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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Три способа спасти Империю
Каден, Валин и Адер, каждый избрав свой путь, пытаются найти способ вернуть утраченный контроль над Империей. Смогут ли три неопытных вчерашних подростка противостоять существу, которое живёт уже не первую тысячу лет? Особенно когда на севере нарастает ещё более опасная угроза.
После прочтения второй книги я понял главную сильную сторону цикла «Хроники Нетёсаного трона». Эта серия идеально подходит для начинающего читателя фэнтези. Стейвли начинает с малого и постепенно, шаг за шагом, добавляет в историю новые элементы. Первая книга знакомит нас с Империей, где в результате заговора был убит правитель, а главная цель — защитить наследника и посадить его на трон. Мы получаем первые сведения о магии (личи), необычных существах (огромные птицы элитного ВДВ), тайном клане убийц, древней расе и местном пантеоне богов. Ничего такого, что перегружало бы восприятие неподготовленного читателя.
Во второй книге добавляются внешняя угроза Империи, технологии древней расы, политические интриги внутренних сил и углубляется знакомство с различными религиями (все они легитимны, ведь здесь богов много, и все они настоящие). Мы видим, почему ил Торнья является лучшим полководцем Империи. Все новые элементы вводятся постепенно, расширяя и усложняя историю.
Если возникает вопрос: «Не будет ли книга скучной для опытного фаната фэнтези?», то мой ответ — нет. Хотя цикл не привносит ничего революционного в жанр, постепенное наполнение истории деталями делает его интересным. Лучше связанный и хорошо структурированный сюжет, чем изобилие идей, выливающихся в хаос. Если же вы всё ещё опасаетесь, что история покажется слишком банальной, то стоит упомянуть одну необычную деталь. Мы знаем, что лучшая ложь частично основана на правде. Во второй книге к антагонистам, помимо ил Торнья, добавляются новые персонажи, и каждый из них рассказывает свою версию событий. На первый взгляд всё кажется логичным, но детали раскрывают, что каждый из антагонистов либо приукрашивает факты, либо жонглирует ими, а иногда и откровенно врёт. Это создаёт атмосферу, в которой никому нельзя доверять. Сиюминутный союзник может через несколько глав стать предателем. Но уровня «Песни Льда и Пламени» всё же ожидать не стоит.
Главная слабость книги — это непостоянство умственных способностей персонажей. Персонажи, которые по всем признакам должны быть умными, совершают глупейшие поступки. Если бы не защита автора, Адер со своими идеями должна была погибнуть в самом начале книги. В то же время герой, большую часть жизни проведший в монастыре, внезапно оказывается способным разработать и реализовать сложнейший многоходовый план. По завершении книги остаётся загадка: как вообще Валина назначили командиром крыла? За две книги он не продемонстрировал ни одного командирского качества.
Мир становится всё более сложным, а цикл — всё лучше. Оценка: 4 из 5.
Каден, Валин и Адер, каждый избрав свой путь, пытаются найти способ вернуть утраченный контроль над Империей. Смогут ли три неопытных вчерашних подростка противостоять существу, которое живёт уже не первую тысячу лет? Особенно когда на севере нарастает ещё более опасная угроза.
После прочтения второй книги я понял главную сильную сторону цикла «Хроники Нетёсаного трона». Эта серия идеально подходит для начинающего читателя фэнтези. Стейвли начинает с малого и постепенно, шаг за шагом, добавляет в историю новые элементы. Первая книга знакомит нас с Империей, где в результате заговора был убит правитель, а главная цель — защитить наследника и посадить его на трон. Мы получаем первые сведения о магии (личи), необычных существах (огромные птицы элитного ВДВ), тайном клане убийц, древней расе и местном пантеоне богов. Ничего такого, что перегружало бы восприятие неподготовленного читателя.
