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hank's review against another edition
1.0
Review behind the spoiler tag because I don't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment of the book/series
Brett seemed to enjoy coming up with more and varied ways to humiliate and subjucate women. Constant rapes, forced mariages, incest, menial slave labor etc. At first I understood it to be a setup of the "bad guy" and then it got tiresome and then it got loathsome.
It is an inventive world and there are teasing mysteries but I couldn't get past the seemingly purposeless mysogeny.
Will definitely not read the next even though I already own it.
Spoiler
I absolutely hated this book. It was somewhat of a rehash of book one from a different character's perspective. I loathed that character and hated his culture. I get the similarities with curent arab culture and possibly even closer similarities with past arab cultures but that doesn't mean I want to read about that or think that much of it is true.Brett seemed to enjoy coming up with more and varied ways to humiliate and subjucate women. Constant rapes, forced mariages, incest, menial slave labor etc. At first I understood it to be a setup of the "bad guy" and then it got tiresome and then it got loathsome.
It is an inventive world and there are teasing mysteries but I couldn't get past the seemingly purposeless mysogeny.
Will definitely not read the next even though I already own it.
stale_reviews's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
3.75
nicolleelizabeth's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic sequel to The Painted Man.
Its incredibly interesting view characters you know so well through eyes of characters who don't.
I was also incredibly interested in learning about Krasian culture and the stark differences between the two. What was more interesting in that exchange was how the different cultures interacted with each other and how Jardir handled the politics.
I enjoyed the introduction of new characters and new perspectives.
I loved learning more about the demons and the core and how it all works.
Looking forward to reading The Daylight War.
Its incredibly interesting view characters you know so well through eyes of characters who don't.
I was also incredibly interested in learning about Krasian culture and the stark differences between the two. What was more interesting in that exchange was how the different cultures interacted with each other and how Jardir handled the politics.
I enjoyed the introduction of new characters and new perspectives.
I loved learning more about the demons and the core and how it all works.
Looking forward to reading The Daylight War.
mnyberg's review against another edition
4.0
This is just plain solid fantasy writing and theme. I like how the characters have been developed with just the right amount of detail and history and how they are brought together.
smallness's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable story - plodded at a couple of points, and I could have done with fewer rape scenes, but still engrossing. Looking forward to book #3.
jaredwsaltz's review against another edition
1.0
Few times have I seen a book with good potential become so bad, so quickly. Whereas the pace in Warded Man was good, and the story compelling, Desert Spear lampoons the pacing, the plot, and the characters. We go from the Jordan-inspired Warded Man to Jordan-Rip-Off Desert Spear, with George R. R. Martin's proclivity for sexual deviancy, acceptance, and transformation tossed in as an "extra." Brett seems to have written the first book as an interesting fantasy and then felt that he needed to write something "more," and attempts to make his book some sort of commentary on gender theory, sexual liberation, and psychoanalysis all at once.
Needless to say, he fails horribly. Fantasy can be an excellent place to explore sensitive cultural issues, but the ham-handed approach shown by Brett and others (think: Terry Goodkind's awful Naked Empire) isn't the way to do it. While fantasy can provide social commentary, it must first be good fantasy. Brett has failed at that. Mainly because so little happens in the six-hundred pages of the book. The first third is flashbacks, and instead of quick snipped or even extended commentary, we are treated to little information that a perceptive reader wouldn't have gleaned from reading through the Warded Man. The final two thirds' plot can be summed up in a single sentence: Jardir and Arlen can kill demons even better now, even the really powerful ones, and everyone else is catching onto the the trick as well.
I rarely give books a single star, but this is the one of the worst books I've read in quite awhile and--from what I've read about the third one--it just gets worse from here. I will likely not complete the series, something which speaks volumes from someone like me.
Needless to say, he fails horribly. Fantasy can be an excellent place to explore sensitive cultural issues, but the ham-handed approach shown by Brett and others (think: Terry Goodkind's awful Naked Empire) isn't the way to do it. While fantasy can provide social commentary, it must first be good fantasy. Brett has failed at that. Mainly because so little happens in the six-hundred pages of the book. The first third is flashbacks, and instead of quick snipped or even extended commentary, we are treated to little information that a perceptive reader wouldn't have gleaned from reading through the Warded Man. The final two thirds' plot can be summed up in a single sentence: Jardir and Arlen can kill demons even better now, even the really powerful ones, and everyone else is catching onto the the trick as well.
I rarely give books a single star, but this is the one of the worst books I've read in quite awhile and--from what I've read about the third one--it just gets worse from here. I will likely not complete the series, something which speaks volumes from someone like me.
lord_schorschl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
dantastic's review against another edition
5.0
The Warded Man continues his work, spreading the wards of the ancients and the ability to fight demons, denying that he is the Deliverer. A new Deliverer rises in the southern desert, seeking to unite all of the world in the Daylight War. Can he do it? Can Leesha resist his charms? And what does the Warded Man think of it all...
Wow. If The Warded Man turned the awesomeness knob up to ten, this one turns it up to eleven. The first third of the book is an expansion of Arlen's time in Krasia in The Warded Man, only told from Jardir's point of view, covering Jardir's origins. The Krasians are given more dimension and more insights to Krasia's culture is given.
The relationships between the three main characters continues to develop. Leesha has grown into the leader of Deliverer's Hollow. The Warded Man contiues to fight his slide away from humanity. Old threads are tied up and new ones are introduced.
The Desert Spear is more demon-killing goodness in the vein of The Warded Man. I can't wait for the next volume. There's going to be hell to pay when The Warded Man and the Deliverer finally cross paths.
Wow. If The Warded Man turned the awesomeness knob up to ten, this one turns it up to eleven. The first third of the book is an expansion of Arlen's time in Krasia in The Warded Man, only told from Jardir's point of view, covering Jardir's origins. The Krasians are given more dimension and more insights to Krasia's culture is given.
The relationships between the three main characters continues to develop. Leesha has grown into the leader of Deliverer's Hollow. The Warded Man contiues to fight his slide away from humanity. Old threads are tied up and new ones are introduced.
The Desert Spear is more demon-killing goodness in the vein of The Warded Man. I can't wait for the next volume. There's going to be hell to pay when The Warded Man and the Deliverer finally cross paths.
auth's review against another edition
3.0
Dieses Buch hätte einen besseren Lektor gebraucht. Auf den 1006 Seiten, welche meine vorliegende Version umfasst, passiert im Nachhinein betrachtet ziemlich wenig, so dass rund ein Drittel bequem hätte eingespart werden können, ohne dass sich ein großer Verlust bemerkbar machen würde. Der Vergleich mit dem direkten Vorgängerroman der Reihe, welcher knapp 200 Seiten weniger umfasst, jedoch so viel mehr abdeckt, ist geradezu erschreckend.
Nichtsdestotrotz gibt es auch hier noch Elemente, die mir bereits im Vorgänger gefallen haben, nur weiter verstreut. Drei Sterne sind noch gnädig, 2,5 wären treffender, da sich dieser Roman eher wie ein 1000seitiger Aufbau für spätere Ereignisse liest, als erinnerungswürdige Ereignisse zu liefern.
Nichtsdestotrotz gibt es auch hier noch Elemente, die mir bereits im Vorgänger gefallen haben, nur weiter verstreut. Drei Sterne sind noch gnädig, 2,5 wären treffender, da sich dieser Roman eher wie ein 1000seitiger Aufbau für spätere Ereignisse liest, als erinnerungswürdige Ereignisse zu liefern.
rubyreads_'s review against another edition
5.0
This book only improved on the previous installment in an amazing way.
We continue with the characters we followed in the previous novel, The Warded Man. Cutters Hollow, now names Deliverers Hollow becomes stronger by the day, bringing back skills of old to fight the evil of the night. Leesha leads them in this charge, with the help of the Jongleur Rojer as he attempts to train other in the art of music. The Warded Man continues to teach people the wards of old and protects the people.
One of my favorite parts was learning about Jardir, and the ways of life in Krasia. Learning about how he came to be the Shar'Dama Ka is powerful. Furthermore their views on courage, and how religion influenced those views is fascinating.
Most of all, it's fascinating to see the difference between fate, and prophecy and whether prophecy is fulfilled by living up to that role, or whether we fulfill that role by the life we lead.
We continue with the characters we followed in the previous novel, The Warded Man. Cutters Hollow, now names Deliverers Hollow becomes stronger by the day, bringing back skills of old to fight the evil of the night. Leesha leads them in this charge, with the help of the Jongleur Rojer as he attempts to train other in the art of music. The Warded Man continues to teach people the wards of old and protects the people.
One of my favorite parts was learning about Jardir, and the ways of life in Krasia. Learning about how he came to be the Shar'Dama Ka is powerful. Furthermore their views on courage, and how religion influenced those views is fascinating.
Most of all, it's fascinating to see the difference between fate, and prophecy and whether prophecy is fulfilled by living up to that role, or whether we fulfill that role by the life we lead.