Sebastian de Castell
Autore di Traitor's Blade
Sull'Autore
Serie
Opere di Sebastian de Castell
The Dowager Magus 11 copie
Firewood 7 copie
Greatcoats book traitor's blade, knight's shadow, saint's blood 3 books collection set (2018) 4 copie
The Red Lily 3 copie
Our Lady of Blades 1 copia
The Greatcoats Series 4 Books Collection Set by Sebastien de Castell - Traitors Blade, Knights Shadow, Saints Blood,… (2020) 1 copia
The Malevolent Seven: "Terry Pratchett meets Deadpool" in this darkly funny fantasy by the author of Traitor's… (2024) 1 copia
Greatcoats Series 4 Books Collection Set By Sebastien de Castell (Traitor's Blade, Knight's Shadow, Saint's Blood,… (2020) 1 copia
CrownBreaker Volume 6 1 copia
Opere correlate
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Nome canonico
- de Castell, Sebastian
- Data di nascita
- c. 1970
- Sesso
- male
- Nazionalità
- Canada
- Luogo di nascita
- Pointe Claire, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Luogo di residenza
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Netherlands - Attività lavorative
- musician
ombudsman
fight choreographer
teacher
project manager
actor - Agente
- Adams, Heather (HMA Literary Agency)
- Breve biografia
- Sebastien de Castell had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor, and product strategist. His only defence against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way.
Utenti
Recensioni
Most of this was 3 stars, and I’m happy the series is done. The end was worth it, though
Spellslinger is the first in the YA series of the same name by Sebastien de Castell. The story opens by introducing us to Kellen, a magic student, about to start his mage trials by facing his first mage's duel. There's only one problem: Kellen's magic has faded. In a society that values magical ability above all, this is problematic and Kellen finds himself looking for alternatives to get through these trials before he is declared Sha'Tep, one without magical ability, and cast out from society.
This makes for an interesting start to a series. Kellen is a nice kid, stuck in a bad position that he should never have been in, who does a decent job of relying on his wits to survive. Who doesn't enjoy a plucky underdog? He's eventually joined by Ferius, a wandering Argosi who tends to end up where world changing events are starting, and Reichis, a squirrel cat. Reichis is surprisingly funny in a furious way. Ferius is interesting. I'm curious what it really means to be an Argosi.
The setting is supposed to be in another part of the Greatcoats univerise, which is interesting, and yet seems vastly different than what was presented in that series. Too bad the society Kellen is part of, the Jin'Tep, is pretty awful. Their relationship with the Sha'Tep is equally horrible the more you learn about it. Hell, even Kellen's family, especially his sister, are fairly awful. It made me sympathetic to Kellen's plight and also a little to that of the Sha'Tep, though I don't think their actions can be excused either. Fair warning - there is harm to animals in this book so if you're sensitive to this you may want to steer clear.
In the end Kellen's story show promise of better things to come and I'll likely seek out the second book in the future.… (altro)
This makes for an interesting start to a series. Kellen is a nice kid, stuck in a bad position that he should never have been in, who does a decent job of relying on his wits to survive. Who doesn't enjoy a plucky underdog? He's eventually joined by Ferius, a wandering Argosi who tends to end up where world changing events are starting, and Reichis, a squirrel cat. Reichis is surprisingly funny in a furious way. Ferius is interesting. I'm curious what it really means to be an Argosi.
The setting is supposed to be in another part of the Greatcoats univerise, which is interesting, and yet seems vastly different than what was presented in that series. Too bad the society Kellen is part of, the Jin'Tep, is pretty awful. Their relationship with the Sha'Tep is equally horrible the more you learn about it. Hell, even Kellen's family, especially his sister, are fairly awful. It made me sympathetic to Kellen's plight and also a little to that of the Sha'Tep, though I don't think their actions can be excused either. Fair warning - there is harm to animals in this book so if you're sensitive to this you may want to steer clear.
In the end Kellen's story show promise of better things to come and I'll likely seek out the second book in the future.… (altro)
Liste
Premi e riconoscimenti
Potrebbero anche piacerti
Autori correlati
Statistiche
- Opere
- 33
- Opere correlate
- 2
- Utenti
- 3,707
- Popolarità
- #6,838
- Voto
- 4.0
- Recensioni
- 146
- ISBN
- 206
- Lingue
- 10
- Preferito da
- 2
Let's talk about world-building first. In the beginning, there is a lot to grasp as we are bombarded with the workings of the magic system and the structure of the world. In short, the wizards of this world are able to connect to one other plane of existence and bring forth part of that plane's reality. Two of these planes belong to this world's spin on angels and demons, who are in a fight with each other, as usual, and humans are their soldiers.
Sebastien de Castell manages to mix familiar concepts with enough originality to pull out something that feels fresh.
Our main character is our guide throughout the world. I don't always enjoy the main character that talks to the reader as it can come off a bit cringy, but this time it was handled well. The story is also infused with a substantial amount of comedy, if of a somewhat dark kind.
Cade is an interesting morally grey character. A guy that does what needs to be done despite his conscience. This is especially put to shine when the whole ragtag group of characters comes together, as there is a whole spectrum of moralities in the group. Somehow they still manage to work together, if grudgingly. Needless to say that each character also has their own special ability to add to the mix.
The story was really interesting, but a bit chaotic. I love me some twists and turns but I also like to look back and see the signs and here there was very little that would be satisfying in retrospect. I know that some parts had to be done like that, so I don't blame the author for it. Although It did somewhat lower my enjoyment.
All in all, this book was a satisfying ride. The end settled the main storyline of this book, but there is definitely more left to tell, so I am pretty sure we are getting a sequel.
I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.… (altro)