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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
To vyzera, ze v poslednom case citam len debuty a na starych dobrych autorov zabudam. A ciastocne je to pravda. Na druhu stranu, tato moderna fantasy aku produkuju McClellan, Lawrence, Rothfuss ci prave Staveley mi skutocne sedi. Cisarovy Cepele (mimochodom vyherca niekolkych cien o najlepsi debut v roku 2014) je dalsia kniha od uplne noveho autora, pri ktorej je tazke uverit, ze toho uz nema za sebou podstatne viac.
Vyborne napisane, svizne a ustavicne striedanie PoV pomaha tomu aby sa citatel nemohol nudit ani na chvilku. Postavy su prevazne zaujimave, aj ked (hlavne v pripade dvoch hlavnych hrdinov) trochu tupe. Miestami sa mi zdalo, ze sa dej (a hlavne niektore zaporne postavy) dostali autorovi trochu mimo kontrolu a ten musel narychlo hasit poziar vecami, ktore vobec nemali byt potrebne.
A dostavame sa teda aj k negativam, kvoli ktorym som knihe nenaparil plne hodnotenie. Jednak mi pride, ze sa v tej knihe v podstate nic nestalo. Ano, postavy sa vyvijali pomerne uspokojivo, ale celu knihu som nedokazal potlacit pocit, ze toto cele je len uvod. A to ani na konci. Dalsia vec bola ta, ze 'obrovsky zvrat' na konci knihy bol velmi klisoidny a predpokladat sa dal uz od zaciatku poslednej kapitoly.
Ale vsehovsudy som velmi spokojny a tesim sa na dalsie diely. Ako opakujem, toto je viacmenej moj oblubeny zaner fantasy, takze aj ked Cisarovy Cepele nie su uplne najlepsim zastupcom, ja si zelam len viac a viac takychto debutov.
Vyborne napisane, svizne a ustavicne striedanie PoV pomaha tomu aby sa citatel nemohol nudit ani na chvilku. Postavy su prevazne zaujimave, aj ked (hlavne v pripade dvoch hlavnych hrdinov) trochu tupe. Miestami sa mi zdalo, ze sa dej (a hlavne niektore zaporne postavy) dostali autorovi trochu mimo kontrolu a ten musel narychlo hasit poziar vecami, ktore vobec nemali byt potrebne.
A dostavame sa teda aj k negativam, kvoli ktorym som knihe nenaparil plne hodnotenie. Jednak mi pride, ze sa v tej knihe v podstate nic nestalo. Ano, postavy sa vyvijali pomerne uspokojivo, ale celu knihu som nedokazal potlacit pocit, ze toto cele je len uvod. A to ani na konci. Dalsia vec bola ta, ze 'obrovsky zvrat' na konci knihy bol velmi klisoidny a predpokladat sa dal uz od zaciatku poslednej kapitoly.
Ale vsehovsudy som velmi spokojny a tesim sa na dalsie diely. Ako opakujem, toto je viacmenej moj oblubeny zaner fantasy, takze aj ked Cisarovy Cepele nie su uplne najlepsim zastupcom, ja si zelam len viac a viac takychto debutov.
4 / 5 stars.
===
I would have given the book 3 / 5 stars for the first two thirds of the story. But the last third was considerably better.
There is nothing that really stands out in the first book of this trilogy in terms of story.
Pacing wise the book was pretty weak. It became clear at an early point that this would be setup for the other two books. As a consequence, a lot of pages (and by a lot i mean almost all the pages) are used up for exposition of two of the tree characters. The third POV will probably be fleshed out further in the subsequent books.
Characterization is solid. Do not expect any Logan Ninefingers in this book, but suffice to say that our POV's are good enough to be invested in them.
I really hope that this series takes the path of Jeff Salyards' Bloodsounders Arc. Meaning a steadily ramping up quality and satisfying payoffs. Off to the next one!
===
I would have given the book 3 / 5 stars for the first two thirds of the story. But the last third was considerably better.
There is nothing that really stands out in the first book of this trilogy in terms of story.
Pacing wise the book was pretty weak. It became clear at an early point that this would be setup for the other two books. As a consequence, a lot of pages (and by a lot i mean almost all the pages) are used up for exposition of two of the tree characters. The third POV will probably be fleshed out further in the subsequent books.
Characterization is solid. Do not expect any Logan Ninefingers in this book, but suffice to say that our POV's are good enough to be invested in them.
I really hope that this series takes the path of Jeff Salyards' Bloodsounders Arc. Meaning a steadily ramping up quality and satisfying payoffs. Off to the next one!
More like 3 1/2 stars.
Nothing terribly amazing or creative, but thoroughly enjoyable: I'll read the next one, especially as I've been lead to believe it's better. I hope it spends less time on the "studies" of the emperors sons: pottery making and learning about "the gods" felt like a lot of meaningless filler.
Easy to pick up and put down. Not brilliant prose, but not frustrating either. Just an easy, enjoyable, fun, light fantasy read.
Nothing terribly amazing or creative, but thoroughly enjoyable: I'll read the next one, especially as I've been lead to believe it's better. I hope it spends less time on the "studies" of the emperors sons: pottery making and learning about "the gods" felt like a lot of meaningless filler.
Easy to pick up and put down. Not brilliant prose, but not frustrating either. Just an easy, enjoyable, fun, light fantasy read.
2.5 stars
Book blog link: My Bookshelf Dialogues
Book synopsis:
The empire of Annur is in turmoil after the treacherous murder of Sanlitun hui Malkeenian. Next in kin and in possession of the Unhewn Throne is his son, Kaden, who, living in the monastery of Ashk'lan hidden in the edge of the world, studies under his Umial unaware of his father's demise and the imminent danger traitors to the Malkeenian line pose. In the South , Sanlitun's other son, Valyn, is preparing for the most intense and dangerous trial to mark him one of the Ketrall, the fierce defenders of the Empire. In the heart of the empire, Adare, the sister of the young princes and daughter of the diseased Emperor, is furiously seeking justice and vengeance over her father's assassination.
[b:The Emperor's Blades|17910124|The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369246817s/17910124.jpg|25095579] is a fantasy debut novel marking the first installment in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy. Since it's publication in 2014, [a:Brian Staveley|7086094|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1379804626p2/7086094.jpg] has completed his first trilogy and has also written a standalone novel taking place in the Unhewn Throne universe. His debut follows the three different perspectives of Sanlitun's children mainly focusing on the two sons' adventures. This novel has received much attention fron fantasy fans after being nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards for the categories of Fantasy and Debut Author in 2014. Due to the high praises and many recommendations over [b:The Emperor's Blades|17910124|The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369246817s/17910124.jpg|25095579] I decided to pick it up as my first book of 2017. Unfortunately, it definitely did not live up to my expectations.
Sadly, [b:The Emperor's Blades|17910124|The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369246817s/17910124.jpg|25095579] opens the curtain with one of the most intriguing and engaging prologues I have seen for a while in fantasy. Staveley promises, in just three pages, beautiful, daring prose, shocking, brutal storytelling and ruthless, powerful characters. And then he snatches it all away. There are many issues with this fantasy debut, and it is incredicly saddening to see an author with such a talent for words and vivid scene composition to lack in aspects that are vital in successfully writing a grand fantasy story. Taking apart all the minor and major components of the novel and simply facing the plot, this is a promising story. Simple - definitely not the epic fantasy read many reviewers made it out to be - but interesting. In this and other respects, this book is a mix between young adult and adult fantasy. Many say this is a fantasy story heavy in politics, other's say this is not fantasy but a mystery book. To me, [b:The Emperor's Blades|17910124|The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369246817s/17910124.jpg|25095579] had many fantastical elements (various magical creatures and animals, certain breeds of humans with some level of magical abilities) that firmly place it in the genre with the political story parts lacking in the much necessary complexity that depicts an author with attitude and swagger like George R. R. Martin.
