Publishing Information: Hardback; 579 pages
Publisher: Del Ray 13 April 2010
ISBN 10: 0345503813
ISBN 13: 978-0345503817
Copy: Out of pocket
Series- Book #2 in the Demon Trilogy
Inside the book:"The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that arise as the sun sets, preying upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind ancient and half-forgotten symbols of power. These wards alone can keep the demons at bay, but legends tell of a Deliverer: a general - some would say prophet - who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. Those times, if they ever existed, are long past. The demons are back, and the return of the Deliverer is just another myth . . . or is it?
Out of the desert rides Ahmann Jardir, who has forged the warlike desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army. He has proclaimed himself Shar'Dama Ka, the Deliverer, and he carries ancient weapons - a spear and a crown - that give credence to his claim. Sworn to follow the path of the first Deliverer, he has come north to bring the scattered city-states of the green lands together in a war against demonkind - whether they like it or not.
But the northerners claim their own Deliverer. His name was Arlen, but all know him now as the Warded Man: a dark, forbidding figure whose skin is tattooed with wards so powerful they make him a match for any demon. The Warded Man denies that he is the Deliverer, but his actions speak louder than words, for he teaches men and women to face their fears and stand fast against the creatures that have tormented them for centuries.
Once the Shar'Dama Ka and the Warded Man were friends, brothers in arms. Now they are fierce adversaries. Caught between them are Renna, a young woman pushed to the edge of human endurance; Leesha, a proud and beautiful healer whose skill in warding surpasses that of the Warded Man himself; and Rojer, a traveling fiddler whose uncanny music can soothe the demons - or stir them into such frenzy that they attack one another.
Yet as old allegiances are tested and fresh alliances forged, all are blissfully unaware of the appearance of a new breed of demon, more intelligent - and deadly - than any that have come before."
After reading The Great Bazaar and Other Stories I had to move The Desert Spear to the top of my read pile. The Desert Spear takes place not long after the events in The Painted/Warded Man and we are treated to a few new points of view. Abban and Jardir are new prospectives and a welcome edition to the novel. These new prospectives add new depth to the story and give us a better understanding of their motivations.
In The Desert Spear, Peter Brett introduces us to a few new demons. We learn about Mind demons, the princes of the Demon Realm and Mimic demons that can take the shape of anyone or anything. The new creatures leave us with a cliff hanger at the end of the book and looks as if they are going to be featured as the newest adversaries in the next installment of the series.
The action sequences are great throughout The Desert Spear. As Arlen continues his crusade to bring the war to the demons. We also learn a great deal of the training methods of the Krasians and their plot to bring the entire human race under their banner before taking the war to the demons. The Krasian prospectives in the book are impressive and while a great deal of the book is focused more on them, we do have several chapters dedicated to Arlen doing what he does best.
My biggest complaint with the novel seems to be repeated on other review sites and that is the character of Leesha. She was the focus of contention in The Warded/Painted Man as well. In the case of The Desert Spear, she refuses to physically take part in any of the martial training. However, Brett has Leesha watch the moves and mentally catalogue how to do them. She is portrayed as the perfect woman in every way: beauty, brains, and leadership. While this may possible when you add all of the events that occur in The Desert Spear they just add up to become implausible. There were a few times in the book where I physically rolled my eyes at some of the antics that she was able to accomplish. I know that Brett's intention is to have her be a strong woman in a world ruled by men and demon. Leesha can not be an equal in all aspects, especially physically when she is confronting an individual that has been trained at an early age in hand to hand combat. Yet, Brett seems to think that she is.
Another small point of contention is that in The Desert Spear it seems that the demons are a little too easy to defeat. We are introduced to a few new demon types that are more sophisticated and intelligent; however, even these new demons seem a bit easy to destroy. Peter V. Brett does suggest in The Desert Storm that there is a vast army of demons waiting to attack and that many of them may not have been encountered before and pose a great threat but we will have to wait until the next book is released to see if this is true.
Another small point of contention is that in The Desert Spear it seems that the demons are a little too easy to defeat. We are introduced to a few new demon types that are more sophisticated and intelligent; however, even these new demons seem a bit easy to destroy. Peter V. Brett does suggest in The Desert Storm that there is a vast army of demons waiting to attack and that many of them may not have been encountered before and pose a great threat but we will have to wait until the next book is released to see if this is true.
After reading The Desert Spear, I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series as Brett does a great job of setting things up for next time and has keeping my interest peaked. Even though the character of Leesha is annoying and far too perfect to ever exist, I will continue with the series as I am really enjoying the characters and the story. The Desert Spear is not nearly as good as The Warded/Painted Man but it is still great edition.
Plot 8
Characterization 7
Style 7
Overall 7.5/10
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar