the_pale_woman's reviews
482 reviews

I'd say this was a step up from the previous book, but the victories and defeats still felt somewhat weak compared to earlier books. I still love it, but I think a few palate cleansers might be in order before I continue with the series. I think I need something that's less episodic. Not all stories work in a binge.

I'm having a rollercoaster of feelings about this book. It's probably my least favorite of the series so far. I'm not entirely sure if that has to do with the plot and progression, other external factors, or even some combination. This book felt like more setup than progress. There were a few great moments, but I wanted more out of some of the scenes. Overall, I love reading Uhtred's story, but this one had me feeling slightly burned out.

My other issue was that I hated the audiobook narrator. "Hated" might be a strong word, but I'm growing increasingly nostalgic for the perfect tone set in the beginning of the series by Jonathan Keeble and more averse to these milk toast, generic British narrators with their atrocious pronunciations. When in doubt, stick with how the words have been pronounced for the past five books instead of going your own way. It's about the readers' enjoyment of the story, not your chance to try to prove you're smarter than the previous guy.

I don't usually enjoy novellas, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Lorian's experiences on Belusha. In the sixth book, Lorian provides Hadrian Marlowe with very little information about his time on Belusha, which obviously piqued my curiosity. Plus, Lorian is a well-developed character who deserves more attention, so having an entire story centered around him was fantastic. The plot had intriguing twists and complexities. I found it to be well-crafted, and it has made me want to read the other sun eater novellas I haven't gotten around to as well. It would be convenient if all of them were available in one collection. But that would be too easy. 

I crown Uhtred, king of awesome characters. He will meet any challenge to his title at the shield wall.

I thought this fifth book of the Saxon Stories was just as great as the last. This series is proving to be consistently captivating. It's well-written and perfectly paced. I'm so pleased that there are eight more books to binge, plus an adaptation.

One downside has been the inconsistent audio narration. This one is narrated by John Lee. He did an okay job, but he doesn't narrate any more of the books, so there's no point in getting used to him. Not like it really matters as I'm convinced no one can narrate these books as well as the original, Jonathan Keeble. I'm annoyed that these publishers are bouncing this series around to so many different narrators. The next book is narrated by Stephen Perring. These books deserve an audio version that is as consistently good as they are.

Best yet. Back to my favorite narrator for the series, Jonathan Keeble. I'm devastated that this will be the last book narrated by him. He should have done the entire series. The publishers should be ashamed of themselves. I might even switch to reading the physical copy and just try to imagine Keeble's gruff voice.

The plot of this one felt tighter than previous volumes. Or maybe the events just felt more inevitable because of foreshadowing. The battles started early and came often, culminating in the final intense battle at the end, which read like a cherry on a sundae. I felt immense satisfaction in Uhtred's victories and intense frustration with his obstacles. It was great. If you like war stories, then you have to read this. 

I knew this was going to be on the weird side, so I wasn't as put off by the beginning of this book the way I imagine others might be. The change in narrative perspectives is jarring. I generally hate when books do this, but for some reason, my brain gave this one a pass.

I think if I had known anything about the comics before reading this, I might have better understood what was happening. But as it was, it took time to understand who the major players were and what type of story it was. Once it clicked, I was hooked, but that took a long time considering the length of this book. I never found myself impatient with my lack of knowledge, but I think that was because I expected it. I knew Mieville wasn't a traditional writer. I had heard that he was quite surreal and used unique language. I think knowing that helped me let go and just experience it.

On the surface, you could categorize this as a simple, reluctant superhero story. However, I found a quest for insight that permeated every facet of this strange story. It made me think, infer, and read between the lines, probably to unnecessary excess. I had my husband read it, and he didn’t see the depth I did, to the point where I question my own experience of it, which honestly just made me like this book even more. It demands a reread in the future, and I hope more readers will give it a chance.

With this series, I’m balancing on the edge of wanting to fully devour every volume as quickly as possible while also wanting to space out the books to savor them. I’m simply enthralled by the story. This particular book was just as great, if not better than the last.

I have been listening to these on audio, specifically narrated by Jonathan Keeble. However, this volume was only available at my library, narrated by Tom Sellwood. He did all right. He just lacks all forcefulness in his speech. He’s just not my Uhtred. Despite these thoughts, I still loved the book.

I think I enjoyed this more than the second book, but I can’t really be sure. I might just be giving in to hypocrisy. The well of lost plots indeed. Yet I will give credit where it’s due. The literary satire is on point. My plan is to read these whenever I might need a quick palate cleanser. I’ll just try to keep my expectations low so I’m more likely to enjoy the ridiculousness.

Despite my appreciation for the premise and eccentricity of this series, I would not consider this a good book. While it offers a quick and entertaining read, I had higher expectations for the plot. Perhaps the plot itself was not lacking, but rather just distraction from the enjoyable bits of the book.

This was a banger of a sequel. Tons of action, intrigue, and betrayal. I couldn't have picked a more perfect read for myself at the moment. It's exactly what I was looking for. 

I've often heard readers claim that such and such fantasy series has the best fight scenes or the best battles, but I'm thinking Bernard does it best. Here, the battles felt natural to the story, character, and setting. I think the reflective narrative contributed to the success of those scenes. For example, Uhtred, telling his story in a memoir like first-person narrative, likes to point out which moments have faded in recollection and which have stuck with him. It gives the brutality of the scenes more complexity. Plus, the plot and pacing gave variety to each and every fight or battle. It was just well done overall. 

Beyond the fights, I find myself invested in most of the characters and can't wait to see how Uhtred navigates his slice of history.

I did the audiobook narrated by Jonathan Keebler, which I would recommend. However, it doesn't look like the whole series his narrated by him. I'm disappointed. My library has the next book with Tom Sellwood, and then in book 4, it's back to Keebler. After that, it's a new narrator every other book. Hopefully, the changes won't ruin my enjoyment of the series. I'll just have to read and find out.