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The Elder Empire: Sea #3
Of Kings and Killers
Calder has been declared Imperial Steward, the official successor to the Emperor. He leads the Empire from the throne, just as he has always wanted.
In their tombs, the Great Elders stir.
The crack in the sky becomes more alarming by the day, so Calder and his loyal Imperialist Guilds seek a truce with their Independent opponents.
Both sides know the Elders are the true enemy, but that does not make peace easy. Blood has been spilled already, trust is hard to come by, and the Guild Heads under Calder see him as little more than a figurehead.
For civilization to survive, Calder must take the lead and prove himself to allies and enemies alike.
But he is faced with an ancient Guild of spies and assassins led by the one woman who most wants him dead: Shera of the Gardeners.
In the shadows, a woman plots to prolong a war.
On the seas, a man works to end it.
In their tombs, the Great Elders stir.
The crack in the sky becomes more alarming by the day, so Calder and his loyal Imperialist Guilds seek a truce with their Independent opponents.
Both sides know the Elders are the true enemy, but that does not make peace easy. Blood has been spilled already, trust is hard to come by, and the Guild Heads under Calder see him as little more than a figurehead.
For civilization to survive, Calder must take the lead and prove himself to allies and enemies alike.
But he is faced with an ancient Guild of spies and assassins led by the one woman who most wants him dead: Shera of the Gardeners.
In the shadows, a woman plots to prolong a war.
On the seas, a man works to end it.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2020
839 people are currently reading
1510 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
July 23, 2023
We're all locked in the same burning house. It benefits no one to fight while the flames rise.
- Baldezar Kern
The flames in the Aurelian Empire burn high and hot as the Civil War between the Imperialist and Independent Guilds rages on. All the while the Great Elders led by Kellerac plot and hold a crack in the sky wide open. Humanity needs all their defenders, but they're too busy with the semantics of what the Empire should be going forward.
I believed from the beginning that The Elder Empire had a grand story to be told. I've really enjoyed all of Will Wight's stories except for The Elder Empire, but I've finally enjoyed a book in the series with Of Kings and Killers. My interest was peeked with one little quote towards the end of Of Dawn and Darkness. . This single quote made everything occuring much more significant and that was just the beginning.
Calder and his friends had all the aspects of a family. For all Calder's faults, he loves his crew and he'd do whatever he can for them. They prove time and time again that they'd do the same for him. Calder is an interesting yet flawed protagonist just like his crew. The story also did an excellent job cementing Izaria Woodsman's importance to the crew through flashbacks. In many ways it was as though he was still around even after the events in book 1.
The Great Elders are terror incarnate and I feel like it was glazed over too often rather than emphasized until Of Kings and Killers. The reader gets a good look at the hell scape the characters are trapped within. Another quote somehow eloquently hit like a ton of bricks, . It's amazing what two sentences with the proper context can accomplish.
I know Will Wight took a few years off between book 2 and 3, but he really brought a strong conclusion to The Elder Empire series with Of Kings and Killers. All the while leaving the door cracked to revisit the world, should he so wish.
July 15, 2020
Jeez Luiz I LOVE this series. I couldn't sleep last night and so I listened to both audiobooks back to back and it was such a fun time. Honestly I like really deeply thematic and thought provoking books the most. That's what all my favourites tend to have in common but Will Wight really is the poster child for the other approach. Everything he's written is just so.damn FUN while also being really sarcastic and insanely epic in fight scenes he writers between all these super high power leveled people. These last two books were a super satisfying conclusion to events and I was so happy to get direct evidence of this series taking place in a Cradle equivalent to Sandy Brandy's Cosmere. I would love for any of these characters to appear with Linden in the next Cradle installation!
I was recommending the series to someone the other day and I came to a realization about what the series reminds me of. Anime. This authors books all read like the best parts of those quintessential shounen style anime I grew up on like Naruto (specifically for his Cradle series), Bleach, Fairytail, One Piece, even Dragonball Z. Now to be even more specific (mind you I already consider it a mortal sin for anime lovers not to read Will Wight), the anime his books are most like has to be Hunter x Hunter. If you love that show then truly pick up this series immediately and thank me later.
I was recommending the series to someone the other day and I came to a realization about what the series reminds me of. Anime. This authors books all read like the best parts of those quintessential shounen style anime I grew up on like Naruto (specifically for his Cradle series), Bleach, Fairytail, One Piece, even Dragonball Z. Now to be even more specific (mind you I already consider it a mortal sin for anime lovers not to read Will Wight), the anime his books are most like has to be Hunter x Hunter. If you love that show then truly pick up this series immediately and thank me later.
April 28, 2021
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: The grand finale’ to a riveting series that under-achieved in broadening the story line.
Our hero becomes mired in political intrigue and factional rivalries. The supporting characters and their various back stories add a bit of levity to a droning Calder. How this guy goes from interesting to boring-as-fuk is a mystery.
The greater universe that the author has built in the Cradle series begins. These various worlds and their champions will one day meet to fight the fiends that riddle the galaxies. Just a hunch.
Still, a fun read by an accomplished author.
Review: The grand finale’ to a riveting series that under-achieved in broadening the story line.
Our hero becomes mired in political intrigue and factional rivalries. The supporting characters and their various back stories add a bit of levity to a droning Calder. How this guy goes from interesting to boring-as-fuk is a mystery.
The greater universe that the author has built in the Cradle series begins. These various worlds and their champions will one day meet to fight the fiends that riddle the galaxies. Just a hunch.
Still, a fun read by an accomplished author.
January 12, 2021
Ohhhhhhhhh SO GOOD. My only real complaint is that this beautiful series is over. RIP. My heart will not go on. But this book was a stellar combination of Calder's crew, intense Elder action, scathing failures, great sacrifices, and satisfying resolution. I wish Calder got some more appreciation. He's freaking awesome. I wish everybody in that whole Empire knew that. Also the ending was a little more open than Shera's ending, and I only wish I got more, more, more. Okay, I guess I just wish I had 12 more books in this series.
July 31, 2020
I have such mixed feelings about this. Yes, we get the build up, the big battles, the closure on Calder's story but... It still feels like only half a story. I wasn't left satisfied by all those dangling threads, and that niggling sensation that some of them may be addressed in the companion series but equally may not be. Also knowing the ending and then having to re-read the whole timeline from the beginning? It was a bit disheartening. I think this is where the two series, one story concept really fell flat for me.
I longed for it to be told more like Trudi Canavan's Thief's Magic, where the two stories occurring at the same time but in very different places were told alongside each other. There were a few times where events in Calder's adventures lent themselves to being natural break-points, and I wish I had skipped over to Shera's narrative. It's no fun when you feel you're missing something big, and to some extent this instalment felt shallow because of it. When major events, say the introduction to or the death of a very important character , happen off-screen it's very anticlimactic. I just knew "ah, that will be explained in Of Killers and Kings". Or at least, I hope it will be.
I also got confused by the writing during some of the earlier action sequences. I re-read them a few times before giving up trying to work out who was doing what and when, and skimmed a fair portion. It could just be me, but I didn't find it very clear. The big battles at the end were much better in that respect, but still felt lacking in that events were only half-told.
And lastly, a whinge no one will care much about unless you actively look for romance in these kinds of books but... Jyrine. I can't believe she and Calder were any more than good friends. Like, super-close maybe. Calder's idea of romantic leanings shown in flashback are slightly creepy possessive ones rather than emotional, and Jerri herself only ever tells us straight out she "loved" him. It's all very... boy to spend all that time and effort explaining an intricate magic system (which is amazing, this isn't to bash the world-building) so that I believe it, but to only ever tell rather than show an emotional connection. They had zero chemistry and it bothered me. Sorry.
Whinging aside, was it worth it? Yes. The story is a bloomin' marvel of epic fantasy with a dark tinge. I loved the writing. I came to really appreciate the characters, and the flashbacks gave so much more insight into them. I only wish the story had been told in it's entirety here. I will read Shera's finale, because I want to know why she and others did what they did, but it feels like a missed opportunity in story telling not to have these two concurrent narratives told in the same volume.
I longed for it to be told more like Trudi Canavan's Thief's Magic, where the two stories occurring at the same time but in very different places were told alongside each other. There were a few times where events in Calder's adventures lent themselves to being natural break-points, and I wish I had skipped over to Shera's narrative. It's no fun when you feel you're missing something big, and to some extent this instalment felt shallow because of it. When major events, say the introduction to or the death of a very important character , happen off-screen it's very anticlimactic. I just knew "ah, that will be explained in Of Killers and Kings". Or at least, I hope it will be.
I also got confused by the writing during some of the earlier action sequences. I re-read them a few times before giving up trying to work out who was doing what and when, and skimmed a fair portion. It could just be me, but I didn't find it very clear. The big battles at the end were much better in that respect, but still felt lacking in that events were only half-told.
And lastly, a whinge no one will care much about unless you actively look for romance in these kinds of books but... Jyrine. I can't believe she and Calder were any more than good friends. Like, super-close maybe. Calder's idea of romantic leanings shown in flashback are slightly creepy possessive ones rather than emotional, and Jerri herself only ever tells us straight out she "loved" him. It's all very... boy to spend all that time and effort explaining an intricate magic system (which is amazing, this isn't to bash the world-building) so that I believe it, but to only ever tell rather than show an emotional connection. They had zero chemistry and it bothered me. Sorry.
Whinging aside, was it worth it? Yes. The story is a bloomin' marvel of epic fantasy with a dark tinge. I loved the writing. I came to really appreciate the characters, and the flashbacks gave so much more insight into them. I only wish the story had been told in it's entirety here. I will read Shera's finale, because I want to know why she and others did what they did, but it feels like a missed opportunity in story telling not to have these two concurrent narratives told in the same volume.
September 21, 2020
The final work in the Elder Empire: Sea Series is a very mixed bag. Will Wight takes some major risks, chiefly connecting this setting to his larger Cradle setting. The Lovecraftian Elders are just Class 1 Fiends and their unknowable plans, they just want to get off planet. While I appreciate the desire to connect his works to larger setting, a common enough pursuit of fantasy authors, I cant help but feel the move diminishes the work the author put into the setting and it's mysteries.
The Regents coming into the picture essentially sink any hope for Calder and his faction. Shera and her allies were already ridiculously powerful and with the Remnants, one of which is said to equal to the Emperor's ability in combat firmly establish Calder as the underdog in the first half of the book. The character's in the opposing series give him little chance and seem to hate him unconditionally. Most of their political problems could have been solved with good listening skills. In fact Calder is such an underdog that he get's stabbed to a death by Shera with little difficulty and disposed of as an afterthought. The author's choices in the first half of the book were not to my taste and if you were waiting to see Calder get any validation from anyone don't hold your breath. I'll wait and see if Shera or any more of Shera's actions seem more understandable from her own point of view in the companion book.
The second half of the book dealing with the main character's confrontation with the Elders is much more satisfying. Notably Calder's relationship to the old Emperor and his wife are fully explored. In addition we get to see more of Calder's always entertaining crew. Calder gets a few moments to shine. His final confrontation with his wife, now an avatar of an Elder is heartbreaking. His coming to terms with the Emperor is also interesting and the reveal that Calder's favourite philosopher is just one of his pseudonyms, is also a fun and surprisingly cutting reveal.
To put a cap on this half of the series. It was a fun series with a frustrating elements. If I had to do it again I'd probably still read it. However, I don't think I'll ever choose to read it a second time.
TL:DR - Exciting book with some risky and not entirely satisfactory decisions.
The Regents coming into the picture essentially sink any hope for Calder and his faction. Shera and her allies were already ridiculously powerful and with the Remnants, one of which is said to equal to the Emperor's ability in combat firmly establish Calder as the underdog in the first half of the book. The character's in the opposing series give him little chance and seem to hate him unconditionally. Most of their political problems could have been solved with good listening skills. In fact Calder is such an underdog that he get's stabbed to a death by Shera with little difficulty and disposed of as an afterthought. The author's choices in the first half of the book were not to my taste and if you were waiting to see Calder get any validation from anyone don't hold your breath. I'll wait and see if Shera or any more of Shera's actions seem more understandable from her own point of view in the companion book.
The second half of the book dealing with the main character's confrontation with the Elders is much more satisfying. Notably Calder's relationship to the old Emperor and his wife are fully explored. In addition we get to see more of Calder's always entertaining crew. Calder gets a few moments to shine. His final confrontation with his wife, now an avatar of an Elder is heartbreaking. His coming to terms with the Emperor is also interesting and the reveal that Calder's favourite philosopher is just one of his pseudonyms, is also a fun and surprisingly cutting reveal.
To put a cap on this half of the series. It was a fun series with a frustrating elements. If I had to do it again I'd probably still read it. However, I don't think I'll ever choose to read it a second time.
TL:DR - Exciting book with some risky and not entirely satisfactory decisions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2020
*Might contain Spoilers*
Excellent book with an "Amazing" ending until I read the other OKAK book.
It was like no one even knew or care about the contribution Calder made, I felt like I am reading One Punch Man climax. Even Shera, the head of the Consultants guild, the guild that is supposed to know "everything" dismisses his sacrifice of using Optasia to change back the sky as a mere rumour and none of the Regents or the Consultants checked on the condition of Optasia for five full years. I find it extremely unlikely that the regents wouldn't have checked on Optasia after battle. If they had checked it then they would have seen that it was destroyed and a little mundane investigation would have revealed who used it last and what his condition is now. After seeing Loreli's personality I think she would've definitely cured or at least tried to cure Calder.
Also the regents acted like bullies through out the book, it was so unlike them from Shera's perspective. Only Loreli withheld her prejudice and investigated anything before judging Calder.
At least this is how I feel.
Excellent book with an "Amazing" ending until I read the other OKAK book.
It was like no one even knew or care about the contribution Calder made, I felt like I am reading One Punch Man climax. Even Shera, the head of the Consultants guild, the guild that is supposed to know "everything" dismisses his sacrifice of using Optasia to change back the sky as a mere rumour and none of the Regents or the Consultants checked on the condition of Optasia for five full years. I find it extremely unlikely that the regents wouldn't have checked on Optasia after battle. If they had checked it then they would have seen that it was destroyed and a little mundane investigation would have revealed who used it last and what his condition is now. After seeing Loreli's personality I think she would've definitely cured or at least tried to cure Calder.
Also the regents acted like bullies through out the book, it was so unlike them from Shera's perspective. Only Loreli withheld her prejudice and investigated anything before judging Calder.
At least this is how I feel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2022
3.5/5
The book ended with a bang but I can’t help but be disappointed. The whole story shines in the adventure and the magic of the past, and not in the preset. And that is a real shame as I would have loved to read a story about the adventures of Calder and his crew out on the sea rather than him sitting on a throne and making bad decisions.
The book felt like it missed the mark for me, focusing on the wrong things. It felt like it had grown far too much in scope and the characters never caught up and so it spun out of control.
I really like the world and the lore and the Elders, I just didn’t like the story that was told in it. Which is my biggest disappointment.
The book ended with a bang but I can’t help but be disappointed. The whole story shines in the adventure and the magic of the past, and not in the preset. And that is a real shame as I would have loved to read a story about the adventures of Calder and his crew out on the sea rather than him sitting on a throne and making bad decisions.
The book felt like it missed the mark for me, focusing on the wrong things. It felt like it had grown far too much in scope and the characters never caught up and so it spun out of control.
I really like the world and the lore and the Elders, I just didn’t like the story that was told in it. Which is my biggest disappointment.
October 26, 2023
Rating: 4.25/5.
Wow, that was a fantastic ending to a somewhat mediocre series! The series started on a high, dipped in the second book, and just came back strong towards the end of the third book. I loved how Calder’s arc played out. Reading about the camaraderie among the Testament's crew was always a high point of the story. The book does offer a bittersweet ending, but I'm greatly relieved at how it all played out towards the end.