I am usually not disturbed when women are depicted - in fantasy - as weak beings used only for breeding purposes and the sexual appetites of men. When done right, this is a wonderful small addition to world building, showing a savage, brutal society governed by lust, power and death. But Brian Staveley really managed to annoy me. Throughout the story, there is a strong, apparent need of the author to make it known that women are nothing. It is practically forced upon the reader to understand that. The author is trying way to hard to be one of those authors that show male superiority. This fact by itself would not have been that annoying, were it not for the additional urgency of the author to appeal to his female readers by showing that some women are strong and equal to men. And he fails miserably. Most of Staveley's female characters are at best uninteresting and at worse completely unstable and acting very inconsistenly with their character. I hate to compare authors here but George R. R. Martin presents both whores and women of power in his series and he does so in such a remarkable, glorious manner that Brian Staveley's attempts after reading A Game of Thrones frustrated and angered me. Horribly bad female representation in the novel.
The female personalities were not the only crudely drawn parts found here. A fantasy novel is only as good as its characters and worldbuilding (and storyline and prose etc.) and this debut lacked in both. Remarkably, we spend so much time reading from Kaden's and Valyn's perspectives but when we come out, I can't say I felt close to them at all. Not them or any other side character found on their side. It is only at the very end that Staveley's beautiful prose finds its way to some meaningful character building and development. Honestly, I do not care about any of the protagonists at this moment and I just finished the first installment in a trilogy. That's bad. The characters are so mundane and blunt, changing in character to fit with where the author wants to take his story. Overall, deeply unremarkable protagonists, side characters that feel like thin mist in the background and peculiar, trying-to-hard-to-be-tough females. Ugh.
Finally, Staveley took a risk with placing three characters in three different stationary locations acting completely separately from each other and the world. Were he a competent enough author, he could have pulled off this novel showing enough world building to give a sense of the vastness of the empire. Alas, world-building is one more element gravely lacking from the first novel. The reader is introduced to a small number of magical creatures, a small number of human "species" and a good number of Gods and Godesses. Apart from that, the world feels small, unimportant, and thus, why do we even care what happens to it?
At heart, this first novel felt very much like a YA story of two adolescent boys going through the classic fantasy trope of training to become great, a formula that usually doesn't fail as it didn't in this case. It is fun to watch boys grow and learn and go through difficulties their masters throw at them. In this respect, there is much potential to the story that I personally see as a YA fantasy novel with a decent deal of crude language and a sprinkle of blood and gore.
This was definitely not the explosive fantasy beginning I was hoping to kick off the new year, but I am eager to pick up the second book, [b:The Providence of Fire|22055280|The Providence of Fire (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #2)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405301050s/22055280.jpg|39923827], after I recover a bit from the first one. I would be skeptical to pick this up if I were a big fan of great adult fantasy works, but for YA fantasy readers this is probably a fine choice and an enjoyable introduction to more adult-ish fantasy reads.
Book blog link: My Bookshelf Dialogues
Book synopsis:
The empire of Annur is in turmoil after the treacherous murder of Sanlitun hui Malkeenian. Next in kin and in possession of the Unhewn Throne is his son, Kaden, who, living in the monastery of Ashk'lan hidden in the edge of the world, studies under his Umial unaware of his father's demise and the imminent danger traitors to the Malkeenian line pose. In the South , Sanlitun's other son, Valyn, is preparing for the most intense and dangerous trial to mark him one of the Ketrall, the fierce defenders of the Empire. In the heart of the empire, Adare, the sister of the young princes and daughter of the diseased Emperor, is furiously seeking justice and vengeance over her father's assassination.
[b:The Emperor's Blades|17910124|The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369246817s/17910124.jpg|25095579] is a fantasy debut novel marking the first installment in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy. Since it's publication in 2014, [a:Brian Staveley|7086094|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1379804626p2/7086094.jpg] has completed his first trilogy and has also written a standalone novel taking place in the Unhewn Throne universe. His debut follows the three different perspectives of Sanlitun's children mainly focusing on the two sons' adventures. This novel has received much attention fron fantasy fans after being nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards for the categories of Fantasy and Debut Author in 2014. Due to the high praises and many recommendations over [b:The Emperor's Blades|17910124|The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369246817s/17910124.jpg|25095579] I decided to pick it up as my first book of 2017. Unfortunately, it definitely did not live up to my expectations.
