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Rise of the Alliance #3
The Hunters and the Hunted
Meet Detlev’s boys.
In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived an enchantment, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come!
At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as two quests reveal long-hidden secrets. Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides.
As the Rise of the Alliance saga continues, Siamis is not the only one being hunted. The sinister and elusive Norsundrian commander Detlev has been seen more often in the past five years than he has in the past five hundred. The young allies to reform the alliance—meeting unexpected difficulties when no one can agree on what form it should take.
That is before a series of murders leads to the shocking news that the alliance has been infiltrated by a mirror alliance of Norsundrian boys.
Trained by Detlev.
Which leads inexorably to the deadliest of stalking games . . .
In volume one, A Sword Named Truth, a shaky alliance made among young rulers brought too early to their thrones survived an enchantment, commanded by Siamis, the handsome young Norsundrian. Siamis was defeated, and the world celebrated, believing peace had come!
At the start of volume two, The Blood Mage Texts, the alliance seems to be a thing of the past as two quests reveal long-hidden secrets. Meanwhile Siamis has gone renegade, hunted by both sides.
As the Rise of the Alliance saga continues, Siamis is not the only one being hunted. The sinister and elusive Norsundrian commander Detlev has been seen more often in the past five years than he has in the past five hundred. The young allies to reform the alliance—meeting unexpected difficulties when no one can agree on what form it should take.
That is before a series of murders leads to the shocking news that the alliance has been infiltrated by a mirror alliance of Norsundrian boys.
Trained by Detlev.
Which leads inexorably to the deadliest of stalking games . . .
- GenresFantasy
726 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 25, 2022
About the author
Sherwood Smith
169 books37.6k 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 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 13, 2024
THE SERIES
There are layers of enjoyment with this series. Smith started writing these stories at around the age of 8 (the 1960s?), and as a teenager. She is still writing stories set in this universe about these people as of 2024.
The entire series, read in chronological order, comprises books written by Smith as an adult, adult Smith working off brief stuff written as a kid, and stories written by 8 year old and then teenager smith, and then back by adult smith.
I started with the book Inda, which she published in 2006, as a very accomplished writer. I was sucked right in, and gobbled that series up within days.
As a middle aged person, it is fine to skip the books written by the kid/teenager. It was an interesting visit by me into the kid/teenager worldview - books written by a kid, for readers just like her. Later books advert to things that happen in the earlier books, but the reader is ably filled in. The books written by kid and teenager smith have little character development.
I suspect that the kid/teenager books might be spectacular reads for kid/teenager girls though.
Having said all that, it is fascinating to enjoy a universe initially created by an 8 year old, and continuously filled in by the teenager and then adult author. There are a bunch of people who do a magic spell to keep them young as they don't want to grow up (grown ups are bad!) and don't want to be messed around by Love Stuff. You can see a girl/teen in the 60s looking at the social expectations of that time and thinking "ugh, no". There is also all the magic to take care of housework. See previous sentence.
With respect to the rest of this series, I will be reading a little more cautiously, checking out the publication dates, how much is the kid/teen written story and character arcs to see whether I am going to read them or not.
THIS ACTUAL BOOK
So in this "Rise of the alliance" books, the sensibility is that of the adult author. The events take place all over the world, with a large cast. Events progress!
The rise of the alliance is one long and enjoyable narrative, carved into thick book sized chunks. I'm unable to think of or discuss these books as separate items.
There are layers of enjoyment with this series. Smith started writing these stories at around the age of 8 (the 1960s?), and as a teenager. She is still writing stories set in this universe about these people as of 2024.
The entire series, read in chronological order, comprises books written by Smith as an adult, adult Smith working off brief stuff written as a kid, and stories written by 8 year old and then teenager smith, and then back by adult smith.
I started with the book Inda, which she published in 2006, as a very accomplished writer. I was sucked right in, and gobbled that series up within days.
As a middle aged person, it is fine to skip the books written by the kid/teenager. It was an interesting visit by me into the kid/teenager worldview - books written by a kid, for readers just like her. Later books advert to things that happen in the earlier books, but the reader is ably filled in. The books written by kid and teenager smith have little character development.
I suspect that the kid/teenager books might be spectacular reads for kid/teenager girls though.
Having said all that, it is fascinating to enjoy a universe initially created by an 8 year old, and continuously filled in by the teenager and then adult author. There are a bunch of people who do a magic spell to keep them young as they don't want to grow up (grown ups are bad!) and don't want to be messed around by Love Stuff. You can see a girl/teen in the 60s looking at the social expectations of that time and thinking "ugh, no". There is also all the magic to take care of housework. See previous sentence.
With respect to the rest of this series, I will be reading a little more cautiously, checking out the publication dates, how much is the kid/teen written story and character arcs to see whether I am going to read them or not.
THIS ACTUAL BOOK
So in this "Rise of the alliance" books, the sensibility is that of the adult author. The events take place all over the world, with a large cast. Events progress!
The rise of the alliance is one long and enjoyable narrative, carved into thick book sized chunks. I'm unable to think of or discuss these books as separate items.
June 27, 2022
I bogged down a bit in this one-- it takes a really long time to get to the main plot, and it keeps jumping between characters and times so it's hard to get invested in anything. I really wish this series would get edited to make it more focused and invest more in individual characters' lives.
May 5, 2026
Their first action experienced, the young allies respond in different ways. Some take a step back, some try for more communications, and some reach to more violence. Add in some new friends with ulterior motives and the stage is set for another round. The previous unthinking comraderie is coming under strain, as experience and emotional growth struggles with the physical freezing of the Child Spell.
It's an absolutely fascinating twist, one that I was delighted to see explored. The Child Spell makes sense for where our characters start - a need to stay static as they struggle with the actions of the adults that should have been caring for them. But it could never work long term, especially in the times in which they are living. The characters who have held it for so long, like Mearsieanne and Dtheldevor, are out of step with the world. It's a way of putting off consequences - of removing self from the world without retreating to isolation like some of the older mages have done. But it also gives some the ability to experience the childhood they missed the first time, and to grow the way they should have been able to. Smith gives it the weight it deserves - the different reasons for and against it and their reactions to it as the years pass.
Beside that, this is not my favorite book. The pacing is a bit off for me - the additions of Detlev's boys, their addition to the alliance, and their betrayal of it feels rushed. It turns The Hunters and the Hunted into a bridge book - I think maybe the first half and The Blood Mage Texts could have been combined and then let the second half have a bit more space to breathe, especially Siamas and the Venn deserved more story. But it doesn't shy away from the building consequences and tough questions asked by wars - moral superiority and the lines between us and them become blurry when the people on both sides become actual individuals with their own thoughts and motivations.
It's an absolutely fascinating twist, one that I was delighted to see explored. The Child Spell makes sense for where our characters start - a need to stay static as they struggle with the actions of the adults that should have been caring for them. But it could never work long term, especially in the times in which they are living. The characters who have held it for so long, like Mearsieanne and Dtheldevor, are out of step with the world. It's a way of putting off consequences - of removing self from the world without retreating to isolation like some of the older mages have done. But it also gives some the ability to experience the childhood they missed the first time, and to grow the way they should have been able to. Smith gives it the weight it deserves - the different reasons for and against it and their reactions to it as the years pass.
Beside that, this is not my favorite book. The pacing is a bit off for me - the additions of Detlev's boys, their addition to the alliance, and their betrayal of it feels rushed. It turns The Hunters and the Hunted into a bridge book - I think maybe the first half and The Blood Mage Texts could have been combined and then let the second half have a bit more space to breathe, especially Siamas and the Venn deserved more story. But it doesn't shy away from the building consequences and tough questions asked by wars - moral superiority and the lines between us and them become blurry when the people on both sides become actual individuals with their own thoughts and motivations.
May 30, 2022
Contains: some violence, some language (nothing too strong). This is an epic epic fantasy. There is so much going on in this world. It follows quite a few characters including some new friends of our allies. It does end a bit on a cliffhanger though.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews