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seymourw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
willrefuge's review against another edition
3.0
5.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2024/03/08/blade-and-bone-by-jon-sprunk-review/
What you never want to have happen when you finish paging through the last chapter of a book is a profound disappointment, coupled with the thought that really, it could’ve been worse.
Yet those were my exact thoughts upon finishing Blade and Bone, the third book in the Black Earth sequence, and possibly the penultimate release of author Jon Sprunk’s career (both his author page and socials haven’t been updated in ages, hence the lack of links). Despite my feelings—and general misgivings—about the series, it is one that I am planning to continue. Three books down, one more to go.
Now, let’s examine the plot.
—
The Akeshian Empire still stands—for now.
Facing a slave revolt from within, and encroaching forces without, not to mention fomenting dissent from an ancient evil buried at the heart of the Empire.
Horace has thrown in with the rebellion, for better or worse. While he personally has his doubts, he couldn’t abandon his friends. As for the others, Jirom and Alyra are committed. But between navigating imperial soldiers and an army of the undead, Horaces services are in high demand—and his misgivings on full display. And while his friends fully support him, the other members of the rebellion aren’t so unanimous.
Facing dissent from both sides, while worrying whether or not what he’s doing will make any kind of difference at all, can Horace navigate the tides to see not only himself, but see everyone he knows and loves out the other side?
—
So, as you already know, I didn’t love this one.
The first two Books of the Black Earth released in back-to-back years, but #3 and 4 took a bit longer to get out the door. Now, that may’ve been in part to Pyr closing up shop, but the plot itself speaks to a different issue entirely. See, the story is a bit disjointed, kinda like it was written at two different times, and then filled in and reworked again just to get it over the finish line. It’s not that the whole thing is bad, exactly, it’s just that… well, it’s not great.
The main issue being that while the plot of Blade and Bone is interesting enough in and of itself, it doesn’t do much for the overarching plot. Kinda like how any zombie entry in a historically zombie-free series doesn’t do much beyond telling a confined adventure. If it were a video game, I’d call this DLC. As it is, I kinda feel like it’s worthy of a novella based in the universe, but not a solid entry on its own. Now, it’s an interesting concept, and the story is more than entertaining enough for me to recommend, but there is the overall series to consider. And since this is the penultimate chapter (and sets up the final showdown), I really would’ve expected more. There are a few bombs dropped toward the end, but little enough that they couldn’t’ve been wrapped up in a Part 1 of what would’ve been the trilogy’s end.
Which brings us beneath the surface.
While it’s good to be back in the world of the Black Earth (which is set in the same world as the author’s Shadow Saga), the backdrop doesn’t seem as robust this time around. There’s little enough set dressing to be had, and chapters rarely start with any attempt to set the scene, or give the reader anything to visualize. Now, my imagination filled in the gaps quickly enough, but—on the rare occasions where there was any kind of attempt at set dressing—I had distinct issues between my rendering of the world and whatever the author seemed to be picturing. Not exactly a problem (I read the story how I want, and very little seems to change that); it just made me notice how little the author seemed to care about adding anything beyond important events and dialogue to the mix. I mean, it reads a bit like the first few Harry Potter books—you know, where the scene just skips from event to event, ignoring everything in-between? The main problem is that unlike HP, little enough attention is even given to character development, such that pretty much all character depth has deserted us. Jirom and Emanon bicker like an old married couple, but there’s very little of any substance to the words. Horace spends most of his time caught up in his own head, and only offers one-liners of little insight. Alyra’s character seems much the same, but hers is a rarity.
TL;DR
All in all, Blade and Bone is a mixed bag. It’s okay, but certainly not the buildup to the sendoff I think this series really deserves. It tells a contained adventure that is both entertaining—and at times even thrilling—but does little to further the overarching plot. It also seems a bit bare bones at times, like the soul of the story has departed, leaving us with an undead meat-suit just masquerading in its place. Set dressing and character development didn’t make the cut, as the plot jumps from event to event, relying almost entirely on—what I assume is supposed to be—witty dialogue to see it through. Now, I’m curious, and I’ll definitely be continuing the series, but it’s a hard thing for me to recommend it to newcomers. For the rest of you—if you’ve come this far, what’s a little farther? Be aware, however, that the ebook prices for these are not entirely reasonable. When I looked a week ago, books #3 and 4 sat at $17 a pop. Since then, they’ve fallen to match the $13 price point of the other two, but… I mean, I picked up a used paperback (in the same year the book was published, no less) for $4. If you can do that, I’d certainly recommend it. If not, maybe see if your local library has a copy (mine did not). Otherwise… it’s a tough call.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2024/03/08/blade-and-bone-by-jon-sprunk-review/
What you never want to have happen when you finish paging through the last chapter of a book is a profound disappointment, coupled with the thought that really, it could’ve been worse.
Yet those were my exact thoughts upon finishing Blade and Bone, the third book in the Black Earth sequence, and possibly the penultimate release of author Jon Sprunk’s career (both his author page and socials haven’t been updated in ages, hence the lack of links). Despite my feelings—and general misgivings—about the series, it is one that I am planning to continue. Three books down, one more to go.
Now, let’s examine the plot.
—
The Akeshian Empire still stands—for now.
Facing a slave revolt from within, and encroaching forces without, not to mention fomenting dissent from an ancient evil buried at the heart of the Empire.
Horace has thrown in with the rebellion, for better or worse. While he personally has his doubts, he couldn’t abandon his friends. As for the others, Jirom and Alyra are committed. But between navigating imperial soldiers and an army of the undead, Horaces services are in high demand—and his misgivings on full display. And while his friends fully support him, the other members of the rebellion aren’t so unanimous.
Facing dissent from both sides, while worrying whether or not what he’s doing will make any kind of difference at all, can Horace navigate the tides to see not only himself, but see everyone he knows and loves out the other side?
—
So, as you already know, I didn’t love this one.
The first two Books of the Black Earth released in back-to-back years, but #3 and 4 took a bit longer to get out the door. Now, that may’ve been in part to Pyr closing up shop, but the plot itself speaks to a different issue entirely. See, the story is a bit disjointed, kinda like it was written at two different times, and then filled in and reworked again just to get it over the finish line. It’s not that the whole thing is bad, exactly, it’s just that… well, it’s not great.
The main issue being that while the plot of Blade and Bone is interesting enough in and of itself, it doesn’t do much for the overarching plot. Kinda like how any zombie entry in a historically zombie-free series doesn’t do much beyond telling a confined adventure. If it were a video game, I’d call this DLC. As it is, I kinda feel like it’s worthy of a novella based in the universe, but not a solid entry on its own. Now, it’s an interesting concept, and the story is more than entertaining enough for me to recommend, but there is the overall series to consider. And since this is the penultimate chapter (and sets up the final showdown), I really would’ve expected more. There are a few bombs dropped toward the end, but little enough that they couldn’t’ve been wrapped up in a Part 1 of what would’ve been the trilogy’s end.
Which brings us beneath the surface.
While it’s good to be back in the world of the Black Earth (which is set in the same world as the author’s Shadow Saga), the backdrop doesn’t seem as robust this time around. There’s little enough set dressing to be had, and chapters rarely start with any attempt to set the scene, or give the reader anything to visualize. Now, my imagination filled in the gaps quickly enough, but—on the rare occasions where there was any kind of attempt at set dressing—I had distinct issues between my rendering of the world and whatever the author seemed to be picturing. Not exactly a problem (I read the story how I want, and very little seems to change that); it just made me notice how little the author seemed to care about adding anything beyond important events and dialogue to the mix. I mean, it reads a bit like the first few Harry Potter books—you know, where the scene just skips from event to event, ignoring everything in-between? The main problem is that unlike HP, little enough attention is even given to character development, such that pretty much all character depth has deserted us. Jirom and Emanon bicker like an old married couple, but there’s very little of any substance to the words. Horace spends most of his time caught up in his own head, and only offers one-liners of little insight. Alyra’s character seems much the same, but hers is a rarity.
TL;DR
All in all, Blade and Bone is a mixed bag. It’s okay, but certainly not the buildup to the sendoff I think this series really deserves. It tells a contained adventure that is both entertaining—and at times even thrilling—but does little to further the overarching plot. It also seems a bit bare bones at times, like the soul of the story has departed, leaving us with an undead meat-suit just masquerading in its place. Set dressing and character development didn’t make the cut, as the plot jumps from event to event, relying almost entirely on—what I assume is supposed to be—witty dialogue to see it through. Now, I’m curious, and I’ll definitely be continuing the series, but it’s a hard thing for me to recommend it to newcomers. For the rest of you—if you’ve come this far, what’s a little farther? Be aware, however, that the ebook prices for these are not entirely reasonable. When I looked a week ago, books #3 and 4 sat at $17 a pop. Since then, they’ve fallen to match the $13 price point of the other two, but… I mean, I picked up a used paperback (in the same year the book was published, no less) for $4. If you can do that, I’d certainly recommend it. If not, maybe see if your local library has a copy (mine did not). Otherwise… it’s a tough call.