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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Full review here
Both the cover and synopsis of Darien caught my attention while scrolling through Netgalley (yes, I know, I’m seriously late with this review). I initially thought the cover was creepy and wasn’t certain if the book would be a little chilling. But the synopsis won me over and I was fortunate enough to be approved for a copy. I’m glad I did – I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The plot is split into three story-arcs. Elias Post has the knack to see a couple of moments into possible futures – giving him the ability to walk through a fight unscathed, even with guns firing at him. Elias may be deadly, but he’s a desperate father losing everything and you can’t help empathise with him. His reluctance to kill despite being blackmailed and his desire for revenge make him powerful yet emotional; a deadly combination.
Nancy has an unusual ability; she can drain magic and take it into herself. Dragged reluctantly into this world of magical artefacts, she gets a taste of power and realises she can fulfil her ambition of avenging her father. But magic is a tricky business and Nancy ends up involved far more than she anticipated. Despite her revenge, she is a good person who wants to use her gifts to help – if only she knew how.
Tellius was my favourite. A supposedly gruff old man, he takes in the urchins of the streets and tries to forge them into something better. When a young boy is revealed to be a powerfully magical creation – a golem – Tellius must do and say whatever he can in order to ensure their survival.
It takes a while for the plot to really get going. These are initially three completely separate stories and while the characters are developed and the dialogue entertaining, the pace feels stunted by the constant switching back and forth. As soon as one starts to develop, it switches to another story and slows down.
When they start to come together, however, it becomes a high-paced and intense read. From halfway through, the tension builds and a battle rages around all three characters, making them put their various skill-sets to good use to not only survive, but help the city stand against an invasion they themselves are partially responsible for creating.
You all know how much I enjoy reading large-scale battles and it shows the author usually writes historical fiction in the formations and tactics used here. I found it clear and easy to follow, despite the characters being spread thin and the introduction of magical items into the fight.
Although the tension explodes in the second half, it is balanced by the humour in the first half. Both the dialogue and the characters’ own thoughts were amusing and effectively made you care about the characters before plunging them into danger.
Darien grows stronger as it progresses and the story-lines start to blend, but I still found it an enjoyable read and am now on the lookout for the second one.
Both the cover and synopsis of Darien caught my attention while scrolling through Netgalley (yes, I know, I’m seriously late with this review). I initially thought the cover was creepy and wasn’t certain if the book would be a little chilling. But the synopsis won me over and I was fortunate enough to be approved for a copy. I’m glad I did – I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The plot is split into three story-arcs. Elias Post has the knack to see a couple of moments into possible futures – giving him the ability to walk through a fight unscathed, even with guns firing at him. Elias may be deadly, but he’s a desperate father losing everything and you can’t help empathise with him. His reluctance to kill despite being blackmailed and his desire for revenge make him powerful yet emotional; a deadly combination.
Nancy has an unusual ability; she can drain magic and take it into herself. Dragged reluctantly into this world of magical artefacts, she gets a taste of power and realises she can fulfil her ambition of avenging her father. But magic is a tricky business and Nancy ends up involved far more than she anticipated. Despite her revenge, she is a good person who wants to use her gifts to help – if only she knew how.
Tellius was my favourite. A supposedly gruff old man, he takes in the urchins of the streets and tries to forge them into something better. When a young boy is revealed to be a powerfully magical creation – a golem – Tellius must do and say whatever he can in order to ensure their survival.
It takes a while for the plot to really get going. These are initially three completely separate stories and while the characters are developed and the dialogue entertaining, the pace feels stunted by the constant switching back and forth. As soon as one starts to develop, it switches to another story and slows down.
When they start to come together, however, it becomes a high-paced and intense read. From halfway through, the tension builds and a battle rages around all three characters, making them put their various skill-sets to good use to not only survive, but help the city stand against an invasion they themselves are partially responsible for creating.
You all know how much I enjoy reading large-scale battles and it shows the author usually writes historical fiction in the formations and tactics used here. I found it clear and easy to follow, despite the characters being spread thin and the introduction of magical items into the fight.
Although the tension explodes in the second half, it is balanced by the humour in the first half. Both the dialogue and the characters’ own thoughts were amusing and effectively made you care about the characters before plunging them into danger.
