Published: 2014
Rating: ★★★★☆
Almost as strong as TWoK, only faltering toward the end. Another epic tale with far too many words, but most well spent. Again it is Kal’s story that compels the read as questions of honour and responsibility fight with opportunity and greed. The squandered armies on the Shattered Plains, hunting for riches rather than victory, are so well captured, as are the enemy forces and the ongoing mystery of the assassin in white.
It is a lot of reading though, both these books split into two volumes, and by the end of this one I felt defeated. Facing another 4000 words in Oathbringer and Rhythm of War was too much, particularly as I felt the story almost concluded here, before a tacked on epilogue that didn’t grab me or make me want to read more. If anything it deflated a lot of the expectation and good will by making some of the epic power a bit too common. Once everyone is a superhero, is anyone?