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The Norsunder War #3
All Things Betray
“A damned good book.... A compelling protagonist with a vivid voice, a master's control of pacing and tension.” —Tor.com
The second volume of four begins with the loose alliance of young rulers, mages, scribes, friends, and ex-enemies on the run. The only place of safety is a tiny agrarian kingdom no one has ever heard of, though hints begin to surface that nothing there is quite what it seems.
Some venture on quests for ancient magical artifacts that might aid them—but all those quests turn . . . sideways. Some are deadly. Some races turn into chases.
Meanwhile, Senrid, the Marloven warrior king, goes covert, staying one step ahead of the conquerors who want him dead. Atan, the queen who prides herself on peaceful solutions, discovers she has a talent for strategic thinking
And Jilo, the nerdy son of a lowly sergeant who has been singlehandedly striving to save the once-great Chwahir nation from an insane king, crosses a continent to carry a message—the easiest quest of all—with utterly unforeseen results.
The second volume of four begins with the loose alliance of young rulers, mages, scribes, friends, and ex-enemies on the run. The only place of safety is a tiny agrarian kingdom no one has ever heard of, though hints begin to surface that nothing there is quite what it seems.
Some venture on quests for ancient magical artifacts that might aid them—but all those quests turn . . . sideways. Some are deadly. Some races turn into chases.
Meanwhile, Senrid, the Marloven warrior king, goes covert, staying one step ahead of the conquerors who want him dead. Atan, the queen who prides herself on peaceful solutions, discovers she has a talent for strategic thinking
And Jilo, the nerdy son of a lowly sergeant who has been singlehandedly striving to save the once-great Chwahir nation from an insane king, crosses a continent to carry a message—the easiest quest of all—with utterly unforeseen results.
- GenresFantasy
471 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 13, 2022
2 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 20, 2022
Contains: some violence (nothing too gory) and some mild language. All the pawns are getting into place. Norsunder has the upper hand. This book is a lot of set up for things to come but I really enjoyed the ride. I love the characters (we even get to see some characters from The Trouble With Kings). When I first read this on Patreon I kept forgetting who was where so this time around I made myself notes :) although it isn’t too hard to keep track of things when one reads the story in a week rather than three months.
February 19, 2024
Smith absolutely hit her stride again in All Things Betray.
The Norsunder War series heavily draws from World War II; and in All Things Betray, we are preparing for the beginning of the end. Pieces are moving into place, preparations are being made, and no one is ready for what happens next. We see our heroes working and doing the best with what little they have. Norsunder is not ready for the next conflict, our heroes are not ready for the conflict, but the drag of time is forcing Norsunder's hand. There's a drive throughout the book, reflecting that this is the 27th book in the series and that the conclusion we've been promised since Inda is coming soon.
All Things Betray returns to a single plot line, with no side quests. There are still multiple POVs, but it's cohesive and building tension to the final show-down. We don't spend a lot of time in the book with my favourites, but I didn't feel like the book was lacking. Every chapter propelled the plot forward and we caught up with characters I had forgotten about. I was very hesitant about the introduction of Marga because yet another character seemed like a lot. However, I understand why she wasn't introduced until now and she was a fantastic addition.
I literally squealed with excitement at "It seems I'm back"; I cannot wait for A Chain of Braided Silver.
The Norsunder War series heavily draws from World War II; and in All Things Betray, we are preparing for the beginning of the end. Pieces are moving into place, preparations are being made, and no one is ready for what happens next. We see our heroes working and doing the best with what little they have. Norsunder is not ready for the next conflict, our heroes are not ready for the conflict, but the drag of time is forcing Norsunder's hand. There's a drive throughout the book, reflecting that this is the 27th book in the series and that the conclusion we've been promised since Inda is coming soon.
All Things Betray returns to a single plot line, with no side quests. There are still multiple POVs, but it's cohesive and building tension to the final show-down. We don't spend a lot of time in the book with my favourites, but I didn't feel like the book was lacking. Every chapter propelled the plot forward and we caught up with characters I had forgotten about. I was very hesitant about the introduction of Marga because yet another character seemed like a lot. However, I understand why she wasn't introduced until now and she was a fantastic addition.
I literally squealed with excitement at "It seems I'm back"; I cannot wait for A Chain of Braided Silver.
February 7, 2023
Basically nothing happens until the end, still.
March 7, 2023
Why the heck
the world at large is not more aware of this brilliant series within a far greater series, a lifelong triumph of world building, I have no idea.
the world at large is not more aware of this brilliant series within a far greater series, a lifelong triumph of world building, I have no idea.
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.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews