And that brings me to another thing- the murdered prostitute Amie. When Lin criticizes another character for soliciting sex from a thirteen year old girl she is shamed. I'm including the lot so no one can argue I've ignored context. To be honest, I knew next to nothing about the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne when I started reading it. The series has gorgeous cover arts (both US & UK editions), and I’ve heard some terrific praises from my trusted friends on Goodreads. That was enough to make me enthusiastic about the trilogy, and it suffices to say that The Emperor’s Blades, Brian Staveley’s debut, managed to meet my expectation superbly. Staveley used to teach history, religion, and philosophy for ten years before writing this debut novel, and it’s evident from the narrative that Staveley knows his material strongly before he implemented them. Corrupted Knight • Czarny • Kowal • Malkiewicz • Marcin • Mob • Olmer Ingra • Szewczyk • Tytus Topola • Vogelweide • Withered Knight Overall, Emperor’s Blades had all of the things that excite me about reading fantasy – in abundance! I won’t endorse it as the perfect read, but it was a perfect match for me and I loved every single gut-wrenching moment.

Women are described by their breasts, physical attractiveness and Disney eyes. I wouldn’t mind this if men were likewise described but the only men who get detailed descriptions are the “fat, disgusting” ones. In Valyn’s first scene, surrounded by blood, gore and murder victims and in the middle of a training exercise Valyn spends time monologueing about how sexy Lin is. A few chapters later here is how Valyn describes Gwenna:Staveley brings together a richly imagined world and vibrant characters, and serves them up with monks and monsters, tension and treachery—an exhilarating adventure.”—Elspeth Cooper, author of Songs of the Earth

In truth, Sardaukar are not from the planet Salusa Secundus; or at least their ancestors weren’t. Many centuries ago, Salusa Secundus was the home of House Corrino, the royal family which has ruled the Known Universe for thousands of years under the crown of the Padishah Empire. From the brutal living conditions of Salusa Secundus, House Corrino consolidated its power as the greatest and most dangerous family in the universe. But as irritating as it was to watch Adare do the thing she knew she shouldn't be doing (b/c just couldn't help it?), Valyn was who really made me lose my mind: Corrupted Knight• Czarny• Kowal• Malkiewicz• Marcin• Mob• Olmer Ingra• Szewczyk• Tytus Topola• Vogelweide• Withered Knight Fast forward a few thousand years (far enough that the unaging race of logic monsters is nothing more than a myth), and our story is mostly told from the alternating perspectives of two brothers, both the sons of the Emperor, both sent away as boys to train, but to different places, for entirely different purposes. Between Valyn and Adare is their brother Kaden, rightful heir to the Unhewn Throne, who has infiltrated the Annurian capital with the help of two strange companions. The knowledge they possess of the secret history that shapes these events could save Annur or destroy it.

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Although he couldn't get a good look at the thing—it seemed to have trapped itself between a large boulder and the canyon wall—he could tell at once that something was wrong. The creature was still, too still, and there was an unnaturalness to the angle of the haunches, the stiffness in the legs. A complex and fast-moving fantasy set in a world where treachery and intrigue are everywhere, accomplished through ferocious brutality, subtle intrigues, and everything in between.”—L. E. Modesitt Jr., New York Times bestselling author of The Imager Portfolio and the Recluce Saga

Of course i love your books and i must say the way of writing you use i fantastic. I love reading it. The Shin monks pull from Buddhism, Taoism, and Shinto, (though, of course, their religions is very different from any of the above). Secondly, from some of the synopsis’ I’ve read of the other books I’m almost certain I would have similar complaints.

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Enter Lin. A cardboard placeholder as far as I can tell. Blah.<------there's actually two problems in there. Mike mentioned that this book has his most favorite prologue and because Mike wrote one of my most favorite prologues in Wisdom Lost, my expectations went higher, I mean if the prologue is good, the rest of the book has to be even better, right? The Emperor’s Blades, as I mentioned earlier, are The Emperor’s three offspring which is also the three main characters of the novel. In my opinion, the world-building, the characterizations, and the writing were the most important points of this book, and whether or not you’re going to enjoy reading this novel will be decided heavily based on how much you love them. The Emperor’s Blades is a definitively character-driven story; throughout the whole book, we’ll be following the story exclusively from the POV of the three main characters: Kaden, Valyn & Adare. In this epic fantasy debut, Staveley has created a complex and richly detailed world filled with elite soldier-assassins, mystic warrior monks, serpentine politics, and ancient secrets. Readers of Sara Douglass’s Wayfarer novels and George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series should enjoy this opener.”—Library Journal, Debut of the Month, Starred Review