I recently finished 'The Skull Throne' which is book 4 of 'The Demon Cycle' series (currently planned at 5 books total) from the author Peter V. Brett. Before I review it I wanted to post a brief run down on the previous 3 books in the series. Think of them as micro reviews if you will.
Book 1
The painted man (called 'The Warded Man' in the US)
The first entry into the series is the strongest book so far and is truly a fantastic fantasy novel. It has an interesting premise and follows 3 main characters on there own paths that eventually converge. The set up is actually in the far future where the world has been taken back to a primitive state due the the arrival of 'Demons' from the core of the earth. Set far after these events took place we are introduced to a world where by day people live their lives as normally as they can but by night they have to hide from the demons. These demons have no tolerance to sunlight so only rise to the surface once the sun sets. The magic in this world is introduced in the form of wards. Magic fuelled symbols that are mankind's only defence against the demon threat.
The main protagonist, Arlen, starts off in your usual fantasy novel fashion of having grown up on a farm and wants to better himself, gradually rising in power. The other two leads are a herb gatherer called Leesha and a musician called Rojer. The story follows each character and does a great job of building them up and making you care about each of them in equal measure (OK maybe Arlen more than the other 2 but Leesha and Rojer are still great characters).
Without spoiling anything all I will say is go and read it if you haven't already. I would say its a must read if your a fan of fantasy. Obviously there will be some spoilers to this book in the reviews below.
Book 2
The Desert Spear
The sequel to the painted man was some what of a disappointment for me. It wasn't that it was a bad book per se, it was just that it really wasn't what I was expecting. With Alan having recovered the fighting wards, been betrayed by Jadir and warded his own flesh in book one, I was expecting it to jump straight back into exploring Arlens new power and how he would use it to fight the demons.
What actually happens is that it spends about the first 2 thirds of the book talking about Jadir. A lot of this time is about his past and how be became the leader of the Krasian people. This then leads up to present day and what follows is some rather out of character actions between himself and Leesha. Her actions while amongst the Krasian people don't really make much sense for her character and it ends up being somewhat unbelievable. What you do gain is a much better understanding of Jadir and his actions. You understand why he did what he did to Arlen even if you may not agree with his actions. You also learn a lot more about the Krasian culture which I feel is what Brett really wanted this book to be about.
While this is an interesting tale in itself, you really want more of Arlen. He does turn up towards the end and the book certainly gets more interesting again but it can throw you off somewhat. When Arlen does become the focus once more you are treated to new powers, a new love and some great action.
If you liked book 1 enough to want more then I do recommend reading The Desert Spear. Just be prepared for a drop in quality and to have to read through story arcs you may not have either expected or even wanted to read.
Book 3
The Daylight War
The Daylight War strangely enough doesn't really contain that much of what you would think the daylight war is. No where is conquered during the book and its mostly about Rojer and his new wives. I would say Rojer is the main focus here and you see his powers grow with the assistance of his wives and their singing mixed with his fiddle playing. Watching their relationship grow as well as a lot of the politics between the Krasians and the Greenlanders is the focus in book 3.
I was worried another 'Jadirs past' situation was arising as Brett starts talking about Inevera's History. Luckily it was no where near as long and just about didn't over stay its welcome. The rest of the book is mostly based around Rojer and Leesha but you also get a good dose of Jadir as well as Arlen and Jenna (Arlens lady) mixed in as well.
I enjoyed the third instalment more so than part 2 but it wasn't without its issues. It's pace is on the slow side and the main story doesn't really progress that much. Its not really until the very end of the book that a big event really happens. While I found many parts of the story interesting it still wasn't close to the quality of the first book. However it did make me eager to move on to the fourth book as it has a lot of action at the end and a rather big cliff hanger.
One problem I have with the story up until this point is that Arlen and Jadir are so over the top powerful that Brett has to keep throwing mind demons (princes of the demon world) at them to make them even seem threatened. With arlens warded flesh (as well as other powers) and Jadirs scar wards, crown and spear, no normal demon or person is even a slight threat to them. The same can be said in part for most humans as well. Seeing as everyone seems to now have fighting wards on their weapons, demons get slaughterd by the thousands with relative ease. It takes all the tension away from any standard demon encounter. However this has allowed the focus to shift more to the war between the Krasians and Greenlanders which is often both interesting to see unravel and exciting to read.
Conclusion
After the high quality of the first book in the series it has been a bit of a bumpy road after that. It's still a great series but flawed in parts. At times you might feel a little bored but something always happens to pique your interest a little further down the line. While the story can start to plod at times there are fortunately plenty of rich, interesting characters to hold your attention and keep you wondering what lays ahead for them.
Worth Reading - "Honest word"