Oh, and F*** Jerri.
Detailed review to be posted soon.
Wow, that was a fantastic ending to a somewhat mediocre series! The series started on a high, dipped in the second book, and just came back strong towards the end of the third book. I loved how Calder’s arc played out. Reading about the camaraderie among the Testament's crew was always a high point of the story. The book does offer a bittersweet ending, but I'm greatly relieved at how it all played out towards the end.
Oh, and F*** Jerri.
Detailed review to be posted soon.
June 6, 2020
A great finale
Some thoughts. The two-sided series comes to a close. I decided to read the “shadow” side first for each installment. I personally prefer Shera’s story, but this last installment was the best for the “Sea” side of the series. Will does a good job of balancing the stories and not going into the happily ever after zone where none of the main characters perish. There is a realism that a sand born hydra would appreciate. The last in the series has a nice tie-in to the multiverse that Will has been creating. We can continue to hold out hope for an Avengers like cross-over story in the distant future. I’m mostly droning on because if you’ve made it this far in the series than you already know what you are getting and don’t need me to tell you. Just waiting now for my next fix from Will’s wild twisted mind.
Some thoughts. The two-sided series comes to a close. I decided to read the “shadow” side first for each installment. I personally prefer Shera’s story, but this last installment was the best for the “Sea” side of the series. Will does a good job of balancing the stories and not going into the happily ever after zone where none of the main characters perish. There is a realism that a sand born hydra would appreciate. The last in the series has a nice tie-in to the multiverse that Will has been creating. We can continue to hold out hope for an Avengers like cross-over story in the distant future. I’m mostly droning on because if you’ve made it this far in the series than you already know what you are getting and don’t need me to tell you. Just waiting now for my next fix from Will’s wild twisted mind.
August 1, 2020
This book was surprisingly a slow starter... if you've been following the trilogies... you'll know what happened in the last 2 books and you'd have been all psyched up for this book, expecting a big splash! Ooopsie boo boo! 🤣
In of Dawn and Darkness, Calder Marten is in the possession of the emperor's crown! And he's ready to step into the vacuum left in the wake of this great entity... But, the Guilds, aren't in agreement over this convenient solution... and the Consultant's Guild is absolutely opposed to it, believing no one person should have that much power, because "absolute power corrupts absolutely! So really, I shouldn't have been at all surprised that Will Wight would have to give the action a backseat while he built up all the Political machinations that were happening. Only then could he could push the pedal to the metal...
And WOW, he ended up with a fantastic book and a great story ARC!
I really haven't mentioned in any of my other reviews of the Elder God series, just how much I've enjoyed the magic system! In this series if, you imbue your intent on a inanimate object, it can be awakened ie: a weapon that will actually want to kill! A makers tools; a hammer for instance, might rebel if it thinks that hammering a nail into a door is dumb, even missing on purpose! LOL!
The few books I've run into previously with "aware objects" had been in Nina Kiriki Hoffman's, Matt Black books, and David Brin's, The Practice Effect... and I've got to say, I loved them too!
The narration by Travis Baldree is as always, simply great (He's a favorite of mine)! But now I can hardly wait to listen to Emily Woo Zeller (another favorite) narrate the 6th and final story of the two side-by-side trilogies, Shera's story! She's an assassin, and leader the Consultant's Guild!!!
In of Dawn and Darkness, Calder Marten is in the possession of the emperor's crown! And he's ready to step into the vacuum left in the wake of this great entity... But, the Guilds, aren't in agreement over this convenient solution... and the Consultant's Guild is absolutely opposed to it, believing no one person should have that much power, because "absolute power corrupts absolutely! So really, I shouldn't have been at all surprised that Will Wight would have to give the action a backseat while he built up all the Political machinations that were happening. Only then could he could push the pedal to the metal...
And WOW, he ended up with a fantastic book and a great story ARC!
I really haven't mentioned in any of my other reviews of the Elder God series, just how much I've enjoyed the magic system! In this series if, you imbue your intent on a inanimate object, it can be awakened ie: a weapon that will actually want to kill! A makers tools; a hammer for instance, might rebel if it thinks that hammering a nail into a door is dumb, even missing on purpose! LOL!
The few books I've run into previously with "aware objects" had been in Nina Kiriki Hoffman's, Matt Black books, and David Brin's, The Practice Effect... and I've got to say, I loved them too!
The narration by Travis Baldree is as always, simply great (He's a favorite of mine)! But now I can hardly wait to listen to Emily Woo Zeller (another favorite) narrate the 6th and final story of the two side-by-side trilogies, Shera's story! She's an assassin, and leader the Consultant's Guild!!!
July 3, 2020
Wow. A fantastic ending to a great trilogy. It is really evident that Wight has taken everything he’s learned from the fantastic Cradle series and put it to work in the third iteration of this series.
Books one and two came both came out in 2015, so it’s been a solid five years since he’s added to this series. He’s published seven books since then in his Cradle series and has finally returned to finish the parallel trilogy that is Elder Empire.
The pacing is absolutely crazy, pedal on the gas the whole time. This book absolutely destroyed my sleep over to two days that I read it because I couldn’t find a good place to stop. I. Just. Had. To. Keep. Going. This is the same issue I had with Cradle after Unsouled.
Wight’s writing style is ruthless in that after he finishes his first draft, he goes back and essentially purges any scenes that don’t move the story forward in anyway. He’s gotten better and better at doing this as he’s written more books, and all of that practice has paid off to close this trilogy at breakneck speed.
The characters are endearing and seeing how they’ve grown together over the series and end their journey together is bittersweet.
Overall, if you like Wight’s Cradle series or enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ll likely enjoy this series. I’d recommend starting with the Of Shadows side, then switch to the Of Sea side.
Books one and two came both came out in 2015, so it’s been a solid five years since he’s added to this series. He’s published seven books since then in his Cradle series and has finally returned to finish the parallel trilogy that is Elder Empire.
The pacing is absolutely crazy, pedal on the gas the whole time. This book absolutely destroyed my sleep over to two days that I read it because I couldn’t find a good place to stop. I. Just. Had. To. Keep. Going. This is the same issue I had with Cradle after Unsouled.
Wight’s writing style is ruthless in that after he finishes his first draft, he goes back and essentially purges any scenes that don’t move the story forward in anyway. He’s gotten better and better at doing this as he’s written more books, and all of that practice has paid off to close this trilogy at breakneck speed.
The characters are endearing and seeing how they’ve grown together over the series and end their journey together is bittersweet.
Overall, if you like Wight’s Cradle series or enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ll likely enjoy this series. I’d recommend starting with the Of Shadows side, then switch to the Of Sea side.
January 30, 2021
All three books 4*'s. Looking forward to the companion series and seeing the view from shadow.
March 17, 2024
Oh my God.
Holy shit.
Truth be told, I don’t even where to begin with this one. I finished the book literally minutes before I began writing this. I have so many things I want to say but the words elude me. I don’t know how to explain this book.
Let me begin with this: This book is the death of me. Or was, I suppose. I don’t know. Whatever. For the foreseeable future until it is dethroned by something else. I’m not complaining. I’m quite happy that this book has made a fool of me through my visceral reactions because that is a testament to how phenomenal this book is.
To think that I doubted this book in the beginning since, while I am open to reading a lot of things, I do struggle with reading things that I haven’t before, and pirates were just one of them. Here I am now, fresh off the experience of reading it and I don’t regret anything. Not one bit. I am so glad I read this. I have nothing but praise for this book trilogy. In fact, I think I like pirates now. Admittedly, a part of me is a little scared of reading the trilogy from Shera’s perspective because what if it doesn’t live up to the greatness of Calder’s? What if I don’t like it as much? But then, I want to understand everything so I will.
