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Recompense
Some debts can be paid in gold. Some debts can only be paid in blood. And for some debts, not even blood is enough. The shadow of ancient darkness has been waiting six centuries for Agrahain's debt to be paid. It seems that the sins of the fathers really can be visited upon the generations. Literally.
768 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 9, 2016
Recompense is the third and final book in the Unfortunate Woods fantasy series by Morgan Alreth. I read the first two (Athame and Wrath) back in 2014, and have been waiting since then for the conclusion to appear. The wait was well worth it: Morgan has written a splendid climax to the series. The book can be read in isolation, and necessary snippets of back-story are written in, though naturally it would be better to have read the previous two books.
Be warned that Recompense is a long book. I read the Kindle version, but if you got a physical copy it comes in at well over 800 pages, nearly as much as the first two put together. But it was a good authorial decision, I think, to keep it as a single volume rather than subdivide it. There is no logical place for such a division, and this choice keeps the momentum and the intricacy of the plot going. It is much better this way, and it avoids the untidy truncation one comes across in many books.
It has been clear from the two earlier books that the central characters - Peteros and Jessera - are seeking recompense for wrongs done to them. The first, and most obvious, story thread follows this. But there are other claims for the righting of wrongs which must be heard, and these voices start to emerge with increasing clarity. There are some long overdue debts which must be paid. The non-human occupants of the region get to have their say in this as well.
The world we encounter is one of superlatives. The good guys and girls display their virtue by means of heroic deeds and devoted loyalty. They love and hate intensely, and are passionately committed to their cause. The bad ones are implacable and cunning in their opposition. There are few shades of grey, and the people who inhabit the middle ground usually do so either because of ignorance, or because years of oppression and abuse have squashed their ability to discern. A recurring, and compelling, theme of the book is that of personal empowerment, following on the heels of liberation from slavery in any form - some of the most stirring and moving passages are built around this. We find in Recompense that there is a whole world of people which has been just clinging on to existence, forced to conceal their true thoughts and feelings in order to survive. Given the chance, this nation and its leaders will strive for justice and equality.
I did wonder how - and if - Morgan was going to write redemption for the oppressors. Right now, it appears that some parts of this complex society are so far gone in corruption that this cannot happen. Certainly those parts were left unredeemed in this volume. However, reintegration of broken-off pieces is a feature of the books, and perhaps this will come in a later work.
All in all, this is a story well worth reading. There are gripping adventures, interesting plot twists and character revelations, and the book has been technically well executed. Will there be more to follow? I hope so - even if this particular tale is tied up, the world it is set in is amply large enough for us to see more of it. Recompense comes highly recommended by me.
Be warned that Recompense is a long book. I read the Kindle version, but if you got a physical copy it comes in at well over 800 pages, nearly as much as the first two put together. But it was a good authorial decision, I think, to keep it as a single volume rather than subdivide it. There is no logical place for such a division, and this choice keeps the momentum and the intricacy of the plot going. It is much better this way, and it avoids the untidy truncation one comes across in many books.
It has been clear from the two earlier books that the central characters - Peteros and Jessera - are seeking recompense for wrongs done to them. The first, and most obvious, story thread follows this. But there are other claims for the righting of wrongs which must be heard, and these voices start to emerge with increasing clarity. There are some long overdue debts which must be paid. The non-human occupants of the region get to have their say in this as well.
The world we encounter is one of superlatives. The good guys and girls display their virtue by means of heroic deeds and devoted loyalty. They love and hate intensely, and are passionately committed to their cause. The bad ones are implacable and cunning in their opposition. There are few shades of grey, and the people who inhabit the middle ground usually do so either because of ignorance, or because years of oppression and abuse have squashed their ability to discern. A recurring, and compelling, theme of the book is that of personal empowerment, following on the heels of liberation from slavery in any form - some of the most stirring and moving passages are built around this. We find in Recompense that there is a whole world of people which has been just clinging on to existence, forced to conceal their true thoughts and feelings in order to survive. Given the chance, this nation and its leaders will strive for justice and equality.
I did wonder how - and if - Morgan was going to write redemption for the oppressors. Right now, it appears that some parts of this complex society are so far gone in corruption that this cannot happen. Certainly those parts were left unredeemed in this volume. However, reintegration of broken-off pieces is a feature of the books, and perhaps this will come in a later work.
All in all, this is a story well worth reading. There are gripping adventures, interesting plot twists and character revelations, and the book has been technically well executed. Will there be more to follow? I hope so - even if this particular tale is tied up, the world it is set in is amply large enough for us to see more of it. Recompense comes highly recommended by me.
August 16, 2018
I had forgotten how much I love these characters. It had been awhile since I'd read the first two books in this series, so I went back and reread them first. It's such a great, epic story with fully-developed characters who shouldn't work together so well. And yet, they do. Their journey and the way they revolutionize their world is full of surprises.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews