Review of Son of the Morning by Mark Alder

Son of the Morning by Mark Alder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Writing 5/5
Imagination 5/5
Plot 5/5
Setting 5/5
Characters 4/5


My Overall Enjoyment 5/5

From Goodreads description

Edward the Third stands in the burnt ruin of an English church. He is beset on all sides. He needs a victory against the French to rescue his Kingship. Or he will die trying.
Philip of Valois can put 50,000 men in the field. He has sent his priests to summon the very Angels themselves to fight for France. Edward could call on God for aid but he is an usurper. What if God truly is on the side of the French?

But for a price, Edward could open the gates of Hell and take an unholy war to France . . .
Mark Alder has brought the epic fantasy of George R.R. Martin to the vivid historical adventure of Bernard Cornwell and has a created a fantasy that will sweep you to a new vision of the Hundred Years War.

Expertly written, highly detailed, and vividly imagined, this is an outstanding work of historical fiction/alternate history which pulled me in with its prose and story from page 1. Even at 700 pages, I did not feel it was too long, rather I was sad for it to end because I wanted more. For those that follow my reviews, you know I prefer books on the short side but this was so fun and so epic that I don't think it would have been the same shorter.

I did not plan on reviewing this however it was so good I want to say a few words about it. Being only very vaguely familiar with the time period in which the story takes place (The Hundred Years war from 1337-1453 between England and France), I wasn't overly interested in reading this. It was on my radar but until I saw Mark Lawrence mention how beautiful the prose was I still wasn't sold. Mark, my favorite author, has never let me down on a recommendation so I decided to move on this book sooner rather than later even though my TBR pile is insane right now. This is one of the best books this year, and probably in my top 10 of all time.

It takes the story of Christianity, of which I am a believer, and turns it on its head. I don't get the impression the author is malicious in his take on the history of Christianity but certainly there are some who would not be able to handle a work that so twists what they believe. For me, the story the author tells is incredibly thought provoking, causing me to think about religion, history, warfare, and philosophy in new ways.

Son of the Morning is overflowing with sorcerers and magicians, devils, demons, angels, fallen angels, imps as "familiars", saints, Watchers(Nephilim),and includes Satan, Lucifer, and God all interacting with a huge cast of priests, kings, queens, princes, mercenaries, generals and other characters from both France and England. Knights Templars and Hospitallers also make appearances and are very important to the story. Wildly imagined and often horrifying demons and devils are released from Hell as its doors are opened and closed using magic circles and relics from saints and angels. There are relics galore, all being fought over and searched for across the continents, and as I am a huge fan of relics this alone is a huge attraction to me. There is tons of political intrigue and warfare which includes a naval battle as well as sieges and ground warfare. The plot is complex and multi-layered and at times overwhelming to follow but well worth the effort.

I read this as more of a plot based book rather than a book focusing on getting to know the characters. The character building was very good and I enjoyed many of them. However, because of the constant action and introduction to new characters it just seemed like the plot and action was what fueled my obsession with this book (as well as the wonderful writing and imagination).

This is a dark book, set during a dark time. There are really no "good guys" and for me I did not know who to root for, which is a crazy feeling while reading. This is a time period of epic civil unrest and church dogma and its very fascinating to see how these elements play out on a large and small scale. Disease and violence are parts of everyday life and the writing brings us to that time. It was very atmospheric; I felt like I was there.

I have about 50 pages left in the book. I will be very sad when I finish and I don't know how another book will live up to the standard set here. But I felt that way before and I have some great looking books coming up. No matter how this ends, I can't wait to go back to this series and I pray that the next is released soon. This book comes with the highest possible recommendation. I just don't see how someone could not like this book. It's so unique and I have never read anything like it. If you are looking for a book to get lost in and unlike anything you have ever read, try this.

Review of The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris

The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Writing 5/5
Imagination 5/5
Plot 5/5
Setting 5/5
Characters 5/5

My Overall Enjoyment 5/5

Goodreads description-

... 

Loki, that’s me.Loki, the Light-Bringer, the misunderstood, the elusive, the handsome and modest hero of this particular tissue of lies. Take it with a pinch of salt, but it’s at least as true as the official version, and, dare I say it, more entertaining.
Now it’s my turn to take the stage.
With his notorious reputation for trickery and deception, and an ability to cause as many problems as he solves, Loki is a Norse god like no other. Demon-born, he is viewed with deepest suspicion by his fellow gods who will never accept him as one of their own and for this he vows to take his revenge.
From his recruitment by Odin from the realm of Chaos, through his years as the go-to man of Asgard, to his fall from grace in the build-up to Ragnarok, this is the unofficial history of the world’s ultimate trickster.
From his recruitment by Odin from the realm of Chaos, through his years as the go-to man of Asgard, to his fall from grace in the build-up to Ragnarok, this is the unofficial history of the world’s ultimate trickster. 

So far, history, such as it is, has cast me in a rather unflattering role.

Stellar writing and storytelling! A true literary masterpiece. One of the best books of 2014. This was so light and fluid to read it was a non-stop joy. There were so many beautiful turns of phrase that it took much longer to read this than it normally would because I kept going back rereading paragraphs and sentences. Immediately upon finishing, I planned to read this again; something pretty rare for me. This author is new to me and to fantasy writing but I really hope she writes another fantasy book.