But I digress. I don’t even know how to compile my notes into something comprehensive since a lot of it is just pure reaction based on what was happening in the book. If I thought Of Dawn and Darkness was a rollercoaster, then I don’t even know how to classify Of Kings and Killers because it was…more intense. Every few chapters, I would add a new note (it’s become some sort of way to cope with the events of the book because this is too much to explain to someone who doesn’t know and I needed to vent somehow) that’s just all caps.
Will Wight knows how to hurt his readers. At least, in my case, me.
The book had so many twists and turns, ones that I enjoyed. They shocked me, hyped me up, scared me, saddened me, and…made me grieve.
By far, this is one of the few books that’s made me react so intensely while reading.
What have I haven’t said about this book already? The characters are great, the worldbuilding is awesome, the plot is jaw-dropping (in my case, literally), and everything else also just fits the mould of perfection. I’d love to talk about the characters—my admiration for General Jarelys Teach and love-hate for Estyr Six, my conflicting feelings toward Jyrine, and my love for The Testament crew—the chapters and events that made me gasp painfully, the genius of everything, but I fear that this would become too long, and I only have so many good things to say about this.
I wish this was more popular. Regardless, if Will Wight hasn’t found a fan in me before, he definitely has now.
I can’t imagine The Elder Empire: Sea Trilogy ending any other way.
No, I won’t read The Elder Empire: Shadow just yet. I��m too damaged right now to dive into that.
Holy shit.
Truth be told, I don’t even where to begin with this one. I finished the book literally minutes before I began writing this. I have so many things I want to say but the words elude me. I don’t know how to explain this book.
Let me begin with this: This book is the death of me. Or was, I suppose. I don’t know. Whatever. For the foreseeable future until it is dethroned by something else. I’m not complaining. I’m quite happy that this book has made a fool of me through my visceral reactions because that is a testament to how phenomenal this book is.
To think that I doubted this book in the beginning since, while I am open to reading a lot of things, I do struggle with reading things that I haven’t before, and pirates were just one of them. Here I am now, fresh off the experience of reading it and I don’t regret anything. Not one bit. I am so glad I read this. I have nothing but praise for this book trilogy. In fact, I think I like pirates now. Admittedly, a part of me is a little scared of reading the trilogy from Shera’s perspective because what if it doesn’t live up to the greatness of Calder’s? What if I don’t like it as much? But then, I want to understand everything so I will.
But I digress. I don’t even know how to compile my notes into something comprehensive since a lot of it is just pure reaction based on what was happening in the book. If I thought Of Dawn and Darkness was a rollercoaster, then I don’t even know how to classify Of Kings and Killers because it was…more intense. Every few chapters, I would add a new note (it’s become some sort of way to cope with the events of the book because this is too much to explain to someone who doesn’t know and I needed to vent somehow) that’s just all caps.
Will Wight knows how to hurt his readers. At least, in my case, me.
The book had so many twists and turns, ones that I enjoyed. They shocked me, hyped me up, scared me, saddened me, and…made me grieve.
By far, this is one of the few books that’s made me react so intensely while reading.
What have I haven’t said about this book already? The characters are great, the worldbuilding is awesome, the plot is jaw-dropping (in my case, literally), and everything else also just fits the mould of perfection. I’d love to talk about the characters—my admiration for General Jarelys Teach and love-hate for Estyr Six, my conflicting feelings toward Jyrine, and my love for The Testament crew—the chapters and events that made me gasp painfully, the genius of everything, but I fear that this would become too long, and I only have so many good things to say about this.
I wish this was more popular. Regardless, if Will Wight hasn’t found a fan in me before, he definitely has now.
I can’t imagine The Elder Empire: Sea Trilogy ending any other way.
No, I won’t read The Elder Empire: Shadow just yet. I��m too damaged right now to dive into that.
May 20, 2020
Amazing
Will Wight is one of the reasons I keep paying for Kindle Unlimited. What I thought were going to be a series of silly books to keep my mind off other things turned into spellbinding novels of complex magics and strange worlds that have kept up far too late on far too many nights.
I'm sorry to see that these two latest installments end the trilogies I rest easy that the stories are told and ended well. I'm tickled by the tie-in to the Cradle series (one of my top book series).
Will, keep up the amazing work.
Will Wight is one of the reasons I keep paying for Kindle Unlimited. What I thought were going to be a series of silly books to keep my mind off other things turned into spellbinding novels of complex magics and strange worlds that have kept up far too late on far too many nights.
I'm sorry to see that these two latest installments end the trilogies I rest easy that the stories are told and ended well. I'm tickled by the tie-in to the Cradle series (one of my top book series).
Will, keep up the amazing work.
May 4, 2020
If you don't want to see a moment of triumph in the main plot until the end of the book. If you want to see every plan of the main character and the character's on his side fail, fail, and fail again. Then you've come to the right book.
I slogged through just so I can write this review.
Will Wight's excellent writing style is also what pushed me through, but good god, the plot is just depression and frustration incarnate.
I slogged through just so I can write this review.
Will Wight's excellent writing style is also what pushed me through, but good god, the plot is just depression and frustration incarnate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2020
Yet again, Will has done a great job of telling the story from the other side and keep a few surprises to boot. Bloopers were fantastic, wish they get added to earlier books too.
I definitely hope there will be short stories to fill the details that were left unsaid in these books. The ending has opened up a few discussions about connections related to Willverse and I look forward to re-reading these books.
I definitely hope there will be short stories to fill the details that were left unsaid in these books. The ending has opened up a few discussions about connections related to Willverse and I look forward to re-reading these books.
October 6, 2020
Overall Rating: 4.5
Trilogy Rating: 4.75
Closure: 5
Characters: 5
World-building: 5
And this half of the tandem trilogies draws to a close. A wonderful, wonderful close. This series is one I have held out hope for for a long time. It’s quick and simple, but the cool factor is stellar, and it has incredibly likable characters, with a story that’s a lot of fun and a world that feels very original, and not at all common for fantasy. I don’t know that this trilogy will break my top 5 favorites, but depending on how the shadow side wraps up, the full 6 book series just might, but it will definitely break into my top 10. This review is going to get just a little longer, because I’m going to discuss some full series compliments and criticisms.
Let’s start with the fact that this is the last book in a trilogy, the first thing on everyone’s mind is “Does it kill the rest of the series?” To that, I give a resounding no. I don’t necessarily want to say it’s the best of the three, but it puts the story to bed just as well as the first one created it; the issue is that it’s just hard to top the awe in the first one as we learned all about this fantasy world and these colorful characters. Yes in book 3 we’re still learning about the characters (Foster in particular gets a great flashback) and world, but even with some great reveals, it just doesn’t match the same state of wonder as getting to know all these aspects for the first time. That said, one spot where this book really killed it was in how everything leading up to it mattered in the end. While maybe some could have been rearranged, I can’t think of any scenes that could have just been skipped.
Where book 2 really felt like it was being carried by Urzaia and Foster at points, this one is back to the original in the sense that it’s truly carried by Calder for nearly the whole thing. With the way the plot has gone up until the end of the second book, everyone else really needed to take a back seat, and they play their supporting roles very well, but Calder really shines in this one. We also get a lot of Bliss and Cheska (audiobooked, don’t know her spelling), who are two of my favorite characters from the series as a whole. I honestly hope that Wight continues writing in this universe just because they would make such excellent leads. In a cast that is very entertaining, if a bit one-note, these two really shine as intriguing, rounded characters, on the same level as the Regents (who also deserve their own books).
I believe I’ve complimented the world-building of this series in every review, and this one is no different, we learn even more of the inner workings of the world, and they continue to be even more intriguing. I expect I’ll be returning to that sentiment very soon with the review of Of Killers and Kings as well.
So let’s talk some full trilogy stuff. I would say the weakest point of the Sea trilogy is probably the pacing. Book 1 is a fairly self-contained story, and it doesn’t suffer from this as badly, but book two has issues with the format and its necessity, and while this volume brings the series to a great close, there’s a point around the climax where it really feels a bit rushed. These books are quick enough that I’ve actually been listening twice in some instances before reviewing, just because listening at work can take more of my attention off the book than I realize, but around the 2-3 hours remaining mark of both listens, there was a bit of whiplash. On the first listen I was willing to put the blame on myself, but in seeing it repeated on the second listen, gotta say this feels like a shortcoming of the book itself. It’s not uncommon for final books to be a decent bit longer than the others in the series (to the point that they sometimes become multiple books in and of themselves), and I’ve got to say, I think this book could have very easily been another fifty pages or so.
On the flip side, the strongest point has got to be the side characters, Urzaia, Cheska, and Bliss in particular. While only a few feel like really complex characters, Wight has been able to veer off trope just slightly enough to make the characters that aren’t exactly three-dimensional into characters that are incredibly fun to read and easy to sympathize with, which I don’t think is an easy task. In a lot of books I find myself only able to remember POV characters and maybe one or two others especially well. This whole trilogy is roughly the same size as Mistborn: The Final Empire, and I know Calder’s group way better than Kelsier and Vinn’s.
I would excitedly recommend this series to any fantasy fan that enjoys popcorn reads.
Trilogy Rating: 4.75
Closure: 5
Characters: 5
World-building: 5
And this half of the tandem trilogies draws to a close. A wonderful, wonderful close. This series is one I have held out hope for for a long time. It’s quick and simple, but the cool factor is stellar, and it has incredibly likable characters, with a story that’s a lot of fun and a world that feels very original, and not at all common for fantasy. I don’t know that this trilogy will break my top 5 favorites, but depending on how the shadow side wraps up, the full 6 book series just might, but it will definitely break into my top 10. This review is going to get just a little longer, because I’m going to discuss some full series compliments and criticisms.
Let’s start with the fact that this is the last book in a trilogy, the first thing on everyone’s mind is “Does it kill the rest of the series?” To that, I give a resounding no. I don’t necessarily want to say it’s the best of the three, but it puts the story to bed just as well as the first one created it; the issue is that it’s just hard to top the awe in the first one as we learned all about this fantasy world and these colorful characters. Yes in book 3 we’re still learning about the characters (Foster in particular gets a great flashback) and world, but even with some great reveals, it just doesn’t match the same state of wonder as getting to know all these aspects for the first time. That said, one spot where this book really killed it was in how everything leading up to it mattered in the end. While maybe some could have been rearranged, I can’t think of any scenes that could have just been skipped.
Where book 2 really felt like it was being carried by Urzaia and Foster at points, this one is back to the original in the sense that it’s truly carried by Calder for nearly the whole thing. With the way the plot has gone up until the end of the second book, everyone else really needed to take a back seat, and they play their supporting roles very well, but Calder really shines in this one. We also get a lot of Bliss and Cheska (audiobooked, don’t know her spelling), who are two of my favorite characters from the series as a whole. I honestly hope that Wight continues writing in this universe just because they would make such excellent leads. In a cast that is very entertaining, if a bit one-note, these two really shine as intriguing, rounded characters, on the same level as the Regents (who also deserve their own books).
I believe I’ve complimented the world-building of this series in every review, and this one is no different, we learn even more of the inner workings of the world, and they continue to be even more intriguing. I expect I’ll be returning to that sentiment very soon with the review of Of Killers and Kings as well.
So let’s talk some full trilogy stuff. I would say the weakest point of the Sea trilogy is probably the pacing. Book 1 is a fairly self-contained story, and it doesn’t suffer from this as badly, but book two has issues with the format and its necessity, and while this volume brings the series to a great close, there’s a point around the climax where it really feels a bit rushed. These books are quick enough that I’ve actually been listening twice in some instances before reviewing, just because listening at work can take more of my attention off the book than I realize, but around the 2-3 hours remaining mark of both listens, there was a bit of whiplash. On the first listen I was willing to put the blame on myself, but in seeing it repeated on the second listen, gotta say this feels like a shortcoming of the book itself. It’s not uncommon for final books to be a decent bit longer than the others in the series (to the point that they sometimes become multiple books in and of themselves), and I’ve got to say, I think this book could have very easily been another fifty pages or so.
On the flip side, the strongest point has got to be the side characters, Urzaia, Cheska, and Bliss in particular. While only a few feel like really complex characters, Wight has been able to veer off trope just slightly enough to make the characters that aren’t exactly three-dimensional into characters that are incredibly fun to read and easy to sympathize with, which I don’t think is an easy task. In a lot of books I find myself only able to remember POV characters and maybe one or two others especially well. This whole trilogy is roughly the same size as Mistborn: The Final Empire, and I know Calder’s group way better than Kelsier and Vinn’s.
I would excitedly recommend this series to any fantasy fan that enjoys popcorn reads.
January 4, 2025
If I had to describe this book in one word, in terms of character, magic, and world building it would be… “Inconsistent“.
The first book was an interesting mixture of drama action and humor book action to do a lot of throwback chapters 2 characters that were killed over in the first book. I didn't really see the point of that.
And in this book, we see another champion easily demolished. By a person that we TOLD is superhuman, but never actually SEE her do anything impressive other than kill a champion. And float.
Which happens a lot apparently in these books.
Maybe if she or the champion either had actually accomplished anything, done ANYTHING, to set up how powerful they were, (other than vague stories that are hinted at but mean absolutely nothing to us ) it might have been actually impressive.
Instead we are left with a rather lame fight, that we don't even get to see because it is all off screen, and in the end, a champion dies. Again.
The third book continues in the killing off of the only interesting characters. Frankly at this point, there's really not anybody that I care about alive anymore.
People continuously making stupid decisions for no apparent reason other than "plot". Geri is just intolerable.
Consultants apparently are all god level characters, capable of taking down pretty much anybody else in the world. That’s just boring storytelling.
“Shera” appears to be a “god” character, that absolutely nobody can defeat, who kills champions at will, with her butter knife of a dagger. SUPER powerful. SUPER magic. SUPER fighter. SUPER EVERYTHING. In fact, she’s SO SUPER POWERFUL MAGIC she can stab straight through the Emperors’ armour. You know…the super powerful armor, created to literally fight gods, and hold off the intent of ancient alien magic.
She defeats champions with nary a thought. She kills a god, despite the fact that every other superhuman being in the entire series has attempted to attack and kill it, and it laughed every attack off.
Nope, apparently one little stab from her and it’s game over.
/eyeroll again. Boring.
More flashbacks, with an attempt at action sequences. The problem is, there's absolutely no real stakes involved, because we know all of the characters survive just fine. So......that's DULL.
No depth of personality whatsoever. while the first book I think was a great novelty read, every successive book seems to be getting worse and worse.
There seem to be quite a few aspects of it that echo Brandon Sanderson’s work. I honestly think that he took ideas from Warbreaker (like Nightblood) and Mistborn -and intertwined them into his own story, with 1/10 of ability.
The best part of the book honestly, is the epilogue with Shuffles.
I didn’t want to finish this….but I slogged through.
I won't be reading the "of Shadow and Sea" trilogy that accompanies this unless forced-that’s for sure.
The first book was an interesting mixture of drama action and humor book action to do a lot of throwback chapters 2 characters that were killed over in the first book. I didn't really see the point of that.
And in this book, we see another champion easily demolished. By a person that we TOLD is superhuman, but never actually SEE her do anything impressive other than kill a champion. And float.
Which happens a lot apparently in these books.
Maybe if she or the champion either had actually accomplished anything, done ANYTHING, to set up how powerful they were, (other than vague stories that are hinted at but mean absolutely nothing to us ) it might have been actually impressive.
Instead we are left with a rather lame fight, that we don't even get to see because it is all off screen, and in the end, a champion dies. Again.
The third book continues in the killing off of the only interesting characters. Frankly at this point, there's really not anybody that I care about alive anymore.
People continuously making stupid decisions for no apparent reason other than "plot". Geri is just intolerable.
Consultants apparently are all god level characters, capable of taking down pretty much anybody else in the world. That’s just boring storytelling.
