What do you think?
Rate this book
The Traitor Son Cycle #2
The Fell Sword
THE RED KNIGHT was one of the most acclaimed fantasy debuts of 2012 - and now he rides again. Prepare for one epic battle...
In The Fell Sword the Red Knight and his company go across the mountains to the Morea and Thrake - those are the kingdoms to the east of Alba - to put down what appears to be a local rebellion and proves to be larger. In the process, the readers will get to see a little more of the meta-plot.
The Red Knight will meet a beautiful princess. Jean de Vrailly will grow in power and worldly glory. Amicia will develop her own power while getting into a quarrel with the church that will have long term effects for everyone. Readers will meet the Faery Knight and the irks are developed as people and not ‘enemies’. The sides shift, and the stakes grow.
In The Fell Sword the Red Knight and his company go across the mountains to the Morea and Thrake - those are the kingdoms to the east of Alba - to put down what appears to be a local rebellion and proves to be larger. In the process, the readers will get to see a little more of the meta-plot.
The Red Knight will meet a beautiful princess. Jean de Vrailly will grow in power and worldly glory. Amicia will develop her own power while getting into a quarrel with the church that will have long term effects for everyone. Readers will meet the Faery Knight and the irks are developed as people and not ‘enemies’. The sides shift, and the stakes grow.
620 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 19, 2013
379 people are currently reading
5286 people want to read
About the author
Miles Cameron
31 books2,703 followersMiles Cameron is an author, a re-enactor, an outdoors expert and a weapons specialist. He lives, works and writes in Toronto, where he lives with his family. This is his debut fantasy novel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 444 reviews
May 5, 2023
I have a Booktube channel now! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRjh...
1.5/5 stars
Now that I’ve finished Fell Sword, it is with heartache that I’m going to admit that this series isn’t for me.
I honestly don’t have much to add to my review here. I mean, I could seriously copy-paste my review of the first book, and it would still work on why this book/series just won’t click for me. However, to summarize, the sheer number of useless POV’s are back, and they just seem to get worse for me. Allow me to repeat this, it’s not the sheer number alone that’s the problem; it’s just how much of an obstruction they are in the way of the interesting parts because none of these side characters (more than ten of them) were memorable characters to me. None of the characters were intriguing enough. There have been more than one hundred character names by the second book now, and only four characters—the Red Knight, Bad Tom, Jean de Vraily, and Mortirmir—were compelling to me. However, their appearance was so burdened by tons of other boring character’s POV. Sometimes, we get the POV of one interesting character, we have to wait 50, or in some cases, 150 pages long before we get to their POV again. It’s just ridiculous. My experience can be equalized as constantly trudging before arriving at some good parts, and then I have to repeat the process again.
I seriously don’t like the world-building of this series as almost everything in it serves as a huge distraction to my immersion. The firm definition of high fantasy is that the setting of a specific series takes place—at least mostly—in a secondary world. The world in The Traitor Son Cycle doesn’t feel like that at all. As I’ve mentioned before, Christianity is the religion here, and every time the characters say “Sweet Jesus” or “blessed Mary,” my immersion immediately broke. In the first book, the second half of the novel revolved around the siege of Lissen Carrak where the main characters have to battle against the creatures of The Wild. In The Fell Sword, it’s mostly politics and human against human. The story plus the religion and Medieval setting just made it seem as if I’m reading a messy hybrid of historical fiction/fantasy or high fantasy; I don’t even know what to categorize this series, actually.
It is hugely unfortunate, but The Fell Sword has established that this series isn’t for me, and this is where I will say goodbye to the series. Believe me, I’m super sad about this; I really wanted to love this series, I have bought the entire series already, and they looked incredibly stunning. However, I just don’t think I can push through reading another tome just to see whether it gets better or not. The first book (750 pages) took me eight days to finish; this is a glacial reading pace for me, I was able to finish Oathbringer (1200 pages long with a much bigger word count) in a week. You could argue that Sanderson’s books are much easier to read; well, none of the book in Malazan Book of the Fallen (one of the most complex and dense fantasy series out there, with each book ranging between 700-1200 pages long) took me longer than a week to finish. In the end, it’s not always the word count that matters to how fast we read, but how much of the stories, writing, and characters actually worked. And well, I can easily say that The Traitor Son Cycle isn’t working for me.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping) | Bookshop (Support Local Bookstores!)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Devin, Diana, Hamad, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Michelle, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Zoe.
1.5/5 stars
Now that I’ve finished Fell Sword, it is with heartache that I’m going to admit that this series isn’t for me.
I honestly don’t have much to add to my review here. I mean, I could seriously copy-paste my review of the first book, and it would still work on why this book/series just won’t click for me. However, to summarize, the sheer number of useless POV’s are back, and they just seem to get worse for me. Allow me to repeat this, it’s not the sheer number alone that’s the problem; it’s just how much of an obstruction they are in the way of the interesting parts because none of these side characters (more than ten of them) were memorable characters to me. None of the characters were intriguing enough. There have been more than one hundred character names by the second book now, and only four characters—the Red Knight, Bad Tom, Jean de Vraily, and Mortirmir—were compelling to me. However, their appearance was so burdened by tons of other boring character’s POV. Sometimes, we get the POV of one interesting character, we have to wait 50, or in some cases, 150 pages long before we get to their POV again. It’s just ridiculous. My experience can be equalized as constantly trudging before arriving at some good parts, and then I have to repeat the process again.
“The tiny imaginary audience inside his head did not exist; no one watches our life movies.”
I seriously don’t like the world-building of this series as almost everything in it serves as a huge distraction to my immersion. The firm definition of high fantasy is that the setting of a specific series takes place—at least mostly—in a secondary world. The world in The Traitor Son Cycle doesn’t feel like that at all. As I’ve mentioned before, Christianity is the religion here, and every time the characters say “Sweet Jesus” or “blessed Mary,” my immersion immediately broke. In the first book, the second half of the novel revolved around the siege of Lissen Carrak where the main characters have to battle against the creatures of The Wild. In The Fell Sword, it’s mostly politics and human against human. The story plus the religion and Medieval setting just made it seem as if I’m reading a messy hybrid of historical fiction/fantasy or high fantasy; I don’t even know what to categorize this series, actually.
It is hugely unfortunate, but The Fell Sword has established that this series isn’t for me, and this is where I will say goodbye to the series. Believe me, I’m super sad about this; I really wanted to love this series, I have bought the entire series already, and they looked incredibly stunning. However, I just don’t think I can push through reading another tome just to see whether it gets better or not. The first book (750 pages) took me eight days to finish; this is a glacial reading pace for me, I was able to finish Oathbringer (1200 pages long with a much bigger word count) in a week. You could argue that Sanderson’s books are much easier to read; well, none of the book in Malazan Book of the Fallen (one of the most complex and dense fantasy series out there, with each book ranging between 700-1200 pages long) took me longer than a week to finish. In the end, it’s not always the word count that matters to how fast we read, but how much of the stories, writing, and characters actually worked. And well, I can easily say that The Traitor Son Cycle isn’t working for me.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping) | Bookshop (Support Local Bookstores!)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!
My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Devin, Diana, Hamad, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Michelle, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Zoe.
November 21, 2017
“Fee Fi Fo Fum.
Ask not whence the thunder comes.
Ask not where the herds have gone.
Nor why the birds have ceased their song.
When coming home, don't take too long.
For monsters roam in Albion.
Fee Fi Fo Fum.
I smell the blood of an Englishman.
Be he living, or be he dead.
I'll grind his bones to make my bread!”
- Giants of Gantua
Buddy read with always awesome edge of bubble
This book is the second part of medieval fantasy series The Traitor Son Cycle, after great first entry, The Red Knight (which I reviewed here).
Yet another epic story about The Red Knight aka The Captain aka Gabriel Muriens, as he runs head on into a new siege type of situation against the foes and the higher powers that wish to usurp the thrones or simply to destroy men and the world.
So pretty much usual stuff.
The new novel picks up where the previous one left off, from the final chapter of the previous book after which, on the far southeast of the world, we travel to a new location and get introduced to our new POV character:
Morgan Mortimir, The Plague - A teenager studying at the University in the Imperial capital of Livianopolis.
“The Plague.
He’d had it as a child, or so they said – and the medical magister, who took the most interest in him, had said with terrible finality that the plague sometimes caused lesions on the brain that killed the ability to channel power.”
He is actually quite smart, but since he’s unable to summon magic he doesn't think he lives up to his own expectations.
“You are so smart that you answer every single question in any class even when you know it annoys your peers, so smart you don’t understand humour, so smart that you can’t talk to a girl, so smart you can’t work the simplest phantasm.”
So as teenager often do, even in medieval fantasy world, it's normal that Mortirmir turns his attention to a cup.
“He ordered a fourth cup of good wine and decided – again – to kill himself. It was a mortal sin and his soul would burn in hell for eternity. He thought that was fitting, because by doing so he’d hurt God. God who desired that sinners repent and come to him.
Take that, you fuck!
It was a tribute to the duality of human nature as his philosophical masters taught it that on his fifth cup of wine he could see the terrible, stupid flaws in his own theology.
And then, of course, there won’t be any more wine.”
His latest drinking episodes lead him directly to cross his path with one of the Emperor’s elite Guards, charming fellow called Harald Darkensun, from which he’ll be confronted with set of circumstances that eventually will place him in the middle of the political intricacies, while the city is under a siege.
And as you can probably already guess – he is my favorite character in this book.
And what of our valiant Red Knight?
The Fell Sword throws Gabriel into another siege, but quite different this time. This time he has to break the siege from different side of walls, outer one. With no money to pay his mercenaries he’ll have to make certain, let’s say, compromises. And as we follow him through his story we get to discover his past.
And due to spoilers that’s pretty much all I can say about our main protagonist. Except that he pretty much exceeds already great expectations set in previous book.
As with first book, abundance of characters POV and subplots was ever-present.
We get to visit not only Emperor’s court in Imperial capitol Livianopolis (which is basically a fictional Constantinople) and in it (now) Empress Irene trying to manage famine and uprising and all that siege brings, but we also get to visit and discover various plots (and unfortunately various sexual assaults *hey, that rhymes* **let’s be serious here**) by Ser Vrailly's King of Galle himself.
And just to counter usual trope how men are despicable scum, Cameron made sure to throw into mix sexual assault committed by few nuns who couldn’t keep their hands off of a noble knight even when he adamantly said no. And to be completely honest, this constant awkward romancing, in the midst of battle sexiliration, and totally out of place horniness, at some point seriously started threatening to ruin the book. Yes that much of it is in there. It’s like Cameron briefly entered some adolescent stage.
Anyhow…
Now, there are moments when the fantastical elements in the novel are quite subtle while in other cases plainspoken. The mythical beings that dwell in the Wild are starting to play much larger role in the plot which casts even more shades of grey on characters on both sides. There simply is no good person here.
Also we get to see world expanding and magic system explained.
And this time we even have a map:
Two actually:
Of course, one more thing that Cameron uses his opportunity to shine, are great battle descriptions. They are simply awe-inspiring. Indeed, they are a frantic mess, just as they should be, but with superb prose, reader doesn’t get lost while reading about them. He gets sucked in, almost like he can feel that blood on his skin getting sticky, smell of gore that makes him retch, his legs and arms hurt, while every single breath is taking an immense power to draw in.
This book is for every history buff who doesn’t mind letting his imagination getting loose.
July 9, 2017
Buddy read with wonderful VF
I have to give it to this author, he writes excellent battle descriptions. He reminds me of Erikson in that manner, despite of his style being quite different, because these two are the only authors who manage to enthrall me in long battle scenes. I drink in every word and marvel at the images in my mind.
Another lovely trait of Cameron is that he rocks this fuckloads of PoV thing. We have a lot of PoV's in this instalment again, some new characters. And even though I was annoyed AF by a couple of them, I loved seeing the events through their eyes.
There was a new setting and the scope of the events were bigger this time. Not just wild vs men but anyone/thing was fighting anyone/thing or making alliances. To prepare for the even bigger events in the future books. Some questions are answered and opposing powers revealed a bit. And the romance here felt a bit more natural but weirdness still clings to it, here and there.
I've had two grievances with this book. The king of Alba a.k.a the moronic fucktard version of Pollyanna. The cunt. He aggravated me like no other. I want him to choke on his balls, but since he doesn't seem to have one, or a spine either, I'll have to accept him being run down by a sword.
The other was that we didn't get enough Red Knight. Most of the time, he was absent even when he was there. Not his usual filling everywhere presence. Still, I loved learning a bit more about his past and "family".
This was a better book than the first one in some aspects, but red knight is still my favourite.
Ending with one of the soundtracks that started playing in my mind, while reading this book;
https://youtu.be/oCEI0-Yrp1c
I have to give it to this author, he writes excellent battle descriptions. He reminds me of Erikson in that manner, despite of his style being quite different, because these two are the only authors who manage to enthrall me in long battle scenes. I drink in every word and marvel at the images in my mind.
Another lovely trait of Cameron is that he rocks this fuckloads of PoV thing. We have a lot of PoV's in this instalment again, some new characters. And even though I was annoyed AF by a couple of them, I loved seeing the events through their eyes.
There was a new setting and the scope of the events were bigger this time. Not just wild vs men but anyone/thing was fighting anyone/thing or making alliances. To prepare for the even bigger events in the future books. Some questions are answered and opposing powers revealed a bit. And the romance here felt a bit more natural but weirdness still clings to it, here and there.
I've had two grievances with this book. The king of Alba a.k.a the moronic fucktard version of Pollyanna. The cunt. He aggravated me like no other. I want him to choke on his balls, but since he doesn't seem to have one, or a spine either, I'll have to accept him being run down by a sword.
The other was that we didn't get enough Red Knight. Most of the time, he was absent even when he was there. Not his usual filling everywhere presence. Still, I loved learning a bit more about his past and "family".
This was a better book than the first one in some aspects, but red knight is still my favourite.
Ending with one of the soundtracks that started playing in my mind, while reading this book;
https://youtu.be/oCEI0-Yrp1c
April 1, 2020
The Fell Sword is the second book in The Traitor Son Cycle, coming after the rip-roaring and dragon-slaying beginning in The Red Knight. We head back to the Red Knight and his company and are quickly ensued in an exciting, political and high-medieval tale.
“The Red Knight sighed. ‘Sometimes I think you all take me for granted,’ he said and went off to wash the blood off his hands.”
We follow familiar faces in the Red Knight’s company as they descend from Alba to lands faraway, paid to put down a local rebellion - in true Miles Cameron style it is not that simple! The Red Knight was the perfect beginning of this intriguing fantastical world with knights and irks aplenty. The Fell Sword is a different beast, veering (slightly) away from the bloody and blood-pumpingly epic battles in favour of a deeply political tale, that still contains an almighty battle.
There is a distinct change of pace from the unstoppable The Red Knight which is welcome as it is written masterfully. The Red Knight’s company takes a slight back-pedal as we are introduced to much more than just a company being paid to protect others. We meet new POVs and return to old ones. The Queen of Alba is facing political unrest, The Wilde are once-again plotting, and other minor-plots interweave this story.
“Sauce grinned. 'Anytime, baby,' she said.
'We could make that our motto,' allowed the Captain.”
As I am a massive fan of Cameron’s historical medieval series, I loved the setting of The Fell Sword and all of it’s bright, shiny, polished medieval-doings. The jousts, the ‘white-armour’, the ghiavarina - I have one of those, (a beautiful type of Italian spear). I really enjoyed reading about the clothing and the little details. The Fell Sword is dedicated by Miles Cameron ‘to the re-enactors’ and I can say for certain re-enactors will love to read of this world in it’s fantasy setting.
Although the battles were few, they were glorious and as always wonderfully written. Cameron has a way of writing battles that makes them feel so authentic, details really helping you as the reader to feel as if you are there in the midst of it all, listening to the blood-curdling screams and the clamour of weapons.
“It should come as no surprise that they are threatened by those who make war a profession. We don’t need to be manly or brave. All we have to do is win. There is no second place, and we get paid just as well whether we lose half our men or lose no men.”
The middle of the book contained a lot more politics than I predicted but I enjoyed discovering more about the world of Alba, Morea and Thrake. The characters were fleshed out and each story-arc was interesting. There was a feeling of preparing the reader for the next book, which hinted to me at an even bigger and more intense plot coming and I’m sure it will be completely worth the slower pace in this one.
“Dariusz felt something like admiration for the Red Knight. They clearly read the same books.”
5/5 - Another romping success in the world of the Traitor Son Cycle. The Fell Sword had intense battles and a good dose of world-building and political intrigue, setting up the next book nicely. Stay tuned!
“The Red Knight sighed. ‘Sometimes I think you all take me for granted,’ he said and went off to wash the blood off his hands.”
We follow familiar faces in the Red Knight’s company as they descend from Alba to lands faraway, paid to put down a local rebellion - in true Miles Cameron style it is not that simple! The Red Knight was the perfect beginning of this intriguing fantastical world with knights and irks aplenty. The Fell Sword is a different beast, veering (slightly) away from the bloody and blood-pumpingly epic battles in favour of a deeply political tale, that still contains an almighty battle.
There is a distinct change of pace from the unstoppable The Red Knight which is welcome as it is written masterfully. The Red Knight’s company takes a slight back-pedal as we are introduced to much more than just a company being paid to protect others. We meet new POVs and return to old ones. The Queen of Alba is facing political unrest, The Wilde are once-again plotting, and other minor-plots interweave this story.
“Sauce grinned. 'Anytime, baby,' she said.
'We could make that our motto,' allowed the Captain.”
As I am a massive fan of Cameron’s historical medieval series, I loved the setting of The Fell Sword and all of it’s bright, shiny, polished medieval-doings. The jousts, the ‘white-armour’, the ghiavarina - I have one of those, (a beautiful type of Italian spear). I really enjoyed reading about the clothing and the little details. The Fell Sword is dedicated by Miles Cameron ‘to the re-enactors’ and I can say for certain re-enactors will love to read of this world in it’s fantasy setting.
Although the battles were few, they were glorious and as always wonderfully written. Cameron has a way of writing battles that makes them feel so authentic, details really helping you as the reader to feel as if you are there in the midst of it all, listening to the blood-curdling screams and the clamour of weapons.
“It should come as no surprise that they are threatened by those who make war a profession. We don’t need to be manly or brave. All we have to do is win. There is no second place, and we get paid just as well whether we lose half our men or lose no men.”
The middle of the book contained a lot more politics than I predicted but I enjoyed discovering more about the world of Alba, Morea and Thrake. The characters were fleshed out and each story-arc was interesting. There was a feeling of preparing the reader for the next book, which hinted to me at an even bigger and more intense plot coming and I’m sure it will be completely worth the slower pace in this one.
“Dariusz felt something like admiration for the Red Knight. They clearly read the same books.”
5/5 - Another romping success in the world of the Traitor Son Cycle. The Fell Sword had intense battles and a good dose of world-building and political intrigue, setting up the next book nicely. Stay tuned!
January 25, 2018
Full review now posted!
I believe I was a bit too harsh on this book when I first finished it. So, after mulling it over, and reading the next book in the series, I am bumping my original rating up to 3.5 stars. The Fell Sword is a good book by almost all my fantasy standards, but it did suffer a bit from middle book syndrome…..and possibly my unreasonable expectations. Nah! Surely Not! The beginning and the end sequence were great, but the middle just seemed to stretch on forever. There was a lot going on, but not much in the way of action. After the action packed first book, that was a bit of a letdown.
This installment starts out with The Red Knight and his mercenary group of misfits on their way to the neighboring country of Morea to take on a mission for the Morean emperor. But before they can even make it to their destination they receive word of a coup to take over the country. So, they rush head long into an unexpected situation, with not much information and a huge military disadvantage. What could go wrong?
Apart from the events in Morea there are other story arcs that are in motion. There is public unrest in the Alban capital city of Harndon that threaten not only the people of the city, but the queen herself. The beasts and races of The Wild are massing in the north, and only their unnatural leader Thorn knows their next move. Also, there are hints of a much larger scheme in the works. But who are the players and what is the prize.
There is no doubt this story has a lot going on. It seems this book was intended to set up the next book. I say that because there is a lot of planning and not a lot of action. Plus, having already read the next book before writing this review I know what this planning is leading up to.
In The Fell Sword there is continued world building and the introduction of quite a few new characters. The Red Knight was mainly focused on We get to learn more about this world Mr. Cameron has created and spend time with more characters in the second book. This change in pace was what really affected my rating the most between the first two books.
