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A Trial of Blood & Steel #3
Tracato
In this third volume of Joel Shepherd's gripping fantasy quartet, we are reunited with the fearless heroine Sasha, Errollyn and the other familiar characters from SASHA and PETRODOR.
The net is really closing in now, with the whole of Rhodia at war and the serrin - the beautiful and dangerous people from beyond the Bacosh - fighting for survival. The revolutionary politics of Tracato and the clandestine attempts by the feudalists to hold onto power are gripping and full of intrigue.
The net is really closing in now, with the whole of Rhodia at war and the serrin - the beautiful and dangerous people from beyond the Bacosh - fighting for survival. The revolutionary politics of Tracato and the clandestine attempts by the feudalists to hold onto power are gripping and full of intrigue.
514 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
62 people are currently reading
445 people want to read
About the author
Joel Shepherd
29 books776 followersJoel Shepherd is an Australian science fiction author. He moved to Perth, Western Australia with his family when he was seven, where he later studied film and television arts at Curtin University. He now lives in Adelaide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 12, 2010
The visual pictures Shepherd painted were amazing, clearly bringing to life the pain & agony of warfare and complicated factions and divisions of politics. Definitely one of the best fantasy novels I have read.
November 10, 2019
Pretty good.
October 26, 2010
Tracato is the third installment in Joel Shepherd’s excellent A Trial of Blood and Steel fantasy quartet, and not only is it the best book in the series so far, it’s also one of the best new fantasy novels I’ve read all year.
The continent of Rhodia, shared by a fractured human civilization and the non-human serrin, finally begins to inch towards full-scale war. The northern Verenthane countries, with their conflicted and somewhat reluctant goeren-yai allies, are marching south to reclaim the Saalshen Bacosh. These provinces, occupied by the serrin during the last major conflict with humanity, have been thriving thanks to the rational guidance of the serrin and the Nasi-Keth, but the zealous Verenthanes have long wanted to reclaim them, and even some humans there long to return to feudal times...
In this politically and religiously complex situation we find our equally complex heroine Sasha, the headstrong former Lenay princess whose loyalties and beliefs have been stretched to the point of breaking in the first two novels of the series. In Sasha, she learned that not all goeren-yai are perfect, and in Petrodor it became clear that even the serrin aren’t as united and angelic as they initially seemed. Now, with her Lenay countrymen marching to wage war on the serrin, her ongoing crisis of identity builds to a truly agonizing climax.
The series’ large and complex cast of side characters returns in Tracato. While most of them don’t approach Sasha’s complexity, many also experience conflicted loyalties and are forced into difficult decisions. Most notably there’s Sofy, Sasha’s younger sister, who is marching with the Lenay army to marry one of the most powerful Verenthanes and who becomes a character you can genuinely cheer for in this novel. Somehow always in Sofy’s periphery are Jaryd, the former noble and now goeren-yai soldier, and Yasmyn, her fierce handmaiden. Meanwhile in Tracato, other returning characters are Sasha’s second sister Alythia, her mentor Kessligh, and the two almost diametrically opposed serrin: her lover Errollyn and the pragmatic, uncompromising Talmad leader, Rhillian.
If you haven’t read the first two novels in A Trial of Blood and Steel, the above paragraphs probably make this series sound impossibly complex (if you have read them, they will hopefully help refresh your memory). However, Joel Shepherd has taken his time to carefully and organically build up this highly complex political and religious setting to the point where now, finally, the tension is dialed up to the maximum: the history of the various countries and religions is known, the characters are in place, and everything is inexorably converging. The result is a textbook example of how to structure a fantasy series: this novel has a few scenes of such unbearable intensity that, at one point, I was gripping the book so hard I accidentally almost ripped it in two.
With the third book in a series of such complexity, it becomes hard to include many plot details without also including spoilers, so this is intentionally vague: you’ll find romance, conflict and betrayal ratcheted up to entirely new levels. Characters’ morality and loyalty comes in so many shades of grey that black and white may seem a faint memory by the time you’re done. There are some edge-of-your-seat scenes describing warfare that are, in a word, simply awesome — especially those including the serrin light cavalry. There are a few scenes that are extremely dark, but also some that may have you cheering out loud for the characters. In a nutshell, it’s hard to imagine that readers who have been following the story so far in Sasha and Petrodor will be anything less than satisfied with Tracato — not to say chomping at the bit to get the fourth and final book in the series, Haven (tentative publication date: April 2011). Sure, there are still a few small glitches (mainly some run-on sentences and the occasional lecture-dialogue) but those are easy to forgive in such a gripping novel.
Joel Shepherd, only in his mid thirties, has already written six excellent books: the three Cassandra Kresnov science fiction novels, and now the first three installments in A Trial of Blood and Steel. Thank goodness the intrepid folks at Pyr brought this Australian author’s work to the US, because if he keeps working at the same high level of quality, he will be a writer to watch for a long time to come. For now, Tracato is simply one of the best fantasy novels of the year. Highly recommended.
(This review was also published at www.fantasyliterature.com on 10/26/2010.)
The continent of Rhodia, shared by a fractured human civilization and the non-human serrin, finally begins to inch towards full-scale war. The northern Verenthane countries, with their conflicted and somewhat reluctant goeren-yai allies, are marching south to reclaim the Saalshen Bacosh. These provinces, occupied by the serrin during the last major conflict with humanity, have been thriving thanks to the rational guidance of the serrin and the Nasi-Keth, but the zealous Verenthanes have long wanted to reclaim them, and even some humans there long to return to feudal times...
In this politically and religiously complex situation we find our equally complex heroine Sasha, the headstrong former Lenay princess whose loyalties and beliefs have been stretched to the point of breaking in the first two novels of the series. In Sasha, she learned that not all goeren-yai are perfect, and in Petrodor it became clear that even the serrin aren’t as united and angelic as they initially seemed. Now, with her Lenay countrymen marching to wage war on the serrin, her ongoing crisis of identity builds to a truly agonizing climax.
The series’ large and complex cast of side characters returns in Tracato. While most of them don’t approach Sasha’s complexity, many also experience conflicted loyalties and are forced into difficult decisions. Most notably there’s Sofy, Sasha’s younger sister, who is marching with the Lenay army to marry one of the most powerful Verenthanes and who becomes a character you can genuinely cheer for in this novel. Somehow always in Sofy’s periphery are Jaryd, the former noble and now goeren-yai soldier, and Yasmyn, her fierce handmaiden. Meanwhile in Tracato, other returning characters are Sasha’s second sister Alythia, her mentor Kessligh, and the two almost diametrically opposed serrin: her lover Errollyn and the pragmatic, uncompromising Talmad leader, Rhillian.
If you haven’t read the first two novels in A Trial of Blood and Steel, the above paragraphs probably make this series sound impossibly complex (if you have read them, they will hopefully help refresh your memory). However, Joel Shepherd has taken his time to carefully and organically build up this highly complex political and religious setting to the point where now, finally, the tension is dialed up to the maximum: the history of the various countries and religions is known, the characters are in place, and everything is inexorably converging. The result is a textbook example of how to structure a fantasy series: this novel has a few scenes of such unbearable intensity that, at one point, I was gripping the book so hard I accidentally almost ripped it in two.
With the third book in a series of such complexity, it becomes hard to include many plot details without also including spoilers, so this is intentionally vague: you’ll find romance, conflict and betrayal ratcheted up to entirely new levels. Characters’ morality and loyalty comes in so many shades of grey that black and white may seem a faint memory by the time you’re done. There are some edge-of-your-seat scenes describing warfare that are, in a word, simply awesome — especially those including the serrin light cavalry. There are a few scenes that are extremely dark, but also some that may have you cheering out loud for the characters. In a nutshell, it’s hard to imagine that readers who have been following the story so far in Sasha and Petrodor will be anything less than satisfied with Tracato — not to say chomping at the bit to get the fourth and final book in the series, Haven (tentative publication date: April 2011). Sure, there are still a few small glitches (mainly some run-on sentences and the occasional lecture-dialogue) but those are easy to forgive in such a gripping novel.
