Banner of the Damned

Sartorias-deles (Timeline Order) #8

by Sherwood Smith

Princess Lasva is about to be named heir to her childless sister, the queen. But, when the queen finally bears an heir, Lasva's future is shattered. Grief-stricken, she leaves her country of Colend and falls into the arms of Prince Ivandred of Marloven Hesea. His people are utterly different-with their expertise in riding, weaponry, and magic- and the two soon marry.
When the sensational news makes its way to Lasva's sister, the queen worries for Lasva at the hands of the Marlovens, whose king's mage is in league with the magical land of Norsunder-considered by Colendi to be their enemy. The queen orders Emras, a scribe, to guard Lasva.
But it may be too late-Lasva is already deeply involved with the Marlovens and their magic. War wages on, and all are forced to redefine love, loyalty, and power...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, LGBT, High Fantasy, Asexual, Queer, Science Fiction Fantasy

695 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2012

About the author

I 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.

Reviews

[Sherwood Smith]

This one stands alone, between the Inda storyline and the modern one.

Things that came and went in my head while I was writing it: the usual stuff I seem to engage with (different permutations of love, the cost of power, survival mentality and its pitfalls, magic and adventure) but also narratives and reliability and unreliability. The layers of narrative in records.

As always, whether any of it communicates or entertains is up to the reader!

[Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherwood Smith writes these ridiculous books where she uses about fifty hundred different perspectives, elaborates on plots threads and characters that for hundreds of pages seem entirely irrelevant, and throws in dozens of unnecessary mini-lectures on history and linguistics - and it works. SO WELL.

I don't know any other author who can do what she does. She grips me even when I already know the end. In Banner of the Damned, I saw doom approaching for three hundred pages (out of a 700 page book) - and it still surprised me. I stayed with Emras, the first person narrator (there are probably 12 other third person narrators - weird, I know! but explained, and also after the first jolt into third person, it just becomes fine - necessary, even, to allow for the scope of the story) for something like 20 years, and never tired of her (though I wanted to scream at her to wake up).

The examination of violence in Banner of the Damned transcends anything she manages in the same vein in the Inda quartet or any of the stories in the modern arc (A Stranger to Command; Crown Duel; etc.) - which makes sense for this story. The juxtaposition of Colend and Marloven Hesea is fascinating and works really well as a device for that kind of exploration.

Sherwood Smith's world is so thorough and detailed and complete and compelling, that every installment fills what feels like a vital niche in my knowledge of Sartorias-deles' history and stories, and I ache for more after every book. This was a story specifically about magic and Norsunder (though you wouldn't know it for the first three to four hundred pages - and that's not a flaw. I don't think), and it made me want to re-read the Inda books and A Stranger to Command with my new trove of information - and of course I want her to write (or has she already written it? publish, in that case) the one where Ivandred returns! I've wanted that since Stranger, and now I'm desperate - and sad (about Ivandred, about his First Lancers, about the historical arc of Marloven Hess, about not having every cranny of this world written down for me yet).

And so ready for more!

P.S. Plus also I love how Sherwood deals with sex, specifically. I love reading a world where there is no rape; I love the easy inclusion of many kinds of love and varieties of sexual/nonsexual feeling. The ability of an author to do something like this in a fantasy world is part of why I have no desire to read, say, A Game of Thrones, where authors are still rehashing the same old medieval/misogynist worlds and bringing nothing new to the woman question.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starts out with an seductively quotable opening statement, which I won't quote. Instead, I will say that the author seems to have written an *entire book* to address a single offhand complaint I made in a one-paragraph review of _Inda_ in 2006. (To wit: "...the narration has potholes; it's mostly tight-third-person, but sometimes jumps heads or goes omniscient to make some point.")

I know this is not possible. Instead, the author must have set up a stylistic rifle on the mantel in a 2006 book, based on story elements going back to her earliest stories, and then let it percolate in our subconsciouses for six years before giving us a (partial) explanation.

This is playing the game at a very high level. Smith is not the only author doing it these days, but GRRMartin and Steven Erikson and even Pat Rothfuss are Big Names in Fantasy. I say that Smith needs some attention in this regard. Norsunder deserves credit as one of the great Dark Powers in modern fantasy, a boogeyman whom nobody knows what they *want*. They just pop up occasionally (all ancient history, of course, doesn't happen these days) and instigate some trouble or make some people disappear. And by "they" I mean this ordinary-looking guy, who isn't scary until you read some history and realize he was mentioned two thousand years ago. And he isn't even one of the important ones. I'm not conveying this very well. It's *really good* setup.

_Banner_ takes place about four centuries after the Inda books, in Colend, the other side of the continent from Marloven Hesea. The tone couldn't be more opposed: the Colend court is mannered and leisurely to a Guy-Gavriel-Kayan degree. However, the Marloven empire is still lurking, military as ever -- though not in the same way as Inda's nation. (Another lurking theme is how the history of Marloven Hesea is the history of the Marloven military academy. This is never stated, but after N books it's absolutely clear.)

The viewpoint is Emras, a young scribe. Scribes are rigorously trained to be honest and apolitical; naturally, Emras winds up ass-deep in politics and lies. The frame text (still not quoting) makes it clear that this ends badly; the book is about how. As with the Inda series, there are princes, princesses, wars, betrayals, and epic tragic romances -- although Emras is mostly an observer of the latter. Unlike with the Inda series, this book gives us some meta *about* the Inda series: one of Emras's jobs is to translate the four-hundred-year-old memoirs that (presumably) become the quadrilogy. (There are several versions, not necessarily all reliable.) And then the head-jumping comes into it... As I say, meta. And intriguing.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

After years of rigid self-control and endless training, Emras is chosen as Royal Scribe to the Princess Lasva. Lasva is beautiful and kind, the younger sister of Colend's queen and the presumed heir to its throne. The Colendi court is full of poetry, music, flirtations and dance. Generations ago Colend signed the Compact, which swore the country to have no weapons. In the Colendi court, hierarchy is determined through wit and beauty, not martial superiority. But when Lasva's sister finally bears a child, Lasva is no longer the heir or free to love who she pleases. Instead, a political match is sought for her. Prince Ivandred of the warlike barbarians of Malroven Hesea foils Lasva's kidnapping, and the physical attraction between them is so strong that they marry almost immediately. Lasva (with Emras and other handmaidens in tow) follows Ivandred to her new kingdom, where everything is about survival and physical might, and no one respects or understands the arts or the Colendi's desire for peace. While Lasva toils to gain respect and power in a homeland that discounts everything she prizes, Emras strives to learn magic to keep them all safe.

This is set generations after the Inda series, and it's sad to see what little survives of those characters' efforts. Inda has faded into legend, his tale generally known only through a book written by Elgar the Fox, his sometime ally. The reforms Inda made in the Academy have faded, leaving the Academy as damaging to its students as ever. Many of the places and titles in Malroven Hesea will be familiar to readers of Inda, but this book would still have made sense without reading that series. That said, this book definitely had a lot more power and resonance with me because I was looking for clues as to what had happened to everyone's ancestors and their plots.

There are two odd things about this book that I didn't like. One is that the first ~300 pages deal entirely with the personalities and court politics of Colend. It's told in a wonderfully detailed way. It drew me in to their way of thinking, until I could tell that someone accepting a particular pastry was an insult and I actually cared. But the second half is told in much broader strokes and with uneven pacing. The personalities of the Marloven court remain cyphers, their plots and love affairs rear their heads and then are dropped, to be replaced with some other plot that Emras is equally confused by. Several times, ten years pass in a single sentence. This means that the epic battles against foes beyond time and the magic, all of which take place in the second half of the book, are given far less attention and time than who wore what ribbons in the first half of the book, which seems to me a poor choice. I felt like Smith got bored with the second half and rushed through it. And although I appreciated the contrast between the vicious emotional backstabbing in Colend and the physical wars in Marloven Hesea, the many characters and customs of Colend never become important to the plot after Lasva leaves the court. I don't know why so much time was spent introducing Carola as a villain, or Lasva's fan training, if none of it ever influenced the plot. I really wish the second half of the book had been split off into its own book, or even developed into several books, because there was enough plot there to fuel it, and I would have appreciated more characterization and detail for the Marlovens.

The other difficulty I had was with the lack of affect. Emras is very intellectual and often closes herself off for days or even months at a time to pursue her studies. The section where she discovers that she has been manipulated by a Norsundrian and is using magic in an evil way was powerful and a fascinating twist on fantasy tropes. But most of the time, the driving action is done by Lasva or Ivandred, and I don't feel like I really had a good idea of what was going on inside their heads, especially Ivandred. And since there's this whole big ending in which Lasva is Guinevere, Ivandred is Arthur, and Kaidas returns for no apparent reason to be Lancelot, I really wanted to be inside their heads and know what their frustrations and loves were. As it was, it was very hard to take anyone's love affairs seriously, or feel that it was Epic and Doomed.

I think I hold Smith to too high of a standard, because her books are so ambitious and innovative, while still satisfying my childish hopes for fantasy. Her characters deal with (fantasy) racial stereotypes, cultural customs, sexuality, how to be pacifistic without being submissive, how to raise children in blended families...Her magic systems are both fantastical (worlds beyond time!) and practical (cleaning spells, message spells). Her characters relate to each other in all manner of ways, from friendship to distant respect to lust to platonic love. The world began in the Inda series is a fascinating one, and one I hope she continues writing in. I just wish she'd give herself a little more time and space to properly explore all the characters and plots she introduces.

[Lorena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me say right off the bat that I adore Sherwood Smith, and I adored the Inda series. (And if you haven't read the Inda series, there is absolutely no reason for you to pick up this book, because the most compelling elements of it depend on you knowing the history of Sartorias-Deles.)

But (and you knew there was a "but"), this book just didn't work for me. A large part of that was because of the way the story was framed. The story is told from the perspective of a first-person narrator - the scribe Emras - making a record of events that have already occurred. Through magical means (and this is given away in the first sentence of the book, so I don't think I'm spoiling anything here), she is also able to serve as the omniscient third-person narrator for several other characters in the story. The problem is that Emras is, by her own admission, socially and emotionally detached from other people, and, frankly...boring (although highly intelligent). So what you are left with is nearly 700 pages of story as told by a boring person.

This setup allows Smith to explore a lot of philosophical issues in the world she has created, such as violence in its many forms, whether humans can ever fully commit to peace, prejudice, the reliability (or unreliability) of narrators, and the way we justify our actions to make them fit our supposed ideals. It came across (to me, anyway) as far too heavy-handed, though. Smith's strength, usually, is in her characters and their complex interactions and motivations. Smith has always raised interesting questions of philosophy and social commentary in her previous books, by letting the readers observe the characters and how they think and move in the world she has created - in other words, by SHOWING, not TELLING. Indeed, those parts of the story told in the third-person snap along nicely, and if I could rate those parts of the book separately, this would probably be another 4-star book for me. But we always return, far too quickly, to the first-person Emras viewpoint, and there things go back to dragging as Emras TELLS us all about the issues important to the story, as played out in her own head. Which is, as I have mentioned, a fairly boring and socially limited head. Also, while Emras' nature is necessary to drive the plot in many ways, it is her nature not to see this until several hundred pages after the reader has figured this out. So in the end, you are forced to spend a huge amount of time with a narrator who is personally uninteresting in most ways, and so oblivious to the importance of events around her that you constantly want to reach through the pages and smack her a few times.

As much as I enjoyed learning more about how Sartorias-Deles has developed since Inda's time, and as much as I enjoyed the voices of the other characters in the story, I'm afraid this book is mostly a failure to me because of the narrative choice. I can understand why Smith chose this narrator for this story, I can appreciate the intellectual exercise of having the story told by a narrator with certain limits (although the magic work-arounds for some of those limits strike me as a little convenient). Still, it's hard to complain too much about the work-arounds, since they give us the most interesting bits of the story. Overall, I think the over-arching story would have been better served by continuing in a third-person narrative voice.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

Banner of the Damned is a BIG book: almost 700 pages in hardcover, and with a lot of words squeezed onto every page. So it gets a big review.

PLOT: This is essentially two books in one, both centering around a scribe named Emras and her employer, Princess Lasva, in a quasi-medieval world. The first half is set in their peaceful home country of Colend, and deals with court intrigues, Lasva’s love life, and Emras’s growth from teenage scribe student to the most trusted member of Lasva’s staff. The second half (mid-book spoilers follow!) is set in the martial country of Marloven Hesea, dealing with their rather more deadly politics, the Colendi characters’ difficulty in adjusting to a very different culture, and Emras’s dangerous involvement with magic.