The Fell Sword does have many moving parts with all the different story lines, continued world building, and development of new characters. This definitely shows the versatility in Mr. Cameron style. He doesn’t have to go full throttle all the time with action scene after action scene. While I was taken by surprise by this, I admire him for his ability to be flexible with his writing. Now on to book 3….errrr I mean 4 to continue this adventure.
3.5 stars ***
I believe I was a bit too harsh on this book when I first finished it. So, after mulling it over, and reading the next book in the series, I am bumping my original rating up to 3.5 stars. The Fell Sword is a good book by almost all my fantasy standards, but it did suffer a bit from middle book syndrome…..and possibly my unreasonable expectations. Nah! Surely Not! The beginning and the end sequence were great, but the middle just seemed to stretch on forever. There was a lot going on, but not much in the way of action. After the action packed first book, that was a bit of a letdown.
This installment starts out with The Red Knight and his mercenary group of misfits on their way to the neighboring country of Morea to take on a mission for the Morean emperor. But before they can even make it to their destination they receive word of a coup to take over the country. So, they rush head long into an unexpected situation, with not much information and a huge military disadvantage. What could go wrong?
"Victory in war is usually the result of compromising what you want and behaving like those you despise."
Apart from the events in Morea there are other story arcs that are in motion. There is public unrest in the Alban capital city of Harndon that threaten not only the people of the city, but the queen herself. The beasts and races of The Wild are massing in the north, and only their unnatural leader Thorn knows their next move. Also, there are hints of a much larger scheme in the works. But who are the players and what is the prize.
There is no doubt this story has a lot going on. It seems this book was intended to set up the next book. I say that because there is a lot of planning and not a lot of action. Plus, having already read the next book before writing this review I know what this planning is leading up to.
In The Fell Sword there is continued world building and the introduction of quite a few new characters. The Red Knight was mainly focused on We get to learn more about this world Mr. Cameron has created and spend time with more characters in the second book. This change in pace was what really affected my rating the most between the first two books.
The Fell Sword does have many moving parts with all the different story lines, continued world building, and development of new characters. This definitely shows the versatility in Mr. Cameron style. He doesn’t have to go full throttle all the time with action scene after action scene. While I was taken by surprise by this, I admire him for his ability to be flexible with his writing. Now on to book 3….errrr I mean 4 to continue this adventure.
3.5 stars ***
August 10, 2016
What a great book.First one was also great but I had troubles getting used to so many PoV's. I still can't say whether I like it or not but now I'm used to it so I could enjoy this book from the start.I pretty much covered it all in my review of the first book but there is some more development to the series.
Overall this book is more of the same. We again see Red knights against overwhelming odds, with more in stakes than just empire who hired him, but this time his main enemy are not monster of the wild.This time his adversaries are humans who are different kind of monsters.There is lot of characters from first book present (sadly no bear PoV this time) with more being added so there are even more PoV's. I am pleasantly surprised how some minor stories from the first book are developed especially Peter's (which isn't so minor anymore).Him and the Sossag where one of the highlights of this book and his PoV was one of my favorites along with Red knight's and Mortirmir's.
In this book there is lot more world building. We find out more about history, political relations and trade and it's here as well as in combat we see Cameron's background as historical fiction writer.
In conclusion, Traitor son cycle is shaping out to be one of my favorite fantasy series along with First law, Powder mage, Malazan book of fallen and Stormlight archives.
Overall this book is more of the same. We again see Red knights against overwhelming odds, with more in stakes than just empire who hired him, but this time his main enemy are not monster of the wild.This time his adversaries are humans who are different kind of monsters.There is lot of characters from first book present (sadly no bear PoV this time) with more being added so there are even more PoV's. I am pleasantly surprised how some minor stories from the first book are developed especially Peter's (which isn't so minor anymore).Him and the Sossag where one of the highlights of this book and his PoV was one of my favorites along with Red knight's and Mortirmir's.
In this book there is lot more world building. We find out more about history, political relations and trade and it's here as well as in combat we see Cameron's background as historical fiction writer.
In conclusion, Traitor son cycle is shaping out to be one of my favorite fantasy series along with First law, Powder mage, Malazan book of fallen and Stormlight archives.
August 27, 2024
The second book in The Traitor Son Cycle series, I didn't enjoy it as much as this first book. The writing in this book is really nice, there is plenty of gore and the battle scenes seem so realistic not that I have ever been in battle. Reading about the characters I have grown to love is such a nice feeling, that's why I love a series.
There were a lot of new characters introduced and although I enjoyed these and I thought they were well described, a lot of the characters introduced didn't seem to matter all that much. This book does a really nice job of describing the fallout of war which I really liked, sometimes with fantasy we get a massive battle scene and then everyone moves on like nothing has happened so this was a real treat.
The descriptions of clothing, weapons and finery is heavy, it is a way of letting the reader know who is important, or at least who thinks they are important. Vanity is a big part of this book in complete contrast to the Wild and the brutality of war.
Some of the dynamics between certain characters was done beautifully, and it continues to develop. There is a hell of a lot of morally grey characters which I always love! I have a phobia of months so reading that there is moths the size of your head in the Wild made me feel a little sick. Though there are still descriptions of the Wild there isn't as many as I would have liked, I find the Wild so interesting a beautiful and I just want more of it. The Magic system is getting more complex but is well explained.
I enjoyed how the chapters were broken down, but I was much less interesting in certain characters and I just wanted to get back to the ones I like. The fact that characters kept changing their name got confusing and pretty annoying too. It has that feel of a filler book, hopefully some of those things are added to in the next instalments. This is big book, with a fairly small plot.
I wish this book had a character page! I will be continuing with this series, as I can't get enough of how Miles Cameron writes battle scenes, and I want to know where this is going.
There were a lot of new characters introduced and although I enjoyed these and I thought they were well described, a lot of the characters introduced didn't seem to matter all that much. This book does a really nice job of describing the fallout of war which I really liked, sometimes with fantasy we get a massive battle scene and then everyone moves on like nothing has happened so this was a real treat.
The descriptions of clothing, weapons and finery is heavy, it is a way of letting the reader know who is important, or at least who thinks they are important. Vanity is a big part of this book in complete contrast to the Wild and the brutality of war.
Some of the dynamics between certain characters was done beautifully, and it continues to develop. There is a hell of a lot of morally grey characters which I always love! I have a phobia of months so reading that there is moths the size of your head in the Wild made me feel a little sick. Though there are still descriptions of the Wild there isn't as many as I would have liked, I find the Wild so interesting a beautiful and I just want more of it. The Magic system is getting more complex but is well explained.
I enjoyed how the chapters were broken down, but I was much less interesting in certain characters and I just wanted to get back to the ones I like. The fact that characters kept changing their name got confusing and pretty annoying too. It has that feel of a filler book, hopefully some of those things are added to in the next instalments. This is big book, with a fairly small plot.
I wish this book had a character page! I will be continuing with this series, as I can't get enough of how Miles Cameron writes battle scenes, and I want to know where this is going.
July 7, 2019
3.5 Stars
The Fell Sword didn’t quite reach the heights of The Red Knight, but was still an enjoyable book that left me eager to read the next book in the series.
The story picks up right where the first book ended. The siege at Lissen Carak is over and the Red Knight and his company are once more looking for work. They take a job in the Morean Empire, hired by the Emperor to help with a rebellion. To the surprise of no one, the circumstances when they arrive isn’t what they expected and they are soon pulled into a much more dangerous situation than they first imagined.
All of the goodness from the first book is back for the second volume. Skillful writing with a frequently clever turn of phrase. Smart dialogue that naturally showcases character’s personalities. Well written action scenes that, due to their realistic grounding in medieval combat, read differently than most fantasy battles. Interesting world building that combines familiar touches from an alternate Europe with plenty of the author’s own creations.
Some of the things that I’ll specifically praise is the expanded scope of both the world itself and the overarching story narrative. As the company travels and works in Morea, much more of the broader world is seen than was shown in the first book. Also, my disappointment at not having a map was rectified by the addition of a very helpful map. The story also continues to increase in scope. Additional plot threads, hinted at in the first book, become more fleshed out here. I’m loving how some of the seemingly separate storylines are gradually coming together.
The characters continue to shine in this book as well. All the returning faces from the first book have their moments here, and several show interesting growth. There are plenty of new additions as well, swelling an already large cast.
Despite all the good, book two was a slight step back from book one for me for two main reasons. First, despite all the fun things happening, it felt as if a good chunk of the book was setup. There was a whole lot of maneuvering for position that at times dragged just a touch. It was still an entertaining and engaging read, but unlike the first book there were some slower moments.
The second reason was a fairly shocking number of editorial errors. Despite the very high quality of the writing, there were some egregious mistakes. At least two prominent characters who have their own POV sections had their names changed from book one to book two, with no explanation. There are also a number of confusing sections where a main character is suddenly referred to by a name or title that has never been mentioned before, making me go back and make sure I understood who I was reading about. I’ve never seen issues like this in any book, let alone a book released by a major fantasy publisher like Orbit. It wasn’t enough to put me off the book (clearly), but it was certainly a bit jarring.
This was still an excellent book, and so far I will still highly recommend the series. It’s engaged me enough that I’ve been ordering the next book before I finish the current book so I can keep reading the series straight through.
The Fell Sword didn’t quite reach the heights of The Red Knight, but was still an enjoyable book that left me eager to read the next book in the series.
The story picks up right where the first book ended. The siege at Lissen Carak is over and the Red Knight and his company are once more looking for work. They take a job in the Morean Empire, hired by the Emperor to help with a rebellion. To the surprise of no one, the circumstances when they arrive isn’t what they expected and they are soon pulled into a much more dangerous situation than they first imagined.
All of the goodness from the first book is back for the second volume. Skillful writing with a frequently clever turn of phrase. Smart dialogue that naturally showcases character’s personalities. Well written action scenes that, due to their realistic grounding in medieval combat, read differently than most fantasy battles. Interesting world building that combines familiar touches from an alternate Europe with plenty of the author’s own creations.
Some of the things that I’ll specifically praise is the expanded scope of both the world itself and the overarching story narrative. As the company travels and works in Morea, much more of the broader world is seen than was shown in the first book. Also, my disappointment at not having a map was rectified by the addition of a very helpful map. The story also continues to increase in scope. Additional plot threads, hinted at in the first book, become more fleshed out here. I’m loving how some of the seemingly separate storylines are gradually coming together.
The characters continue to shine in this book as well. All the returning faces from the first book have their moments here, and several show interesting growth. There are plenty of new additions as well, swelling an already large cast.