No; time passed, stars swung through their silent arcs, seasons gave way to the next, and yet none of these, in and of itself, brought harm. It was not age but rot that gnawed at the children, consuming their bowels and brains, sapping strength, eroding what meager intelligence they once possessed. Rot, and then death.
Sadly, [b:The Emperor's Blades|17910124|The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369246817s/17910124.jpg|25095579] opens the curtain with one of the most intriguing and engaging prologues I have seen for a while in fantasy. Staveley promises, in just three pages, beautiful, daring prose, shocking, brutal storytelling and ruthless, powerful characters. And then he snatches it all away. There are many issues with this fantasy debut, and it is incredicly saddening to see an author with such a talent for words and vivid scene composition to lack in aspects that are vital in successfully writing a grand fantasy story. Taking apart all the minor and major components of the novel and simply facing the plot, this is a promising story. Simple - definitely not the epic fantasy read many reviewers made it out to be - but interesting. In this and other respects, this book is a mix between young adult and adult fantasy. Many say this is a fantasy story heavy in politics, other's say this is not fantasy but a mystery book. To me, [b:The Emperor's Blades|17910124|The Emperor's Blades (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #1)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369246817s/17910124.jpg|25095579] had many fantastical elements (various magical creatures and animals, certain breeds of humans with some level of magical abilities) that firmly place it in the genre with the political story parts lacking in the much necessary complexity that depicts an author with attitude and swagger like George R. R. Martin.
The mind is a flame, the monks said. Blow it out.
I am usually not disturbed when women are depicted - in fantasy - as weak beings used only for breeding purposes and the sexual appetites of men. When done right, this is a wonderful small addition to world building, showing a savage, brutal society governed by lust, power and death. But Brian Staveley really managed to annoy me. Throughout the story, there is a strong, apparent need of the author to make it known that women are nothing. It is practically forced upon the reader to understand that. The author is trying way to hard to be one of those authors that show male superiority. This fact by itself would not have been that annoying, were it not for the additional urgency of the author to appeal to his female readers by showing that some women are strong and equal to men. And he fails miserably. Most of Staveley's female characters are at best uninteresting and at worse completely unstable and acting very inconsistenly with their character. I hate to compare authors here but George R. R. Martin presents both whores and women of power in his series and he does so in such a remarkable, glorious manner that Brian Staveley's attempts after reading A Game of Thrones frustrated and angered me. Horribly bad female representation in the novel.
The Shin were great believers in pain. It was a reminder, they said, of how tightly we are bound to our own flesh. A reminder of failure.
The female personalities were not the only crudely drawn parts found here. A fantasy novel is only as good as its characters and worldbuilding (and storyline and prose etc.) and this debut lacked in both. Remarkably, we spend so much time reading from Kaden's and Valyn's perspectives but when we come out, I can't say I felt close to them at all. Not them or any other side character found on their side. It is only at the very end that Staveley's beautiful prose finds its way to some meaningful character building and development. Honestly, I do not care about any of the protagonists at this moment and I just finished the first installment in a trilogy. That's bad. The characters are so mundane and blunt, changing in character to fit with where the author wants to take his story. Overall, deeply unremarkable protagonists, side characters that feel like thin mist in the background and peculiar, trying-to-hard-to-be-tough females. Ugh.
Obedience is a knife that cuts the cord of bondage.
Silence is a hammer that shatters the walls of speech.
Stillness is strength; pain a soft bed.
Put down your basin; emptiness is the only vessel.
Finally, Staveley took a risk with placing three characters in three different stationary locations acting completely separately from each other and the world. Were he a competent enough author, he could have pulled off this novel showing enough world building to give a sense of the vastness of the empire. Alas, world-building is one more element gravely lacking from the first novel. The reader is introduced to a small number of magical creatures, a small number of human "species" and a good number of Gods and Godesses. Apart from that, the world feels small, unimportant, and thus, why do we even care what happens to it?
