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lezreadalot's review against another edition
2.0
Eh. Not a bad book but there was nothing particularly good about it. Typical fantasy fare in a bunch of ways, but peppered with a bunch of stuff that I'm not too fond of. A dude who's SO much older than his love interest? Eck. Political intrigue and whatever? Meh. Weaponised male rage? Groundbreaking. And added to that, I was never invested in or even interested in the world that he built. It felt colourless.
I would have probably liked this more if I hadn't listened to the audiobook... but I did buy it, so I did listen to it. I was not fond of this dude's voice at ALL. So bland and annoying all at once. I'm so glad that 'Antach' is a made up word; at least I'll never have to hear it ever again in my life.
I did like Marelle, thought she was a neat character. Radan had the makings of a good antagonist, though I don't feel like we got to know enough about him. But Cete. Ugh. I actually liked the fact that he was an older guy, because you don't get too many of those in fantasy/adventure novels, but otherwise he was the most boring unappealing character in the world and I'm glad to say goodbye to him.
I would have probably liked this more if I hadn't listened to the audiobook... but I did buy it, so I did listen to it. I was not fond of this dude's voice at ALL. So bland and annoying all at once. I'm so glad that 'Antach' is a made up word; at least I'll never have to hear it ever again in my life.
I did like Marelle, thought she was a neat character. Radan had the makings of a good antagonist, though I don't feel like we got to know enough about him. But Cete. Ugh. I actually liked the fact that he was an older guy, because you don't get too many of those in fantasy/adventure novels, but otherwise he was the most boring unappealing character in the world and I'm glad to say goodbye to him.
reasonpassion's review against another edition
4.0
For a novella, this packs a strong punch. A centered and principled hero without your standard supports and who's value is found in the relationships that living a good life will bring.
jaymeks's review
3.0
I don't really know where to start with this review. While I enjoyed some of the elements of the book, the story really fell short, which I think is an inherent trait with novellas like this. Quite frankly, being short hurt this story. I enjoyed the characterization and the growth of the characters given the dire situation, but I wanted more. More world building; better chances for characters to come into their own.
There were a few scenes where something just happened, where the author told me what was happening instead of showing me. I didn't like that, especially in the latter end of the book. I felt the ending was rushed to stay at a certain length.
There just wasn't enough for me to be satisfied. I truly believe that if this was a novel length story, it would have been so much better and I would have liked it more. However, I do appreciate what Tor.com has been doing by pushing these books. I think it's a fascinating expansion of their offerings and hope they continue to publish non-conventional stories like this.
There were a few scenes where something just happened, where the author told me what was happening instead of showing me. I didn't like that, especially in the latter end of the book. I felt the ending was rushed to stay at a certain length.
There just wasn't enough for me to be satisfied. I truly believe that if this was a novel length story, it would have been so much better and I would have liked it more. However, I do appreciate what Tor.com has been doing by pushing these books. I think it's a fascinating expansion of their offerings and hope they continue to publish non-conventional stories like this.
wzwy's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
misterwisp's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is a clever book about standing your ground in the face of political manoeuvring by rich and powerful people who see you as nothing more than a pawn. It comes across as thoughtful and the characters are well written. The world feels surprisingly thorough and complete considering the length of the book. It's straightforward, easy to follow, and fast paced. The ending wrapped things up in a compelling way that left room for more to come without actually requiring more to complete the story. It's really great and worth the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Physical abuse and Violence
Minor: Classism, Sexual content, and Blood
joaoeira's review
5.0
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AT FANTASY LITERATURE
One of the discoveries I made this year about my reading preferences was that I really enjoy shorter reads. It may have been because the behemoth volumes typical of fantasy series made me sceptical that you could, gasp, actually tell a good story that would leave me satisfied in fewer pages, but I am glad now that I am actively looking for stories that I would have otherwise neglected to take into consideration. Alter S. Reiss’ Sunset Mantle is one of those stories which I would have missed were I to only read doorstoppers, and it reinforces my love for shorter works because Sunset Mantle is a fantastic book.
Cete is a veteran with decades of experience in the art of warmaking. Pragmatic and honest to a fault, he was exiled from his home for having slain his leader after he was taken by the madding, a sort of war lust that clouds one’s judgment and turns people into blood-seeking berserkers. Cete holds no grudges against those who exiled him, for he is smart enough to know that it was what had to be done by those in charge, but he is left now with the charge of having to procure a contract into a fighting company without any of the safeguards of belonging to a clan. He is utterly alone when he arrives at Reach Antach, and he soon learns, after attending a religious service, that Reach Antach is doomed.
The Antach of the Antach, one of the leaders of Reach Antach and the head of the Antach clan, has a remarkable resemblance to the leader of the White Horn tribe, and when Cete realizes that this most likely means they are brothers, he knows the city clans will not abide having one of the Reaches forming an alliance with the tribes. Cete decides then to abandon Reach Antach, but when he discovers a gorgeous mantle of exquisite craftsmanship in the shop of a blind lady, he decides to stay so that the woman Marelle might finish his own commission for a new, beautiful mantle.
Cete is without a doubt one of the strongest things about Sunset Mantle. Very observant of his surroundings and fiercely intelligent, he is the type of character that would behave similarly were he dealing with a soldier or with the leader of a nation. He is loyal to those he commands and doesn’t believe that their lives are interchangeable and fit to be thrown into suicide missions for meagre gains, and his honour may sometimes cost him dearly; for Cete, such is the price of living a life truly worthwhile. He finds in Marelle a partner not unlike himself, and in their union will come to rest the very future of Reach Antach.
Much of the marketing buzz surrounding Sunset Mantle bills it as a mini-epic fantasy, an epic fantasy without the hundreds of pages of expository world-building and the usual trappings of the genre that makes it so propitious for a story to be told in multiple volumes, but for my money Sunset Mantle is more sword and sorcery than epic fantasy. An argument could be made successfully about the line between the two genres being sufficiently blurred for the distinction to be pedantic, but I do think that it reads more like a sword and sorcery story than an epic fantasy one. A more accurate way to describe it would be to call it a sword and sorcery story embedded in an epic fantasy tapestry. This is, of course, not a critique but an observation, for if you haven’t realized by now, I really enjoyed Sunset Mantle.
It was also refreshing to find that the romantic relationship between Cete and Marelle was a mature one, where each saw the other as a full person and knew themselves to be whole. They love each other, go to each other looking for guidance about what ails them, but if one contradicts the other about some issue the other doesn’t raise hell on earth about some perceived malfeasance against their “loved one”. In a way it’s a rational relationship, which isn’t a word usually associated with romantic love but which I find to be the best compliment I can give about the way Reiss handles their relationship.
Were there betting markets on which new authors will become big in the field, and were I a betting man, I would put my money on Alter S. Reiss. There’s something commendable about managing to tell so good and thoughtful a story in what amounts to a novella, and though at times I thought it was too easy for Cete to reach certain conclusions with so little information available to him, his grizzly, worn-down, but honourable and honest behaviour made him a character one could look up to and try to be like, in mind-set if not in action (unfortunately my sword technique is a little rusty and I never really did like blood). I wholeheartedly recommend you pick up Sunset Mantle, and I hope to read more in the future from Alter S. Reiss.
One of the discoveries I made this year about my reading preferences was that I really enjoy shorter reads. It may have been because the behemoth volumes typical of fantasy series made me sceptical that you could, gasp, actually tell a good story that would leave me satisfied in fewer pages, but I am glad now that I am actively looking for stories that I would have otherwise neglected to take into consideration. Alter S. Reiss’ Sunset Mantle is one of those stories which I would have missed were I to only read doorstoppers, and it reinforces my love for shorter works because Sunset Mantle is a fantastic book.
Cete is a veteran with decades of experience in the art of warmaking. Pragmatic and honest to a fault, he was exiled from his home for having slain his leader after he was taken by the madding, a sort of war lust that clouds one’s judgment and turns people into blood-seeking berserkers. Cete holds no grudges against those who exiled him, for he is smart enough to know that it was what had to be done by those in charge, but he is left now with the charge of having to procure a contract into a fighting company without any of the safeguards of belonging to a clan. He is utterly alone when he arrives at Reach Antach, and he soon learns, after attending a religious service, that Reach Antach is doomed.
The Antach of the Antach, one of the leaders of Reach Antach and the head of the Antach clan, has a remarkable resemblance to the leader of the White Horn tribe, and when Cete realizes that this most likely means they are brothers, he knows the city clans will not abide having one of the Reaches forming an alliance with the tribes. Cete decides then to abandon Reach Antach, but when he discovers a gorgeous mantle of exquisite craftsmanship in the shop of a blind lady, he decides to stay so that the woman Marelle might finish his own commission for a new, beautiful mantle.
Cete is without a doubt one of the strongest things about Sunset Mantle. Very observant of his surroundings and fiercely intelligent, he is the type of character that would behave similarly were he dealing with a soldier or with the leader of a nation. He is loyal to those he commands and doesn’t believe that their lives are interchangeable and fit to be thrown into suicide missions for meagre gains, and his honour may sometimes cost him dearly; for Cete, such is the price of living a life truly worthwhile. He finds in Marelle a partner not unlike himself, and in their union will come to rest the very future of Reach Antach.
