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scottsofbohemia's review
5.0
Brilliant. Brings the world to a perfect, harrowing climax and leaves the reader wondering how there can be a fourth. The emotional complexity of human relationships is perfectly splayed over a high fantasy epic plot.
archergal's review against another edition
5.0
This series just keeps getting better.
The Galts have found a way to get rid of the andat, the god-like creatures that are basically incarnated ideas. And they've decided to destroy the poets, their school, their books, and even the cities of the Khaiate so they can never embody andat again. And there's a good chance they'll succeed.
Pitched against this army are Otah, the leader of the city of Machi, the poets Maati and Cehmai, and Otah's family and friends. They have no real army. The poets are months or years away from embodying another andat. The situation looks hopeless.
I was really anxious through the last quarter of this book! I was worried about what would happen with these characters we've known through three books. And then when I thought I had a feel for where the story was going, Daniel Abraham surprised me. I won't spoil anything here. It's too good.
This one's going to be hard to top. But it'll be interesting to see where the story goes.
I was already a big fan of Daniel Abraham. This just solidifies my regard for him as a writer. Well done, sir.
The Galts have found a way to get rid of the andat, the god-like creatures that are basically incarnated ideas. And they've decided to destroy the poets, their school, their books, and even the cities of the Khaiate so they can never embody andat again. And there's a good chance they'll succeed.
Pitched against this army are Otah, the leader of the city of Machi, the poets Maati and Cehmai, and Otah's family and friends. They have no real army. The poets are months or years away from embodying another andat. The situation looks hopeless.
I was really anxious through the last quarter of this book! I was worried about what would happen with these characters we've known through three books. And then when I thought I had a feel for where the story was going, Daniel Abraham surprised me. I won't spoil anything here. It's too good.
This one's going to be hard to top. But it'll be interesting to see where the story goes.
I was already a big fan of Daniel Abraham. This just solidifies my regard for him as a writer. Well done, sir.
wjsanger's review against another edition
5.0
History was full of men who thought themselves to be the one great soul whom power would not corrupt
This book wrecked me. It’s so tragic in the most realistic way and I cannot give it enough praise. Daniel Abraham writes such beautifully realistic and tragic characters. This entire series is about the choices and exponentially large ramifications that even the smallest ones can make. I love this series and I love Abraham’s ability to right these quietly explosive plots. It’s so good. There are moments in this book that are seared into my brain permanently.
This book wrecked me. It’s so tragic in the most realistic way and I cannot give it enough praise. Daniel Abraham writes such beautifully realistic and tragic characters. This entire series is about the choices and exponentially large ramifications that even the smallest ones can make. I love this series and I love Abraham’s ability to right these quietly explosive plots. It’s so good. There are moments in this book that are seared into my brain permanently.
saraubs's review
5.0
My favourite of the series so far. Abraham is a masterful character writer and it's so satisfying to see small moments from the first book reverberate through the narrative. I'll save my in-depth thoughts for our upcoming discussion, but this series just gets better with each instalment.
hanienr's review
4.0
This is such a good series. Why isn't it a bigger deal? I knew when I read the first book this series would turn into a favorite of mine but I didn't realize the degree to which it which pull me in.
This book continues the story of Otah, Maati and the rest and it focuses on the conflict between the Khaiem and the Galts. This conflict that has been built up, both in the background and in the forefront for the entire series finally comes to its climax. And what a climax it was. As opposed to the previous books in the series, this one has a lot more action in it which makes sense with the war on. I've always felt a little ambivalent to action, it isn't necessarily what draws me to a story, but I thought this book had an appropriate amount without overdoing it.
My favorite part of this series is the politics, the conflicts and how the characters react and act to the things that happen in the world. The character work isn't necessarily the best I've ever seen but they make sense, the act consistently and they're distinct. They're just also a little meh. Nothing special.
This book continues the story of Otah, Maati and the rest and it focuses on the conflict between the Khaiem and the Galts. This conflict that has been built up, both in the background and in the forefront for the entire series finally comes to its climax. And what a climax it was. As opposed to the previous books in the series, this one has a lot more action in it which makes sense with the war on. I've always felt a little ambivalent to action, it isn't necessarily what draws me to a story, but I thought this book had an appropriate amount without overdoing it.
