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katmarhan's review against another edition
4.0
9/10
Multi-layered plot, complex characters, fascinating world, and well-researched details that make the story ring true. Looking forward to more!
Multi-layered plot, complex characters, fascinating world, and well-researched details that make the story ring true. Looking forward to more!
angrywombat's review
4.0
Once again - a fantastic book by Mr Cameron.
This one picks up pretty much straight after the events in The Red Knight, But now the company is off to Livianopolis (which is pretty much Byzantium) to rescue the Emperor and save the Empire.
This possibly suffers for being the middle book - you dont get the easy setup of the first, and there are too many open threads to have a fully satisfying ending, but wow, what a trip!
There are two main threads going on in this book, The Red Knight and his company in the east, and the various inhabitants of the Wild in the north west. Both have hints that there is something deeper going on (and the Dragon-guy from the first book plays a role as well) but the two storylines dont really intersect in any satisfying manner.
But despite those little annoyances, this is a fantastic book. The writing just flows and made it very easy for me to read. I received a deep abiding hatred of the Gallish Knights and their treatment of the Albans (especially towards the Queen and her ladies). I fell further in love with the company and its ruffian members. I grew more interested in the Irks and their culture (Tapio is an awesome new character).
Most importantly, I cant wait to learn what happens next!
This one picks up pretty much straight after the events in The Red Knight, But now the company is off to Livianopolis (which is pretty much Byzantium) to rescue the Emperor and save the Empire.
This possibly suffers for being the middle book - you dont get the easy setup of the first, and there are too many open threads to have a fully satisfying ending, but wow, what a trip!
There are two main threads going on in this book, The Red Knight and his company in the east, and the various inhabitants of the Wild in the north west. Both have hints that there is something deeper going on (and the Dragon-guy from the first book plays a role as well) but the two storylines dont really intersect in any satisfying manner.
But despite those little annoyances, this is a fantastic book. The writing just flows and made it very easy for me to read. I received a deep abiding hatred of the Gallish Knights and their treatment of the Albans (especially towards the Queen and her ladies). I fell further in love with the company and its ruffian members. I grew more interested in the Irks and their culture (Tapio is an awesome new character).
Most importantly, I cant wait to learn what happens next!
vaderbird's review against another edition
4.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
shreyasdeshpande1992's review against another edition
4.0
I’m not sure why Cameron hasn’t received more acclaim. He writes a super good book. The Fell Sword is an excellent follow-up to The Red Knight.
Some things I liked about this book. The battle/action sequences are really well written. There is quite a bit of political intrigue in this book. The characters do what they think is right from where they stand. The overall plot for the entire series begins to take shape. Also a few plot twists that I look forward to seeing how they shake-out and affect the story.
This book does suffer a bit from being second in the series. I felt like this book spends a good bit of time setting up the future books. While this is not a bad thing and is necessary it did slow the story down a bit. I understand that the author needs to put the characters and plot pieces into place for the next book/books.
Again, Cameron tells a great story and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
Ratings:- 4.5 stars
Some things I liked about this book. The battle/action sequences are really well written. There is quite a bit of political intrigue in this book. The characters do what they think is right from where they stand. The overall plot for the entire series begins to take shape. Also a few plot twists that I look forward to seeing how they shake-out and affect the story.
This book does suffer a bit from being second in the series. I felt like this book spends a good bit of time setting up the future books. While this is not a bad thing and is necessary it did slow the story down a bit. I understand that the author needs to put the characters and plot pieces into place for the next book/books.
Again, Cameron tells a great story and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
Ratings:- 4.5 stars
sina_tavousi's review against another edition
5.0
The Fell Sword by Miles Cameron (The Traitor Son Cycle Book 2):
I love reading Miles Cameron's books. Even though he writes fantasy, he's also extremely authentic. In terms of being realistic about medieval warfare, he's done an exquisite job.
Once again we are transported to an alternate earth where magic and wild things are the butter and bread. We follow the awesome adventures of the mercenary company under the Red Knight, now on a quest to rescue an idiot of an emperor from wicked (or are they?) conspirators.
I admire how Mr. Cameron managed to tell a massively satisfying story, expand his world ten-fold and introduce many intriguing concepts and ideas to be explored later.
