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saraubs 's review for:
A Time of Courage
by John Gwynne
First of all: Why? Why, John Gwynne, did you feel the need to make this hurt so much? The tears were flowing fast as this one wound to a close - not only for those lost (though there was certainly much of that!), but also because it's hard to say goodbye to a series that I've enjoyed this much.
When I initially started this sequel trilogy I worried that I might not feel as connected to the characters as I had with Corban and the gang. That I would enjoy these books, but probably not love them as I had with The Faithful and the Fallen. And yet, here I am, red-eyed and still sniffling, amazed at the depth of emotion Gwynne managed to wring out of me. Bleda, in particular, has become an all-time favourite, and following his journey from resentful ward to capable leader has been so satisfying.
As with Wrath John Gwynne proves in this last instalment that he really knows how to execute a falling action. His conclusions are epic fantasy at its grandest scale, and reading this book was as immersive an experience as any movie. (The fight scenes alone beg to be adapted to the screen.) I found myself cheering for heroes, cursing villains, and having to push the book away, afraid to turn the page, high on a flurry of conflicting emotions, completely immersed in the fate of the Banished Lands. And while not everything worked out as I would have hoped (when does it ever, in wars of this scale?), I found myself closing the book feeling the satisfied pleasure of a story well told and an ending that remained true to the journey its heroes had taken.
This series, in all its wild and heartbreaking glory, has become one of my favourites, and I can only hope that Gwynne continues to write for years to come.
Truth and Courage!
When I initially started this sequel trilogy I worried that I might not feel as connected to the characters as I had with Corban and the gang. That I would enjoy these books, but probably not love them as I had with The Faithful and the Fallen. And yet, here I am, red-eyed and still sniffling, amazed at the depth of emotion Gwynne managed to wring out of me. Bleda, in particular, has become an all-time favourite, and following his journey from resentful ward to capable leader has been so satisfying.
As with Wrath John Gwynne proves in this last instalment that he really knows how to execute a falling action. His conclusions are epic fantasy at its grandest scale, and reading this book was as immersive an experience as any movie. (The fight scenes alone beg to be adapted to the screen.) I found myself cheering for heroes, cursing villains, and having to push the book away, afraid to turn the page, high on a flurry of conflicting emotions, completely immersed in the fate of the Banished Lands. And while not everything worked out as I would have hoped (when does it ever, in wars of this scale?), I found myself closing the book feeling the satisfied pleasure of a story well told and an ending that remained true to the journey its heroes had taken.
This series, in all its wild and heartbreaking glory, has become one of my favourites, and I can only hope that Gwynne continues to write for years to come.
Truth and Courage!