The Sworn (Fallen Kings Cycle) [Paperback]

I've been aware of Martin's work for a while, now, but for some reason I never got around to reading the first story arc set in her world (The Chronicles of the Necromancer, published by Solaris). As Orbit sent me a copy of The Sworn, and because it's the start of a new series, I figured there was no better time to get stuck in, and I was rather happy with what I discovered within...

The Sworn is the beginning of a new, compelling epic tale set in a medieval-gothic world where the undead live cautiously alongside the living. The world is only just coming to grips with the chaos and disruption caused by Jared the Usurper's bloody reign, when newer and potential greater threats begin to emerge: A plague is devastating the domains, creating tension and fear as scapegoats are sought; and a dark sect is desecrating the great barrows of the land, digging into evil magics long thought expunged, and a threat from the north is gathering its forces.

There are quite a few characters to get to grips with, and at the start it felt a little like I was lost amid a sea of people I didn't know, like I was late to a rather large party. Even with the Prologue, which is intended to catch long-time readers up with what's been going on, and give new readers an introduction to this world, I admit I was a little lost. Nevertheless, I stuck with it and I was rewarded for my patience; I found myself becoming familiar with the characters, politics, and creatures quite quickly, and some of them really started to grow on me.

And what a world Martin has created - the deathly, dark and gothic aspects and tones appealed a great deal. The world features ghosts, vampires ("vayash moru"), werewolves ("vyrkin"), and a necromantic magic system. The vayash moru and vyrkin have distinct politics and societies of their own, and we are introduced to a lot of it over the course of the novel. Issues of race also infuse the politics of the world, as some domains allow the vayash moru and vyrkin to live among them, openly-but-separate, while others still hunt them. The ghosts in this world interact with its living inhabitants, sometimes in strange and bizarre ways (the use of "ghost whores" is interesting, if also rather disturbing). The magic system is a blend of necromancy mixed with some Native American shamanism. It's a good mix, and Martin does a very deft job of using it to add layers of atmosphere to the novel and world. There are also "dimmons" in this world (demons, basically, which made me raise an eye-brow the first few times I read their name - it seemed a rather pointless re-spelling). These creatures are sinister, vicious, and prey on the unwary travellers. The Dread, mentioned in the synopsis, are equally dark and sinister, as are the ashtenerath (reanimated corpses).

On a couple of occasions it feels like Martin's trying to `authenticate' her faux-medieval world by using phrases that aren't really very helpful. Take, for example, this description of a character's age: "He was a young man, a few years more than twenty seasons old". This, to me, suggested he is `older than five'... But in actuality, he's over twenty. To be fair, this instance is unusual and actually quite out-of-place, as 99% of the time, Martin's writing allows the reader to naturally come to an understanding of the world, its political and societal norms. In fact, the author's writing as a whole is very natural - other than the aforementioned age comment, the dialogue is realistic, accessible and with a good, natural flow. The slower pace of the plot might not suit everyone, but it did quite suite the story and atmosphere. That the pace was slower than expected was both surprising and a little disappointing, because the blurbs on the back of the book do suggest that Martin's writing is quickly paced and "exuberant", when I actually found some scenes and chapters dropped the pace considerably, drawing away from the story's momentum. The Sworn is very much a the beginning of a new sequence, events and forces are still moving into place, so I imagine the sequel, The Dread, is going to be much more exciting, quicker paced, and I imagine feature a lot more action.

Gothic and interesting, the world is fully established and well-realised (this is the fifth novel set within it), and while I did have some minor trouble getting to grips with who everybody was and how they fit into the politics and plot, I became rather fond of some of them (for example, Aidane, Jair Rothlandorn, Jonmarc, and Cam). It would have been nice to spend more time with Martris Drayke, though, as I felt he didn't feature as much in the novel towards the start of the novel as I had expected.

I can't comment on Martin's evolution as an author, as I've not read her previous work, but this is a very well-written and intricately plotted epic fantasy novel in a great setting, and I can't wait for the second book in the cycle, The Dread. I would definitely recommend The Sworn. I would perhaps caution people of the uneven pacing, and also that they will likely get more out of reading the first four novels before reading this one, but, as I discovered, this is not essential to enjoy this novel.

Gothic and politics-infused Epic Fantasy. This is a very good, original novel and setting.

A new publisher for a new cycle in Gail's Winter Kingdoms and one that can be started by new readers without any worries about what has gone before. Personally speaking, I like the fact that the reader can jump straight in, but with the fact that the original series was such an eye opener then it would be a great shame to miss it.

As usual with Gail, the writing is wonderful, she has a masters touch with pace, a cracking understanding of prose and knows how to lead the reader a merry dance to a tune that only she can hear. Finally add to this a great sense of character and a startling assembly of cast members within the world and you know that the title is going to be something that will make you pay attention especially as you await the next instalment with baited breath.

The Sworn is the fifth book in The Chronicles of the Necromancer, or, officially, the first in The Fallen Kings Cycle. This book is written as a new start to help new readers get into this universe, and it succeeds. But I would still recommend people to read the other four books first, because they are great, most of them better than this one. Especially the first two books, The Summoner and The Blood King. Sadly the series has gone downhill after those two, but it is still worth reading.

Every important character from the other books return in The Sworn, and the author has even included some new ones. One is Martris Drayke's cousin, who I didn't get to care much for, and a unique whore, who I surprisingly started to like. The sad thing is that there is little written aboute the main character from the first books, Martris Drayke, who is the character I want to read about.

One thing that really annoys me in this book, like the last two (Dark Haven and Dark Lady's Chosen), is that it's too many 'main' characters. Seriously, I think there are only five chapters about each of the characters in this book, and that means you rarely read two chapters in a row about the same character. Sometimes it's very far between some characters' chapters. Which can be frustrating.

Another thing is the missing villain. Yes, there is an evil power scheming to take over the world, but it doesn't have a face, which I really miss. I want a person I can really hate, like Jared in the first books. In this book, however, it's just a faction working for this new threat that is looming on the horizon.

These things aside, this is a very good book. Not as good as The Summoner and The Blood King, which I can really recommend, but if you've read the others then you don't want to miss this one. If you are new to the series and don't want to start on the first, then this is the best place to start. It is a prologue at the beginning of the book that acts as a summary of the events that lead up to The Sworn, which is really helpful, especially if you're new or have been gone for a while.

As mentioned earlier, if you have read the first four books in the series, and liked it, don't hesitate to buy this one. For new readers, The Summoner is without a doubt the best place to start, but this book works too. There's a great war in the making.