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Wraith Knight #1
Wraith Knight
The King Below, Enemy of the World, is dead. Will his successor save the world...or rule it? Jacob Riverson was once the greatest hero of an age. Cut down during what should have been the final battle against the King Below, he was condemned to centuries of torment as a Wraith Knight in the service of said monster. With the destruction of his master, Jacob finds his free will returning and discovers he is in a world torn by civil war between the King Below's former slaves and the heroes who "saved" them. Joining forces with the overly-idealistic but brilliant warrior Regina Whitetremor, Jacob must determine whether he has any place in the new world and whether his destiny is as a hero or monster. Or both.
Wraith Knight is book one of the Three Worlds saga by C.T. Phipps.
Wraith Knight is book one of the Three Worlds saga by C.T. Phipps.
322 pages, Paperback
First published November 8, 2016
65 people are currently reading
472 people want to read
About the author
C.T. Phipps
93 books679 followersC.T Phipps is a lifelong student of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. An avid tabletop gamer, he discovered this passion led him to write and turned him into a lifelong geek. He is a reviewer for Before We Go, Fanfi Addict, and Grimdark Magazine.
He's written the Cthulhu Armageddon, Dark Undermaster Saga, Futurepunk, Lucifer's Star, Space Academy, The Supervillainy Saga, United States of Monsters, and Wraith Knight series.
Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blog...
Website: https://ctphipps.com/
C.T. Fanclub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/14917...
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ctphipps
He's written the Cthulhu Armageddon, Dark Undermaster Saga, Futurepunk, Lucifer's Star, Space Academy, The Supervillainy Saga, United States of Monsters, and Wraith Knight series.
Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blog...
Website: https://ctphipps.com/
C.T. Fanclub: https://www.facebook.com/groups/14917...
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ctphipps
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
May 22, 2020
It is hard to describe just what sort of book Wraith Knight really is. It feels like a bizarre parody of both the classic traditional fantasy stories of old and of modern grimdark fantasy stories. As you would expect from a parody it is melodramatic, funny, and a little over the top. Yet even with the light tone and humour this still manages to be a pretty dark story.
The idea behind the story is a fun one. Jacob Riverson was once a highly regarded hero of the Shadow Guard. He fought in the name of the Lawgiver against the evil forces of King Below and defeated many great enemies in his day. He eventually fell in battle against the Evil God himself on the final day of the 4th Great Shadow War and his actions forced the King Blew and his army to retreat. After Jacub's death The King Below then claimed his soul, enslaved his will, and forced him to serve as a Wraith Knight for over 250 years battling against the very people he had sought to protect. The aftermath of the 5th Great Shadow War, the war that finally saw the King Below and a lot of his minions defeated, has released Jacob from his enslavement. Unfortunately he finds he is still a Wraith Knight who needs to feed on death to sustain his form and to increase his powers. Determined to uses his evil powers for good he answers the plea for aid from a warrior women who is under attack from three members of his old Shadow Guard order. His actions draw him into the complicated politics of a world that in the absence of any King Below now sees the human nations fighting each other for dominion.
The story was pretty interesting. Jacob turned out to be an intriguing main character. He had no memories of his time as a Wraith Knight in service to the King Below but did have fragmented memories of his human life. As he fought the temptations of murdering people to increase his own powers he also had to reflect on the fact that life in a world without the King Below was not the paradise he always imagined it would be. This forced him to look back on his life as a member of the Shadow Guard and on the various things he did in the name of the Lawgiver in order to fight against the forces of the King Below.
There was not a ton of secondary characters of note. The two that did stand out were Regina, an idealistic warrior, and Sarah, a witch widely reviled due to her natural affinity for Shadow magic. Like Jacob both women were likeable enough characters with flaws and realistic motivations for their actions.
The world was typical traditional fantasy. It had humans and elves and some other races who worshipped the Lawgiver and a bunch of other races that worshipped the evil King Below. In Jacob's first life it was mostly magic and swords that were used to fight but in the world he awakens to he discovers some of his own innovations have been expanded upon over the years and that deadly magic powered weapons now litter any battlefield.
The twist in the tale is the fact that the spectre of the dead King Below still haunts Jacob and tries to force him to take up his old mantle as leader of the Shadow races. Jacob is resistant at first but soon begins to wonder what sort of god the Lawgiver really is if he condones the actions of his followers.
There is a bit of romance in this one. Like the rest of the story it is pretty weird. The dreaded love triangle raises its ugly head bit it soon becomes apparent it will be treated differently to the typical love triangle trope.
This was not a book without flaws. The concept was fun and the characters were likeable but for some reason I just never found myself fully sucked into the story. Maybe it was the bizarre setting or the somewhat disposable feel of a lot of the characters.
All in all I thought this was an enjoyable fantasy story that could have been so much more if only it had managed to capture me on an emotional level.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Audio Note: I thought Kevin T. Collins did a good job with the audiobook.
Audio Note 2: Second time around I listened to the new audio version of this which got narrated by Peter Berkrot. I'm not sure what prompted the recasting because Berkrot is pretty similar in quality to Kevin T. Collins. He probably has a slightly better voice for general narration but is actually worse with the character voices and dialogue.
Reread Update: Not quite as much fun the second time around. It started OK but struggled to hold my attention a bit towards the end. Still an OK read though. I blame reading too many trashy LitRPG books with godawful harem elements and too many books with whiny protagonists between reads of this one for having me expecting the worst from it!
The idea behind the story is a fun one. Jacob Riverson was once a highly regarded hero of the Shadow Guard. He fought in the name of the Lawgiver against the evil forces of King Below and defeated many great enemies in his day. He eventually fell in battle against the Evil God himself on the final day of the 4th Great Shadow War and his actions forced the King Blew and his army to retreat. After Jacub's death The King Below then claimed his soul, enslaved his will, and forced him to serve as a Wraith Knight for over 250 years battling against the very people he had sought to protect. The aftermath of the 5th Great Shadow War, the war that finally saw the King Below and a lot of his minions defeated, has released Jacob from his enslavement. Unfortunately he finds he is still a Wraith Knight who needs to feed on death to sustain his form and to increase his powers. Determined to uses his evil powers for good he answers the plea for aid from a warrior women who is under attack from three members of his old Shadow Guard order. His actions draw him into the complicated politics of a world that in the absence of any King Below now sees the human nations fighting each other for dominion.
The story was pretty interesting. Jacob turned out to be an intriguing main character. He had no memories of his time as a Wraith Knight in service to the King Below but did have fragmented memories of his human life. As he fought the temptations of murdering people to increase his own powers he also had to reflect on the fact that life in a world without the King Below was not the paradise he always imagined it would be. This forced him to look back on his life as a member of the Shadow Guard and on the various things he did in the name of the Lawgiver in order to fight against the forces of the King Below.
There was not a ton of secondary characters of note. The two that did stand out were Regina, an idealistic warrior, and Sarah, a witch widely reviled due to her natural affinity for Shadow magic. Like Jacob both women were likeable enough characters with flaws and realistic motivations for their actions.
The world was typical traditional fantasy. It had humans and elves and some other races who worshipped the Lawgiver and a bunch of other races that worshipped the evil King Below. In Jacob's first life it was mostly magic and swords that were used to fight but in the world he awakens to he discovers some of his own innovations have been expanded upon over the years and that deadly magic powered weapons now litter any battlefield.
The twist in the tale is the fact that the spectre of the dead King Below still haunts Jacob and tries to force him to take up his old mantle as leader of the Shadow races. Jacob is resistant at first but soon begins to wonder what sort of god the Lawgiver really is if he condones the actions of his followers.
There is a bit of romance in this one. Like the rest of the story it is pretty weird. The dreaded love triangle raises its ugly head bit it soon becomes apparent it will be treated differently to the typical love triangle trope.
This was not a book without flaws. The concept was fun and the characters were likeable but for some reason I just never found myself fully sucked into the story. Maybe it was the bizarre setting or the somewhat disposable feel of a lot of the characters.
All in all I thought this was an enjoyable fantasy story that could have been so much more if only it had managed to capture me on an emotional level.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Audio Note: I thought Kevin T. Collins did a good job with the audiobook.
Audio Note 2: Second time around I listened to the new audio version of this which got narrated by Peter Berkrot. I'm not sure what prompted the recasting because Berkrot is pretty similar in quality to Kevin T. Collins. He probably has a slightly better voice for general narration but is actually worse with the character voices and dialogue.
Reread Update: Not quite as much fun the second time around. It started OK but struggled to hold my attention a bit towards the end. Still an OK read though. I blame reading too many trashy LitRPG books with godawful harem elements and too many books with whiny protagonists between reads of this one for having me expecting the worst from it!
July 14, 2019
Audible book July 2019
Wraith Knight
By: C. T. Phipps
Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary. I have read this book before and loved it but I wanted to hear it in audible book form. This is the story of a guy named Jacob and his time as a Dark Knight. It is full of unique characters and strange encounters. Despite the dangers, the horrors of wars, there is a touch of romance. This has a twisted plot and a surprise ending. There is magic, sword play, and more! Great dialogue! Wonderful characters! Exciting and unique!
The narration was perfect! That voice is perfect for this book!
E-book July 2017
Wraith Knight by C.T. Phipps is a book I was given to read but the review is voluntary. It is a good fantasy and different. I liked it because it had a wraith knight which I think is cool and it started out right away with dragons, my weakness, love dragons! Lots of magic, quests, adventure, a dead hero who's dealing with what history recorded vs truth, how things changed since he has risen, and an elf-type warrior woman he is helping. It is pretty good with interesting combo and plot. I like the world building too.
Wraith Knight
By: C. T. Phipps
Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary. I have read this book before and loved it but I wanted to hear it in audible book form. This is the story of a guy named Jacob and his time as a Dark Knight. It is full of unique characters and strange encounters. Despite the dangers, the horrors of wars, there is a touch of romance. This has a twisted plot and a surprise ending. There is magic, sword play, and more! Great dialogue! Wonderful characters! Exciting and unique!
The narration was perfect! That voice is perfect for this book!
E-book July 2017
Wraith Knight by C.T. Phipps is a book I was given to read but the review is voluntary. It is a good fantasy and different. I liked it because it had a wraith knight which I think is cool and it started out right away with dragons, my weakness, love dragons! Lots of magic, quests, adventure, a dead hero who's dealing with what history recorded vs truth, how things changed since he has risen, and an elf-type warrior woman he is helping. It is pretty good with interesting combo and plot. I like the world building too.
November 12, 2017
All Dark Lords are evil, aren’t they?
Wraith Knight is the second novel by C.T. Phipps that I’ve read after the excellent Lucifer’s Star. That book and this seem to echo each other in several ways. I went away feeling that Wraith Knight was the superior tale and that is saying something. The general theme of both novels is an exploration as good and evil as colours on a continuum instead of as diametrically opposed. This is Grimdark Fantasy and I say that as a compliment. It’s at the morally complex end of the subgenre instead of the crass, “blood, guts and genitals” end.
Setting
This is a satisfying mix of original ideas and classic elements of fantasy worlds. Formor and Sidhe instead of orcs and elves. Knights on dragonback. Powerful mages and magic weapons galore. It’s a world that is recovering from the defeat of the King Below (more Morgoth than Sauron to my mind but that’s splitting hairs). Technology and magic have kept pace with social progress but those changes conceal a society that’s rotten to its core. Slavery abolished in name, but little real change for the masses. A religion of the Light that is prejudiced against those who have innate abilities with the wrong kind of magic, even though that magic is not in itself evil or good. The fantasy tropes are subverted with only a few remaining barely intact as anchor points for the reader. I found it an excellent mix of ideas old and new. I can’t help but reference Lucifer’s Star here. There is a strong overlap in the sense of the worlds that are built extending beyond what we’re shown in the books. It’s clearly one of this author’s strengths: creating worlds that feel as if they operate outside the direct needs of the story.
10/10
Characters
Phipps excels at characters. They live, they breathe, and they act in unpredictable but consistent ways. There is very little use of caricatures, those flat characters that are just window dressing. Regina, Serah, Creature, Jassa and even minor characters like Creature’s daughter and her husband are well rounded. I was particularly impressed with the characterisation of the Trickster. Managing to make the disembodied voice of the god of evil, the so called King Below, nuanced and at times sympathetic is sheer class. Jacob Riverson, our wraith knight main character, is a complex fellow. He reminds me a bit of that Meatloaf song, I’d do anything for love… Riverson would do anything to win, to drive back the darkness but just like the song … he won’t do that. What is it he won’t do? Well, commendably, he won’t kill children. That this is an issue for the forces of Light at any point gives you an idea of the moral ambiguity at work in the story. Then of course, there’s the whole ‘Oh, no I’ve been serving the Dark Lord for the last few centuries’ angle to him as a character. This could easily go wrong in one of two ways. Either a character who spends all his time whining about the past or one who doesn’t care enough about it. Here, we’re kept on that knife edge balance point between too much soul searching and not enough. To the author’s credit, Jacob never descends off that edge -- there’s reflection and more importantly, a change in the behaviour and the goals of him as a character as he comes to terms with what he’s done, both before becoming a tool of evil and during that time.
Characterisation - absolutely top notch!
10/10
Plot
As always, hard to talk about without giving too much away. What I’ll say though is this: it’s often trotted out that there are only a few possible plots and that it’s the execution of them that differs. This feels like the author is trying to break out from those tramlines. The plot is complex, but that’s a good thing. It’s not the tired old fantasy cliché of kill the big foozle using the magic acorn held by some wool-footed short people who are tougher than they look. Or rescue the [insert vulnerable McGuffin] from said big foozle. That much is obvious. It’s more about finding meaning and a place in the world. Jacob waking up to what he is, and what he needs to be.
I think that the plot suffers a little in the sense that this is a character driven story rather than plot driven. I think that is an excellent thing but it does mean that the plot isn’t quite as awesome as the characterisation and the setting. One thing to note, the story is complete in itself but clearly leaves the way open for a sequel/sequels. Again an example of this author getting the balance right.
9.5/10
Prose
This is, as with Lucifer’s Star, solid and smooth. Dialogue reminds me at times of Joss Whedon’s style in things like Firefly. There are pop culture references but these are woven in skilfully without being jarring. For example, the reference to Terry Pratchett as a playwright in the setting Terence Pritchard is amusing but doesn’t take the reader out of immersion. On the other hand, the prose is nothing ground-breaking. It won’t carry you away with its beauty but it’s good enough to channel you into the world. This is not meant in anyway as a criticism -- the prose is easily the equal of someone like James Patterson or George RR Martin. In fact, it’s better than GRRM’s.
Very Good writing without being in the artistic top bracket. For comparison: GRRM would get 8/10, Joe Abercrombie would get 9.25.
9/10
Doing some quick arithmetic shows that I thought very highly indeed of this novel. It’s a rating which it thoroughly deserves and higher than most others I’ve given. Best bit of the whole book? Getting to the last page and seeing that there’s a sequel called Wraith Lord. You can be sure I’ll be reading it and, if you read Wraith Knight, I’m pretty sure you’ll be rejoicing at the thought of a sequel too!
9.75/10
Wraith Knight is the second novel by C.T. Phipps that I’ve read after the excellent Lucifer’s Star. That book and this seem to echo each other in several ways. I went away feeling that Wraith Knight was the superior tale and that is saying something. The general theme of both novels is an exploration as good and evil as colours on a continuum instead of as diametrically opposed. This is Grimdark Fantasy and I say that as a compliment. It’s at the morally complex end of the subgenre instead of the crass, “blood, guts and genitals” end.
Setting
This is a satisfying mix of original ideas and classic elements of fantasy worlds. Formor and Sidhe instead of orcs and elves. Knights on dragonback. Powerful mages and magic weapons galore. It’s a world that is recovering from the defeat of the King Below (more Morgoth than Sauron to my mind but that’s splitting hairs). Technology and magic have kept pace with social progress but those changes conceal a society that’s rotten to its core. Slavery abolished in name, but little real change for the masses. A religion of the Light that is prejudiced against those who have innate abilities with the wrong kind of magic, even though that magic is not in itself evil or good. The fantasy tropes are subverted with only a few remaining barely intact as anchor points for the reader. I found it an excellent mix of ideas old and new. I can’t help but reference Lucifer’s Star here. There is a strong overlap in the sense of the worlds that are built extending beyond what we’re shown in the books. It’s clearly one of this author’s strengths: creating worlds that feel as if they operate outside the direct needs of the story.
10/10
Characters
Phipps excels at characters. They live, they breathe, and they act in unpredictable but consistent ways. There is very little use of caricatures, those flat characters that are just window dressing. Regina, Serah, Creature, Jassa and even minor characters like Creature’s daughter and her husband are well rounded. I was particularly impressed with the characterisation of the Trickster. Managing to make the disembodied voice of the god of evil, the so called King Below, nuanced and at times sympathetic is sheer class. Jacob Riverson, our wraith knight main character, is a complex fellow. He reminds me a bit of that Meatloaf song, I’d do anything for love… Riverson would do anything to win, to drive back the darkness but just like the song … he won’t do that. What is it he won’t do? Well, commendably, he won’t kill children. That this is an issue for the forces of Light at any point gives you an idea of the moral ambiguity at work in the story. Then of course, there’s the whole ‘Oh, no I’ve been serving the Dark Lord for the last few centuries’ angle to him as a character. This could easily go wrong in one of two ways. Either a character who spends all his time whining about the past or one who doesn’t care enough about it. Here, we’re kept on that knife edge balance point between too much soul searching and not enough. To the author’s credit, Jacob never descends off that edge -- there’s reflection and more importantly, a change in the behaviour and the goals of him as a character as he comes to terms with what he’s done, both before becoming a tool of evil and during that time.
Characterisation - absolutely top notch!
10/10
Plot
As always, hard to talk about without giving too much away. What I’ll say though is this: it’s often trotted out that there are only a few possible plots and that it’s the execution of them that differs. This feels like the author is trying to break out from those tramlines. The plot is complex, but that’s a good thing. It’s not the tired old fantasy cliché of kill the big foozle using the magic acorn held by some wool-footed short people who are tougher than they look. Or rescue the [insert vulnerable McGuffin] from said big foozle. That much is obvious. It’s more about finding meaning and a place in the world. Jacob waking up to what he is, and what he needs to be.
I think that the plot suffers a little in the sense that this is a character driven story rather than plot driven. I think that is an excellent thing but it does mean that the plot isn’t quite as awesome as the characterisation and the setting. One thing to note, the story is complete in itself but clearly leaves the way open for a sequel/sequels. Again an example of this author getting the balance right.
9.5/10
Prose
This is, as with Lucifer’s Star, solid and smooth. Dialogue reminds me at times of Joss Whedon’s style in things like Firefly. There are pop culture references but these are woven in skilfully without being jarring. For example, the reference to Terry Pratchett as a playwright in the setting Terence Pritchard is amusing but doesn’t take the reader out of immersion. On the other hand, the prose is nothing ground-breaking. It won’t carry you away with its beauty but it’s good enough to channel you into the world. This is not meant in anyway as a criticism -- the prose is easily the equal of someone like James Patterson or George RR Martin. In fact, it’s better than GRRM’s.
Very Good writing without being in the artistic top bracket. For comparison: GRRM would get 8/10, Joe Abercrombie would get 9.25.
9/10
Doing some quick arithmetic shows that I thought very highly indeed of this novel. It’s a rating which it thoroughly deserves and higher than most others I’ve given. Best bit of the whole book? Getting to the last page and seeing that there’s a sequel called Wraith Lord. You can be sure I’ll be reading it and, if you read Wraith Knight, I’m pretty sure you’ll be rejoicing at the thought of a sequel too!
9.75/10
May 9, 2018
Wraith Knight is the first book in the Three Worlds trilogy and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is a take on the wraith kings of Tolkien, and while I usually do not enjoy a writer’s take on a different writer’s work, this one I didn’t mind.
I didn’t mind it because the work seems so grounded in its own world that I hardly noticed. It was more like this book was influenced by Tolkien rather than written in Tolkien’s world.
The first thing we have to talk about when we talk about Wraith Knight is the world building. It is intense and extensive. We have more races here than I could keep track of, but not in a bad way. The main plot of the story is that after the King Below, or the Sauron character, dies his wraith knights get their memory back, and this one has been in a kind of dark trance for hundreds of years. So when you are thrown into something like that, then you can accept so much has changed that the main character would have to learn how things are in the present. As such, a lot would be passed over, so the races would not be described very much.
In this way, the writer is able to frame his backstory so we are learning with the character and we don’t have a situation where the character is just thinking about history for the sake of thinking about it. This guy is actually being taught what has happened while he has been out of it.
The frame of the history was well done but the backstory was overdone in my opinion. At some times the backstory seemed almost a parody. I am a reader who does not prefer a history lesson at all. I want to find out what has happened in the past as I am running with the story itself. This is personal preference. I want history in a way that doesn’t take me out of the story. This was so blatant that at one point they are at camp and the main character actually says, “Now it’s time for backstory.” This is why I say it may have been parody. For me though, it was still hard to get into and I found myself putting the book down in places when large amounts of history were being discussed.
I’m going to go back to world building because this facet of the work was so amazing. We have magic for sure but so many different kinds of magic it is beyond understanding. Mr. Phipps does not get into the inner workings of the magic, which I appreciate. He has so many different types of magic that it really seems authentic. Things like shadow magic, light and dark magic, name magic spoken in the divine tongue, spoken in the demon tongue. This sort of magic is most powerful and this is where you know the true name of a thing and have ultimate power over it. There is Demonsteel mined in the world Below and Adamantine mined in the Heavens. There is so much here that it really feels like a vast magical world and that really excited me.
I want to thank the writer for Serah, she was awesome, for the demonsteel and the Well of Names. I really enjoyed Chill’s Fury and every bit of the Nine.
My final thought is that this is a very original take on a famous fantasy character and it is well worth your time. I have it on good authority that the sequel is coming out any day. There have been delays, but we should have it soon.
I didn’t mind it because the work seems so grounded in its own world that I hardly noticed. It was more like this book was influenced by Tolkien rather than written in Tolkien’s world.
The first thing we have to talk about when we talk about Wraith Knight is the world building. It is intense and extensive. We have more races here than I could keep track of, but not in a bad way. The main plot of the story is that after the King Below, or the Sauron character, dies his wraith knights get their memory back, and this one has been in a kind of dark trance for hundreds of years. So when you are thrown into something like that, then you can accept so much has changed that the main character would have to learn how things are in the present. As such, a lot would be passed over, so the races would not be described very much.
In this way, the writer is able to frame his backstory so we are learning with the character and we don’t have a situation where the character is just thinking about history for the sake of thinking about it. This guy is actually being taught what has happened while he has been out of it.
The frame of the history was well done but the backstory was overdone in my opinion. At some times the backstory seemed almost a parody. I am a reader who does not prefer a history lesson at all. I want to find out what has happened in the past as I am running with the story itself. This is personal preference. I want history in a way that doesn’t take me out of the story. This was so blatant that at one point they are at camp and the main character actually says, “Now it’s time for backstory.” This is why I say it may have been parody. For me though, it was still hard to get into and I found myself putting the book down in places when large amounts of history were being discussed.
I’m going to go back to world building because this facet of the work was so amazing. We have magic for sure but so many different kinds of magic it is beyond understanding. Mr. Phipps does not get into the inner workings of the magic, which I appreciate. He has so many different types of magic that it really seems authentic. Things like shadow magic, light and dark magic, name magic spoken in the divine tongue, spoken in the demon tongue. This sort of magic is most powerful and this is where you know the true name of a thing and have ultimate power over it. There is Demonsteel mined in the world Below and Adamantine mined in the Heavens. There is so much here that it really feels like a vast magical world and that really excited me.
I want to thank the writer for Serah, she was awesome, for the demonsteel and the Well of Names. I really enjoyed Chill’s Fury and every bit of the Nine.
My final thought is that this is a very original take on a famous fantasy character and it is well worth your time. I have it on good authority that the sequel is coming out any day. There have been delays, but we should have it soon.
October 17, 2024
This was a 3 for me but I'm rounding it up to 4-stars because I think others among you will enjoy the dark themes and characters more than I did.
This is a very dark tale that I struggled with. My taste in fantasy books is changing as I'm getting older and my life-circumstances are pretty grim so I look for lighter reads nowadays.
Having said that I think that this was well written and that fans of dark fantasy will enjoy this tale. The world in which this story takes place is very grim and the characters were all dark and flawed to the extremes, but that is something that more and more fantasy readers seem to be enjoying these days. The author's other works are a lot more tongue-in-cheek type humour than this one. If not for some of the more light-hearted elements I might not have got through this book, but the author does have a gift when it comes to comedy so I persevered.
If you like darker fantasy with a side-order of comedy then give this one a try.
This is a very dark tale that I struggled with. My taste in fantasy books is changing as I'm getting older and my life-circumstances are pretty grim so I look for lighter reads nowadays.
Having said that I think that this was well written and that fans of dark fantasy will enjoy this tale. The world in which this story takes place is very grim and the characters were all dark and flawed to the extremes, but that is something that more and more fantasy readers seem to be enjoying these days. The author's other works are a lot more tongue-in-cheek type humour than this one. If not for some of the more light-hearted elements I might not have got through this book, but the author does have a gift when it comes to comedy so I persevered.
If you like darker fantasy with a side-order of comedy then give this one a try.
November 21, 2016
Apparently it's customary to note that I received an ARC version of the book in return for an honest review. I also received that ARC about a year prior to release and I'm reliably informed that those pesky typos and what not have been cleaned up.
On a personal note this was one of the first ARCs I was given to read... my Kindle is now full of the damned things.
So Wraith Knight is the story of Jacob Riverson. Jacob was the greatest hero of his age and a shining light against the darkness... right up until the big bad dark lord guts him like a fish. The end. Well, not quite. Jacob wakes up a few hundred years later only to discover the big bad has been using his body (and possibly soul) as a weapon against the forces of light. In short, after being brutally cuddled to death by sharp objects, Jacob was turned into a Wraith Knight (see Ring Wraith). But the surprises aren't quite done for poor Jay-Jay and he's reliably informed by the big bad itself that evil kinda lost the war on purpose because the big bad was just a bit bored of being the big bad. But it's OK, because humanity is a vile species and there's always another war just around the corner. Oh, and the world needs evil so the big bad has volunteered Jacob for the role. No auditions necessary. And that's pretty much where the book starts.
We follow along with Jacob and his growing (and shrinking) collection of super friends (I say this literally as everyone with a name seems to have a super power of some sort) as they attempt to right the wrongs of the world by becoming... evil.
So I described the book as “A mix between Lord of the Rings and World of Warcraft with more epic battles than a 40-man raid.” (Yes. I was there at the beginning. I killed Ragnaros and it was glorious). And there sure are epic battles. The pace of the book is so fast that every time Jacob goes anywhere, there's someone to fight. Add into this a poorly defined magic system and you'll soon find that anything goes in the battles. Sometimes there's swords, sometimes there's magic, sometimes there's monsters. And just when you think the battle is over, the action refuses to relent and Jacob find himself thrown into more conflict.
It's obvious from the get go that Charles has put a lot of thought into the world he's created and there's plenty of lore to back up the action with frequent flashbacks to Jacob's... life (read past) and his journey takes us through much of the world so we get to discover a lot about it. He's obviously borrowed from a lot of well established worlds in terms of monsters and other sentient races, but usually puts his own slight spin on them.
The plot is fairly straight forward (at least at first glance) and Charles does a good job of internalising the struggle Jacob faces between wanting to be good and realising that the only way to be good is to be a little bit bad... or a lot bad. Sometimes the world is so messed up it needs an iron fist... I'm fairly certain Dr Doom said that.
I have a couple of issues with the book. First off is the main character himself. I struggled to get a good sense of who Jacob was and not just because he struggles with that question throughout the book. He feels a little inconsistent at times. One moment he's dour and resentful of the life and unlife he has led and the next he's flirting with anything in a skirt and cracking jokes. He moves on from the love of his life with a couple of tears, despite proclaiming her to be the love of his life, because... another woman presents herself to him. It all added up to me struggling to empathise with him.
The other issue was the superfriends were a bit too superfriendly. Maybe it was an attempt by Charles to subvert a trope but the three main cast were far too quick to start swearing oaths to each other left right and centre. It felt very forced. They all went from acquaintances to besties in a matter of moments.
So I give Wraith Knight a solid 3 stars. It's a fast past action fantasy romp that sits in the lighter side of the grimdark tent.
And see, my review is pretty much spoiler free. I even got away without mentioning the big twist at the end...
On a personal note this was one of the first ARCs I was given to read... my Kindle is now full of the damned things.
So Wraith Knight is the story of Jacob Riverson. Jacob was the greatest hero of his age and a shining light against the darkness... right up until the big bad dark lord guts him like a fish. The end. Well, not quite. Jacob wakes up a few hundred years later only to discover the big bad has been using his body (and possibly soul) as a weapon against the forces of light. In short, after being brutally cuddled to death by sharp objects, Jacob was turned into a Wraith Knight (see Ring Wraith). But the surprises aren't quite done for poor Jay-Jay and he's reliably informed by the big bad itself that evil kinda lost the war on purpose because the big bad was just a bit bored of being the big bad. But it's OK, because humanity is a vile species and there's always another war just around the corner. Oh, and the world needs evil so the big bad has volunteered Jacob for the role. No auditions necessary. And that's pretty much where the book starts.
We follow along with Jacob and his growing (and shrinking) collection of super friends (I say this literally as everyone with a name seems to have a super power of some sort) as they attempt to right the wrongs of the world by becoming... evil.
So I described the book as “A mix between Lord of the Rings and World of Warcraft with more epic battles than a 40-man raid.” (Yes. I was there at the beginning. I killed Ragnaros and it was glorious). And there sure are epic battles. The pace of the book is so fast that every time Jacob goes anywhere, there's someone to fight. Add into this a poorly defined magic system and you'll soon find that anything goes in the battles. Sometimes there's swords, sometimes there's magic, sometimes there's monsters. And just when you think the battle is over, the action refuses to relent and Jacob find himself thrown into more conflict.
It's obvious from the get go that Charles has put a lot of thought into the world he's created and there's plenty of lore to back up the action with frequent flashbacks to Jacob's... life (read past) and his journey takes us through much of the world so we get to discover a lot about it. He's obviously borrowed from a lot of well established worlds in terms of monsters and other sentient races, but usually puts his own slight spin on them.
The plot is fairly straight forward (at least at first glance) and Charles does a good job of internalising the struggle Jacob faces between wanting to be good and realising that the only way to be good is to be a little bit bad... or a lot bad. Sometimes the world is so messed up it needs an iron fist... I'm fairly certain Dr Doom said that.
I have a couple of issues with the book. First off is the main character himself. I struggled to get a good sense of who Jacob was and not just because he struggles with that question throughout the book. He feels a little inconsistent at times. One moment he's dour and resentful of the life and unlife he has led and the next he's flirting with anything in a skirt and cracking jokes. He moves on from the love of his life with a couple of tears, despite proclaiming her to be the love of his life, because... another woman presents herself to him. It all added up to me struggling to empathise with him.
The other issue was the superfriends were a bit too superfriendly. Maybe it was an attempt by Charles to subvert a trope but the three main cast were far too quick to start swearing oaths to each other left right and centre. It felt very forced. They all went from acquaintances to besties in a matter of moments.
So I give Wraith Knight a solid 3 stars. It's a fast past action fantasy romp that sits in the lighter side of the grimdark tent.
And see, my review is pretty much spoiler free. I even got away without mentioning the big twist at the end...
May 4, 2023
Pretty good! It's an enjoyable story about a misguided knight that died and was brought back to life by the King Below, a dark god, as a Death Knight. This follows his story after he reagins control over his life.
Not as introspective as I'd like, and it was a short book, but there's two more. So we'll see how it goes.
Not as introspective as I'd like, and it was a short book, but there's two more. So we'll see how it goes.
February 1, 2018
The main concept is what immediately drew me into Wraith Knight, with a hero from a previous age being turned into what is essentially a ring wraith and working for the dark lord for centuries against his will. Hundreds of years later he suddenly gets his consciousness back and has to deal with trying to be the good guy when he's really the bad guy.
All the central themes of Wraith Knight revolve around the idea that a black and white / good versus evil mechanic can't continue to operate after the war of the ring is over. With no equivalent of a congress or parliament to give voices to the common people and compromise on shades of gray, those who were on the side of ultimate good will essentially become evil.
There's some great philosophizing here on how kings are just people good at killing meant to protect subjects from other people good at killing, and in such a system peace can't really last. The evil god is actually defeated, but fast forward hundreds of years and the world isn't a utopia by any stretch of the imagination now that there's no one for the “good guys” to focus their ire on except for each other.
On the world building front, Wraith Knight is an amalgam of all things fantasy that might bring to mind a universe like Heroes Of Might and Magic, where griffon riding knights clash with dragons, death knights, elves, giants, mechanical troops created by wizards, and many more fantastic creatures. Despite the very large cast of species, countries, groups, and types of magic, its clear a lot of thought went into the world building. At times the mechanics of the story are almost more LitRPG than straight fantasy, pulling powers and themes liberally from across the fantasy spectrum.
While there are very grim and non-heroic elements on display, those are padded by constant wisecracks and jokes, which might come out of left field if you aren't familiar with the author. I knew to be on the lookout for constant humor and pop culture references in his series I Was A Teenage Weredeer, but wasn't prepared for it here in this nominally grimdark novel. Unfortunately that's not a juxtaposition that usually works well for me, as I'm not a big fan of comic relief in fantasy or sci-fi (I'm more a Watchmen guy than an Avengers guy).
Nearly every character cracks sarcastic one liners and quips off jokes no matter who they are currently talking to, whether peasant, king, undead knight, or god of ultimate evil, and I really wasn't expecting that based on the cover and subject matter. The end result is that Wraith Knight is sort of the Steel Panther rendition of fantasy in that its simultaneously both a tribute to and parody of the source material, often working as a tongue-in-cheek homage to classic fantasy. Sometimes people say things like “f**k you” and sometimes they pepper their speech with thee, thou, and mustn't. At one point the main character even breaks the fourth wall by quipping that their oddball group of adventurers would be in a Terry Pratchett novel if they had animated luggage.
In short, I typically prefer my fantasy black, while this is fantasy with lots of cream and sugar. That's not to say it wasn't still a great ride though, as the setup, themes, and overall story arc work well. In particular I liked how the gods aren't at all how their priests and lay followers understand them, and the divine beings are clearly playing a very different game than their mortal counterparts. It was also interesting to see how the main character's memories of people and events don't even remotely match up with what the history has become over his 200 year absence, with villains cast as great heroes and heroes forgotten as lecherous nobodies. There's also a great twist at the end when the big bad villain is finally revealed.
Although I don't personally care for the jokes or more flippant approach towards fantasy, Wraith Knight is definitely worth checking out for any fan of fantasy, and if you like a hefty dose of sarcasm and comedy then this one will probably be 5 stars for you.
All the central themes of Wraith Knight revolve around the idea that a black and white / good versus evil mechanic can't continue to operate after the war of the ring is over. With no equivalent of a congress or parliament to give voices to the common people and compromise on shades of gray, those who were on the side of ultimate good will essentially become evil.
There's some great philosophizing here on how kings are just people good at killing meant to protect subjects from other people good at killing, and in such a system peace can't really last. The evil god is actually defeated, but fast forward hundreds of years and the world isn't a utopia by any stretch of the imagination now that there's no one for the “good guys” to focus their ire on except for each other.
On the world building front, Wraith Knight is an amalgam of all things fantasy that might bring to mind a universe like Heroes Of Might and Magic, where griffon riding knights clash with dragons, death knights, elves, giants, mechanical troops created by wizards, and many more fantastic creatures. Despite the very large cast of species, countries, groups, and types of magic, its clear a lot of thought went into the world building. At times the mechanics of the story are almost more LitRPG than straight fantasy, pulling powers and themes liberally from across the fantasy spectrum.
While there are very grim and non-heroic elements on display, those are padded by constant wisecracks and jokes, which might come out of left field if you aren't familiar with the author. I knew to be on the lookout for constant humor and pop culture references in his series I Was A Teenage Weredeer, but wasn't prepared for it here in this nominally grimdark novel. Unfortunately that's not a juxtaposition that usually works well for me, as I'm not a big fan of comic relief in fantasy or sci-fi (I'm more a Watchmen guy than an Avengers guy).
Nearly every character cracks sarcastic one liners and quips off jokes no matter who they are currently talking to, whether peasant, king, undead knight, or god of ultimate evil, and I really wasn't expecting that based on the cover and subject matter. The end result is that Wraith Knight is sort of the Steel Panther rendition of fantasy in that its simultaneously both a tribute to and parody of the source material, often working as a tongue-in-cheek homage to classic fantasy. Sometimes people say things like “f**k you” and sometimes they pepper their speech with thee, thou, and mustn't. At one point the main character even breaks the fourth wall by quipping that their oddball group of adventurers would be in a Terry Pratchett novel if they had animated luggage.
In short, I typically prefer my fantasy black, while this is fantasy with lots of cream and sugar. That's not to say it wasn't still a great ride though, as the setup, themes, and overall story arc work well. In particular I liked how the gods aren't at all how their priests and lay followers understand them, and the divine beings are clearly playing a very different game than their mortal counterparts. It was also interesting to see how the main character's memories of people and events don't even remotely match up with what the history has become over his 200 year absence, with villains cast as great heroes and heroes forgotten as lecherous nobodies. There's also a great twist at the end when the big bad villain is finally revealed.
Although I don't personally care for the jokes or more flippant approach towards fantasy, Wraith Knight is definitely worth checking out for any fan of fantasy, and if you like a hefty dose of sarcasm and comedy then this one will probably be 5 stars for you.
June 29, 2017
WARNING: do not attempt this novel unless your schedule for the day is clear.
I could not put down Wraith Knight by C.T. Phipps. I tried. I had lots of things to do. Alas, my plans for the day were crushed because this book is addictive.
Wraith Knight chronicles the events that transpire when Jacob, former legendary hero, finds himself shriven of life and wakes up not just dead, but a Wraith Knight, one of the four Dark Lords of the King Below. He soon discovers that the King Below is dead, and he has spent the last two centuries in the service of evil. Jacob is understandably not happy about this circumstance. After abortive attempts to end his (un)existence, Jacob finds himself saddled with the duty to bring the Nine Heroes to ruin and become the next King Below.
In short order, Jacob hooks up with female companions Regina, a warrior-elf, and Serah, a powerful dark sorceress who, over the course of their adventures, develop a deep affection for each other and even Jacob -- kind of like a holy trinity of darkness.
There are many themes explored in this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a complex grimdark tale that takes the usual fantasy tropes and turns them on their head. Jacob’s character is sarcastic and hilarious – everything you’d want in a reluctant Dark Lord. His two female companions are both fierce, independent heroines who manage to embrace their own strengths without diminishing the male protagonist.
The theme of “one man’s villain is another man’s hero” is explored in depth within these pages. The Lawgiver (god of light) comes off as perhaps a worse choice in deity than the King Below. The whole concept of good and evil is brought into question, and we find ourselves beginning to side with Jacob the Dark Lord and his Shadowkind allies against the Lightborn.
The novel also contains an exceptionally grimdark and complex romance between Jacob and his long-dead lover, Jassamine, a sanctified arch-wizard and a lawful-good character diametrically opposed to what Jacob now represents.
I thoroughly enjoyed Wraith Knight and am already thirsting for the sequel. Highly recommend!
I could not put down Wraith Knight by C.T. Phipps. I tried. I had lots of things to do. Alas, my plans for the day were crushed because this book is addictive.
Wraith Knight chronicles the events that transpire when Jacob, former legendary hero, finds himself shriven of life and wakes up not just dead, but a Wraith Knight, one of the four Dark Lords of the King Below. He soon discovers that the King Below is dead, and he has spent the last two centuries in the service of evil. Jacob is understandably not happy about this circumstance. After abortive attempts to end his (un)existence, Jacob finds himself saddled with the duty to bring the Nine Heroes to ruin and become the next King Below.
In short order, Jacob hooks up with female companions Regina, a warrior-elf, and Serah, a powerful dark sorceress who, over the course of their adventures, develop a deep affection for each other and even Jacob -- kind of like a holy trinity of darkness.
There are many themes explored in this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a complex grimdark tale that takes the usual fantasy tropes and turns them on their head. Jacob’s character is sarcastic and hilarious – everything you’d want in a reluctant Dark Lord. His two female companions are both fierce, independent heroines who manage to embrace their own strengths without diminishing the male protagonist.
The theme of “one man’s villain is another man’s hero” is explored in depth within these pages. The Lawgiver (god of light) comes off as perhaps a worse choice in deity than the King Below. The whole concept of good and evil is brought into question, and we find ourselves beginning to side with Jacob the Dark Lord and his Shadowkind allies against the Lightborn.
The novel also contains an exceptionally grimdark and complex romance between Jacob and his long-dead lover, Jassamine, a sanctified arch-wizard and a lawful-good character diametrically opposed to what Jacob now represents.
I thoroughly enjoyed Wraith Knight and am already thirsting for the sequel. Highly recommend!
February 2, 2018
The first book of CT Phipps I read didn't quite work for me. And it made me feel very uncomfortable, especially since I'd been given a copy of all his books in exchange for a fair review.
In the end, I told myself that he's a big boy and can take it, then went ahead and wrote my review.
He took it quite well, as have all the authors who have given me books to review (aren't they crazy??!!). That was a comfort. However, it raised the stakes for the next book, and it took me a long time and a lot of tergiversation before I took up this one.
This little backstory is important because I want it known I didn't expect much.
By the first few paragraphs, I knew there was something about this book that just CLICKED.
The tone, the characterization, the tense, the setting; everything just... worked.
As if this book was written especially for me, where I am right now in my life.
A book for grown-ups.
Disclaimer: This is not a technical review. It's an emotional echo chamber. Because, fuck it, sometimes a book just grabs you by the guts and pulls you along.
You've been warned.
If you've read many of my reviews, you know by now that I am particularly frustrated with most of the villains I've been seeing. I'm on a campaign against the word "Evil" because I find it to be absolutely devoid of any meaning. And here comes a book that finally takes on the challenge of addressing my frustrations, in the best way possible.
So Jacob is a Wraith Knight. He's committed hundreds of atrocious acts in the pursuit of what he believed to be the Greater Good. But when he comes back to "life", a few hundred years later, he has to face the consequences of his choices and question his morals, or maybe even the nature of Moral itself.
YES!!!!
But what really lifts this book to the next level is the characters.
They are just powerful.
Now don't mistake me: I don't mean realistic. There is a place for photorealism, and a book full of undeads and dragons is not one of them. You need a bit more flair, grander gestures, sharper postures in an epic fantasy. And this book definitely is epic in my eyes.
No, I mean POWER as: masterful characterization!
If there's one single reason for you to read this book, it's to see the denizens of this world live, talk and surprise you with insights and pearls of wisdom from the most unexpected corners.
Hell, I found myself losing sight of the plot, just to focus on the human (or otherwise) dynamics.
And that, for me, is more precious than the greatest quest.
That's why I don't really care that there ends up being a greater magic than Name Magic after all (the whole over-the-top thing is where you lost a star, sorry).
Thank you, CT Phipps, for not beating around the bush and talking plainly!
Thank you for finally making female protagonists I could believe. Thank you for graduating from blonde princesses.
Thank you for your humility (yes, I could see it), and your willingness to put your hand in the meat-grinder. Some of the themes you touched on (and you know the one I mean, you perverted man!) take real guts in this day and age, but you pulled it off splendidly.
Thank you for the humour, or as you US people say, "keeping it real". That worked for me in such a way, you would never know.
Most of all, thank you for respecting my intelligence. That, for me, was the greatest gift of this book.
Ah yes, I hear this book also poses as Fantasy.
Enjoy.
In the end, I told myself that he's a big boy and can take it, then went ahead and wrote my review.
He took it quite well, as have all the authors who have given me books to review (aren't they crazy??!!). That was a comfort. However, it raised the stakes for the next book, and it took me a long time and a lot of tergiversation before I took up this one.
This little backstory is important because I want it known I didn't expect much.
By the first few paragraphs, I knew there was something about this book that just CLICKED.
The tone, the characterization, the tense, the setting; everything just... worked.
As if this book was written especially for me, where I am right now in my life.
A book for grown-ups.
Disclaimer: This is not a technical review. It's an emotional echo chamber. Because, fuck it, sometimes a book just grabs you by the guts and pulls you along.
You've been warned.
If you've read many of my reviews, you know by now that I am particularly frustrated with most of the villains I've been seeing. I'm on a campaign against the word "Evil" because I find it to be absolutely devoid of any meaning. And here comes a book that finally takes on the challenge of addressing my frustrations, in the best way possible.
So Jacob is a Wraith Knight. He's committed hundreds of atrocious acts in the pursuit of what he believed to be the Greater Good. But when he comes back to "life", a few hundred years later, he has to face the consequences of his choices and question his morals, or maybe even the nature of Moral itself.
YES!!!!
But what really lifts this book to the next level is the characters.
They are just powerful.
Now don't mistake me: I don't mean realistic. There is a place for photorealism, and a book full of undeads and dragons is not one of them. You need a bit more flair, grander gestures, sharper postures in an epic fantasy. And this book definitely is epic in my eyes.
No, I mean POWER as: masterful characterization!
If there's one single reason for you to read this book, it's to see the denizens of this world live, talk and surprise you with insights and pearls of wisdom from the most unexpected corners.
Hell, I found myself losing sight of the plot, just to focus on the human (or otherwise) dynamics.
And that, for me, is more precious than the greatest quest.
That's why I don't really care that there ends up being a greater magic than Name Magic after all (the whole over-the-top thing is where you lost a star, sorry).
Thank you, CT Phipps, for not beating around the bush and talking plainly!
Thank you for finally making female protagonists I could believe. Thank you for graduating from blonde princesses.
Thank you for your humility (yes, I could see it), and your willingness to put your hand in the meat-grinder. Some of the themes you touched on (and you know the one I mean, you perverted man!) take real guts in this day and age, but you pulled it off splendidly.
Thank you for the humour, or as you US people say, "keeping it real". That worked for me in such a way, you would never know.
Most of all, thank you for respecting my intelligence. That, for me, was the greatest gift of this book.
Ah yes, I hear this book also poses as Fantasy.
Enjoy.
June 5, 2019
Have you ever wondered what the Nazgul thought about being enslaved? I mean, none of the Nine Ringwraiths were voluntarily serving Sauron. They were enslaved by the magic of their Rings and then turned into immortal shades that were set on their fellow humans. It's a very different situation than Al-Pharazon and the Mouth of Sauron or even Saruman. There's also the fact the orcs and other soldiers of Sauron aren't necessarily volunteers in the army of the Dark Lord. In a ruthless dictatorial state, you do what the people with the sharp pointy objects tell you. Plenty of authoritarian dictatorships, if not most of them, have armies of conscripts.
These questions were the ones that caused me to write my "What if" with Jacob Riverson. The hero of an age, albeit a flawed one, was killed battling the King Below and resurrected as an unholy undead abomination. For 600 years, he was the enemy of the races of men and it was only by the destruction of the King Below that he was freed. However, he did not return to the grave. Nope, poor Jacob is still a ghostly horror possessed of vast magical power--he just has his free will back. Worse, the situation post-King Below isn't great. The Nine Heroes who saved the world are not nearly as decent as Frodo and his gang--they're fanatics determined to purge the world of evil.
A young heroine on dragonback, a black witch, and a dead god's final command mean that the new age is going to be VERY interesting for our unconventional hero.
These questions were the ones that caused me to write my "What if" with Jacob Riverson. The hero of an age, albeit a flawed one, was killed battling the King Below and resurrected as an unholy undead abomination. For 600 years, he was the enemy of the races of men and it was only by the destruction of the King Below that he was freed. However, he did not return to the grave. Nope, poor Jacob is still a ghostly horror possessed of vast magical power--he just has his free will back. Worse, the situation post-King Below isn't great. The Nine Heroes who saved the world are not nearly as decent as Frodo and his gang--they're fanatics determined to purge the world of evil.
A young heroine on dragonback, a black witch, and a dead god's final command mean that the new age is going to be VERY interesting for our unconventional hero.
November 1, 2022
The basic concept of this secondary world adventure is that a knight wakes up some 600 years after his death at the hands of a dark lord he was fighting against and realises that on his death he was enslaved to serve the dark lord. For the 600 years he has done his bidding and committed terrible crimes. It is a good idea that I've not seen before. With CT Phipps it is a given that the action will be somewhat over the top and that is true here, there is a great deal of very powerful magic being thrown around. The dialogue between the characters is sharp and snarky - another Phipps trademark. I particularly liked the interaction with the persona of the dark lord that lives in the central character's mind. What you also get with Phipps is a look beneath the surface of the plot and this story is no exception with an examination of the true nature of good and evil.
December 15, 2018
This book had some things that worked really well for me - especially the hero being the villain and still being the hero (so neither good or bad, but somehow both and neither), and a lot of magic!
It also had things that annoyed me to no end, especially an eyerolling love triangle that made me cringe over and over.
The characters are extremely tropey and over done, but on purpose. Still it didn't always work for me.
While I loved Lucifer's star by the same author, this one was only a "nice" read for me. I don't regret the time or money spent, but I wouldn't miss it if I read something else instead.
It also had things that annoyed me to no end, especially an eyerolling love triangle that made me cringe over and over.
The characters are extremely tropey and over done, but on purpose. Still it didn't always work for me.
While I loved Lucifer's star by the same author, this one was only a "nice" read for me. I don't regret the time or money spent, but I wouldn't miss it if I read something else instead.
December 26, 2019
Finally getting on top of all these reviews I have to write - https://www.alwroteabook.com/2019/12/...
January 28, 2018
4.5 stars
I loved this book. From the first word to the last, I loved everything about it. Reading it was like returning to a beloved ice cream parlor you hadn't visited in years, and ordering the dark chocolate sundae with hot fudge, chocolate chips, and whipped cream that you loved so much when you were young, and savoring every delicious, nostalgia-filled moment.
The book is written in first person, from the point of view of an extremely sympathetic and likable narrator named Jacob, who awakens at the beginning of the novel and realizes that for the past thousand years or so, his will has been enslaved to a recently defeated evil god, the King Below. The defeat of this Sauron/Morgoth-like character has resulted in Jacob regaining his free will, but he's still a wraith--a ghost who can assume corporeal form--and his powers still come from the dark source that had enslaved his will. Jacob then sets out to try to atone for the past thousand years and immediately becomes embroiled in a civil war between the armies that defeated the King Below, an effort that goes terribly wrong very fast but leads to Jacob befriending two women from the losing side, a paladin named Regina and a dark mage named Serah, and the threesome make their escape from the powers of "good" and embark on a quest to gain a magical item that they believe will restore Jacob's humanity. Along the way, good and evil are turned upside down as Jacob remembers more and more of his past before he became a wraith, and he and his friends make an increasing number of discoveries about the supposed good guys' tactics, which lead to a lot of discussion about whether the ends justify the means.
The book is packed with action and emotion and lots and lots of Easter eggs for fantasy fans. The characters are well developed, and the plot is beautifully constructed and technically perfect, with all the important loose ends tied off. It nicely follows Chekhov's rule that if you put a shotgun on the wall in act one, you need to use it by act three. It is a wonderfully entertaining, eminently satisfying, page-turner of a roller coaster ride. So why did I knock off half a star? The edition I read had a lot of grammatical errors that were annoying and sometimes confusing. I have heard that the author is having the book re-edited, however, and once the text is cleaned up I would give this book an unequivocal five stars.
I loved this book. From the first word to the last, I loved everything about it. Reading it was like returning to a beloved ice cream parlor you hadn't visited in years, and ordering the dark chocolate sundae with hot fudge, chocolate chips, and whipped cream that you loved so much when you were young, and savoring every delicious, nostalgia-filled moment.
The book is written in first person, from the point of view of an extremely sympathetic and likable narrator named Jacob, who awakens at the beginning of the novel and realizes that for the past thousand years or so, his will has been enslaved to a recently defeated evil god, the King Below. The defeat of this Sauron/Morgoth-like character has resulted in Jacob regaining his free will, but he's still a wraith--a ghost who can assume corporeal form--and his powers still come from the dark source that had enslaved his will. Jacob then sets out to try to atone for the past thousand years and immediately becomes embroiled in a civil war between the armies that defeated the King Below, an effort that goes terribly wrong very fast but leads to Jacob befriending two women from the losing side, a paladin named Regina and a dark mage named Serah, and the threesome make their escape from the powers of "good" and embark on a quest to gain a magical item that they believe will restore Jacob's humanity. Along the way, good and evil are turned upside down as Jacob remembers more and more of his past before he became a wraith, and he and his friends make an increasing number of discoveries about the supposed good guys' tactics, which lead to a lot of discussion about whether the ends justify the means.
The book is packed with action and emotion and lots and lots of Easter eggs for fantasy fans. The characters are well developed, and the plot is beautifully constructed and technically perfect, with all the important loose ends tied off. It nicely follows Chekhov's rule that if you put a shotgun on the wall in act one, you need to use it by act three. It is a wonderfully entertaining, eminently satisfying, page-turner of a roller coaster ride. So why did I knock off half a star? The edition I read had a lot of grammatical errors that were annoying and sometimes confusing. I have heard that the author is having the book re-edited, however, and once the text is cleaned up I would give this book an unequivocal five stars.
October 3, 2019
A fun read. Jacob was a legendary hero, and then he died. Now resurrected as a Wraith Knight, an undead servant to his immortal enemy the King Below, he must come to grips with this terrible curse of what he now is while trying to rid himself of it.
The world has a rich history, which I really enjoyed. I also really enjoyed the way Jacob knows the true story about these legendary heroes of old that were his companions way back when, and how history has skewed them all into something very different than they really were.
We have a lot of action and a lot of combat. However the romantic sides to it just felt weird.
The world has a rich history, which I really enjoyed. I also really enjoyed the way Jacob knows the true story about these legendary heroes of old that were his companions way back when, and how history has skewed them all into something very different than they really were.
We have a lot of action and a lot of combat. However the romantic sides to it just felt weird.
January 9, 2018
Wraith Knight, much like many of Charles Phipps' brilliant creations is not a book that can easily be pigeonholed. Sure it falls under the broad category of fantasy, but there is so much more to the story and it is constantly shape shifting in to various sub-genres.
These shifts create something glorious to behold. One of the best trilogy debuts I've read, Wraith Knight, blends the quest story of epic fantasy, the gritty and profane of "Grimdark" and a large scale cinematic world with brutal and fantastical battle scenes. Oh..and there are dragons and Gryphons too!
Phipps writes some funny books, and while Wraith Knight would be placed on the more serious side of his oeuvre , there are some hilarious interactions between characters and some fourth wall breaking meta textual pop culture references and societal commentary that will make it enjoyable for fans of more satirical fantasy as well.
Apparently book two in the trilogy will
Soon make it's way to eager readers and I for one couldn't be more ecstatic.
Wraith Knight is another classic from one of the most unique voices in modern genre literature.
These shifts create something glorious to behold. One of the best trilogy debuts I've read, Wraith Knight, blends the quest story of epic fantasy, the gritty and profane of "Grimdark" and a large scale cinematic world with brutal and fantastical battle scenes. Oh..and there are dragons and Gryphons too!
Phipps writes some funny books, and while Wraith Knight would be placed on the more serious side of his oeuvre , there are some hilarious interactions between characters and some fourth wall breaking meta textual pop culture references and societal commentary that will make it enjoyable for fans of more satirical fantasy as well.
Apparently book two in the trilogy will
Soon make it's way to eager readers and I for one couldn't be more ecstatic.
Wraith Knight is another classic from one of the most unique voices in modern genre literature.
October 26, 2019
Told from a single first-person POV, this story grabbed me from the start and felt different, subverting the now-hackneyed Dark Lord vs Free Realms trope whilst at the same time embracing it unashamedly. The protagonist Jacob Riverson is a former warrior-wizard of (we are initially led to believe) heroic stature, who learns he has been slain and brought back to life as a wraith - in service to the very evil he once fought against. To make matters worse, the Dark Lord archetype, known as the Trickster (who has himself been dethroned during a two-century hiatus the protagonist does not remember at the start of the narrative) has now taken up residence inside Riverson's head, and delights in tormenting his thrall at every turn whilst (the real kicker for me) leaving his free will apparently intact.
This novel operates on a multitude of levels, with a rich pantheon of historical figures, species, monsters and deities, and is replete with questions about moral equivalence and the nature of the hero and power itself, what it means to be good or evil and how the two relate to one another in the universe. It also taps into wider classic literary tropes including memory and the unreliable narrator, the triangle of love, and the corruption of theism by human vanity. The nomenclature is rich, and the magic system bleeds cleverly into ideas around science and mass production that evoke the early modern period of our own history, though the story is nominally quasi-medieval in setting.
Wraith Knight is, in short, my kind of book, though I must say there was so much going on I found myself wishing the ideas had been teased out into a longer story (though I am by nature drawn to lengthier works of fiction, so that could just be my natural bias coming through). As it stands, this novel made me smile on more than one occasion, and struck me as both wise and clever in its handling of core themes.
