This is my last Audible review for a time. We are already trying to figure out how to get the means to support our audio book addiction, but for now, this is the last book I got from them. I preordered it a while ago and, clearly have been looking forward to it ever since. While Corriea is known for his "gun" fiction, this is his first shot (pun intended) at epic fantasy. You might think that Into the Storm would be his first shot, but remember that he was given a world to work with and got to write a great story within that world. Even his other books are based on worlds that already existed (for the most part) that he just tweaked. His tweaking is really, really good in my mind but Son of the Black Sword is 100% his own creation. And he does great. It feels different from his other books. There are some similarities, but I didn't feel that I was rereading anything. You could argue that Jake Sullivan, Agent Franks, and Ashok Vadal are the same person, but I say no. They act in similar ways but for very different reasons. And the difference in those reasons produces different people. Here is a link to the Audible page for the book. It was strange to listen to a book by Correia that was not narrated by Bronson Pinchot or Oliver Wyman, but Tim Gerard Reynolds who did a fantastic job. All in all I was very pleased with the story and am looking forward to the next in the series.
Plot: Lok is a continent surrounded by Hell. Demons possess the oceans and water is considered impure. Yet, water is necessary for life. This is just one of the contradictions that exist in Lok. There is no king, there is no ruler, there is only The Law that dictates all. But the law only applies to people and, due to a brutal caste system, there are hundreds of thousands of Untouchables - people that have no caste - that are treated as less than property. When ranked in order of importance cattle rank higher than the caste-less. Everyone has a place, except for them.
Ashok, of house Vadal's, place is that of enforcer of The Law. A member of the order of Protectors, he is sent to fight demons, kill criminals, end house wars, and fulfill the commands of those that oversee The Law. Ashok is known throughout Lok as "the Blackheart" because he is merciless and unflinching in his duty to The Law. To him, The Law is everything.
So when he learns that he is not who he things he is, that he is, in fact, the result of criminal activity, his world starts to collapse. Driven almost mad with the discovery he turns on those responsible and then turns himself in. While this would normally be seen as a good thing, Ashok holds one of the legendary ancestor blades - swords that can remember every person, every battle, every cut, slash, and parry and passes that information on to it's barer. They are swords that turn their bearers into men capable of defeating armies. But the swords are picky about who they choose. Anyone unworthy of wielding one of the black steel blades will find the sword unmerciful - usually by removing valuable body parts when they pick it up. A bearer of one of these swords is a force of nature and cannot be treated as a common criminal. So Ashok sits in his jail cell, confined only by his unwavering duty to The Law while those in power plot not only his demise but also that of hundreds of thousands. While The Law may be perfect, those that uphold it may not be so pure.
My personal favorites: One, the picture I have here. It was the original cover art, but the publisher included it as an art plate when they decided to go with the simpler cover. As usual, Correia shows great skill and establishing the world his characters inhabit. In this case he has created this world and I could believe it. From the politics to the castes to the magic and the time scale I got it. The characters were great as well. They have some good complexity and aren't just one sided. There are some great contradictions that provide some good conflict and intrigue. The book reads like a classic fantasy but with Larry's flair for action. I look forward to seeing where the story and characters go.
Considerations: Despite his other books, Son of the Black Sword does not have as much language as may be expected. Rather, I should say that Larry does a good job of creating in-world language. As water is considered evil most of their curses invoke it. "Oceans!" and "Fish eater" are some examples. While there is some gore, he does not dwell on it, nor is it gratuitous or visceral. There is plenty of violence - this is a Larry Correia book after all - but again, it does not dwell on the gruesome parts of it. It read like many of the classic fantasy books I read as a young adult. As usual there are no sex scenes and no real instances of sensuality or sexuality.
The book did not feel as long as it was and that was because I got sucked in pretty quick. It was a very enjoyable listen and I look forward to the future books. The total length was just under 16 and half hours.
Ashok, of house Vadal's, place is that of enforcer of The Law. A member of the order of Protectors, he is sent to fight demons, kill criminals, end house wars, and fulfill the commands of those that oversee The Law. Ashok is known throughout Lok as "the Blackheart" because he is merciless and unflinching in his duty to The Law. To him, The Law is everything.
So when he learns that he is not who he things he is, that he is, in fact, the result of criminal activity, his world starts to collapse. Driven almost mad with the discovery he turns on those responsible and then turns himself in. While this would normally be seen as a good thing, Ashok holds one of the legendary ancestor blades - swords that can remember every person, every battle, every cut, slash, and parry and passes that information on to it's barer. They are swords that turn their bearers into men capable of defeating armies. But the swords are picky about who they choose. Anyone unworthy of wielding one of the black steel blades will find the sword unmerciful - usually by removing valuable body parts when they pick it up. A bearer of one of these swords is a force of nature and cannot be treated as a common criminal. So Ashok sits in his jail cell, confined only by his unwavering duty to The Law while those in power plot not only his demise but also that of hundreds of thousands. While The Law may be perfect, those that uphold it may not be so pure.My personal favorites: One, the picture I have here. It was the original cover art, but the publisher included it as an art plate when they decided to go with the simpler cover. As usual, Correia shows great skill and establishing the world his characters inhabit. In this case he has created this world and I could believe it. From the politics to the castes to the magic and the time scale I got it. The characters were great as well. They have some good complexity and aren't just one sided. There are some great contradictions that provide some good conflict and intrigue. The book reads like a classic fantasy but with Larry's flair for action. I look forward to seeing where the story and characters go.
Considerations: Despite his other books, Son of the Black Sword does not have as much language as may be expected. Rather, I should say that Larry does a good job of creating in-world language. As water is considered evil most of their curses invoke it. "Oceans!" and "Fish eater" are some examples. While there is some gore, he does not dwell on it, nor is it gratuitous or visceral. There is plenty of violence - this is a Larry Correia book after all - but again, it does not dwell on the gruesome parts of it. It read like many of the classic fantasy books I read as a young adult. As usual there are no sex scenes and no real instances of sensuality or sexuality.
The book did not feel as long as it was and that was because I got sucked in pretty quick. It was a very enjoyable listen and I look forward to the future books. The total length was just under 16 and half hours.
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