Во второй книге добавляются внешняя угроза Империи, технологии древней расы, политические интриги внутренних сил и углубляется знакомство с различными религиями (все они легитимны, ведь здесь богов много, и все они настоящие). Мы видим, почему ил Торнья является лучшим полководцем Империи. Все новые элементы вводятся постепенно, расширяя и усложняя историю.
Если возникает вопрос: «Не будет ли книга скучной для опытного фаната фэнтези?», то мой ответ — нет. Хотя цикл не привносит ничего революционного в жанр, постепенное наполнение истории деталями делает его интересным. Лучше связанный и хорошо структурированный сюжет, чем изобилие идей, выливающихся в хаос. Если же вы всё ещё опасаетесь, что история покажется слишком банальной, то стоит упомянуть одну необычную деталь. Мы знаем, что лучшая ложь частично основана на правде. Во второй книге к антагонистам, помимо ил Торнья, добавляются новые персонажи, и каждый из них рассказывает свою версию событий. На первый взгляд всё кажется логичным, но детали раскрывают, что каждый из антагонистов либо приукрашивает факты, либо жонглирует ими, а иногда и откровенно врёт. Это создаёт атмосферу, в которой никому нельзя доверять. Сиюминутный союзник может через несколько глав стать предателем. Но уровня «Песни Льда и Пламени» всё же ожидать не стоит.
Главная слабость книги — это непостоянство умственных способностей персонажей. Персонажи, которые по всем признакам должны быть умными, совершают глупейшие поступки. Если бы не защита автора, Адер со своими идеями должна была погибнуть в самом начале книги. В то же время герой, большую часть жизни проведший в монастыре, внезапно оказывается способным разработать и реализовать сложнейший многоходовый план. По завершении книги остаётся загадка: как вообще Валина назначили командиром крыла? За две книги он не продемонстрировал ни одного командирского качества.
Мир становится всё более сложным, а цикл — всё лучше. Оценка: 4 из 5.
3.5/5
Was definitely fast paced and better than the first one but it was longer than it needed to be I guess? Sometimes I kept skimming because I wanted to get to the main story but overall a very solid sequel
Was definitely fast paced and better than the first one but it was longer than it needed to be I guess? Sometimes I kept skimming because I wanted to get to the main story but overall a very solid sequel
Listened to on Audible.
For some reason, I didn't get quite as engaged in the second book as the first. In many ways, I felt that there was a lot of interesting setup, but there was a lot of build up and then a fairly quick series of climaxes across the various characters. Frankly, this is probably a symptom of book two-itis and I'll be picking up the next in the series to confirm that theory.
For some reason, I didn't get quite as engaged in the second book as the first. In many ways, I felt that there was a lot of interesting setup, but there was a lot of build up and then a fairly quick series of climaxes across the various characters. Frankly, this is probably a symptom of book two-itis and I'll be picking up the next in the series to confirm that theory.
I'm going back and forth on this one and I'm not sure that it wasn't my mood fluctuating through the days that I read it. Most of the time I could not put it down. I was generally deeply immersed in the story and the characters, but near the end I ended up losing the thread of it and not being as thrilled. That said, near the end, I was under a lot of outside stress, so I cannot swear that it wasn't the stress keeping me from enjoying the ending of the book rather than the fault of the book itself.
One thing I did really like was the unreliability of various characters based on what they know, what they believe, and what they're trying to hide. Most books I've read don't play that nearly as well, but Staveley does an excellent job of making a character appear eminently reasonable and believable EVEN WHEN YOU KNOW FULL WELL THAT HE'S LYING. Like, you SAW the thing happen in another chapter, but when he swears up and down that the rumors of this thing happening are untrue, you start to fall for it. I also like how this makes you then think of another character that you're currently meant to trust and don't actually have any reason to mistrust, and wonder if maybe that character is lying through his teeth too. I also really enjoy the question of "well hey, this guy is definitely evil, but he may be the only chance we have at fighting this other evil thing. Is it worth allowing evil to exist if you can use it?"
So yeah, I'll read the next one.
One thing I did really like was the unreliability of various characters based on what they know, what they believe, and what they're trying to hide. Most books I've read don't play that nearly as well, but Staveley does an excellent job of making a character appear eminently reasonable and believable EVEN WHEN YOU KNOW FULL WELL THAT HE'S LYING. Like, you SAW the thing happen in another chapter, but when he swears up and down that the rumors of this thing happening are untrue, you start to fall for it. I also like how this makes you then think of another character that you're currently meant to trust and don't actually have any reason to mistrust, and wonder if maybe that character is lying through his teeth too. I also really enjoy the question of "well hey, this guy is definitely evil, but he may be the only chance we have at fighting this other evil thing. Is it worth allowing evil to exist if you can use it?"
So yeah, I'll read the next one.
The Review: http://thefictionalhangout.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-chronicles-of-unhewn-throne-2.html.
"The conspiracy to destroy the ruling family of the Annurian Empire is far from over.
Having learned the identity of her father's assassin, Adare flees the Dawn Palace in search of allies to challenge the coup against her family. Few trust her, but when she is believed to be touched by Intarra, patron goddess of the empire, the people rally to help her retake the capital city. As armies prepare to clash, the threat of invasion from barbarian hordes compels the rival forces to unite against their common enemy. Unknown to Adare, her brother Valyn, renegade member of the empire's most elite fighting force, has allied with the invading nomads. The terrible choices each of them has made may make war between them inevitable.
Between Valyn and Adare is their brother Kaden, rightful heir to the Unhewn Throne, who has infiltrated the Annurian capital with the help of two strange companions. The knowledge they possess of the secret history that shapes these events could save Annur or destroy it."
I wasn’t too keen on The Emperor’s Blades, the first novel from Brian Stavely’s The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne, and I wasn’t initially planning on reading the second book, but given the vast amount of praise that the sequel was receiving with positive reviews from pretty much everywhere, I thought I’d give it a shot and I certainly wasn’t disappointed, with this novel emerging as a strong contender to be among this year’s best come the end, even though it is only the start of February.
The book itself follows from the aftermath of the first novel, with the Conspiracy against the ruling family of the Annurian Empire far from over. Thebook continues to follow the adventures of Adare, Valyn and Kaden, all caught up in their own troubles which are rapidly escalating as each character continues to get plenty of development. Adare is on the run having escaped the Dawn Palace in the aftermath of the coup, but has nowhere to turn to with few people willing to trust her until she starts to claim that she’s being touched by Intarra, the patron goddess of the empire. But to make matters worse, and unknown to Adare, her brother Valyn has joined up with invading barbarian hordes, a threat so terrible that it is forcing the rivals to combine against a common foe. And finally, caught in between the two, is Kaden, the rightful heir to the throne, who has infiltrated the Annurian capital with two mysterious allies.
If you’re looking for an example of a sequel that beats the previous book in terms of quality, then The Providence of Fire is certainly one that I’m going to point you in the direction of. It’s a step up in every sense, of the word, bigger, wider and more expansive with greater attention to not only characters but also the world that they inhabit. What could have been a book designed to only set up a third installment instead becomes a defining novel that pushes this series into the status of “must-read” novels. It’s just that good.
The book itself gives Adare plenty of things to do after she spent much of The Emperor’s Blades doing little whilst Valyn and Kaden got up to all the action. Her part in The Providence of Fire turns out to be one of the most exciting and engaging, with Adare shaping up to be one of the more enthralling characters of the book with a great element of political intrigued added to her, and it’s good to see that the development of the character has really paid off. On top of that, her supporting cast is fleshed out as well with plenty of interesting characters that help give her section of the story a massive, welcoming improvement.
With The Providence of Fire being larger than The Emperor’s Blades in terms of page count, there’s a lot to work with. As well as Adare, we spent plenty of time with Kaden and Valyn and all of these characters get some great development as their parts become more interesting and more engaging as this book starts to have a greater feel of epicness than the first. There’s a sense of urgency, unpredictability and several moments of great tension. It’s what The Dark Knight was to Batman Begins, and those of you who know just how better the former film was to the latter then you’ll know what to expect from this book.
For such a large novel some writers can fall into the trap of making parts drag, particularly towards the middle section, when they expand their world further, but Staveley makes no mistake here and keeps the pacing spot on for the most part. There are a few transitional problems that don’t quite work as well as they should, but despite this, they’re only minor issues and won’t detract from your reading experience as a whole.
As a result,The Providence of Fire is very good indeed. It’s a far superior second novel to the first one, and if you were put off by The Emperor’s Blades (or even if you loved it), then I can strongly recommend that you give Staveley’s The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne a second shot. Because trust me, you won’t regret it. Expect this to feature on the top 25 books of 2015 come the year’s end for sure. It’s such a shame that the next novel doesn’t come out until 2016.
VERDICT: 9/10
"The conspiracy to destroy the ruling family of the Annurian Empire is far from over.
Having learned the identity of her father's assassin, Adare flees the Dawn Palace in search of allies to challenge the coup against her family. Few trust her, but when she is believed to be touched by Intarra, patron goddess of the empire, the people rally to help her retake the capital city. As armies prepare to clash, the threat of invasion from barbarian hordes compels the rival forces to unite against their common enemy. Unknown to Adare, her brother Valyn, renegade member of the empire's most elite fighting force, has allied with the invading nomads. The terrible choices each of them has made may make war between them inevitable.
Between Valyn and Adare is their brother Kaden, rightful heir to the Unhewn Throne, who has infiltrated the Annurian capital with the help of two strange companions. The knowledge they possess of the secret history that shapes these events could save Annur or destroy it."
I wasn’t too keen on The Emperor’s Blades, the first novel from Brian Stavely’s The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne, and I wasn’t initially planning on reading the second book, but given the vast amount of praise that the sequel was receiving with positive reviews from pretty much everywhere, I thought I’d give it a shot and I certainly wasn’t disappointed, with this novel emerging as a strong contender to be among this year’s best come the end, even though it is only the start of February.
The book itself follows from the aftermath of the first novel, with the Conspiracy against the ruling family of the Annurian Empire far from over. Thebook continues to follow the adventures of Adare, Valyn and Kaden, all caught up in their own troubles which are rapidly escalating as each character continues to get plenty of development. Adare is on the run having escaped the Dawn Palace in the aftermath of the coup, but has nowhere to turn to with few people willing to trust her until she starts to claim that she’s being touched by Intarra, the patron goddess of the empire. But to make matters worse, and unknown to Adare, her brother Valyn has joined up with invading barbarian hordes, a threat so terrible that it is forcing the rivals to combine against a common foe. And finally, caught in between the two, is Kaden, the rightful heir to the throne, who has infiltrated the Annurian capital with two mysterious allies.
If you’re looking for an example of a sequel that beats the previous book in terms of quality, then The Providence of Fire is certainly one that I’m going to point you in the direction of. It’s a step up in every sense, of the word, bigger, wider and more expansive with greater attention to not only characters but also the world that they inhabit. What could have been a book designed to only set up a third installment instead becomes a defining novel that pushes this series into the status of “must-read” novels. It’s just that good.
The book itself gives Adare plenty of things to do after she spent much of The Emperor’s Blades doing little whilst Valyn and Kaden got up to all the action. Her part in The Providence of Fire turns out to be one of the most exciting and engaging, with Adare shaping up to be one of the more enthralling characters of the book with a great element of political intrigued added to her, and it’s good to see that the development of the character has really paid off. On top of that, her supporting cast is fleshed out as well with plenty of interesting characters that help give her section of the story a massive, welcoming improvement.
With The Providence of Fire being larger than The Emperor’s Blades in terms of page count, there’s a lot to work with. As well as Adare, we spent plenty of time with Kaden and Valyn and all of these characters get some great development as their parts become more interesting and more engaging as this book starts to have a greater feel of epicness than the first. There’s a sense of urgency, unpredictability and several moments of great tension. It’s what The Dark Knight was to Batman Begins, and those of you who know just how better the former film was to the latter then you’ll know what to expect from this book.
For such a large novel some writers can fall into the trap of making parts drag, particularly towards the middle section, when they expand their world further, but Staveley makes no mistake here and keeps the pacing spot on for the most part. There are a few transitional problems that don’t quite work as well as they should, but despite this, they’re only minor issues and won’t detract from your reading experience as a whole.
As a result,The Providence of Fire is very good indeed. It’s a far superior second novel to the first one, and if you were put off by The Emperor’s Blades (or even if you loved it), then I can strongly recommend that you give Staveley’s The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne a second shot. Because trust me, you won’t regret it. Expect this to feature on the top 25 books of 2015 come the year’s end for sure. It’s such a shame that the next novel doesn’t come out until 2016.
VERDICT: 9/10
This is book #2 in the series and I was hoping for a little more than I got. This is an interesting story, and it continues to grow more interesting as it goes with the ending becoming more and more intense, but the slight issue I have is that it seems a little 'bitty'. What I mean by that is that sections of this book are really exciting and action-packed with lots of problems for our main characters to face, and other sections drag on a lot or jump quickly between characters so there's no real way to settle down into the story.
Again we are following the three siblings, Vayln, Adare and Kaeden, who are the children of the Emperor. In book #1 we see all three of the embarking on separate quests and story-lines, but in this book we do start to see the stories pull together and become more of a central plot. I liked seeing Adare and the other females taking up more time for the story, but still I didn't think some sections of her plot weren't as exciting as they could/should have been.
What I do like about this is that we're starting to explore the world further and we're being introduced into wartime in a way that is a little different from most stories. Instead of just being thrown in among the battlers, we actually get to focus on the politicking and plotting that is happening behind the war too, and when gods manifest and nomads fight back stuff does get quite riveting.
On the whole I think this is a good continuation and the story is one I do want to finish up, but I just hoped for a little more 'wow' factor from the plot and characters. I tended to find myself drifting through bits of the story, and fighting against other sections and this did take me quite a while to finish up. I will be completing the series, but so far this was only a 3* read for me and was similar to the first for how I felt overall.
Again we are following the three siblings, Vayln, Adare and Kaeden, who are the children of the Emperor. In book #1 we see all three of the embarking on separate quests and story-lines, but in this book we do start to see the stories pull together and become more of a central plot. I liked seeing Adare and the other females taking up more time for the story, but still I didn't think some sections of her plot weren't as exciting as they could/should have been.
What I do like about this is that we're starting to explore the world further and we're being introduced into wartime in a way that is a little different from most stories. Instead of just being thrown in among the battlers, we actually get to focus on the politicking and plotting that is happening behind the war too, and when gods manifest and nomads fight back stuff does get quite riveting.
On the whole I think this is a good continuation and the story is one I do want to finish up, but I just hoped for a little more 'wow' factor from the plot and characters. I tended to find myself drifting through bits of the story, and fighting against other sections and this did take me quite a while to finish up. I will be completing the series, but so far this was only a 3* read for me and was similar to the first for how I felt overall.
Just barely 4 stars. This was way more politically intense than the first book. Not sure if I want to finish the series yet or not.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was great. It was also interesting on how it all played out, and how it was hard to root for any of the characters. You think you like their intentions, but then you realize that you don't even know what they are.
3.5
I was so bloody excited for this after loving the first book so much and this just didn’t live up to the first, I’m hoping the third and final book brings the enjoyment back up because from the ending it does have potential
I was so bloody excited for this after loving the first book so much and this just didn’t live up to the first, I’m hoping the third and final book brings the enjoyment back up because from the ending it does have potential