The Serpent Tower

Terrach Chronicles #2

by William King

“The King of High Adventure,” Starlog.


A thousand years ago the world of Gaeia fell to the Terrarchs, cruel and beautiful alien invaders with a deadly secret. Masters of sorcery and intrigue they have ruled humanity with a fist of steel inside a glove of velvet. For a thousand years, ancient demons have slept, waiting for the moment of their return. Now the stars are right. Old and evil gods are wakening. New revolutions are being born. A genocidal war that will destroy civilization sweeps ever closer.


In this world of magic and gunpowder, the half-breed Rik must rise from simple soldier to the deadliest assassin the world has ever known as he seeks his birthright.


The Serpent Tower is an impregnable fortress built by an ancient, pre-human race, bristling with terrifying, magical weapons, watched over by unsleeping, sorcerous sentinels. It has never fallen to siege. Now it is the lair of the sinister sorcerer Lord Ilmarec who holds Princess Kathea, rightful heir to the throne of Kharadrea in his clutches. In order to save his own life, Rik must penetrate the ancient secrets of the Tower and rescue the Princess from her lustful uncle. And all the while he is pursued by an undead horror born from the vilest necromancy, created by a deadly conspiracy that plans to rule the world.


The Serpent Tower continues the thrilling saga of muskets and magic begun in Death’s Angels. In it, the bestselling creator of Gotrek and Felix blends Lovecraftian horror with high adventure in the tradition of Sharpe.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy

ebook

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very satisfying sequel to Death’s Angels. Our main characters have changed and evolved in unexpected ways; new characters and tantalizing plots are introduced; the history and lore of this world is expanded; and a world changing conflict is set up. Can’t wait to dive into the next book.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kniha mi přišla o něco méně zajímavá než li předchozí díl. Snad to bylo způsobené tím, že jsem se jakž-takž zorientovala ve spletitém světě a historii terraršského světa a nepudila mě touha na dalších stránkách pochopit a objevit to, co mi dosud uniká. Možná jsem očekávala, že stejně jako první díl bude i tento naplněný dobrodružstvím, prastarými démony a nejistotou.
Měla jsem problém pročíst se úvodem knihy, což zpětně hodnotím jako zvláštní, protože po dočtení mám pocit, že právě začátek a závěr byly nejdobrodružsnějšími částmi - meziprostor byl vyplněn Rikovými úvahami a intrikami terrarchů. Záchvěv zájmu přišel společně s odhalováním Rikovy minulosti, ale nakonec nebylo prozrazeno více než se autorovi momentálně hodilo pro nadcházející akci - samotné gró knihy, tedy hadí věž.
Za přečtení určitě stojí, ale doufám, že další díl mě osloví více.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

This is the second book in the series which follows Rik and his fellow soldiers and it has them facing off against more fantasy evil creatures, evil sorcerers, war, famine, and all the general inconvinces of being born on the wrong end of the gene pool. Their chief opponent in this book starts out as the Serpent Men and the Serpent Tower which Rika must get inside and stop the madman evil sorcerer that has made it his home. This tower is protected against any and all magical means of intrusion, but it still must be entered and destroyed. This is what makes the story all that more interesting because just below the storyline, the reader is pulling for the underdog. A very good story

[Abhinav · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read the full review over at my blog:

http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2014...

It wasn’t until 2010 that I found out that one of my favourite Black Library authors, William King, had been on an extended sabbatical from writing anything for the publisher, and that he had spent time working on and developing his own original series, The Terrarch Chronicles. And it wasn’t until 2012 that I finally read the first book in the series, Death’s Angels. It was a pretty damn good and fun fantasy romp, doing a new take on the typical elf-human relationships within epic fantasy. And it was packed with all the typical William King fun that you’d expect, which was a huge bonus.

However, it wasn’t until January this year that I got around to reading the sequel, The Serpent Tower. And reading the novel made me realise just what it was that I was missing. Because the second novel is every bit as good as the first. In fact, it is quite a bit better! It avoids all the typical “mistakes” of a second novel, the so-called “sophomore slump”, and it is a fun and enjoyable novel to read from start to finish. It also helps that Bill significantly ups the ante, and explores more of this world that he built up in Death’s Angels, and showed a much more awe-inspiring side of it.

William King has always been a masterful world-builder. It is one of the most enjoyable aspects of his Black Library work, and through Death’s Angels and now The Serpent Tower, I’ve found that this is true of his original work as well. The first book in the Terrarch Chronicles series introduced me to a fantastical world called Gaeia which had been invaded by the extra-dimensional Terrarchs some centuries earlier. A race of magically-advanced elves from another world in time and space, these Terrarchs were running from a horror and they practically enslaved the indigenous peoples of Gaeia, specifically the humans. And now, the Terrarchs are the ruling class on this world, with the humans as second-class citizens at best.

All of this provides quite an interesting setting for the story of the Terrarch Chronicles to take place. Our primary protagonist is the half-elf Rik, a bastard son of unknown Terrarch lineage who is a foot soldier in the army of the ruling Terrarch Queen. And he is pitted against Lieutenant Sardec, a high-born Terrarch of an illustrious lineage who believes himself destined to great things and is often a very typical example of his kind. Together, the two of them drove much of the plot for Death’s Angels and in the second novel this continues forward.

Now, Rik is learning to control some of his powers under Lady Asea, a powerful Terrarch noble and an accomplished magician. His half-Terrarch blood has granted him some unique powers unseen by the Terrarchs in a long, long time, and this makes him a unique asset for someone as politically-oriented as Lady Asea. And on the other side, Lieutenant Sardec is slowly moving up the Terrarch noble hierarchy thanks to his association with Lady Asea and her brother, General Azaar. Together, these two subplots make The Serpent Tower a very exciting read indeed. And that is largely because of the stakes involved. One character explores a legacy denied to him by the circumstances of his birth while the other solidifies his own power, even if that is in service to someone yet higher than himself. Often times either character appears as a cliche, perhaps because of the situation he finds himself in, or because that’s just how it is in the overall picture. Regardless, Bill still infuses both of them with a particular high note when the chips are down and when it all really matters. He puts his characters through the wringer again and again, exploring their evolving motivations.

As with the previous novel, The Serpent Tower contains a ton of politicking between the Terrarchs. New characters, whether heroes or villains, are introduced and through them we see an evolving Gaiea where alliances between the Terrarchs are ever more uncertain and there are increasing threats of a massive civil war. In any fantasy novel, especially an epic fantasy such as The Serpent Tower, I think it is always important to see a slice of the political machinations that run everything and that provide the impetus for the heroes and villains to do what they do. Where this novel is concerned, Sardec and Rik are drawn into a plot to destabilise the existing Terrarch ruling structure and to deny the forces of Queen Arielle from sweeping up all the forces arrayed against them, specifically the magician Lord Ilmarec, the master of the Serpent Tower. In Death’s Angels we saw how Bill used the concept of Elder Races to provide narrative tension in the novel, and the “level boss” that Sardec and Rik defeated was a part of one of the Elder Races of Gaeia, races that are now pretty much extinct. In The Serpent Tower we see a continuation of that concept as Bill tackles the Serpent Men this time, a much more benign race than the one we briefly met in the previous novel. The Serpent Men are all extinct now, but their legacies linger, and the Serpent Tower is one such legacy, with Ilmarec busy probing its deepest and darkest secrets to oppose the heroes and, by extension, their Queen.

[Mark Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the second book. Very easy to read and cheer for Rick. This continues Half-breed Rik's journey well, with learning more about his heritage, new bad guys and monsters to fight, and more intrigue with his so-called allies who often act more like enemies.

This was a real page turner with some good action scenes onto book 3.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent entertaining reading
Book two in the series is will written with interesting will developed characters. The story line is complicated with lots of misdirection leading to the unexpected conclusion. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys will written Sci-Fi. Enjoy reading 2019

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad

Are you a gamer? Do you still think fondly of your childhood playing D&D or the like? Then step into the world of our young hero in the making Rik.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little fantasy a little sci-fi with good plot, thought out characters. Quick read!!

[Miguel Tomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fácil de leer, personajes algo estereotipos pero entretenidos, la trama algo simplona.

