This is the second in Daniel Abraham’s new Fantasy series, based around the city of Kithamar. The first book, Age of Ash, was reviewed HERE back in March 2022.
Right at the beginning of the first novel we began with a funeral, the funeral procession of Byrn a Sal. And so it is again, deliberately so, the same funeral. The book begins where it ends , although unlike Age of Ash where we focussed upon Alys, a young thief, this time around we look at characters a little higher on the Kithamar social scale.
Stepping back a few months, we then meet Garreth Left, the son of a young merchant in the city. Garreth leaves his comfortable lifestyle and family to become a bluecloak – one of the city’s guards. This does not go down well with his family who have him all set to work in the family business, marry an unknown woman to secure business ties and inherit everything at a later date. However, Garreth seems to enjoy the tougher life with his childhood friends Kannish and Maur, despite the demands.
One night whilst on patrol Garreth helps a young lady leave a scene. They spend the night together, and then she leaves, with both wondering whether they will ever meet again. Garreth begins to search the streets and alleyways looking for this mysterious woman.
As readers we know a little more. The young woman is actually Elaine a Sal, the daughter of Byrn, who we know will later become the new prince of Kithamar. She had been on an illicit night out with her friend Theddan Abbasann, dancing at an illegal party, her identity unknown.
The rest of the book deals with the two’s tangled relationship, but also shows us that the city is more than we might imagine it to be. Beneath the decrepit and yet baroque surface of the city, there is a long-standing war going on between ancient gods. The dagger that Alys coveted last time is important here too, as it comes into the possession of others, and Garreth and Elaine become involved as this battle between the gods comes to a head, affecting both them and the future of Kithamar.
Thinking back to the first book, I feel that Age of Ash was a little uneven. The setting and the characterisation was good, but there were places where the pace was too slow and it dragged a little, especially in the middle. Blade of Dream had none of these issues for me. After Age of Ash, Blade of Dream feels almost like a reset, with the story going back to basics. You do not have to have read the first book to get this one, although as ever a greater understanding of what is happening is helped by having read that book first.
Whilst some might argue that Blade of Dream is yet another High Fantasy tale of Kings, Queens and politics, Abraham does well to make the story feel unique. Part of this is because, like before, the star of the book is really Kithamar, with all the characters merely actors upon its stage (to misquote Shakespeare.). With its details of place names and descriptions of areas of the city, to me Kithamar feels less like a West European mediaevalesque city and more like an ancient Istanbul or Constantinople, and can be seen as a character with its identity changing through the year, with the focus this time on the seasons of mid-Summer and Autumn.
As important as the city is, it is the characterisations of Garreth and Elaine and those around them that carry this book. Oddly, their story seemed more real than that of Alys and her brother Darro in the previous book, and I felt more for them than I did the characters seen before. Above all, Blade of Dream is really a love story between two who should not be together and yet somehow are, a trope that is well used before but here done well.
As much as I liked Age of Ash, I felt that I liked Blade of Dream more. With its impressive setting, interesting characters and better pacing, this one felt really good to read. The ending was enough to make me want to read the next book, following the events of this one.
BLADE OF DREAM by Daniel Abraham
Published by Orbit, July 2023
464 pages
ISBN: 978-0356515465
Review by Mark Yon
