Thoughts or reviews on any of these titles?

[chris777]

Out of the ones you have read below, how would you rank each series? Are any of these a series you would highly recommend or highly recommend avoiding?

Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne by Brian Stavely
The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
The Macht by Paul Kearney
Draconis Memoria by Anthony Ryan
The Shadow Saga by Jon Sprunk
Death Dealer by James Silke
Essalieyan by Michelle Sagara
Wars of Light and Shadow Series by Janny Wurts
The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler
Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron
The Malice by Peter Newman
Grim Company by Luke Scull
Age of Darkness by Stephen Aryan
Age of Dread by Stephen Aryan

 

[ArtNJ]

I've very slowly reading Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne now. The plot strains credulity in some respects but it seems to be written really well, in the modern epic fantasy style

The Dagger and the Coin is very deliberately slow in some respects, with more intrigue than action, and the first volume can be a problem for some, but if you stick with it, does manage to turn many fantasy tropes on their head with remarkable skill. For example, the Ancient Evil is a problem all right...but its nothing you would remotely expect -- its creative, and even thought provoking. Very well written overall. I just got too bored in the last volume though.

Red Rising is fun. Definitely has a young adult vibe though. A little bit of Hunger Games in space. I didn't finish the series, or am not caught up if its not done.

None of these three are a slam dunk recommendation for me, but all have their merits. If your going to the beach, Red Rising. If your feeling more willing to take on a project, Dagger and Coin isn't a bad choice. Unhewn Throne might be a good choice for modern epic fantasy...the plot points that bothered me (so far) are probably easily accepted by most.

 

[Contrarius]

Out of the ones you have read below, how would you rank each series? Are any of these a series you would highly recommend or highly recommend avoiding?

Oddly enough I've read the first book of several of these, but I haven't read the complete series of any of em.

Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne by Brian Stavely
-- interesting, but too many convenient plot devices and annoying tropes
-- my review

The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham
-- well-written, but I didn't care enough about what was going to happen next
-- my review

Shadow's son by Jon Sprunk
-- way too many dumb things thrown in
-- my review

Draconis Memoria by Anthony Ryan
-- Dragons! Along with some worldbuilding and plotting problems
-- my review

The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler
-- gunpowderpunk, not really my thing, but I have this one on Mt. TBR

Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron
-- I liked some things about this a lot, while other things pissed me off. I hear that the rest of the series goes downhill, but I've only read the first.
-- my review

The Vagrant by Peter Newman
-- I really liked this one. Due to publishing companies behaving badly it took a couple of years to get book 2 available in audio in the US, and I haven't read (listened to) it yet, but I have it waiting for me on my phone. Goats rule!
-- I never did get a review written of this one, unfortunately. Maybe I'll do a book 1 reread before moving on to books 2 and 3, and do a review then. In summary: pretty grim, with humor to the sidekicks (did I mention that goats rule?). Very original premise: mute wanderer with a huge magical sword carrying an infant and dragging a goat on a leash through a post-apocalyptic wasteland (not an Earth apocalypse, a fantasy-world apocalypse) filled with Guillermo del Toro monsters (goats rule!).

Of those series I've mentioned above, I'm most likely to read book 2s of the Ryan and Newman series.

 

[farseer2]

Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron

It's traditional epic fantasy, with a world inspired in feudal Europe, threatened by the expansion of the Wild, which is like a magical force of wild nature and the fey realm (think like one of those huge, enchanted forests and hordes of creatures within). In that context, the north of one kingdom is invaded by the Wild. While the kingdom tries to muster its forces to respond to the invasion, an ancient fortress in the northern forests, inhabited by an order of nuns, hires a mercenary force to help defend their fortress. The Red Knight who gives the first book its title is the leader of that mercenary force.

The author is a historian and former officer in the US Navy who belongs to a historical reenactor group. Before writing epic fantasy, he wrote historical novels. All that shows in the style, with many details about military issues and medieval life.

The story is told with a number of point of view characters, in alternate chapters. There are probably too many point of view characters, and I felt the story was interesting but a bit too long, wordy and slow at times. In the end, it was a fine read, but I had to wonder if it was worth spending so many hours on it. At least it works (more or less) as a standalone, because the idea of reading the whole saga is too much for me.

 

[farseer2]

I know you are looking for new epic fantasy to read, may I suggest you add to your list a trilogy I enjoyed recently? It's not much talked about but I think it deserves more attention: The Shattered Sigil Trilogy, by Courtney Schafer, starting with The Whitefire Crossing.