[Jan-Niklas Bersenkowitsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Den originalen Text können Sie auf der Website des Webmagazins "Comicgate" in der Kategorie "Währenddessen" nachlesen.

Link: http://comicgate.de/aktuelles/waehren...

William King, Autor der "Gotrek und Felix" - Romane, die in der Welt des Tabletop-Rollenspiels "Warhammer" spielen, war mein erster Lieblingsautor. Nachdem ich Jahre damit rangen, mir diese Serie als Ebook zu kaufen, habe ich dieses Jahr nachgegeben und den Kauf nicht bereut. Unter anderem schrieb er die "Terrarch-Chronicles", eine interessante Fantasy-Tetralogie in einer Welt, die ich als Elisabethanisches England mit auf Drachen reitenden Elfen beschreiben würde, deren Name Terrarch lautet. Diese Elfen sind ein rassistischer Haufen adeliger Schnösel, die sich für die Auserwählten Gottes halten und dank interner Streitigkeiten ihr gewaltiges Imperium einst in zwei Hälften spalteten. Jetzt droht ein weiterer Bürgerkrieg, der die Erweckung finsterer Mächte zur Folge hat. Zwischen den Stühlen stehen der Halb-Terrarch Rik und der Terrarch-Offizier Sardec, denen es beiden vorherbestimmt zu sein scheint, an vorderster Front gegen die Finsternis zu kämpfen.

Die großen Themen der "Terrarch-Chronicles" sind Macht und die Frage nach dem Bösen. Niemand in dieser Welt, sei er nun Mensch, Terrarch oder Schlangenmensch, wird böse geboren. Stattdessen ist das Böse eine bewusste Wahl. Vor den Verlockungen der Macht ist keiner sicher, vor allem nicht Rik, der zu Beginn der Handlung ein verbitterter, junger Mann voller Misstrauen ist. Kommt ihm jemand zu nah, verjagt er ihn, aus Angst verletzt zu werden und wird dadurch noch bitterer. Dieser Teufelskreis frisst ihn langsam auf, sodass er nur minimal besser ist als seine Gegenspieler, die ihre eigenen, deprimierenden Gründe haben, weswegen sie ihre Allmachtsphantasien ausleben.

Die Armen wollen an die Macht, um die Reichen zu stürzen, die Reichen unterdrücken die Armen, weil sie sich vor ihnen fürchten. Zu Recht? Darüber denken die konservativen Elemente der oberen Ränge nicht nach und werden im Verlauf der Geschichten immer verzweifelter, während zumindest einige Terrarch die Zeichen der Zeit erkennen und sich für Reformen einsetzen, die auch Menschen die Teilhabe ermöglichen. Daraus werden sich wieder neue Hierarchien ergeben, die erneut auf die Unterdrückung anderer hinauslaufen wird. Dieser ewige Kampf mit dem eigenen Misstrauen und Minderwertigkeitskomplexen macht die Figuren der Terrarch-Chronicles zu tragischen Gestalten, aber auch greifbar und realistisch.

Natürlich wird auch gelacht und sich gefreut, aber trotzdem schwingt diese negative und zynische Haltung gegenüber den Mächtigen stets mit. Unter all dem Zynismus verbirgt sich aber ein großes und mitfühlendes Herz, das zu Gleichheit und Liebe aufruft – selbst eigensüchtige Figuren erweisen sich als fähig zu guten Taten, wenn die Umstände sie dazu zwingen. Zumindest glauben sie, dass sie dazu gezwungen werden, denn am Ende ist auch das Gute eine Wahl. Selbst diese düstere Welt birgt demnach Hoffnung auf ein besseres Morgen.

Band zwei erzählt eine durchgehend unterhaltsame Abenteuerhandlung, die in einen guten Abenteuerfilm passen könnte. Das ganze Buch ist von Anfang an spannend erzählt und bietet auch ein paar interessante Einblicke in die Hintergrundgeschichte der Welt.

Die ersten drei Bände wurden ins Deutsche übersetzt, ich rate aber von deren Kauf ab. Die Übersetzung ist zwar solide, aber die Übersetzer wiederholen hier und da bereits erwähnte Fakten, um die Bücher von 300-350 Seiten auf mindestens 500 zu strecken. Das muss nicht sein. Die Bücher wurden in einem geradlinigen, klaren Stil verfasst, der einfach zu verstehen ist. Negativ aufgefallen sind mir diverse Lektoratsmängel, die eigentlich nichts in Büchern zu suchen haben, die seit acht Jahren angeboten werden.

[Volpot · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Good sequel

[Fco. Salvador · Rating 2 out of 5]

Los tres tomos que componen la trilogía Terrarca son bastante cortos. Tienen unas 300 páginas, y sinceramente creo que deberían haberse añadido otras 50 a cada uno, para redondear la narración en diversas partes y sobre todo para no dejar esa especie de finales abruptos (que no inacabados, ojo, simplemente que es un "pimpán, matan al malo, y ya te imaginas que vuelven a casa y todo eso"). Supongo que el sr. King es uno de los que se aburrió con el final de "El retorno del rey".

La ambientación de Gaeia se aparta de la fantasía medieval al uso, y digamos que realiza un traslado de varios siglos hacia adelante: rifles, pistolas, casacas,... ¿A alguien le suena? A mí me recuerda al Viejo Mundo de Warhammer. Lo bueno es que la raza dominante (los terrarcas, cuyo aspecto es bastante élfico) llegaron de Al'Terra hace dos milenios, con un dominio mágico superior al humano y todo un surtido de dragones y wyrms (que vendrían a ser dinosaurios de diversas especies) a su servicio. Mucho después, hubo una secesión entre los dominadores, y para cuando comienza la historia hay una guerra en ciernes.

En el segundo libro de la serie el esquema vuelve a ser el mismo que en "Los ángeles de la muerte", con un cambio de lugar, de enemigos, y de ritual, pero el mismo. De hecho, hasta aparece un nerghul (una suerte de golem), que me recordó a las ratas-ogro que Thanquol siempre envía contra Gotrek y Félix. Se soluciona un poco la falta de originalidad de los personajes, que son básicamente estereotipos (y los estereotipos están bien, si se los sabe colocar y usar adecuadamente, y aquí no se hace): algunos reciben un poco de relleno al desarrollarse su psicología (sobre todo el caso del teniente Sardec, que para mí es el mejor).

Si les apetece una lectura rápida, amena y repleta de acción, sin muchas pretensiones y nada de intriga o misterio, sumérjanse en la Trilogía Terrarca. Si buscan algo más, creo que les defraudará.

[Loukie Adlem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the second book too. There are all these different races on Gaiea, humans, the ruling Terrarchs, and remnants of the Elder races, like the Spider God they fought against in Death' Angels, and in this book we meet the Serpent Men.

And once again there is a lot of Terrach politics and power play. Some really dark sorceries and some unexpected high technology. I liked how the lines between magic and science began to blur.

The characters aren't very complex, but they do develop, especially the Terrach Sardec shows real growth.

I don't want to write spoilers, so I'll contain my squees and just say I enjoyed the story a lot.

[Lokidm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un paso atrás respecto al anterior libro. El 90% del mismo es paja remarcando que el protagonista (que ha abandonado el ejército, pq es mucho más que un simple soldado) es la leche, y un ser que con entrenamiento será casi invencible.

Los personajes pierden el (poco) carisma que tenían, y el villano es aún menos carismático que el del primer libro. Prácticamente es como leer el mismo libro dos veces.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more like a 3.5 -- I wish we could do half-star ratings. Ah, well. The second in King's new series; as mentioned previously, the setting owes heavily to Napoleonic-era England, complete with muskets and the like, but with a ruling class of elves and with various eldritch horrors. More fast-paced, well-constructed adventures -- exactly what I was in the mood for.

[Brian Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second book in the Terrarch Chronicles series.

A smaller group of main characters than book 1, it still reads like a cross between a Warhammer Fantasy novel (where William King got started) and Glen Cook's "Black Company" series.

The story moves along at a good pace and the characters are well written, although only a few get a decent amount of page time.

[Thommy Doombringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

False

[Bill Ramsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, good read!