This
review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained
therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to
copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions.
Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s
Exalted Permission
Title: With Mercy Towards None
Title: With Mercy Towards None
Series:
The Dread Empire: A Fortress in Shadow #2
Author:
Glen Cook
Rating:
3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre:
Fantasy
Pages:
268
Format:
Digital edition
|
Synopsis: |
The El Murid Wars that are referenced in the Cruel Wind trilogy.
These
are a series of wars between El Murid and his captains and the
northern kingdoms, not just against Haroun and his guerilla warfare
group. A tide of warfare that sweeps in first one direction and then
another.
Each
side seems to be on the cusp of victory when something happens to
reverse their fortunates. Talented generals die, politics interfere,
etc, etc, etc.
We are
also introduced to a young Mocker and see his rise and how he becomes
intertwined with Ragnarson. We also see how Ragnarson goes from a
mercenary recruit to a leader of his own mercenary group.
|
My
Thoughts:
|
When I was reading
the Cruel Wind trilogy I remarked how I felt that I was
missing out because the characters were referring to certain
incidents that we the reader had no idea about. Well, this A
Fortress in Shadow duology answers all of those questions.
Glancing through
other reviews, I've seen the word “sweeping history” used a lot
and I have to admit, that is probably the best way to describe this
book. At some points we get right down and dirty with the
characters, seeing how they think, seeing events that shape their
thinking and then we'll suddenly zoom out and 2 huge battles that
reverse the course of everything get 2 paragraphs. Cook is following
a small group of individuals and really walks that line of showing
their individual story within the context of the larger scope of all
that is going on.
In many ways, it
seems that Steven Erikson and his whole Malazan world is
modeled more on this Dread Empire series than on Cook's Black
Company. By modeled on, I actually mean “wholesale lifted
from”. I don't know that I have seen so many ideas and plot points
and characters and working out of things used so much so similarly.
Of course, it could be that I'm just starting to get enough books
under my belt to finally notice the cyclical nature of writing from
one generation to another. Which wouldn't be cool as I'd have to
become an even more jaded, cynical and grouchy old coot to handle it.
The writing wasn't
quite as rough as the previous books but it was by no means a smooth
vanilla coke zero.
★★★☆½
No comments:
Post a Comment