At heart, this first novel felt very much like a YA story of two adolescent boys going through the classic fantasy trope of training to become great, a formula that usually doesn't fail as it didn't in this case. It is fun to watch boys grow and learn and go through difficulties their masters throw at them. In this respect, there is much potential to the story that I personally see as a YA fantasy novel with a decent deal of crude language and a sprinkle of blood and gore.
When you've only got one choice, you can bitch and moan, or you can draw your blade and start swinging.
This was definitely not the explosive fantasy beginning I was hoping to kick off the new year, but I am eager to pick up the second book, [b:The Providence of Fire|22055280|The Providence of Fire (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, #2)|Brian Staveley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1405301050s/22055280.jpg|39923827], after I recover a bit from the first one. I would be skeptical to pick this up if I were a big fan of great adult fantasy works, but for YA fantasy readers this is probably a fine choice and an enjoyable introduction to more adult-ish fantasy reads.
Convenient, that is largely how I would characterize this book. Everything seems to just be a little too convenient as the story progresses. This leads to telegraphing of the plot in places.
There is definitely the potential here for more world building. The different races are fascinating and I feel like they could have been developed to a greater extent. Had this book been another 200 pages it would have greatly benefited from additional attention to the world building. As it is, you are just thrown into a bunch of these things and asked to just play along.
The other thing that really stands out about this book is that everything is either Kent-Kissing or Shael-Spawned. This drove me sightly nuts as these 'curses' were related an uncountable amount of times. One would hope that the characters would have a larger vocabulary.
Overall, it was more like a chore to read than an enjoyment.
I've read authors that improve dramatically from book to book and hope that is the case here. I will likely look into the next few books, but they are not high on my priority list.
There is definitely the potential here for more world building. The different races are fascinating and I feel like they could have been developed to a greater extent. Had this book been another 200 pages it would have greatly benefited from additional attention to the world building. As it is, you are just thrown into a bunch of these things and asked to just play along.
The other thing that really stands out about this book is that everything is either Kent-Kissing or Shael-Spawned. This drove me sightly nuts as these 'curses' were related an uncountable amount of times. One would hope that the characters would have a larger vocabulary.
Overall, it was more like a chore to read than an enjoyment.
I've read authors that improve dramatically from book to book and hope that is the case here. I will likely look into the next few books, but they are not high on my priority list.
4.5 stars
My only real critique is that the narrative voice can run a bit dry at points. I still finished the book in less than day, so obviously not that dry.
The pacing is good. The characters feel varied and more true to life than those found in most works. (I do wish certain characters hadn't been killed off quite so soon, and that we got to see a bit more of some others.) The world building is interesting, and the Csestriim are intriguing.
My only real critique is that the narrative voice can run a bit dry at points. I still finished the book in less than day, so obviously not that dry.
The pacing is good. The characters feel varied and more true to life than those found in most works. (I do wish certain characters hadn't been killed off quite so soon, and that we got to see a bit more of some others.) The world building is interesting, and the Csestriim are intriguing.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.25 stars
It was a really wild ride , I liked all the POV's at the beginning of the book but towards the endy liking towards the certain characters seem to dim.
But my fav character from the first page to the last is still Kaden, Valyn was good, but I'm not really fond of the side characters in his Pov , Adare was interesting at first towards the end she just became a frickin spoiled princess who is apparently the miniter of finance and acts like a teenage girl in a CW show, I mean Sansa Stark have 2 Brian cells more than her I think.
It was a really wild ride , I liked all the POV's at the beginning of the book but towards the endy liking towards the certain characters seem to dim.
But my fav character from the first page to the last is still Kaden, Valyn was good, but I'm not really fond of the side characters in his Pov , Adare was interesting at first towards the end she just became a frickin spoiled princess who is apparently the miniter of finance and acts like a teenage girl in a CW show, I mean Sansa Stark have 2 Brian cells more than her I think.