come to learn that the Weir are changing... certain assumptions were made about them in the first book, but be sure to abandon a few a long the way, it seems that they are evolving into more powerful beings. This is what Wren and his cohorts find out when they roam the wastelands yet again and proves to be a troublesome happening. Earlier "remedies" to fight of the Weir don't seem to be that effective anymore, a new solution has to be found...
Now there is one thing that Jay Posey adds to the storyline. Have you seen the guy on the cover? When I read Three, I directly knew it had to be the character Three. In the case of Morningside Fall, you have a blindfolded man, with some wicked blades strapped to his belt. I went through several secondary characters but just couldn't place him. He does look awesome doesn't he? So who could this one be? Luckily soon after the introduction to the story of Wren there is a short change in perspective where you focus on this man, he is powerful and a one to be feared of but there isn't a mention of WHO he is... Jay Posey keeps the identity of this man obscure for a long, long time. Each time his chapters were over I was looking forward to the next, I don't know how to describe the feeling I got of of him, I think it was the mysterious vibe and he was pretty awesome with his knives though. Anyway later we luckily learn that he is an old acquaintance, but who, I won't spill either. I liked the addition of the blindfolded man to the story and later with the follow-up of the events of Wren and end of the books does again hold a lot of promise.
As for the characters of Morningside Fall, above I mentioned that the focus is on Wren and the inhabitants of Morningside and that Three is completely out of the picture. So for Wren character, not a lot of time has passed between the Three and where the story picks up in Morningside Fall. He is still a young boy. During his travels with Three you really saw him shine when he had those pads on his back, and for me it seems that he has grown tremendously by the guidance that Three gave him. For his age, Wren knows a lot, he is a clever and resourceful boy, he might have a bit of naivety in him but don't we all? However he is still faced with impossible situations, situations where he has to choose between whats will work for the good and for the bad. In the settlement of Morningside, he was a bit static but later when he ventures with his mother and friends on the wastelands he starts to develop more and more, really something that I wanted to read about. If I like back on the whole transition of Wren's character, from the start in Three down to the last page in Morningside Fall I can only but smile and say yes. Compared to Three there are much more secondary characters that make an appearance; many of the friends that Wren has made in Morningside amongst others his friend Painter (does that name ring any bells?), his mother Cass and many of the guards that come along during Wren flight from Morningside. Even though there is a strong focus on Wren's development, these side characters weren't just plain cut-outs, Jay Posey makes them all be unique and interesting, with just a few guiding sentences to introduce them and build on that for the remainder of the story, neatly nestles them into the storyline.
The ending of Morningside Fall is again one that provides a lot of speculation of the direction where the hopefully third book will go. So far in the series we have seen a lot of the destroyed wastelands and places that were, lived the high times with Wren and Three but also their low times. But with the appearance of the blindfolded man and the journey their are about to embark on, could there still be a possible light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel? I am still living on a high when it comes down to these first two books in The Legends of the Duskwalker series.
I have to say that I did expect a different kind of book for being the sequel to Three. But when I reflect on the whole story in Morningside Fall and combine this with all that has happened in Three I have to admit that I couldn't have wished for a better sequel. It has a lot of the cool idea's of the first book, but instead of being the introduction, Jay Posey further explains and builds upon these idea's. The focus isn't necessarily contained on one single person like the first book by Jay Posey broadens the whole scope of his post apocalytic story, involving many more different factors like human emotions, that can run pretty high when there is hardly anything left in the world that Jay Posey has build. Switching the focus on Wren instead of leaving it a Three might be difficult for some to accept, Wren is just as great a character as Three but on many different levels. Wren is a very smart boy but has that naivety that makes him easily relatable to, I am very eager to find out how Wren and the blindfolded man will manage in the third book. A great sequel to Three and Jay Posey clearly shows that he has one creative mind, bring on more of his stories!
Around this time last year I read another one of my favourite debuts. Three from Jay Posey. AND WOW!! Yes it really was that good. I am still fired up by it. My god I can still slap myself when I think that Three escaped my attention, luckily I was notified by Angry Robot about the release, was send an ARC and totally lost myself in the world that Jay Posey created in Three. It had a very raw feeling and the lone gunman Three readily pulled the story forward. Three was one of those protagonists that only raised more questions and didn't answer any, however nearing the ending Three parted ways with Wren and Morningside. When Angry Robot mentioned they send out a review copy I put my tent next to the postbox, I needed this book. Badly. But the big question does remain, can Jay Posey live up to his stellar debut Three? You will find out below...
I don't know whether I should say that you should be warned when you pick up Morningside Fall, but just a note upfront: the tone of Morningside Fall is different that Three. A lot of other readers let it owe to the fact that Three if out of the picture, and they feel they lack strong characterization. Well to be honest, I find that the characterization is just as strong but since the whole point of view has been changed it just took some getting used to. Though it is a direct sequel and leave the thoughts that you want to have Three in the picture again. My advice focus on the current characters and the amazingly rich and yet again creative story that Jay Posey manages to put down.
Ok, first off, the prologue to Morningside Fall. This was really, really great, directly in the action-packed lines of what I have come to learn from it predecessor Three. It shows some of the troubles that might start to run rampant later on in the book. Jay Posey keeps a lot of things unclear but near the end of the prologue he does drop one name. That of Painter. If this is an "episode" he goes through regularly it could proof more that troublesome... With this prologue Jay Posey had put the mood just right for the continuation of Three.
After the prologue the story of Morningside Fall focuses on the young boy Wren instead of the lone gunman Three, Three left Wren behind in the settlement of Morningside at the end of book one. Wren showed that he has an amazing gift, being able to "awaken" the Weir. It's by these powers that he has been held in awe by most of the inhabitants of Morningside. However it does soon come to show that not everyone is in favor of Wren being the new governor of Morningside. The situation becomes so dire for Wren that he has to face off assassins and starts to fear for his own life and that of his mother Cass. After all the lingering threats that Wren had to fight, the council, his mother and Wren himself find that the best solution is to flee Morningside, but whether this is a temporary solution or permanent they don't know yet, but it is the safest so far. Now that Wren, his friends and his mother have left Morningside behind they find themselves yet again in the midst of the destroyed wastelands, they were relative safe behind the walls of Morningside, but out in the open, with hardly any protection, you will start to fear when the Weir start to cry out at night... They still roam the wastelands in many, many numbers... I mentioned that I loved the aspect of the Weir in Three, these are a bit like zombie creatures, only a bit though! As you soon come to learn that the Weir are changing... certain assumptions were made about them in the first book, but be sure to abandon a few a long the way, it seems that they are evolving into more powerful beings. This is what Wren and his cohorts find out when they roam the wastelands yet again and proves to be a troublesome happening. Earlier "remedies" to fight of the Weir don't seem to be that effective anymore, a new solution has to be found...
Now there is one thing that Jay Posey adds to the storyline. Have you seen the guy on the cover? When I read Three, I directly knew it had to be the character Three. In the case of Morningside Fall, you have a blindfolded man, with some wicked blades strapped to his belt. I went through several secondary characters but just couldn't place him. He does look awesome doesn't he? So who could this one be? Luckily soon after the introduction to the story of Wren there is a short change in perspective where you focus on this man, he is powerful and a one to be feared of but there isn't a mention of WHO he is... Jay Posey keeps the identity of this man obscure for a long, long time. Each time his chapters were over I was looking forward to the next, I don't know how to describe the feeling I got of of him, I think it was the mysterious vibe and he was pretty awesome with his knives though. Anyway later we luckily learn that he is an old acquaintance, but who, I won't spill either. I liked the addition of the blindfolded man to the story and later with the follow-up of the events of Wren and end of the books does again hold a lot of promise.
As for the characters of Morningside Fall, above I mentioned that the focus is on Wren and the inhabitants of Morningside and that Three is completely out of the picture. So for Wren character, not a lot of time has passed between the Three and where the story picks up in Morningside Fall. He is still a young boy. During his travels with Three you really saw him shine when he had those pads on his back, and for me it seems that he has grown tremendously by the guidance that Three gave him. For his age, Wren knows a lot, he is a clever and resourceful boy, he might have a bit of naivety in him but don't we all? However he is still faced with impossible situations, situations where he has to choose between whats will work for the good and for the bad. In the settlement of Morningside, he was a bit static but later when he ventures with his mother and friends on the wastelands he starts to develop more and more, really something that I wanted to read about. If I like back on the whole transition of Wren's character, from the start in Three down to the last page in Morningside Fall I can only but smile and say yes. Compared to Three there are much more secondary characters that make an appearance; many of the friends that Wren has made in Morningside amongst others his friend Painter (does that name ring any bells?), his mother Cass and many of the guards that come along during Wren flight from Morningside. Even though there is a strong focus on Wren's development, these side characters weren't just plain cut-outs, Jay Posey makes them all be unique and interesting, with just a few guiding sentences to introduce them and build on that for the remainder of the story, neatly nestles them into the storyline.
The ending of Morningside Fall is again one that provides a lot of speculation of the direction where the hopefully third book will go. So far in the series we have seen a lot of the destroyed wastelands and places that were, lived the high times with Wren and Three but also their low times. But with the appearance of the blindfolded man and the journey their are about to embark on, could there still be a possible light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel? I am still living on a high when it comes down to these first two books in The Legends of the Duskwalker series.
I have to say that I did expect a different kind of book for being the sequel to Three. But when I reflect on the whole story in Morningside Fall and combine this with all that has happened in Three I have to admit that I couldn't have wished for a better sequel. It has a lot of the cool idea's of the first book, but instead of being the introduction, Jay Posey further explains and builds upon these idea's. The focus isn't necessarily contained on one single person like the first book by Jay Posey broadens the whole scope of his post apocalytic story, involving many more different factors like human emotions, that can run pretty high when there is hardly anything left in the world that Jay Posey has build. Switching the focus on Wren instead of leaving it a Three might be difficult for some to accept, Wren is just as great a character as Three but on many different levels. Wren is a very smart boy but has that naivety that makes him easily relatable to, I am very eager to find out how Wren and the blindfolded man will manage in the third book. A great sequel to Three and Jay Posey clearly shows that he has one creative mind, bring on more of his stories!
April 15, 2014
When judging Jay Posey's Morningside Fall, I used the tried and true "sadness gauge" to decide how much I liked the book. The standard? When I find a series I love, such as Wesley Chu's Tao, Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive or Lev Grossman's The Magicians, I tend to feel a genuine sadness when I finish a volume and I know it will be a long wait until the next one arrives (I would include G.R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, but if I was down in the dumps waiting for each installment of THAT series I think I would be on suicide watch pending the 5-6 year delay.)
I finished Morningside Fall (book #2 in The Duskwalker Cycle) late last night; it certainly passed the test. OK; I'll admit that no tears were shed, but I definitely felt as if there was much more life in the world that Posey constructed for the series. He still has my interest, for sure.
If you haven't read book one, Three then you probably should stop reading this review. Superfluous "Spoiler Alert" necessary? Fine, consider the word given.
In Three, the protagonist was clearly the bad ass bounty hunter that the book was named after. Most of the book is from his perspective and he is the guy you are rooting for. The book chronicles Three's journey to help a mother and her young child to safety. That child, Wren is revealed to be a prodigy of sorts. He is able to manipulate the networks that all the residents have hard wired into their brains in this post-apocalyptic world. He also appears to have some power over the ever present "Weir", Zombie mutant type creatures that maraud the night and ravage all they come into contact with. Wren's mother, Cass is a dystopian "helicopter mom"; understandably so as her first son (Wren's psychopathic but gifted half brother Asher) spent the entire first book hunting them in an attempt to kill them. Three is finally able to escort the group to Morningside, a walled city that appears to eke out an almost normal existence despite the hardships that are the realities of life in the world. After a final battle scene, Wren seemingly destroys Asher and Three is killed saving Cass and Wren. I would think that most readers would ask the same questions I did, namely "What now, Jay?"
Morningside Fall picks up in the aftermath of Three. Wren is now the Governor of Morningside and Cass is by his side constantly. Wren appears to be the Governor as a figurehead; his power over the Weir and the manner in which he destroyed Asher seemed to cement him as the De Facto head of the government. However, there are factions in Morningside that don't agree with Wren and a plot unfolds from an attempt of Wren's life. This is the running plot line through the novel; Wren's fight to stay alive and do all he can for the citizens of Morningside despite his treatment by some and prejudices against "The Awakened", Weir that Wren was able to bring back from the ether and give back a semblance of their lives. Cass, seemingly killed at the end of Three is also an Awakened.