Despite all the good, book two was a slight step back from book one for me for two main reasons. First, despite all the fun things happening, it felt as if a good chunk of the book was setup. There was a whole lot of maneuvering for position that at times dragged just a touch. It was still an entertaining and engaging read, but unlike the first book there were some slower moments.
The second reason was a fairly shocking number of editorial errors. Despite the very high quality of the writing, there were some egregious mistakes. At least two prominent characters who have their own POV sections had their names changed from book one to book two, with no explanation. There are also a number of confusing sections where a main character is suddenly referred to by a name or title that has never been mentioned before, making me go back and make sure I understood who I was reading about. I’ve never seen issues like this in any book, let alone a book released by a major fantasy publisher like Orbit. It wasn’t enough to put me off the book (clearly), but it was certainly a bit jarring.
This was still an excellent book, and so far I will still highly recommend the series. It’s engaged me enough that I’ve been ordering the next book before I finish the current book so I can keep reading the series straight through.
March 23, 2018
“‘When the world goes to shit the great do well enough in their fancy armour and their strong castles. It’s we who suffer. The men in the middle.’”
First of all thanks to my good friend Orient for the buddy read! This series is so much fun with you! ❤️
Now my review;
The Fell Sword is the second book in The Traitor’s Son cycle series by Miles Cameron, and was one that I savoured slowly. This book continued almost immediately after the events of the first book The Red Knight, and we see his band of mercenaries take on the job of rescuing the captured Emperor.
This one definitely was a lot slower paced than the first book and didn’t quite have as many action scenes. You know what though, I didn’t mind this at all, because this book portrayed a different kind of war. There were several plot lines running throughout but all of them were linked by the fact that politics played a heavy role. There were betrayals, plots to usurp kings and Emperors, and spies aplenty. Beneath all that there was even a subtle war between shape-shifting dragons! These were all storylines that had to be dealt with using political moves rather than outright war. It’s not something everyone enjoys in a book but I have to say I loved it!
I really enjoyed keeping several plot lines in my head, trying to work out what characters actually meant by what they said; you know reading between the lines, and it was so great when truths were revealed! This is a book you really have to concentrate on but one I personally found so interesting and well written.
As well as my old favourite characters returning, their were a few new ones introduced too, that served purposes for both sides. One of my favourites was the introduction of the Fairy Knight, a legendary irk. Though he is a creature of the Wild; who are perceived to be monstrous, his character shows us a deeper understanding of them. They are not all innately evil creatures, they have sides too and only seek to make sure their race is not eradicated by enemies.
Another aspect I loved so much about this book were the parts where celebrations took place. There was a wedding, and scenes where Christmas/winter solstice was celebrated by all the various races. In both events lots of drinking, merriment and dancing took place. This was so much fun to read about, and I almost felt I was a part of it all! I wished I was!
This book wasn’t completely without battles though, there was one mother-of-a-one, right towards the end, where both swords and sorcery were used together! Goddamn that was good! It also definitely sets up all the pieces for the third book, The Dread Wrym, which I can already tell is going to be epic!
First of all thanks to my good friend Orient for the buddy read! This series is so much fun with you! ❤️
Now my review;
The Fell Sword is the second book in The Traitor’s Son cycle series by Miles Cameron, and was one that I savoured slowly. This book continued almost immediately after the events of the first book The Red Knight, and we see his band of mercenaries take on the job of rescuing the captured Emperor.
This one definitely was a lot slower paced than the first book and didn’t quite have as many action scenes. You know what though, I didn’t mind this at all, because this book portrayed a different kind of war. There were several plot lines running throughout but all of them were linked by the fact that politics played a heavy role. There were betrayals, plots to usurp kings and Emperors, and spies aplenty. Beneath all that there was even a subtle war between shape-shifting dragons! These were all storylines that had to be dealt with using political moves rather than outright war. It’s not something everyone enjoys in a book but I have to say I loved it!
I really enjoyed keeping several plot lines in my head, trying to work out what characters actually meant by what they said; you know reading between the lines, and it was so great when truths were revealed! This is a book you really have to concentrate on but one I personally found so interesting and well written.
As well as my old favourite characters returning, their were a few new ones introduced too, that served purposes for both sides. One of my favourites was the introduction of the Fairy Knight, a legendary irk. Though he is a creature of the Wild; who are perceived to be monstrous, his character shows us a deeper understanding of them. They are not all innately evil creatures, they have sides too and only seek to make sure their race is not eradicated by enemies.
Another aspect I loved so much about this book were the parts where celebrations took place. There was a wedding, and scenes where Christmas/winter solstice was celebrated by all the various races. In both events lots of drinking, merriment and dancing took place. This was so much fun to read about, and I almost felt I was a part of it all! I wished I was!
This book wasn’t completely without battles though, there was one mother-of-a-one, right towards the end, where both swords and sorcery were used together! Goddamn that was good! It also definitely sets up all the pieces for the third book, The Dread Wrym, which I can already tell is going to be epic!
March 24, 2017
Fantastic follow up to The Red Knight!!
Mr. Cameron has developed an amazingly complex story with plots and subplots that pull you right into the world. I enjoyed getting more in depth with some of the characters, meeting a few new ones, seeing the plots thicken, and getting a better feel for the magic. There were also a few unexpected twists and some very interesting revelations.
The author does an amazing job weaving many complex plots, which at this point haven't all converged - there are a projected 5 books in this series so this could take some time. But each of the POV's gives a great look into the different aspects of this world. There are many things taking place throughout the kingdom and the outlying Wild. Humans and creatures are forming alliances, lines are being drawn (though some of those lines aren't firmly settled yet) and powers throughout the kingdom continue to vie for more power.
Mr. Cameron, also writes historical fiction, so has been able to showcase his knowledge of medieval warfare and arms in such an amazingly vivid way. Not only are his battles scenes played out in great detail, but he goes so far as to explain the donning of armor and how it affects the characters' movements. These aren't things I typically think about. I just don't usually stop to think how limiting armor can be. These details aren't all that exciting, but they added that extra insight that you wouldn't otherwise get - unless of course you've had the opportunity to wear armor.
One small issue I had with this book (which by no means hurt my rating) is that it has so many POV's it can be a little difficult to keep them all in order at first, especially when a few of the characters go by several titles or names. As this is the second book many of the characters were already familiar, but I still needed to do a little recap after waiting a few months before continuing the series. Just something to keep in mind if you plan to read.
Well, this continues to be a fascinating story and is a must read for any reader who enjoys great world building and a complex plot. I'm very much looking forward to the next book.
Mr. Cameron has developed an amazingly complex story with plots and subplots that pull you right into the world. I enjoyed getting more in depth with some of the characters, meeting a few new ones, seeing the plots thicken, and getting a better feel for the magic. There were also a few unexpected twists and some very interesting revelations.
The author does an amazing job weaving many complex plots, which at this point haven't all converged - there are a projected 5 books in this series so this could take some time. But each of the POV's gives a great look into the different aspects of this world. There are many things taking place throughout the kingdom and the outlying Wild. Humans and creatures are forming alliances, lines are being drawn (though some of those lines aren't firmly settled yet) and powers throughout the kingdom continue to vie for more power.
Mr. Cameron, also writes historical fiction, so has been able to showcase his knowledge of medieval warfare and arms in such an amazingly vivid way. Not only are his battles scenes played out in great detail, but he goes so far as to explain the donning of armor and how it affects the characters' movements. These aren't things I typically think about. I just don't usually stop to think how limiting armor can be. These details aren't all that exciting, but they added that extra insight that you wouldn't otherwise get - unless of course you've had the opportunity to wear armor.
One small issue I had with this book (which by no means hurt my rating) is that it has so many POV's it can be a little difficult to keep them all in order at first, especially when a few of the characters go by several titles or names. As this is the second book many of the characters were already familiar, but I still needed to do a little recap after waiting a few months before continuing the series. Just something to keep in mind if you plan to read.
Well, this continues to be a fascinating story and is a must read for any reader who enjoys great world building and a complex plot. I'm very much looking forward to the next book.
March 17, 2018
A fab BR with a great comrade, worth to be knighted, Nils! 💜 Thanks for BRing this series with me 😉
March 29, 2018
Pali mač predstavlja direktni nastavak na Crvenog Viteza i to bukvalno pošto se radnja nastavlja ko da su obe priče jedna knjiga. To je meni predstavljalo mali problem pošto se očekuje da sve likove znamo intimno što nas dovodi do toga da u prvoj trećini knjige bude delove da ne znam ko pije a ko plaća, naročito pošto nema neki apendiks koji bi koristili za podsećanje. To je možda moj problem ali je malo smetalo.
Centralni fokus piče je ovog puta je sprečavanje prevrata u kraljevstvu što našeg junoša dovodi u situaciju da se bori u gradu di ne zna ko mu je prijatelj a ko protivnik (većina :P). Čak ne može ni u svog poslodavca da se pouzda. Sem toge dosta stvari je po starom pa imamo sloj spletkarenja, pa po koju veliku bitku, pa period odmora putovanja pa jovo nanovo. Unutar svakog pogavlja fokus se pomera na više likova ali je sve lepo najavljeno pa nema konfuzije ko je u pitanju. Likovi su odlično opisani, svaki je distinktan po ponašanju i šta radi u priči pa iako ih ima gomila nisu dosadni za upoznavanje. I ne zaboravimo i sva fantastična bića (vile i slično) koji su naravno magična biće pošto i nje ima na pretek. Akcija je odlično opisana, sa puno sitnih detalaja koji ne usporavaju tempo ali dižu tenziju.
Sem toga nemam šta puno reći, kome se svidela prva knjiga voleće i ovu. Na momente malo spora, na momente brza i konfuzna ali za ljubitelje visoke fantazije bazirane na evropskim vitezovima svaka preporuka.
Centralni fokus piče je ovog puta je sprečavanje prevrata u kraljevstvu što našeg junoša dovodi u situaciju da se bori u gradu di ne zna ko mu je prijatelj a ko protivnik (većina :P). Čak ne može ni u svog poslodavca da se pouzda. Sem toge dosta stvari je po starom pa imamo sloj spletkarenja, pa po koju veliku bitku, pa period odmora putovanja pa jovo nanovo. Unutar svakog pogavlja fokus se pomera na više likova ali je sve lepo najavljeno pa nema konfuzije ko je u pitanju. Likovi su odlično opisani, svaki je distinktan po ponašanju i šta radi u priči pa iako ih ima gomila nisu dosadni za upoznavanje. I ne zaboravimo i sva fantastična bića (vile i slično) koji su naravno magična biće pošto i nje ima na pretek. Akcija je odlično opisana, sa puno sitnih detalaja koji ne usporavaju tempo ali dižu tenziju.
