Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
tense
slow-paced
As I was reading the story, it felt as if the city of Kithamar never saw or felt the sun's light and warmth. It is a dark story. Is it about magic? Not certain, maybe. The city is one of the protagonists that's for sure. There's one instance where I learned a tiny bit about what lies behind its walls but it was but a few pages. Ninety percent of the plot develops inside Kithamar. There is a secret Brotherhood, a blade, someone impersonating the king and a cast of characters that I couldn't help but care about because their lives are so hard and hopeless all the time and yet they managed to move on, fight for another day for crumbs and the chance to keep on breathing.
I am glad Alys found her path, albeit a hard one but one that might redeem her. I feel like I should apologise to Linly, Alys's mother, for all the ill I wished on her. "Judge not" it is said and I had to eat humble pie. As for Andomaka? Where the heck is she? Will Sammish and Saffa return to Kithamar. And what of throne, who will end up on it?
I'm intrigued and waiting patiently for the next book.
I am glad Alys found her path, albeit a hard one but one that might redeem her. I feel like I should apologise to Linly, Alys's mother, for all the ill I wished on her. "Judge not" it is said and I had to eat humble pie. As for Andomaka? Where the heck is she? Will Sammish and Saffa return to Kithamar. And what of throne, who will end up on it?
I'm intrigued and waiting patiently for the next book.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-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:
Yes
Great characters, everyone's motivations seemed to make sense and you get a way through the book before figuring out the protagonist/antagonist.
Even then, it's never black and white for most.
My first fantasy book in a while after being kind of burnt out on them.
Even then, it's never black and white for most.
My first fantasy book in a while after being kind of burnt out on them.
4.5 stars.
Really a slow burn to this that I'm sure will be off-putting for some but for some reason I was always in it. Not quite unputtdownable but I kept wanting to pick it back up. I hear the slow burn is an Abraham staple and I do love a long con.
Really a slow burn to this that I'm sure will be off-putting for some but for some reason I was always in it. Not quite unputtdownable but I kept wanting to pick it back up. I hear the slow burn is an Abraham staple and I do love a long con.
Daniel Abraham is probably best known at the moment as one half of sci-fi writing duo James SA Corey (The Expanse). But he did have a writing career long before that on the fantasy side of the speculative fiction ledger. In Age of Ash, first of a promised Kithamar trilogy, Abraham returns to a medieval fantasy setting.
Alys and Sammish are street rats, making their living as part of a pickpocketing crew. But when Aly’s big brother Darro is killed, the two are thrown in to a larger, more dangerous world of city politics and destiny. Alys is determined to follow in her brother’s footsteps and becomes involved with a member of the city nobility who is trying to “restore balance” to the city after the death of the previous prince, a task which becomes both stranger and more clear as the plot progresses. Sammish, devoted to Alys, starts out trying to help her but as Alys pulls away she finds herself on her own, contrary path.
Alys and Sammish are the heart of the book and both go on significant character journeys – Alys discovering what she is and is not capable of in going down her brother’s rabbit hole and Sammish finding her own power and agency. There is no really clear “good” or “bad” here as the two go down different paths but it is always clear that Alys and Sammish are pawns to larger agendas that they do not completely understand and cannot see the edges of. And while they help push various wider plot threads forward it is hard not to think that events would have turned out similarly (possibly with some slight deviations and maybe less destruction) if they had not been involved.
The real star of Age of Ash, though is the city of Kithamar. Abraham understand the city from its highest residences to its lowest hovels, the various suburbs, the racial makeup, and a long, rich history. There is the requisite map at the front of the book but the roads and bridges and byways are so well described throughout that there is little need to refer to it. And while the wider world is alluded to, the action and focus remains on the city, and is likely to for the next two volumes.
Abraham dedicates this book to “the storytellers” and it is clear from Age of Ash that he knows how to spin a great yarn. But this is fairly standard medieval fantasy with more than a hint of magic (or at least sprituality) and does not provide anything new that might entice readers who eschew the tropes of this sub-genre. For the rest though, there is plenty to enjoy and some intriguing threads left hanging for the rest of the series.
Alys and Sammish are street rats, making their living as part of a pickpocketing crew. But when Aly’s big brother Darro is killed, the two are thrown in to a larger, more dangerous world of city politics and destiny. Alys is determined to follow in her brother’s footsteps and becomes involved with a member of the city nobility who is trying to “restore balance” to the city after the death of the previous prince, a task which becomes both stranger and more clear as the plot progresses. Sammish, devoted to Alys, starts out trying to help her but as Alys pulls away she finds herself on her own, contrary path.
Alys and Sammish are the heart of the book and both go on significant character journeys – Alys discovering what she is and is not capable of in going down her brother’s rabbit hole and Sammish finding her own power and agency. There is no really clear “good” or “bad” here as the two go down different paths but it is always clear that Alys and Sammish are pawns to larger agendas that they do not completely understand and cannot see the edges of. And while they help push various wider plot threads forward it is hard not to think that events would have turned out similarly (possibly with some slight deviations and maybe less destruction) if they had not been involved.
The real star of Age of Ash, though is the city of Kithamar. Abraham understand the city from its highest residences to its lowest hovels, the various suburbs, the racial makeup, and a long, rich history. There is the requisite map at the front of the book but the roads and bridges and byways are so well described throughout that there is little need to refer to it. And while the wider world is alluded to, the action and focus remains on the city, and is likely to for the next two volumes.
Abraham dedicates this book to “the storytellers” and it is clear from Age of Ash that he knows how to spin a great yarn. But this is fairly standard medieval fantasy with more than a hint of magic (or at least sprituality) and does not provide anything new that might entice readers who eschew the tropes of this sub-genre. For the rest though, there is plenty to enjoy and some intriguing threads left hanging for the rest of the series.
You can see the world building here, but the overall product is a disappointment in the end. I wasn't expecting Expanse level storytelling, as that was not all Abraham, but this first book in a trilogy just didn't work. Characters are all one's that you've seen before and the "twist" (if you call it that) isn't super interesting. Here's hoping that the series can pull off an Empire and rise up in the second book.
Book • Review
Age of Ash
Daniel Abraham
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Age of Ash is the first book in a new trilogy by Daniel Abraham, most well-known as a coauthor of the Expanse series, but also as the solo author of numerous other fantasy series. This was my first Abraham book, and while I am impressed by his prose and sense of setting, I ultimately felt that this book left little impact.
Let’s talk the strengths of this book, first. The setting, Kithamar, is quite vivid and tangible, and that is a satisfying experience to read, even in the more grimy of backdrops. Abraham’s prose brings to life the surroundings, and immerses the reader in the location of each scene. I also found the magic system in this to be somewhat interesting, and would like to learn more about it in the future books.
The rest isn’t bad, as much as it is not very impactful. The characters, the plot, the conclusion. It just didn’t stand out, to me, very much at all. The story very much stuck to the formula, which made some aspects that were intended to be twists far too easy to predict. The characters were all pretty straightforward, though I will say the mother/daughter relationship in this book is a complicated and emotional one, that I very much appreciate. Unfortunately, I feel like I probably won’t remember much of the rest of this book a month from now, because it really just failed to leave a mark on me.
I have been assured that Abraham’s pay offs are well worth it, so I do plan on continuing in this series. But, I honestly feel very little about this book- positive or negative. Here is hoping the next Abraham book I pick up becomes a favorite!
Thank you to Orbit books for the gifted copy of this book.
_______________
Age of Ash
Daniel Abraham
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Age of Ash is the first book in a new trilogy by Daniel Abraham, most well-known as a coauthor of the Expanse series, but also as the solo author of numerous other fantasy series. This was my first Abraham book, and while I am impressed by his prose and sense of setting, I ultimately felt that this book left little impact.
Let’s talk the strengths of this book, first. The setting, Kithamar, is quite vivid and tangible, and that is a satisfying experience to read, even in the more grimy of backdrops. Abraham’s prose brings to life the surroundings, and immerses the reader in the location of each scene. I also found the magic system in this to be somewhat interesting, and would like to learn more about it in the future books.
The rest isn’t bad, as much as it is not very impactful. The characters, the plot, the conclusion. It just didn’t stand out, to me, very much at all. The story very much stuck to the formula, which made some aspects that were intended to be twists far too easy to predict. The characters were all pretty straightforward, though I will say the mother/daughter relationship in this book is a complicated and emotional one, that I very much appreciate. Unfortunately, I feel like I probably won’t remember much of the rest of this book a month from now, because it really just failed to leave a mark on me.
I have been assured that Abraham’s pay offs are well worth it, so I do plan on continuing in this series. But, I honestly feel very little about this book- positive or negative. Here is hoping the next Abraham book I pick up becomes a favorite!
Thank you to Orbit books for the gifted copy of this book.
_______________