My only quibble was that there were quite a few typos and grammatical errors, which in my humble opinion the eds team should have spotted. A shame, as I think it would be a perfect series debut if these were tidied up and corrected.* However, I still think this is an excellent work of high/dark fantasy that will suit readers looking for an intelligent take on the genre without being plunged headlong into a nihilistic world where morality doesn't exist at all. To my mind this makes Wraith Knight stand apart from a lot of the grimmer fantasy fiction out there nowadays: though it is by turns quite violent, the author never fails to question the use of violence even as he evokes it, and for this I can only commend him.
I look forward to reading the sequel, which I understand is in production.
* These were corrected in the subsequent re-release of Wraith Knight in 2017. The copy I bought was released the previous year.
This novel operates on a multitude of levels, with a rich pantheon of historical figures, species, monsters and deities, and is replete with questions about moral equivalence and the nature of the hero and power itself, what it means to be good or evil and how the two relate to one another in the universe. It also taps into wider classic literary tropes including memory and the unreliable narrator, the triangle of love, and the corruption of theism by human vanity. The nomenclature is rich, and the magic system bleeds cleverly into ideas around science and mass production that evoke the early modern period of our own history, though the story is nominally quasi-medieval in setting.
Wraith Knight is, in short, my kind of book, though I must say there was so much going on I found myself wishing the ideas had been teased out into a longer story (though I am by nature drawn to lengthier works of fiction, so that could just be my natural bias coming through). As it stands, this novel made me smile on more than one occasion, and struck me as both wise and clever in its handling of core themes.
My only quibble was that there were quite a few typos and grammatical errors, which in my humble opinion the eds team should have spotted. A shame, as I think it would be a perfect series debut if these were tidied up and corrected.* However, I still think this is an excellent work of high/dark fantasy that will suit readers looking for an intelligent take on the genre without being plunged headlong into a nihilistic world where morality doesn't exist at all. To my mind this makes Wraith Knight stand apart from a lot of the grimmer fantasy fiction out there nowadays: though it is by turns quite violent, the author never fails to question the use of violence even as he evokes it, and for this I can only commend him.
I look forward to reading the sequel, which I understand is in production.
* These were corrected in the subsequent re-release of Wraith Knight in 2017. The copy I bought was released the previous year.
February 12, 2019
Phipps Does It Again
Having just read and reviewed The Rules of Supervillainy, I was a little surprised at the “non-hero being a hero” similarities in the two books. I know that Phipps wrote them at different times and that they are eons apart but I also thought that the same feeling was in both books. The best part about that feeling is that it’s a “good triumphs evil” feeling even though the characters are supposed to be villains or bad guys. It’s a really good kind of uncomfortable.
Wraith Knight, while being in a genre that I don’t read too often was a really interesting book from beginning to end. The beginning you are thrown right into who the person is, what he fought (and died) for. Along with what he has become, (hint hint, it’s the title of the book).
Phipps doesn’t hold back and there is a lot of battles, gore, and overall action in Wraith Knight. It really kept the pacing up, letting you take a breath only from time to time. I love when a book does that. It’s exhausting as a reader, but also in a good way.
I keep making statements that sound bad but are actually compliments. It might be because this book had a bad guy doing seemingly good things. Hence the juxtaposition. (Woah, I just used juxtaposition in a review… gold star for me).
The things that I’m used to from Phipps were in this book as well sarcasm, incredibly well designed, explained, and thought out worlds, along with characters that were likable (or not) depending on the situation. A well-written action-packed book that I would recommend if you enjoy Grimdark Fantasy type books.
Peter Berkrot’s narration was spot on and really gave the characters a real feeling. I love when a narrator can do that and Berkrot pulled it off in spades.
Having just read and reviewed The Rules of Supervillainy, I was a little surprised at the “non-hero being a hero” similarities in the two books. I know that Phipps wrote them at different times and that they are eons apart but I also thought that the same feeling was in both books. The best part about that feeling is that it’s a “good triumphs evil” feeling even though the characters are supposed to be villains or bad guys. It’s a really good kind of uncomfortable.
Wraith Knight, while being in a genre that I don’t read too often was a really interesting book from beginning to end. The beginning you are thrown right into who the person is, what he fought (and died) for. Along with what he has become, (hint hint, it’s the title of the book).
Phipps doesn’t hold back and there is a lot of battles, gore, and overall action in Wraith Knight. It really kept the pacing up, letting you take a breath only from time to time. I love when a book does that. It’s exhausting as a reader, but also in a good way.
I keep making statements that sound bad but are actually compliments. It might be because this book had a bad guy doing seemingly good things. Hence the juxtaposition. (Woah, I just used juxtaposition in a review… gold star for me).
The things that I’m used to from Phipps were in this book as well sarcasm, incredibly well designed, explained, and thought out worlds, along with characters that were likable (or not) depending on the situation. A well-written action-packed book that I would recommend if you enjoy Grimdark Fantasy type books.
Peter Berkrot’s narration was spot on and really gave the characters a real feeling. I love when a narrator can do that and Berkrot pulled it off in spades.
February 18, 2019
What is a Wraith Knight? I imagined something between the Nazgûl in Lord of the Rings and Lord Soth from Ravenloft.
Jacob Riverson has awoken from his millennia of service to the King Below; the god of evil in a war-torn land. A once great hero turned into a base villain, who performed travesties in the name of "Evil". Swearing himself to the brave women that have fallen into his path. He will try his best to do the "right" thing, even as the Trickster God of Evil whispers in his ear.
I love tales of Good and Evil! But just like real life, Good and Evil are defined by the victors. Tales of heroism and courageous deeds when viewed through the lens of time are inspirational. However, the closer you are to the battles, the more you realize that both sides are standing on pretty shaky moral ground.
All that being said, CT Phipps gives us something pretty cool: Darth Vader being bad-ass and somehow being heroic at the same time. Ancient loves, cool weaponry, and selfless acts while railing against the "known good". As the "Good guys" destroy everyone in their way, wipe out the disenfranchised, and work to homogenize the land so that independent thought is wiped out from the kingdoms.
All in all, a very clever and well written tale of heroism, friendship, and exploding dragons. Highly recommended!
Jacob Riverson has awoken from his millennia of service to the King Below; the god of evil in a war-torn land. A once great hero turned into a base villain, who performed travesties in the name of "Evil". Swearing himself to the brave women that have fallen into his path. He will try his best to do the "right" thing, even as the Trickster God of Evil whispers in his ear.
I love tales of Good and Evil! But just like real life, Good and Evil are defined by the victors. Tales of heroism and courageous deeds when viewed through the lens of time are inspirational. However, the closer you are to the battles, the more you realize that both sides are standing on pretty shaky moral ground.
All that being said, CT Phipps gives us something pretty cool: Darth Vader being bad-ass and somehow being heroic at the same time. Ancient loves, cool weaponry, and selfless acts while railing against the "known good". As the "Good guys" destroy everyone in their way, wipe out the disenfranchised, and work to homogenize the land so that independent thought is wiped out from the kingdoms.
All in all, a very clever and well written tale of heroism, friendship, and exploding dragons. Highly recommended!
January 29, 2018
Wraith Knight is a cross between epic fantasy and grimdark fantasy. Our main character Jacob was a hero over two centuries ago but his soul was enslaved by the Big Baddie and he served as a Wraith Knight committing many atrocities. Now his servitude is over and he has no memory of his time spent as the repellent Wraith Knight. He was a very interesting character. He gave his life fighting the King Below but now that that malevolence is gone from the world, he is sad to see that the world isn’t a cheery paradise. He has a lot of conflicting emotions and the large cast of characters all treat him differently. Some are disgusted by his actions as a Wraith Knight. Some fear him. Some seek him out for his power. It’s a lot for anyone to deal with.
In this epic story, there’s so many characters. Serah, a witch of a sort, stands out for me as well as Regina. Both are powerful in different ways and both have an eye on Jacob. I also liked the interplay between the ladies. There’s a bit of romance later in the book, but in typical Phipps fashion, it’s not your standard epic fantasy romance. Yay!
Trickster was a fun minor character. It’s a disembodied voice that often speaks Jacob’s doubts, making them seem more plausible. Indeed, without Trickster Jacob wouldn’t have been so interesting as I bet he would have had more self-confidence.
Despite all these things the story had going for it, I still found it hard to be fully engaged with it. Parts of the story lagged for me. I really wanted to enjoy this story completely but I found that many of the characters held no interest for me. Also, I think the narration style had something to do with it as well. 4/5 stars
The Narration: Kevin T. Collins put a lot into his performance. While I can appreciate that, it was also tough to listen to this stylized narration for 12 hours. It was like I was listening to a Shakespeare play for all those hours. Every character spoke in this high and mighty style, all the actions were great and thunderous, all the prose had flourishes. I am guessing that Collins was directed to narrate the entire book in this style. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. I found myself quickly becoming fatigued and since the nuances were tiny, everything said and done sounded important. I had to listen to this audiobook in small chunks of 1-2 hours or I would start zoning out. It was exhausting to get through this audiobook. With that said, Collins never sounded bored with his own performance. His male character voices were distinct, though his ladies didn’t always sound like ladies, nor were they always distinct. The pacing was good and there were no technical issues with the recording. 3/5 stars
In this epic story, there’s so many characters. Serah, a witch of a sort, stands out for me as well as Regina. Both are powerful in different ways and both have an eye on Jacob. I also liked the interplay between the ladies. There’s a bit of romance later in the book, but in typical Phipps fashion, it’s not your standard epic fantasy romance. Yay!
Trickster was a fun minor character. It’s a disembodied voice that often speaks Jacob’s doubts, making them seem more plausible. Indeed, without Trickster Jacob wouldn’t have been so interesting as I bet he would have had more self-confidence.
