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Empire of Salt #2
Shiang
Conn Iggulden is back with the spellbinding second instalment in the Empire of Salt trilogy. Twelve families spoil for a throne soon to be made vacant - by murder or civil war.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
November 3, 2018
This is the second instalment in the kingdom fantasy series, Empire of Salt.
Shiang is Darien's neighbouring city, despite lying thousands of miles across snow-swept landscape and bearing no connection bar one. This one is a figure who has grown from ruling a gang of thieving vagabonds to becoming consort to the lady of one of the twelve ruling houses. But it seems the barren landscape between the two cities is not enough to separate him from his past. Nor is it enough to save them all from the black sea that is rising and is determined that all will succumb to its black hold.
Initially I struggled to connect with this story and paused in my reading of it for almost three weeks. I wasn't expecting the perspective shift and the story-line did not seem to connect to the previous one. Without the characters I had grown to love, and was eager to return to, I felt some disconnect with the story. In itself it was great, but just different to what I was expecting.
Thankfully, I continued and at just over a third of the way through the two story-lines, from this book and the one prior, started to interconnect. From here the pace also accelerated until I was swept along on the tide of relentless action. I was completely unable to put the book down and scorned myself for allowing the book to linger on my shelves for so long, partially read.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, C.F. Igguldon, and the publisher, Michael Joseph, for this opportunity.
Shiang is Darien's neighbouring city, despite lying thousands of miles across snow-swept landscape and bearing no connection bar one. This one is a figure who has grown from ruling a gang of thieving vagabonds to becoming consort to the lady of one of the twelve ruling houses. But it seems the barren landscape between the two cities is not enough to separate him from his past. Nor is it enough to save them all from the black sea that is rising and is determined that all will succumb to its black hold.
Initially I struggled to connect with this story and paused in my reading of it for almost three weeks. I wasn't expecting the perspective shift and the story-line did not seem to connect to the previous one. Without the characters I had grown to love, and was eager to return to, I felt some disconnect with the story. In itself it was great, but just different to what I was expecting.
Thankfully, I continued and at just over a third of the way through the two story-lines, from this book and the one prior, started to interconnect. From here the pace also accelerated until I was swept along on the tide of relentless action. I was completely unable to put the book down and scorned myself for allowing the book to linger on my shelves for so long, partially read.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, C.F. Igguldon, and the publisher, Michael Joseph, for this opportunity.
January 5, 2019
5/10
A disappointing follow up to what was a decent enough opening novel to the series. Admittedly, I didn’t remember a great deal from the first book, Darien, but I remember enjoying it enough to request this one as soon as I saw it. This one didn’t grab my attention at all and was weak in comparison.
The layout in style was similar, differing viewpoints per chapter with enough characters in shades of grey to make you not trust anyone at face value. There were some interesting ideas but the execution didn’t work. One of the most interesting ideas was underdeveloped too which would have been an interesting concept on its own. Similar to the last novel, there was a lot of build up to a final battle but it felt overdrawn and repetitive without any real care for the main characters I wasn’t bothered whether they lived or died.
I know that in a couple of weeks this novel will have completely faded from my memory and I wasn’t bothered for the majority of it anyway so, whereas previously I would have, I won’t be carrying on with the series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy for review
A disappointing follow up to what was a decent enough opening novel to the series. Admittedly, I didn’t remember a great deal from the first book, Darien, but I remember enjoying it enough to request this one as soon as I saw it. This one didn’t grab my attention at all and was weak in comparison.
The layout in style was similar, differing viewpoints per chapter with enough characters in shades of grey to make you not trust anyone at face value. There were some interesting ideas but the execution didn’t work. One of the most interesting ideas was underdeveloped too which would have been an interesting concept on its own. Similar to the last novel, there was a lot of build up to a final battle but it felt overdrawn and repetitive without any real care for the main characters I wasn’t bothered whether they lived or died.
I know that in a couple of weeks this novel will have completely faded from my memory and I wasn’t bothered for the majority of it anyway so, whereas previously I would have, I won’t be carrying on with the series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy for review
September 7, 2018
And Conn Iggulden, king of the historical novel, has done it again with his second foray into the fantasy genre under the name C. F. Iggulden.
Following on from the excellent first book Darien, Shiang carries on the story in the wonderful world, the Empire Of Salt. This time we begin away from the Darien in the faraway and distant city of Shiang, a more Asian inspired place and a complete contrast from Darien, although eventually we find do find ourselves back within the walls of Darien itself. There are a lot of new characters introduced from Shiang but yet we do get to meet more than a few of standout characters from before and in particular we get to learn an awful lot about Tellius, the Mazer master, this time around.
It's a different feeling book to the last one but shares it's brilliance nonetheless and is a truly dramatic, bloodthirtsy and yet totally convincing installment in Iggulden's new world.
Following on from the excellent first book Darien, Shiang carries on the story in the wonderful world, the Empire Of Salt. This time we begin away from the Darien in the faraway and distant city of Shiang, a more Asian inspired place and a complete contrast from Darien, although eventually we find do find ourselves back within the walls of Darien itself. There are a lot of new characters introduced from Shiang but yet we do get to meet more than a few of standout characters from before and in particular we get to learn an awful lot about Tellius, the Mazer master, this time around.
It's a different feeling book to the last one but shares it's brilliance nonetheless and is a truly dramatic, bloodthirtsy and yet totally convincing installment in Iggulden's new world.
September 1, 2018
C. F. Iggulden continues the story he began in Darien, although as a trilogy, the book does not pick up where one might expect. In fact, many of the characters featured in book one are missing while others take a back seat to a new cast. Like the first book, “Shiang” can be read as a standalone.
Truthfully, this is a difficult book to review. There is so much going on that it would take pages to give even a brief overview, and Mr. Iggulden takes us on a journey that involves many characters (although not so many that the reader becomes lost in a sea of names). Tellius returns from book one, although in a much different role. Vic Deeds appears in a cameo role, and some of the heads of the Darien houses also play a part.
The stories in this book, however, follow a different path. Gabriel and his men, soldiers-turned-mages, head from Shiang to Darien, bent on subjecting the world to their wills. A second group also takes the same road, though revenge is the force behind their orders. Other characters have their roles to play, leading everyone to Darien for a fateful climax.
I enjoyed all the new characters, and the plot was inventive and thus fun to read. For me, the ending seemed obvious and perhaps took too many steps into the realm of the fantastic. Even so, I could forgive this as the characters made the book entertaining, and the final battle scene was extremely well-written and exciting. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for an advance complimentary ebook of this title.
Truthfully, this is a difficult book to review. There is so much going on that it would take pages to give even a brief overview, and Mr. Iggulden takes us on a journey that involves many characters (although not so many that the reader becomes lost in a sea of names). Tellius returns from book one, although in a much different role. Vic Deeds appears in a cameo role, and some of the heads of the Darien houses also play a part.
The stories in this book, however, follow a different path. Gabriel and his men, soldiers-turned-mages, head from Shiang to Darien, bent on subjecting the world to their wills. A second group also takes the same road, though revenge is the force behind their orders. Other characters have their roles to play, leading everyone to Darien for a fateful climax.
I enjoyed all the new characters, and the plot was inventive and thus fun to read. For me, the ending seemed obvious and perhaps took too many steps into the realm of the fantastic. Even so, I could forgive this as the characters made the book entertaining, and the final battle scene was extremely well-written and exciting. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for an advance complimentary ebook of this title.
February 29, 2024
This was yet another fast-paced, creative, gritty entry into the criminally underhyped Empire of Salt trilogy. I was carried along by such strong narrative momentum that never let up in this brisk 350-pager that I just could not put down for the life of me.
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding expansions we got here beyond Darien with the city of Shiang and even a bleak version of an afterlife/purgatory that felt very Malazan-esque in some ways (but which I preferred here with how it was handled).
There was a clear little group of antagonists who emerged early on in this book and are some of the most compelling villains I can remember, being quite complex and understandable in terms of their motivations. We got some new protagonists who I came to care a lot about along with a returning favorite, and it was very satisfying seeing some worlds finally collide from the two books.
The climactic sequence was electrifying and tense, and is one of my favorite action sequences in a long time with its ebbs and flows and sheer creativity in the magic involved mixed in with traditional weapons. I can't wait to get into Iggulden's hist fic now since I really love how he writes fighting scenes and just couldn't have been more engrossed with all of the high-stakes and often dark moments.
One of the joys of this series is how quirky it feels, just completely unpredictable at every turn and unlike any series I've tried. Each book has felt like a satisfying story on its own, and I have zero clue where it could possibly be heading with the finale ahead. I can't wait to be surprised some more!
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding expansions we got here beyond Darien with the city of Shiang and even a bleak version of an afterlife/purgatory that felt very Malazan-esque in some ways (but which I preferred here with how it was handled).
There was a clear little group of antagonists who emerged early on in this book and are some of the most compelling villains I can remember, being quite complex and understandable in terms of their motivations. We got some new protagonists who I came to care a lot about along with a returning favorite, and it was very satisfying seeing some worlds finally collide from the two books.
The climactic sequence was electrifying and tense, and is one of my favorite action sequences in a long time with its ebbs and flows and sheer creativity in the magic involved mixed in with traditional weapons. I can't wait to get into Iggulden's hist fic now since I really love how he writes fighting scenes and just couldn't have been more engrossed with all of the high-stakes and often dark moments.
One of the joys of this series is how quirky it feels, just completely unpredictable at every turn and unlike any series I've tried. Each book has felt like a satisfying story on its own, and I have zero clue where it could possibly be heading with the finale ahead. I can't wait to be surprised some more!
October 19, 2018
This exciting book is the 2nd part of the "Empire of Salt" trilogy.
It's something quite different from what I was used to from this author, but still this is an amazing fantasy tale.
As always storytelling from this author is of a superb quality, and all his characters come vividly to life within this astounding fantasy adventure.
The set up of this book is in two parts, and it is really a fantastic story, because it will grip you right from the beginning till the very end.
The story begins with the City of Shiang and its young King who rules without dissent, but still the people are feeling safe in this place where its walls are manned with men on watch and alert, until this same King is suddenly overthrown and blood is spilled to return Shiang back into terrible darkness.
Far to the west four Shiang masters and their entourage are approaching the city walls of Darien, with the intention to bring home, to Shiang, an old man, for treason and punishment, and those four men are determined to succeed in their mission, meaning that in their endeavour not even the whole city of Darien can stand in their way.
What will follow is an entertaining fantasy adventure where the rivalry between Darien and Shiang will play an important role, but more importantly it is the powerful magic spells from various stones that will play the most significant part within this delightful tale.
Very much recommended, for this is a tremendous fantasy adventure from a highly acclaimed author, and one that I would like to call as: "A Truly Remarkable Sequel"!
It's something quite different from what I was used to from this author, but still this is an amazing fantasy tale.
As always storytelling from this author is of a superb quality, and all his characters come vividly to life within this astounding fantasy adventure.
The set up of this book is in two parts, and it is really a fantastic story, because it will grip you right from the beginning till the very end.
The story begins with the City of Shiang and its young King who rules without dissent, but still the people are feeling safe in this place where its walls are manned with men on watch and alert, until this same King is suddenly overthrown and blood is spilled to return Shiang back into terrible darkness.
Far to the west four Shiang masters and their entourage are approaching the city walls of Darien, with the intention to bring home, to Shiang, an old man, for treason and punishment, and those four men are determined to succeed in their mission, meaning that in their endeavour not even the whole city of Darien can stand in their way.
What will follow is an entertaining fantasy adventure where the rivalry between Darien and Shiang will play an important role, but more importantly it is the powerful magic spells from various stones that will play the most significant part within this delightful tale.
Very much recommended, for this is a tremendous fantasy adventure from a highly acclaimed author, and one that I would like to call as: "A Truly Remarkable Sequel"!
May 28, 2025
4.9/5
So good if you like powder mage or first law give this book a shot. More people need to read this trilogy.
The digital and audiobook are not available in the US so you need to VPN to Canada or EU.
Very similar to book one but only one of the same povs. A few of the other povs from book one make cameos but it is mostly a new cast of fun characters.The book tells its own full story, but it does look like it may have a bit of a middle book syndrome. Bringing the two different city's together
Very fast short read. Will go to book 3 right away. Hope the trilogy tells a full story.
So good if you like powder mage or first law give this book a shot. More people need to read this trilogy.
The digital and audiobook are not available in the US so you need to VPN to Canada or EU.
Very similar to book one but only one of the same povs. A few of the other povs from book one make cameos but it is mostly a new cast of fun characters.The book tells its own full story, but it does look like it may have a bit of a middle book syndrome. Bringing the two different city's together
Very fast short read. Will go to book 3 right away. Hope the trilogy tells a full story.
March 29, 2020
Hmmmmmmmm..............when you usually start something with that first hmmmmm, either you were so baffled by what you read or......the thing is, I am at the or side.......Darien was a straightforward book, a Roman like setting with real magic, peppered with some eastern flavor(I was guessing a sort of East meets West will be written in the near future, well, here it is), it had all the roman culture that we love to read about(assassinations, politics[eww], LEGIONS[somehow no matter how many times writers have spun this unit, it is considered the best military unit EVER{!!!!}], I love the story, the people introduced(you still killed him....WHY?????), so naturally I was looking forward to the continuation of Tellius and the twelve families, Tellius back story, the ahhhh magic system or artifacts that was introduced...........
Shiang came in fast, lightning fast, east has finally been revealed and the dreaded(!!!????) mazer techniques is slowly being introduce, the culture of the east too, uhhhhh this is where I got hit Mary Shelley's Frankestein...........oh wait no........it looks like the lab of Dr. Frankenstein, the same set up, the same techniques, but magic is the key component ,ok ..ok still holding on.....love this sort of twists and turns, and uhhhhhh soul exchange..........then the story took hold and we are introduced to three exchanged souls riding in new bodies with supernatural abilities, and..............wow.......I think I got lost in Shiang and never got back(I seem to think, I was one of those who got their souls exchanged, just got back when........)
Story wise, still excellent although the shift from POV's might offend some readers, the abilities this time were a bit forced(????, superhuman strength, speed and later on........)
Still......it was nice to read about the Shiang Emperors, some of the inhabitants, a sword saint(ummmmm sword saints hahahhaha), Tellius, our beloved golem king, and finally some of the 12 families are slowly being revealed(Bracken, De Guise, Regis, Canis)......
Mr. Iggulden your approach to storytelling is so refreshing, I hardly have a dull moment(cough, cough, Tolkien, King), descriptions are neat, straight to the point and sometimes funny........
Well almost done with this trilogy, one question though, what is the relevance of salt in your narrative?????(Badump........romans lend me your corns..........)
Shiang came in fast, lightning fast, east has finally been revealed and the dreaded(!!!????) mazer techniques is slowly being introduce, the culture of the east too, uhhhhh this is where I got hit Mary Shelley's Frankestein...........oh wait no........it looks like the lab of Dr. Frankenstein, the same set up, the same techniques, but magic is the key component ,ok ..ok still holding on.....love this sort of twists and turns, and uhhhhhh soul exchange..........then the story took hold and we are introduced to three exchanged souls riding in new bodies with supernatural abilities, and..............wow.......I think I got lost in Shiang and never got back(I seem to think, I was one of those who got their souls exchanged, just got back when........)
Story wise, still excellent although the shift from POV's might offend some readers, the abilities this time were a bit forced(????, superhuman strength, speed and later on........)
Still......it was nice to read about the Shiang Emperors, some of the inhabitants, a sword saint(ummmmm sword saints hahahhaha), Tellius, our beloved golem king, and finally some of the 12 families are slowly being revealed(Bracken, De Guise, Regis, Canis)......
Mr. Iggulden your approach to storytelling is so refreshing, I hardly have a dull moment(cough, cough, Tolkien, King), descriptions are neat, straight to the point and sometimes funny........
Well almost done with this trilogy, one question though, what is the relevance of salt in your narrative?????(Badump........romans lend me your corns..........)
October 27, 2025
Shiang bright like a dying man.