This was my review for the trilogy:

I decided to read The Whitefire Crossing attracted by a couple of good reviews I had seen from trusted sources and the fact that mountain climbing paid an important role. High mountain passes and epic fantasy do not usually go together, but I love both of them.

I read the whole trilogy one after the other, and it was a really enjoyable experience. This story pressed all the right buttons for me. It is something between Epic Fantasy and Swords & Sorcery (only, with no swords and a lot of sorcery). Instead of swords, we get intrigue and spying. Oh, and did I mention, a lot of magic?

The story is told from the point of view of two characters: Dev, whose chapters are narrated in first person, works as a guide for caravans wishing to cross the rugged Whitefire Mountains. He is also a former tainted child (tainted children have several psychic powers that they lose at puberty) and has a passion for mountain climbing. After a betrayal by his partner, he desperately needs money to make good on a promise he made long ago. Kiran, whose chapters are narrated in third person, is on the run and hires Dev to smuggle him across the mountains and through the spell-protected border of the neighboring country of Alathia. He is willing to pay a lot. What could possibly go wrong?

From then on, the trilogy is a wild ride with very good pacing. There is hardly a moment of respite. The heroes are always in extreme danger, hunted by incredibly powerful and ruthless enemies. Schafer may not be a great stylist, but she is an excellent storyteller and she creates memorable characters: compelling, passionate and with interesting internal conflicts. Also central to the trilogy is one of my favorite bromances ever.

I read the three books one after the other and enjoyed all of them thoroughly. When the story was over, it left me with that satisfied but wistful sensation you get when you finish a long and excellent story, and you know you are going to miss these characters. I recommend this trilogy unreservedly.

 

[farseer2]

The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham
The Macht by Paul Kearney
Draconis Memoria by Anthony Ryan

These I haven't read but I have read other series by the same authors.

Daniel Abraham is exceptionally good. He does have a style which is less action-packed than most epic fantasy, and that turns some people off, but for me he's original, and writes powerful stories.

Anthony Ryan's other series, starting with Blood Song, was really good. Most reviewers say that they loved Blood Song but were let down by the following two books. I don't share that opinion. The narrative style changes, because we go from the single narrator style of Blood Song to multiple points of view. Perhaps that's a weird change to make in the middle of a series, but for me the three books were very enjoyable.

I also enjoyed the other series by Paul Kearney, but it's decades since I read it, so the details are not very fresh in my mind.

 

[Contrarius]

I know you are looking for new epic fantasy to read, may I suggest you add to your list a trilogy I enjoyed recently? It's not much talked about but I think it deserves more attention: The Shattered Sigil Trilogy, by Courtney Schafer, starting with The Whitefire Crossing.

I enjoyed that as well. I haven't read book 3 yet, but I did contribute to its Kickstarter campaign when it was being published.

 

[jackdaw]

Read:-
Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne (Brian Stavely)
First four books in The Dagger and The Coin (Daniel Abraham)
Essalieyan by Michelle Sagara
The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler
Traitor Son cycle by Miles Cameron

Enjoyed them all, otherwise wouldn't have read beyond first book in series. But for my taste, the Django Wexler series was the most enjoyable by a considerable margin. Faster paced, more convincing battle scenes, and more characters I actually cared about.

 

[jackdaw]

I know you are looking for new epic fantasy to read, may I suggest you add to your list a trilogy I enjoyed recently? It's not much talked about but I think it deserves more attention: The Shattered Sigil Trilogy, by Courtney Schafer, starting with The Whitefire Crossing.

This was my review for the trilogy:

I decided to read The Whitefire Crossing attracted by a couple of good reviews I had seen from trusted sources and the fact that mountain climbing paid an important role. High mountain passes and epic fantasy do not usually go together, but I love both of them.

I read the whole trilogy one after the other, and it was a really enjoyable experience. This story pressed all the right buttons for me. It is something between Epic Fantasy and Swords & Sorcery (only, with no swords and a lot of sorcery). Instead of swords, we get intrigue and spying. Oh, and did I mention, a lot of magic?

The story is told from the point of view of two characters: Dev, whose chapters are narrated in first person, works as a guide for caravans wishing to cross the rugged Whitefire Mountains. He is also a former tainted child (tainted children have several psychic powers that they lose at puberty) and has a passion for mountain climbing. After a betrayal by his partner, he desperately needs money to make good on a promise he made long ago. Kiran, whose chapters are narrated in third person, is on the run and hires Dev to smuggle him across the mountains and through the spell-protected border of the neighboring country of Alathia. He is willing to pay a lot. What could possibly go wrong?