The second book is no less fast moving than the first; but it is different. The physical confrontations handled so capably by Three are no more; instead Wren is escorted and protected by the Governor's Guard. The Guard is an elite team of tactical operators tasked with protecting Wren and Cass; Posey clearly has done ample research in the field of tactical operations (likely due to his work on the Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six video game franchises) as his operator's talk the talk and walk the walk. The scenes involving the Guard are detailed and eminently believable. He is an author that loves the details; he could write a book on a group moving through a city if he wanted to, and it would fascinate me thanks to his detailed descriptions and authentic action sequences.
Throw in a mysterious "blindfolded man", a ton of Weir fights and an underlying mystery and I was sold immediately. Posey manages to kill off his main character and yet still soldier on down the road with the series. Fans of Three will definitely want to read Morningside Fall. If you disregarded my advice at the beginning of this review and hung in despite missing the first volume, go get it NOW.
4 Stars (I had to dock him one star. Why? He killed Three! The guy was a legit badass!) Does he do lunch with G.R.R. Martin or something? Can we expect a Nedd Stark / Three ghost team up novel? Seriously, who does that??
I finished Morningside Fall (book #2 in The Duskwalker Cycle) late last night; it certainly passed the test. OK; I'll admit that no tears were shed, but I definitely felt as if there was much more life in the world that Posey constructed for the series. He still has my interest, for sure.
If you haven't read book one, Three then you probably should stop reading this review. Superfluous "Spoiler Alert" necessary? Fine, consider the word given.
In Three, the protagonist was clearly the bad ass bounty hunter that the book was named after. Most of the book is from his perspective and he is the guy you are rooting for. The book chronicles Three's journey to help a mother and her young child to safety. That child, Wren is revealed to be a prodigy of sorts. He is able to manipulate the networks that all the residents have hard wired into their brains in this post-apocalyptic world. He also appears to have some power over the ever present "Weir", Zombie mutant type creatures that maraud the night and ravage all they come into contact with. Wren's mother, Cass is a dystopian "helicopter mom"; understandably so as her first son (Wren's psychopathic but gifted half brother Asher) spent the entire first book hunting them in an attempt to kill them. Three is finally able to escort the group to Morningside, a walled city that appears to eke out an almost normal existence despite the hardships that are the realities of life in the world. After a final battle scene, Wren seemingly destroys Asher and Three is killed saving Cass and Wren. I would think that most readers would ask the same questions I did, namely "What now, Jay?"
Morningside Fall picks up in the aftermath of Three. Wren is now the Governor of Morningside and Cass is by his side constantly. Wren appears to be the Governor as a figurehead; his power over the Weir and the manner in which he destroyed Asher seemed to cement him as the De Facto head of the government. However, there are factions in Morningside that don't agree with Wren and a plot unfolds from an attempt of Wren's life. This is the running plot line through the novel; Wren's fight to stay alive and do all he can for the citizens of Morningside despite his treatment by some and prejudices against "The Awakened", Weir that Wren was able to bring back from the ether and give back a semblance of their lives. Cass, seemingly killed at the end of Three is also an Awakened.
The second book is no less fast moving than the first; but it is different. The physical confrontations handled so capably by Three are no more; instead Wren is escorted and protected by the Governor's Guard. The Guard is an elite team of tactical operators tasked with protecting Wren and Cass; Posey clearly has done ample research in the field of tactical operations (likely due to his work on the Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six video game franchises) as his operator's talk the talk and walk the walk. The scenes involving the Guard are detailed and eminently believable. He is an author that loves the details; he could write a book on a group moving through a city if he wanted to, and it would fascinate me thanks to his detailed descriptions and authentic action sequences.
Throw in a mysterious "blindfolded man", a ton of Weir fights and an underlying mystery and I was sold immediately. Posey manages to kill off his main character and yet still soldier on down the road with the series. Fans of Three will definitely want to read Morningside Fall. If you disregarded my advice at the beginning of this review and hung in despite missing the first volume, go get it NOW.
4 Stars (I had to dock him one star. Why? He killed Three! The guy was a legit badass!) Does he do lunch with G.R.R. Martin or something? Can we expect a Nedd Stark / Three ghost team up novel? Seriously, who does that??
March 28, 2015
4.5 stars
In a post Three world, young Wren is now the governor of Morningside after the death of his father, Underdown. His mother, Cass, acts as his advisor, protector and companion. Although Wren has special abilities, and is sometimes able to ‘awaken’ Weir, including Cass and his friend Painter, he’s not equipped to deal with Morningside’s politics. It becomes clear not everyone in the Council is in favour of Wren’s governorship and his life is in danger. Following a failed murder attempt the situation escalates and Cass, Painter and Wren are forced to escape the city, along with Wren’s team of elite bodyguards, even though it means travelling the bleak wastelands between refuges and leaving themselves open to attacks by Weir.
Reaching the outpost Ninestory, they encounter Weir in huge numbers. An enormity never before witnessed. Posing an even deadlier threat, appearing quite different and much more menacing, their presence places everyone in jeopardy. More so than is apparent initially. The little group battle against impossible odds, with help from an unexpected quarter.
After the surprising and shock ending of the first book I did wonder how the second would fare without the compelling and mysterious central character that was Three. The pace is slightly slower to begin with and there’s no main focus on one particular hero. The writing however, along with the post apocalyptic world and Weir are just as compelling.
Wren is central to the story, a child who in some ways is older than his years, but nevertheless acts mainly as a boy of his age would. He has benefitted from all he learned from Three and his character does develop quite a lot towards the end of the book. The secondary characters, most especially Wren’s contingent of elite bodyguards, helped in some way to fill the void left by Three. Those passages featuring Gamble, Sky, Swoop and Wick are terrific, their interactions, dialogue and personalities, even though there’s no back story as such for them, are interesting and distinctive.
The story opens with a short but excellent prologue. Painter is quite a tragic character who invites sympathy but his personality takes a very unexpected turn towards the end, when he decides to leave and strike out on his own. The mysterious Blindfold Man of the cover image (who I initially thought was a grown up Wren) is intriguing and very powerful, not someone to be taken lightly. He appears at the beginning of the story and then again more substantially in the last few chapters. His identity is left unknown for the longest time and is a surprise when revealed. For me, the story didn’t have quite the same impact as Three, but having said that, I did enjoy it a lot and look forward to the third book, which actually could go in any direction given the ending. I’m enjoying Jay Posey’s writing style and Luke Daniels’ performance, as always, is just so good and brings out the atmosphere and emotion of the story, as well as giving the characters distinct voices and personalities.
In a post Three world, young Wren is now the governor of Morningside after the death of his father, Underdown. His mother, Cass, acts as his advisor, protector and companion. Although Wren has special abilities, and is sometimes able to ‘awaken’ Weir, including Cass and his friend Painter, he’s not equipped to deal with Morningside’s politics. It becomes clear not everyone in the Council is in favour of Wren’s governorship and his life is in danger. Following a failed murder attempt the situation escalates and Cass, Painter and Wren are forced to escape the city, along with Wren’s team of elite bodyguards, even though it means travelling the bleak wastelands between refuges and leaving themselves open to attacks by Weir.
Reaching the outpost Ninestory, they encounter Weir in huge numbers. An enormity never before witnessed. Posing an even deadlier threat, appearing quite different and much more menacing, their presence places everyone in jeopardy. More so than is apparent initially. The little group battle against impossible odds, with help from an unexpected quarter.
After the surprising and shock ending of the first book I did wonder how the second would fare without the compelling and mysterious central character that was Three. The pace is slightly slower to begin with and there’s no main focus on one particular hero. The writing however, along with the post apocalyptic world and Weir are just as compelling.
Wren is central to the story, a child who in some ways is older than his years, but nevertheless acts mainly as a boy of his age would. He has benefitted from all he learned from Three and his character does develop quite a lot towards the end of the book. The secondary characters, most especially Wren’s contingent of elite bodyguards, helped in some way to fill the void left by Three. Those passages featuring Gamble, Sky, Swoop and Wick are terrific, their interactions, dialogue and personalities, even though there’s no back story as such for them, are interesting and distinctive.
The story opens with a short but excellent prologue. Painter is quite a tragic character who invites sympathy but his personality takes a very unexpected turn towards the end, when he decides to leave and strike out on his own. The mysterious Blindfold Man of the cover image (who I initially thought was a grown up Wren) is intriguing and very powerful, not someone to be taken lightly. He appears at the beginning of the story and then again more substantially in the last few chapters. His identity is left unknown for the longest time and is a surprise when revealed. For me, the story didn’t have quite the same impact as Three, but having said that, I did enjoy it a lot and look forward to the third book, which actually could go in any direction given the ending. I’m enjoying Jay Posey’s writing style and Luke Daniels’ performance, as always, is just so good and brings out the atmosphere and emotion of the story, as well as giving the characters distinct voices and personalities.
February 19, 2014
I reread my review from Three, and I felt this book hit all the same notes. Fast-paced, very little exposition about the world, good characters that have unique points of view from each other, interesting setting and tech. Ironically, the new hot trend he adopted this book was what happens when a zombie comes back to human, which I've recently seen 3-4 books and a couple tv shows with similar themes.
Pretty much if you liked the pacing, action, and characters in Three, you're going to like this one too. I miss Three, but I like the new characters they introduced. I feel the internal monologues get a bit redundant (Cass in particular felt more one note to me), I wish there was a bit more nuance between the good characters are super good and evil characters are super evil, and I think the book could have gone further into what Cass and Painter are.
But in general very entertaining, holds up the strengths of the first book. Again leaves the door open for future books and I will enjoy snatching up the next one.
Note: I received a free copy from the publisher, thanks AR!
Pretty much if you liked the pacing, action, and characters in Three, you're going to like this one too. I miss Three, but I like the new characters they introduced. I feel the internal monologues get a bit redundant (Cass in particular felt more one note to me), I wish there was a bit more nuance between the good characters are super good and evil characters are super evil, and I think the book could have gone further into what Cass and Painter are.
But in general very entertaining, holds up the strengths of the first book. Again leaves the door open for future books and I will enjoy snatching up the next one.
Note: I received a free copy from the publisher, thanks AR!
March 7, 2014
This is actually a 3 and a half, but I am rounding up due to my love for the first of this series.
I really like this world and I like where the story goes, it mainly in my opinion suffers from being the middle book a bit. You know how it goes, series starts with a bang, then the middle part comes along, fills in the holes from the start, then hopefully the finish gives you what you need.
I dug it, I am offically a fan, and look forward to the next in the series, Do yourself a solid, go get both books if you haven't read Three already and read them back to back, You will come back and thank me, probably.
I really like this world and I like where the story goes, it mainly in my opinion suffers from being the middle book a bit. You know how it goes, series starts with a bang, then the middle part comes along, fills in the holes from the start, then hopefully the finish gives you what you need.
I dug it, I am offically a fan, and look forward to the next in the series, Do yourself a solid, go get both books if you haven't read Three already and read them back to back, You will come back and thank me, probably.
April 20, 2021
This sequel was a storm of political intrigue, action, and heart. I am super pleased with how much I am enjoying this series so far. Especially with how Jay Posey is executing the story and characters. I think his world building could still use a bit of work but other then that very impressed.
Morningside Fall picks up a year after the events of Three and it plunges the reader straight into the action. Wren is the head of the story this time. Our eight year old has taken on a new role as Governor of Morningside. We are introduced to a slew of new characters like Swoop, Painter, Aron, North, Vye, and Blindfold. We do get to to see some old faces as well. Wren is dealing with a lot especially for an eight year old in this sequel. He is a governor, he is still trying to understand his powers, and he is still being hunted. All this boils down to who does an eight year old trust. Jay Posey does this very well. I think Jay tackles this very well. He never makes it unbelievable. In Three, I had some connection issues when it came to the characters but Morningside Fall had characters I was rooting for right away. Some highlights for me are definitely Swoop, Blindfold, and Painter.
Now let's talk plot, Morningside Fall is an adrenaline Rollercoaster from beginning to end. I enjoyed the story so much, the action was incredible, the political aspects were handled very delicately, and we had stakes. I would go into details but this is a sequel and I am not one for spoilers. Three left off with a really big cliffhanger and I can't even discuss that because a lot of what happens in Morningside is because of those events.
This sci-fi story is taking me for a shocking ride and I am here for it. I kind of went in with no expectations and that was the right call. I would like to recommend this series to people because it and Jay Posey are highly underrated.
Morningside Fall picks up a year after the events of Three and it plunges the reader straight into the action. Wren is the head of the story this time. Our eight year old has taken on a new role as Governor of Morningside. We are introduced to a slew of new characters like Swoop, Painter, Aron, North, Vye, and Blindfold. We do get to to see some old faces as well. Wren is dealing with a lot especially for an eight year old in this sequel. He is a governor, he is still trying to understand his powers, and he is still being hunted. All this boils down to who does an eight year old trust. Jay Posey does this very well. I think Jay tackles this very well. He never makes it unbelievable. In Three, I had some connection issues when it came to the characters but Morningside Fall had characters I was rooting for right away. Some highlights for me are definitely Swoop, Blindfold, and Painter.
Now let's talk plot, Morningside Fall is an adrenaline Rollercoaster from beginning to end. I enjoyed the story so much, the action was incredible, the political aspects were handled very delicately, and we had stakes. I would go into details but this is a sequel and I am not one for spoilers. Three left off with a really big cliffhanger and I can't even discuss that because a lot of what happens in Morningside is because of those events.
This sci-fi story is taking me for a shocking ride and I am here for it. I kind of went in with no expectations and that was the right call. I would like to recommend this series to people because it and Jay Posey are highly underrated.
January 10, 2016
Morningside Fall: Legends of the Duskwalker 3.5 Stars
• Written by: Jay Posey
• Narrated by: Luke Daniels
• Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
• Series: Legends of the Duskwalker, Book 2
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release Date:02-24-15
• Publisher: Audible Studios
• Reviewed for Audiobook Reviewer
I am OCD about reading books in order….so I picked up
to listen to first before starting this Morningside Fall, and I’m still reeling a bit from it, Three was an awesome listen……This second installment….not sure if it because I started it right after the first book and the loss of Three is still so fresh in my mind…but story wise this book was just not as good as the first one. While I really liked Wren in the first book, in this one he was just okay….maybe it is the whole second book syndrome that so many series have……The story seemed to drag quite a bit but did pick up towards the last couple of hours. The story was not bad, just not as good as the first….the characters of Morningside Falls are really what bring this book together and keep you reading/listening…..the world building is great and we find out more about the threat of the Weir….there is not much more I can say without getting spoilery. I’m taking a short break from this so I don’t burn out and will then be jumping into the third book.
As always, Luke Daniels did an amazing job on the narration….he is one of my favorite narrators and the reason I wanted to try this series…..so narration on this is a solid 5 stars.
So go and listen….while not as great as the first book, it is still good and the narration is fabulous...
Audiobook provided by Author/Publisher via Audiobookreviewer.com for an honest review
• Written by: Jay Posey
• Narrated by: Luke Daniels
• Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
• Series: Legends of the Duskwalker, Book 2
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release Date:02-24-15
• Publisher: Audible Studios
• Reviewed for Audiobook Reviewer
I am OCD about reading books in order….so I picked up
to listen to first before starting this Morningside Fall, and I’m still reeling a bit from it, Three was an awesome listen……This second installment….not sure if it because I started it right after the first book and the loss of Three is still so fresh in my mind…but story wise this book was just not as good as the first one. While I really liked Wren in the first book, in this one he was just okay….maybe it is the whole second book syndrome that so many series have……The story seemed to drag quite a bit but did pick up towards the last couple of hours. The story was not bad, just not as good as the first….the characters of Morningside Falls are really what bring this book together and keep you reading/listening…..the world building is great and we find out more about the threat of the Weir….there is not much more I can say without getting spoilery. I’m taking a short break from this so I don’t burn out and will then be jumping into the third book.As always, Luke Daniels did an amazing job on the narration….he is one of my favorite narrators and the reason I wanted to try this series…..so narration on this is a solid 5 stars.
So go and listen….while not as great as the first book, it is still good and the narration is fabulous...
Audiobook provided by Author/Publisher via Audiobookreviewer.com for an honest review
January 12, 2015
Disappointment is an unwelcome but increasingly familiar guest. It’s shown up a lot in my life as a reader. Slight spoilers.
While the first few chapters were all right and some interesting elements were introduced, the story quickly began to feel padded. The very first time I recognized truly superfluous scene I felt my spirits sink.
Without getting too far into spoiler territory, the plot does not so much move the characters forward as tread water, then set them back to square one. Much like Danys’ story in Dance with Dragons, the characters start out in a strong position, with the chance to make something worthwhile out of the ruined world, only to see it all fall apart due to venial greed, and the tale ends with little to hope for in this world, or to fight to save, and the struggles and sacrifices of the first book come to nothing.
Other issues: the ‘awakened’ characters did not have the alien quality I would have expected, and the revelations were disappointing.
I still recommend the first book, and it can be read as a stand-alone, and I’ll be checking out the next volume, but this one is skip-able.
While the first few chapters were all right and some interesting elements were introduced, the story quickly began to feel padded. The very first time I recognized truly superfluous scene I felt my spirits sink.
Without getting too far into spoiler territory, the plot does not so much move the characters forward as tread water, then set them back to square one. Much like Danys’ story in Dance with Dragons, the characters start out in a strong position, with the chance to make something worthwhile out of the ruined world, only to see it all fall apart due to venial greed, and the tale ends with little to hope for in this world, or to fight to save, and the struggles and sacrifices of the first book come to nothing.
Other issues: the ‘awakened’ characters did not have the alien quality I would have expected, and the revelations were disappointing.
I still recommend the first book, and it can be read as a stand-alone, and I’ll be checking out the next volume, but this one is skip-able.
December 1, 2015
Three is no more and wren is the new governor of morning side but when a forgotten evil arises again is found by our hero's they will have to face them with the full frontal force they have this book is very slow after have read Three i would still recommend it to people that have read hunger games or other survival books
April 23, 2015
This was interesting.
June 4, 2018
Three is dead. Wren is now the Governor of Morningside, having watched his father be killed by Asher, and then, having removed Asher. Asher determined that the previous Governor had a trick he was using, a special machine, that he could control the Weir with, call them, and then send them away. However, Asher, with his enhanced abilities worked out that he could do other things to them as well, having greater control. And it was with this control, that he exerted his will over Cass, who had been turned into a Weir, and used her to kill Three.
It was an interesting move by Posey, as Three is bound to be a favourite character in the first book, and killing him could be a reason for a lot of people to stop reading the series. However, if you do, you are going to miss out on an utterly brilliant sequel.
The other clever part about killing Three is that it means that anybody is fair game. So often in these books, the main characters become immortal, unable to die, escaping near impossible situations, but with this series, the death of such a pivotal character signified that was not going to be the case.
There is also the concern of whether the story would be strong enough to survive without Three’s character, and again, Posey shows some incredible writing skill, by not only remembering his fallen hero, honouring him, but moving on and allowing the newly awakened Cass, Wren who has come into his new abilities, as well as the addition of Gamble and her crack unit to not so much fill the void, but to take up the mantle of where Three’s character was.
As with the first book, the writing is beautifully structured, flowing so easily that you can glide through the pages with ease, but be lost in this incredibly crafted story with such an in-depth world that it is obvious that Posey has poured hours into developing a finely crafted backdrop from which to tell his tale.
Whilst Wren has discovered the ability to awaken the Weir, bringing back the minds of those that once belonged to the body, making them almost human again, he is still only a child. As such, those around him do not see him as a leader, and they see his mother, a newly awakened Weir, as a danger.
Gamble and her team are just brilliant, the tactics, technical skill, manoeuvres that are discussed and used in this book show that Posey has done a lot of research on how a small unit of Special Forces troops operates in close combat operations. This attention to detail is what makes this book such a standout to other books of its genre, these little bits of detail that are so well done.
Wren soon learns the hard way about being Governor and Politics, and must make some difficult decisions for the future of Morningside, especially when he realises the danger that is coming.
This book is just as good as the original. I can’t say it is better, because Three was just an exceptional character, but it is getting close, especially for a sequel. There is a lot of fascinating intrigue, and things you don’t expect, all leading to what is going to be a spectacular final book. This is a must read series.
It was an interesting move by Posey, as Three is bound to be a favourite character in the first book, and killing him could be a reason for a lot of people to stop reading the series. However, if you do, you are going to miss out on an utterly brilliant sequel.
The other clever part about killing Three is that it means that anybody is fair game. So often in these books, the main characters become immortal, unable to die, escaping near impossible situations, but with this series, the death of such a pivotal character signified that was not going to be the case.
There is also the concern of whether the story would be strong enough to survive without Three’s character, and again, Posey shows some incredible writing skill, by not only remembering his fallen hero, honouring him, but moving on and allowing the newly awakened Cass, Wren who has come into his new abilities, as well as the addition of Gamble and her crack unit to not so much fill the void, but to take up the mantle of where Three’s character was.
As with the first book, the writing is beautifully structured, flowing so easily that you can glide through the pages with ease, but be lost in this incredibly crafted story with such an in-depth world that it is obvious that Posey has poured hours into developing a finely crafted backdrop from which to tell his tale.
Whilst Wren has discovered the ability to awaken the Weir, bringing back the minds of those that once belonged to the body, making them almost human again, he is still only a child. As such, those around him do not see him as a leader, and they see his mother, a newly awakened Weir, as a danger.
Gamble and her team are just brilliant, the tactics, technical skill, manoeuvres that are discussed and used in this book show that Posey has done a lot of research on how a small unit of Special Forces troops operates in close combat operations. This attention to detail is what makes this book such a standout to other books of its genre, these little bits of detail that are so well done.
Wren soon learns the hard way about being Governor and Politics, and must make some difficult decisions for the future of Morningside, especially when he realises the danger that is coming.
This book is just as good as the original. I can’t say it is better, because Three was just an exceptional character, but it is getting close, especially for a sequel. There is a lot of fascinating intrigue, and things you don’t expect, all leading to what is going to be a spectacular final book. This is a must read series.
September 3, 2022
With Morningside Fall, Jay Posey's Legends of the Dustwalker saga is beginning to remind me of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Saga. Both series started off strong, with first novels that really impressed me with their imagination and their storytelling, and which guaranteed I would keep on reading. Unfortunately [minor spolier here], the second volume in both series suffers from the absence of the protagonist who made the first book so compelling.
That absence made this a frustrating reading experience for me. The world building was taken to the next level, the threat of the Weir was far better explored, and we finally get something of a primary antagonist in the final portions of the book. In addition, the writing was just as solid as it was in the first book, contributing to an enhancement of the overall atmosphere. There really was a lot to enjoy and appreciate here, but Wren is no Three, and that's a very big 'but' indeed.
I didn't like Wren much in the first book, and I didn't come to like him any better here. He's too innocent, too precocious, and too vulnerable. I wasn't necessarily looking for him to stand up and become a hero, but I was hoping he would serve some purpose other than to be the typical kid who needs to be rescued. He just rubs me the wrong way, leaving me exasperated and anxious to move on to the next scene that doesn't center on him. As for his mother, I really liked the darkness and the edge of Cass in the first book, but at lot of that seems blunted here. Sadly, it seems as if she's just not as interesting without Three there to challenge her on a personal and intellectual level.
It's not a bad read, and the last 100 or so pages are worth sticking it out for, but it was a long, slow, difficult read getting to that point. I found myself skimming in places, and getting tired of all the walk-on auditions to replace Three as Wren's guardian. Morningside Fall definitely suffers from middle-book syndrome, adding to the issue of trying to replace a protagonist, but it ends with enough promise to make a third book a likely-to-read, if not quite a must-read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
That absence made this a frustrating reading experience for me. The world building was taken to the next level, the threat of the Weir was far better explored, and we finally get something of a primary antagonist in the final portions of the book. In addition, the writing was just as solid as it was in the first book, contributing to an enhancement of the overall atmosphere. There really was a lot to enjoy and appreciate here, but Wren is no Three, and that's a very big 'but' indeed.
I didn't like Wren much in the first book, and I didn't come to like him any better here. He's too innocent, too precocious, and too vulnerable. I wasn't necessarily looking for him to stand up and become a hero, but I was hoping he would serve some purpose other than to be the typical kid who needs to be rescued. He just rubs me the wrong way, leaving me exasperated and anxious to move on to the next scene that doesn't center on him. As for his mother, I really liked the darkness and the edge of Cass in the first book, but at lot of that seems blunted here. Sadly, it seems as if she's just not as interesting without Three there to challenge her on a personal and intellectual level.
