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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
DNF 48%
Warrior mages, dragons, blind courtesans, evil Emperor, evil Gods … It’s all a bit crash bang wallop. Even epic fantasy needs subtlety and this doesn’t have any. I got to about half way through and meh.
Warrior mages, dragons, blind courtesans, evil Emperor, evil Gods … It’s all a bit crash bang wallop. Even epic fantasy needs subtlety and this doesn’t have any. I got to about half way through and meh.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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:
Complicated
The Forever King is the first book in the Scalussen series. The main character is Mithrid. Mithrid lives in the north area of Arka empire. Arka empire has magic laws and Emperor Malvus is the Master of this place. At some point an illegal spellbook finds its way to Mithrid’s hands and then she finds herself involved in a war against Malvus. The world building aspect of the book is great. Also the characters are excellent and they grow as the book moves forward.
Another SPFBO7 finalist read!
Another really strong book from the batch of finalists and I can totally see how this made its way to the final!
I think this book shows very quickly, that it is not a debut. Ben is clearly a well accomplished writer who knows how to frame a story, pace a story and create a vivid world.
This is the strongest aspects of this book as well. The world building in this book, is the best of any of the SPFBO7 finalists I have read. I was totally immersed in the world, throughout the book.
I didnt totally love all of the characters involved. Without giving away too many spoilers. The "good guys" were really well done and fleshed out and I was certainly team Mithred! The bit I struggled with was the "baddies" were pretty flat. I didnt really care or believe their reasons or stance, other than wanting all the POWER!
I also didnt think we needed every type of fantasy character. Minotaur, Demons, Dragons, Gods and Griffins. It diluted the story a little bit for me.
However overall, I really did enjoy the journey and look forward to reading more from the world. I will definitely be going to the other series in this world, as soon as possible
Another really strong book from the batch of finalists and I can totally see how this made its way to the final!
I think this book shows very quickly, that it is not a debut. Ben is clearly a well accomplished writer who knows how to frame a story, pace a story and create a vivid world.
This is the strongest aspects of this book as well. The world building in this book, is the best of any of the SPFBO7 finalists I have read. I was totally immersed in the world, throughout the book.
I didnt totally love all of the characters involved. Without giving away too many spoilers. The "good guys" were really well done and fleshed out and I was certainly team Mithred! The bit I struggled with was the "baddies" were pretty flat. I didnt really care or believe their reasons or stance, other than wanting all the POWER!
I also didnt think we needed every type of fantasy character. Minotaur, Demons, Dragons, Gods and Griffins. It diluted the story a little bit for me.
However overall, I really did enjoy the journey and look forward to reading more from the world. I will definitely be going to the other series in this world, as soon as possible
Ben Galley’s The Forever King is the start of the second trilogy in his Emaneska series. It picks up 20 years after the end of the first trilogy and follows the heroes’ and villains’ continuing journey, while introducing some new characters along the way.
Now, all SPFBO entrants need to be standalone, or the first in a series, and, despite its chronology, The Forever King does indeed work as the start of a series. Much like the original Star Wars drops us into a fully-realized, extant world and expects us to pick up pieces of the past along the way, so too does Forever King. I never felt lost as Galley deftly covered all the necessary backstory in the same hushed tones of Alec Guinness talking about the Clone Wars.
The story proper follows Mithrid, a young girl left an orphan when evil forces destroy her idyllic seaside village. From there she is drawn into the war between Malvus Barkhart the current – and quite evil – Emperor, and Farden, the titular, rebellious Forever King, both having endured the status quo at the end of the original trilogy. Mithrid is found to possess a power with the promise to end the cold war between the foes and bring victory to one side or the other. Either outcome will drastically alter the world of forever.
And what a world it is! The Forever King feels like the platonic ideal of the word ‘fantasy’, weaving in absolutely everything you would expect: Warring Kings, Magic, Armies, Demons, Dragons, Rogues, Minotaurs, Gods, and so on. It’s a bright, colorful tapestry of wonderful world-building that will leave fans of traditional fantasy (like me) more than satisfied. Galley’s prose and dialogue also sparkle in the process, providing us with characters as vibrant as the world they’re in. Think more the wit of Locke Lamora versus the relative stodginess of classic Tolkien.
Galley’s world and character-building also rely heavily on Norse influences, which provides a very interesting tinge to his settings and people. But, personally, there are times where I feel this goes too far, ruining my immersion in his otherwise creative and beautiful world. The most egregious of these -again, to personal taste – is the inclusion of Loki as a secondary character. Loki as a concept has suffered from a bit of over-exposure in the past decade-and-a-half due to the MCU, and that is felt here. I found myself wishing Galley had created his own gods to play with, rather than drawing from real world myth, as it feels like a thorn in the side of his otherwise great world-building.
Another prominent thorn is that I feel the book is simply a smidge too long. But I think that’s just because I’m not the best audience for chonkers. I prefer my fiction tight and pacy, with as little fat as possible. And, for the most part, I thought Galley succeeded, but there were stretches toward the second half where my interest began to wane a bit and I felt the inclusion of certain set pieces and scenes felt a little more self-indulgent than absolutely necessary to the story. But, admittedly, this is a minor gripe, as they were still fun.
Ultimately, The Forever King is a must-read for fans of classic fantasy looking for a new series with a bright, colorful edge to it. It gave me everything I wanted and more, leaving me more than immersed enough in the world to want to go back and read Galley’s original trilogy, as well as continue on with this one.
9/10
Now, all SPFBO entrants need to be standalone, or the first in a series, and, despite its chronology, The Forever King does indeed work as the start of a series. Much like the original Star Wars drops us into a fully-realized, extant world and expects us to pick up pieces of the past along the way, so too does Forever King. I never felt lost as Galley deftly covered all the necessary backstory in the same hushed tones of Alec Guinness talking about the Clone Wars.
The story proper follows Mithrid, a young girl left an orphan when evil forces destroy her idyllic seaside village. From there she is drawn into the war between Malvus Barkhart the current – and quite evil – Emperor, and Farden, the titular, rebellious Forever King, both having endured the status quo at the end of the original trilogy. Mithrid is found to possess a power with the promise to end the cold war between the foes and bring victory to one side or the other. Either outcome will drastically alter the world of forever.
And what a world it is! The Forever King feels like the platonic ideal of the word ‘fantasy’, weaving in absolutely everything you would expect: Warring Kings, Magic, Armies, Demons, Dragons, Rogues, Minotaurs, Gods, and so on. It’s a bright, colorful tapestry of wonderful world-building that will leave fans of traditional fantasy (like me) more than satisfied. Galley’s prose and dialogue also sparkle in the process, providing us with characters as vibrant as the world they’re in. Think more the wit of Locke Lamora versus the relative stodginess of classic Tolkien.
Galley’s world and character-building also rely heavily on Norse influences, which provides a very interesting tinge to his settings and people. But, personally, there are times where I feel this goes too far, ruining my immersion in his otherwise creative and beautiful world. The most egregious of these -again, to personal taste – is the inclusion of Loki as a secondary character. Loki as a concept has suffered from a bit of over-exposure in the past decade-and-a-half due to the MCU, and that is felt here. I found myself wishing Galley had created his own gods to play with, rather than drawing from real world myth, as it feels like a thorn in the side of his otherwise great world-building.
Another prominent thorn is that I feel the book is simply a smidge too long. But I think that’s just because I’m not the best audience for chonkers. I prefer my fiction tight and pacy, with as little fat as possible. And, for the most part, I thought Galley succeeded, but there were stretches toward the second half where my interest began to wane a bit and I felt the inclusion of certain set pieces and scenes felt a little more self-indulgent than absolutely necessary to the story. But, admittedly, this is a minor gripe, as they were still fun.
Ultimately, The Forever King is a must-read for fans of classic fantasy looking for a new series with a bright, colorful edge to it. It gave me everything I wanted and more, leaving me more than immersed enough in the world to want to go back and read Galley’s original trilogy, as well as continue on with this one.
9/10
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
I have just finished reading The Forever King by Ben Galley and I cannot believe I have only just come across his works.
The Forever King is the first in The Scalussen Chronicles and is set in the same universe as his Emaneska series, which I haven’t read yet. Although, I presume, a lot of the characters in this book have also come from the previous series, it is not necessary to have read them as Galley does such a good job of setting this story up on its own two feet and filling in enough of the back story to make you love (or hate) those characters in this setting.
It follows Mithrid, a young, head strong girl who has grown up on the cliffs and knows little of the wider world…that is until a magic book washes up on the beach. The action starts almost instantly and I was catapulted into this excellently depicted world by the sheer force of it, just as MIthrid is thrown into the war between the Arka Empire and the Outlaw King. She joins the rebels fighting for freedom as they head north to Scalussen with the promise of fulfilling her revenge.
This book has it all, a strong female lead, engaging characters, dragons, mages, magic and more than enough action to ensure you never want to put it down. And the ending...oh my goodness! Just…go and read it please! (This is also where I imagine those who have read the previous series and are more acquainted with some of the characters would really have been dealt a blow to the heart at one particular moment. I know I welled up…I definitely shouted at my kindle, and I believe had I read the previous books prior to this one I may have bawled my eyes out.)
I will most definitely be going back and reading the Emaneska series (I have my eye on the illustrated editions which will be coming out soon) and continuing on with the Scalussen Chronicles.
I think I finally have another favourite author to add to my shelves.
The Forever King is the first in The Scalussen Chronicles and is set in the same universe as his Emaneska series, which I haven’t read yet. Although, I presume, a lot of the characters in this book have also come from the previous series, it is not necessary to have read them as Galley does such a good job of setting this story up on its own two feet and filling in enough of the back story to make you love (or hate) those characters in this setting.
It follows Mithrid, a young, head strong girl who has grown up on the cliffs and knows little of the wider world…that is until a magic book washes up on the beach. The action starts almost instantly and I was catapulted into this excellently depicted world by the sheer force of it, just as MIthrid is thrown into the war between the Arka Empire and the Outlaw King. She joins the rebels fighting for freedom as they head north to Scalussen with the promise of fulfilling her revenge.
This book has it all, a strong female lead, engaging characters, dragons, mages, magic and more than enough action to ensure you never want to put it down. And the ending...oh my goodness! Just…go and read it please! (This is also where I imagine those who have read the previous series and are more acquainted with some of the characters would really have been dealt a blow to the heart at one particular moment. I know I welled up…I definitely shouted at my kindle, and I believe had I read the previous books prior to this one I may have bawled my eyes out.)
I will most definitely be going back and reading the Emaneska series (I have my eye on the illustrated editions which will be coming out soon) and continuing on with the Scalussen Chronicles.
I think I finally have another favourite author to add to my shelves.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, War
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Body shaming, Rape, Suicide, Death of parent