Joel Shepherd, only in his mid thirties, has already written six excellent books: the three Cassandra Kresnov science fiction novels, and now the first three installments in A Trial of Blood and Steel. Thank goodness the intrepid folks at Pyr brought this Australian author’s work to the US, because if he keeps working at the same high level of quality, he will be a writer to watch for a long time to come. For now, Tracato is simply one of the best fantasy novels of the year. Highly recommended.
(This review was also published at www.fantasyliterature.com on 10/26/2010.)
July 5, 2011
Joel Shepherd aims high in A Trial of Blood and Steel, and “Tracato” (Pyr, $16, 354 pages) is a grim third installment in a fantasy quartet that may confound the expectations of the genre. After all, “Tracato” offers little in the way of redemption or triumph as it chronicled the story of a pre-industrial world where almost-human serrin and human beings try to co-exist.
Along the way, the humans battle over religion, power, money and sex, but when they do get together, they manage to build a serious anti-serrin prejudice that appears headed for a major war. At the center of it all is Sashandra, a princess of Lenay who has renounced her royalty to become a member of the Nasi-Keth, a warrior cult. Shepherd is partial to women who can battle men on equal terms, but he is also realist enough to make Sasha a believable action heroine. When she can use her quickness and swordplay tricks, she is almost unbeatable; but when it comes to raw strength and pure speed, she cannot overcome the physical disadvantage of being a smaller human woman.
Sasha begins the book in the city of its title, which is on the verge of a possible rebellion, while her father, brothers and sister are in a large army that plans to conquer Tracato. All of this makes sense given the first two books (“Sasha” and “Petrodor,” which need to be read first), and Shepherd’s complex, realistic look at politics, war, religion and prejudice drives the narrative into unexpected areas. One of them is Sasha’s burgeoning awareness that being a warrior means being a killer, and that killing, even when justified, may not lead to happiness.
There’s certainly none of the latter in “Tracato,” but hopefully Shepherd will find a way to conclude the series on some kind of an upbeat note. It would be depressing to go through four violent, complicated books only to have it all devolve into disaster at the end.
Along the way, the humans battle over religion, power, money and sex, but when they do get together, they manage to build a serious anti-serrin prejudice that appears headed for a major war. At the center of it all is Sashandra, a princess of Lenay who has renounced her royalty to become a member of the Nasi-Keth, a warrior cult. Shepherd is partial to women who can battle men on equal terms, but he is also realist enough to make Sasha a believable action heroine. When she can use her quickness and swordplay tricks, she is almost unbeatable; but when it comes to raw strength and pure speed, she cannot overcome the physical disadvantage of being a smaller human woman.
Sasha begins the book in the city of its title, which is on the verge of a possible rebellion, while her father, brothers and sister are in a large army that plans to conquer Tracato. All of this makes sense given the first two books (“Sasha” and “Petrodor,” which need to be read first), and Shepherd’s complex, realistic look at politics, war, religion and prejudice drives the narrative into unexpected areas. One of them is Sasha’s burgeoning awareness that being a warrior means being a killer, and that killing, even when justified, may not lead to happiness.
There’s certainly none of the latter in “Tracato,” but hopefully Shepherd will find a way to conclude the series on some kind of an upbeat note. It would be depressing to go through four violent, complicated books only to have it all devolve into disaster at the end.
November 23, 2010
Containing lots of action, character growth and difficult questions for the main characters, this novel is an entertaining read. Giving the motivations of the various groups in the story a better foundation helped a lot in making the story believable and the increasing tensions between the main characters loyalties keep one wishing for more. The world building in this novel is interesting as we get to learn more about the Serrinim, the Lenays and the Larosans and their allies although many things are only hinted at.
February 19, 2016
Sasha finds herself in the middle of a French Revolution style revolution, barely escapes with her life (other major characters do not) and joins her Lenayin homeland's army to battle the disciplined armies called the Steel. A little too much torture for my taste, and even talkier about politics and religion than previous volumes---but skip those parts and it's a pretty a well told tale. The climactic fray and closing scenes are particularly fine, good enough to earn this a fourth star and make me hot to read the next episode.
