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mellhay's review
5.0
Wow. A whole new world and magic created in a novella. I enjoyed the chanting magic and use of vibration. Then the whole element of the connection of worlds and what darkness is present on the other side... and seeping into this world as well.
I am looking forward to more of this dark fantasy world.
****FULL REVIEW****
Travys, the prince, and Marc, Travys lowborn noble friend, find a morbid sight of the dead god and the sacrifice with it. The nobles have not done as they promised to the lowborn citizens. The promise to hold back the fray and beasts within. The person behind the ritual and fueling the lowborn is more than Travys had imagined and Travys is on the mission to find this person to protect his people. Then the matter of the princes marriage comes forth as another problem and his twin is not pleased.
Wow. A whole new world and magic created in a novella. I enjoyed the chanting magic and use of vibration. Then the whole element of the connection of worlds and what darkness is present on the other side... and seeping into this fantasy world as well.
I like there is a chanting magic to create the spells on walls to help protect the town people and to try and hold the fraying edges of reality together, keeping the dark monsters born from the fraying edges at bay. But things aren't going so well with the magic either. Only the nobles are of this magic.
Travys, the second of the Queen's twin sons, was born mute so he's powerless to the changing magic in his blood. Yet he has found a way to make the magic work for him.
This feels like a dark fantasy to me, more so than horror. There are ugly dark things in the world Travys lives in and beyond. Yet some of those dark things are not as terrible, at the moment, as others. The book didn't make me jump or scare me, so it's not that sort of horror.
This story surprised me when I got into it. I enjoyed the writing and the creation here. What surprised me is this is a novella! It reads like a full length fantasy novel. With each page the world and characters grow along with the plot and troubles they come across.
I look forward to more of this world. there is so much here to explore and so many possibilities. And I have a few curious thoughts on what else could happen. Oh do I hope Teresa gets us more of The Frayed Empire soon!
I am looking forward to more of this dark fantasy world.
****FULL REVIEW****
Travys, the prince, and Marc, Travys lowborn noble friend, find a morbid sight of the dead god and the sacrifice with it. The nobles have not done as they promised to the lowborn citizens. The promise to hold back the fray and beasts within. The person behind the ritual and fueling the lowborn is more than Travys had imagined and Travys is on the mission to find this person to protect his people. Then the matter of the princes marriage comes forth as another problem and his twin is not pleased.
Wow. A whole new world and magic created in a novella. I enjoyed the chanting magic and use of vibration. Then the whole element of the connection of worlds and what darkness is present on the other side... and seeping into this fantasy world as well.
I like there is a chanting magic to create the spells on walls to help protect the town people and to try and hold the fraying edges of reality together, keeping the dark monsters born from the fraying edges at bay. But things aren't going so well with the magic either. Only the nobles are of this magic.
Travys, the second of the Queen's twin sons, was born mute so he's powerless to the changing magic in his blood. Yet he has found a way to make the magic work for him.
This feels like a dark fantasy to me, more so than horror. There are ugly dark things in the world Travys lives in and beyond. Yet some of those dark things are not as terrible, at the moment, as others. The book didn't make me jump or scare me, so it's not that sort of horror.
This story surprised me when I got into it. I enjoyed the writing and the creation here. What surprised me is this is a novella! It reads like a full length fantasy novel. With each page the world and characters grow along with the plot and troubles they come across.
I look forward to more of this world. there is so much here to explore and so many possibilities. And I have a few curious thoughts on what else could happen. Oh do I hope Teresa gets us more of The Frayed Empire soon!
civreader's review
4.0
My review is here: http://civilian-reader.blogspot.ca/2014/09/mini-review-broken-road-by-teresa.html
thekalebrussell's review
3.0
For the most part, I really enjoyed this. I found the magic system interesting and found myself rooting for Travys from the very beginning. The author does a fine job of making him likable and making it easy to sympathize with him and his slight disability. Although it does meander a bit near the end and some of the characters were not flesh out very well, I was still immersed in Frohock’s world and would be more than happy to read a sequel.
nightxade's review
5.0
One of my biggest complaints in fantasy and science fiction is the way far too many authors can't seem to let go of the sexism that plagues our reality. What I love about Frohock's writing is that she gives me a world I want to see: a world of diverse characters who aren't judged by the things that I have to deal with on a day to day basis.
Not that the characters in The Broken Road don't deal with prejudice and hate. The aristocracy have little love for the "groties," the physically challenged lowborn that they lord over. Our protagonist, Prince Travys, suffers his own challenges, being born mute--which makes life difficult for him as a Chanteuse, the magic users who hold the threads of their world together.
Unique forms of magic always appeal to me. The Chanteuse use their voices to weave their magic, ranging from a few words, to beautiful, haunting melodies that I can almost hear as I read. The magic is unique, as is the way Travys' overcomes his disability by drawing sound from his environment.