My favorite part of this series is the politics, the conflicts and how the characters react and act to the things that happen in the world. The character work isn't necessarily the best I've ever seen but they make sense, the act consistently and they're distinct. They're just also a little meh. Nothing special.
elros451's review
4.0
I like this one a little bit less than I expected to. The characters somehow feel even more complex then they were in book 2 but the plot this time around felt too linear. A character laid out a plan in the first couple chapters and then there was almost no deviation from it except at the very end.
esb234346's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
antonism's review
3.0
3.5 / 5
An Autumn War is the third part of the Long Price quartet by Daniel Abraham and it continues very much like the firs two books. If you loved the first two, you will like this one as well. If you didn't, well... this one won't change your opinion. To be honest, the rating/score for this one doesn't exactly reflect my opinion of it. You see, I'm of two minds about this one, not the least because this book has two different halves.
I found the first half of the book marginally bearable. I was bored out of my mind and I was forced to do something I almost never ever do... skim paragraphs! During the first half I almost quit on this book. It was all about interpersonal and personal problems. This level of magnification, detail and depth would be probably alright if we cared and loved a specific character, but do this for a bunch of them (too many) which the readers can hardly identify with and you get frustrated readers. Also, and I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling this way, this is not what I'm looking for when picking up a fantasy book. For me, the first half was a 2 out of 5 and that's purely for Abraham's incredible prose.
The second half is a different beast though; more magnificent, interesting and captivating. Things start happening, things that make most readers care and wonder. The pace picks up from the stagnancy it showed earlier and the plot cog-wheels move the whole story. In this part, as a reader I cared and kept wanting to turn pages and read one more chapter. It was not perfect, as Abraham's occasionally fell into his own-made traps of over-verbosity and character introspection as well as some weaker justifications for some actions, but on the whole it was a huge improvement in most respects. The ending was a bit incredulous but this is something I can excuse in fantasy novels. This part for me was a 4 out of 5.
So to conclude, readers who loved the first two books should continue with this one, especially if they care so much about the characters and the world and want to finish the 4-book series. As for those who didn't like the first book much or felt as if they got enough story closure at the end of the second book, well I suppose they won't miss a great deal by skipping this one. Recommended with reservations.
3.5 / 5
An Autumn War is the third part of the Long Price quartet by Daniel Abraham and it continues very much like the firs two books. If you loved the first two, you will like this one as well. If you didn't, well... this one won't change your opinion. To be honest, the rating/score for this one doesn't exactly reflect my opinion of it. You see, I'm of two minds about this one, not the least because this book has two different halves.
I found the first half of the book marginally bearable. I was bored out of my mind and I was forced to do something I almost never ever do... skim paragraphs! During the first half I almost quit on this book. It was all about interpersonal and personal problems. This level of magnification, detail and depth would be probably alright if we cared and loved a specific character, but do this for a bunch of them (too many) which the readers can hardly identify with and you get frustrated readers. Also, and I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling this way, this is not what I'm looking for when picking up a fantasy book. For me, the first half was a 2 out of 5 and that's purely for Abraham's incredible prose.
The second half is a different beast though; more magnificent, interesting and captivating. Things start happening, things that make most readers care and wonder. The pace picks up from the stagnancy it showed earlier and the plot cog-wheels move the whole story. In this part, as a reader I cared and kept wanting to turn pages and read one more chapter. It was not perfect, as Abraham's occasionally fell into his own-made traps of over-verbosity and character introspection as well as some weaker justifications for some actions, but on the whole it was a huge improvement in most respects. The ending was a bit incredulous but this is something I can excuse in fantasy novels. This part for me was a 4 out of 5.
So to conclude, readers who loved the first two books should continue with this one, especially if they care so much about the characters and the world and want to finish the 4-book series. As for those who didn't like the first book much or felt as if they got enough story closure at the end of the second book, well I suppose they won't miss a great deal by skipping this one. Recommended with reservations.
3.5 / 5
coffee_and_wool's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25