“Shera” appears to be a “god” character, that absolutely nobody can defeat, who kills champions at will, with her butter knife of a dagger. SUPER powerful. SUPER magic. SUPER fighter. SUPER EVERYTHING. In fact, she’s SO SUPER POWERFUL MAGIC she can stab straight through the Emperors’ armour. You know…the super powerful armor, created to literally fight gods, and hold off the intent of ancient alien magic.
She defeats champions with nary a thought. She kills a god, despite the fact that every other superhuman being in the entire series has attempted to attack and kill it, and it laughed every attack off.
Nope, apparently one little stab from her and it’s game over.
/eyeroll again. Boring.
More flashbacks, with an attempt at action sequences. The problem is, there's absolutely no real stakes involved, because we know all of the characters survive just fine. So......that's DULL.
No depth of personality whatsoever. while the first book I think was a great novelty read, every successive book seems to be getting worse and worse.
There seem to be quite a few aspects of it that echo Brandon Sanderson’s work. I honestly think that he took ideas from Warbreaker (like Nightblood) and Mistborn -and intertwined them into his own story, with 1/10 of ability.
The best part of the book honestly, is the epilogue with Shuffles.
I didn’t want to finish this….but I slogged through.
I won't be reading the "of Shadow and Sea" trilogy that accompanies this unless forced-that’s for sure.
April 17, 2022
This concludes my reading of both the Elder Empire series, and so, here are my thoughts on the whole of it.
The idea of two parallel series is definitely intriguing and is what made me so eager to start these books. But, I would say the story did not benefit from the style. It would have been much better conveyed by a single trilogy - in my opinion the 'Sea' books with just parts of Shera and other characters POVs - especially since they intersect so often in the duration of a book.
When I finished the 'Shadow' books, it was clear to me that I did not, at all, like those set of characters - especially Shera. There was zero (and I do mean zero) emotional investment in reading about her journey, and where she ends up (which still makes me side eye the decision making skills of the higher ups - I mean, whatever did we read about in the 3 books that convinced them she'd be a suitable person for the position, other than the powers she gained?). I understood Jerri much better than Shera, and frankly, liked her more for it.
But the crew of the testament were a different matter for me. I liked how the ragtag group of people came together (Urzaia is definitely a favourite), how distinct they all were, and how we understood why each of them were doing what they were doing. It was much easier to feel things when they wet through shit. So, the ending of this series gave me a much better emotional closure rather than just making me go 'heh? Really? Okay. Whatever.'
And yes, there were quite a lot of things left open at the end, but I was satisfied with it. Which was a surprise considering how huge and convoluted (and not in a bad way) the world building & stakes were.
Overall, I'd say if you want to try this series out, go for it. The story is definitely worth a read, but just keep in mind that you'll probably be frustrated at times when you're going through the story a second time. And I'd highly recommend going the audiobook route for the 'Sea' books - Travis Baldree's narration was a huge plus in my experience.
And, if you reach the end, don't miss out on the bloopers. 😂😂
The idea of two parallel series is definitely intriguing and is what made me so eager to start these books. But, I would say the story did not benefit from the style. It would have been much better conveyed by a single trilogy - in my opinion the 'Sea' books with just parts of Shera and other characters POVs - especially since they intersect so often in the duration of a book.
When I finished the 'Shadow' books, it was clear to me that I did not, at all, like those set of characters - especially Shera. There was zero (and I do mean zero) emotional investment in reading about her journey, and where she ends up (which still makes me side eye the decision making skills of the higher ups - I mean, whatever did we read about in the 3 books that convinced them she'd be a suitable person for the position, other than the powers she gained?). I understood Jerri much better than Shera, and frankly, liked her more for it.
But the crew of the testament were a different matter for me. I liked how the ragtag group of people came together (Urzaia is definitely a favourite), how distinct they all were, and how we understood why each of them were doing what they were doing. It was much easier to feel things when they wet through shit. So, the ending of this series gave me a much better emotional closure rather than just making me go 'heh? Really? Okay. Whatever.'
And yes, there were quite a lot of things left open at the end, but I was satisfied with it. Which was a surprise considering how huge and convoluted (and not in a bad way) the world building & stakes were.
Overall, I'd say if you want to try this series out, go for it. The story is definitely worth a read, but just keep in mind that you'll probably be frustrated at times when you're going through the story a second time. And I'd highly recommend going the audiobook route for the 'Sea' books - Travis Baldree's narration was a huge plus in my experience.
And, if you reach the end, don't miss out on the bloopers. 😂😂
November 6, 2022
For the longest time I was not a fan of this series.
It took me simply forever to finish it. When did I start? Let's see, I started the first of the six on September 14th and finished the last one today, that's almost two months? Compare that to the Cradle series by the same author, I started the first of the 11 published on July 4th and finished the eleventh on August 8th. That's 11 books in slightly more than a month. So, you can clearly see that Cradle interested me more than the Elder Empire did...even though they're connected. Lindon is just more of a character I resonate with than Calder or Shera.
The major reason it took me forever to finish the series was that the timelines are incredibly jumpy. You start out in the past, then go further in the past, then jump to the present day for a bit of foreshadowing, then go back to the ancient past, then jump forward again to just the regular past and it took until the last book to finally piece it all together. Then there were some things that were just never resolved, and that also bothers me. I am a completionist and I like everything tied together in a neat little bow. It's a failing, I know.
So, I soldiered on through this book...and then...Will blew my mind.
Maybe this wouldn't blow anyone else's mind, but the fact that the emperor was Sadesthenes was just so perfect. It made complete sense. It was poignant and poetic and had just the right amount of irony. It was gorgeous. It gave me the same sense of satisfaction that a story neatly tied up into a bow does and made me bow to the skill of a master. I had no idea, not even the faintest suspicion until that page and I loved it.
Of course, it also helped that there was a great quote right at the end of the scene that is a universal truth I feel we could all benefit from: "I have long been aware of my weaknesses. Alas, awareness of one's flaws is not the same as overcoming them."
I feel we've forgotten that. We're so busy raising awareness that we forget to actually do anything.
It took me simply forever to finish it. When did I start? Let's see, I started the first of the six on September 14th and finished the last one today, that's almost two months? Compare that to the Cradle series by the same author, I started the first of the 11 published on July 4th and finished the eleventh on August 8th. That's 11 books in slightly more than a month. So, you can clearly see that Cradle interested me more than the Elder Empire did...even though they're connected. Lindon is just more of a character I resonate with than Calder or Shera.
The major reason it took me forever to finish the series was that the timelines are incredibly jumpy. You start out in the past, then go further in the past, then jump to the present day for a bit of foreshadowing, then go back to the ancient past, then jump forward again to just the regular past and it took until the last book to finally piece it all together. Then there were some things that were just never resolved, and that also bothers me. I am a completionist and I like everything tied together in a neat little bow. It's a failing, I know.
So, I soldiered on through this book...and then...Will blew my mind.
Maybe this wouldn't blow anyone else's mind, but the fact that the emperor was Sadesthenes was just so perfect. It made complete sense. It was poignant and poetic and had just the right amount of irony. It was gorgeous. It gave me the same sense of satisfaction that a story neatly tied up into a bow does and made me bow to the skill of a master. I had no idea, not even the faintest suspicion until that page and I loved it.
Of course, it also helped that there was a great quote right at the end of the scene that is a universal truth I feel we could all benefit from: "I have long been aware of my weaknesses. Alas, awareness of one's flaws is not the same as overcoming them."
I feel we've forgotten that. We're so busy raising awareness that we forget to actually do anything.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2024
A solid ending to this trilogy! Maybe my favorite of three.
The biggest point in favor of this book for me is the ending—not quite the actual very end of the book, but more so the way it handles its second half. I won’t go into spoilers here, but there is some really fascinating worldbuilding aspects to the later parts of this book, fun twists and turns in the story, and a truly epic and large scale that I loved. I think it comes across as an appropriate and satisfying final chapter in this trilogy. The action is exciting and fun, as well. As in past books, I really enjoyed the portrayal of the Great Elders here. They feel somewhat less fully unknowable and Lovecraftian in this book, as we do learn a little more about them, but I still enjoyed their presentation. The book also features more really interesting applications of this series’s magic system which I liked.
As for negatives, I do think this book is somewhat weaker on the character front. Between plot, characters, and worldbuilding, the characters have always been the weakest link for me in this series, so that’s not surprising. I will say that Calder has a good, satisfying conclusion to his arc that was very enjoyable, but otherwise the characters didn’t do a lot for me. And while I did enjoy the ending as a whole, the way the book actually ends felt… almost incomplete to me. I feel like there should be more, because the book is clearly setting up what these characters may have to face in the future. The ending also didn’t quite go as Lovecraft as I might have liked—this makes sense because while the series does borrow some Lovecraftian ideas, it is an epic fantasy and not a cosmic horror. Still, I think a different, far bleaker ending could have been interesting, though perhaps unsatisfying.
Overall this was a solid ending to the trilogy that delivered in a lot of ways I was hoping for. It really felt like it was building up to something epic and it definitely did. I look forward to reading the final book in the Shadow trilogy next.
Rating: 8.5/10
The biggest point in favor of this book for me is the ending—not quite the actual very end of the book, but more so the way it handles its second half. I won’t go into spoilers here, but there is some really fascinating worldbuilding aspects to the later parts of this book, fun twists and turns in the story, and a truly epic and large scale that I loved. I think it comes across as an appropriate and satisfying final chapter in this trilogy. The action is exciting and fun, as well. As in past books, I really enjoyed the portrayal of the Great Elders here. They feel somewhat less fully unknowable and Lovecraftian in this book, as we do learn a little more about them, but I still enjoyed their presentation. The book also features more really interesting applications of this series’s magic system which I liked.
As for negatives, I do think this book is somewhat weaker on the character front. Between plot, characters, and worldbuilding, the characters have always been the weakest link for me in this series, so that’s not surprising. I will say that Calder has a good, satisfying conclusion to his arc that was very enjoyable, but otherwise the characters didn’t do a lot for me. And while I did enjoy the ending as a whole, the way the book actually ends felt… almost incomplete to me. I feel like there should be more, because the book is clearly setting up what these characters may have to face in the future. The ending also didn’t quite go as Lovecraft as I might have liked—this makes sense because while the series does borrow some Lovecraftian ideas, it is an epic fantasy and not a cosmic horror. Still, I think a different, far bleaker ending could have been interesting, though perhaps unsatisfying.
Overall this was a solid ending to the trilogy that delivered in a lot of ways I was hoping for. It really felt like it was building up to something epic and it definitely did. I look forward to reading the final book in the Shadow trilogy next.
Rating: 8.5/10
September 29, 2021
storygraph rating: 4.5
best one in the series so far. i still have its complement pair to read, but now i know how this half of the story ends. it was very good, a very strong entry.
firstly: it made me feel very deeply. it moved me in a way that i really want to see from novels. as much as i love all of will wight’s works, there are only a few which have actually MOVED me – and this was one of them.
secondly: i thought it ended very well – meaning that i was impressed by the neatness with which the story wrapped up. even right next to the end, i wasn’t sure how things could POSSIBLY resolve – the plot, character arcs, etc – and they did! it was excellent
thirdly: it was extremely kickass. great payoff to buildup over the series for some very cool concepts. i won’t say more so i don’t spoil anything, but very cool stuff.
anyway, yeah, great series. can’t believe there’s only one more book
———————————————————————————
Guide to my Rating Scale, based on the Storygraph Rating:
* 5 Stars: This book was more or less flawless. One of the best things I’ve ever read.
* 4.75 through 4.25 Stars: This book had slight flaws, but I REALLY loved it. Marked as 4 stars on Goodreads.
* 4 Stars: This book had slight flaws, but I loved it.
* 3.75 through 3.25 Stars: This book had significant flaws, but I REALLY liked it. Marked as 3 stars on Goodreads.
* 3 Stars: This book had significant flaws, but I liked it just fine.
* 2.75 through 2.25 Stars: This book was extremely flawed, but I thought it had some merit. Marked as 2 stars on Goodreads.
* 2 Stars: This book was extremely flawed, but I didn’t actively dislike it. It was a waste of my time but not odious.
* 1.75 through 1.25 Stars: This book was irreparably flawed, and I actively disliked it. Marked as 1 star on Goodreads.
* 1 Star: This book was irreparably flawed. I actively hated this book and am worse off for having read it.
best one in the series so far. i still have its complement pair to read, but now i know how this half of the story ends. it was very good, a very strong entry.
firstly: it made me feel very deeply. it moved me in a way that i really want to see from novels. as much as i love all of will wight’s works, there are only a few which have actually MOVED me – and this was one of them.
secondly: i thought it ended very well – meaning that i was impressed by the neatness with which the story wrapped up. even right next to the end, i wasn’t sure how things could POSSIBLY resolve – the plot, character arcs, etc – and they did! it was excellent
thirdly: it was extremely kickass. great payoff to buildup over the series for some very cool concepts. i won’t say more so i don’t spoil anything, but very cool stuff.
anyway, yeah, great series. can’t believe there’s only one more book
———————————————————————————
Guide to my Rating Scale, based on the Storygraph Rating:
* 5 Stars: This book was more or less flawless. One of the best things I’ve ever read.
* 4.75 through 4.25 Stars: This book had slight flaws, but I REALLY loved it. Marked as 4 stars on Goodreads.
* 4 Stars: This book had slight flaws, but I loved it.
* 3.75 through 3.25 Stars: This book had significant flaws, but I REALLY liked it. Marked as 3 stars on Goodreads.
* 3 Stars: This book had significant flaws, but I liked it just fine.
* 2.75 through 2.25 Stars: This book was extremely flawed, but I thought it had some merit. Marked as 2 stars on Goodreads.
* 2 Stars: This book was extremely flawed, but I didn’t actively dislike it. It was a waste of my time but not odious.
* 1.75 through 1.25 Stars: This book was irreparably flawed, and I actively disliked it. Marked as 1 star on Goodreads.
* 1 Star: This book was irreparably flawed. I actively hated this book and am worse off for having read it.
January 18, 2021
An epic, neatly wrapped conclusion. Well-written and thoroughly enjoyable. I very much appreciated the glimmers of Cradle and the larger universe, the insights into Ozriel's character; meeting all the Regents at last; the return of Urzaia for one flashback ("Once, when he pushed his Vessel to the limit, he had managed to catch a cannonball. That had been a good day."); Bliss' long-awaited revenge; the idea of Reading transcending Language; the crew banding together to save their Captain.
My one qualm, as always in the Calder narratives, is Calder himself. I am pleased to see him coming to some self-awareness at the end and recognizing his own blind arrogance, but it did not make any more enjoyable the experience of reading through his vainglorious, at times thoughtless perspective. I still do not understand his relationship with Jerri (it beggars belief that he was so blind about his closest companion, especially as a Reader, and Jerri's character is uncomfortably one-dimensional in her reverence for the Great Elders), but I recognize the emotional heft of their final confrontation.
I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the series, and in particular Shera's confrontation with Nakothi...
My one qualm, as always in the Calder narratives, is Calder himself. I am pleased to see him coming to some self-awareness at the end and recognizing his own blind arrogance, but it did not make any more enjoyable the experience of reading through his vainglorious, at times thoughtless perspective. I still do not understand his relationship with Jerri (it beggars belief that he was so blind about his closest companion, especially as a Reader, and Jerri's character is uncomfortably one-dimensional in her reverence for the Great Elders), but I recognize the emotional heft of their final confrontation.
I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the series, and in particular Shera's confrontation with Nakothi...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2022
Just a short review, shouldn't be any huge spoilers. One of my favorite authors.
