The Widow's House by Daniel Abraham

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Spurned by the one woman he has ever loved, Lord Regent Geder Palliako intensifies his war, pushing his men into battle in the name of vengeance. Accompanying her son, who leads the Regent’s army, Clara Kalliam, loyal to the throne but traitor to the man, struggles to balance the woman she used to be with the woman she wants to become. Cithin bel Sarcour, the Regent’s obsession, finds herself trapped in Porte Oliva as the priests of the spider goddess close in. And Captain Marcus Wester discovers the truth about the past as dragons fly in the skies once again…

The Tyrant’s Law ended on one hell of a cliffhanger as Marcus Wester and the renegade priest Kit awoke the last surviving dragon, unleashing the ancient race on the world once more. The Widow’s House picks up the threads in the aftermath of those events, bringing Geder’s growing obsession with Cithrin to a head and intensifying the war that has been building over the past couple of books. Once again, Daniel Abraham does a fantastic job juggling all the different characters, twisting events in ways that are both unexpected and refreshing, and setting things up for the final few books. The truth behind the origin of the war is surprising, as is the decisions made by Clara and Cithrin, but it all remains true to the story and to the people that Abraham has gone to such lengths to create. The worldbuilding continues to grow in complexity and depth, giving The Dagger and the Coin series a breadth that the first volume may have lacked. More importantly, Cithrin grows closer to the character we have been expecting, giving new meaning to the series title. All in all, a fine continuation of an unlauded epic fantasy series.

 
I gave The Widow’s House 4 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Underrated Series or Books in the Fantasy Genre

From the Broke and Bookish

This week's theme: Top Ten Underrated Authors or Books in x genre. I decided to go with fantasy series from mostly well-known authors that don't get as much hype as they deserve.


Top Ten Underrated Series or Books in the Fantasy Genre

 

 

Daniel Abraham’s Long Price Quartet

Not much buzz around this one when it came out and rarely mentioned on blogs or discussions, this is a fantastic epic fantasy with intriguing characters and wonderful world building.

Robin Hobb’s Soldier Son Quartet

Often forgotten next to Hobb’s more well known Farseer series, this is just as well written, with a main character whose angst and voice is almost on par with Fitz, and a very different world reminiscent of turn of the century America.

Raymond E Feist’s Riftwar Saga
 
Although Feist’s Riftwar Saga definitely has its ups and downs in terms of quality, it is hard to argue with the fact that it is a vast epic with a clear ending, written as historical fiction in a secondary world. A huge achievement and one that is not recognized enough in my opinion.

Steve Cash’s The Meq trilogy

Not a very well known trilogy, this is historical fantasy done well, with a race of child-like immortals and their internecine battles across the ages.

S.L. Farrell’s The Nessantico Cycle

I came across this one over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist and was delighted to pick them up. I’ll point you to the Hotlist for reviews, but these are well worth picking up.

Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of the Crescent Moon

Here’s my review of the novel – secondary world fiction in an Arabian Nights type world, with an unexpected hero and some great magic.

Kate Elliot’s Crossroads Series

Again, one of those authors who does not get enough recognition. The Crossroads series is one of her best (and it has giant eagles flying into battle!)

Anne Lyle’s Night’s Masque Trilogy

Another historical fantasy, this one set in Elizabethan times. A great story with a clear ending that is a globe-trotting adventure that also manages to play with politics, magic and reincarnation.

M.L.N Hanover’s The Black Sun's Daughter Series

Another of Daniel Abraham’s series’ to be included on the list – this one under his Hanover pseudonym. A great urban fantasy adventure that starts with a bang.

Katherine Addison’s The Goblin Emperor

I loved this when I read it at the beginning of the summer but it doesn’t seem to be getting all the hype it deserves. A fantastic fantasy epic with a main character it is easy to become attached to.

 

What about you? What books, authors or series in any genre do you feel are underrated?

New on the Library Shelves 10 08 14

AKA Showcase Sunday

A new segment here, participating in the Showcase Sunday meme over at Books, Biscuits & Tea.

A slow couple of weeks for review copies, but I brought a couple of books I've been looking forward to, including Lauren Beukes' Broken Monsters which I've been hearing good things about. If it is anywhere as good as The Shining Girls, I should be in a for a nice treat.

 

 

For review:
A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker
Empire of Sin by Gary Krist
The Gods of War by Graham Brown and Spencer J Andrews

Bought:
The Fantastic Laboratory of Dr Weigl by Arthur Allen
Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes
Dead Line by Chris Ewan
The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco
The Year of the Ladybird by Graham Joyce
The Widow's House by Daniel Abraham
Take Back the Skies by Lucy Saxon
A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Frostborn by Lou Anders
In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

The Tyrant's Law by Daniel Abraham

Milo slipped in the darkness, falling to one knee. The stones of the beach cut his skin, and the blood darkened the oiled wool of his leggings. The old fisherman, Kirot his name was, paused and looked back at him, lifting his lantern and one white eyebrow in query. Are you coming, or staying here? To the north, the waves cracked with ice. To the south, the deep darkness of the village waited for their return. Milo forced himself to stand. A little more blood would do him no harm. He'd lost enough, God knew. Kirot nodded and turned back to the long, slow trudge along the shore.

Dragons slumber as a tyrant rises in Camnipol. Following the events of The King’s Blood, The Tyrant’s Law finds our four main characters – Marcus, Cithrin, Geder and Clara – pretty much where we left them. Marcus is accompanying Kit on his quest to kill a Goddess, Cithrin is apprenticed to the lady who runs the Medean Bank in Porte Oliva, Geder is planning his war under the guidance of the priest Basrahip, and Clara is trying to survive while looking for a chance at revenge against the man who had her husband killed. The Tyrant’s Law follows all four of these strands as they twine together through Geder’s war, notably his army’s assault on the city of Porte Oliva.

Daniel Abrahams hooked me with his four-book debut series, The Long Price Quartet, a cunning mixture of epic fantasy, with a generous helping of George R.R Martin’s character development, all set in a quasi-Asian world. When his new series, The Dagger and the Coin, was announced, I immediately set out to read the first book and have enjoyed each successive volume.

Abraham has managed to bring a fresh look to the epic fantasy genre, notably by paying more attention to the political and economic implications of his worlds, without losing sight of the sense of wonder and magic needed in any good epic fantasy. In The Tyrant’s Law, this continues, though at a slower pace since this is basically the middle volume of the five-volume series. As with many middle volumes, the story has gotten to a point where the characters are already set, so there are not as many surprises as in the first two volumes. However there are some unexpected twists, notably in the Marcus and Cithrin storylines. I enjoyed the way Abraham continues to make it difficult to decide whether to root for or against poor Geder, though by the end of this volume it seems clear where he stands. The other characters continue to be fully fledged and interesting – I especially enjoyed the Clara chapters in this novel, as her intriguing and spying get her to a place she was not expecting.

While suffering from the inevitable middle volume blues, The Tyrant’s Law is a self-assured, thrilling epic fantasy novel, full of moments of wonder, fantastic world building and great characters. The next volume, The Widow’s House, is slated for next year, with a breathtakingcover. Can’t wait!

 

Goodreads
Buy It For Kindle
Author's webpage

From the Blogosphere:
Fantasy Book Critic
A Dribble of Ink
The Wertzone

From the Author's Mouth:
Interview at Apex Magazine