Look on My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair: Ossia is positively littered with grandiose ruins from the days of the Second Empire, when the Sorcerer Kings of Ossia ruled the continent. Just so you’re left in no doubt as to which way this review is going to go, I’ll kick things off with this opening declaration: stand aside JRR Tolkien, GRR Martin and Joe Abercrombie, for Chris Wooding. Hellhole Prison: The work camp at Suller's Bluff is little better than a death sentence, since the prisoners are forced to work to exhaustion because the Krodans figure its cheaper to get fresh prisoners than it is to properly feed or rest the ones already there. There is pure hatred and strife between several of the characters, yet all sides of these relationships feel justified.

After the first half of the book focuses on outward conflict, the story shifts focus towards the interpersonal relationships amongst the group.We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there? Chris, I’ve spent the last 40 years of my life reading the best (and worst) Fantasy works out there. A new bestseller: this is a fast-moving coming-of-age trilogy featuring a strong cast of diverse characters, brilliant set-pieces and a strong character and plot driven story.

Whether you prefer modern fantasy like Brandon Sanderson, or the classics like David Eddings, there is a great balance between the two styles. Each character's journey is given ample time to breathe and grow, and it was incredibly satisfying to see how far our group has come over the course of the story. Besides that there are other impressive but less beautiful ruins from the days of the First Empire, ruled by the urds. Case in point, since he once swore to protect Aren's father's family, he goes to rescue him from the prison camp, even though he later came to hate Aren's father fiercely. Actually Pretty Funny: Cade's impersonations of various Krodan guards manage a chuckle out of the guards themselves.I could go on and on about what happens next but I shan’t, since I couldn’t live with ruining the sheer delight of this novel for any aspiring readers. The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding was a recommendation by fellow Grimdark Magazine reviewer, James Tivendale, for which I’m very grateful. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform.