Official Review: Steel, Blood & Fire

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gali
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Official Review: Steel, Blood & Fire

Post by gali »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Steel, Blood & Fire" by Allan Batchelder.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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First Law series meets The Malazan Book of the Fallen series in this stellar tale! I have read & loved both series, and I found this book just as addictive. "Steel, Blood & Fire" is the first book in the Immortal Treachery series, and it is one of those books that are very difficult to put down after you've started. I don't have words adequate enough to express how much I enjoyed this book. This isn't particularly new to the genre, but it's definitely a cut above a lot of other fantasy books.

The book has a fair amount of the aforementioned blood and swordplay, but it is much more than that. With a story told from multiple points of view, an eloquent writing, a well-constructed world, larger than life protagonists, and an enthralling narrative, we have here a great new entry into the "epic fantasy" ranks. This book is quite a bit different from your standard fantasy fare. Instead of good against evil, the struggle is less evil versus more evil, with the heroes themselves of questionable morality. In fact, the book has everything I like about epic fantasy: complex characters that are mostly shades of gray, an epic world-ending threat looming on the horizon, kingdom gearing up for war, intrigue, and even a bit of romance between unlikely pair. In addition it deals with themes of grand struggle against supernatural evil force, friendship, loyalty, honor, depravity, and empathy.

The book is set in a medieval world, and powerful shapers (wizards), warriors, magic swords, and fey creatures grace its pages. The story opens with a bang and then builds up to an explosive climax. The book focuses on a large number of characters that drive the plot. However, the characters are fairly memorable and easy to differentiate, due to their unique voices and their meticulous drawing. Some of the main protagonists are: Tarmun Vykers aka "the Reaper" – an infamous legendary warrior; Arune – a spectral sorceress in need of a body; Anders aka The End of all Things - a bloodthirsty mage and the villain of the piece; Aoife – Anders' sister; Long aka Long Pete; D'kem, a washed up wizard; Mardine – a giantess, to name a few.

There are four main plot lines which start out separately and then overlap in interesting and surprising ways. Each chapter switches perspective to follow around different story. First we meet Tarmun Vykers, a legendary warrior who is universally feared. He is not your typical hero either, and can be considered as an Anti-Hero. Before the End made his entrance, Vykers was the terror of the piece. Now he is seen as the lesser of two evils. The same enemy which has disfigured him at the beginning of the story is now asking for his help against the dark machinations of an evil even bigger than him. Imagine that! Next we meet The End of all Things itself, a supernatural evil entity who is bent on annihilating all life literally. Another plot line follows Aoife's quest of vengeance. The last plot line, but not the least, follows Long and his motley crew's quest for riches and fortune. There are many adventures and mishaps along the way, and while most plotlines come to a tidy end at the close of this novel, others have been given a solid foundation to continue on into the next book in the series.

The author rises above the clichés to create a story that is more original and less predictable than it should be. Characters are fantastic, from the honorable to the wicked. As for favorite characters, Vykers is by far one of them. Speaking of favorite characters, the author doesn't pull his punches and doesn't hesitate to kill beloved characters. The cast of characters is very large, yet somehow easy to keep track of. There are a couple of strong female leads, but sadly one of them quickly became a womb for rent half way through the story. Toward the end though, she redeemed herself. My only complaint (though it's fairly minor) is the frequent use of the F-word in the story, which just doesn't seem to fit the world. Nonetheless, this novel was everything that I could wish for and more in an epic fantasy.

I loved the story, so I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. Lovers of dark fantasy novels would be well advised to immerse themselves in this story! If you love flawed characters and you don't mind a bit of violent action, then this is totally for you. However, the book is not appropriate for young adult readers due to its dark and somewhat gory content. It's a fat book (around 1000 pages on my kindle) and a long story, but it flies by. Oh, does it fly! As you can tell from this glowing review, I would whole-heartedly recommend it!

******
Steel, Blood & Fire
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Post by APatwary989 »

Wow Gali this review was really well written. I will make sure to pick a copy of Steel, Blood and Fire. I think that, as you mentioned, complex characters are what draws me to a book because it shows a more realistic picture of what people in the real world are like.
I've only recently had the courage to pick up a high fantasy book because these always tend to have a very intimidating number of characters within the pages. However after reading A Game of Thrones by J.R Martin, I found that fantasy is a great mix of different flavours mixed in. It is finely balanced with a high character count on one side in order to create a rich and satisfying tale.
Thanks for bringing this book to my attention.
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Post by gali »

APatwary989 wrote:Wow Gali this review was really well written. I will make sure to pick a copy of Steel, Blood and Fire. I think that, as you mentioned, complex characters are what draws me to a book because it shows a more realistic picture of what people in the real world are like.
I've only recently had the courage to pick up a high fantasy book because these always tend to have a very intimidating number of characters within the pages. However after reading A Game of Thrones by J.R Martin, I found that fantasy is a great mix of different flavours mixed in. It is finely balanced with a high character count on one side in order to create a rich and satisfying tale.
Thanks for bringing this book to my attention.
Thank you for your kind words. :)

I have got the 'Game of Thrones' series, but I still didn't read them. I am waiting for J.R Martin to finish it...8)
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Post by bookowlie »

Great, insightful review! I don't know if this book is for me, since "less evil" vs. "more evil" sounds.....so evil. :) All kidding aside, I am not a major fantasy fan, but I know there are many people on this site who love the genre.
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Post by gali »

bookowlie wrote:Great, insightful review! I don't know if this book is for me, since "less evil" vs. "more evil" sounds.....so evil. :) All kidding aside, I am not a major fantasy fan, but I know there are many people on this site who love the genre.
lol Thank you. :)
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Post by bookowlie »

Maybe the sequel will be the next step - "good" vs. "less evil". :")
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Post by gali »

bookowlie wrote:Maybe the sequel will be the next step - "good" vs. "less evil". :")
lol I rather liked the "less evil" one though. 8)
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Post by arvndu »

Nice book and story is also very interesting.
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Post by gali »

arvndu wrote:Nice book and story is also very interesting.
I thought it was awesome! :)
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Post by RussetDivinity »

This sounds like a really interesting story! It might be too violent for me, but I'd definitely be willing to try it.
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Post by gali »

RussetDivinity wrote:This sounds like a really interesting story! It might be too violent for me, but I'd definitely be willing to try it.
You should give it a try. It is a great story in my view. :)
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Post by j p gilbert »

Such a good review. It is obvious you enjoyed the book and the series. I have the Game of Thrones series and if it I anything like that I might have a look.
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Post by gali »

j p gilbert wrote:Such a good review. It is obvious you enjoyed the book and the series. I have the Game of Thrones series and if it I anything like that I might have a look.
Thank you. I didn't read the "Game of Thrones" yet, but I think this book is just as great. :)
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Post by Levi »

@gali I'm pretty sure you enjoyed this book, and knowing that I'm sure I would too. :) I love shades of gray just like you. Also, I love the detailed review, it makes me want to know more about the book than a quick, simplified review does. Great job.
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Post by gali »

Escapeartist wrote:@gali I'm pretty sure you enjoyed this book, and knowing that I'm sure I would too. :) I love shades of gray just like you. Also, I love the detailed review, it makes me want to know more about the book than a quick, simplified review does. Great job.
Thank you. I think that you will like the book, since we share similar tastes. :)
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