It's not a bad read, and the last 100 or so pages are worth sticking it out for, but it was a long, slow, difficult read getting to that point. I found myself skimming in places, and getting tired of all the walk-on auditions to replace Three as Wren's guardian. Morningside Fall definitely suffers from middle-book syndrome, adding to the issue of trying to replace a protagonist, but it ends with enough promise to make a third book a likely-to-read, if not quite a must-read.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
August 23, 2017
I find it painfully frustrating that Posey introduces a horde of characters with no real explanation or back story. It's hard to become attached to characters you barely know anything about. However, I somehow managed to do just that.
The storyline, again, lacks development, though Posey's imagery is spectacular. He has a beautiful writing style that is so completely descriptive yet devoid of any real explanation. I so desperately want to know the wants, desires, and innermost thoughts of the characters, and less about the exact shade of grey that concrete wall is.
I have to admit I was much less angry at the end of book 2 than I was at book 1. The story progresses overall, but at a very slow rate. Wren thankfully cries less, and I still love to hate the ever-obnoxious Cass. There were diminutive twists and turns which kept me flipping pages long past bedtime. Overall, I enjoy the read but the story leaves much to be desired.
The storyline, again, lacks development, though Posey's imagery is spectacular. He has a beautiful writing style that is so completely descriptive yet devoid of any real explanation. I so desperately want to know the wants, desires, and innermost thoughts of the characters, and less about the exact shade of grey that concrete wall is.
I have to admit I was much less angry at the end of book 2 than I was at book 1. The story progresses overall, but at a very slow rate. Wren thankfully cries less, and I still love to hate the ever-obnoxious Cass. There were diminutive twists and turns which kept me flipping pages long past bedtime. Overall, I enjoy the read but the story leaves much to be desired.
December 13, 2017
This book was a pretty good sequel to the first (Three) but it didn’t have the same kind of atmosphere as the first. It kind of lacked what the first had, it didn’t have a clear plot or explain what was happening. Throughout the story they keep having little cutscenes to a man who where’s a blind fold who is later on completely disregarded till the last three chapters for no resone. Also this book lacks so many details that the first had not giving the characters a solid foundation. You learn what they look like by just thinking them up they have the most plain descriptions and It’s hard to tell who is talking. But it did get better as it went on but still lacked basic details and kind of jumped forward pretty fast making it hard to keep up with.
July 21, 2014
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.0 of 5
**WARNING -- POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD (FOR BOTH THIS AND THE PREVIOUS BOOK IN THE SERIES THREE**
I raved, not too long ago, about Three , the first book of the Legends of the Dustwalker series by Jay Posey and I was both excited and fearfully nervous about starting this second book. After all, Three was so good, it would be impossible to follow it up with something equally fantastic or even better, right? Right?
Well...yeah.
So Morningside Fall didn't quite live up to all that Three offered, but it was still an incredible read that had me hooked as soon as I began. You don't have to read Three first ... I think that Morningside Fall covers all that is needed to know to understand the current batch of characters, though I do think the reader might get a better grasp on why the characters act as they do if Three is read first.
A quick summation:
The child, Wren, is the Governor of Morningside. His mother, Cass, is his constant companion and advisor. A board of officials are mostly respectful to Wren, but it becomes quickly clear that Wren is nothing more than a figurehead to them, despite his having shown the potential for incredible power. But this is a book of politics, power, and war, and typically a child will come out on the short end in such a struggle. But as is usually the case, there are always those few who will serve, follow, and protect the leader no matter what is age might be.
This book takes a turn from what we had in Three, but the turn is a natural progression of the story. This will seem like a bit of a departure, but I am reminded of the movie Alien. If you are over 40, you might remember when Alien came out. It was awesome. It was like nothing else at the time. And then they came out with a sequel, Aliens. There was no way it could live up to the first movie, right? The sequel had soldiers, with massive weaponry, as opposed to the first movie's rag-tag crew and solitary heroine. So it was clearly a different movie, with a couple of the same characters and settings. And it worked. Here, we have something very similar. Instead of the small party working their way across a landscape riddled with dangers, we have some of the same characters in most of the same setting, with armed guards. And it works. Mostly.
It feels like there's a lot of set-up here. Once in the (relative) comfort of Morningside there isn't a lot of physical action. The physical action of Three (and 'the three') against the odds in the first book really moved the pace along. Here we spend more time with political backstabbing and the introduction of a few new characters. Author Posey does introduce a character, a blindfolded man, who would rival Three for pure action. After reading the first chapter with this new character I thought: 'Yes! Posey definitely knows how to write an action sequence!' I think I was holding my breath during the entire chapter! It is these scenes that keep us going, and we can sense the simmering unrest in Morningside, and this is what keeps us turning pages, waiting for climax.
We do learn just a little more about the Weir (a strange, electrified zombie) and they take on even more of a dominant role here. And, as we see with the Weir, it seems, in science fiction, you can't count anyone down, even if they die, so it isn't unrealistic to expect a few familiar faces.
I mentioned, in my review of Three, a connection to a Christian theme, and I see that continuing here, but I'll wait for the final book before remarking more on this.
My biggest issue with this second installment in the Legends of the Dustwalker series is ... (if you've been reading my reviews you can probably fill in the blank before I do!) ... that it isn't a complete book in itself. Whereas in Three you could read to the end and feel satisfied that you had a complete book, with an ending to the story, Morningside Fall ends with a big question mark. There are too many unanswered questions to feel like a satisfying conclusion to the story at hand. There is clearly another book to come. Instead of a beginning, a middle, and an end there is a beginning, a middle, and an open door. And while Posey sets up the blindfolded character tremendously, he could easily be written out of the book without disrupting the current story. I can only assume (and hope) he plays a much bigger role in volume three.
But even with these criticisms in mind, Jay Posey still writes one heck of a darn good yarn! I'm sold on this Legends of the Dustwalker series and will eagerly read the third book when it comes out. I'll also read anything Posey puts on paper. For me, the highest compliment I can think of for a writer is that I would buy his/her book in hardcover as soon as it's released. There are only four writers for whom that currently holds true for me. Now five.
