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willrefuge's review
4.0
4.4 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/10/21/the-krakens-tooth-by-anthony-ryan-review/
Second entry in the Seven Swords reunites us with Pilgrim and Seeker, fresh off their battle in the Execration against a mad god. While the Seeker remains shrouded in mystery, her path forward has become clear. She seeks a certain girl, sold into slavery, one that bears a striking resemblance to she herself. The Pilgrim however, has been unmasked. Guyime, known to history as the Ravager, seeks the Seven Swords—a collection of demon blades that imbue their wielders with power and unnaturally long life. A life that Guyime would escape.
But to do that he must travel to Carthula and claim the Kraken’s Tooth, a mythical sword said to be lodged in the heart of a long dead Kraken. Accompanying him on this fool’s errand are: Seeker, whose path seems to parallel his own, for now; a powerful sorceress from an equally powerful clan; and her’s father’s slave, a man that never forgets anything he’s ever learned. But will this trio be enough to help Guyime through a maze built from his worst nightmares and memories, or will this fellowship crumble once their quarry is in sight?
Other than the previous Pilgrimage of Swords, the Kraken’s Tooth has nothing to do with any of Ryan’s other work (that I know of, at least). As with the first, I wouldn’t’ve minded a full novel dedicated to this, though it works well enough as an installment of novellas. I’m not a huge fan of novellas, particularly those I’ve seen from the author, but these two have so far broken the mold. Kraken’s Tooth tells a complete story, with no skimping on plot or fantasy. It’s light on details, yet still manages to convey more than enough to paint the Seven Swords in vibrant colors. I had no issue getting into or following the story, and if anything even less imagining it. Any character development does suffer from the lack of material, with details such as interpersonal relationships, reliability or anything more than brief flashbacks are absent. The characters themselves might as well be mannequins, except for Guyime, who has overcome his stoicism from Book #1 and now just seems gruff and distant (and maybe Seeker, who I’m assuming is supposed to just be mysterious, though it’s difficult to tell).
Other than the character aspect, I had no problem getting through Kraken’s Tooth. There was more than enough action and adventure to entertain, while the story holds a political undertone and throws in a bit of mystery and drama that didn’t hurt either. And as I’ve already mentioned, the world is well rendered—with just enough detail left out that the Carthula I imagined likely won’t be the same as anyone else’s—while still getting the most important aspects of the story across. It may be imperfect, but I’d definitely recommend the Seven Swords to any fan of mainstream fantasy, epic, grimdark, and more. I can’t wait to read the next installment and see where the story takes us next!
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/10/21/the-krakens-tooth-by-anthony-ryan-review/
Second entry in the Seven Swords reunites us with Pilgrim and Seeker, fresh off their battle in the Execration against a mad god. While the Seeker remains shrouded in mystery, her path forward has become clear. She seeks a certain girl, sold into slavery, one that bears a striking resemblance to she herself. The Pilgrim however, has been unmasked. Guyime, known to history as the Ravager, seeks the Seven Swords—a collection of demon blades that imbue their wielders with power and unnaturally long life. A life that Guyime would escape.
But to do that he must travel to Carthula and claim the Kraken’s Tooth, a mythical sword said to be lodged in the heart of a long dead Kraken. Accompanying him on this fool’s errand are: Seeker, whose path seems to parallel his own, for now; a powerful sorceress from an equally powerful clan; and her’s father’s slave, a man that never forgets anything he’s ever learned. But will this trio be enough to help Guyime through a maze built from his worst nightmares and memories, or will this fellowship crumble once their quarry is in sight?
Other than the previous Pilgrimage of Swords, the Kraken’s Tooth has nothing to do with any of Ryan’s other work (that I know of, at least). As with the first, I wouldn’t’ve minded a full novel dedicated to this, though it works well enough as an installment of novellas. I’m not a huge fan of novellas, particularly those I’ve seen from the author, but these two have so far broken the mold. Kraken’s Tooth tells a complete story, with no skimping on plot or fantasy. It’s light on details, yet still manages to convey more than enough to paint the Seven Swords in vibrant colors. I had no issue getting into or following the story, and if anything even less imagining it. Any character development does suffer from the lack of material, with details such as interpersonal relationships, reliability or anything more than brief flashbacks are absent. The characters themselves might as well be mannequins, except for Guyime, who has overcome his stoicism from Book #1 and now just seems gruff and distant (and maybe Seeker, who I’m assuming is supposed to just be mysterious, though it’s difficult to tell).
Other than the character aspect, I had no problem getting through Kraken’s Tooth. There was more than enough action and adventure to entertain, while the story holds a political undertone and throws in a bit of mystery and drama that didn’t hurt either. And as I’ve already mentioned, the world is well rendered—with just enough detail left out that the Carthula I imagined likely won’t be the same as anyone else’s—while still getting the most important aspects of the story across. It may be imperfect, but I’d definitely recommend the Seven Swords to any fan of mainstream fantasy, epic, grimdark, and more. I can’t wait to read the next installment and see where the story takes us next!
itsfreelancer's review against another edition
4.0
Man meets adventure.
Adventure meets quest.
And we go round and round again. Pretty straightforward, the plot moves from point A to B but there is still a long way ahead before Pilgrim aka Ravager can rest.
Overall arc: no existence of it yet.
We do get to see his backstory which I feel was pretty good considering how little we knew of everyone in novella 1.
Oh well, onwards then. There is no giving up once the quest is accepted
Adventure meets quest.
And we go round and round again. Pretty straightforward, the plot moves from point A to B but there is still a long way ahead before Pilgrim aka Ravager can rest.
Overall arc: no existence of it yet.
We do get to see his backstory which I feel was pretty good considering how little we knew of everyone in novella 1.
Oh well, onwards then. There is no giving up once the quest is accepted
lisserd93's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
klacebo's review against another edition
5.0
I love this series, they're short and meaningful. Anthony Ryan proved from the first book that a good writer doesn't need to write pages upon pages of empty descriptions and dialogue to capture the reader's interest and make them empathize with the protagonists. I'll keep reading until there are no more swords left (or there are no new adventures in store for Guyime the Ravager)
astras010's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
adamsw216's review
4.0
Anthony Ryan brings us one step further in Guyime's quest to assemble the Seven Swords in order to free himself from his own demon cursed blade. Guyime and Seeker find themselves traveling to the strange island city of Carthula in search of the mythical blade known as the Kraken's Tooth. He is joined by a powerful mage with her own agenda and her family's slave, a scholar with encyclopedic knowledge. In order to claim the sword, they must travel deep underneath Carthula into the heart of the island. There, they face a series of trials and tests, and Guyime must face the sins of his past.
The Kraken's Tooth picks up not long after the first book and is yet another fun quest story. We get to learn a lot more about Guyime's past and gain just a little bit more knowledge of the world that these characters inhabit.
The only complaint I have is that there were parts of the book that felt unnecessarily truncated--as if Ryan was trying hard to restrict himself to a specific word count. Skipping a lot of the traveling certainly helps keep the story rolling, but I feel like just an extra paragraph or two could have been put in about these in-between scenes which could contribute to and reinforce the already excellent world building. Personally, I think I still enjoyed A Pilgrimage of Swords better, but am eager to continue on to the next story.
The Kraken's Tooth picks up not long after the first book and is yet another fun quest story. We get to learn a lot more about Guyime's past and gain just a little bit more knowledge of the world that these characters inhabit.
The only complaint I have is that there were parts of the book that felt unnecessarily truncated--as if Ryan was trying hard to restrict himself to a specific word count. Skipping a lot of the traveling certainly helps keep the story rolling, but I feel like just an extra paragraph or two could have been put in about these in-between scenes which could contribute to and reinforce the already excellent world building. Personally, I think I still enjoyed A Pilgrimage of Swords better, but am eager to continue on to the next story.
skydhash's review
4.0
This is again an action book, just like the first one. But it is interesting. The new characters are a bit shallow due to the focus on action, not on motivation. Due to the sword capability, you're exposed to their intent, but only to the extent the main character is interested in them, which is not much. The description of the environment are vivid which really set a nice pace, making the whole reading experience enjoyable, if not suspenseful.
mmarthia's review
4.0
Dark, dangerous world, sorcerers, magic, unique abilities, a quest that must be fulfilled...the story just got more interesting...
Also talking swords needs to be a thing in fantasy.
Also talking swords needs to be a thing in fantasy.
wolfmantula's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
4.25
I enjoyed this story a little more than A Pilgrimage of Swords and that may be due to already knowing the two main characters. The story is plot driven and fast paced, with a dungeon-crawl type of feel to it, which leads to some pretty tense, yet exciting moments. Fight scenes were pretty exciting and lasted longer than they did in the previous book. I also liked adding in the solving of riddles and even navigating a maze and avoiding traps that made the story a little better as the characters had to figure out the next step to find The Kraken’s Tooth. Also, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THESE COVERS
The characters got a little more development as we get to know a little more about Pilgrim also known as Guyime, his past, and his complicated relationship with Lakorath, the demon imbued sword, who have some pretty entertaining banter. Seeker, the beast charmer doesn’t get as much development, but there is something there that makes me feel that finding her daughter is tied in to Guyime and may play a bigger part later on.
For such a short story, this had a good amount of action, story telling and character development that kept me engaged the entire time. Count me on more stories about Guyime, Lakorath and Seeker!
sch91086's review
4.0
These are fun little novellas. It’s a pretty standard quest plot, man searching for redemption has to gather up seven demon-cursed blades of immense power. He picks up stragglers who become friends along the way.
But what sells these stories for me are the characters I guess. Guyime makes it pretty clear he’s no hero - he’s got a past and we get to learn a good deal of it in this book.
And the banter he has with Lakorath, the lie-detecting soul-hungry demon who possesses his blade is so much fun. Not to mention Seeker and her animal charming abilities.
I appreciate that the books are quick. I enjoy the world building but mostly I enjoy that it doesn’t overshadow the story.
I’m going to have to go seek out the next book I suppose. Thank you to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the eARC.
But what sells these stories for me are the characters I guess. Guyime makes it pretty clear he’s no hero - he’s got a past and we get to learn a good deal of it in this book.
And the banter he has with Lakorath, the lie-detecting soul-hungry demon who possesses his blade is so much fun. Not to mention Seeker and her animal charming abilities.
I appreciate that the books are quick. I enjoy the world building but mostly I enjoy that it doesn’t overshadow the story.
I’m going to have to go seek out the next book I suppose. Thank you to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the eARC.