Refraction

Refraction by Wick Welker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A story told in three parts in three different times. In 1986, Timothy Straus hears voices that guide him towards grand scientific achievement. In 2098, Caleb Stanger hears voices that lead him to revolt against the government. In 2155, the only sentient robot on Mars tries to lead the people past fear and a dangerous individual in the shadows into a brighter day. Despite the span on time and space these individuals are connected in unforeseeable ways.

Refraction is a thought provoking book to put it lightly. Many ideas are discussed from scientific, to political, to human nature, and beyond. The characters in the book find themselves fundamentally fighting against human nature along with the apathy of those with plenty.

The three timelines used were done in an excellent fashion. The timelines tease the story out slowly and I would have never imagined the end at the beginning. Some interesting events occurred starting with scientific discovery from Timothy Straus. I wish I could get into more, but any elaboration feels like spoiler territory. The revelations later in the book are well worth the read, even if they do feel heartbreaking.

Refraction is a mystery with tragedy seeping into nearly every aspect of it.

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Of Killers and Kings

Of Killers and Kings by Will Wight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Great Elders, humanity's ancient enemy, are always plotting. With a crack in the sky they are ready to move. The Independent Guilds are ready to make peace with the Imperial Guilds to stop the Great Elders from getting what they want, but who knows exactly what any of the Great Elders have planned...

Of Killers and Kings was a good story. I wish, as I have with the entire series, that it didn't go over the same information as it's parallel novel. It just removed too much of the intrigue when so much of what happens has already been told. It doesn't make the books into equals, it makes whichever book you read second into a companion novel that simply fills in gaps.

Shera has been made into the Guild Head of the Consultants against her will and she's bristling at the unwanted promotion. I have to say after Of Darkness and Dawn, I never imagined I could come to like her...but I have. Having her vessels, Bastion and Syphren, voices in her head made her more intriguing. I was happy to see her gain some balance.

I didn't really find any other consultants all that interesting, but the Regents Estyr Six, Jorin Curse Breaker, and Lorelei were great characters. The Emperor's companions were quite the group. Estyr all power and rough edges, Jorin the scientist, and Lorelei the heart. I would have loved more from them.

So this is book 6 of 6 for me in my reading of The Elder Empire. The series had a rocky start for me as I began with Of Darkness and Dawn, but I slowly went back to it. I read all three books of the Sea side because the greater world building elements fascinated me. Then I decided to go back to the Shadow side which I found I enjoyed more than I imagined after book 1. Will Wight created quite the terrifying world and situation along with people who fought to make the world better. I loved the greater view we gained on the Emperor and how we learned despite all his power, at his core he was a man who cared deeply for humanity as a whole. He also lived through a world full of horror that the inhabitants today couldn't relate to which made some of them view him as harsh. The Emperor simply knew what was a stake.

In the end I'm glad that I read the Elder Empire and I'd be happy to revisit it down the line, hopefully without parallel novels. I'd have to call it a tie between the Shadow and Sea side for which trilogy I enjoyed more.

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The Trouble With Peace

 

The Trouble With Peace by Joe Abercrombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Union and the North find themselves at peace with their enemies, but what is peace other than a time to prepare once again for war. Tensions are still high and conspiracies are growing to the point of full on treason. Orso has become king even though many of his people think him a buffoon, Rikke struggles with the long eye, Savine is trying to recover from her ordeal in Valbeck, and Leo just wants to be a hero. As the new generation takes over from the old, there are no lack of problems.

The Trouble with Peace is what I've come to expect from Joe Abercrombie, humanity at it's bleakest. I did find one thing I didn't expect however, me being dismayed by what was happening. I don't know if it was living during a pandemic, but the feeling of hopelessness was bumming me out. I worked through it and enjoyed Abercrombie's nihilistic view of the First Law world.

It's hard reading the various knowing the nature of Abercrombie's writing. A group of individuals who are either already broken and jaded or well on their way to it. I'd split the point of view characters into two camps, those being broken down and those already broken. Those being broken down are Orso, Rikke, and Leo, while the already broken are Clover, Vick, and Broad. It's a tragedy in action yet against all reason I still hold out hope for most of them.

If you aren't familiar with the First Law world and you plan on learning more, then don't continue past this point. This will be jammed full of spoilers from the original trilogy.

In the First Law world some things just are: like the sun, the moon, and the First of the Magi Bayaz. He's a force of nature and betting or battling against him would truly be a mistake in the long run.

Bayaz helped create the Union, but he is also the cause of the Union's problems. Valint and Balk, owned by Bayaz, chokes the Union's resources with interest on loans they forced the Union to take. Without that money the Union couldn't come to aid the North when they battle Stour Nightfall. The interest also made the Union ask for an increase of taxes after the North won the war, leading to trouble. Styria wants to end the threat of Bayaz in all it's forms. Valint and Balk's greed also helped create the Breakers and Burners by placing profit above all else and by his example of complete greed impacting the affluent in the Union. Bayaz reaps all the rewards, takes little personal risk, and rarely assists. When he does assist, there are nearly unbreakable strings attached and as far as the books have shown only death can free most people from Bayaz once his hooks are in them. I'm not saying Bayaz is the devil, but he seems as though he may be the closest thing walking on the First Law world's surface.

Many people of the world want to destroy what Bayaz has built. I do wonder as magic leaks from the world, if the Union will be freed from his influence or if he'll continue to guide the world based on his greed.

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Of Darkness and Dawn

 

Of Darkness and Dawn by Will Wight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The strife between the Imperialist Guilds and the Independent Guilds continues. The Regents have also come under attack from individuals with ties to Shera's past. Meanwhile Shera has become a Soulbound. The only trouble is her vessel has a murderous voice that can't tell the difference between friend and foe. It only wants to kill and steal the power of the powerful.

Of Darkness and Dawn proved me wrong. After of Shadow and Sea, I was convinced Shera was merely a sleepy sociopath, but this book made her so much more. She cares for her friends and humanity as a whole even if something isn't quite right with her. Shera being impacted by Syphren also made things incredibly interesting. Adding Jorin Curse-breaker to the story was a great addition as well. Jorin is a powerful man out of time who still cares for the world.

The flashbacks were excellent in showing the Emperor. The view of the Emperor is quite opposite in the Shadow side of the series than the Sea side. While Calder and his companions see the Emperor as a callous man who behaves like a Great Elder, Shera and her friends see a powerful man who cares for humanity more than his own well being. The Emperor came to life with the flashbacks and I can't help but pity the man.

I still have an issue with how Will Wight chose to split the series up into 6 shorter books rather than 3 longer ones. I absolutely abhor going through lengthy scenes in a different book from a different perspective. That's not exclusive to this series, I don't like it in any book if it's more than a tiny flashback. That being said I really enjoy Will Wight's writing which is the only reason I gave this parallel story a chance. It went well with this book, because outside of one pivotal moment, the book avoids retreading any aspect significantly.

So I'd say Of Darkness and Dawn was better than Of Dawn and Darkness. I'd say after two books the Sea and Shadow are tied. The Sea side of the story was better than it's parallel companion in the first set of stories. I'm looking forward to seeing if I enjoy Of Killers and Kings more than it's parallel story.

3.5 out of 5 stars

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Sufficiently Advanced Magic

Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Cadence family live in a land where people gain power from their goddess. They go on trials to gain the mark of power called an attunement. Tristan Cadence went for his trial five years ago and never returned. Now his younger brother Corin is heading for his trials with the goal of not only gaining an attunement, but also finding his brother.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic has more over explaining than any book I've come across in some time. Every thing that happens Corin explains during or afterwards. He doesn't explain it interesting in compelling ways, he just keeps babbling on. It reminds me of my daughter when she's so excited she talks endlessly on a subject even if I'm already familiar with it. Since I'm not a monster, I have to listen to her, but I don't have to be beaten down with this books explanations. Honestly I had expectations for cool advancements and excellent fights, but it was largely just info dump like explanations.

In the end, Sufficiently Advanced Magic just wasn't a book for me.

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It Wasn't Your Fault

 

It Wasn't Your Fault: Freeing Yourself from the Shame of Childhood Abuse with the Power of Self-Compassion by Beverly Engel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't looking for It Wasn't Your Fault, this book found me. As soon as I read the full title I realized I needed to read it and I picked it up at the library later that same day. I wish I didn't need to read this book and I wish no one ever needed to read it. Unfortunately I and many others did need to read it.

On a positive note I found It Wasn't Your Fault particularly helpful as it put a spotlight on some deep-seated internal pain I didn't know existed. At times I feel so alone in my pain and as though no one can understand how I feel. When I read a book like this one, I never cease to be amazed that a book can tell me so much about the hurt I kept quiet for far too many years.

If the full title, It Wasn't Your Fault: Freeing Yourself from the Shame of Childhood Abuse with the Power of Self-Compassion, has an undeniable tug on your heart, then I'd recommend you read it to the end and apply whatever you may need.

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Wintersteel

Wintersteel by Will Wight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Uncrowned King tournament comes closer to conclusion while a Dreadgod is preparing to rise. Monarchs and their followers scheme and train to see who will claim a power great enough to destroy a Dreadgod.

Wintersteel was a very enjoyable story. It was the longest book in the series and that allowed the author room for a lot of developments to take place. The story begins with Yerin, Mercy, Eithan, and the other uncrowned train for their upcoming matches for a month. Lindon is left out and is grasping for ways to advance on his own. He has caught the attention of Northstrider and Lindon isn't sure if that's a good thing or not.

This book made up for all the political maneuvering that the previous book left out. I wish some of this information would have been shared earlier as it would have provided needed context to Uncrowned. Still better late than never.

I have to say I love to see the ingenuity and training in this series. Characters developing new ways to make themselves powerful is always fun. Some characters made significant jumps which was fun to see.

Wintersteel was really good and perhaps the best thing I learned is the series isn't finished yet. There's at least one more book coming. I'm excited to see where things go from here.

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Uncrowned

 

Uncrowned by Will Wight
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every few years the Monarch's gather their strongest young underlords and have them battle in the Uncrowned King Tournament. These fights aren't simply a matter of pride, they determine what happens in each of the Monarch's lands going forward.

Uncrowned was a good book overall, but until the very end it didn't present the same weight to it as the prior books. The importance of the tournament is certainly mentioned, but it's hard to have a true understanding when the full balance of power hasn't been displayed. None of the books have put on display the tension betweens nations outside of the Dreadgod Bleeding Phoenix's attack. We are told the golden dragons are extremely dangerous and we witness a little of that in the book, but not enough to give the tournament the weight that Akura Charity tried to press into Lindon.

While the previous books focused significantly on advancement, this book focused on refinement. It starts early as Eithan and Yerin are sparring. He shocks her with his abilities and says, "People think that the way to improve your power is to push for advancement, but that's not always true. A child and a veteran swordsman, given the same weapon are vastly different opponents." That as much as anything is what pushes the book forward. Characters growing in skill rather than advancing.

Uncrowned while not being what I had anticipated, was still quite good.

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Underlord

 

Underlord by Will Wight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The great clans of the world often measure themselves by the strength of their youth. Because of this a tournament is coming. The participants will be young Underlords. The Blackflame Empire has been ordered by the Akura Clan to prepare themselves. They have been given the opportunity to train in an Akura family territory that is rich with vital aura, but there is a catch. They will be competing for the training ground's resources and spots in the tournament against the Seishen Kingdom. Each faction must produce young Underlord candidates for the tournament or else. Worst of all, Akura Charity knows what Lindon did in Ghostwater and she's not going to simply let it go.

Underlord was undoubtedly the most sentimental book of the series to date. Some unexpected events hit me right in the feelings while reading this. Lindon, Yerin, and Orthos have grown so much since they were first introduced. Watching them change has been one of the best aspects of the story.

The advancement to Underlord also led to the strength of the story. Other advancements were strictly pushing the current limit to the point of bursting and then moving forward, but Underlord is different. Sacred artists must be at the peak of high gold, but they also have to open their soulspace and know the reason they practice the sacred arts. Not just a nice sounding reason, the reason they do it. It creates quite the challenge as only artists who know themselves can advance to Underlord.

I truly enjoyed Underlord and the depth of the series thus far. I can't wait to see what comes next.

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Ghostwater

 

Ghostwater by Will Wight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lindon, Yerin, and Mercy are once again under the employment of the Skysworn. They are still treated as disposable and as enemies by Skysworn leadership. The team is sent off to investigate the pocket dimension Ghostwater, created by the Monarch Northstrider. The pocket dimension is collapsing due to the rising of the Bleeding Phoenix. Lindon and Orthos find themselves trapped in Ghostwater while Yerin and Mercy struggle to save them.

Ghostwater is the book I've been waiting for. I felt like the story really came together for everyone. Lindon and Orthos are trapped without any clear means of escape. They are forced to rely on each other. Lindon has often been protected by plot armor, but he really grew and developed in this book largely thanks to Orthos. He wasn't reliant on luck in Ghostwater. Orthos really shined in this book. He showed off his physical prowess and took a mentoring role with Lindon. He had his typical lines regarding what dragons do, but he also taught Lindon much more mentally. He also called him on areas he was ignoring in his overall development. Orthos was simply stellar.

"Once, you were weak. That boy is long dead, but his Remnant still haunts you....Your weakness, Lindon, is thinking you are weaker than you are." - Orthos

Yerin and Mercy's story was more straightforward. We learn more about Mercy and Yerin continues to have more memories from her master's remnant.

The world as a whole expanded in this book. We see other factions such as the Akura Clan, the Gold Dragons, Redmoon Hall, The Beast King, and the Monarchs. All their plans are far from clear, but they are all intriguing in their own rights. They of course don't all get along even when they have truces with one another. Each of these factions seem to be stronger than the Blackflame Empire as a whole.

Eithan takes a bit of a back seat and even he gets to show off a bit. It's interesting to know that he doesn't want anyone to know the extent of his abilities, especially considering how powerful he is whenever he demonstrates them. All with a smile on his face. He loves to irritate his opponents.

Ghostwater has a really excellent book and I'm excited to see how the series continues from here.

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