A review by urs
Black Wolves by Kate Elliott
5.0
The characters feel gorgeously real and insufferably human in this sprawling diverse landscape of a novel. I loved it.
Follow the intertwining stories of Captain Kellas and Marshall Dannarah,
backed up by a varied set of supporting characters.
There is court intrigue, rebellion, religious strife,
secrets on secrets on secrets, and eagles.
What starts for Dannarah with the task of tracking down a gang of escaped criminals, with all the clues making very
little sense, turns into a reconnection with all the familial turmoil in her past. As Dannarah and Kellas return from their seperate self-imposed exiles each step reveals more of the corruption flourishing in the court and land.
Is this book for you?
if you are an epic fantasy lover this is a must,
if you have grown weary (as I did) with ye olde boyfarmer hero's journey this is so delightfully far removed you may find yourself with an achingly huge smile on your face (like I did).
if you are (rightfully so) critical of the over-saturation of "whiteness" in fantasy, Imperial Asia-inspired is this books setting (my guess) with a rainbow of people
if you are in the mood from seeing epic fantasy tackle socialpolitical themes in a sophisticated way
if you aren't a big reader of brick-sized novels this book is no slog, a steady river-cruise of a book, with measured onward pace, and interspersed with small stop offs to soak a particularly rich bit of scenery (eagles!)
Things to get picky about:
Fed information in dialogue, it has slight telling-not-showing issues. None so obtrusive that it jarred for me; there is a lot of world to shuffle into your head and an author only has so many ways to paint a vivid picture.
High number of characters, including bit parts. For some this may be too much, I personally found it a positive thing, helping filling out this world and story.
I could see some people maybe disagreeing with the abstracted blending of Asian cultures happening here, but I don't feel it in any way casts it in an "exotic" light. It is not my place to say whether the result of drawing on those inspirations is done well or respectfully.
As a whole I thoroughly enjoyed the world, its characters and the sheer skill of storytelling Kate Elliott displayed in this book. Now I have to occupy myself with her backlist until book 2 is out in 2020.
Follow the intertwining stories of Captain Kellas and Marshall Dannarah,
backed up by a varied set of supporting characters.
There is court intrigue, rebellion, religious strife,
secrets on secrets on secrets, and eagles.
What starts for Dannarah with the task of tracking down a gang of escaped criminals, with all the clues making very
little sense, turns into a reconnection with all the familial turmoil in her past. As Dannarah and Kellas return from their seperate self-imposed exiles each step reveals more of the corruption flourishing in the court and land.
Is this book for you?
if you are an epic fantasy lover this is a must,
if you have grown weary (as I did) with ye olde boyfarmer hero's journey this is so delightfully far removed you may find yourself with an achingly huge smile on your face (like I did).
if you are (rightfully so) critical of the over-saturation of "whiteness" in fantasy, Imperial Asia-inspired is this books setting (my guess) with a rainbow of people
if you are in the mood from seeing epic fantasy tackle socialpolitical themes in a sophisticated way
if you aren't a big reader of brick-sized novels this book is no slog, a steady river-cruise of a book, with measured onward pace, and interspersed with small stop offs to soak a particularly rich bit of scenery (eagles!)
Things to get picky about:
Fed information in dialogue, it has slight telling-not-showing issues. None so obtrusive that it jarred for me; there is a lot of world to shuffle into your head and an author only has so many ways to paint a vivid picture.
High number of characters, including bit parts. For some this may be too much, I personally found it a positive thing, helping filling out this world and story.
I could see some people maybe disagreeing with the abstracted blending of Asian cultures happening here, but I don't feel it in any way casts it in an "exotic" light. It is not my place to say whether the result of drawing on those inspirations is done well or respectfully.
As a whole I thoroughly enjoyed the world, its characters and the sheer skill of storytelling Kate Elliott displayed in this book. Now I have to occupy myself with her backlist until book 2 is out in 2020.