Take the first book, change some names and locations, sprinkle in a little extra (but sometimes similar) super human abilities, then drop in a bit of world building of characters from book 1. Afterwards, you have Shiang. All that to say, highly enjoyable.
Take the first book, change some names and locations, sprinkle in a little extra (but sometimes similar) super human abilities, then drop in a bit of world building of characters from book 1. Afterwards, you have Shiang. All that to say, highly enjoyable.
October 26, 2020
Not the heights of the first book, mostly because two of the main characters are not mentioned, but still a great read with the introduction of a second City with a more Oriental feel. Swordsmen from there are despatched to Darien to bring make one the main characters from book one. There are a second group of characters also heading there after returning from the Other Side with some magical powers. Tons of action as you might expect and still a great world to visit. Series worth a place on anyone's shelves.
January 17, 2019
Pretty good, sucks you right in.
Although the end seemed a little over too soon/rushed/disappointing - needless to say I still want to read more!
The dedication makes up for any disappointment 💜 ! Gemmell
Although the end seemed a little over too soon/rushed/disappointing - needless to say I still want to read more!
The dedication makes up for any disappointment 💜 ! Gemmell
February 5, 2020
Alors qu’ils se trainaient une réputation de « je commence à publier une série mais tu sais jamais si je vais jusqu’au bout », Bragelonne a semble-t-il décidé de bousculer les choses. Depuis un an ou deux, ils enchainent les séries à un rythme soutenu, balancent les suites au bout de quelques mois. Que ce soit Blackwing, Wyld, Le royaume blessé, Sharakhaï, ils bombardent (et terminent) les séries, et le monde est en paix. Bon, maintenant faut suivre le rythme, c’est chaud quand même. Une des récentes trilogies à subir le traitement-mitraillette est Les prodiges de l’empire, après un Darien maitrisé et fun, on a déjà le tome 2 depuis quelques mois, et il s’appelle Shiang.
Deux ans après les évènements de Darien, on part à l’autre bout du monde vers la ville de Shiang et sa civilisation d’inspiration asiatique. Le jeune empereur l’a mauvaise parce que son traitre d’oncle, un certain Tellius, est toujours en cavale et il a l’intention de régler cette affaire. Il envoie donc ses quatre meilleurs guerriers Maser en mission pour ramener Tellius de son exil… à Darien. Ces quatre nobles guerriers vont partir de Shiang et rater de quelques jours la renaissance de Gabriel, terrible guerrier aux pouvoirs phénoménaux, qui va tout dévaster avec ses acolytes, et partir lui aussi vers l’occident, attiré par le pouvoir des pierres de Darien. C’est un cataclysme qui guette la grande cité, il faudra s’y préparer.
Le roman va alterner trois « points de vue » pour nous livrer son histoire : Le voyage des quatre guerriers en mission, qui sont Hondo, Bosin et les deux jumeaux Hi et Jé. Nous aurons aussi le voyage/carnage de Gabriel et ses copains, et enfin nous retrouverons de temps en temps Tellius à Darien qui sent que la grosse merde est en approche. J’ai vraiment beaucoup apprécié le voyage de Hondo et ses camarades, le saint des lames est très strict et le jovial et génial Bosin fout un peu le bordel dans tout ça, c’est très rigolo de les voir évoluer au fil du roman. Je regrette de ne pas avoir creusé un peu plus du côté des jumeaux, mais leur caractère taiseux laisse libre cours à l’imagination. J’ai eu un peu plus de mal avec Taeshin/Gabriel qui est juste un espèce de gros méchant en quête de pouvoir. J’ai jamais trop accroché, c’est intéressant de voir l’évolution de l’antagoniste dans l’absolu mais là il est un peu plat, il prend beaucoup de place et au final on se dit « oui, c’est bon, on a compris, il est méchant ». Je regrette aussi que Marias, esclave amoureuse et rare femme du casting, soit si peu intéressante au final, y’avait quelque chose à faire mais ça tombe un peu à plat.
L’univers est toujours très finement ciselé, on creuse un peu plus les équilibres entre les nobles de Darien avec leurs pierres et leurs artefacts magiques qui vont servir encore une fois à défendre la cité. L’arrivée progressive d’armes à feu pose plein de questions aux dirigeants, qui se demandent bien si tout ça va pas leur exploser à la figure (métaphoriquement, ou pas). On apporte plus d’enjeux en découvrant des capacités insoupçonnées de ces pierres de pouvoir, ce qui ne manquera pas de foutre le bordel un peu partout. Et on découvre la plaine grise qui sert d’au-delà. C.F. Iggulden assume pleinement l’influence et l’hommage à David Gemmell à travers ces points et on retrouve aussi quelques influences dans les personnages et leurs enjeux.
Mais ce qui est un peu plus gênant pour moi, c’est le côté basique de l’histoire de ce second tome. Au final, il se contente de faire converger plusieurs groupes de personnages au même endroit de manière très très linéaire, pour faire une méga-grosse baston sur les 100 dernières pages. J’ai espéré tout le long de ma lecture un peu d’imprévu, mais non, ça file tout droit, c’est prévisible. Mais attention, moi j’adore les grosses bastons, et de ce côté-là l’attente vaut bien le coup puisque le dernier tiers/quart du livre c’est du gros n’importe quoi badaboum extrêmement jouissif. C’est Avengers ou Dragon Ball Z avec des pierres de pouvoirs, des armures magiques et des maitres samouraïs. Ça t’envoie valdinguer à l’autre bout de la rue d’une pichenette. Et tu arrives enfin à quelques développements de personnages intéressants. Donc oui, ça vaut bien la peine d’aller au bout.
