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A review by mwplante
The Desert Spear: Book Two of the Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett
3.0
The Desert Spear has less action than its predecessor but makes up for this through focused world-building and lots of lavish character development. The first section of the book is entirely devoted to the backstory of Ahmann Jardir, the oddly likeable totalitarian leader of the Krasians. These elements play nicely with the All Men are Brothers (at least when faced with demons) theme that Brett has interlaced throughout the books. I'll be interested to see how this thread proceeds in the coming tales.
On the other hand, the author also ratchets up the all-too-human evils. This is particularly evident in the tale of Renna --a secondary character from The Warded Man that finds herself elevated to POV status in this book-- a story of abuse and small town cruelty that is almost gratuitous in its grueling horror. At the other end of the map, Brett's portrayal of the Krasians continues to walk the fine line of Orientalism that so many fantasy stories struggle with. So far, I must say he fares pretty well. As easy as it is to dismiss Krasians as Islamophobic hackwork, the elements of other cultures (notably the Spartans) are undeniable. Brett seems to be playing a game wherein he wants the reader to fall into the expectation of Islamophobic tropes before attempting to turn the tables -- though he generally does this by showing glimmers of "reform" in the Krasian culture, rather than by validating it outright. Ultimately, Brett has fallen into a bit of an Orientalist trap, but he has not fallen so far that it is no longer interesting to watch him wrestle with these tropes. I will be watching the fate of the Krasians even more closely than that of Jardir himself in the coming novels.
All in all, this book is a worthy continuation of a gripping dark fantasy. If you can forgive the lack of a major battle to rival the Cutter's Hollow pyrotechnics at the end of the previous volume, you will find this book every bit as enjoyable as the last.
Spoiler
This book does much to rehabilitate and add nuance to the image of Jardir and his people for the reader, after Jardir's betrayal of Arlen in the previous novel. This is partly accomplished by shifting a lot of the reader's suspicion and ire onto the mysterious Inevera, Jardir's own personal Lady Macbeth, before seemingly beginning the work of rehabilitating Inevera herself at the end of the book.On the other hand, the author also ratchets up the all-too-human evils. This is particularly evident in the tale of Renna --a secondary character from The Warded Man that finds herself elevated to POV status in this book-- a story of abuse and small town cruelty that is almost gratuitous in its grueling horror. At the other end of the map, Brett's portrayal of the Krasians continues to walk the fine line of Orientalism that so many fantasy stories struggle with. So far, I must say he fares pretty well. As easy as it is to dismiss Krasians as Islamophobic hackwork, the elements of other cultures (notably the Spartans) are undeniable. Brett seems to be playing a game wherein he wants the reader to fall into the expectation of Islamophobic tropes before attempting to turn the tables -- though he generally does this by showing glimmers of "reform" in the Krasian culture, rather than by validating it outright. Ultimately, Brett has fallen into a bit of an Orientalist trap, but he has not fallen so far that it is no longer interesting to watch him wrestle with these tropes. I will be watching the fate of the Krasians even more closely than that of Jardir himself in the coming novels.
All in all, this book is a worthy continuation of a gripping dark fantasy. If you can forgive the lack of a major battle to rival the Cutter's Hollow pyrotechnics at the end of the previous volume, you will find this book every bit as enjoyable as the last.