Redemption's Blade dives full on into the series title at the top of the cover: After the War. This book takes place after a great fantasy war, when the evil demigod king and his legions of monsters have been defeated, but the scars-the traumas-are still fresh.

Hero Celestaine holds a sword that will cut anything, and she used it to help slay the evil, near immortal Kinslayer and end his war on the whole world. But the evil he did still goes on, and she feels urged to help fix some of it.

And thus the quest, the McGuffin, and all that are here. But what's truly refreshing about this book is the unflinching look at how it would really be, trying to recover from a war that literally brought hell with it. The suffering wrought by a hand without mercy does not simply vanish when that hand is cut off, and that is part of this book's central thesis. That, and how despite all the pain, life does still go on, in some way.

This book offers much. Engaging characters, grand adventure, moments of real hope, but also glimpses of the grim truth that war often brings only pain, even to the victors. It was a gipping read, and I look forward to future entries. ( )

Starts off a strong 4.5. Loses some steam around halfway through, and I thought there'd be some grander reveal at the ending. Still, pretty good. Subversive, distinctive, harrowing. ( )

The type of books I am reading is a good sign of mood. This is comfort food -- or maybe potato chips. Tchaikovsky always seems to spin a good yarn. It's not as compelling as his Children of... scifi, but it does the job.

Adrian Tchaikovsky takes the Dark Lord trope, turns it on its head and gives it a jolly good thrashing. here is a tale of Celestaine, the Slayer of the Dark Lord, living through the aftermath of the great conflict. The land seethes with refugees, famines, shortages, hatred, insecurity, fears and calls for revenge. Celestaine seeks to find some reasons for it all, wanting to bring more than death, some change that will improve the lives of those who have lost so much.

She sets off with two ogre-like acquaintances, a wingless flying man and her sword of infinite sharpness (that comes with a variety of uses and problems). Following her are two bizarre collectors of artefacts. What follows is a journey through a warn-torn world where we meet races, demi-gods, magics, conspiracies and revelations.

Mr T, carries the story off with great aplomb, with a most enjoyable conclusion and end. I found the start a bit slow, but read the final third in one sitting. I can only hope that he writes more in this environment.

This is the first novel in a shared world "After The War" devised by Solaris, with [a:Justina Robson|224518|Justina Robson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]Justina Robinson writing the second, [b:Salvation's Fire|38643811|Salvation's Fire|Justina Robson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519625991s/38643811.jpg|60255349]. ( )

This book asks a very interesting question: what happens after you defeat the Ultimate Evil One or the leader of the evil army? This twist on the usual fantasy fare allows the author to explore many crucial aspects that are usually just plain forgotten on the lives of the rest of the world and even the Hero of the stories. The characters are also very well developed. ( )