Shiang est un second tome qui ressemble beaucoup à un tome d’introduction, bizarrement. Il met du temps à se mettre en place, peine un peu à caractériser un méchant intéressant, mais arrive à exploser dans sa dernière ligne droite, à redonner du souffle et du caractère à ses héros dans une séquence d’action mémorable. Et malgré tout, on se rend compte qu’on s’est attaché à ce petit monde. Donc t’as quand même envie de lire la suite pour connaitre le destin des protagonistes dans le troisième tome (Le saint des lames) qui arrive… Oh shit, la semaine prochaine ! Mais laissez-nous respirer, Ho ! Ouais, non, jamais contents ces blogueurs.
https://ours-inculte.fr/shiang/
Deux ans après les évènements de Darien, on part à l’autre bout du monde vers la ville de Shiang et sa civilisation d’inspiration asiatique. Le jeune empereur l’a mauvaise parce que son traitre d’oncle, un certain Tellius, est toujours en cavale et il a l’intention de régler cette affaire. Il envoie donc ses quatre meilleurs guerriers Maser en mission pour ramener Tellius de son exil… à Darien. Ces quatre nobles guerriers vont partir de Shiang et rater de quelques jours la renaissance de Gabriel, terrible guerrier aux pouvoirs phénoménaux, qui va tout dévaster avec ses acolytes, et partir lui aussi vers l’occident, attiré par le pouvoir des pierres de Darien. C’est un cataclysme qui guette la grande cité, il faudra s’y préparer.
Le roman va alterner trois « points de vue » pour nous livrer son histoire : Le voyage des quatre guerriers en mission, qui sont Hondo, Bosin et les deux jumeaux Hi et Jé. Nous aurons aussi le voyage/carnage de Gabriel et ses copains, et enfin nous retrouverons de temps en temps Tellius à Darien qui sent que la grosse merde est en approche. J’ai vraiment beaucoup apprécié le voyage de Hondo et ses camarades, le saint des lames est très strict et le jovial et génial Bosin fout un peu le bordel dans tout ça, c’est très rigolo de les voir évoluer au fil du roman. Je regrette de ne pas avoir creusé un peu plus du côté des jumeaux, mais leur caractère taiseux laisse libre cours à l’imagination. J’ai eu un peu plus de mal avec Taeshin/Gabriel qui est juste un espèce de gros méchant en quête de pouvoir. J’ai jamais trop accroché, c’est intéressant de voir l’évolution de l’antagoniste dans l’absolu mais là il est un peu plat, il prend beaucoup de place et au final on se dit « oui, c’est bon, on a compris, il est méchant ». Je regrette aussi que Marias, esclave amoureuse et rare femme du casting, soit si peu intéressante au final, y’avait quelque chose à faire mais ça tombe un peu à plat.
L’univers est toujours très finement ciselé, on creuse un peu plus les équilibres entre les nobles de Darien avec leurs pierres et leurs artefacts magiques qui vont servir encore une fois à défendre la cité. L’arrivée progressive d’armes à feu pose plein de questions aux dirigeants, qui se demandent bien si tout ça va pas leur exploser à la figure (métaphoriquement, ou pas). On apporte plus d’enjeux en découvrant des capacités insoupçonnées de ces pierres de pouvoir, ce qui ne manquera pas de foutre le bordel un peu partout. Et on découvre la plaine grise qui sert d’au-delà. C.F. Iggulden assume pleinement l’influence et l’hommage à David Gemmell à travers ces points et on retrouve aussi quelques influences dans les personnages et leurs enjeux.
Mais ce qui est un peu plus gênant pour moi, c’est le côté basique de l’histoire de ce second tome. Au final, il se contente de faire converger plusieurs groupes de personnages au même endroit de manière très très linéaire, pour faire une méga-grosse baston sur les 100 dernières pages. J’ai espéré tout le long de ma lecture un peu d’imprévu, mais non, ça file tout droit, c’est prévisible. Mais attention, moi j’adore les grosses bastons, et de ce côté-là l’attente vaut bien le coup puisque le dernier tiers/quart du livre c’est du gros n’importe quoi badaboum extrêmement jouissif. C’est Avengers ou Dragon Ball Z avec des pierres de pouvoirs, des armures magiques et des maitres samouraïs. Ça t’envoie valdinguer à l’autre bout de la rue d’une pichenette. Et tu arrives enfin à quelques développements de personnages intéressants. Donc oui, ça vaut bien la peine d’aller au bout.
Shiang est un second tome qui ressemble beaucoup à un tome d’introduction, bizarrement. Il met du temps à se mettre en place, peine un peu à caractériser un méchant intéressant, mais arrive à exploser dans sa dernière ligne droite, à redonner du souffle et du caractère à ses héros dans une séquence d’action mémorable. Et malgré tout, on se rend compte qu’on s’est attaché à ce petit monde. Donc t’as quand même envie de lire la suite pour connaitre le destin des protagonistes dans le troisième tome (Le saint des lames) qui arrive… Oh shit, la semaine prochaine ! Mais laissez-nous respirer, Ho ! Ouais, non, jamais contents ces blogueurs.
https://ours-inculte.fr/shiang/
January 19, 2020
I enjoyed this more than the first one, I think because I actually read this rather than listened on audible (narrator was a bit rubbish)
I found the characters more engaging and the plot had more focus. We meet different characters to the ones in the first book, in fact the central characters in this one were not in book one, and it works well, added another layer to the world Iggulden has created.
I've already bought myself the final book in the trilogy, and look forward to reading after finishing this one.
I found the characters more engaging and the plot had more focus. We meet different characters to the ones in the first book, in fact the central characters in this one were not in book one, and it works well, added another layer to the world Iggulden has created.
I've already bought myself the final book in the trilogy, and look forward to reading after finishing this one.
July 10, 2023
Better than book 1
October 15, 2018
As much as I enjoyed Darien, I enjoyed this twice as much! Normally a writer of historical Fiction, Conn Iggulden has successfully morphed his skills to fantasy, and this is his best work yet! Absolutely loved the characters, the storyline and the setting, which is futuristic, and more sci-fi than fantasy, I guess. still, a fab book, from a great author x
September 6, 2018
Shiang is an interesting sequel to Darien that leaves me eager to see where Iggulden takes this world in the next book.
We start, as we did in Darien, with a number of disparate characters who eventually come together. They are fewer in number this time, with the soldiers Taeshin and Gabriel, sword-saint Hondo, the slave Marias, and old Tellius returning from the first book. Much of the book follows Taeshin, Hondo, and Tellius with minimal support from others, which was a shame as I loved the wider cast of characters in Darien. Still, it was good to see Tellius in a new role, and there was a lot happening with the others so I was certainly never bored!
The plot sort of carries on from the ending of Darien, only two years later. Darien is changing as a result of the violence of the first book, a welcome change for Tellius, but you can see the nerves of the nobles as they gear up against an unspecified threat from the east. That threat is from Shiang, and it's fairly terrifying to witness the rise to power of an adversary who has nothing to lose.
The plot follows a similar structure to the first book, once again culminating in an all-out battle in Darien, though of very different proportions. Once again, Iggulden has managed to write an enormous battle in an engaging way, giving viewpoints from multiple angles to allow the reader to know exactly what's happening. It's an approach I really enjoy, which is saying a lot because I generally get bored reading battles.
Once again, Darien's magical artifacts are wheeled out in this battle, to spectacular effect. We see the ones missing from the first book in this, and I wasn't disappointed. It's these artifacts and the accompanying stones that are the real story in the Empire of Salt books. What the heck are they??? Where did they come from? Why are they so powerful? This book gives us more information but still leaves so many questions I really want to know the answer to!
The only shortcoming with this book is that is isn't quite as clever as its predecessor (which was rather clever, so it's not that big a deal). The plot was far more linear and fairly unsurprising, though still satisfying.
If Darien is filled with cunning characters, Shiang is filled with determined characters and that's fine by me. I suspect the next book will bring them both together and hopefully bring us some answers on what magics lie behind these two cities and ultimately what dangers they present. I'm looking forward to it!
Thanks to the good folks at NetGalley and Penguin UK for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
We start, as we did in Darien, with a number of disparate characters who eventually come together. They are fewer in number this time, with the soldiers Taeshin and Gabriel, sword-saint Hondo, the slave Marias, and old Tellius returning from the first book. Much of the book follows Taeshin, Hondo, and Tellius with minimal support from others, which was a shame as I loved the wider cast of characters in Darien. Still, it was good to see Tellius in a new role, and there was a lot happening with the others so I was certainly never bored!
The plot sort of carries on from the ending of Darien, only two years later. Darien is changing as a result of the violence of the first book, a welcome change for Tellius, but you can see the nerves of the nobles as they gear up against an unspecified threat from the east. That threat is from Shiang, and it's fairly terrifying to witness the rise to power of an adversary who has nothing to lose.
The plot follows a similar structure to the first book, once again culminating in an all-out battle in Darien, though of very different proportions. Once again, Iggulden has managed to write an enormous battle in an engaging way, giving viewpoints from multiple angles to allow the reader to know exactly what's happening. It's an approach I really enjoy, which is saying a lot because I generally get bored reading battles.
Once again, Darien's magical artifacts are wheeled out in this battle, to spectacular effect. We see the ones missing from the first book in this, and I wasn't disappointed. It's these artifacts and the accompanying stones that are the real story in the Empire of Salt books. What the heck are they??? Where did they come from? Why are they so powerful? This book gives us more information but still leaves so many questions I really want to know the answer to!
The only shortcoming with this book is that is isn't quite as clever as its predecessor (which was rather clever, so it's not that big a deal). The plot was far more linear and fairly unsurprising, though still satisfying.
If Darien is filled with cunning characters, Shiang is filled with determined characters and that's fine by me. I suspect the next book will bring them both together and hopefully bring us some answers on what magics lie behind these two cities and ultimately what dangers they present. I'm looking forward to it!
Thanks to the good folks at NetGalley and Penguin UK for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 23, 2018
Shiang is the second of a fantasy trilogy by C F Iggulden. It doesn't carry on immediately from the events of the first book, at least not with the same characters. Rather than beginning with the city of Darien, we start in the city of Shiang, with swordsmen, strange magic and betrayal. In fact it takes about a third of the book to find familiar characters again. For me, it made it rather hard to get into the book. I kept picking it up and reading a page here, a page there, and barely holding the characters together in my mind.
Saying that, once I got to that third in, the story began to get hold of me. I began to see a clearer picture of the plot - the people of Darien waking up an emerging threat, the 'good' heroes from Shiang coming to get Tellius, the 'bad' almost supernatural soldiers travelling in search of powerful stones and willing to do anything to get them.
There were no great surprises and I did wish the slave girl Marias had more agency or more to do in the book - I kept waiting for her moment. But overall I enjoyed it and will pick up the last book, particularly to find out what the overarching plot is. For example Gabriel mentioned Rome and Spain - so does that mean it's set in our world or was that just a throwaway line? Will we find out why the stones are so powerful and what will happen to the forever-boy king?
Saying that, once I got to that third in, the story began to get hold of me. I began to see a clearer picture of the plot - the people of Darien waking up an emerging threat, the 'good' heroes from Shiang coming to get Tellius, the 'bad' almost supernatural soldiers travelling in search of powerful stones and willing to do anything to get them.
There were no great surprises and I did wish the slave girl Marias had more agency or more to do in the book - I kept waiting for her moment. But overall I enjoyed it and will pick up the last book, particularly to find out what the overarching plot is. For example Gabriel mentioned Rome and Spain - so does that mean it's set in our world or was that just a throwaway line? Will we find out why the stones are so powerful and what will happen to the forever-boy king?
September 6, 2018
So this is the second in this series of books by Conn Iggulden. Shiang and Darien are ancient cities separated by many miles of rough, mountainous landscapes. So why anyone would want to make the journey across the mountains, especially in winter, must be for something important.
There are two groups making this journey, Hondo and his group are journeying to bring back a traitor, a man who disgraced the royal family in Darien, he now resides in Shiang. The other group is led by Gabriel and they are a more fearsome band, they are drawn to Shiang seeking power.
This is very much an action and well paced story, there are descriptions and histories that are filled in as the story unfolds. The journeys made by the two groups are interesting and the reasons for the trek was one that intrigued me.
This book gave me a chance to learn more about the ruling families and also how they rule. Also the way they use the power they posses.
Even though I did enjoy this story I found I was at a bit of a loss to find the links I would have expected between the first and second book. It did confuse me as I didn’t seem to have any memory of any of the key characters, once I kind of shrugged that off and decided to read it in the mindset of being more of a stand alone novel then I could enjoy the story. It was quite a long way in before I came across a character I could remember from the first book, he only makes a fleeting appearance.
So this book leaves me in a bit of a quandary, as part of a series I kind of expect characters to come back to me in the few chapters at least, but this wasn’t the case, this essentially left it as a book that had more of a stand alone feel.
I did enjoy the story and found it descriptive, it is full of action, a fair bit of blood, death and destruction, it also has magic, swordsmanship, warriors and honour. It is a book that I would recommend and I am still looking forward to the next in the series.
There are two groups making this journey, Hondo and his group are journeying to bring back a traitor, a man who disgraced the royal family in Darien, he now resides in Shiang. The other group is led by Gabriel and they are a more fearsome band, they are drawn to Shiang seeking power.
This is very much an action and well paced story, there are descriptions and histories that are filled in as the story unfolds. The journeys made by the two groups are interesting and the reasons for the trek was one that intrigued me.
This book gave me a chance to learn more about the ruling families and also how they rule. Also the way they use the power they posses.
Even though I did enjoy this story I found I was at a bit of a loss to find the links I would have expected between the first and second book. It did confuse me as I didn’t seem to have any memory of any of the key characters, once I kind of shrugged that off and decided to read it in the mindset of being more of a stand alone novel then I could enjoy the story. It was quite a long way in before I came across a character I could remember from the first book, he only makes a fleeting appearance.
So this book leaves me in a bit of a quandary, as part of a series I kind of expect characters to come back to me in the few chapters at least, but this wasn’t the case, this essentially left it as a book that had more of a stand alone feel.
I did enjoy the story and found it descriptive, it is full of action, a fair bit of blood, death and destruction, it also has magic, swordsmanship, warriors and honour. It is a book that I would recommend and I am still looking forward to the next in the series.
September 7, 2025
Shiang
Shiang is the middle novel in the trilogy called Empire of Salt, and it’s also a realm filled with a warrior culture not unlike the Samurai. Magic exists in the form of ancient artifacts, like stones of power, suits of armor, and swords that can cut through iron and stone.
In this world there are also gunslingers, like Vic Deeds, from the first book, Darien. And if all of this somehow seem familiar, you’ve probably read some books by David Gemmell, may he rest in peace.
The Sipstrassi books are well known, and Conn Iggulden did mention Gemmell as a source of inspiration. Stones of power, gunslingers, magical artifacts, all of this existed in his world.
But Iggulden didn’t just copy from Gemmell, he built his own world with distinct cultures and amazing characters. I consider Empire of Salt a respectful nod to the long dead master of British fantasy.
Shiang is an amazing story, and I cannot wait to see what the third and last book will bring.
Shiang is the middle novel in the trilogy called Empire of Salt, and it’s also a realm filled with a warrior culture not unlike the Samurai. Magic exists in the form of ancient artifacts, like stones of power, suits of armor, and swords that can cut through iron and stone.
In this world there are also gunslingers, like Vic Deeds, from the first book, Darien. And if all of this somehow seem familiar, you’ve probably read some books by David Gemmell, may he rest in peace.
The Sipstrassi books are well known, and Conn Iggulden did mention Gemmell as a source of inspiration. Stones of power, gunslingers, magical artifacts, all of this existed in his world.
But Iggulden didn’t just copy from Gemmell, he built his own world with distinct cultures and amazing characters. I consider Empire of Salt a respectful nod to the long dead master of British fantasy.
Shiang is an amazing story, and I cannot wait to see what the third and last book will bring.
