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wspence's review
3.0
I loved the first one a lot more. This sequel didn't quite have the surprises, world building or snappy dialogue that it's predecessor did. Will still look to read the next in the series, but was slightly disappointed.
kartiknarayanan's review against another edition
5.0
A Requiem for Heroes is one of the best takes on "heroic" fantasy I have read and I think it will upend this genre.
Why do I think so? - It is a combination of a good storyline with excellent characters and riveting action in a world which is deceptively simple.
Now, since I read What Remains of Heroes & The Wrath of Heroes back to back, I will be combining the reviews for both these books.
The main characters are comprised of people who are 'broken' in one way or another and yet, strive to be better. These characters range from the wicked to the virtuous (but mostly some kind of realistic moral compass - what we like to call 'shades of gray' ) and their betterment is not simply fighting against all odds and winning by the strength of their hand. Rather, each of them has a different set of weaknesses - moral, spiritual, physical. They find a point in their lives where they are forced to introspect and start their difficult journey for redemption of some sorts - be it the nominal hero or the villain. And this is why I think this series is such a unique take on what heroic fantasy.
David Benem's construction of these characters is so good that I actually started feeling antipathy towards the main character Lannick in the beginning. Later on, it changed a bit since we understand where Lannick is coming from. Other characters who stand out are Bale & Fenchress. But, do not take this to mean that the side characters are any less fleshed out. Even they have their own battles to fight. This is the clear USP of this series as far as I am concerned.
The world building seemed okay when I read the first book but by I time I finished the second one, I realised that what I had initially assumed 'to be' was not so. It was deceptively simple in the first and the complexity behind it comes out as you get further into the series.
The storyline is the same. When I started the first book, I thought it would be a run of the mill fantasy setting with some religion thrown in ala The Wheel of Time. But by the time I finished the second one, I was blown away by how things had changed. I do not want to bring in spoilers but let me just say that you will be rewarded if you have the patience to read the second book too.
As far as pacing is concerned, I found The Wrath of Heroes to be much better than What Remains of Heroes. WROH lost me in between, and it was touch and go whether I would continue. But the good thing is that somewhere towards the middle I started getting interested. I suppose I put down WROH maybe 3-4 times in between because it could not hold my attention during this time. But I did not put down TWOH even once due to boredom.
I am eagerly awaiting the third book in the series, whenever it may be.
Why do I think so? - It is a combination of a good storyline with excellent characters and riveting action in a world which is deceptively simple.
Now, since I read What Remains of Heroes & The Wrath of Heroes back to back, I will be combining the reviews for both these books.
The main characters are comprised of people who are 'broken' in one way or another and yet, strive to be better. These characters range from the wicked to the virtuous (but mostly some kind of realistic moral compass - what we like to call 'shades of gray' ) and their betterment is not simply fighting against all odds and winning by the strength of their hand. Rather, each of them has a different set of weaknesses - moral, spiritual, physical. They find a point in their lives where they are forced to introspect and start their difficult journey for redemption of some sorts - be it the nominal hero or the villain. And this is why I think this series is such a unique take on what heroic fantasy.
David Benem's construction of these characters is so good that I actually started feeling antipathy towards the main character Lannick in the beginning. Later on, it changed a bit since we understand where Lannick is coming from. Other characters who stand out are Bale & Fenchress. But, do not take this to mean that the side characters are any less fleshed out. Even they have their own battles to fight. This is the clear USP of this series as far as I am concerned.
The world building seemed okay when I read the first book but by I time I finished the second one, I realised that what I had initially assumed 'to be' was not so. It was deceptively simple in the first and the complexity behind it comes out as you get further into the series.
The storyline is the same. When I started the first book, I thought it would be a run of the mill fantasy setting with some religion thrown in ala The Wheel of Time. But by the time I finished the second one, I was blown away by how things had changed. I do not want to bring in spoilers but let me just say that you will be rewarded if you have the patience to read the second book too.
As far as pacing is concerned, I found The Wrath of Heroes to be much better than What Remains of Heroes. WROH lost me in between, and it was touch and go whether I would continue. But the good thing is that somewhere towards the middle I started getting interested. I suppose I put down WROH maybe 3-4 times in between because it could not hold my attention during this time. But I did not put down TWOH even once due to boredom.
I am eagerly awaiting the third book in the series, whenever it may be.
eyed's review against another edition
4.0
After reading What Remains of Heroes I had high hopes for the sequel and Mr. Benem did not let me down. This was an excellent addition to A Requiem of Heroes.
We pick up right where book one left off and it is packed full of action and excitement the whole way through.
Characters:
We have Lannick who is in the process of being more of a hero and less of a drunk. He was my least favorite POV in book one but I enjoyed his story more in this book. There is a lot change to him as a character and I liked it. But it seems like no matter how hard he tries to get his life together, the worst always happens.
Bale an acolyte on an adventure to round up some sentinels. I really like Bale as a character and as a person. His part of the story is definitely important and interesting but it kind of took a backseat to all the action of the other story lines.
Gamghast is definitely interesting but I still don't feel like we heard as much about him as the others. I am still expecting him and the queen to play a larger role later in the series. But I felt like that at the end of book one and was wrong.
Karnag and Fencress were my favorites in the first book and they still are. Their story is fantastic and bloody and just all around great. By the end of this book their stories trajectory has changed the most by far. I am very excited to see where their paths take them in the next book.
We learn more about the powers some of the sentinels have bestowed upon their followers. We also learn some ore about what the necrists are capable of. I am really liking the necrists. The whole concept of how they work is awesome. I am hoping to learn more about them in the future.
The story is very well written and kept my interest throughout. The action scenes written in a way that made then very easy to visualize. This is always a huge plus for me.
There were some plot twists along the way and I have some theories about what I want to happen vs what will actually happen but at this point only Mr. Benem knows. So I will just have to wait and see whenever the next book is released.
I recommend this to any fan of fantasy genre. For me this fits in the standard fantasy genre as opposed to any of the sub genres. So if you like fantasy you should definitely give this series a try.
We pick up right where book one left off and it is packed full of action and excitement the whole way through.
Characters:
We have Lannick who is in the process of being more of a hero and less of a drunk. He was my least favorite POV in book one but I enjoyed his story more in this book. There is a lot change to him as a character and I liked it. But it seems like no matter how hard he tries to get his life together, the worst always happens.
Bale an acolyte on an adventure to round up some sentinels. I really like Bale as a character and as a person. His part of the story is definitely important and interesting but it kind of took a backseat to all the action of the other story lines.
Gamghast is definitely interesting but I still don't feel like we heard as much about him as the others. I am still expecting him and the queen to play a larger role later in the series. But I felt like that at the end of book one and was wrong.
Karnag and Fencress were my favorites in the first book and they still are. Their story is fantastic and bloody and just all around great. By the end of this book their stories trajectory has changed the most by far. I am very excited to see where their paths take them in the next book.
We learn more about the powers some of the sentinels have bestowed upon their followers. We also learn some ore about what the necrists are capable of. I am really liking the necrists. The whole concept of how they work is awesome. I am hoping to learn more about them in the future.
The story is very well written and kept my interest throughout. The action scenes written in a way that made then very easy to visualize. This is always a huge plus for me.
There were some plot twists along the way and I have some theories about what I want to happen vs what will actually happen but at this point only Mr. Benem knows. So I will just have to wait and see whenever the next book is released.
I recommend this to any fan of fantasy genre. For me this fits in the standard fantasy genre as opposed to any of the sub genres. So if you like fantasy you should definitely give this series a try.
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