Sem toga nemam šta puno reći, kome se svidela prva knjiga voleće i ovu. Na momente malo spora, na momente brza i konfuzna ali za ljubitelje visoke fantazije bazirane na evropskim vitezovima svaka preporuka.
May 31, 2021
I’m not sure why Cameron hasn’t received more acclaim. He writes a super good book. The Fell Sword is an excellent follow-up to The Red Knight.
Some things I liked about this book. The battle/action sequences are really well written. There is quite a bit of political intrigue in this book. The characters do what they think is right from where they stand. The overall plot for the entire series begins to take shape. Also a few plot twists that I look forward to seeing how they shake-out and affect the story.
This book does suffer a bit from being second in the series. I felt like this book spends a good bit of time setting up the future books. While this is not a bad thing and is necessary it did slow the story down a bit. I understand that the author needs to put the characters and plot pieces into place for the next book/books.
Again, Cameron tells a great story and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
Ratings:- 4.5 stars
Some things I liked about this book. The battle/action sequences are really well written. There is quite a bit of political intrigue in this book. The characters do what they think is right from where they stand. The overall plot for the entire series begins to take shape. Also a few plot twists that I look forward to seeing how they shake-out and affect the story.
This book does suffer a bit from being second in the series. I felt like this book spends a good bit of time setting up the future books. While this is not a bad thing and is necessary it did slow the story down a bit. I understand that the author needs to put the characters and plot pieces into place for the next book/books.
Again, Cameron tells a great story and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
Ratings:- 4.5 stars
April 24, 2015
Again, one of the best, if not the best book I've read this year.
February 5, 2014
This is a fanatasy novel, but much more than that. It comes very close to Medieval Historical Fiction with a twist. The knights, human society and human characters are very convincingly late medieval, as is the case with the battle scenes and the swordplay, strategy and battle tactics, but of course there is also Magic and Monsters and a world to save. This is the second book in the series.
Yes! a smashing sequel to "The Red Knight" in The Traitor Son cycle by Miles Cameron. Again it has this multiple interweaving storyline narrative structure, which makes it hard to follow at first, but when you are familiar with the characters and their stories from the first novel `the Red Knight' it is like meeting old friends (and enemies) again and you instantly get hooked on how all of them will fare in this novel. And there's a couple of interesting new characters with their own storyline on top of the old cast that will play their part.
In the fell sword Miles uncovers more of his world. The Red Knight and his mercenary company are not in Alba fighting the wild, but in the Morrean Empire- a part of the Traitor Son's world that does bear strong similarities to the Byzantine Empire of yore. Enlisted to do a minor job for the Emperor, the Red Knight and his companions soon find themselves on a mission to save the Empire...and as this is a Fantasy novel, of course there are even greater forces in play, as the Morrean Empire holds the key to saving the world, as it will dawn to our main players in this novel.
This sequel alo reveals more about the internal and international politics and trade relations of the major powers in the Traitor Son's world, so it becomes apparent why certain places - and the intrigues and conflicts about them are vital to the balance of power in that world. It is in fact a very credible world and in many places bears similarities to the international (official and covert) politics of the world today.
This sequel also reveals more about the main character, and as more people know who the red knight really is, and more of his secret is uncovered, the more he becomes a focus of interest in the international intrigue and plotting ..of man, magician and the powers and entities that superstede that level..
I also like the system of magic that Miles employs in his world- based on the `memory palace'- an ancient method of memorisation that goes back to Roman and Classical Greek times and beyond. A long time ago when I was still at school I once read Quintillian, the Roman Rhetorician: Institutio Oratoria for Latin class, and was vaguely familiar with this notion of building yourself a Memory Palace with all kinds of rooms and objects in which you can walk around and store all kinds of information, but it really dawned again reading `the Red knight' when I noticed that Miles uses this as one of the corner stones of his fantasy magic system.. What a treat that is !!! :) rediscovering Quintilian where you least expect him...Thanks Miles
The contrast between the wild and the world of man, although in this 2nd part of the traitors son cycle not that prominently present in the storylines of the Red Knight and his company and their adventures in Morea, still features prominently in the storylines of a couple of other characters in the series. These have quite a distictive `native american' twist to them, and Miles also elaborates this thread further in the Fell Sword.
It is a magnificent stew with all kinds of (historical)ingredients that Miles cooks us up in this series.
But apart from that.. the novel is absolutely smashing! Miles is a very talented writer, and you get all of his knowledge and experitse in the bargain as well. Miles served with the US government as an intelligence officer, - and knows how international affairs work- he is a Military Historian, and a very passionate reenactor who fights longsword in armor in international historical tournaments, practiced with Guy Windsor, one of the worlds leading experts on late medieval/ renaissance swordsplay- combat techniques. And he also shoots a heavy draw English Warbow with the period correct war arrows, and a Turkish style composite bow. So it's not simple smash and bash we get dished up in this novel, but the finesse of an Italian swordsmaster in the action scenes.. I am a reenactor myself and though not very good with a longsword, i know the basics and when i do something stupid, I know what expect back..instant punishment.. You can really fight yourself with a sword through Miles's action scenes.. great choreography for the longsword gourmet.. The archery, one of his other martial assets, is very sound too.. I do recall a promo vid on Miles's website of him shooting right through his own 500 page paperback of the Red Knight with his warbow, but there are a couple of scenes in the fell sword in which Miles also demonstrates he knows what it takes to hit a target at 200 yards, and how to do that. I even discovered an ancient Ottoman horse archery technique in a scene: shooting from horseback with your sabre already brandished.. apparently Miles also knows a trick or two of Ottoman archery..For me such details are really a treat..
As a military historian Miles's battles and battle tactics are also very sound, as they need to be with the wily Red Knight, the succesful general and commander of his own professional mercenary company as the main protagonist. And in his Moreans/ Byzantines also demonstrates that Miles has great knowledge of byzantine culture, warfare and politics.
Of course you don't need to be a master swordsman or a historian to write a brilliant fantasy novel, but Miles Cameron is a very talented writer who can spin a good tale, he adds a lot of realism into his fantasy novels with all of his knowledge and expertise, and like that you can almost experience yourself what it is like to be part of the company of the Red Knight and their adventures in Miles's fantasy world.
I am really impressed by this novel. To my personal taste it is quite hard to find a fantasy novel that comes any better than this one.
Yes! a smashing sequel to "The Red Knight" in The Traitor Son cycle by Miles Cameron. Again it has this multiple interweaving storyline narrative structure, which makes it hard to follow at first, but when you are familiar with the characters and their stories from the first novel `the Red Knight' it is like meeting old friends (and enemies) again and you instantly get hooked on how all of them will fare in this novel. And there's a couple of interesting new characters with their own storyline on top of the old cast that will play their part.
In the fell sword Miles uncovers more of his world. The Red Knight and his mercenary company are not in Alba fighting the wild, but in the Morrean Empire- a part of the Traitor Son's world that does bear strong similarities to the Byzantine Empire of yore. Enlisted to do a minor job for the Emperor, the Red Knight and his companions soon find themselves on a mission to save the Empire...and as this is a Fantasy novel, of course there are even greater forces in play, as the Morrean Empire holds the key to saving the world, as it will dawn to our main players in this novel.
This sequel alo reveals more about the internal and international politics and trade relations of the major powers in the Traitor Son's world, so it becomes apparent why certain places - and the intrigues and conflicts about them are vital to the balance of power in that world. It is in fact a very credible world and in many places bears similarities to the international (official and covert) politics of the world today.
This sequel also reveals more about the main character, and as more people know who the red knight really is, and more of his secret is uncovered, the more he becomes a focus of interest in the international intrigue and plotting ..of man, magician and the powers and entities that superstede that level..
I also like the system of magic that Miles employs in his world- based on the `memory palace'- an ancient method of memorisation that goes back to Roman and Classical Greek times and beyond. A long time ago when I was still at school I once read Quintillian, the Roman Rhetorician: Institutio Oratoria for Latin class, and was vaguely familiar with this notion of building yourself a Memory Palace with all kinds of rooms and objects in which you can walk around and store all kinds of information, but it really dawned again reading `the Red knight' when I noticed that Miles uses this as one of the corner stones of his fantasy magic system.. What a treat that is !!! :) rediscovering Quintilian where you least expect him...Thanks Miles
The contrast between the wild and the world of man, although in this 2nd part of the traitors son cycle not that prominently present in the storylines of the Red Knight and his company and their adventures in Morea, still features prominently in the storylines of a couple of other characters in the series. These have quite a distictive `native american' twist to them, and Miles also elaborates this thread further in the Fell Sword.
It is a magnificent stew with all kinds of (historical)ingredients that Miles cooks us up in this series.
But apart from that.. the novel is absolutely smashing! Miles is a very talented writer, and you get all of his knowledge and experitse in the bargain as well. Miles served with the US government as an intelligence officer, - and knows how international affairs work- he is a Military Historian, and a very passionate reenactor who fights longsword in armor in international historical tournaments, practiced with Guy Windsor, one of the worlds leading experts on late medieval/ renaissance swordsplay- combat techniques. And he also shoots a heavy draw English Warbow with the period correct war arrows, and a Turkish style composite bow. So it's not simple smash and bash we get dished up in this novel, but the finesse of an Italian swordsmaster in the action scenes.. I am a reenactor myself and though not very good with a longsword, i know the basics and when i do something stupid, I know what expect back..instant punishment.. You can really fight yourself with a sword through Miles's action scenes.. great choreography for the longsword gourmet.. The archery, one of his other martial assets, is very sound too.. I do recall a promo vid on Miles's website of him shooting right through his own 500 page paperback of the Red Knight with his warbow, but there are a couple of scenes in the fell sword in which Miles also demonstrates he knows what it takes to hit a target at 200 yards, and how to do that. I even discovered an ancient Ottoman horse archery technique in a scene: shooting from horseback with your sabre already brandished.. apparently Miles also knows a trick or two of Ottoman archery..For me such details are really a treat..
As a military historian Miles's battles and battle tactics are also very sound, as they need to be with the wily Red Knight, the succesful general and commander of his own professional mercenary company as the main protagonist. And in his Moreans/ Byzantines also demonstrates that Miles has great knowledge of byzantine culture, warfare and politics.
Of course you don't need to be a master swordsman or a historian to write a brilliant fantasy novel, but Miles Cameron is a very talented writer who can spin a good tale, he adds a lot of realism into his fantasy novels with all of his knowledge and expertise, and like that you can almost experience yourself what it is like to be part of the company of the Red Knight and their adventures in Miles's fantasy world.
I am really impressed by this novel. To my personal taste it is quite hard to find a fantasy novel that comes any better than this one.
October 27, 2015
I finally got around to reading this book, just before the third one in the series came out. I loved the first in this series and this one was also really, really good but the focus of this one shifted a little more towards men fighting each other whilst the first was mostly about the men fighting the Wild and the creatures and beasts that live there.
This plot is once again following many of the same characters and you have to admire the fact that Cameron can develop fight scenes so that they keep me interested. I still can't say I am a huge fan of big, large-scale fight scenes, but Cameron is the best writer that I have ever come across in that regard. I do love the fact that he can weave everything and all sorts of creatures, races and people together into large, complex and ever-interesting plot.
As always I did really enjoy seeing the evolution of the Red Knight, discovering more of his secrets and also finding out a lot more of his past. I have to say that his ongoing inner turmoil was very fascinating to see too because of how interlinked it was with the magic.
I also really enjoyed meeting Mortirmir, a young student who is very intelligent and filled with all the knowledge but none of the magic to carry out the spells and enchantments he knows. Yet his story is still interesting and he becomes involved in a major way with the overall battles, plots and scheming of various characters.
We also have more of Amicia (a powerful nun) and Desiderata (a Queen), some of my favourite females because they're strong when they need to be, but equally they have weaknesses and fears and they show these too, when they can. I like to get a feeling that the female and male characters are on a level playing ground in terms of the characterisation and I think that Miles Cameron does that.
Harmodius, Thorn and the creatures of the Wild are all also very exciting to read about. We have bad guys, good guys and morally ambiguous guys and we're following the way that they use their magics, control their followers and make decisions that will rock the fate of many battles. I do think that Harmodius and thorn in particular are pivotal characters on opposing sides.
I also loved getting to see more of the young boy Peter as part of the Sossag because their culture truly fascinates and bemuses me. I love that Miles has been able to weave in so many varieties of creature, race and custom, it makes for a thoroughly engaging read once again.
Overall I did really really like this book and although it was a little less about the wild (which I find extremely suspicious and creepy) I do love the plot and character development and I think it finished up in a way that the third book will be captivating also (I plan to read that very soon!) A solid 4.5*s again
This plot is once again following many of the same characters and you have to admire the fact that Cameron can develop fight scenes so that they keep me interested. I still can't say I am a huge fan of big, large-scale fight scenes, but Cameron is the best writer that I have ever come across in that regard. I do love the fact that he can weave everything and all sorts of creatures, races and people together into large, complex and ever-interesting plot.
As always I did really enjoy seeing the evolution of the Red Knight, discovering more of his secrets and also finding out a lot more of his past. I have to say that his ongoing inner turmoil was very fascinating to see too because of how interlinked it was with the magic.
I also really enjoyed meeting Mortirmir, a young student who is very intelligent and filled with all the knowledge but none of the magic to carry out the spells and enchantments he knows. Yet his story is still interesting and he becomes involved in a major way with the overall battles, plots and scheming of various characters.
We also have more of Amicia (a powerful nun) and Desiderata (a Queen), some of my favourite females because they're strong when they need to be, but equally they have weaknesses and fears and they show these too, when they can. I like to get a feeling that the female and male characters are on a level playing ground in terms of the characterisation and I think that Miles Cameron does that.
Harmodius, Thorn and the creatures of the Wild are all also very exciting to read about. We have bad guys, good guys and morally ambiguous guys and we're following the way that they use their magics, control their followers and make decisions that will rock the fate of many battles. I do think that Harmodius and thorn in particular are pivotal characters on opposing sides.
I also loved getting to see more of the young boy Peter as part of the Sossag because their culture truly fascinates and bemuses me. I love that Miles has been able to weave in so many varieties of creature, race and custom, it makes for a thoroughly engaging read once again.
Overall I did really really like this book and although it was a little less about the wild (which I find extremely suspicious and creepy) I do love the plot and character development and I think it finished up in a way that the third book will be captivating also (I plan to read that very soon!) A solid 4.5*s again
September 3, 2017
More exciting action from Gabriel and Bad Tom, amongst others. I love the relationship between the company members. There was a lot of outwaller scenes that took me a bit to get into, but once I did, I was as enthralled as I was for the rest of it.
Amazing battle scenes yet again, cinematic and exquisite detail. From maneuvers to arms and armour. Right up an old reenacter's alley.
I'll look forward to listening to the next on Audible. - EDIT: I listened and loved!
Amazing battle scenes yet again, cinematic and exquisite detail. From maneuvers to arms and armour. Right up an old reenacter's alley.
I'll look forward to listening to the next on Audible. - EDIT: I listened and loved!
June 4, 2016
Easy five stars!!!
October 9, 2016
It gets even more epic. One of my favorite series right now.
February 16, 2014
This book was good but not great (as I expected it to be). I loved the Red Knight (1st in this series) as well as other books by this author (The Ill Made Knight) and was eagerly awaiting this read. The Fell Sword was a tad of a let down following such high expectations.
The author expands everything: # of POV characters, the scale of the world involved, plot lines outside of the "Red Knight", enemies serving even more powerful yet unseen enemies, etc. You have to applaud the author for putting forth the time and effort. Unfortunately, it makes for a superficial treatment across the board. It was hard to get invested into any of the characters since there wasn't enough space in the book to better fill them out. Many of the characters could have been left out of the book and I wouldn't have noticed or cared. Also, it took a little while to figure out what was going on and who fit where in the story. The Fell Sword? I still don't understand to much about it or why the book was named so (though a cool name nonetheless).
Despite the above, the book is good (just not what I expected after The Red Knight). The chapters about the Red Knight are entertaining. The battles and precursor events leading to battles are well laid out. I get the sense that this "expansion" of the series is the prelude to a long series of books and then after a few more books we will come to appreciate where this books stands.
The author expands everything: # of POV characters, the scale of the world involved, plot lines outside of the "Red Knight", enemies serving even more powerful yet unseen enemies, etc. You have to applaud the author for putting forth the time and effort. Unfortunately, it makes for a superficial treatment across the board. It was hard to get invested into any of the characters since there wasn't enough space in the book to better fill them out. Many of the characters could have been left out of the book and I wouldn't have noticed or cared. Also, it took a little while to figure out what was going on and who fit where in the story. The Fell Sword? I still don't understand to much about it or why the book was named so (though a cool name nonetheless).
Despite the above, the book is good (just not what I expected after The Red Knight). The chapters about the Red Knight are entertaining. The battles and precursor events leading to battles are well laid out. I get the sense that this "expansion" of the series is the prelude to a long series of books and then after a few more books we will come to appreciate where this books stands.
October 10, 2017
This book, in spite of some obvious flaws, was wayyy better than the first volume.
The world building goes more deeper, the action has it`s great moments and peaks, and this time, the whole intrigue it`s more controlled and tightly supervised. In this one we have new & crucial informations about the Red Knight, his family an their troubled past. And these things explained very well the reactions of some of the characters from the action of the first volume.
On the whole, this book felt very solid, the characters were well built, intriguing and imprevisible, with some of the plots not closed at this moment.Better, they are continued in the third installment of the series.
In a way the whole structure of these books reminded me of the George R.R MArtin`s Game of Thrones, with it`s big density of the characters, that are trying with any means to seize some form of power.
I was thinking that after the last event in the life of Jean de Vrailly, he will be a change man, but the truth is that it`s not that simple to judge a character or a person. But, still, he remains, for me, the most hated character here.
Because this book felt better than the first, my rating could be somewhere over four stars, but, in the end, I will settle at four.
For the epic fantasy fans this could be a real treat! Highly recommended!
The world building goes more deeper, the action has it`s great moments and peaks, and this time, the whole intrigue it`s more controlled and tightly supervised. In this one we have new & crucial informations about the Red Knight, his family an their troubled past. And these things explained very well the reactions of some of the characters from the action of the first volume.
On the whole, this book felt very solid, the characters were well built, intriguing and imprevisible, with some of the plots not closed at this moment.Better, they are continued in the third installment of the series.
In a way the whole structure of these books reminded me of the George R.R MArtin`s Game of Thrones, with it`s big density of the characters, that are trying with any means to seize some form of power.
I was thinking that after the last event in the life of Jean de Vrailly, he will be a change man, but the truth is that it`s not that simple to judge a character or a person. But, still, he remains, for me, the most hated character here.
Because this book felt better than the first, my rating could be somewhere over four stars, but, in the end, I will settle at four.
For the epic fantasy fans this could be a real treat! Highly recommended!
January 20, 2016
This was freaking fantastic. Way to start 2016 off right.
The first book in the series was pretty good. It was an action story, with one of the best sieges I've read in fantasy. More than good enough to convince me to start the second.
But this one was amazing. I have heard the Traitor Son Cycle compared to the Malazan Book of the Fallen, and I clearly see that. It's got the scope, the diverse cast of characters, the many interweaving storylines, and the distinct lack of handholding by the author. But these books have what I felt Malazan was deeply lacking: the sense of convergence, where you can feel all the disparate pieces fitting together into a coherent whole.
One specific thing I want to mention, for those who have read it: the Solstice dance might be one of my new favorite passages in fantasy. Up there with Rand's visions in Rhuidean and Fingolfin battling Morgoth. It was beautifully done.
I can't wait to see where this goes.
The first book in the series was pretty good. It was an action story, with one of the best sieges I've read in fantasy. More than good enough to convince me to start the second.
But this one was amazing. I have heard the Traitor Son Cycle compared to the Malazan Book of the Fallen, and I clearly see that. It's got the scope, the diverse cast of characters, the many interweaving storylines, and the distinct lack of handholding by the author. But these books have what I felt Malazan was deeply lacking: the sense of convergence, where you can feel all the disparate pieces fitting together into a coherent whole.
One specific thing I want to mention, for those who have read it: the Solstice dance might be one of my new favorite passages in fantasy. Up there with Rand's visions in Rhuidean and Fingolfin battling Morgoth. It was beautifully done.
I can't wait to see where this goes.
March 21, 2024
The editing fiasco from the first was pretty much corrected and left in its place were random typos here and there throughout. Examples: the the, lose instead of loose(and then correct a sentence down), Andronicus-Andonicus, Christos, Chritos and so on.