Darien grows stronger as it progresses and the story-lines start to blend, but I still found it an enjoyable read and am now on the lookout for the second one.
** Apologies for this incredibly short/crappy review. I’m not feeling up to writing properly at the moment**
This was my first book by this author. I’ve got my eye on a couple of his historical fiction books but I decided to start with his fantasy novel to start things off.
For me it started off really strongly but seemed to dip off towards the end as it took some turns that I didn’t quite like. There were plenty of really interesting characters to enjoy and learn more about. Some of whom have some very interesting abilities.
It does have some faults but was still enjoyable and I will definitely read more from this author in the future.
This was my first book by this author. I’ve got my eye on a couple of his historical fiction books but I decided to start with his fantasy novel to start things off.
For me it started off really strongly but seemed to dip off towards the end as it took some turns that I didn’t quite like. There were plenty of really interesting characters to enjoy and learn more about. Some of whom have some very interesting abilities.
It does have some faults but was still enjoyable and I will definitely read more from this author in the future.
I gave this book 2 stars because I didn’t like it at all, although I didn’t find anything overtly problematic about it. One statement that I think encapsulates this book succinctly is that the book is not developed well. Everything about it - plot, characters, relationships, world building - was not written to the point of it being fully developed.
The plot consisted of a random assortment of characters who did completely different things, briefly coming together at the end. The big battle wasn’t interesting at all because the world and politics of the novel wasn’t developed enough to make it feel important to me.
There were too many characters for the length of the novel. If the author focused on a few characters and gave them more development and depth, it might have been better, but instead the author decided to include a wider cast of characters and therefore was unable to give them the dimension they deserved.
The relationships between the characters was also undeveloped. Especially between Daw and Nancy. There was no substance to the relationship beside what the author explicitly told us; it was a telling rather than showing situation. I wanted to see them develop feelings for each other rather than Nancy suddenly telling us what she thought of Daw.
The motivations behind each of the characters was given to the reader without any development or explanation. Most times, I didn’t understand why the characters acted as they did. This was why the battle was underwhelming because I didn’t know why people were fighting or why they were on a particular side. Coming back to Daw and Nancy, I didn’t understand why Daw followed Nancy when she went on her ‘mission’. He never elaborated on why he was helping her.
The world wasn’t explained well and the politics weren’t either. All that was said was that there were 12 powerful families and a king, and that people who weren’t part of this were likely poor and ignored. There was no more substance to the politics of the world. The motivations that were given to some characters were simple and cliche, such as someone wanting revenge on a corrupt governmental figure, without development to make it more intriguing or realistic.
Overall, I didn’t find this book well written or well developed.
The plot consisted of a random assortment of characters who did completely different things, briefly coming together at the end. The big battle wasn’t interesting at all because the world and politics of the novel wasn’t developed enough to make it feel important to me.
There were too many characters for the length of the novel. If the author focused on a few characters and gave them more development and depth, it might have been better, but instead the author decided to include a wider cast of characters and therefore was unable to give them the dimension they deserved.
The relationships between the characters was also undeveloped. Especially between Daw and Nancy. There was no substance to the relationship beside what the author explicitly told us; it was a telling rather than showing situation. I wanted to see them develop feelings for each other rather than Nancy suddenly telling us what she thought of Daw.
The motivations behind each of the characters was given to the reader without any development or explanation. Most times, I didn’t understand why the characters acted as they did. This was why the battle was underwhelming because I didn’t know why people were fighting or why they were on a particular side. Coming back to Daw and Nancy, I didn’t understand why Daw followed Nancy when she went on her ‘mission’. He never elaborated on why he was helping her.
The world wasn’t explained well and the politics weren’t either. All that was said was that there were 12 powerful families and a king, and that people who weren’t part of this were likely poor and ignored. There was no more substance to the politics of the world. The motivations that were given to some characters were simple and cliche, such as someone wanting revenge on a corrupt governmental figure, without development to make it more intriguing or realistic.
Overall, I didn’t find this book well written or well developed.
I found this book very odd and honestly can't really decide whether I liked it or not. It took me a while to get into it since I didn't really feel like the characters were written in a way in which the reader bonds too them. This was not helped by the fact that the story changed perspectives often (I don't mind this technique although in this case, I felt like it made it even harder to empathize with the characters).
