Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very strong debut inspires hunger for book 2., 10 Dec 2006
I just picked up Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley. It's a brand new epic Fantasy debut in the UK which Orbit is very keen to market as one of the most promising new works in this field, and they are comparing it Martin, Erikson and Gemmell.
I have to say I really flew through this book. I was eager for it come out to see if this could be yet another worthwhile new debut ( after "Lies of Locke Lamora" and "The Blade itself") and IMO this is as good as any debut I've read this year. It's a good read, realistic, has a low magic setting, has some intriguing characters ( and some less so), definitly good worldbuilding and it can be very gritty.
I would actually say that from my reading experience, I would compare this mostly to David Gemmell's Rigante series, and to JV Jones's fine "Sword of Shadows" trilogy. It's clearly set in a northern country, with different clans duking it out with each other, but there are slightly supernatural elements as well ( similar to Song of Ice and Fire). The comparison with Martin is not bad, but Ruckley doesn't have Martin's skill at characterization. He uses different POV's but not so many as Martin or for instance Erikson. Gemmell and Jones are better indicators of how good this is, while Erikson fans who are not into Malazan purely because of the high magic might also really like this.
I do think it will lack the broad appeal of a series like The Gentleman bastards because this really is straight up epic Fantasy. The characters are not witty nor is the narrative sprinkled with quips. This is a serious drama that is unfolding. One of the most interesting things Ruckley has done is two have a "villain" with a character arc. This man, Aeglyss, is born of the union between man and Kyrinin and has a potential for power that hasn't been seen in hundreds of years. However in this first book he is mostly an insecure character with a pathological need to ingratiate himself and be accepted, having been outcast wherever he went ever since he was a small child. He has great potential ( those more wise but less gifted sense him as a "Black-hearted beast") but lacks the key to unlock his abilities. His is one of the two main character arcs of that trilogy, the other being the son of a brutally slain Clanlord.
You've also got factions like the Inkallim ( Hunters and warriors deeply devoted to their Black Road religion), human clan rulers who wish to use the war to advance their own position of power in as many ways as possible, when in fact they should be standing shoulder to shoulder ( very much ASOIAF that), and the Kyrinin, an Elflike race, except the Kyrinin have no magic and are not considered to be superior to men ( nor are they inferior). They are simply very different, and the insight Ruckley shows into their culture was a strength of this story.
I rate the book 8 out of 10. I thought his writing was a lot more coherent than for instance Steven Erikson, but his characterization is not on a Hobb/Martin/Kay level at this point. I mentioned parallels to Gemmell but would point out that Ruckley's world has more depth.
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27 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
It is a World of Ice, It is a World of Blood..., 23 Sep 2007
It is a World of People with names like "Tarian nan Hyrgian oc Lannis-Gyre-Haig", who aren't shy about having long, tedious conversations with similarly named companions about clan rights and tracts of land. Then, when this becomes too much fun to bear, they start on a hopeless trek to nowhere in particular. Occasionally, we switch back to the bad guys who go about slaughtering everyone the good guys ever cared about with a depressing thoroughness. There's also something about dark magic which will probably be significant later, but he never really gets round to exploring it.
I just kept waiting for this to get going, basically. There's the bones of a good story in there, but I don't think I'll be coming back for the rest of the series. It's a shame, because I had high hopes for it. If you like your fiction unrelentingly grim and 'gritty' though, check it out, but it's not for me.
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27 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent debut!, 16 Feb 2007
Well, 2006 is turning out to be the year of the hot debuts. Hal Duncan, Naomi Novik, Scott Lynch, Joel Shepherd, Joe Abercrombie, and now Brian Ruckley. In any other year, Winterbirth would undoubtedly be considered the best fantasy debut. But this year, the opening chapter of The Godless World trilogy must share the spotlight with powerhouses such as Vellum, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and a bunch of other spectacular debuts. Such is the quality of this year's new talent. . .
I learned about Winterbirth while browsing through the various threads on asoiaf.westeros.org. Some readers there opined that fans of George R. R. Martin would probably enjoy this one. Upon reflection, I agree with their assessment. Yet I wish to clarify one thing: Winterbirth is nothing like A Song of Ice and Fire in terms of story. In style and tone, however, Winterbirth is similar to Martin's series. It's a dark and gritty fantasy; don't expect humour and bantering dialogues in this novel. And not unlike GRRM, Ruckley is not averse to killing off his characters.
This book is a fine example of good worldbuilding, even though we only catch a glimpse in this first volume. Still, the author provides many hints which indicate that this universe has a lot more depth. A past not yet buried offers a few fascinating glimpses which truly piqued my curiosity. The dissension among the True Bloods was a bit predictable at times, though.
I enjoyed the way magic is subdued to some extent -- again very similar to the manner with which Martin portrays it. The na'kyrim resemble Katherine Kurtz's Deryni in many ways. The storylines involving the Bloods of the Black Road and the Inkallim were my favourites. The presence of those fundamentalists and their religion in a godless world added another dimension to this tale.
The characterizations are typical at the beginning of the book. But when Ruckley starts to kill characters that appeared to be there for the long run, one immediately realizes that the author has several surprises in store for his readers.
The pace is good, meaning that the novel contains no dull moments. The fact that this is a trilogy forces Ruckley to write a tight story, thus preventing him from leading readers astray with a panoply of subplots that serve little or no purpose.
I felt that the ending was a bit rushed. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. As the first volume in a trilogy, it is, in essence, an introduction to a vaster tale. Yet the ending brings closure to certain storylines and it leaves the door wide open for a lot more to come.
If you are looking for another fine debut, Brian Ruckley's Winterbirth should not disappoint. This title will be one of the first novels published by the new US Orbit imprint. Those who cannot wait can order it from amazon.ca. . .
Definitely one of the best fantasy novels of 2006.
For more reviews, interviews, book giveaways and more, check out www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com
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