Still strong, but the overall cast of characters became more jumbled and less fleshed out compared to the first. The name/nickname variance really threw me at times, having me realize who is on the page some paragraphs later. If you're into all the individual pieces of armor, there's a treasure trove for you here. Cuirasses, sabatons, pauldrons, etc. I wouldn't call this one aimless but, again, compared to the first, it felt less focused(maybe). I will be moving forward.
Still strong, but the overall cast of characters became more jumbled and less fleshed out compared to the first. The name/nickname variance really threw me at times, having me realize who is on the page some paragraphs later. If you're into all the individual pieces of armor, there's a treasure trove for you here. Cuirasses, sabatons, pauldrons, etc. I wouldn't call this one aimless but, again, compared to the first, it felt less focused(maybe). I will be moving forward.
January 25, 2018
In my Review of the first part I had written that although I found it quite exciting this persistence in action was very tedious. In this second part the author follows another approach but this does not lead to very good results. With the action being limited, he is forced to deal a little with other things that as I can understand he does not have the ability to do great things with them. The development of characters does not go far, the more emotional situations and the most thoughtful moments do not cause anything special, and in general the author without the continuous battles is unable to create an interesting plot.
To make things harder for himself, he leaves King Arthur's England and transfers most of his heroes to a region that resembles the Byzantine Empire, trying to take us into an atmosphere of intrigue and conspiracy, but although it starts well in the end only moderate result can be produced. So in the end there is an unequal result: as long as there is action the writer is in his element and he does well when we go to the rest ... not so well. When it comes to comparing it with the similar "Byzantine" writing effort of Guy Gavriel Kay, things are even worse.
But let's not be so tough, however, the book certainly has its interest, this play with real historical events is fun and there are certainly plenty of good moments. Perhaps I had greater expectations than I should have and for this I have this little disappointment. At some point I think I will find an occasion and finish reading the series, although the second part does not make me look forward to that.
Στην κριτική μου για το πρώτο μέρος είχα γράψει ότι παρόλο που το βρήκα αρκετά συναρπαστικό αυτή η επιμονή στη δράση μου ήταν πολύ κουραστική. Σε αυτό το δεύτερο μέρος ο συγγραφέας ακολουθεί μία άλλη προσέγγιση αλλά δεν οδηγεί σε ανάλογα αποτελέσματα. Με τη δράση να περιορίζεται λίγο αναγκάζεται να ασχοληθεί και με άλλα πράγματα που εκ του αποτελέσματος καταλαβαίνω ότι δεν τα έχει. Η ανάπτυξη των χαρακτήρων δεν προχωράει ιδιαίτερα, οι περισσότερο συναισθηματικές καταστάσεις και οι πιο σκεπτόμενες στιγμές δεν προκαλούν τίποτα ιδιαίτερο και γενικότερα ο συγγραφέας χωρίς τις συνεχόμενες μάχες αδυνατεί να δημιουργήσει μία ενδιαφέρουσα πλοκή.
Για να κάνει τα πράγματα πιο δύσκολα στον εαυτό του, αφήνει την Αγγλία του βασιλιά Αρθούρου και μεταφέρει τους περισσότερους ήρωες του σε μία περιοχή που θυμίζει τη Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία, προσπαθώντας να μας μεταφέρει σε μία ατμόσφαιρα ίντριγκας και συνωμοσίας αλλά αν και ξεκινάει καλά στο τέλος το αποτέλεσμα μόνο μέτριο μπορεί να χαρακτηριστεί. Οπότε στο τέλος υπάρχει ένα άνισο αποτέλεσμα: όσο υπάρχει δράση ο συγγραφέας είναι στο στοιχείο του και τα καταφέρνει καλά, όταν πάμε στα υπόλοιπα... όχι και τόσο καλά. Όταν μάλιστα αναγκαστικά έρχεται και στο μυαλό η σύγκριση με την αντίστοιχη "Βυζαντινή"συγγραφική προσπάθεια του Guy Gavriel Kay τότε τα πράγματα είναι ακόμα χειρότερα.
Ας μην είμαι τόσο αυστηρός, όμως, το βιβλίο σίγουρα έχει το ενδιαφέρον του, αυτό το παιχνίδισμα με τα πραγματικά ιστορικά γεγονότα είναι διασκεδαστικό και σίγουρα υπάρχουν αρκετές καλές στιγμές. Ίσως εγώ είχα μεγαλύτερες προσδοκίες από ότι θα έπρεπε και για αυτό αυτή η μικρή απογοήτευση. Κάποια στιγμή φαντάζομαι θα βρω και μία αφορμή και να ολοκληρώσω την ανάγνωση της σειράς, αν και το δεύτερο μέρος της δεν με κάνει να ανυπομονώ για αυτό.
To make things harder for himself, he leaves King Arthur's England and transfers most of his heroes to a region that resembles the Byzantine Empire, trying to take us into an atmosphere of intrigue and conspiracy, but although it starts well in the end only moderate result can be produced. So in the end there is an unequal result: as long as there is action the writer is in his element and he does well when we go to the rest ... not so well. When it comes to comparing it with the similar "Byzantine" writing effort of Guy Gavriel Kay, things are even worse.
But let's not be so tough, however, the book certainly has its interest, this play with real historical events is fun and there are certainly plenty of good moments. Perhaps I had greater expectations than I should have and for this I have this little disappointment. At some point I think I will find an occasion and finish reading the series, although the second part does not make me look forward to that.
Στην κριτική μου για το πρώτο μέρος είχα γράψει ότι παρόλο που το βρήκα αρκετά συναρπαστικό αυτή η επιμονή στη δράση μου ήταν πολύ κουραστική. Σε αυτό το δεύτερο μέρος ο συγγραφέας ακολουθεί μία άλλη προσέγγιση αλλά δεν οδηγεί σε ανάλογα αποτελέσματα. Με τη δράση να περιορίζεται λίγο αναγκάζεται να ασχοληθεί και με άλλα πράγματα που εκ του αποτελέσματος καταλαβαίνω ότι δεν τα έχει. Η ανάπτυξη των χαρακτήρων δεν προχωράει ιδιαίτερα, οι περισσότερο συναισθηματικές καταστάσεις και οι πιο σκεπτόμενες στιγμές δεν προκαλούν τίποτα ιδιαίτερο και γενικότερα ο συγγραφέας χωρίς τις συνεχόμενες μάχες αδυνατεί να δημιουργήσει μία ενδιαφέρουσα πλοκή.
Για να κάνει τα πράγματα πιο δύσκολα στον εαυτό του, αφήνει την Αγγλία του βασιλιά Αρθούρου και μεταφέρει τους περισσότερους ήρωες του σε μία περιοχή που θυμίζει τη Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία, προσπαθώντας να μας μεταφέρει σε μία ατμόσφαιρα ίντριγκας και συνωμοσίας αλλά αν και ξεκινάει καλά στο τέλος το αποτέλεσμα μόνο μέτριο μπορεί να χαρακτηριστεί. Οπότε στο τέλος υπάρχει ένα άνισο αποτέλεσμα: όσο υπάρχει δράση ο συγγραφέας είναι στο στοιχείο του και τα καταφέρνει καλά, όταν πάμε στα υπόλοιπα... όχι και τόσο καλά. Όταν μάλιστα αναγκαστικά έρχεται και στο μυαλό η σύγκριση με την αντίστοιχη "Βυζαντινή"συγγραφική προσπάθεια του Guy Gavriel Kay τότε τα πράγματα είναι ακόμα χειρότερα.
Ας μην είμαι τόσο αυστηρός, όμως, το βιβλίο σίγουρα έχει το ενδιαφέρον του, αυτό το παιχνίδισμα με τα πραγματικά ιστορικά γεγονότα είναι διασκεδαστικό και σίγουρα υπάρχουν αρκετές καλές στιγμές. Ίσως εγώ είχα μεγαλύτερες προσδοκίες από ότι θα έπρεπε και για αυτό αυτή η μικρή απογοήτευση. Κάποια στιγμή φαντάζομαι θα βρω και μία αφορμή και να ολοκληρώσω την ανάγνωση της σειράς, αν και το δεύτερο μέρος της δεν με κάνει να ανυπομονώ για αυτό.
April 8, 2014
http://parmenionbooks.wordpress.com/2...
Review
This is a book that has taken me longer than any other to read this year so far, not because its a bad book, very much the opposite. This book contains some of the most involved, imaginative and impressive world building i have seen, right up there with the depth and passion of lords of the rings.
This is book two in the series following on directly from the fabulous debut that was the Red Knight, once again following the mercenary band headed by the Red Knight, the Captain. A man who is both a fighting Knight at the peak of his prowess, but also a magister (a sorcerer) very powerful and growing in skill all the time. Unlike many books we don’t just live the story from the point of view of the hero (the Red Knight) we get a Multi POV, we see the opinion and perspective of all, and as such get to see what the individual see’s, themselves a hero, or in the right. This multi POV is very encompassing, so much so that there are times it becomes hard to keep all the threads and all the names straight, hence the length of time needed to read the book.
The world of the Red Knight is HUGE, made more so by the depth of detail, history and politics. This world encompasses much of the real world just with a twist. Outwallers that are native Americans for example, countries that resemble Canada, Great Britain, France, an empire that bears a striking resemblance to a decaying Byzantine empire, the fantastic Nordikans, who more than resemble the Varangian guard. All of these people and places imbued with the authors rich depth of historical knowledge. Miles Cameron being the highly renowned Historical Author Christian Cameron, a writer who imbues all of his work with not just literary research, but with physical research, hours spent in armour and training with weapons. Walking the wilds of Canada wearing the garb of a true knight, all of this detail is powered into his books to stunning effect.
Does Fell sword bring a better book with more satisfaction than Red Knight? yes and no, i found the ending more satisfying than Red Knight, but i think that may be because Red Knight had so much hard work to do with regard to world building, it was only the latter quarter of book one that truly showed the excellence of his writing talent. Fell Sword was a much more immersive encompassing tale, one that carries the reader into the depth of the wilds to learn more of the creatures who dwell there, more of Thorn and what drives him, or more importantly who. Most important of all it takes the reader into the depths of the politics of the world, a truly dark murky, back stabbing politics, politics fueled by ambition and magic. Most interesting is that Fell Sword reveals the true darkness from the wild, we now know what is coming, we just don’t really know why. Its exactly what a middle book should be, if not more, many middle books are a pause, this is anything but. Next year 2015 will see the third book in the series The Tournament of Fools, i highly recommend getting a Pre-Order in, i feel its going to sell fast.
Its a book i highly recommend you read in large bites, not small. But most of all its a book i Highly recommend to all readers, not just fantasy of Historical fiction.
(Parm)
Review
This is a book that has taken me longer than any other to read this year so far, not because its a bad book, very much the opposite. This book contains some of the most involved, imaginative and impressive world building i have seen, right up there with the depth and passion of lords of the rings.
This is book two in the series following on directly from the fabulous debut that was the Red Knight, once again following the mercenary band headed by the Red Knight, the Captain. A man who is both a fighting Knight at the peak of his prowess, but also a magister (a sorcerer) very powerful and growing in skill all the time. Unlike many books we don’t just live the story from the point of view of the hero (the Red Knight) we get a Multi POV, we see the opinion and perspective of all, and as such get to see what the individual see’s, themselves a hero, or in the right. This multi POV is very encompassing, so much so that there are times it becomes hard to keep all the threads and all the names straight, hence the length of time needed to read the book.
The world of the Red Knight is HUGE, made more so by the depth of detail, history and politics. This world encompasses much of the real world just with a twist. Outwallers that are native Americans for example, countries that resemble Canada, Great Britain, France, an empire that bears a striking resemblance to a decaying Byzantine empire, the fantastic Nordikans, who more than resemble the Varangian guard. All of these people and places imbued with the authors rich depth of historical knowledge. Miles Cameron being the highly renowned Historical Author Christian Cameron, a writer who imbues all of his work with not just literary research, but with physical research, hours spent in armour and training with weapons. Walking the wilds of Canada wearing the garb of a true knight, all of this detail is powered into his books to stunning effect.
Does Fell sword bring a better book with more satisfaction than Red Knight? yes and no, i found the ending more satisfying than Red Knight, but i think that may be because Red Knight had so much hard work to do with regard to world building, it was only the latter quarter of book one that truly showed the excellence of his writing talent. Fell Sword was a much more immersive encompassing tale, one that carries the reader into the depth of the wilds to learn more of the creatures who dwell there, more of Thorn and what drives him, or more importantly who. Most important of all it takes the reader into the depths of the politics of the world, a truly dark murky, back stabbing politics, politics fueled by ambition and magic. Most interesting is that Fell Sword reveals the true darkness from the wild, we now know what is coming, we just don’t really know why. Its exactly what a middle book should be, if not more, many middle books are a pause, this is anything but. Next year 2015 will see the third book in the series The Tournament of Fools, i highly recommend getting a Pre-Order in, i feel its going to sell fast.
Its a book i highly recommend you read in large bites, not small. But most of all its a book i Highly recommend to all readers, not just fantasy of Historical fiction.
(Parm)
March 28, 2017
Man... these books are masterfully written. I have been really busy lately so I "read" the second one via Audio book while driving, and the narration was fantastic... I downloaded the next audio book in the series, but the publisher changed the narrator to someone who is just absolutely butchering my concepts of the characters with how he is reading them... I am going to go back to reading on my tablet soon. I got sidetracked by Arcanum Unbound at the moment...
Ill write more on this book soon.
Ill write more on this book soon.
April 15, 2018
These books really make my brain work overtime. But they're so much fun! The Red Knight continues to kick ass in both the real and the aether, although his eyes only glowed once or twice. There is abundant treachery, plotting, attempted assassination, fighting priests and magicking nuns. We're introduced to a new character, Mortirmir, who promises to be interesting in the future. And there are a lot of story lines to keep us entertained and wondering what we're going to uncover in the next book. Worth the effort.
March 10, 2021
https://undertheradarsffbooks.com/202...
At long last we have returned to the lands of Alba and the company of the Red Knight. The company will be moving east to the mountains of Morea and Thrake to put down a local rebellion in the making. The battle lines are being drawn with people and creatures of Alba choosing sides in the war to come. The Fell Sword is a story of maneuvering and build-up for the rest of the series with plenty of betrayals, battles, and introduction of new characters essential for what is to come. This will be a spoiler free review, but I will be taking about events that took place in The Red Knight.
The Red Knight, Gabriel, has driven back the forces of the wild with his magical powers and the help of the women of Lissen Carak. This has come at a great cost as Prudentia, his teacher and statue controlling his powers in his mind, has shattered and left this world only to be replaced by the royal magus Harmodius. The royal magus has great ambitions for Gabriel even if it is not in the best interest of the company. Gabriel is also reunited with his brother Gavin and we get to learn the shocking events that transpired with their family and why Gabriel was thought dead. The Company decides to make its way across the mountains to the city of Livianopolis to put down an uprising against the emperor and the princess. In the city of Livianopolis we are introduced to Morgan Mortirmir, a student at the academy trying to learn the ancient texts and teachings of the magic of Alba. Morgan becomes an essential character to follow not only for the magic but because we get a front row seat into the rebellion and the effects it is having on the local people.
Thorn, fresh off of his defeat at Lissen Carak decides to make his way north to regroup and recover. He finds his way to an island on the Inner Sea riddled with the magic of the wild. It is here that Thorn can greatly influence the events of several parties around Alba and ultimately comes to the decision that he requires a general for his armies. Also, Thorn can’t help but shack the felling that he is being influenced by a more powerful outside force and his goals may not totally be his own. We are also introduced to two new knight characters: The Black Knight and the Faery knight. The Black Knight is sent by the King of Galle to monitor the situation at Lissen Carak and this ever growing threat of the wild and Thorn. The Faery Knight is actually one of the irks and if you remember from The Red Knight, irks were part of the assault on Lissen Carak. The Faery Knight is not own he seems to be and he can turn the tides for the upcoming battle.
The Fell Sword I feel suffers a little bit from the “middle book syndrome” based on the fact that the pacing slows down and it can take a while for the plot to get moving. The huge battle that takes place in The Fell Sword is very technical and brilliantly written even if it did feel a little drawn out. What made the Fell Sword work for me was the massive amount of mysteries and secrets that are revealed and how little hints dropped in the Red Knight are pushed to the forefront. Readers who love to binge a series will enjoy the Fell Sword immensely. We also get to pull back the layers and get a better glimpse into the meta-world implications for Alba, the war, and all the moving pieces. It turns out that there are a lot more players in this game than we originally thought and Miles Cameron has definitely raised the stakes. By the end, the stage will be set for book 3, The Dread Wyrm, which I can say without a doubt is my favorite book in the series.
If you enjoyed The Red Knight, this is a very good continuation of the Traitor Son Cycle. Big battles and political maneuvering may take center stage, but the character growth and secrets being held will keep you turning the page more than ever. The war is here and it will be bloody.
Cheers!
At long last we have returned to the lands of Alba and the company of the Red Knight. The company will be moving east to the mountains of Morea and Thrake to put down a local rebellion in the making. The battle lines are being drawn with people and creatures of Alba choosing sides in the war to come. The Fell Sword is a story of maneuvering and build-up for the rest of the series with plenty of betrayals, battles, and introduction of new characters essential for what is to come. This will be a spoiler free review, but I will be taking about events that took place in The Red Knight.
The Red Knight, Gabriel, has driven back the forces of the wild with his magical powers and the help of the women of Lissen Carak. This has come at a great cost as Prudentia, his teacher and statue controlling his powers in his mind, has shattered and left this world only to be replaced by the royal magus Harmodius. The royal magus has great ambitions for Gabriel even if it is not in the best interest of the company. Gabriel is also reunited with his brother Gavin and we get to learn the shocking events that transpired with their family and why Gabriel was thought dead. The Company decides to make its way across the mountains to the city of Livianopolis to put down an uprising against the emperor and the princess. In the city of Livianopolis we are introduced to Morgan Mortirmir, a student at the academy trying to learn the ancient texts and teachings of the magic of Alba. Morgan becomes an essential character to follow not only for the magic but because we get a front row seat into the rebellion and the effects it is having on the local people.
Thorn, fresh off of his defeat at Lissen Carak decides to make his way north to regroup and recover. He finds his way to an island on the Inner Sea riddled with the magic of the wild. It is here that Thorn can greatly influence the events of several parties around Alba and ultimately comes to the decision that he requires a general for his armies. Also, Thorn can’t help but shack the felling that he is being influenced by a more powerful outside force and his goals may not totally be his own. We are also introduced to two new knight characters: The Black Knight and the Faery knight. The Black Knight is sent by the King of Galle to monitor the situation at Lissen Carak and this ever growing threat of the wild and Thorn. The Faery Knight is actually one of the irks and if you remember from The Red Knight, irks were part of the assault on Lissen Carak. The Faery Knight is not own he seems to be and he can turn the tides for the upcoming battle.
The Fell Sword I feel suffers a little bit from the “middle book syndrome” based on the fact that the pacing slows down and it can take a while for the plot to get moving. The huge battle that takes place in The Fell Sword is very technical and brilliantly written even if it did feel a little drawn out. What made the Fell Sword work for me was the massive amount of mysteries and secrets that are revealed and how little hints dropped in the Red Knight are pushed to the forefront. Readers who love to binge a series will enjoy the Fell Sword immensely. We also get to pull back the layers and get a better glimpse into the meta-world implications for Alba, the war, and all the moving pieces. It turns out that there are a lot more players in this game than we originally thought and Miles Cameron has definitely raised the stakes. By the end, the stage will be set for book 3, The Dread Wyrm, which I can say without a doubt is my favorite book in the series.
If you enjoyed The Red Knight, this is a very good continuation of the Traitor Son Cycle. Big battles and political maneuvering may take center stage, but the character growth and secrets being held will keep you turning the page more than ever. The war is here and it will be bloody.
Cheers!
September 18, 2024
This fantasy is another fantastic read. The magic system is well thought-out and makes perfect sense within its confines. Five volumes in this series of which this is book 2. This is more or less a military fantasy with tons of fighting and bloodshed, yet there are serene moments of love as well. The ebook has dozens of spelling errors and could use a good proofing.
August 8, 2014
Much like the first book, the first half of The Fell Sword was a bit of a confusing mess for me. I'd completely forgotten who most of the characters were, so the constant POV changes were quite difficult to keep track of. However, I did get my bearings again by the halfway mark, and the second half was a lot more enjoyable!
Ratings
Overall: 7/10
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
World Building: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
Ratings
Overall: 7/10
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
World Building: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3/5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 444 reviews