Despite all these things the story had going for it, I still found it hard to be fully engaged with it. Parts of the story lagged for me. I really wanted to enjoy this story completely but I found that many of the characters held no interest for me. Also, I think the narration style had something to do with it as well. 4/5 stars
The Narration: Kevin T. Collins put a lot into his performance. While I can appreciate that, it was also tough to listen to this stylized narration for 12 hours. It was like I was listening to a Shakespeare play for all those hours. Every character spoke in this high and mighty style, all the actions were great and thunderous, all the prose had flourishes. I am guessing that Collins was directed to narrate the entire book in this style. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. I found myself quickly becoming fatigued and since the nuances were tiny, everything said and done sounded important. I had to listen to this audiobook in small chunks of 1-2 hours or I would start zoning out. It was exhausting to get through this audiobook. With that said, Collins never sounded bored with his own performance. His male character voices were distinct, though his ladies didn’t always sound like ladies, nor were they always distinct. The pacing was good and there were no technical issues with the recording. 3/5 stars
October 18, 2019
3.5 stars
Review originally posted at BooksOfMyHeart.net.
It is no secret I’m a big of Charles Phipps’ writing. His stories are always good for a laugh. When he asked me to try this Wraith Knight series, I figured why not.
This story follows Jacob Riverson, a former war hero, but after falling in battle, he became a wraith knight and fight for the evil he was fighting against. As he starts to get his free will, he finds the world different than he last remembered it.
This story was a bit more of typical fantasy than I normally read. It has Formor and Sidhe and a lot of war and a quest. It read to me like Phipps take on a Tolkien-ish story (I’m saying that having never actually read a Tolkien story, but having seen the Lord of the Rings movies).
As with most of Phipps stories, Wraith Knight had really great characters I really enjoyed my time with them. They are very real and flawed characters, and pretty funny, too. I really have a fun time with any of Phipps characters and these were no different.
While this wasn’t my favorite C.T. Phipps story, I still enjoyed Wraith Knight. I think it was just a bit more typical fantasy than I like. So, the storyline wasn’t my favorite, but I enjoyed the characters as much as any other. They really kept me interested in the story.
Narration:
This was my first time listening to Peter Berkrot. I really enjoyed his narration. I thought he did a great job with all the voices, especially the two female secondary characters. His pacing and tone are on point. I would gladly listen to another book by this him.
**I'd like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Review originally posted at BooksOfMyHeart.net.
It is no secret I’m a big of Charles Phipps’ writing. His stories are always good for a laugh. When he asked me to try this Wraith Knight series, I figured why not.
This story follows Jacob Riverson, a former war hero, but after falling in battle, he became a wraith knight and fight for the evil he was fighting against. As he starts to get his free will, he finds the world different than he last remembered it.
This story was a bit more of typical fantasy than I normally read. It has Formor and Sidhe and a lot of war and a quest. It read to me like Phipps take on a Tolkien-ish story (I’m saying that having never actually read a Tolkien story, but having seen the Lord of the Rings movies).
As with most of Phipps stories, Wraith Knight had really great characters I really enjoyed my time with them. They are very real and flawed characters, and pretty funny, too. I really have a fun time with any of Phipps characters and these were no different.
While this wasn’t my favorite C.T. Phipps story, I still enjoyed Wraith Knight. I think it was just a bit more typical fantasy than I like. So, the storyline wasn’t my favorite, but I enjoyed the characters as much as any other. They really kept me interested in the story.
Narration:
This was my first time listening to Peter Berkrot. I really enjoyed his narration. I thought he did a great job with all the voices, especially the two female secondary characters. His pacing and tone are on point. I would gladly listen to another book by this him.
**I'd like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Want to Read
March 27, 2023Purchased.
September 30, 2022
A gripping tale that includes a 2022 updated foreword, appendices, lexicon, and a bonus short story.
March 12, 2019
Jacob Riverson was once the foremost knight in the fight against the King Below. But when he awakes centuries after his final battle, he is horrified to discover that he has been co-opted to fight for his enemy as the Wraith Knight of the title.
On one level, Wraith Knight takes a number of familiar fantasy tropes; knights, dragons, quests, etc. but inverts many of them. Many of the knights are revealed to have been brutal in their objectives, the latter quest is not to destroy an evil source of power but to claim one. But on another deeper level, it also examines themes of good and evil, how difficult it can be to tell one from the other and how you can't really have one without the other.
Jacob remembers only fragments of his past but since the story is told in the first person, this works to the book's advantage, since we get to learn the truth about Jacob at the same time he does. The accompanying drawback to this is that it can sometimes be difficult to fully connect with the character. Overall though, he is well enough written to maintain some sympathy. There are relatively few other characters, but each makes an impact on the plot. My favorite was probably the Trickster, a persona of the King Below that exists only in Jacob's mind. Sometimes sarcastic, sometimes creepy but always entertaining.
There has obviously been a great deal of thought put into this world, its empires and race but I was left with the feeling that this book only scratched the surface of what there is to know. Likewise, while the book does finish at an appropriate point, there is still plenty of room for Jacob's story to continue.
I'm looking forward to more.
On one level, Wraith Knight takes a number of familiar fantasy tropes; knights, dragons, quests, etc. but inverts many of them. Many of the knights are revealed to have been brutal in their objectives, the latter quest is not to destroy an evil source of power but to claim one. But on another deeper level, it also examines themes of good and evil, how difficult it can be to tell one from the other and how you can't really have one without the other.
Jacob remembers only fragments of his past but since the story is told in the first person, this works to the book's advantage, since we get to learn the truth about Jacob at the same time he does. The accompanying drawback to this is that it can sometimes be difficult to fully connect with the character. Overall though, he is well enough written to maintain some sympathy. There are relatively few other characters, but each makes an impact on the plot. My favorite was probably the Trickster, a persona of the King Below that exists only in Jacob's mind. Sometimes sarcastic, sometimes creepy but always entertaining.
There has obviously been a great deal of thought put into this world, its empires and race but I was left with the feeling that this book only scratched the surface of what there is to know. Likewise, while the book does finish at an appropriate point, there is still plenty of room for Jacob's story to continue.
I'm looking forward to more.
August 31, 2022
Reading this book I thought I was surprised at how many delightful twists and turns the story took that I didn’t see coming. I kept thinking I know where this is going but nope, I was wrong. I loved this book for that. It kept me trying to guess where the story was going.
I also enjoyed the redemption story that happens. Most fantasy novels don’t base their character actions or reasons in real world reason or logic which is something that this author does very well. Over all a delightful read and I look forward to reading the next in this series.
I also enjoyed the redemption story that happens. Most fantasy novels don’t base their character actions or reasons in real world reason or logic which is something that this author does very well. Over all a delightful read and I look forward to reading the next in this series.
January 7, 2020
Okay, this is a weird one. The love triangle felt like the author was writing about his fantasies. I also wish more was done with the wraith knight aspect of the main character, as the main character felt like a man with extra powers with no downsides. Everything else was enjoyable.
Audiobook note. The narrator did a superb job.
Audiobook note. The narrator did a superb job.
May 30, 2019
I don't normally gravitate to these kinds of storylines, but this one has a great story, and kept my interest throughout the book. Will be getting the second in the series soon.
December 1, 2022
A very clever inversion of classic fantasy tropes with good characters and more than a few laughs.
July 10, 2019
I've loved pretty much all the books I've read by this author so was excited to dive into this, and it was awesome, well written, great world setting...but then he added in the dreaded love triangle!! I loathe love triangles and try to avoid books with them in it, and I wasn't impressed to find one here, it just didn't add to the story at all and I wish it wasn't part of it which is why the 4 stars instead of 5.
Anyway, The plot was fast paced and intense. We are thrown into the story right from the start and have to learn the back story of Jacob before we fully understand his character. I loved that fact!! Jacob is awesome and seeing what he went through and where he is now was brilliantly done. I loved the world building and learning all about the Wraith Knights, the Dragon Riders and every other being that's part of the world. I'm a massive fan of Lord of the Rings and the Wraith Knights reminded me of the Nazgul. I also loved learning about the King Below. I actually think the world building in this book is the best one this author has written. It's rich in detail and beings and was just all round amazing.
As I said, I loathe love triangles. I think the blossoming relationship between the other two characters involved in the love triangle (I'm keeping it vague to avoid spoilers) was beautiful and enough, Jacob does not need to be involved! Other than that, the book is filled with what I've come to expect from this author, great characters, strong women, witty banter and laughs as well as tears. I will definitely continue on with the series and try to put away my hatred of love triangles ;)
In all, a well written and developed read. It grabbed me from the start and I was hooked the whole way through. It's the start of what's sure to be an epic journey.
Peter Berkrot read this really well. He has a pleasant voice that was clear and easy to listen to. He had a great range of tones and voices and I thoroughly enjoyed his performance.
I was given this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
Anyway, The plot was fast paced and intense. We are thrown into the story right from the start and have to learn the back story of Jacob before we fully understand his character. I loved that fact!! Jacob is awesome and seeing what he went through and where he is now was brilliantly done. I loved the world building and learning all about the Wraith Knights, the Dragon Riders and every other being that's part of the world. I'm a massive fan of Lord of the Rings and the Wraith Knights reminded me of the Nazgul. I also loved learning about the King Below. I actually think the world building in this book is the best one this author has written. It's rich in detail and beings and was just all round amazing.
As I said, I loathe love triangles. I think the blossoming relationship between the other two characters involved in the love triangle (I'm keeping it vague to avoid spoilers) was beautiful and enough, Jacob does not need to be involved! Other than that, the book is filled with what I've come to expect from this author, great characters, strong women, witty banter and laughs as well as tears. I will definitely continue on with the series and try to put away my hatred of love triangles ;)
In all, a well written and developed read. It grabbed me from the start and I was hooked the whole way through. It's the start of what's sure to be an epic journey.
Peter Berkrot read this really well. He has a pleasant voice that was clear and easy to listen to. He had a great range of tones and voices and I thoroughly enjoyed his performance.
I was given this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
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