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A review by mullane45
The Broken God by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
4.0
The Black Iron Legacy is probably my favourite ongoing series right now. The world that Hanrahan has conjured up is remarkable, and the level of imagination on display is dizzying throughout. So when I say that The Broken God is my least favourite of the series so far, it’s still far-and-away some of the most jaw-droppingly brilliant weird fantasy out there.
This is the longest instalment so far, and I don’t think it needed to be, as both plots seemed to stall in places and become a touch repetitive, spinning their wheels. I’m never sad to spend time in this dazzling, mesmeric world, but there were periods when I wished this one would get on with it a bit.
And while last time I was fascinated to learn more about the half-undead civilisation of Haith, I didn’t find the dragon-mafia of the Ghierdana to be as captivating. It was also tricky to get a firm grip on some of the new characters, as our two POVs in the Guerdon half of the story seemed a bit inconsistent in their demeanours and desires. Without giving too much away, it was the manner in which a previous character was woven into that strand which kept my interest bubbling away.
The other side of the novel was probably stronger on the whole; more compulsive, it follows our ostensible heroine Cari’s quest to the other side of the world to find something that can save her friends. Cari is a great character to read, and her journey out into the wider world allowed Hanrahan’s outrageous imagination to flourish, and bring us even more strange wonders (although even this strand stalled for too long at one point).
I’m also not sure the climax delivered quite the punch I expected, but perhaps that’s only because the first two novels finished in such world-alteringly epic style. Special shout-out to the section in Gissa, which was the highlight for me.
Anyway, yes, probably my least favourite of the three, but I still devoured it, and I’m already hungry for the next one.
This is the longest instalment so far, and I don’t think it needed to be, as both plots seemed to stall in places and become a touch repetitive, spinning their wheels. I’m never sad to spend time in this dazzling, mesmeric world, but there were periods when I wished this one would get on with it a bit.
And while last time I was fascinated to learn more about the half-undead civilisation of Haith, I didn’t find the dragon-mafia of the Ghierdana to be as captivating. It was also tricky to get a firm grip on some of the new characters, as our two POVs in the Guerdon half of the story seemed a bit inconsistent in their demeanours and desires. Without giving too much away, it was the manner in which a previous character was woven into that strand which kept my interest bubbling away.
The other side of the novel was probably stronger on the whole; more compulsive, it follows our ostensible heroine Cari’s quest to the other side of the world to find something that can save her friends. Cari is a great character to read, and her journey out into the wider world allowed Hanrahan’s outrageous imagination to flourish, and bring us even more strange wonders (although even this strand stalled for too long at one point).
I’m also not sure the climax delivered quite the punch I expected, but perhaps that’s only because the first two novels finished in such world-alteringly epic style. Special shout-out to the section in Gissa, which was the highlight for me.
Anyway, yes, probably my least favourite of the three, but I still devoured it, and I’m already hungry for the next one.