Much of the marketing buzz surrounding Sunset Mantle bills it as a mini-epic fantasy, an epic fantasy without the hundreds of pages of expository world-building and the usual trappings of the genre that makes it so propitious for a story to be told in multiple volumes, but for my money Sunset Mantle is more sword and sorcery than epic fantasy. An argument could be made successfully about the line between the two genres being sufficiently blurred for the distinction to be pedantic, but I do think that it reads more like a sword and sorcery story than an epic fantasy one. A more accurate way to describe it would be to call it a sword and sorcery story embedded in an epic fantasy tapestry. This is, of course, not a critique but an observation, for if you haven’t realized by now, I really enjoyed Sunset Mantle.
It was also refreshing to find that the romantic relationship between Cete and Marelle was a mature one, where each saw the other as a full person and knew themselves to be whole. They love each other, go to each other looking for guidance about what ails them, but if one contradicts the other about some issue the other doesn’t raise hell on earth about some perceived malfeasance against their “loved one”. In a way it’s a rational relationship, which isn’t a word usually associated with romantic love but which I find to be the best compliment I can give about the way Reiss handles their relationship.
Were there betting markets on which new authors will become big in the field, and were I a betting man, I would put my money on Alter S. Reiss. There’s something commendable about managing to tell so good and thoughtful a story in what amounts to a novella, and though at times I thought it was too easy for Cete to reach certain conclusions with so little information available to him, his grizzly, worn-down, but honourable and honest behaviour made him a character one could look up to and try to be like, in mind-set if not in action (unfortunately my sword technique is a little rusty and I never really did like blood). I wholeheartedly recommend you pick up Sunset Mantle, and I hope to read more in the future from Alter S. Reiss.
angrywombat's review against another edition
4.0
I was REALLY impressed by this little story. It packs more into these few hundred pages than most fantasy tomes manage in a whole trilogy of bricks.
Cete is our PoV - a disgraced, over the hill soldier looking for work - and just when he was about to leave a city on the brink of trouble he meets a blind weaver and her beautiful handiwork... and decides to stay. Then he gets drawn into political machinations which are threatening his new-found home.
I loved this story as it was all personal - everything was about the stakes as they effected Cete or the people he cared about, even though there is a whole world of politics, treason, strange lore and other things going on just beyond sight :) The way it was written made me feel it was something almost "old testament": the religion and its obsession with laws and contracts. Also the setup with walled cities and the fields of barley and olives... I was picturing something almost babylonian! The relationship between Cete and Marelle (the blind weaver) was beautiful and free of drama - trust and mutual empathy is the basis of this relationship, and it shows.
I heartily recommend this - even if you dont like it so much it will be over and done with in a couple of days :) But I think you'll be pleasantly surprised :)
I gotta give this a 4/5. I would actually have been happier if this were a "full sized epic", as it did feel very rushed at times - there is a LOT packed into this tiny book.
Cete is our PoV - a disgraced, over the hill soldier looking for work - and just when he was about to leave a city on the brink of trouble he meets a blind weaver and her beautiful handiwork... and decides to stay. Then he gets drawn into political machinations which are threatening his new-found home.
I loved this story as it was all personal - everything was about the stakes as they effected Cete or the people he cared about, even though there is a whole world of politics, treason, strange lore and other things going on just beyond sight :) The way it was written made me feel it was something almost "old testament": the religion and its obsession with laws and contracts. Also the setup with walled cities and the fields of barley and olives... I was picturing something almost babylonian! The relationship between Cete and Marelle (the blind weaver) was beautiful and free of drama - trust and mutual empathy is the basis of this relationship, and it shows.
I heartily recommend this - even if you dont like it so much it will be over and done with in a couple of days :) But I think you'll be pleasantly surprised :)
I gotta give this a 4/5. I would actually have been happier if this were a "full sized epic", as it did feel very rushed at times - there is a LOT packed into this tiny book.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
On a character level, I found this really compelling. Cete and Marelle are, both individually and together, complex characters. Everything and everyone else is secondary to them, and really, the entire thing is ultimately a character piece about Cete. The plot itself, the action and the politics, is bit of a slog, though, and the world itself is a fairly traditional military fantasy environment.
leticiatoraci's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written epic fantasy novella with themes such as love, honor, loyalty, heroism, that make it transcendent and relatable to human experience at the same time. One of my favorites in the [b:Tor.com Collection: Season 1|30423606|Tor.com Collection Season 1|Tor Books|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478803299l/30423606._SX50_.jpg|50949723] so far.
The Audiobook narrator also fitted extremely well for this particular story.
The Audiobook narrator also fitted extremely well for this particular story.
mpscrimshaw's review against another edition
3.0
So refreshing to read a fantasy story that was so bite-sized. Of course it was a little difficult to get a feel for the world in great detail, but what you need to know is always mostly clear and the characters, despite having very little actual progression, are well fleshed-out and feel "real."