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justgeekingby's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
The Gauntlet and the Broken Chain by Ian Green is the final book in a trilogy that has been gripping from start to finish. Green has created a world that is dark, hostile and bleak, where characters are constantly fighting to survive against difficult odds. Unlike other fantasy series, it’s believable, with realistic consequences for their actions.
It is those consequences that Floré and her companions face in The Gauntlet and the Broken Chain. In the previous book, Tomas’ decisions led to the legendary immortal mage Tullen One-Eye breaking the chains placed upon him by god-bear Anshuka. The first thing that Tullen did was to take out the only mage powerful enough to stop him; Floré husband the salt mage, Janos. Believed to be dead, everyone (including the reader!) was shocked to find that Janos had not indeed died as previously believed and had been kept alive by a malicious organisation. His reunion with Floré was short-lived when he tried to stop the newly unchained Tullen in an extraordinary battle and instead lost his life.
Reeling from losing Janos for a second time, Floré has no time to grieve as she and her companions find their way back from the island they were abandoned on. Her daughter Marta is ill, dying from the powerful skein-magic inherited from her father. Once again, Floré’s duties are split. As a mother she wants to find her daughter more than anything, but as Commander she knows that if they don’t stop Tullen from getting his revenge and killing the god-bear Anshuka then no one will ever be safe, including Marta. It’s a race against time as the group splits to accomplish the impossible; stop the man who cannot be killed.
Once again, Green has served up a thrilling no-holds barred fight for survival. After the events of the previous book it was clear going into The Gauntlet and the Broken Chain that anything could happen, and from the start of this trilogy Green made it quite clear that there will be casualties. Despite the obvious dire circumstances, there is a lot more happening than just the final battle. As seen in the previous book, the chains that were holding Tullen captive were tied deeply with the entire world and when they broke they had repercussions felt deeply. In the main story and in interludes Green explores these repercussions, while also exploring theological concepts about belief and gods.
The final battle was well written and, as I’ve come to expect from Green’s writing over the course of The Rotstorm trilogy, original while still grounded in epic fantasy conventions. The Gauntlet and the Broken Chain is an epic conclusion to a trilogy that is a must-read for fantasy fans, especially those who like their fantasy dark and unique.
It is those consequences that Floré and her companions face in The Gauntlet and the Broken Chain. In the previous book, Tomas’ decisions led to the legendary immortal mage Tullen One-Eye breaking the chains placed upon him by god-bear Anshuka. The first thing that Tullen did was to take out the only mage powerful enough to stop him; Floré husband the salt mage, Janos. Believed to be dead, everyone (including the reader!) was shocked to find that Janos had not indeed died as previously believed and had been kept alive by a malicious organisation. His reunion with Floré was short-lived when he tried to stop the newly unchained Tullen in an extraordinary battle and instead lost his life.
Reeling from losing Janos for a second time, Floré has no time to grieve as she and her companions find their way back from the island they were abandoned on. Her daughter Marta is ill, dying from the powerful skein-magic inherited from her father. Once again, Floré’s duties are split. As a mother she wants to find her daughter more than anything, but as Commander she knows that if they don’t stop Tullen from getting his revenge and killing the god-bear Anshuka then no one will ever be safe, including Marta. It’s a race against time as the group splits to accomplish the impossible; stop the man who cannot be killed.
Once again, Green has served up a thrilling no-holds barred fight for survival. After the events of the previous book it was clear going into The Gauntlet and the Broken Chain that anything could happen, and from the start of this trilogy Green made it quite clear that there will be casualties. Despite the obvious dire circumstances, there is a lot more happening than just the final battle. As seen in the previous book, the chains that were holding Tullen captive were tied deeply with the entire world and when they broke they had repercussions felt deeply. In the main story and in interludes Green explores these repercussions, while also exploring theological concepts about belief and gods.
The final battle was well written and, as I’ve come to expect from Green’s writing over the course of The Rotstorm trilogy, original while still grounded in epic fantasy conventions. The Gauntlet and the Broken Chain is an epic conclusion to a trilogy that is a must-read for fantasy fans, especially those who like their fantasy dark and unique.
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