Looking for a good book? Jay Posey's follow-up to Three, Morningside Fall, continues the high adventure in a dystopian world and is a fantastic read. It is a part of a series and a book that should be on your read list!
**WARNING -- POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD (FOR BOTH THIS AND THE PREVIOUS BOOK IN THE SERIES THREE**
I raved, not too long ago, about Three , the first book of the Legends of the Dustwalker series by Jay Posey and I was both excited and fearfully nervous about starting this second book. After all, Three was so good, it would be impossible to follow it up with something equally fantastic or even better, right? Right?
Well...yeah.
So Morningside Fall didn't quite live up to all that Three offered, but it was still an incredible read that had me hooked as soon as I began. You don't have to read Three first ... I think that Morningside Fall covers all that is needed to know to understand the current batch of characters, though I do think the reader might get a better grasp on why the characters act as they do if Three is read first.
A quick summation:
The child, Wren, is the Governor of Morningside. His mother, Cass, is his constant companion and advisor. A board of officials are mostly respectful to Wren, but it becomes quickly clear that Wren is nothing more than a figurehead to them, despite his having shown the potential for incredible power. But this is a book of politics, power, and war, and typically a child will come out on the short end in such a struggle. But as is usually the case, there are always those few who will serve, follow, and protect the leader no matter what is age might be.
This book takes a turn from what we had in Three, but the turn is a natural progression of the story. This will seem like a bit of a departure, but I am reminded of the movie Alien. If you are over 40, you might remember when Alien came out. It was awesome. It was like nothing else at the time. And then they came out with a sequel, Aliens. There was no way it could live up to the first movie, right? The sequel had soldiers, with massive weaponry, as opposed to the first movie's rag-tag crew and solitary heroine. So it was clearly a different movie, with a couple of the same characters and settings. And it worked. Here, we have something very similar. Instead of the small party working their way across a landscape riddled with dangers, we have some of the same characters in most of the same setting, with armed guards. And it works. Mostly.
It feels like there's a lot of set-up here. Once in the (relative) comfort of Morningside there isn't a lot of physical action. The physical action of Three (and 'the three') against the odds in the first book really moved the pace along. Here we spend more time with political backstabbing and the introduction of a few new characters. Author Posey does introduce a character, a blindfolded man, who would rival Three for pure action. After reading the first chapter with this new character I thought: 'Yes! Posey definitely knows how to write an action sequence!' I think I was holding my breath during the entire chapter! It is these scenes that keep us going, and we can sense the simmering unrest in Morningside, and this is what keeps us turning pages, waiting for climax.
We do learn just a little more about the Weir (a strange, electrified zombie) and they take on even more of a dominant role here. And, as we see with the Weir, it seems, in science fiction, you can't count anyone down, even if they die, so it isn't unrealistic to expect a few familiar faces.
I mentioned, in my review of Three, a connection to a Christian theme, and I see that continuing here, but I'll wait for the final book before remarking more on this.
My biggest issue with this second installment in the Legends of the Dustwalker series is ... (if you've been reading my reviews you can probably fill in the blank before I do!) ... that it isn't a complete book in itself. Whereas in Three you could read to the end and feel satisfied that you had a complete book, with an ending to the story, Morningside Fall ends with a big question mark. There are too many unanswered questions to feel like a satisfying conclusion to the story at hand. There is clearly another book to come. Instead of a beginning, a middle, and an end there is a beginning, a middle, and an open door. And while Posey sets up the blindfolded character tremendously, he could easily be written out of the book without disrupting the current story. I can only assume (and hope) he plays a much bigger role in volume three.
But even with these criticisms in mind, Jay Posey still writes one heck of a darn good yarn! I'm sold on this Legends of the Dustwalker series and will eagerly read the third book when it comes out. I'll also read anything Posey puts on paper. For me, the highest compliment I can think of for a writer is that I would buy his/her book in hardcover as soon as it's released. There are only four writers for whom that currently holds true for me. Now five.
Looking for a good book? Jay Posey's follow-up to Three, Morningside Fall, continues the high adventure in a dystopian world and is a fantastic read. It is a part of a series and a book that should be on your read list!
June 9, 2017
I did not expect to like this book as much as I enjoyed the first, and my reason for that is (spoiler alert if you haven't read Three!!) the main character died at the end of the first book. So I didn't see how I could possibly enjoy this one in the same way. And I was partially right; this book IS different. However, it's just as intense, just as gripping, just as incredible. Three is obviously missing from the story, but new characters are introduced who are their own special kind of complex. Definitely a worthy sequel.
November 14, 2018
I didn't like this book as well as the first one; I really had liked Three, and his absence in this book really made a difference. Wren and Cass annoyed me, she was a bit over the top smothering, and Wren seemed a bit like a weenie. Going into the book I had been thinking Wren would be older and total kickass. The mysterious blindfolded man was what kept me going. I am hoping the third book will be as good as the first book.
June 17, 2018
Action packed, lots of fighting and running and fighting. Good light reading. Reminds me of a lot of seinen manga (graphic novel).
Unfortunately, found the story itself predictable and the central protagonists at times irritatingly naive. I suppose it makes them human. Sorry mama bear and precocious child protagonist. The secondary characters (the bodyguards) were much more likeable.
Unfortunately, found the story itself predictable and the central protagonists at times irritatingly naive. I suppose it makes them human. Sorry mama bear and precocious child protagonist. The secondary characters (the bodyguards) were much more likeable.
December 2, 2017
The ending is the only thing that saved this book from a 2 star. If you’re going to read it, do yourself a favor and skip to chapter 20. The rest is useless and completely boring. A 500 page books took me longer to read than a 1500.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2018
Pacing and plot issues. A disappointment after the excellent first novel in the series Three.
February 2, 2018
A big string of actions scenes with a short story's worth of actual plot. Doesn't live up to expectations set by "Three" which was amazing.
October 6, 2019
a bit of a slow book in certain aspects but a solid book two excited to read part 3
April 24, 2020
It's all about the characters and this has them in spades. A great part 2 that makes you eager for part 3 👍
April 28, 2023
Being the middle book of a trilogy, Morningside Fall suffers from none of the second book blues. The reader will find plenty of action, memorable characters and a moving plot. Highly recommended.
June 27, 2024
Slightly better than the first book for the first few chapters then it falls apart.
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