I think i'm one of the few that really liked this series over the cradle series, so when the cradle took center stage for 8 books midway through this one...I was a bit confused. Why would you swap to a simpler, shorter series when you already had one? I can't remember exactly where but he did explain about the cradle series just being faster to crank out.
I really enjoyed the first 4 books of the series with even Shera(not my favorite) being more interesting in the 2nd book. This one just felt a bit too short and confused. Maybe it was every other chapter jumping to a different time frame, the lack of witty conversations or really any character improvement compared to the first 2. Calder just went a bit on the lame side in this book with a lot of attention payed to what his wardrobe would be lol.
I'd still recommend this series and it does end with an alright ending it just felt like it could use a bit more girth to flesh out the story. To me it just seemed like the books were wrapped up to finish them.
On the other hand the cradle series went from kinda an odd DBZ spinoff + pay to win mechanics...to being quite enjoyable and I'd def recommend that one as well.
I think i'm one of the few that really liked this series over the cradle series, so when the cradle took center stage for 8 books midway through this one...I was a bit confused. Why would you swap to a simpler, shorter series when you already had one? I can't remember exactly where but he did explain about the cradle series just being faster to crank out.
I really enjoyed the first 4 books of the series with even Shera(not my favorite) being more interesting in the 2nd book. This one just felt a bit too short and confused. Maybe it was every other chapter jumping to a different time frame, the lack of witty conversations or really any character improvement compared to the first 2. Calder just went a bit on the lame side in this book with a lot of attention payed to what his wardrobe would be lol.
I'd still recommend this series and it does end with an alright ending it just felt like it could use a bit more girth to flesh out the story. To me it just seemed like the books were wrapped up to finish them.
On the other hand the cradle series went from kinda an odd DBZ spinoff + pay to win mechanics...to being quite enjoyable and I'd def recommend that one as well.
October 26, 2021
Calder Marten's uncanny ability to recall the quotes of old philosophers and strategists made me envious. That hasn't happened before. To be able to not only retain the nuggets of wisdom they shared but to constantly find ways to apply them to his experiences and even fight alongside some of them. It's the stuff of legends.
I've never been a huge fan of pirates. I'm a big fan of the navigator crew of the Testament. The characters were so different from each other, and yet their chemistry seemed authentic. Their history was unique and helped make their loyalty to "the last breath" believable.
The author's decision to alternate between timelines made the whole experience feel like I was getting two complete stories, two different adventures, all in one book. It helped with the pacing and kept me turning pages to see what happened next.
The Elder Empire has been a wild ride. This story and its characters have convinced me to look at concepts like intent and significance differently. I won't be forgetting about this adventure anytime soon.
I've never been a huge fan of pirates. I'm a big fan of the navigator crew of the Testament. The characters were so different from each other, and yet their chemistry seemed authentic. Their history was unique and helped make their loyalty to "the last breath" believable.
The author's decision to alternate between timelines made the whole experience feel like I was getting two complete stories, two different adventures, all in one book. It helped with the pacing and kept me turning pages to see what happened next.
The Elder Empire has been a wild ride. This story and its characters have convinced me to look at concepts like intent and significance differently. I won't be forgetting about this adventure anytime soon.
October 12, 2021
The entire duology series (The Elder Empire: Sea and The Elder Empire: Shadow) are very interesting and the storylines were good. I read the first book of EE: Sea (Of Sea and Shadow), then the first book of EE: Shadow (Of Shadow and Sea). It was a change to see the different perspectives of the two main characters and how they related to each other.
Then, I read the Second Book of EE: Sea (Of Dawn and Darkness) and the second book of EE: Shadow (Of Darkness and Dawn). Again, a nice perspective.
The third and final book of each series (Of Kings and Killers and Of Killers and Kings) were a little different, in that the stories veered off from each other. This time though I followed Shera first, concluding her story. Then I finished up the entire reading with Caldor's story. Of the two, I enjoyed Shera's story more - perhaps because I did finish it first.
I did enjoy both series, although I can understand some of the complaints that others have made.
Then, I read the Second Book of EE: Sea (Of Dawn and Darkness) and the second book of EE: Shadow (Of Darkness and Dawn). Again, a nice perspective.
The third and final book of each series (Of Kings and Killers and Of Killers and Kings) were a little different, in that the stories veered off from each other. This time though I followed Shera first, concluding her story. Then I finished up the entire reading with Caldor's story. Of the two, I enjoyed Shera's story more - perhaps because I did finish it first.
I did enjoy both series, although I can understand some of the complaints that others have made.
January 9, 2024
exciting story but confusing way of telling it
I’m conflicted. I love this author! He wrote one of my favorite series of all time: the cradle series. Which you should probably read before this one. Not absolutely necessary, but helpful.
However, in this series, the author chose to tell parallel stories of the main character. He starts with “present day” but then every other chapter is “thirteen years ago,” “twelve years ago,” etc. So when book one begins, we don’t really know what is happening or why the characters are connected at all. And you don’t know the whole story about their history until the end of book three!!! I almost stopped reading it several times. But, I was coming to really like the main character though I hated him at first. I wish the author had just told a linear story from beginning to end. It was hard holding both stories in my head at the same time and trying to remember who knew what at what time.
I’m conflicted. I love this author! He wrote one of my favorite series of all time: the cradle series. Which you should probably read before this one. Not absolutely necessary, but helpful.
However, in this series, the author chose to tell parallel stories of the main character. He starts with “present day” but then every other chapter is “thirteen years ago,” “twelve years ago,” etc. So when book one begins, we don’t really know what is happening or why the characters are connected at all. And you don’t know the whole story about their history until the end of book three!!! I almost stopped reading it several times. But, I was coming to really like the main character though I hated him at first. I wish the author had just told a linear story from beginning to end. It was hard holding both stories in my head at the same time and trying to remember who knew what at what time.
April 15, 2024
I have generally enjoyed the Sea side of the Elder Empire a lot more than the Shadow side because I felt that the pacing and character development was better done in this side of the story. Calder has felt like an incomplete character that we got to watch grow and develope, while Shera always felt like a completed character that we just watched stuff happen to. But in this exact book I didn’t care for the pacing of the story, a lot of it felt rushed and underdeveloped, and while it is cool that it connects to Cradle, I can’t help feeling that if you haven’t read Cradle up to a certain point there is a lot that you would not fully understand in this book.
That all being said I still loved the story, loved the characters, and loved some of the hard choices that Wight made with this book (even if he did renege with a few of them at the end).
I would personally suggest reading the majority of Cradle prior to this book.
That all being said I still loved the story, loved the characters, and loved some of the hard choices that Wight made with this book (even if he did renege with a few of them at the end).
I would personally suggest reading the majority of Cradle prior to this book.
April 30, 2020
Amazing Ending
I love Will Wights books. This is the book I'm going to be the most critical of, so hang on to your hats: I feel like there could have been more detail in certain parts of both books. At the end of the series, I feel like there are gaps in my information.
SPOILERS***
What happened to O? Did he just pack up and leave?
Are the "dead" Elders gone for good or are they still alive in some form?
I know those might be questions for future books, but I really want this ending to be cleaner, even if we're destined to see more books. I just don't want to wait years for really minor questions.
Other than that, I thought both books were superb, and I highly recommend them to anyone. Utterly captivating, and it's amazing to see how much better of a writer Will becomes with each book. That intent on his keyboard must be growing strong.
I love Will Wights books. This is the book I'm going to be the most critical of, so hang on to your hats: I feel like there could have been more detail in certain parts of both books. At the end of the series, I feel like there are gaps in my information.
SPOILERS***
What happened to O? Did he just pack up and leave?
Are the "dead" Elders gone for good or are they still alive in some form?
I know those might be questions for future books, but I really want this ending to be cleaner, even if we're destined to see more books. I just don't want to wait years for really minor questions.
Other than that, I thought both books were superb, and I highly recommend them to anyone. Utterly captivating, and it's amazing to see how much better of a writer Will becomes with each book. That intent on his keyboard must be growing strong.
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