House of Assassins (Saga of the Forgotten Warrior #2) 4Stars

 

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 by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: House of Assassins
Series: Saga of the Forgotten Warrior #2
Author: Larry Correia
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 411
Words: 142K
Publish: 2019

Now, if I could just read books like this ALL of the time, I’d be set for life. I read this after The Idiot and I was still stressed about my double vision and being out of work for 6+ weeks, I still needed a new-to-us car AND the medical bills had started to come in, so things were not any better. But I had so much fun reading this. This was what I needed, something well written, escapist and most importantly, not depressing in any way.

Ashok, the main character, begins to get a real personality. He found out in the first book that HE was a magical construct of personality and that his reason for existence is no longer valid. He has to figure out now who he is, what he is and do it while trying to lead a revolution that his old self would oppose. He’s still pretty cardboard here, but once again, it is on purpose and Correia (the author) does a great job of creating little cracks in that cardboard so that Ashok can start growing into a real person. He’s having his very existence crammed down his throat in the space of weeks or months, instead of decades like a normal person. But he doesn’t whine or complain or crack up. He endures. I like that, especially during this time.

Correia does a good job of balancing the story amongst the various side characters and I never felt like I was being cheated by reading about one character instead of another. We get enough from each to advance the whole plot and to make me feel like I had gotten a whole story and not just some random events thrown together and called a novel.

I continue to like Larry Correia’s writing and this dive into a more Indian culture keeps things fresh and interesting. Also, just to make it better, Correia actually finished this series. What a guy! ;-)

★★★★☆

From the Publisher

Ashok Vidal was once a member of the highest caste in all of Lok. As a Protector, he devoted his life to upholding the Law, rooting out those who still practiced the old ways and delivering swift justice with his ancestor blade Angruvadal. None was more merciless than he in stamping out the lingering belief in gods and demons among the casteless. His brutality was legendary and celebrated.

But soon Ashok learned that his life to that point had been a lie. He himself, senior member of the Protector Order, was casteless. He had been nothing more than an unwitting pawn in a political game. His world turned upside down and finding himself on the wrong side of the Law, he began a campaign of rebellion, war, and destruction unlike any Lok had ever seen.

Thera had been first daughter of Vane. A member of the Warrior Order, she had spent her life training for combat. Until a strange sight in the heavens appeared one day. Thera was struck by lighting and from that day forward she heard the Voice. A reluctant prophet with the power to see into the future, she fought alongside Ashok Vadal and his company of men known as the Sons of the Black Sword until a shapeshifting wizard with designs on her powers of precognition spirited her away. He holds her prisoner in the House of Assassins.

Ashok Vadal and the Sons of the Black Sword march to rescue Thera. With his sword Angruvadal, Ashok was unstoppable. But Angruvadal is gone, shattered to pieces on the demon possessed husk of a warrior. Now, Ashok must fight without the aid of the magic blade for the first time. Thera’s life depends on it.

But there is much more at risk in the continent of Lok. Strange forces are working behind the scenes. Ashok Vadal and the Sons of the Black Sword are caught up in a game they do not fully understand, with powerful forces allied against them.

Ashok no longer knows what to believe. He is beginning to think perhaps the gods really do exist.

If so, he’s warned them to stay out of his way.

They would do well to listen.

Son of the Black Sword (Saga of the Forgotten Warrior #1) 4Stars

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 by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Son of the Black Sword
Series: Saga of the Forgotten Warrior #1
Author: Larry Correia
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 396
Words: 140K
Publish: 2015

I bought this book in hardcover back in 2015 when it came out. Correia had come out to a book signing at a local bookstore (that sadly is no more) and I had pre-ordered a book for him to sign. I got sick that weekend so Mrs B went in my place and she ended up having a blast. She enjoyed the stories Correia told and thought he was quite the character. I read this book but never read any more of the series. I wanted Correia to finish the series and not crap out on me like other authors had done. I didn’t think Correia would do that, as his steady output of the Monster Hunter International books was a testament to his staying power and his Grimnoir trilogy showed he could wrap a storyline up well, but I wasn’t going take a chance. Now, I still bought the books as they came out, I just didn’t read them. I wanted to support Corriea and make sure he was financially incentivized to finish things up. Well, in February Correia released the final book in this Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series, which meant it was time for me to start the ball rolling. I did hesitate, as I am currently re-reading Correia’s Monster Hunter International series and I wondered if it would be better to not start Forgotten Warrior until that re-read was over. Correia as an author hits all my high points though, so I decided to get a double helping, help offset some of the bad books I’ve read this year.

And THAT is all the history of how I arrived at this point, with this review. Some books don’t have a story behind them, but some do. Truly, I must be the Chosen One ;-)

This is Correia’s first real foray into the Epic Fantasy world and I wondered how he’d handle things. I needn’t have feared. Everything I have loved about his writing in other books was here. But he made things interesting by giving the world a very Indian oriented culture. With a caste system that is as unyielding and terrible as India’s own, to the name of the main character, Ashok (if any of you are Dilbert fans, maybe you remember Ashok the Indian intern?), this was not steeped in Medieval European fantasy. I quite enjoyed the change.

I also enjoyed the whole “false identity” reveal about Ashok. That can always go either way for me, but it worked here. It helped show just how terrible the world was that we were reading about that something like this could happen. I know I’m not going into details, but just in case there is some schlub who cares about spoilers but hasn’t read the story yet, I’m being deliberately vague. Don’t worry, I won’t be this way for the rest of the books. Needless to say, what we learn about Ashok changes everything and is the fulcrum upon which this story hangs.

The reason this isn’t getting 5stars is two-fold. First, I almost never give out 5stars on an initial read anymore. I’m an experienced enough reader now to understand that the “new factor” plays a huge part and a 5star read should take that completely out of the equation. See my PS below in regards to Point One. Second, Ashok isn’t so much a “character” as he is a force of nature. Now, that is deliberate on Correia’s part, as it plays to the whole Identity reveal that I mentioned before, but I still didn’t care for it. I trust that Ashok will become his own persona over the next five books.

And that wraps things up. I had a lot of fun with this book and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series as the year progresses.

Ps,

I didn’t even remember reading this book initially. It wasn’t until I wrote this review and was about to put it into Calibre that I found I had read and reviewed it back in 2015. Thankfully, I only had to rewrite a few sentences and add a tag to bring this into line with reality.

★★★★☆

From the Publisher

After the War of the Gods, the demons were cast out and fell to the world. Mankind was nearly eradicated by the seemingly unstoppable beasts, until the gods sent the great hero, Ramrowan, to save them. He united the tribes, gave them magic, and drove the demons into the sea. Yet as centuries passed, Gods and demons became myth and legend, and the people no longer believed. The Age of Law began.

Ashok Vadal has been chosen by a powerful ancient weapon to be its bearer. He is a Protector, the elite militant order of roving law enforcers. No one is more merciless in rooting out those who secretly practice the old ways. Everything is black or white, good or evil, until he discovers his entire life is a fraud. Ashok isn’t who he thinks he is, and when he finds himself on the wrong side of the law, the consequences lead to rebellion, war—and destruction.

• Son of the Black Sword (2015 Review)