As the story unfolds, we learn that Travys' mother, the Queen, intends him to marry his twin brother's lover and rule as king. But there is more to this than politics and sibling rivalry. The lowborn have resurrected the dead god, and a strange, corrupted magic is seeping into cracks between the world of Lehbet and Heled on the other side, which Travys is forced to travel to when his brother betrays him.
This is where the story gets *really* interesting, as Frohock smoothly blends her worlds of fantasy, horror and.... flamethrowers.
Everything's better with fire...
www.BiblioSanctum.com
Not that the characters in The Broken Road don't deal with prejudice and hate. The aristocracy have little love for the "groties," the physically challenged lowborn that they lord over. Our protagonist, Prince Travys, suffers his own challenges, being born mute--which makes life difficult for him as a Chanteuse, the magic users who hold the threads of their world together.
Unique forms of magic always appeal to me. The Chanteuse use their voices to weave their magic, ranging from a few words, to beautiful, haunting melodies that I can almost hear as I read. The magic is unique, as is the way Travys' overcomes his disability by drawing sound from his environment.
As the story unfolds, we learn that Travys' mother, the Queen, intends him to marry his twin brother's lover and rule as king. But there is more to this than politics and sibling rivalry. The lowborn have resurrected the dead god, and a strange, corrupted magic is seeping into cracks between the world of Lehbet and Heled on the other side, which Travys is forced to travel to when his brother betrays him.
This is where the story gets *really* interesting, as Frohock smoothly blends her worlds of fantasy, horror and.... flamethrowers.
Everything's better with fire...
www.BiblioSanctum.com
tomunro's review
5.0
I like quality writing but I will confess it is plot that draws me in and on through a book, and The Broken Road certainly delivered in that regard. There is conflict and rivalry, prejudice and despair as ignobility and nobility struggle for supremacy in the privileged palaces of the magically gifted chanteuse. But the author makes some great leaps of imagination and creativity that set this setting apart from the predictable canvas of epic fantasy. This is more merely than an unexpected heir fighting decadence and disadvantage to assert the moral purpose of rulership and in so doing endeavour to avert world wide disaster. to
Travys, the second son of a manipulative royal mother is crippled by his muteness, for in this world magic can only be channelled through voice and sound and Travys cannot wield his own power on his own. There is also a parallel world that bleeds into the land of the Chanteuse through frayed borders and it is the obligation and the peril of the chanteuse that they alone can close these portals to keep their own world safe. And as this action packed story progresses, Travys learns more of a risk his mother once took and how that blighted his birth and stole his true inheritance.
And as he travels into that past, Travys discovers that the world so dangerously twinned with theirs has already fallen to an invader, an invader that wants fresh conquests having plundered a world that is eerily familiar to the reader more so than to Travys. And Travys must find a way to severe the link between these conjoined worlds and restore the dignity of royal power in the face of so many who would wish him anything from failure to outright harm.
The book is full of intruiging motifs, introducing but not labouring new concepts of magic and of aliens and enemies. The writing immerses the reader in the experience of a place and people, rather than lecturing them in its geography and culture, and for a book that is in so many ways so different to the norm that is no mean achievement.
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Travys, the second son of a manipulative royal mother is crippled by his muteness, for in this world magic can only be channelled through voice and sound and Travys cannot wield his own power on his own. There is also a parallel world that bleeds into the land of the Chanteuse through frayed borders and it is the obligation and the peril of the chanteuse that they alone can close these portals to keep their own world safe. And as this action packed story progresses, Travys learns more of a risk his mother once took and how that blighted his birth and stole his true inheritance.
And as he travels into that past, Travys discovers that the world so dangerously twinned with theirs has already fallen to an invader, an invader that wants fresh conquests having plundered a world that is eerily familiar to the reader more so than to Travys. And Travys must find a way to severe the link between these conjoined worlds and restore the dignity of royal power in the face of so many who would wish him anything from failure to outright harm.
The book is full of intruiging motifs, introducing but not labouring new concepts of magic and of aliens and enemies. The writing immerses the reader in the experience of a place and people, rather than lecturing them in its geography and culture, and for a book that is in so many ways so different to the norm that is no mean achievement.
.
bibliotropic's review
5.0
Normally, I say I’m not much for novellas. For years I overlooked them, arrogantly figuring that they were somehow less good than a novel because they contained fewer words. (By that logic, short stories must be entirely without redeeming quality…) But recently I’ve come to appreciate them for what they are; whole and complete self-contained stories crammed into a smaller space than a novel, and that takes no small degree of skill to pull off well.
And an excellent example of this would be Teresa Frohock’s The Broken Road.
The story centres around Travys, born mute in a society where the keepers and users of magic do so through song. Not being one to just sit back and accept that he’d never live up o the legacy of his mother or be the equal of his twin, Travys forged his own path to magic and learned to channel fragments of ambient sound around him into a voice he could use. The magic-users, known as the Chanteuse, are tasked with holding together the threads of the world, but now the threads are fraying and horrific destruction is upon Aquitania as twisted insectoid invaders from another reality, the Teraphim, seek to break through and seize the world as their own.