The setting of the story was... odd. I had heard that this book was "the new Game of Thrones" so naturally, I expected a medieval setting with some magic thrown in, but this was not the case. To be clear this misconception was probably my fault since I went off first impressions but even so, I think it was an odd setting. It was set in a sort of steam-punk version of a semi-medieval land with magic too. What I mean by that is that it contains: medieval hunters, ancient Egyptian tombs and curses, magic, guns, clockwork machines and magic.
If that sounds like an interesting story to you then you'll probably enjoy the book; I was eventually pulled in by the story and finished it but not sure whether I'd read the sequel. However it was not what I, nor I believe others, expected or especially wanted.
The setting of the story was... odd. I had heard that this book was "the new Game of Thrones" so naturally, I expected a medieval setting with some magic thrown in, but this was not the case. To be clear this misconception was probably my fault since I went off first impressions but even so, I think it was an odd setting. It was set in a sort of steam-punk version of a semi-medieval land with magic too. What I mean by that is that it contains: medieval hunters, ancient Egyptian tombs and curses, magic, guns, clockwork machines and magic.
If that sounds like an interesting story to you then you'll probably enjoy the book; I was eventually pulled in by the story and finished it but not sure whether I'd read the sequel. However it was not what I, nor I believe others, expected or especially wanted.
A land of magic, mystery, noble families and beggars. Darien is on unstable ground, and ready to explode.
I received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This has all the makings of a good fantasy story. So much so, that it felt like it was working hard to tick the boxes.
You have the hunter. A man happy with the simple life, training his only son in the art of 'reaching', unaware of his full potential.
You have the gun-slinger. The man that never misses, and keeps you guessing where his loyalties lie.
You have the General and his army. A man from a lesser-noble-family, with big ambitions, and no morals to stop him.
You have the ex-fighter. The man with the mysterious past, who cares for the orphaned lads of Darien.
You have the peacekeeper. A man who is happy to play his part in keeping Darien safe, but is concerned with his own future and fortune.
You have Arthur. A mysterious young boy who can't talk, but mimics skills.
And you have the King. A feeble man who is constantly paranoid, since the murder of his father.
Yay for all the women. But that's a different matter. (Nancy and Lady what's-er-name both have their part to play, but... yeah.)
That's a lot of characters, and the book follows them almost equally.
It's it just me, or has Game of Thrones set the precedent that epic fantasy stories have to have lots of different pieces in play, like a chess set?
Unfortunately, this had all the emotion and intrigue as chess.
The story is well-written. It doesn't surprise me that Iggulden comes from a historical-writing background. There is a lot of detail, and facts are presented for each individual, and how they live their lives. It feels very real and well-supported.
But I was bored. The narrative is spread over too many people, all of whom have the same voice, and are hard to distinguish between.
Because there's jumping between characters, I only half-remember, it was hard to feel any connection or sympathy to them.
The story is solely driven by the plot, to get the chess pieces in the correct position.
None of our main characters is in the thick of it because of their own design. They have either been bullied, blackmailed, or stumbled onto the scene.
The hunter has agreed to do something for the General, to earn the safety of his family. The gun-slinger has to accompany him, to make sure he carries it out (pointless, I didn't see why the hunter was needed).
The ex-fighter was following his own selfish need to nurse an old insult, which brought Arthur to everyone's attention.
The peacekeeper was trying to find treasure, and ended up having to help Nancy, as she sought revenge.
And the king? We see next to nothing of him. It's just a given that he's a weak fool.
Rook to Knight 4.
The Nancy that I've mentioned isn't one of the many main narrators, but it one of the main characters from the peacekeeper's point of view. She has an inborn ability that makes her priceless (she nullifies any magic, or magical object in her presence). It's something she does unconsciously, and wasn't even aware she was doing it - which I think is perfect for the tone of this book.
She agrees to help the peacekeeper, for a price, and expresses how she wants to get her revenge on an important city official. But she wants someone else to carry it out for her. She goes from blinkered, to blubbering mess; and despite how amazing her ability becomes, she's a tool for everyone else.
She started out as a promising character, but quickly became a cog in the machine.
It's well-written, and I think a lot of this will come down to personal taste.
This book isn't for me, and I won't be continuing with the series.
I received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This has all the makings of a good fantasy story. So much so, that it felt like it was working hard to tick the boxes.
You have the hunter. A man happy with the simple life, training his only son in the art of 'reaching', unaware of his full potential.
You have the gun-slinger. The man that never misses, and keeps you guessing where his loyalties lie.
You have the General and his army. A man from a lesser-noble-family, with big ambitions, and no morals to stop him.
You have the ex-fighter. The man with the mysterious past, who cares for the orphaned lads of Darien.
You have the peacekeeper. A man who is happy to play his part in keeping Darien safe, but is concerned with his own future and fortune.
You have Arthur. A mysterious young boy who can't talk, but mimics skills.
And you have the King. A feeble man who is constantly paranoid, since the murder of his father.
Yay for all the women. But that's a different matter. (Nancy and Lady what's-er-name both have their part to play, but... yeah.)
That's a lot of characters, and the book follows them almost equally.
It's it just me, or has Game of Thrones set the precedent that epic fantasy stories have to have lots of different pieces in play, like a chess set?
Unfortunately, this had all the emotion and intrigue as chess.
The story is well-written. It doesn't surprise me that Iggulden comes from a historical-writing background. There is a lot of detail, and facts are presented for each individual, and how they live their lives. It feels very real and well-supported.
But I was bored. The narrative is spread over too many people, all of whom have the same voice, and are hard to distinguish between.
Because there's jumping between characters, I only half-remember, it was hard to feel any connection or sympathy to them.
The story is solely driven by the plot, to get the chess pieces in the correct position.
None of our main characters is in the thick of it because of their own design. They have either been bullied, blackmailed, or stumbled onto the scene.
The hunter has agreed to do something for the General, to earn the safety of his family. The gun-slinger has to accompany him, to make sure he carries it out (pointless, I didn't see why the hunter was needed).
The ex-fighter was following his own selfish need to nurse an old insult, which brought Arthur to everyone's attention.
The peacekeeper was trying to find treasure, and ended up having to help Nancy, as she sought revenge.
And the king? We see next to nothing of him. It's just a given that he's a weak fool.
Rook to Knight 4.
The Nancy that I've mentioned isn't one of the many main narrators, but it one of the main characters from the peacekeeper's point of view. She has an inborn ability that makes her priceless (she nullifies any magic, or magical object in her presence). It's something she does unconsciously, and wasn't even aware she was doing it - which I think is perfect for the tone of this book.
She agrees to help the peacekeeper, for a price, and expresses how she wants to get her revenge on an important city official. But she wants someone else to carry it out for her. She goes from blinkered, to blubbering mess; and despite how amazing her ability becomes, she's a tool for everyone else.
She started out as a promising character, but quickly became a cog in the machine.
It's well-written, and I think a lot of this will come down to personal taste.
This book isn't for me, and I won't be continuing with the series.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this, it was a romp with some engaging characters, although the characters motivations and feelings for each other and the world around them flipped on a whim according to the needs of the plot.
Also I was baffled by the world building, it was definitely a fantasy setting, with magic objects and talents central to the plot, yet characters mention Carthage, the Ceasars, Christianity and one quotes 'Invictus' to himself so... post apocalyptic earth?
I don't think I'll bother with the rest of the series.
Also I was baffled by the world building, it was definitely a fantasy setting, with magic objects and talents central to the plot, yet characters mention Carthage, the Ceasars, Christianity and one quotes 'Invictus' to himself so... post apocalyptic earth?
I don't think I'll bother with the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Terminal illness, Police brutality
So much blood
In the city of Darien, ruled by twelve families desperately clinging to their crumbling power, a plot to murder the King is hatched.
It draws six strangers into to the city – Elias, a hunter with a special knack, Deeds, a man who feels no guilt, Tellius, and old swordsman banished from his home, Arthur, a quiet boy with mysterious origins, Daw, a thief and a gambler, and Nancy, whose talents will be the undoing of them all.
Conn Iggulden’s first foray into Fantasy, Darien tells the tale of a great city, the last remnant of the great Empire of Salt, ruled by a puppet king whose strings are pulled by twelve powerful families. Darien’s downfall begins with a deadly plague, that in turn sets in motion an ambitious plot that will change the lives of six strangers.
What I liked most was the subtle workings of the magic in Darien. The city seems to be caught somewhere between the magical and the mundane, with its magic coming in the form of leftover ‘knacks’ and artifacts, residual echos of the great power that flowed through the Empire of Salt. You might come across someone with a knack to glimpse a minute or two into the future, or a knife that can cut through literally anything, but any real power is practically a myth, as far as the inhabitants are concerned. This made for a nice change to the usually complex magic systems found in Fantasy.
It took me a while to warm up to the lead characters, as none of the six really interested me that much, but I did enjoy the interactions between Daw and Nancy as they went on, while Arthur and his mysterious origins kept me reading once he showed up. Deeds grated on me quite a lot, and I would have skimmed his parts if he hadn’t been paired with Elias through most of the novel. I wasn’t a fan of the ‘jumping around from character to character part way through chapters’ writing style either, but I will say that might have been because of the formatting of the arc, which squished everything together, and it might look less confusing on print.
Iggulden’s experience at creating past societies for his Historical Fiction has served him well, as the world of Darien has been crafted brilliantly. While we learn only specific details about the old Empire, the city, and it’s twelve families, the information doesn’t feel sketchy or thin. Darien and its history felt pretty solid to me, even though I’m not aware of it all. I found out what I need to know, without being bogged down with superfluous details. Iggulden doesn’t need to spill every bean for me to know he’s done his homework.
The pacing was interesting… The first half moves along at a steady, slow pace, culminating rather quickly in an excellent, climactic showdown, at about 60% of the novel, and then slows right back down again, moving towards a conclusion that feels more like a whimper than a bang. I kept waiting for a big ‘something’ or other to come along, but nothing really did, which felt strange. I can’t say I didn’t like it, though. By placing his ‘finale worthy’ moments somewhere in the middle, Iggulden has the opportunity to play out the fallout, and tie up loose ends whilst simultaneously setting up the next installment. It gave me a certain closure I don’t usually get with series.
Fantasy lovers will find Darien an entertaining read, and fans of Iggulden’s Historical Fiction work will also enjoy it too. The conclusion is strong enough to stand alone, if a series commitment isn’t for you, but I will be looking forward to seeing what the next installment will bring.
The Bookworm Mummy for more reviews!
It draws six strangers into to the city – Elias, a hunter with a special knack, Deeds, a man who feels no guilt, Tellius, and old swordsman banished from his home, Arthur, a quiet boy with mysterious origins, Daw, a thief and a gambler, and Nancy, whose talents will be the undoing of them all.
Conn Iggulden’s first foray into Fantasy, Darien tells the tale of a great city, the last remnant of the great Empire of Salt, ruled by a puppet king whose strings are pulled by twelve powerful families. Darien’s downfall begins with a deadly plague, that in turn sets in motion an ambitious plot that will change the lives of six strangers.
What I liked most was the subtle workings of the magic in Darien. The city seems to be caught somewhere between the magical and the mundane, with its magic coming in the form of leftover ‘knacks’ and artifacts, residual echos of the great power that flowed through the Empire of Salt. You might come across someone with a knack to glimpse a minute or two into the future, or a knife that can cut through literally anything, but any real power is practically a myth, as far as the inhabitants are concerned. This made for a nice change to the usually complex magic systems found in Fantasy.
It took me a while to warm up to the lead characters, as none of the six really interested me that much, but I did enjoy the interactions between Daw and Nancy as they went on, while Arthur and his mysterious origins kept me reading once he showed up. Deeds grated on me quite a lot, and I would have skimmed his parts if he hadn’t been paired with Elias through most of the novel. I wasn’t a fan of the ‘jumping around from character to character part way through chapters’ writing style either, but I will say that might have been because of the formatting of the arc, which squished everything together, and it might look less confusing on print.
Iggulden’s experience at creating past societies for his Historical Fiction has served him well, as the world of Darien has been crafted brilliantly. While we learn only specific details about the old Empire, the city, and it’s twelve families, the information doesn’t feel sketchy or thin. Darien and its history felt pretty solid to me, even though I’m not aware of it all. I found out what I need to know, without being bogged down with superfluous details. Iggulden doesn’t need to spill every bean for me to know he’s done his homework.
The pacing was interesting… The first half moves along at a steady, slow pace, culminating rather quickly in an excellent, climactic showdown, at about 60% of the novel, and then slows right back down again, moving towards a conclusion that feels more like a whimper than a bang. I kept waiting for a big ‘something’ or other to come along, but nothing really did, which felt strange. I can’t say I didn’t like it, though. By placing his ‘finale worthy’ moments somewhere in the middle, Iggulden has the opportunity to play out the fallout, and tie up loose ends whilst simultaneously setting up the next installment. It gave me a certain closure I don’t usually get with series.
Fantasy lovers will find Darien an entertaining read, and fans of Iggulden’s Historical Fiction work will also enjoy it too. The conclusion is strong enough to stand alone, if a series commitment isn’t for you, but I will be looking forward to seeing what the next installment will bring.
The Bookworm Mummy for more reviews!
Summary
C.F. Iggulden is a well-known historical fiction author; Darien is his first foray into fantasy. It revolves around the city of Darien, where powerful magic is a thing of the past but remnants remain in objects and as knacks in a few select people. The novel follows a number of these gifted people as they all converge on the city for Reaper’s Eve. By morning, everything has changed.
Plot
The novel follows multiple point of view characters, and so covers a wide range of plots and sub-plots. Ultimately, however, all the threads come together to shake the foundations of Darien’s ruling class. It is a novel in two parts and, ultimately, I much preferred the first part of the novel and felt it could have ended when part one ended. The first part is, admittedly, slow in places, but it does a brilliant job of capturing the magic of the world and introducing the characters, all the while building to the climactic scene where all the threads come together. The second part, unfortunately, just did not work for me – by the time I got to it, it felt like the novel was nearly over. Instead, I was to embark into another extended climactic scene. It almost felt like it could have been a sequel if expanded slightly.
Characters
As I’ve mentioned, the first part of the novel does a brilliant job of introducing the characters. Of them all, Elias and Nancy stood out to me as the most interesting, two sides of a coin. One only wanted to save his family while the other was purely motivated by revenge. Unfortunately, once the novel hit the half-way mark, I felt like the characters lost a little bit of what made them special in order to allow the more battle-filled scenes to occur. The two female characters, while brilliantly crafted, were also subjected to romances which felt both forced and sprung out of nowhere.
World/Setting
That being said, Iggulden’s experience with historical fiction has led to creation of a world which feels deep-rooted in the novel as well as our own world. I felt I was present in the novel from the beginning, experiencing everything alongside the characters. The set-up of the city felt like you could walk the streets. The only trouble I could find with this was that Darien is supposedly the heart of an empire, yet it felt more like an individual, solitary city than an empire. Even so, it was a city which jumped off the page and I have a feeling that we will see more of the empire in future books.
Final Thoughts
While it is not going to a be a favourite book of mine, I did enjoy Darien. It captured a world built on magic, but where only remnants survive. It introduced me to a number of intriguing characters. It’s also a novel with spectacular writing style – Iggulden can write incredibly well. The novel wasn’t perfect and I was not particularly hooked throughout but I think there is enough in it to make me curious to read the next book in the series.
C.F. Iggulden is a well-known historical fiction author; Darien is his first foray into fantasy. It revolves around the city of Darien, where powerful magic is a thing of the past but remnants remain in objects and as knacks in a few select people. The novel follows a number of these gifted people as they all converge on the city for Reaper’s Eve. By morning, everything has changed.
Plot
The novel follows multiple point of view characters, and so covers a wide range of plots and sub-plots. Ultimately, however, all the threads come together to shake the foundations of Darien’s ruling class. It is a novel in two parts and, ultimately, I much preferred the first part of the novel and felt it could have ended when part one ended. The first part is, admittedly, slow in places, but it does a brilliant job of capturing the magic of the world and introducing the characters, all the while building to the climactic scene where all the threads come together. The second part, unfortunately, just did not work for me – by the time I got to it, it felt like the novel was nearly over. Instead, I was to embark into another extended climactic scene. It almost felt like it could have been a sequel if expanded slightly.
Characters
As I’ve mentioned, the first part of the novel does a brilliant job of introducing the characters. Of them all, Elias and Nancy stood out to me as the most interesting, two sides of a coin. One only wanted to save his family while the other was purely motivated by revenge. Unfortunately, once the novel hit the half-way mark, I felt like the characters lost a little bit of what made them special in order to allow the more battle-filled scenes to occur. The two female characters, while brilliantly crafted, were also subjected to romances which felt both forced and sprung out of nowhere.
World/Setting
That being said, Iggulden’s experience with historical fiction has led to creation of a world which feels deep-rooted in the novel as well as our own world. I felt I was present in the novel from the beginning, experiencing everything alongside the characters. The set-up of the city felt like you could walk the streets. The only trouble I could find with this was that Darien is supposedly the heart of an empire, yet it felt more like an individual, solitary city than an empire. Even so, it was a city which jumped off the page and I have a feeling that we will see more of the empire in future books.
Final Thoughts
While it is not going to a be a favourite book of mine, I did enjoy Darien. It captured a world built on magic, but where only remnants survive. It introduced me to a number of intriguing characters. It’s also a novel with spectacular writing style – Iggulden can write incredibly well. The novel wasn’t perfect and I was not particularly hooked throughout but I think there is enough in it to make me curious to read the next book in the series.
Full review up on my blog: http://bit.ly/2stgrdv
So we have the classic epic fantasy multiple POV set up with six men and one woman (sigh) all of whom were supposed to be quite different but I just kept mixing them all up because I didn’t feel that they had particularly distinctive voices. The possible exceptions to this were Arthur and Nancy (given that these were a child and a woman it’s not that surprising that they were more distinctive than the sea of violent men that were the other characters).
But I hate being negative about books so let’s look to the positive. I do think this is a classic epic fantasy world clearly created by someone with an interest in historical fiction (the genre this author normally writes in). We have an older society with the addition of magic, largely based in artefacts though some can wield it in various ways. While this isn’t particularly innovative it was handled well, and the simplicity of the setting lends itself to a series as you can expand on principles later on if needs be.
Unsurprisingly, I liked the character of Nancy best, call me a cliché but I like a strong female character. I thought that the mystery surrounding her skills was handled well and that she developed well throughout the book. Arthur was also an interesting element to the story (not going to spoil that for you though).
So as I say, I think this book could have been really quite good, it just fell short in a few ways (for me, you might love it). I felt like the concept of the twelve families wasn’t expounded as much as it could have been, just to make the political system feel a bit more fleshed out, and I felt as though we jumped from calm to action really quite quickly with not much of a sense of continuity between the two. The flow was just a bit off for me which hindered my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
My rating: 3/5 stars (I liked it but I wouldn’t read it again)
Darien publishes on July 13th so if you fancy a trip to this fantasy world you can preorder now!
By the way: I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher (Penguin Uk-Michael Joseph) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
So we have the classic epic fantasy multiple POV set up with six men and one woman (sigh) all of whom were supposed to be quite different but I just kept mixing them all up because I didn’t feel that they had particularly distinctive voices. The possible exceptions to this were Arthur and Nancy (given that these were a child and a woman it’s not that surprising that they were more distinctive than the sea of violent men that were the other characters).
But I hate being negative about books so let’s look to the positive. I do think this is a classic epic fantasy world clearly created by someone with an interest in historical fiction (the genre this author normally writes in). We have an older society with the addition of magic, largely based in artefacts though some can wield it in various ways. While this isn’t particularly innovative it was handled well, and the simplicity of the setting lends itself to a series as you can expand on principles later on if needs be.
Unsurprisingly, I liked the character of Nancy best, call me a cliché but I like a strong female character. I thought that the mystery surrounding her skills was handled well and that she developed well throughout the book. Arthur was also an interesting element to the story (not going to spoil that for you though).
So as I say, I think this book could have been really quite good, it just fell short in a few ways (for me, you might love it). I felt like the concept of the twelve families wasn’t expounded as much as it could have been, just to make the political system feel a bit more fleshed out, and I felt as though we jumped from calm to action really quite quickly with not much of a sense of continuity between the two. The flow was just a bit off for me which hindered my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
My rating: 3/5 stars (I liked it but I wouldn’t read it again)
Darien publishes on July 13th so if you fancy a trip to this fantasy world you can preorder now!
By the way: I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher (Penguin Uk-Michael Joseph) via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
Iggulden has delivered pretty solid historical fiction, this world building gives him something new to play with while letting him draw liberally from the real world in terms of tactics and phrases. A good read. Will look forward to the rest of the series