Interesting Books
The
Black Guard by A.J. Smith, review at
The
Speculative Scotsman
The
Black Guard is the first in a major new fantasy series, The Long War, set in an
invented world somewhat similar to medieval Europe in terms of technology,
heraldry and ethics. Magic features in the world, but is rare and mostly
confined to the various priesthoods. The city of Ro Canarn has been assaulted
by Knights of the Red. Amongst them is a Karesian Enchantress of the Seven
Sisters, intent on manipulating the men of Ro to her ends. Her Sisters intend
the assault to be the first move in a longer game, a war intended to destroy
worship of the Gods of men and bring back the malevolent Forest Giant of
pleasure and blood.
The
young Lord of Canarn, and one of his closest friends, plan a desperate gambit
to take back the city, whilst his sister journeys north and confronts more of
the Sisters' schemes as they try to conquer the rest of the lands of men.
Divided
by geography and surrounded by enemies, a disparate group of Clerics, Priests,
Knights, criminals and warriors must defeat overwhelming odds to seize back the
lands of men from those unknowingly under the sway of the Dead God and his
Enchantresses.
The
Duke of Canarn is dead, executed by the King's decree. The city lies in chaos,
its people starving, sickening, and tyrannized by the ongoing presence of the
King's mercenary army. But still hope remains: the Duke's children, the Lord
Bromvy and Lady Bronwyn, have escaped their father's fate.
Separated by enemy territory, hunted by the warrior clerics of
the One God, Bromvy undertakes to win back the city with the help of the
secretive outcasts of the Darkwald forest, the Dokkalfar. The Lady Bronwyn
makes for the sanctuary of the Grass Sea and the warriors of Ranen with the
mass of the King's forces at her heels. And in the mountainous region of
Fjorlan, the High Thain Algenon Teardrop launches his Dragon Fleet against the
Red Army. Brother wars against brother in this, the epic first volume of the
long war.
I have
listed these titles in earlier SSS posts: check out my SSS
Books Page for links to more reviews:
The
Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, review at The
Book Smugglers
The
Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, review at The
Speculative Scotsman
Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht, review at Tethyan
Books
Giveaways
The
Bone Season by Samantha Shannon at The
Book Smugglers
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