August 5, 2023
A little less of the faults in the second book, but this one has a few plot-points left incompletely explored. A little strange how close each of the titles in this series is to being 5 stars, but misses for different reasons. Can't wait for the 4th though.
Re-read 8/13. Back to 4.5
Re-read 9/15.
Listened 4/22 ; 8/23.
Re-read 8/13. Back to 4.5
Re-read 9/15.
Listened 4/22 ; 8/23.
March 17, 2012
poor Sasha has more to deal with when she is introduced to her mentors teaching, her life changes for the worse, when she stands up for her sister, life could not get any more complicated or could it?
another great read, Joel has penned a wonderful story with more twists and turns he captures the raw emotions of the characters well.
another great read, Joel has penned a wonderful story with more twists and turns he captures the raw emotions of the characters well.
August 16, 2012
Joel Shepherd is a superb writer, very good action scene and sword play.
Spellbinding tales. Love Shasha and Errolyn [really remind me of Lagolas, but Joel makes him more elf like and real]. If you like elfs and kick ass female heroine, this is the books for you.
I am not too happy with the ending of book 4. Especially Jaryd.
I hope there is a book 5.
Spellbinding tales. Love Shasha and Errolyn [really remind me of Lagolas, but Joel makes him more elf like and real]. If you like elfs and kick ass female heroine, this is the books for you.
I am not too happy with the ending of book 4. Especially Jaryd.
I hope there is a book 5.
May 14, 2014
Tracato is the grim continuation of this story. I appreciated the addition of depth to Sasha's character, her idealism tempered with the reality of other's greed and power. I don't know what tragic conclusion we're running headlong into, but I want to see where the characters go.
June 6, 2011
This series just keeps getting better!
March 28, 2011
Well done fantasy that takes a realistic approach to politics in a semi-feudal world. Morally complex, well-written stuff.
September 24, 2011
Really enjoyed the whole series! One of my favorite things I've read in awhile.
February 2, 2012
O overall, this was an enjoyable installment in the series.
January 30, 2012
I loved this book! it was awesome and I hope that the author brings out more books like this!
December 3, 2012
I enjoyed this despite the fact it had been years since I read the first book. It ends so soon after the major battle that it leaves you hanging.
December 5, 2012
Am loving it so far!!
Love Joel Shepherd as an author, very clever man!
Love Joel Shepherd as an author, very clever man!
April 5, 2013
See my review of this series under book 2, Petrodor
April 29, 2020
'What would you have me do?'
'There's nothing any of us can do. Serve the path of honour: family, nation, faith. When all's said and done, it's all any of us have.'
'And what about right and wrong?'
'A luxury I once believed in.' Sasha's eyes were distant. 'A fool's dream. No more.'
Sasha has broken, and the story's all the better for it.
In Sasha, we saw civil war in Lenayin between followers of the Verenthane faith and believers in the Goeren-yai spirits. In Petrodor, we saw civil war in neighbouring Torovan between nobel Verenthane Houses and Nasi Keth serrin-sympathisers. In Tracato, we see civil war between the noble and the otherwise. But with Shepherd it's never that simple.
I'm three books into the series and the politics still confuses me. Actually Shepherd's language makes the world relatively accessible, it's just his plots which are so complicated. Yes, to some extent it can always be said to be one faction against another. However, there are always other factions trying to get in on the action and muddy the waters. In Tracato, that's Sasha and Kessligh arguing for calm, clear heads; the Nasi Keth trying to decide where their loyalties lie; the Serrin fighting for the protection of their homeland; and the Larosans and the Elissians trying to take advantage of the unstable situation.
There's new terms (the Civid Sein, or the anti-nobility, for example), new geography (we're now in Rhodaan in the Saalshen Bacosh), and new people (like Reynold Hein). It takes a while to get used to but it all adds up to a wonderfully dark tale. There's rape (there should be a trigger warning about this), torture and a lot of beheading. Ironically, it's none of these things that make it as dark as it is. It's Sasha's loss of belief: in goodness, in right, in wisdom.