July 21, 2024
I think I made the mistake of letting too much time pass between reading this and the first.
I think the most jarring thing for myself was the lack of the characters from book 1 in this story.
Certain parts of the book really confused me, the introduction of an afterlife, who goes there, how does it function, so many unanswered questions. Those from here mention Spain & Rome, is this world connected to our own? Finishing the book I just had the one question, did it really matter? Sadly the answer was no.
Any compelling characters or any arcs to speak of? Sadly again the answer is no. I don't think a single character had any arc, they were the same at the start and at the end.
I think the most jarring thing for myself was the lack of the characters from book 1 in this story.
Certain parts of the book really confused me, the introduction of an afterlife, who goes there, how does it function, so many unanswered questions. Those from here mention Spain & Rome, is this world connected to our own? Finishing the book I just had the one question, did it really matter? Sadly the answer was no.
Any compelling characters or any arcs to speak of? Sadly again the answer is no. I don't think a single character had any arc, they were the same at the start and at the end.
November 5, 2018
Another fantasy in another city-state in the Empire of Salt series
Shiang was another city, thousands of miles away from Darien (from the first book). It was ruled by a young king, named Yung-Choji. One day, a young swordsman, Taeshin, woke up very sick with the bandages on his arm looking very black with pus. Against the advice of his slave, Marias, he got up and went to work at the King’s Court. He collapsed in front of him and his colleagues and Lord Ran took him downstairs.
In the basement, the experiment with the magic stone to cure Taeshin and three other men from diseases and disabilities went wrong. Their spirits were swapped with “demons” from another dimension. The series of the unfortunate events affected the whole city at a terrible price.
Before those disastrous events at Shiang, Honda the legendary swordsman, Bosin the large beast-like swordsman and the young twin swordsmen left for Darien, to bring the King’s uncle, Tellius, back home. They arrived at Darien having experienced difficulties on their long journey. They heard that a very important royal relic from their home city was in possession of someone else apart from their king. That vile person was looking for more stones to increase his supernatural power.
This book is simpler than the Lord of the Rings trilogy and never ceases to amaze me!
Caesar XIII
Breakaway Reviewers received the copy of the book to review
Shiang was another city, thousands of miles away from Darien (from the first book). It was ruled by a young king, named Yung-Choji. One day, a young swordsman, Taeshin, woke up very sick with the bandages on his arm looking very black with pus. Against the advice of his slave, Marias, he got up and went to work at the King’s Court. He collapsed in front of him and his colleagues and Lord Ran took him downstairs.
In the basement, the experiment with the magic stone to cure Taeshin and three other men from diseases and disabilities went wrong. Their spirits were swapped with “demons” from another dimension. The series of the unfortunate events affected the whole city at a terrible price.
Before those disastrous events at Shiang, Honda the legendary swordsman, Bosin the large beast-like swordsman and the young twin swordsmen left for Darien, to bring the King’s uncle, Tellius, back home. They arrived at Darien having experienced difficulties on their long journey. They heard that a very important royal relic from their home city was in possession of someone else apart from their king. That vile person was looking for more stones to increase his supernatural power.
This book is simpler than the Lord of the Rings trilogy and never ceases to amaze me!
Caesar XIII
Breakaway Reviewers received the copy of the book to review
January 30, 2020
Shiang is a brilliant follow up to Book One of Empire of Salt, Darien.
Introducing the neighbouring kingdom of Shiang and its people was a great move by C.F. Iggulden. I did get a bit confused by the fact 3 of the main characters from Book 1 are not seen or heard of at all in this sequel, but that said, it's a fantastic story with well-developed characters, and I can't wait to read the third book.
Lots of battle sequences in this book and the author isn't afraid of adding dashes of humour to the darker sections of the story. As in Darien, it's the characters that make this such an enjoyable story.
Introducing the neighbouring kingdom of Shiang and its people was a great move by C.F. Iggulden. I did get a bit confused by the fact 3 of the main characters from Book 1 are not seen or heard of at all in this sequel, but that said, it's a fantastic story with well-developed characters, and I can't wait to read the third book.
Lots of battle sequences in this book and the author isn't afraid of adding dashes of humour to the darker sections of the story. As in Darien, it's the characters that make this such an enjoyable story.
August 18, 2018
Shiang - This city is a place of quiet and slow dignity, like a man eating rice with a razor pressed against his throat...
Wow, what a follow up to Darien. A fast paced, high action fantasy from start to finish. I loved this. Can't wait for book 3.
Wow, what a follow up to Darien. A fast paced, high action fantasy from start to finish. I loved this. Can't wait for book 3.
August 9, 2024
Même sans beaucoup de souvenirs du premier tome, il fut facile de se plonger dans celui-là. Le rythme est très lent mais les personnages sont assez intéressants pour maintenir notre attention, en continuant à interroger la loyauté, le prix du pouvoir, la résilience…
January 4, 2019
Fantastic sequel, tops Darien for me.
January 12, 2019
Great pace and well done fight scenes. Not the most memorable new characters but interesting plot and quirky ending
April 23, 2019
One of my favourite authors but this series is so disappointing. Predictable and boring. Characters meh. If this was my first foray into fantasy I might give more stars but as it is only two stars.
March 5, 2020
As brilliant as the first one. I feel the third one will bring it altogether nicely. Highly recommend this trilogy. 4.5/5
May 16, 2023
‘It was good to be alive that day … but to be young, oh to be young, was very heaven.’
January 22, 2024
So good!
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