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Sartorias-deles (Timeline Order) #30
A Chain of Braided Silver
“Written with heart-piercing vividness and sly humor, a roller coaster of emotions!”
“Consistently brilliant, this series showcases what fantastic worldbuilding can be.”
The long-awaited conclusion to The Norsunder War is also the culmination to the entire Sartorias-deles arc. Find out why one reader on Reddit said, “Beginning with INDA, this entire series utterly ruined me, and then gave me such joy and hope!”
Secrets both ancient and current are revealed, as the alliance—at times uneasy—works together to reclaim Sartorias-deles from Norsunder. Leaders around the world plan a simultaneous counterattack, but that is only a decoy away from the battle in the realm of the mind against a world-devouring power.
Hibern must solve a lethally dangerous puzzle as she dodges the hunter; grief-stricken Senrid must team with the man his beloved has chosen while his kingdom is overrun; Jilo singlehandedly intends to wrench the sinister Chwahir from their overwhelmingly poisonous tyrant; Imry, former commander, is now renegade, and even more dangerous; Marga begins to assert her powers; and everything comes down to Detlev, once the world’s chief villain. And yet, in spite of the mounting dangers, some manage to find love . . .
Read the pulse-pounding, heart-lifting conclusion to The Norsunder War.
“Consistently brilliant, this series showcases what fantastic worldbuilding can be.”
The long-awaited conclusion to The Norsunder War is also the culmination to the entire Sartorias-deles arc. Find out why one reader on Reddit said, “Beginning with INDA, this entire series utterly ruined me, and then gave me such joy and hope!”
Secrets both ancient and current are revealed, as the alliance—at times uneasy—works together to reclaim Sartorias-deles from Norsunder. Leaders around the world plan a simultaneous counterattack, but that is only a decoy away from the battle in the realm of the mind against a world-devouring power.
Hibern must solve a lethally dangerous puzzle as she dodges the hunter; grief-stricken Senrid must team with the man his beloved has chosen while his kingdom is overrun; Jilo singlehandedly intends to wrench the sinister Chwahir from their overwhelmingly poisonous tyrant; Imry, former commander, is now renegade, and even more dangerous; Marga begins to assert her powers; and everything comes down to Detlev, once the world’s chief villain. And yet, in spite of the mounting dangers, some manage to find love . . .
Read the pulse-pounding, heart-lifting conclusion to The Norsunder War.
- GenresFantasy
Unknown Binding
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About the author
Sherwood Smith
168 books37.5k followersI am a writer,( Patreon here) but I'm on Goodreads to talk about books, as I've been a passionate reader as long as I've been a writer--since early childhood.
I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.
I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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January 17, 2023And that's a wrap on an arc whose first threads I began following in the mid-sixties, when I was a teen. (I fully recognize that doesn't signal quality, only quantity!) I ended up cutting a LOT of threads. Some will get more airtime later. Others, I tied off. I sympathize with writers of long arcs, or romans fleuves in which the books get longer and longer because you want to give everybody equal attention. (If I were writing Treason's Shore now, it would be a hundred pages shorter.)
These things are always a kaleidoscope: one reader wants more of X, another wants to skim or skip X and thinks that person irrelevant. Person. Yup. When you live with a story as long as I have, you keep forgetting to say "characters" instead of "people" though memory of incidents and backstory especially tie into memories of life among real people. For example, when I'm in a waiting room, and there's no connectivity, or in the past when I was a kid, having to sit quietly in my best clothes in a cigarette-smoke wreathed room while the adults jawed on and on about sports or politics, my mind would shift over into the story world, and the incremental drip of time would downshift and zoom again.
But that has nothing to do with this book. Or maybe it has everything to do with it. Anyway, it's done, I gave it my best shot, and I consciously tried to learn about clipping threads, which I'll carry over to the next . . .
These things are always a kaleidoscope: one reader wants more of X, another wants to skim or skip X and thinks that person irrelevant. Person. Yup. When you live with a story as long as I have, you keep forgetting to say "characters" instead of "people" though memory of incidents and backstory especially tie into memories of life among real people. For example, when I'm in a waiting room, and there's no connectivity, or in the past when I was a kid, having to sit quietly in my best clothes in a cigarette-smoke wreathed room while the adults jawed on and on about sports or politics, my mind would shift over into the story world, and the incremental drip of time would downshift and zoom again.
But that has nothing to do with this book. Or maybe it has everything to do with it. Anyway, it's done, I gave it my best shot, and I consciously tried to learn about clipping threads, which I'll carry over to the next . . .
March 4, 2024
11,566 pages later, the Norsunder arc is complete.
I devoured A Chain of Braided Silver in one sitting and I still haven't gotten over the book hangover of being done. I picked up Crown Duel in high school, rationed my interlibrary loans in off-terms to read one Inda book at a time during university, and wished for the publishing situation to be sorted so that the arc could be completed. Smith writes faster than I can read, so I'm a bit late to the "it's done" party.
But it's done.
The biggest desire I have from reading A Chain of Braided Silver is to go back and reread the whole series from beginning to end. Now that I know the intricate depth of the arc - the infinite layers, the double identities, the betrayals, the hopes, and the dreams - I want to savour the world knowing why each character committed their actions. The intricate mastery of the plot is absolutely astounding and I just feel like I've finally seen a masterpiece revealed. The fundamental truth of Sator-Deles' history has been revealed and I feel like I've had the ground shifted beneath me.
I have a strong emotional connection to this series and a huge part of what had me completely enthralled in A Chain of Braided Silver was reading scenes I have been waiting for for years. The shape of the end game was established in A Sword Named Truth and seeing the characters enter those situations, knowing this is their chance, the final shot, carried a huge weight throughout the book. . I was completely enraptured in suspense throughout the whole book.
Although there are two more epilogue books, I will miss this first read through Sator-Deles immensely. There is nothing I love as much as Smith's world building of the cultures of Sator-Deles. Colend, and the candles in the corners of the room so no one steps on someone's shadow. Marloven Hess, and the open-palmed gesture of assent. Jilo and his people. It has been an incredible journey to the end and I am so happy to have read this series.
I devoured A Chain of Braided Silver in one sitting and I still haven't gotten over the book hangover of being done. I picked up Crown Duel in high school, rationed my interlibrary loans in off-terms to read one Inda book at a time during university, and wished for the publishing situation to be sorted so that the arc could be completed. Smith writes faster than I can read, so I'm a bit late to the "it's done" party.
But it's done.
The biggest desire I have from reading A Chain of Braided Silver is to go back and reread the whole series from beginning to end. Now that I know the intricate depth of the arc - the infinite layers, the double identities, the betrayals, the hopes, and the dreams - I want to savour the world knowing why each character committed their actions. The intricate mastery of the plot is absolutely astounding and I just feel like I've finally seen a masterpiece revealed. The fundamental truth of Sator-Deles' history has been revealed and I feel like I've had the ground shifted beneath me.
I have a strong emotional connection to this series and a huge part of what had me completely enthralled in A Chain of Braided Silver was reading scenes I have been waiting for for years. The shape of the end game was established in A Sword Named Truth and seeing the characters enter those situations, knowing this is their chance, the final shot, carried a huge weight throughout the book. . I was completely enraptured in suspense throughout the whole book.
Although there are two more epilogue books, I will miss this first read through Sator-Deles immensely. There is nothing I love as much as Smith's world building of the cultures of Sator-Deles. Colend, and the candles in the corners of the room so no one steps on someone's shadow. Marloven Hess, and the open-palmed gesture of assent. Jilo and his people. It has been an incredible journey to the end and I am so happy to have read this series.
January 8, 2023
Contains: some language (one use of strong language), violence, and veiled references to sexual perversions (very veiled).
Yay! We finally see what happens to Fox and Ivandred! I love so many of the characters of these books. All the chess pieces were put in place for the fabulous check mate ending the Norsunder occupation. Not all the characters stories are wrapped up neatly which makes the whole work seem more believable. I can’t wait to keep reading their stories to find out what happens next. Oh, also I was super excited to have a book dedicated to me (well, me and 100+ other Patreon readers but I’ll take it)!
Yay! We finally see what happens to Fox and Ivandred! I love so many of the characters of these books. All the chess pieces were put in place for the fabulous check mate ending the Norsunder occupation. Not all the characters stories are wrapped up neatly which makes the whole work seem more believable. I can’t wait to keep reading their stories to find out what happens next. Oh, also I was super excited to have a book dedicated to me (well, me and 100+ other Patreon readers but I’ll take it)!
January 4, 2023
SPOILERS AHEAD! DO NOT READ till you finish the book!!
Okay, so lots of ends get tied up, a lot of explaining of who what's whens. Some of which we knew, others we suspected. I have to say for me, the bitter sweet end with Ivandred and the First Lancers, and getting to see Fox at it again were the best parts! Ivandred did get what he most wanted, which was to save his country from the Norsundrians. He paid the price. And he was most happy to meet Fox - who knew his personal 'hero' Inda. Fox has matured a bit and can see Inda in the faces / emotions of the other characters. He is happy because he discovers that one of HIS descendants is King! Also, he is somewhat gleeful that the Montrei family responsible for his famliy exile did not directly survive in power. And then he gets to be a bit of a coward and he gets back to sea before Senrid can read his account of Inda and question him. I am sure, sure that Fox can cause more trouble or have more fun patrolling Pirates in the future. :) Imry is a loose end - he certainly has potential to become a dyanarya (sp) but he doesn't want it, he seems not to have any goals at the end? Has he given up on pursuing Detlev? David IMHO most turns out like Detlev. And poor David has a great big crush on Marga, and maybe his brother Imry does as well? I feel for him. He knows that she isn't feeling the love back in return. I also feel sad for Hibern, who literally saved them all by destroying Norsunder-Beyond. We don't see her get the credit she deserves for her actions, as she is as humble as Jilo. And of course no idea if there is someone special for her. Senrid and Liere with Andri, big sigh, as it reminds of Ivandred and Lasva - to me. Except this time, the girl chooses well and wisely for herself. Many nice little touches in there of our favorite characters - Vidanric, Markham etc. I'm sad. The story is over. But the story will go on, perhaps more of Fox's adventures, LOL!? Can see Fox whipping MV and David and a couple of others into a fleet to be scourges of the Pirates, LOL...
Okay, so lots of ends get tied up, a lot of explaining of who what's whens. Some of which we knew, others we suspected. I have to say for me, the bitter sweet end with Ivandred and the First Lancers, and getting to see Fox at it again were the best parts! Ivandred did get what he most wanted, which was to save his country from the Norsundrians. He paid the price. And he was most happy to meet Fox - who knew his personal 'hero' Inda. Fox has matured a bit and can see Inda in the faces / emotions of the other characters. He is happy because he discovers that one of HIS descendants is King! Also, he is somewhat gleeful that the Montrei family responsible for his famliy exile did not directly survive in power. And then he gets to be a bit of a coward and he gets back to sea before Senrid can read his account of Inda and question him. I am sure, sure that Fox can cause more trouble or have more fun patrolling Pirates in the future. :) Imry is a loose end - he certainly has potential to become a dyanarya (sp) but he doesn't want it, he seems not to have any goals at the end? Has he given up on pursuing Detlev? David IMHO most turns out like Detlev. And poor David has a great big crush on Marga, and maybe his brother Imry does as well? I feel for him. He knows that she isn't feeling the love back in return. I also feel sad for Hibern, who literally saved them all by destroying Norsunder-Beyond. We don't see her get the credit she deserves for her actions, as she is as humble as Jilo. And of course no idea if there is someone special for her. Senrid and Liere with Andri, big sigh, as it reminds of Ivandred and Lasva - to me. Except this time, the girl chooses well and wisely for herself. Many nice little touches in there of our favorite characters - Vidanric, Markham etc. I'm sad. The story is over. But the story will go on, perhaps more of Fox's adventures, LOL!? Can see Fox whipping MV and David and a couple of others into a fleet to be scourges of the Pirates, LOL...
June 20, 2024
Good.
The Norsunder War sub part of the greater (over 30 books) series is good.
Be prepared to have the map (at the beginning of the book) available for reference. Bits of the story happen all over the world.
I like how everything plays out.
The Norsunder War sub part of the greater (over 30 books) series is good.
Be prepared to have the map (at the beginning of the book) available for reference. Bits of the story happen all over the world.
I like how everything plays out.
February 7, 2023
At long last, things happen. Yet things happening take up very little of the book.
Really my gripe with this series is that it's almost all walking, plus not enough time with any one character for me to really feel a part of their life, and there's no sense of forward motion for most of it, just random side quests.
It's very old school Doctor Who-- person 1 is captured and must be rescued, but by the time they've done that, person 2 now needs rescue. Despite the dark beginning to book 1, there's an awful lot of capturing without killing. And it's not ever clear what Norsunder even wanted. Why did taking over the world serve their purposes? Why now?
Really my gripe with this series is that it's almost all walking, plus not enough time with any one character for me to really feel a part of their life, and there's no sense of forward motion for most of it, just random side quests.
It's very old school Doctor Who-- person 1 is captured and must be rescued, but by the time they've done that, person 2 now needs rescue. Despite the dark beginning to book 1, there's an awful lot of capturing without killing. And it's not ever clear what Norsunder even wanted. Why did taking over the world serve their purposes? Why now?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2023
I haven't been marking all of the volumes in this series, and indeed, it's hard to review them or talk about them because they're all deep, deep into the history. But I've been enjoying reading them all a chapter at a time on Sherwood's Patreon, and I loved the conclusion of this, which is the conclusion of the war. There are some wonderful, wonderful scenes, very cathartic.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews