Outstanding

This is truly one of my favourite books of 2019. I cannot wait to be immersed in the next book. ( )

3.5 stars
My experience with Chris Wooding is his Ketty Jay series, which I adored, and his graphic novel Pandemonium, also a blast. Both of them were infused with just the sort of snarky humor I like. The tone of The Ember Blade is heavier, more old school fantasy—serious, descriptive, and long on the journeying. There’s plenty of action mixed in, and a nice blend of companions is gradually formed over the course of the book.
It didn’t suck me in right away, and it took me a while to feel much for the characters. The point where things picked up for me is when I got some other character POVs besides Aren and Cade’s. I’m typically a fan of the single first-person POV, but the multi-character, third-person POV worked better in this book. I don’t think I would have wanted to exclusively be in Aren’s head the whole time (and he seems the likely choice if Wooding had limited the narration to one character).
I was very glad this book completed an adventure within a larger series arc. I can’t abide cliffhangers. Besides setting the stage for the Ossian rebellion, Wooding left a few mysteries to explore in future books. I’m very curious about what’s happening to the Sards, and I wonder if that will figure heavily in the plot of the next book.
Parts of the journey were a slog—probably my least favorite was the group’s time in Skavengard, which had a strong Mines of Moria vibe and just felt really drawn out. I enjoyed the book a lot more when that part was over.
The book felt more like a 3-star read for me until about the halfway point, and I found it hard to put down in the last third or so. It’s a long book, and one I might have dumped if it had been by an author I didn’t already love, but I’m glad I stayed with it. I liked a lot more than I didn’t, and I’m curious what will be the focus of book 2, amidst the larger story of rebellion and potential war. ( )

We follow the lads Aren and Cade as they find purpose. This is a big traditional fantasy novel, with a slow bA very readable volume. Bit slow to start, but a good romp, with an interesting cast of characters. Two lads are torn from their village by circumstances and slowly find purpose with two rebels, a druid, a ranger, a barbarian, a knight and minstrel. Who is friend and who is foe?uild up and then an exciting conclusion. Of course this is the first in a trilogy(?), so our adventure is only really just starting. I shall be happy to read what follows. ( )

The Ember Blade is the first in The Darkwater Legacy series by Chris Wooding. This was my first time reading anything by this author though I've had his Ketty Jay books in my TBR for a while now. I have to say I was impressed by this book's blend of classic epic fantasy and modern grimdark tones. There is a lot of the familiar for old school fantasy fans like myself with enough modern touches that I think the story could appeal to a broad audience.

Ossia is a land under occupation. 30 years ago the Krodans invaded, bringing law and order to their newly expanded Empire. For many, life under Kroden rule isn't that bad. Aren, the son of an Ossian noble, lives by all the rules and his future looks bright as he readies himself to head off to serve in the Kroden military. That dream is shattered when his father is executed for treason and Aren, with his best friend Cade, are thrown into a prison camp, destined to do hard labor in the mines for the remainder of their short lives. Unless they can somehow escape.

Yes, that sounds like the beginning of a typical fantasy story. It's where the story goes from there that you realize you are no longer in Kansas anymore as the plot twists and turns with morally grey characters. Then all of a sudden you realize that no one is safe in this quest. It was at times unsettling and always delightful knowing that almost anything could happen to these characters that I was growing quite fond of.

The story is told from multiple points of view of an ensemble cast. Each character's background and motivations are slowly revealed throughout the story as we spend time getting to know them. Their actions and thoughts raise questions about their morality as you grow in understanding of who they really are. It is what brought these characters to life, helping them feel like real people and made it so their pains and losses impacted me on an emotional level as I read. The cast is too large to go into each character individually so I'll just say I really ended up loving Vika, Ruck, Cade and, surprisingly, Grub. Grub really grew on me as the story went along, something I did not expect given his inglorious start as a bullying thug.

Keeping with the "old is new" theme, this story has a bit of everything with Wooding's on unique twist for each. It's a coming-of-age tale, a heroic quest, there's a magic sword, betrayl and revenge, a hint of love, chase scenes, a prison break, a Mission Impossible heist and even a Tolkien-esque "You Shall Not Pass" moment that was truly epic. Now that I think about it I was reminded of Tolkien at may points during this reading, if Tolkien had collaborated with George RR Martin.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Simon Bubb. He did a fantastic job of giving each character it's own unique voice. His narration was a joy to listen to.

This was a truly epic read. Here's hoping the wait for book two isn't too long! ( )

I don’t often read epic fantasy, but the premise of the book sounded sufficiently intriguing to me that I ordered it immediately, and though I was slightly intimidated by its prodigious length (nearly 800 pages), I’m so glad I did. I devoured it within a week, always aching to get back to it when I necessarily had to do something else. As of now, this is one of my top reads of 2018.

This is the first volume in a new epic fantasy series, mainly aimed at young adults but adults will also be able to derive a lot of pleasure from it. From the first chapter the reader is pulled into the narrative. The story focuses on two teenagers from a small town who are best friends, despite their different stations in life. Aren is highborn and has been brought up to love the way of life of the Krodan oppressors, while his friend Cade is a carpenter’s son who still believes in the values and traditions of his homeland, Ossia. When violence suddenly intrudes in their peaceful but rather uneventful lives, they are set on a course that will change not only their own paths, but eventually also that of countless others. But the path to freedom is paved with pain and sacrifice, as Aren and Cade discover to their cost.

The book features an extensive list of characters, but I found it was easy to keep track of the protagonists because they are so well developed. The main characters are fully rounded individuals – some more engaging than others – showing real personal growth in places, and I became incredibly attached to them; even the minor characters are so well fleshed out that I couldn’t help but care for them, and even the main villain is not just a one-dimensional figure that embodies the brutality of the oppressors. I found that they still flitted round my brain hours after finishing the book yesterday.

The writing is unfussy and mostly devoid of the tongue twisters other fantasy authors are so fond of to impart the setting of a different world; where they occur, they fit blend seamlessly into the narrative. The prose is atmospheric and descriptive without being overbearing, and the world-building is extraordinary and wonderfully rich in detail: the reader learns about a creation myth, different belief systems, various traditions and cultures; instead of crowding out the narrative, the details embellish and enrich the story and make characters’ motivations more believable. At times I was reminded of a bard telling the legend of the Ember Blade to a rapt audience, especially as the core themes of the story (friendship, loyalty, bravery, sacrifice, honour, heroes, villains, a country trying to regain its lost freedom) are subjects of many a bard’s tale.

The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that make up the backstory are revealed only slowly, thereby propelling the story and characters forward; where a major character is concerned, the author has taken pains to let them reveal their backstories gradually, the better for the reader to understand why they act the way they do. A dark and threatening undercurrent runs through the entire novel, even if it is sometimes buried under more immediate action, but it promises much for subsequent titles. In places, after an incredibly tense section, I noticed I was out of breath, so much was I engaged with the characters. The attentive reader will be able to recognise several literary and cultural as well as historical references that make the story both familiar and original in their combinations.

Highly recommended. I’m already looking forward to the second title in the series – if only I didn’t have so long to wait!

(This review was written for Amazon's Vine Programme.) ( )