The first three-quarters of the book follows the descent of Tracato into civil war. The last quarter sees Lenayin on the road to war and fighting the opening sallies of the Bacosh war. Despite her best efforts in Lenayin, in Petrodor and in Tracato, Sasha finds herself in an unwinnable situation. The Saalshen Bacosh is not the paradise she imagined it to be, and yet it is the last line of defence before Saalshen itself, home to her lover, Errollyn, and people of wisdom, knowledge and reason. Meanwhile, her homeland, Lenayin, marches to war against them, and if they lose, her family and her friends will likely die. And just after their sweet reunion, too!
'I am here because one dream lies shattered. I cannot stand to see my nation shattered as well. I have come to defend the most important thing i have left, the thing I still believe in with al my heart and soul - my people, and my family.'
Bring on the final book!
May 30, 2022
There is an almost criminal misuse of Sasha's elder sister. Being relegated to essentially eye candy for the few parts she is in. She has exactly one good plan in the entire book, and it gets torn to shreds in its conception by circumstance. Then this supposedly seasoned political player gets handedly played and arrested for treason.
Early on in the book, we meet the Steel. The formations of soldiers who protect the Saarian Bacosh. They are legendary in the universe for being undefeated. Their secret? They use artillery, not the cannon variety, the trebucht kind. They use them in the feild of battle to hurl Saaran fire at attacking armies and added with disaplined footmen and cavalry, it just wins them the day, even though we know from real life that that is not how that kind of artillery works. Shepard effectively made a two hundred year long period of time hinge on three seperate nations having armies that are both skilled and lucky enough to had effective artilery support in every single battle they fight. Even the Saaran aid is downplayed in trade of this super awesome ultra powerful artillery that should not work on a fundamental level, regardless of what kind of magic oil it fires. There's also a complete failing on the side of Sasha's smart siblings, where the never consider the option of having their crossbow allies shoot at he horse archers that ruined every attempt at taking out the artillery that is somehow both clunky and difficult to manuvere and aim that rips the opposing forces to shreeds, even when they're in small groups of fast moving horsemen.
It's honestly a massive dip in quality from the last two books.
Early on in the book, we meet the Steel. The formations of soldiers who protect the Saarian Bacosh. They are legendary in the universe for being undefeated. Their secret? They use artillery, not the cannon variety, the trebucht kind. They use them in the feild of battle to hurl Saaran fire at attacking armies and added with disaplined footmen and cavalry, it just wins them the day, even though we know from real life that that is not how that kind of artillery works. Shepard effectively made a two hundred year long period of time hinge on three seperate nations having armies that are both skilled and lucky enough to had effective artilery support in every single battle they fight. Even the Saaran aid is downplayed in trade of this super awesome ultra powerful artillery that should not work on a fundamental level, regardless of what kind of magic oil it fires. There's also a complete failing on the side of Sasha's smart siblings, where the never consider the option of having their crossbow allies shoot at he horse archers that ruined every attempt at taking out the artillery that is somehow both clunky and difficult to manuvere and aim that rips the opposing forces to shreeds, even when they're in small groups of fast moving horsemen.
It's honestly a massive dip in quality from the last two books.
July 7, 2019
Book three is a much better showing than two and the various forces of the land manoeuvre towards war. All the main players develop over the course of the book, the action is taut and kept me reading all day, and I was legitimately shocked by some of the turns of events. This book is more grimdark than the other two and for the first time I can see why this series has been compared to A Song of Ice and Fire. Worth reading book one just to have the background for this one (but I still think you can skip two). Great conflicts between cultures, complex characters navigating complex relationships and decisions - really enjoyed this and excited for book four.
January 12, 2020
An engrossing and powerful story that will draw you in deep.
Joel Shepherd has become my favorite author. I came to him through his science-fiction series, and once I had run through that, I came to this story about Sasha. The twists and turns of the story are amazing, his world is unbelievably detailed, you deeply care about these people as if they were your own family. Joel is a masterful writer and I recommend everything he writes.