And if that concept doesn’t pique your interest, nothing will.
Twice now Frohock has written something involving multiple planes of existence and a twisted take on magic and religion, and I’ve loved both things. I’m a bit of a sucker for anything with a multiverse, so I was predisposed to liking it right from the get-go, but in saying that, I would be fawning over this story even if that wasn’t a particular interest of mine. The Broken Road is intelligent, thought-provoking, and doesn’t cling to convention for convention’s sake. Like Travys, this dark fantasy tale carves its own path and strikes a beautful balance between the grotesque and the enlightening, destructive darkness and hope. If you’re a fan of nightmare imagery that manages to be disturbing without being reliant on an abundance of blood and guts, then this is the novella you should be reading.
As is often the case, my main complaint with The Broken Road is that it isn’t a full-length novel. The worlds that Frohock has built are fascinating, realistic, and combining the best parts of dark fantasy and post-apocalyptic modernity. I would love to read something longer set here, or just a more in-depth version of Travys’s story as it’s presented here already. But I find myself thinking that about just about every novella I’ve read lately, and I don’t hold that against the story or the author. What’s already here is a tightly-woven tapestry where no word is wasted and no moment passes idle. It’s a beautiful story with characters both sympathetic and enigmatic.
And there are unanswered questions and speculation about certain events, which makes me wonder if frohock has plans to revisit the world later on and expand a little bit further. I certainly hope so. There’s something about the way that she writes a dark world with glimmers of light speckled throughout that really appeals to me, on an almost visceral level. It’s entirely a matter of personal taste, so your mileage may vary, but I really enjoy the atmosphere and tone of this novella. Not one of the fantasy worlds I’d like to live in (I can do without reality decaying around me, thanks), but one that’s definitely worth taking a literary vacation to.
Long story short, if you like dark fantasy and haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing Frohock’s writing yet, then start with this. It gives you a taste of the magic she can work with words, and will leave you craving more. The Broken Road leaves my hands highly recommended, and more certain than ever that Teresa Frohock is an author worth keeping an eye on.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
And an excellent example of this would be Teresa Frohock’s The Broken Road.
The story centres around Travys, born mute in a society where the keepers and users of magic do so through song. Not being one to just sit back and accept that he’d never live up o the legacy of his mother or be the equal of his twin, Travys forged his own path to magic and learned to channel fragments of ambient sound around him into a voice he could use. The magic-users, known as the Chanteuse, are tasked with holding together the threads of the world, but now the threads are fraying and horrific destruction is upon Aquitania as twisted insectoid invaders from another reality, the Teraphim, seek to break through and seize the world as their own.
And if that concept doesn’t pique your interest, nothing will.
Twice now Frohock has written something involving multiple planes of existence and a twisted take on magic and religion, and I’ve loved both things. I’m a bit of a sucker for anything with a multiverse, so I was predisposed to liking it right from the get-go, but in saying that, I would be fawning over this story even if that wasn’t a particular interest of mine. The Broken Road is intelligent, thought-provoking, and doesn’t cling to convention for convention’s sake. Like Travys, this dark fantasy tale carves its own path and strikes a beautful balance between the grotesque and the enlightening, destructive darkness and hope. If you’re a fan of nightmare imagery that manages to be disturbing without being reliant on an abundance of blood and guts, then this is the novella you should be reading.
As is often the case, my main complaint with The Broken Road is that it isn’t a full-length novel. The worlds that Frohock has built are fascinating, realistic, and combining the best parts of dark fantasy and post-apocalyptic modernity. I would love to read something longer set here, or just a more in-depth version of Travys’s story as it’s presented here already. But I find myself thinking that about just about every novella I’ve read lately, and I don’t hold that against the story or the author. What’s already here is a tightly-woven tapestry where no word is wasted and no moment passes idle. It’s a beautiful story with characters both sympathetic and enigmatic.
And there are unanswered questions and speculation about certain events, which makes me wonder if frohock has plans to revisit the world later on and expand a little bit further. I certainly hope so. There’s something about the way that she writes a dark world with glimmers of light speckled throughout that really appeals to me, on an almost visceral level. It’s entirely a matter of personal taste, so your mileage may vary, but I really enjoy the atmosphere and tone of this novella. Not one of the fantasy worlds I’d like to live in (I can do without reality decaying around me, thanks), but one that’s definitely worth taking a literary vacation to.
Long story short, if you like dark fantasy and haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing Frohock’s writing yet, then start with this. It gives you a taste of the magic she can work with words, and will leave you craving more. The Broken Road leaves my hands highly recommended, and more certain than ever that Teresa Frohock is an author worth keeping an eye on.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
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