I am not overly familiar with Norse Mythology, but the new reader need not worry. This book includes a "who's who" upfront and jumps into Loki's tale. It's in modern voice which is a neat juxtaposition with the ancient story it tells. The narrator, Loki, absolutely comes alive in this book with such a true and unique voice. Laugh-out-loud funny then twisted and dark the next page, Loki seems so real, with the inconsistencies and contradictions that make up every individual.

Highly recommended for EVERYONE! This book was perfect by every measure available. I really can't imagine anyone could find it less than delightful. There are themes for everyone and this is a story of human history and the human condition; jealousy, love, hatred, evil, revenge, the search for knowledge and wisdom, power, greed, sorrow, fear, and on and on. I feel more enlightened about the world after reading this book; it put a smile on my face. I want more.

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Review of The Whale Road (Oathsworn #1) Robert Low

The Whale Road by Robert Low
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Writing 4/5
Imagination 4/5
Plot 4/5
Setting 5/5
Characters 4.5/5

My Overall Enjoyment 5/5

Goodreads summary-

A band of brothers, committed only to each other, rides the waves, fighting for the highest bidder, treading the whale road in search of legendary relics.
Life is savage aboard a Viking raiding ship. When Orm Rurikson is plucked from the snows of Norway to brave the seas on the Fjord Elk, he becomes an unlikely member of the notorious crew. Although young, Orm must quickly become a warrior if he is to survive.
His fellow crew are the Oathsworn---named after the spoken bond that ties them in brotherhood. They fight hard, they drink hard, and they always defend their own.
But times are changing. Loyalty to the old Norse Gods is fading, and the followers of the mysterious “White Christ” are gaining power across Europe. Hired as relic hunters, the Oathsworn are sent in search of a sword believed to have killed the White Christ. Their quest will lead them onto the deep and treacherous waters of the whale road, toward the cursed treasure of Attila the Hun and to a challenge that presents the ultimate threat.
Robert Low has written a stunning epic, a remarkable debut novel. Not only a compelling narrative, The Whale Road also brings a new Viking landscape stretching from Scotland through the Baltic and on to Istanbul.

Everything I look for in a book; strong characters, superb writing, intriguing plot, grittiness, realism, violence and action, and extreme plot twists. I never heard of this author until a friend recommended it and I am so glad she did! Not a long book, but it did take awhile to get through. And in this case, that is not a bad thing as I did not want it to end it was so good.

The first night after reading this book, I had dark, bleak dreams of sailing and plundering with Vikings. This world was so vividly drawn it sucked me in and crossed into Dream, something few books can accomplish. I absolutely loved the conflict between the priests and followers of the Norse pantheon of gods and the same of the "White Christ".

This is most cleanly fits into the genre historical fantasy, as was set in our world and contains a good deal of Norse Mythology, but if you like darker themed fantasy, you will love this. Highly recommended for readers who like grimdark, Norse Mythology, or the time period of the Vikings. This is the first book of five in the Oathsworn series so I am very excited to catch up. Very underrated author! One of the best Viking books I have read.

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Review of Lord of the Silver Bow By David Gemmell

Lord of the Silver Bow by David Gemmell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Writing 4/5
Imagination 4/5
Plot 4.5/5
Setting 4/5
Characters 5/5

Overall Enjoyment 3.5/5

David Gemmell is one of my all time favorite authors so it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed this book. This book is a bit different than most of his other works such as the Drenai series(Legend)in that it falls better into the historical fiction genre rather than gritty epic fantasy. Although the historicity of the city of Troy is much disputed as are the stories The Iliad & The Odyssey I don't see this as historical fantasy, 1) because of the lack of magical and supernatural elements and 2)the largely geographically and anthropologically accurate elements. That being said, this is an excellent story about events before The Iliad and icludes many of the wonderful characters from that story including Odysseus, Kings Priam and Agamemnon, Paris, Hektor, Helikaon (Aeneas), Andromache, and Helen comes in near the end. Two of the main story lines include that of Andromache and Helikaon, the latter I enjoyed much more. Perhaps that is because I loved The Aeneid so much it was fun to learn more about Aeneas. Odysseus was an excellent character but his story ended about halfway through; too soon. As usual, the character building was excellent and it was interwoven with battles and violence but I thought this book was slower going than past Gemmell books. It really took me quite awhile to get into this story but to be fair I just started my blog and that took up a lot of time. The last 1/3 was action packed, filled with Gemmell trademark violence and action.

An interesting conversation took place between Helikaon and Gershom. This is the highlight of that conversation-"Osiris is the hero god, the lord of light. Set is his brother, a creature vile and depraved. They are in a constant war to the death. My grandfather told me of them when I was young. He said that we carry Osiris and Set struggling within us. All of us are capable of great compassion and love or hatred and horror. Sadly, we can take joy from both.”
“I know that is true,” said Helikaon. “I felt it as those sailors burned. The memory of it is shameful.” The sentence "Sadly, we can take joy from both”, as does the whole conversation, speaks volumes to me about the grimdark genre and why it plays on a readers emotions so strongly as compared to other works of fantasy. There is a conflict between good and evil, love and hate, which we play out on a daily basis and this conflict is a feature I have seen in most of the grimdark books I have read. While it's obvious grimdark leans heavily toward the "hatred and horror" aspects, they also contain elements of the heroic, and the good.

Recommended for historical fiction, historical fantasy, ancient mythology, and The Iliad and Odyssey fans. Grimdark readers should enjoy this but I recommend they start with the Drenai books first.

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