From then on, the trilogy is a wild ride with very good pacing. There is hardly a moment of respite. The heroes are always in extreme danger, hunted by incredibly powerful and ruthless enemies. Schafer may not be a great stylist, but she is an excellent storyteller and she creates memorable characters: compelling, passionate and with interesting internal conflicts. Also central to the trilogy is one of my favorite bromances ever.

I read the three books one after the other and enjoyed all of them thoroughly. When the story was over, it left me with that satisfied but wistful sensation you get when you finish a long and excellent story, and you know you are going to miss these characters. I recommend this trilogy unreservedly.

I'll be giving this a try as soon as I run out of reading material. Thanks for review.

 

[Woofdog2]

The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham

this author wrote the Long Price Quartet, which I enjoyed a great deal and recommend.

The dagger & coin series, on the other hand, I got to book 3 or 4 of and just lost interest in reading the end, if it has ended - I second Contrarius's 'quit caring' response. I also quit buying new Expanse books, mainly because of trouble believing this book where these 5 or 6 folks and relatives are at the center of every single thing that happens across the solar system.

 

[End Of Disc One]

The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham - loved it. Took me about a quarter of the first book to get into it, but from then on I was hooked. It's not fast paced but for some reason I enjoyed it.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown - really loved it. You may need to turn your brain off at times but these are the types of books that get your blood pumping. It's nice to feel things like this every now and then. I'd probably put this in my top 10.

The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler - just started this and am 200 pages in. I can't put it down. No complaints so far.

Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron - read 2 books so far. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I'm bored. Book 2 was more uneven than book 1 in this regard. Kind of like WoT where my enjoyment depends on the POV. People complain that there are 2 many POVs, but this isn't a problem for me. There are a ton of editing errors and inconsistencies, though.

I'm probably a bit easier to please than most people on this forum.

 

[farseer2]

Traitor Son Cycle by Miles Cameron - read 2 books so far. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I'm bored.

Yes, that was my experience too. This series has truly interesting elements, the problem is that the books are doorstoppers, close to a thousand pages, and sometimes they turn into a chore, and when that happens the perspective of reading thousands and thousands of pages more to get the whole story becomes overwhelming. Unlike you, I thought the overabundance of POVs contributed to that unevenness.

 

[mattman587]

I recently finished all of Pierce Brown's books starting with Red Rising. I don't think the series is complete yet, as there may be another or two coming but I would recommend them. Darrow is an interesting character and the fantasy/sci-fi is unique to me. I would recommend the books. I can't say I have experience with the rest of your list.

 

[The Big Peat]

I have a lot of DNF on that list.

I did finish the first two books of Traitor Son Cycle. My comments echo that of others - interesting ideas, admirable detail... but far too uneven. Like a lot of others, I thought the huge amount of PoVs played a part, but I'd mainly categorise it as "too much story, too little pages" and as a result, parts of it simply weren't fleshed out enough to be interesting.

 

[farseer2]

I did finish the first two books of Traitor Son Cycle. My comments echo that of others - interesting ideas, admirable detail... but far too uneven. Like a lot of others, I thought the huge amount of PoVs played a part, but I'd mainly categorise it as "too much story, too little pages" and as a result, parts of it simply weren't fleshed out enough to be interesting.

Curious. Too few pages would be the last thing I'd say about these books. I thought they were way too long.

 

[The Big Peat]

Curious. Too few pages would be the last thing I'd say about these books. I thought they were way too long.

I don't think those two conclusions are mutually exclusive. I'd agree that they went on longer than my interest level really wanted... but the interest level, for me, wasn't up to the page length because too many plot lines in too few pages.

I think the books would have been better for either being shorter and more focused on the main plot line, or for being split up into more books with the plot lines being given more time.

 

[KatG]

My, I'm very behind in my reading. I haven't read most of these. My small amount of imput:

Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne by Brian Stavely -- this was interesting, great magical creatures, but it got a little too dramatic family opus in parts for me. However, given my knowledge of your interests, you might like it more than I did. It does have lots of nice grim stuff and funky sub-cultures.

The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham -- I liked Abraham's Long Price Quartet but I haven't managed to get to this one yet. It's got more war action than Quartet obviously (I don't remember if you read that one or not.) It sounds interesting. Abraham is a deft writer, good at imagery.

The Shadow Saga by Jon Sprunk -- Jon's first trilogy is a mix of moody and rogue fun, but I think you might like his Book of the Black Earth series better. It's more action-grim. Which I haven't gotten to yet. I should fix that. He's good at dialogue.