While the book is certainly epic fantasy--involving several countries, their rulers, a gazillion characters and a possible existential threat--it’s notable for being structured around a quest for peace, rather than a military conflict. There’s fighting here and there, but far more time is spent on politicking, relationships and most of all the characters’ daily lives. While there isn’t an enormous amount of tension or conflict in any form, the book did manage to hold my interest throughout its substantial length. Nevertheless, it would have been more compelling had there been a clear, driving plot throughout; the second half of the book makes the first seem rather pointless, and the first half could have been summarized in a quarter of the pages.

PACING: Consistent throughout. It’s a rather dense read--in that the pages are packed with names, places, and minor events--and not one I breezed through, but it maintains a reasonable pace and avoids bogging down in typical epic fantasy traps like overlong journeys or over-description.

CHARACTERS: Reasonable but not exceptional. They feel just fresh and human enough that I wanted to keep reading, but not enough that they’re likely to linger long in my mind. Emras has a dry, detached narrative voice--which makes sense for her profession, but isn’t great in a novel, particularly one of this length; her arc, in particular, could have been much more dramatic than it actually is. She accidentally becomes the evil mage! That ought to be fascinating! I can't help thinking of Wicked, which I read just a few months ago--no, this book doesn't try to be Wicked in any way, but, well, when the main character moves into a tower and starts doing magical experiments and is labelled as evil, I'm going to think about it, and the comparison does not do this book any favors.

There’s a lot to like about the way Smith handles characters in her world. As a girl, Emras spends six months working in the kitchens as penance for rudeness to a servant: she learns that baking is important work, that people put effort and creativity into it and take justifiable pride in their work, but that it just isn’t for her. This is representative of the respect with which Smith treats everyone in her world; you won’t find the stereotypical oily, cringing merchants or simple-minded, devoted servants or any other contemptuous stereotypes here.

There are plenty of potentially fascinating female characters in the book: it’s a world where gender equality is accepted. And differences in sexuality are no big deal either; extra kudos to Smith for creating a positive asexual protagonist, which I’ve never seen before. While there will always be a place for books that deal with gender issues through ugly, unequal worlds (Firethorn is a brilliant example), there’s a lot to be said too for more aspirational books; not all women's stories are or should be about fighting sexism or sexual violence.

All of which makes me wish the characters were deeper and more interesting as people. They're not bad, but not great either, and the number of supporting characters in the book exceeds the author's ability to make them all distinct. Sometimes I had trouble remembering all the minor characters and their roles, which is almost never a problem for me.

WORLDBUILDING: Impressive. It’s obvious that Smith has written many other books in the same world; it’s very detailed, with complex and dynamic cultures. She even sneaks in some linguistics. My biggest issue is that the only map is of Marloven Hesea, which doesn’t enter the picture until the second half.

WRITING: Workmanlike. It’s sometimes repetitive but overall decent.

MAGIC: Seems complicated and well-thought-out without getting too bogged down in details. People use it in daily life in the ways you’d expect--like for hygienic purposes--again giving the impression the author has really thought through the world.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER BOOKS: While technically a standalone, Banner of the Damned takes place 400 years after Smith's Inda books. Which I’ve never read but now know a fair bit about, because there’s a lot of hearkening back to them--a bit much for new readers. I got the feeling it would have been structured differently if it weren't in some way a sequel; for instance, spending 350 dense pages becoming invested in the country of Colend, only to be yanked out of it into an entirely new place (and without ever returning, as Colend plays no significant role in the second half) is a bit jarring, and gives the impression that the author expected readers to have a prior, stronger interest in Marloven Hesea. Also, the “timeless evil” is rather ill-defined and plays only a small role in this book, while it’s indicated that the Inda books tell a more comprehensive story.

CONCLUSION: This is a solid epic fantasy book (in more ways than one!). I liked reading it, but am unlikely to seek out Smith’s other works. Worth checking out if you’re an epic fantasy fan and especially if you love worldbuilding, but not for the casual or infrequent fantasy reader.

[Francesca Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

(n.b.: I read partial drafts of the novel, so I'm not an unbiased reviewer)

Banner of the Damned is a cunning novel that leads you to believe it’s doing one thing (and indeed, it is ) and then another (which it is too), and then, suddenly, you turn around, and you realize it’s also doing a third thing. At that point you’re reeling from Sherwood Smith’s storytelling skills.

So what is the third thing? Let me answer a question with a question: Have you ever wondered about the motivations of an evil mage, working for the benefit of an evil king? Many fantasy stories don’t let you ask the question. The king’s just evil, that’s all---or if a reason must be given, it’s something like, “He wants to rule the world, you see. He’s power mad.” And the mage is just his minion---probably wanting the scraps of power that fall off the king’s plate. Or else it’s the mage who’s in control, and the king is just a puppet. In either case, both are mere villains, complete with sinister laughs. Banner of the Damned is not that kind of story.

Structurally, the book falls into two parts. The first is set in the country of Colend, where elegance, refinement, and grace are prized, where unspoken messages are transmitted by the angle at which a fan is held and stepping on someone’s shadow is a rudeness. This part covers the coming of age of the narrator, Emras, a young woman who becomes the personal scribe of the stunningly beautiful and intelligent Princess Lasva. The pleasure in this part is in getting to know the people in Emras’s life in intimate detail—her cousin Tiflis, her friend Birdy, Princess Lasva’s sister, the old queen Hatahra, Lasva’s ambitious rival Carola, and the dashing but impoverished nobleman Kaidas. It's also in becoming immersed in Colendi culture: the court slang, the changing fashions, which neighboring countries are admired (Sartor), and which ones are despised (Chwahirsland)—so immersed, in fact, that you’ll find yourself thinking in its terms. And that's what this part of the novel is doing: immersing you in the world, familiarizing you with it, getting you to think and feel like Emras and those around her.


It’s not all frivolity at the court of Colend, however: political machinations are always going on, and real threats exist. The birth of an heir to Queen Hatahra leads to heartbreak for Lasva—which the charismatic Prince Ivandred, newly arrived from distant Marloven Hesea can relieve, if not erase.

