New found magic in a fantasy world is essentially a new technology discovered, it can elevate one society above all others on a global scale. In A Blight of Blackwings, the second installment of Kevin Hearne’s Seven Kennings saga, the world continues to change as seen through a wide variety of character’s points of view. Fair warning; however, you’ll really need to read the first book in the series before picking up this book.
From the New York Times bestselling creator of the Iron Druid Chronicles comes the highly anticipated sequel to A Plague of Giants: A world-breaking war—an invasion of giant warriors—inspires a movement to fight back.
SOLDIER AND AVENGER
Daryck is from a city that was devastated by the war with the Bone Giants, and now he and a band of warriors seek revenge against the giants for the loved ones they’ve lost. But will vengeance be enough to salve their grief?
DREAMER AND LEADER
Hanima is part of a new generation with extraordinary magical talents: She can speak to fantastical animals. But when this gift becomes a threat to the powers-that-be, Hanima becomes the leader of a movement to use this magic to bring power to the people.
SISTER AND SEEKER
Koesha is the captain of an all-female crew on a perilous voyage to explore unknown waters. Though her crew is seeking a path around the globe, Koesha is also looking for her sister, lost at sea two years ago. But what lies beyond the edges of the map is far more dangerous than storms and sea monsters.
In this sequel to A Plague of Giants, these characters and more will become the voices of a new generation bringing hope and revolution to a war-torn world.
Picking up a second book in a series is sometimes a challenge, especially if a couple of years (and many, many books) have passed since reading Volume One, A Plague of Giants. A Blight of Blackwings picks up just about directly off the heels of A Plague of Giants, but Hearne’s story is so strong it is very easy to become immersed in the stories told through the “seemings” taken on by the Bard Fintan is still a great storytelling device, the “seeming” is a magic that allows Fintan to wholly take on the guise of another person, in appearance and voice so that the story can be told in the first person regardless of who that first person is. The brief recap – Bone Giants are taking over the land are causing havoc, the magic in called Kennings which are essentially different branches of magic (air, fire, etc), of which five are fully known, one recently discovered, and a seventh is spoken of as mythical. This Seventh Kenning is sought after as if it’s a new technology that will give the first to discover it an unprecedented advantage on a global scale.
As is par for the course in a second novel of a trilogy/series, new characters are introduced to further flesh out the world and the story. The novel begins with a powerful scene fueled by anger and stubbornness, the fallout from which provides a great deal of narrative tension, at least for one of the new characters (the Fire Giant, Olet Kanek daughter of a character in the big opening scene) and returning character Abhinava Khose, the young man who “discovered” the Sixth Kenning, which allows him to communicate with all manner of beasts and animals. They are both seeking a more peaceful existence for their people but initially find themselves potentially at odds with each other. Hearne’s superb characterization is on great display with these two: neither character sways in their beliefs and personal truths, but they still think and behave in reasonable and hopeful ways.
Much of the conflict on the global scale involves the Bone Giants who are still seeking the Seventh Kenning, which is even more mythical and unknown than the Sixth Kenning discovered in the first volume of the series. Another conflict comes from the sea, as a sea-faring vessel captained by Koesha Gansu (Koesha’s Kenning is Air is shipwrecked by sea monsters. Yeah, sea monsters, so that’s another level of fun and cool fantasy trope Kevin Hearne is working into the saga. Here again it is how these cool and scary monsters affect the characters is where Hearne shines, because the fantastic elements can only work so well if the characters are well-drawn.
Favorite characters return, which is most welcome, especially the mustard loving Gondell Vedd, a scholar who is at the heart of uncovering many secrets much to his dismay. He’s charming and entertainingly fills the role of being reluctantly pulled away from a life of comfort into intrigues he could never expect.
Overall, Kevin Hearne is continuing to prove how earned his reputation is as storyteller at the top of his game who is continuing to push his storytelling skills to new heights. Blight of Blackwings is an immensely entertaining, rewarding, and powerful novel. The two books of the trilogy so far are proving that there are still new spins to be spun in the tried and true Fantasy genre and that through much of what may seem to be a dark time, human connection is still a potent assurance of hope.
Highly Recommended
© 2020 Rob H. Bedford
Book Two of The Seven Kennings
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Del Rey
Published February 2020
http://kevinhearne.com
Excerpt: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/228227/a-blight-of-blackwings-by-kevin-hearne/
