A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings, #1) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Jan 30, 2018 Lyn rated it really liked it

Very cool.

Urban fantasy master Kevin Hearne demonstrates that he can do High Fantasy too.

Fans of Hearne’s fabulously well to do urban fantasy Iron Druid series featuring his 2,000-year-old Celtic druid Atticus O’Sullivan and his wise cracking hound Oberon will want to read this adventure set in a new universe of Hearne’s making.

Truth be told, Hearne’s world building is the real treat here. Told in a bard fashion, with our narrator’s ability to take on the illusory guise of any character to bette Very cool.

Urban fantasy master Kevin Hearne demonstrates that he can do High Fantasy too.

Fans of Hearne’s fabulously well to do urban fantasy Iron Druid series featuring his 2,000-year-old Celtic druid Atticus O’Sullivan and his wise cracking hound Oberon will want to read this adventure set in a new universe of Hearne’s making.

Truth be told, Hearne’s world building is the real treat here. Told in a bard fashion, with our narrator’s ability to take on the illusory guise of any character to better tell his story, we are introduced to Hearne’s creation of a land of several realms and peoples and all recovering from a series of invasions by groups of giants (of about 7 to 12 feet tall). The bard, Fintan, while stretching his performance out over a couple weeks or more, also gets involved in a present time scandal that further develops Hearne’s epic.

Hearne does take a while to get where he is going and the first half is confusing as the reader is presented with a panoply of characters (including the giants) before during and after the invasions. Fintan’s presentation of each point of view storyline provides little introduction to what is happening and where and when and how. By the second half I was ready to either DNF or catch on. Happily, I did finally pick up what he was throwing down and came to not only enjoy the book, but am interested in reading more from him in this series.

The magic rules of the book are also cool as a twenty-dollar bill found in the laundry. The Kennings are magic abilities related to natural or elemental sources like water, fire, arboreal or animal empathy. Each Kenning’s ability can then be subdivided into various manifestations within the class. People must take a great risk to get “blessed” with the kenning and then pay heavily for its use.

Reminiscent of Poul Anderson, Hearne spends time with the invading giants as well and we get to know both sides of the conflict, providing for a more well-rounded story. Also intriguing is Hearne’s portrayal of how the two opposing groups get to know one another and there are hints of grudging respect between antagonists.

All in all, a very pleasing first book in a series that promises to entertain.

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Dec 26, 2017 Bradley rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-shelf, worldbuilding-sf, fantasy

I'm actually rather impressed by the first Seven Kennings novel and I'm certain I'm going to be anxious to read the rest... but why?

That's pretty easy, actually. Seven nations and several races of giants and regular humans trying to get along in a pretty close approximation of Vikings and Druids, with light magic, no gods, and many peoples just trying to do their damn best with the whole survival thing and understanding their world.

We get PoVs from the peoples of both the Giants and the Humans I'm actually rather impressed by the first Seven Kennings novel and I'm certain I'm going to be anxious to read the rest... but why?

That's pretty easy, actually. Seven nations and several races of giants and regular humans trying to get along in a pretty close approximation of Vikings and Druids, with light magic, no gods, and many peoples just trying to do their damn best with the whole survival thing and understanding their world.

We get PoVs from the peoples of both the Giants and the Humans and it's the normal kind of thing that makes them go to war. Population migration, settlements without permission, misunderstandings, pride, and a whole gamut of impressive and realistic reasons that are often skimmed or just plain ignored in Epic Fantasies of this caliber.

The magic is certainly not overpowered, either, but even so, big things can be accomplished with it. Unfortunately, the old idea (and disadvantage) of using magic means that it drains your life. Fast. It's a good balance and it even feels real. A few of the more interesting Kennings (types of magic) range from water, fire, illusion, animal calling, and arbor magic.

Just imagine Bards and Skalds and a mix of Icelandic and Germanic peoples, with Dirges, bonfires, and the whole feel of Vinland mixed with the Druidic order, Volcanic peoples, and the drive to find and understand the missing Kennings, the far-off lands, the Abyss that separates nations... and you'll get a very nice feel for this book. :)

I really had a good time. Hearne has always stood out in my mind for his quicksilver grasp of mythology and history and his ability to weave such into pretty awesome stories. His Iron Druid novels are some of my favorite UFs. He turns around his knowledge and weaves a tapestry of many cool cultures and lands rather than anchoring them all in individuals like he did in the UF. He's building a broad mythology here from scratch and the hints that all the Kennings will become ONE is scary.

It almost feels like it could either be a combining, a synthesis, or the complete eradication of all but one or the complete death of magic across the board. The way that these nations rely so heavily on the Kennings, however, means that we can probably expect genocides and shifting alliances, a complicated battle royale of races and peoples as interesting as you please.

This author has my trust. I'm really looking forward to how this will pan out. :) ...more

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Oct 08, 2017 Cathy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

A Plague of Characters.

Very wordy beginning. 10% into this I am utterly uninterested in the story telling part. Some bits are nicely done, but I would quite like to have some plot. I had looked forward to something similar to his Druid Chronicles, but with a classic fantasy setting. This is not it.

At 18% I am calling it a day. Probably the most boring war I had every the misfortune to read about. Maybe because there was no war, just a never ending row of interchangeable, flat characters, introd ...more

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Jul 11, 2018 Lindsay added it

DNF @ 54%

After the nth time the narrative shifted to a new person and I struggled to remember who this person was and why I should care about them, I had an epiphany.

I don't care about any of them.

And I certainly don't want to read the other half of this huge chunkster, let alone however many more of these there's going to be. ...more

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