The second part of Banner of the Damned takes place in Marloven Hesea, a land as different from Colend as iron from silk. Emras accompanies Lasva—now married to Ivandred—to Marloven Hesea, where political threats are issued and rebuffed with swords and arrows, not words, and where, furthermore, it is rumored that an evil magical threat may lurk. This half of the story has wonderful depictions of clashes of culture and painfully accurate depictions of the difficulty of communication across those barriers (and other, personal barriers), but overall it’s much more concerned with Emras’s increasing involvement—and skill—in magic and her tackling of hard questions of right and wrong, temptation and justification. This part of the novel is doing life-and-death danger, excitement, fear and hope. And then that third thing. Emras has been enjoined to look out for an evil mage. That mage is uncovered, eventually, and both is and isn't whom you expect.

This is a long book that doesn’t feel long: you nestle right into it and live it along with the characters. Those who love thorough, three-dimensional worldbuilding, wonderful characters and relationships, romance and deadly danger, and big questions thoughtfully addressed mustn’t miss it.

[Erin DeLaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Sherwood Smith for many years, and have been looking forward to this book particularly, ever since reading the "Summer Thunder" excerpt. My expectations were met and exceeded!

For context, this book is definitely in a different category than her Young Adult books (Crown Duel, Posse, Wren, etc), mainly in my opinion due to complexity. It falls more along the lines of the Inda series, and would be a great follow up to that story. (While it is not a direct continuation of Inda, it is set in the same place many generations later.) It is also a stand-alone story, so could be a good entry point into this world, although perhaps a bit confusing without the context of the Inda series.

Sherwood Smith has the ability to make the world seem so rich that when I read novels set on S-d it feels like I am educating myself on history instead of reading a work of fiction. This book was no exception, and while I went into it knowing how it would end based on legends from later times, I was drawn in to the plot and characters so intensely that I couldn't put it down. I think it manages to carry tremendous complexity without being slow or wordy.

If you liked the Inda series, or Sherwood Smith's books generally, this is a must read!

[Charty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel a bit at a loss, reviewing Sherwood Smith books anymore. I love her Wren books, and the Crown Duel set, but pretty much everything after that has been a let down. When the Inda books came out, I was excited for an adult series and while I finished the first book, I just didn't love it enough to keep going. Picking up Banner of the Damned was an act of faith for me. Since it's a standalone (although long enough for two books) I felt safe enough and while I did read it and it wasn't too bad, I feel it reveals many of Smith's flaws that, from my perspective, keep her out of the must read/buy pile.

The first problem, and it's a major one, is the narrator Emras. She's been trained as a scribe all her life, including strict principles of non-interference in the lives of those she serves. Thye write, they observe, but they are outside the action and are not meant to involve themselves in events. Now the conflict of the story comes in that of course, Emras is thinking she's being all neutral and impartial and she in fact throws pretty much all her training out the window and is neck deep in things. Now that would have been awesome, except Emras is about as interesting as a post. Her distance from the events that unfold makes it hard as a reader to care much about her, especially as so much of it is focused on other, potentially more interesting characters. The distancing of the narrative voice and its often passionless recounting of events kept me constantly out of the story. And did I mention she is boring as hell? She has no life except to serve the Princess Lasva. The author made an interesting choice to have her be elor which is the world's version of someone who is essentially asexual. I have nothing against that, I think that's a novel tack, but the author seems to equate asexual with boring, which seems pretty unforgivable. She has NO close relationships with anyone, seems incapable of them (except in a limited way with Birdy) so it made it hard to warm to her.

This leads to another difficulty I found with this book (and Smith's other adult novels) is that despite being written for an adult audience, the writing and concepts struck me as being very juvenile. I've read plenty of very adult YA (in terms of concept and language) and these books just don't seem as sophisticated. Yes, Smith has built this immensely elaborate world with languages and geography and culture, and yet it's almost that over explanation of everything that detracts from the book's power. I understand that she has labored over this world, crafted it like a gem, and while as I reader I want to be immersed in the author's world, I don't need to know every single thing about how it all works. My imagination should be brought into play here, too. Also, her magic system sounds like what an eight year old would come up with. Firesticks? Waste Wands? Cat boxes that clean themselves?

The political situations, the interpersonal relationships...just not different enough for my taste. And the personal relationships were very trite. Sure, Kaidas and Lasva's epic romance was moving, but Smith never quite convinced me that Lasva and Ivandred were truly a couple. And when she does deign to deal with sex, it's so carefully danced around you just get a feeling that the author (or maybe it's Emras) going, Oooo, icky) Don't get me wrong, I don't need porn level Anita Blake or anything, but I had a difficult time believing in these relationships. Smith would have been better off to have left it entirely to the reader's imagination or made them more complicated. For instance Lasva talks about her sex life with Ivandred, but it's reduced to we have angry sex and why does she like it? Fine, that's a very adult, complicated part of relationship, but she brings it up and then never addresses it. I can't decide if she wanted to spice things up and then didn't know where to take it or what happened. The story wasn't substantially changed with the information, so why bother to include it?

Lastly, the villein of the story again, was so removed, it was hard to think that he was all that evil. Sure, he had his own agenda, but without really understanding why he was bad (Norsunder=bad) I couldn't get real worked up about him, especially since that wasn't revealed until the end of the story. And to wrap, the time spacing was just weird. The first half of the book takes place over a relatively even span of time, but by the end, the story is jumping YEARS in a few chapters. Thank god since it mostly consisted of Emras making wards around the kingdom (yawn).

I read it, it was ok but I certainly wouldn't spend money on it, even if you are a Smith fan.

[Debbie Gascoyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

mm mm good. Long, engrossing, "epic" in scope without the cliches of epic fantasy. I loved the pov character, loved the slightly tricky narrative frame. I confess I guessed the "reveal" long before Emris did, but I think knowing or suspecting more than the narrator is deliberate. I liked that the author limited the characters she focussed on - I found the wide range of viewpoint characters in her Inda series confusing at times, and enjoyed settling in to watch the relationships between a small group.

[Jasmine]

Wow, that was not unenjoyable, but my word nothing really happened. That was a 800 page book that was really dependant on a previous four books, and setting up for another four.

I liked a lot of the people! Ace main character! Fun world! And five hundred pages devoted to a few months of fashion followed by three hundred pages for ten years of magic work described in metaphor. *puts chin on fist, considers book*

[Janny]

An intricate court intrigue in a highly developed world - this book is a delightful, leisurely read that builds carefully and delivers a poignant, powerful finish. Spans the gamut between a civilized court and a culture of manners and progresses to a second setting that is austere and centered on warfare, which created a tension of contrasts with lots of depth.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5/5)
enjoyed this a lot
haven't quite collected my feelings about it yet
read this in chunks over the course of the last couple of weeks and it has been hefty! and engrossing (was determined to finish it today so I, like Emras, feel a bit like I've emerged from my lair unclear about the hour of the day or the day of the month)

some scattered thoughts:
-the framing device of Emras on trial is really effective, and when it was introduced I was like yessss! good (and the handling of multiple POVs, yes, good)
-the worldbuilding!!! yes!!! good!!! I feel like the last few fantasy books I've read for book club have been "AU Earth" fantasy, so it has felt nice to be reading secondary world (though of course you compare cultures to what you're familiar with, and all. like are chwahir folk sort of implied to be... east asian inspired? debatable)
-I don't think the book ever quite gets to the end of the thought about building peace in a culturally militaristic nation but I ain't mad
-Emras is so ace, and is still allowed to have deep and loving relationships with others not built on sex. good
-Anhar secret MVP of the book? I think so

interested in reading the Inda books at some point, absolutely.

bye

[Minli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like it's impossible for me to review BANNER OF THE DAMNED objectively; Sartorias-deles is one of those worlds that I've sunk so completely into, I'm finding it difficult to distinguish the novel from an actual scribe's record in Eidervaen. But I will try. I've read iterations of BANNER before, both in the short story Summer Thunder before Emras's perspective was pulled out, and heard the author do a reading of it at conference.

There is so much I want to say. More than anything, this book is about narratives and how we record them, and how history and time and meddling distort them. Also, to great extend, patriotism--what we do for duty, for our spouses, our families. And how Emras's account may or may not be more reliable than any other, but then, she does have a certain advantage. But while I really enjoy having Emras as narrator, I'm also afraid of identifying with her. I love how she tries to be a good person--tries so, so hard--and yet her downfall is her thirst for knowledge and her duty to her country and profession--which are just as entwined with her identity.

Lasva's story will always be tragic to me. Just like Joret and Tau in the Inda books, I will never, ever envy that kind of extreme beauty. I also don't understand it. I've never felt instant attraction to the extent that I want to not only possess them, but strip them of their free will. But for the sake of this story, I went with it, and I couldn't help but pity Lasva. In an over-refined and over-cultured country like Colend, no one deserves straightforward, unconditional love more than Lasva, and that's because she's a good person who's had to make deal with facade after facade. And her romance is likewise tragic. Her marriage is tragic too. Boo.

As for Marloven Hess, to be honest, it was a relief to be back there. There's not too much mention of the Academy aside from the fact that Ivandred went there and the kinship ties he has with his academy-mates are so strong (twisted, but strong) that they even defy death. It was fun to see glimpses of other s-d books--the characters read Fox's record (the Inda books), and Tharais and Geral, Shevraeth's ancestors, make an appearance. Yay easter eggs :)

It's so easy to get lost in an epic like this. I took my sweet time reading it. The pacing is sometimes uneven, but at this point I was so invested in the characters and story (and tragic ending… basically, you know that Ivandred walks into Norsunder and out of time with his First Lancers from reading A Stranger to Command. Sorry if I spoiled anyone) I didn't mind one bit. I just can't wait for more.

[Cecily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think what pleased me the most about this book was how much Inda was in it. I knew it took place several hundred years after Inda's epic saga so I was expecting a completely separate tale. And, at first, it seemed like that's what we had. Our story begins in Colend and we learn the court rules and politics of a culture only briefly learned about in the Inda stories. (Tau's knowledge of Colendi plays is what I remember the most.) I love Sherwood Smith for how deep the rabbit hole goes. When she writes about a society, she doesn't mess around. I felt so comfy by the time we left Colend that our character's discomfort and alarm at the Marloven way of life was MY discomfort. Which is crazy, because I thought I knew the Marlovens best. But not so. they've changed a lot, including the spellings of names and territories. The new academy was especially heartbreaking.

Anyway, this story was compelling and told from different points of view. Our main character is Emras, a scribe who is writing this book as her "defense". Putting the puzzle together over a massive 700 page book was tons of fun. The only quibble I had was how fast the story ended after a rather alarming character loss. I don't know if I just have a soft spot for the Marlovens (I do), but I wasn't pleased with how the Princess ended up either. I know life isn't fair, but I was put out. :( The ending also felt open-ended enough for a sequel, but I couldn't tell. I'll have to check into that.

In short, awesome book. I wouldn't recommend it though unless you've read the Inda quartet. (And you should read those books anyway. At least five times each.)

[katayoun Masoodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

maybe sometimes, 3 1/5 if i hadn't read any of smith's other books, but i love this world and a story about this world is a happy event and usually atleast 4 for just existing!

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The scribes have three rules.
First Rule: Do not interfere.
Second Rule: Keep The Peace.
Third Rule: Tell the truth as we see it.

This is what happens when rules are broken.

We follow the story of Emras, Princess Lasva's personal scribe and the flashbacks she brings up both from her own life and of those around her. However, we, as the reader, already know that something is wrong in that first page:

I can see your ironic faces, those of my judges who know that I began life as a scribe. This, my defense testimony, shall show how I tried not to interfere, that I mean to keep the Peace...

And then the journey begins. You are sucked into Emras's life as she learns to become a scribe, her life with the Princess, the hijinks and flashbacks, the love and loss, and heartache, the upcoming war.

What is interesting to me about this book is how I keep getting flashbacks of Tanith Lee's Biting the Sun. At the very beginning of the book we are treated to Colendi slang and learn of such things as rafalle and melende, though luckily unlike Lee's Biting the Sun vocabulary is explained when introduced in text rather than inferred. In this instance melende seems to be an interesting mix of Japanese wabi sabi meets Italian sprezzatura, odd though that may sound. Kind of like studied nonchalance that you learn all your life to maintain, knowing the transient and turbulent nature of emotions that are held deeply in check. And the higher you are in the social pecking order the more you need to abide by melende so all courtiers of Colend are well-versed in this subject. Well, that's how I seem to define melende, anyway.

Colend very much exemplifies melende and prefers genteel diplomacy masking a more straight-forward nature that other countries have developed, such as Marloven Hesea, known for its rigid martial prowess or Chwahir which relies on brutal strength and domination.

As the narrative progresses we follow Emras and Lasva's journey as they find themselves leaving their home of Colend for Marloven Hesea and adjusting to a land not fully immersed in melende and an ornery king that thinks love a weakness and Colendi people full of ribbon-dancers and weaklings.

What I love about this story is that the characters feel so real and the world-building is top-notch. It is amazing seeing Lasva as she grows up from this serene girl to a love-struck youth to then slowly take on Marlovan attributes with her metal-tipped fans, rather than those she practiced on in her youth with Emras that were wooden cat-tipped. And Emras is growing up as well and making one hard decision after the other about what to say and what to withhold. We, the reader, are slowly realizing how Emras ended up in her prison on that very first page.

As we read on, the noose is tightening further around Emras until suddenly things click together in an interesting magic-filled climax that left openings for a potential second book, though I honestly think that this felt like a one-off. I don't see a direct continuation of this particular story. Maybe something in the not-too-distant future, perhaps, but not a direct continuation. I'm sure Sherwood will revisit this world and perhaps even incorporate some of these characters in the annuls of time, but to be perfectly honest the characters aren't staying very well with me.

That is to say I really, really loved the first half of this book but I think somewhere past that my interest started to wane. Emras, as an elor, which is sort of like someone who is not sexually interested in either sex, does not draw me into her story. I cannot really relate to her world full of platonic love. I want to know more about Lasvas and Ivandred or Birdy or another character. I don't know if Emras being elor takes me emotionally out of the book but I am starting to feel that something is missing for me in this story and that makes me rather sad. I love Sherwood Smith's stories so much but I felt like I was being pushed out of this story.

All in all this was a very well-written book and I enjoyed the world-building immensely, as I tend to in all of her books. The characters are mostly well-fleshed out and I can imagine quite vividly what was happening a lot of the time. It all seemed quite real. I just wish I liked Emras more as the plot progressed. That would have made the story even better.

[egelantier · Rating 4 out of 5]

so i thought, i need to read something quick and easy, and next thing i knew, i was reading banner of the damned, all glorious 695 pages of it. ooooooops.
it's a very distant (400 years in the future) sequel to inda (that's why i was wary of reading it before, and in some ways i was right, because apparently it took marlovens less than five generations to completely fuck up everything inda and evred and hadand and co sweated and suffered for. i rooted for you, marlovens, we all rooted for you! but worth it), centered about emras, a young asexual (it's a point in her personal history but not the issue of the book; sartorias-deles verse is wonderfully and casually blase about all the permutations of orientations and relationships, and it's one of the things i love passionately about these books) girl growing up in a heyan-like royal court of colend.

emras is a scribe, which is a profession and a vocation centered about not interfering, not influencing events and always telling the truth; as a result she's a sheltered, naive, kind and decent person, and it, of course, means that soon she will discover that a) lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off (ha) and b) good intentions pave the way exactly to the destination you'd expect.

anyway, the first part of the book is about emras growing up in colend and being assigned as a personal scribe to lasva, a brilliant and warm young princess struggling with her turbulent first love, and with her place in the court; and in the second lasva will go away to marloven hesea, a cold, martial kingdom, marry prince ivandred and do her best to wed peace and war, whereas emras will learn magic and discover, erm, things about herself she'd rather not.

it's glorious high fantasy in the same way inda is glorious high-fantasy: worldbuilt at a breathtaking scope, seamlessly blending high politics and personal lives and intersections thereof, populated with breathing multifaceted people just trying to do their best (or, occasionally, their worst), dealing with culture clash and with various ways of communication and miscommunication, quietly and with dignity showing many facets of love.

there's a lot of wonderful meta-commentary on inda (which exists as the in-universe text, in several permutations of various truthfulness), but the book stands pretty firmly alone as well. and there's a clever, clever twist built in (not shocking twist, per se, because you spot it far ahead of emras) that makes the whole book an exercise in breathless waiting for the tragedy.

but for me the most frustrating weakness of the book was in its strength: emras is a brilliant meta narrator (remember how in inda the pov will switch from omnipresent to tight third and back? it's addressed here), but the very nature of her narrative meant that in the second part of the book she willfully isolates herself from the things most interesting to me: lasva and ivandred's fraught relationship, lasva's attempts at integration, culture clash, everyday marloven lives. basically, i loved the book i read, but i'm sad for the book i could have read; but it's probably the point of the story, as well.

as always, highly and strongly recommended.

[grosbeak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty fun, but the pacing was absolutely nuts (especially given the frame narrative’s premise. On the other hand, the last 150 pages already felt interminably tedious as they skimmed over 7-8 years of politics and action.

I haven’t read the preceding series, and some of the plot/magical devices probably are carryovers. Nonetheless, I found it quite silly to build in a whole magical artifact for entering the mind of any person past or present at any point in their life, apparently just so that the narrative could jump around to some secondary characters and secondary plots and still maintain the narrator’s “I am only recording what I know myself to be true and also I spent my childhood training to memorize speech on first hearing, perfectly accurately, so do not worry that the dialogue I will report will be more hē sympâsa gnōmē rather than the precise words of what was said on each occasion.”

In other words, this is a novel (a genre where speech *is* “what was really said” and ascribed motivations and thoughts *are* “what really caused someone to act that way” because the truth of events is all born from the pen of the author) that uses the device of being an in-universe historiographical account (a genre where speech reported at this level of detail and intimacy is an approximation and motivations can only ever be conjecture) BUT then there’s a magical plot device that removes that approximation and uncertainty! What gives, Sherwood?!

This is symptomatic of the way SS worldbuilds, I find. There are no loose ends, and nothing is left to the conventions of narrative. This is maybe the only fantasy novel I’ve read where there are detailed asides about how human waste is magicked away when it’s completely irrelevant to the plot (it’s sent underground- but not so far underground as to contaminate groundwater, and the spell is also calibrated so that the waste will be distributed evenly and in the areas where its breakdown will do the most good. There’s a spell that you say whenever waste exits your body, but also bespelled wands and buckets and frames that whisk away dirt and soil. Oh, and also you can put the spell on a cat’s litter box.) I have never read a fantasy novel and been worried about how they clean the cat’s litterbox, or whether the system of waste-mangement is ecologically sound in the longue duree. It’s one thing if these systems are important to the plot! Alanna of Trebond gets her period and has to deal with it; poor attention to magical waste disposal causes a plague in Briar’s Book. But Sherwood Smith explains at far too much length why we’re not ever going to hear about a character’s menses or see the characters inconvenienced by having to dig a deep latrine trench for their camp. If these things never got mentioned, we probably wouldn’t miss them, but in a bid to make her books “more realistic”, an author might want to include them: I get that. But when they are included at length by way of making them irrelevant anyway, it’s just a bit silly.

[Q · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly different from the other books in Inda universe. Emras blindness as well as blindness of those around her is so sad and inevitable. The cloud of dread follows every plot twist until the reveal comes like lightning: ruthless and inescapable.

Despite liking the book, I would've preferred not to read it: the ending is rather hopeless to me, and I don't like feeling hopeless after a good book.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banner of the Damned is a perfect example of why Sherwood Smith is a genius. The world of Sartorias-deles that she has created is rich in history and detail. This book ties together so many threads from her previous stories (Inda, Crown Duel, Senrid, A Stranger to Command) that you can't help but be amazed by her skill as a world-builder and storyteller.

Banner of the Damned covered so much ground, that it felt like I was reading a whole series, rather than one book. The main character Emras starts out as an insignificant scribe who happens to be in the right place at the right time. Over the course of the novel she is confronted with many moral and ethical decisions that ultimately make her an integral part of the story. You really see the arc of her character, as she transitions from a young naive student to a mature woman that takes accountability for her actions.

Although the narrative is mostly from the perspective of Emras, it is not solely her story– it's a behind-the-scenes look at how culture shapes nations. This is also a great example of how subjective history is when it's distorted for personal or political reasons. The perspective of the book shifts at times to other characters, so we get a intimate portrait of all the main players. Each and every character in Banner of the Damned is unique and interesting, Smith is excellent at conveying their motivations and desires so they all seem to come to life. No character is without a flaw, and even the villains are not purely evil. There is such a wide range of personalities and emotions, that it's easy to relate to and empathize with the characters.

The tremendous amount of political and historical detail can sometimes be overwhelming, but it this case it only serves to enhance the reality of the world, and add dimension to the story. If you're new to Sherwood Smith, I would recommend starting with some of the "easier" books (Crown Duel, Senrid, Inda), and working your way up to this one.

Read more on my website

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my. What a book - this was the best read I've had for quite a while, it really is the definition of an epic fantasy - stretching out over time, featuring many nations, vastly different cultures, and dozens of vividly drawn characters. Reading it was like swimming in a vast bubblebath, all embracing, deeply relaxing and every time I dipped into it I would forget all about my daily concerns. Although, the bubblebath comparison makes it sound amorphous and this is a very thoughtfully constructed book. When I first started reading I could not see how the disparate characters fit together, but at the end everything fit together in the most satisfactory way. And yet, even with the epic scale of the plot and interwoven storylines Sherwood Smith never loses sight of the humanity of her characters. I've loved so many of her books, but this has effortlessly leapfrogged ahead to become my favourite to date.

It's a sequel of sorts to the Inda novels which I haven't read yet (though the first two are now waiting for me on my Kindle) but set hundreds of years later and I never felt like I needed to have read the Inda novels first. I skipped over them because military fantasy isn't quite my cup of tea, but now that I've read Banner of the Damned I'm eagerly looking forward to them. I don't want to give away any spoilers in this review because I adored reading this book without any idea of what was to come, but I think I can say that one of my favourite aspects is the examination of culture and culture clashes.

I'm sure that I have much much more to say about this book, but I've stayed up far too late tonight finishing it & I really need to get some sleep. Once I got to the 80% read mark, there was no way I was going to get to sleep tonight without finding out how it all ended!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young scribe follows her beloved princess, who is swept away by a barbarian prince, takes up the study of magic and discovers a plot is far more complex, and that goes back far longer, than she imagines. This is a fine example of a book that would have been much better if 300-400 pages shorter. The author is good at action scenes but:
A) She devotes huge wads of the story to developing the culture of gesture and subtlety in which the princess is raised, but next to, say, Daniel Abraham's similar culture in his SHADOW IN SUMMER it comes off as superficial,
B) There are dozens and dozens of pages in which nothing of significance occurs that advances the plot...all in the service of character development, I guess. I found these unreadably dull and, in the end, barely, if at all, either relevant or enriching.
C) The author should stay away from sex scenes, as sample lines like "His senses organized differently from mine, with a strong erotic component that sent a thin thread of fire through my vitals..." and "'Obliterate me,' she whispered, and sank her teeth into the palm of his hand." demonstrate.

A worthy kernel, but tedious in the execution. Sequels are a distinct possibility but I'm not likely to read any unless they're only about half as long and better edited.

[Jacqie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I liked the style of this book. An Asian-feeling fantasy setting with intricate social customs and politics, viewed through the eyes of a rather naive scribe who has access to the highest nobility. I think I didn't like it better than I did because I was just missing context. I think this book is set about 400 years after the author's previous series, something I didn't know when I picked up the book. I felt the lack of that background, especially once I left the first section of the book. Because it's a big one for me these days- 600+ pages is more of a commitment than it used to be- I ended up not finishing. But I would very much like to read the previous series and enjoy this world from the beginning- as I said, I like the author's style.

One issue: there was a map in the book, but I could not match the map to ANY place names more than 100 pages in. This annoyed me and made me feel even more like I didn't have proper context, or that I hadn't even gotten to the "real story" almost 200 pages in to the book.

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emras tells her lengthy story in the form of a defense, but we don't understand the circumstances under which she should need to write a defense until close to the end of this nearly 700 page fantasy masterpiece. Her scribe skills and manner of deportment are such that she is made Royal Scribe to the princess Lasvas at only 16; this coveted position, however, carries with it a dismaying complexity that requires Emras to be extremely careful and discreet. Then, when the queen finally has a child, her sister Lasvas is free to make a good marriage, since she will no longer be heir to the throne of Colendi. Smith's usual astonishingly detailed fantasy world (already created in the much earlier-timed Inda novels) makes for a rich reading experience, tough to emerge from. Emras and Lasvas are on the brink of some earth-shattering adventures, and Emras' funny little personality carries this tale of magic, romance, politics, and adventure. Highly recommended, but a huge time commitment! Adult.

[Anne Osterlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emras is taught to be a scribe. To hide in the background and observe, not just the words people say but the emotions and truths behind them.

When she is assigned to stand alongside Lasva of Collend as the princess’s personal scribe, Emras can imagine no higher honor. But this will change. With the birth of an heir that will change both Emras’s world and Lasva’s. With a romantically driven assault that will invite a warrior into a kingdom renowned for peace. And with a new task.

A task that will test two kingdoms, defy the greatest mages of the current era, and ensure that Emras will never be remembered for fading into the background.

Banner of the Damned is Sherwood Smith’s latest epic in the world of Senrid, Shevraeth, Inda, etc. I felt like Lasva’s relationships were the most interesting in the story, as well as her attempts to carve out a semblance of peace within a culture almost entirely centered around war.

[Cait McAlister · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I have been so completely submerged in a fantasy world. After finishing, I spent the rest of the day in a post-book haze... Brilliantly done, Ms. Smith.

[Erik Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Banner of the Damned consists of three distinct and rather disjoint parts. The first 700 pages follow a meandering personal history of the main characters, detailing the intricacies of daily castle life and spanning a roughly 10 year period. The world building is impressive, encompassing the finer points of two highly disparate cultures. This sedate introduction is abruptly interrupted by the oh shit moment, when the characters discover that nothing is as it seems and the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance. The anticipation and excitement build for all of 50 pages as they prepare to face the big bad. This culminates in the mere 20 page fairytale ending where the hero defeats the great evil but fails to save the titular damned bannermen, the guy gets the girl/the girl gets the guy, and everyone lives happily ever after. Each part is engaging and enjoyable in its own right, but they fail to flow and balance together into a well constructed story.

[Francesco Lanza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe Banner of the Damned to be a really frustrating read. I'm a great fan of Sherwood Smith's Inda series - and of the concept of her fictive world Sartorias-Deles. The artificially-reduced violence (that is probably just as artificially heightened at times, and this is no authorial magic wand, it's part of the plot), the high magic mostly useful as a form of service and health-related tech, the countries slowly evolving and the morally neutral stance on warrior cultures vs. socially "overdeveloped" settings, the unclear but always-present enemies and the vagaries of fate paint a very complex picture in the reader's mind. Generally, Sherwood Smith uses a third person omniscient POV, but in this particularly book she's gone with first person with a few omniscient "tricks".

It doesn't work as well, since the main character is really too ambiguous and difficult to pin down to offer a skewed, exciting narrative. She simply seems to adhere to whatever, be it plot, sub-plot or important character. She jettisons both good sense and ideals whenever convenient, and she of course dusts them up promptly to move the plot along. There is really no inner conflict here. This is not, probably, how Smith envisioned her, but it's really like this that it comes off.

The MC-narrator does have a personal life, but her choices always feel anodyne and deeply introvert, with a selfish desire to be left alone that is later rued when it's quite past the point where it would have felt good for the plot. I have no problem with introvert real people. Introvert novel characters that are free to lock themselves up and lose the thread of the events for months are really a strange choice, even if it is to compress "downtime", because Smith does it also at times where it would be interesting for the character to participate. Of course, our MC never participates in anything, she sidelines herself, watches and almost always refrains even from offering a personal view or judgement.

I don't really think the author was up to write in first person. No matter the roundabout way she chose for it, she feels like she's faking a third person omniscient, sliding back in what she likes best, even using magic as an excuse at times. Yes, I don't want to be too spoilery, but this book is actually capable of weaponizing third person omniscient, at times. This kind of tells me where Smith true heart's desire really laid.

This book would work, and even its characters would be ok, if only it wasn't split neatly in two. The first part, after a "growth montage" where our MC is such a wet hen so as to actually miss adolescence, is ok for a few long chapters, but it begins to draw and draw. Conflicts feel low stakes, commitments to be made with boredom, or as an afterthought. Conflicts spring up suddendly to be quenched with a nod. Endless courtly maneuvres which are absolutely not riddled with heavy decisions are presented glacially. Characters in crisis react as swiftly as czarist menial bureaucrats. People refuse to speak with each other always citing culture as an excuse (we are to civilized to speak about feelings. We are too warrior-like to speak about feelings. We won't speak about feelings because then we would be in danger in this deadly paranoid castle) The main character either despises or is uncomfortable with anybody else. She's all right with spying them, though, because she seems to be unable to see boundaries and connections outside of a social contract level and seems to act only on a "I'm supposed to" basis. She sounds like an oblivious, emotionally stunted imbecile even in her thirties.

The second part of the novel, which is about Marloven (they were still "Marlovan" in Inda) is better. The plots are fine, the stakes are fine, you can emotionally invest in the other characters. The MC of course won't. Here the MC doesn't really understand how to get to know anybody new, and refuses to engage satisfactory with the fellow stragglers from her own culture. She is quite literally whisked away with a plot-related task and avoids to think about all the stuff happening around. She is part of the plot, but completely cut off of it, if this makes sense. Of course, she couldn't be really embroiled in it, it would go against the premises of the character, but an empty narrator that on a whim is given a lot of decisions right at the end is as clunky and distasteful as you would surmise. Still, it's far better than the first part, and pretty engaging.

I would have been far kinder with this book if it didn't feel like Sherwood Smith was scratching her history and plot matching itches more than developing riveting characters. We don't get enough time with the few interesting ones, with the Marloven Academy, with the kings and jarls or the Colendi politicians. We don't get to appreciate the hot heart of the social warfare and what I keep calling high stakes. At times, baking bread and torturing your own friends for political gain seem to have equal emotional weight for most characters. Everything seems to be neutered, and declawed. Inda wasn't like this - even there Smith seemed to make flash decisions (fate striking, sudden revolts, betrayals) after whole chapters, whole years and storylines of people getting numb towards leaders and friends taking bad decisions, brutality, violence and cruelty. This is also humans work, at times, but only at times. In Banner of the Damned people get numb towards a whole spectrum of existential and emotional drama.

When you compare the really circuitous, plodding character developement and social maneuvering to the quick ending, one can't really ask of himself: "really, wasn't there a quicker route to get to the world rocking deflagrations?". It's a matter of rhytm, and Smith here dropped the ball a few times.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the Inda books, which take place in the same world many years earlier, Banner of the Damned has a wonderfully rich world, and Smith manages to convey the richness of it without overwhelming the reader with details and infodumps. There's a really interesting framing device -- the story is told by a scribe, Emras, who tells us immediately that she's on trial, and we only slowly find out why. There's a large cast of well-developed characters, all with their own personalities and motivations playing off each other.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to write a longer or more coherent review, but if you like outstanding worldbuilding and great characterization, this book is quite possibly your thing. I like both, and I loved it.