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The Great Bazaar and Brayan's Gold
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Two exciting short stories set in the engrossing world of The Demon Cycle from bestselling fantasy...
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Martin Clunes - the Biography
Stafford Hildred and Tim Ewbank
Book
Martin Clunes has been a familiar face on British television for almost two decades. During that...
Doc Martin Men Behaving Badly
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The Skull Throne
Book
In the grand tradition of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan, Sunday Times bestselling author...
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Messenger's Legacy
Book
A thrilling novella set in the world of The Demon Cycle from bestselling fantasy author Peter V....
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The Core: The Demon Cycle
Book
Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Peter V. Brett brings one of the most imaginative...
Fantasy
The Painted Man
Peter V. Brett and Dominik Broniek
Book
The stunning debut fantasy novel from author Peter V. Brett. The Painted Man, book one of the Demon...
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The Painted Man (the Demon Cycle, Book 1)
Book
The stunning debut fantasy novel from author Peter V. Brett. The Painted Man, book one of the Demon...
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Desert Spear in Books
Nov 12, 2019
I approached this second book in two minds. I liked the first book, the concept is excellent and well imagined. The main protagonist is interesting and the directions taken are unexpected. The only let down for me was that apart from the Painted Main himself, I found the other 'main' characters a little less interesting. Leesha's story was interesting and gave insights into Brett's world. However Rojer's story left me cold to be honest, he didn't seem to add very much to the book. I was a little concerned that this second book might be the same for me.
I needn't have worried. The first third of the book concerns the back story of Jardir, a desert warrior prince who appears as a second tier (though instrumental) character in the first book. In this book he is definitely a leading character. He has declared himself the Deliverer and is determined to unite all of humanity under his banner to fight the demons, as has been long foretold. He is determined and quite prepared to take cities by force if required. The back story explains what drives him and also the reasons for his actions in the first book.
Meanwhile the Painted Man is being called the Deliverer by the free peoples of the North, something he strenuously denies. But there can only be one Deliverer and as Jardir encroaches on the North their worlds will come into conflict.
This is a long book - the paperback I read ended on page 750 - and there is a lot to read. Brett is all about character development and there are a lot of characters in this book, some new some returning ones. Rojer is a much better character in this book, possibly because he is not required to carry the storyline but instead can provide a different point of view on events. Leesha is once again a main character and of course the Painted Man plays his part, fighting demons both physical and his own mental demons. There is a lot of dialogue as the story and plot are very much personality driven. There are of course scenes of demon fights large and small but they in no way make up the bulk of the book.
There is another plot strand that I won't give away here but adds more dimension to the demon threat and provides some excellent moments.
The writing is excellent and the characterisation outstanding. This is one of those books which makes you wonder why there is such snobbery in the wider fiction community for 'niche' genres such as fantasy. I would hold the writing and characters from this book against any established classic.
Despite my reluctance to pick this book up, I really enjoyed it and am very much looking forward to the third installment - The Daylight War. It promises to be an absolute corker.
If you liked the first book just for the demon fights and skimmed all the talking and character development in the middle then this is not for you. However if you found at least one character from the first book interesting and worth following, read this book.
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Lonely Planet Australia
Lonely Planet, Brett Atkinson, Meg Worby and Kate Armstrong
Book
Lonely Planet Australia is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and...
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The Abyssal Plain: The R'lyeh Cycle
Book
With The Abyssal Plain, Holloway and Talley have managed to transform the Cthulhu Mythos into...