Joel Shepherd has become my favorite author. I came to him through his science-fiction series, and once I had run through that, I came to this story about Sasha. The twists and turns of the story are amazing, his world is unbelievably detailed, you deeply care about these people as if they were your own family. Joel is a masterful writer and I recommend everything he writes.
May 19, 2019
Sigh - wondering if this series will have a happy ending because things are not going well for Sasha or her friends. And if you are hooked by this book, you'd better have book 4 to quickly recover from the puzzling ending. Turns out there is a map at the start of the ebook version but I had to scroll backward from the first page to see it. This series is so engrossing!
April 3, 2018
I think my rating is for the entire series.
I found the author's style of writing, a little too detailed, but in all, it's a pretty good tale. I particularly enjoyed how Sasha truly matured across the span of the series.
Not a bad read at all.
I found the author's style of writing, a little too detailed, but in all, it's a pretty good tale. I particularly enjoyed how Sasha truly matured across the span of the series.
Not a bad read at all.
July 10, 2024
Lots of fighting, otherwise good
December 30, 2020
Sasha in Tracato. Each of these has a pretty different feel which is interesting in itself. I miss the old Sasha a little bit.
March 21, 2022
While I like the story, there are many errors to be found. Some things just don't add up.
August 19, 2015
No sheth an sary, no sheth an sary
I'm going to try and keep this review short and sweet.
I loved Tracato.
I loved the writing, the story-telling, the pace, the plot. Everything worked so bloody well together that it's possible that this third book is the best in the series. What I didn't like though was that Sasha didn't seem to have as active a role at the beginning of the novel. Oh well, you can't have everything.
This book is actually the first since Divergent and Crown of Midnight to actually make me slam my book shut, take a few paces away from it and then break down. I'm not gonna lie - that first major death, it haunts me even as I write this. "Sasha screamed. A long time later, she was still screaming." This pretty much sums up how I felt.
And then, the climax of the story. For a minute, I feared for a character's life but was pleased to know they ended up surviving. Two other close deaths had me feeling very different things. One: complete and utter grief. Two: I'm with Sasha on how I feel about this one - I'm not sure what to really feel. This person certainly didn't have an attachment in my heart. But their death, I'm sure, is about to bring about major consequences.
The attempted rape, torture and actual rape scenes had me cringing and made me realise that Shepherd is not afraid to write about items deemed controversial - these scenes imparted a profound meaning on to the plot and weren't just there for the sake of the epic-adult-fantasy genre.
PS: Character deaths via decapitation headcount, (pun intended? Not entirely sure), stands at around 10 - in Tracato alone. Favourite deliverance of death? Quite possibly.
I'm going to try and keep this review short and sweet.
I loved Tracato.
I loved the writing, the story-telling, the pace, the plot. Everything worked so bloody well together that it's possible that this third book is the best in the series. What I didn't like though was that Sasha didn't seem to have as active a role at the beginning of the novel. Oh well, you can't have everything.
This book is actually the first since Divergent and Crown of Midnight to actually make me slam my book shut, take a few paces away from it and then break down. I'm not gonna lie - that first major death, it haunts me even as I write this. "Sasha screamed. A long time later, she was still screaming." This pretty much sums up how I felt.
And then, the climax of the story. For a minute, I feared for a character's life but was pleased to know they ended up surviving. Two other close deaths had me feeling very different things. One: complete and utter grief. Two: I'm with Sasha on how I feel about this one - I'm not sure what to really feel. This person certainly didn't have an attachment in my heart. But their death, I'm sure, is about to bring about major consequences.
The attempted rape, torture and actual rape scenes had me cringing and made me realise that Shepherd is not afraid to write about items deemed controversial - these scenes imparted a profound meaning on to the plot and weren't just there for the sake of the epic-adult-fantasy genre.
PS: Character deaths via decapitation headcount, (pun intended? Not entirely sure), stands at around 10 - in Tracato alone. Favourite deliverance of death? Quite possibly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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