This is the kinda fantasy that has Tolkien doing cartwheels in the grave. Our "heroes" are godless brutes, war is a nightmare of gore and glory is dead. The world isn't saved by light, it's done by ruthlessness, diabolical genius and just enough empathy.
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
World-building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love reading Miles Cameron's books. Even though he writes fantasy, he's also extremely authentic. In terms of being realistic about medieval warfare, he's done an exquisite job.
Once again we are transported to an alternate earth where magic and wild things are the butter and bread. We follow the awesome adventures of the mercenary company under the Red Knight, now on a quest to rescue an idiot of an emperor from wicked (or are they?) conspirators.
I admire how Mr. Cameron managed to tell a massively satisfying story, expand his world ten-fold and introduce many intriguing concepts and ideas to be explored later.
This is the kinda fantasy that has Tolkien doing cartwheels in the grave. Our "heroes" are godless brutes, war is a nightmare of gore and glory is dead. The world isn't saved by light, it's done by ruthlessness, diabolical genius and just enough empathy.
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
World-building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
woahno's review against another edition
4.0
It has taken me about two years but I have finally got back to this series. I remembered the Red Knight and his crew so well that when the book didn't start out with them it threw me off. That was really the crux of my reading experience, unfortunately. Maybe one day I will finally be able to go into a book without expectations but it was not this day.
The first book had more POVs than perhaps any book one of a series I have read so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when this installment brought a bunch with it as well. But I was more than disappointed when so much time was spent without the characters that I liked from the first book. I wanted more of them in this book and I wanted more from the plot threads at the end of book one as well. The Fell Sword instead opened up with a restart of sorts. There is an expansion on the magic system and exposition on some of the more basic elements of that system. Then there is a new conflict to set up. In the first one hundred pages or so there are about 15 pages of the Red Knight and his mercenary company. Add to that a few pages from Thorn and the Wild in general taking a back seat for this novel and I was left baffled and struggling to become invested. Once it got going though it was great. It even ended with more exciting promise for the series as well. However, this novel felt more like a lateral move to me than a step forward in the story. Ultimately that made this book a lot less enjoyable than its predecessor.
The first book had more POVs than perhaps any book one of a series I have read so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when this installment brought a bunch with it as well. But I was more than disappointed when so much time was spent without the characters that I liked from the first book. I wanted more of them in this book and I wanted more from the plot threads at the end of book one as well. The Fell Sword instead opened up with a restart of sorts. There is an expansion on the magic system and exposition on some of the more basic elements of that system. Then there is a new conflict to set up. In the first one hundred pages or so there are about 15 pages of the Red Knight and his mercenary company. Add to that a few pages from Thorn and the Wild in general taking a back seat for this novel and I was left baffled and struggling to become invested. Once it got going though it was great. It even ended with more exciting promise for the series as well. However, this novel felt more like a lateral move to me than a step forward in the story. Ultimately that made this book a lot less enjoyable than its predecessor.
jimboule's review against another edition
5.0
Impossible à lacher jusqu'à la dernière page, et cela malgré les dizaines de personnages et de récits parallèles pas toujours évident à suivre.
Vite la suite !
Vite la suite !
danifeatherstone's review against another edition
3.0
I liked certain parts of this sequel but it wasn't as good as the first book. Everything feels bigger with more world and more culture. The magic is kind of explained but somehow I just got more confused. I thought the way Thorn and the dragons and the faery's were more included was cool. And the fighting also didn't fail to impress. I still really like the camaraderie of the group, as well as the way new characters just fit seamlessly in. I liked all the spys and assassins, but I wanted more of it. I also really like that this book is just as violent and graphic as the first, even though I shouldn't, and that even though there was rape and other topics, I didn't feel like it was tackled badly. However, there were large chunks where I was bored, has to put it down for a while, or simply didn't process anything I was reading. I am still looking forward to reading the next book because of the very ending of this one, and I love a tournament. There still so many loose ends to be dealt with, so it almost felt weird where it finished.
frogggirl2's review against another edition
3.0
Same strengths and weaknesses as the first books, save one: the effort to set up multiple plots for future books muddles the overall story arc. Some plotlines are less interesting than others and less important; 1200+ pages into the series and there's still one plotline that's completely irrelevant. So, an enjoyable book but not as good as the first in the series.