The Ember Blade (The Darkwater Legacy)

4.5/5 Chris. Wooding. Wow. He'll be making you care for every character, interested in the lore, and laughing, sorrowful, and horrified in equal measure. Not to mention some great action set pieces and situations. This guy has readable prose that quickly turns the pages but he doesn't lose any beauty along the way. If this isn't regarded as a classic for medieval European-issue epic fantasy, I don't know what to tell you. Epic in scale? Check. Rag tag group on a fetch quest? Check. Varied environments from never ending tunnels/castles to open range meadows and mountains? Check. Named blade? Check. Insurmountable odds? Check. Prophesized chosen one? Check. Hella good time? Check. This tale mixes the best of Tad Wiliams (prose), JRR Tolkien (world), and GRRM/Robert VS Redick (nuanced characters that evolve) with a dash of Lovecraftian/Eldritch beings simmering in the background. While the first hundred so pages start off too predictable and derivative, this massive tome kicks into high gear as our merry band comes together to push back against The Krodan empire and their oppressive nature...but not everything is black and white, making it more than just a compelling read. Each character has their ups/downs, some don't make it, but all are competent in their own way and have realistic motivations to propel the plot. This is one to look out for.

All around good book. Good characters, fast-paced plot,interesting world setting. I'm not a huge fan of multiple viewpoint books and this one does suffer from several wasted chapters hearing from bad guys and minor characters, but luckily it wasn't enough to detract from the whole. Look forward to the next one.

Great fantasy book with lots of in depth characters and world building. Book really has 5-6 different locations that are unique with a different story going on in each. It works really well. Only minor criticism is the ember blade which shows up at the end is only used once and not even by the main character. That aspect was underwhelming but there is so much more here it is hardly an issue. I am a fan of Quaintrell, Cahill, Huston. Swann. If you like those you will like this.

Time for the second book, now. Longer and more complex than I was expecting. Exactly what I needed. Well worth it.

A tale of adventure, friendship and loss. With shades of Lord of the Rings coloring the plot as it moves forward breathlessly, plot armor grows thin. A fun read!

The comparisons to Sanderson need to stop. It's not like him, at all. If you go in expecting that, you'll definitely be disappointed. As the first book in a series, I always expect them to be a little slow to start. This definitely fits. However, one of the things I really enjoy in those situations is some serious world building going on. This book tries to do that, but it isn't very satisfying TO ME. There's a lot of snippets thrown around, but not a lot of explanation. It is heavy on political history (within the world) but feels a bit muddled in that it doesn't really inform me about how it affects the current day. Another thing that I do love is a good magic system. It's high fantasy after all. This is a very soft magic system. I like magic systems where the magic pervades the world, but operates under very clear and concise rules. You can't just "magically" solve a problem, but you can use magic as a tool to help solve a problem. There is magic in this world, but it's very ephemeral and spiritual. The character development is fairly good, but (mild spoiler) don't get too attached to any character. There are definite instances of characters you think will be part of the main arc who are removed from the story, sometimes very abruptly. The story I find fairly interesting, but (mild spoilers again) the book feels like it just STOPS. Yes, I know that there are to be subsequent books. I get that, but this book has a very abrupt end. Climax and done. I would have preferred a bit more of an epilog to sort of bring us down a bit and prepare us for the next book. That is not in evidence, at all. Still with me? Yes, I'll order and read book 2. As I said, I want to like it. I'm just not as instantly sold as I would prefer. I don't feel that hook that most series I read and re-read put in me.

This book is the first on a new trilogy from one of the United Kingdom's best fantasy author. The author brings nothing new to the table (and usually I don't have patience for such books) he executes the story so well that he made it a extremely fun read. The author is going for more of a hopeful epic fantasy rather than the grimdark tone that is so popular with the genre right now (although there are some dark moments). The book reminds me the most of Brandon Sanderson or Raymond Feist (at the height of his powers). One of my favorite aspects of the book is the supposed villians are human in so many ways and become easy to sympathize with as the story progresses; there are also mention of a even greater menace as the story progresses. I think this story will remind everyone why they fell in love with the fantasy genre!

A fantastic start to an epic quest fantasy. I hope the upcoming books have as much appeal as this one does and scratch all the right itches.

Spoiler-Free The Ember Blade Book Review If you are looking for a modern fantasy book with the feel of a classic epic fantasy adventure, The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding is for you! I devoured this book and could not stop reading until it was finished. Fast-Paced Plot The pacing of The Ember Blade is fantastic, with the stakes continuing to rise throughout the book. It was almost impossible to put this down, especially at the end of a chapter, when I just had to start the next one to know what happened next. What I loved the most about the plot, though, was its unpredictability. This might feel somewhat like a classic fantasy tale, but the themes, tone and atmosphere are quite modern when it comes to character work - and you truly never know if a character is going to make it to the next page alive. Great Characters Following Aren and Cade from Shoal Point on their incredible journey was gripping. They were wonderfully written, with depth and complexity. They begin the main plot of the story in a tragic way, but seeing them struggle and cope was inspiring. If you want good examples of complex, strong characters in fantasy, look no further. Worldbuilding I love my fantasy books to have as much worldbuilding as possible - that’s why I read so many huge books and series, because there is enough space for all that exploration. We are certainly given plenty of time to soak in the world in The Ember Blade. There are no huge paragraphs and pages of exposition - the worldbuilding is naturally woven within the plot. The depth of the cultures, religion, gender roles and racial discrimination was astounding, and I enjoyed every minute of it, soaking it all up! Final Thoughts The Ember Blade is perfect for all fantasy fans. Whether you prefer modern fantasy like Brandon Sanderson, or the classics like David Eddings, there is a great balance between the two styles. I’m excited for book 2, and can’t wait to see where this story goes.

Chris Wooding from here on out is my favorite author. The world he has created, the characters... everything is 10/10. I'm in love with the series.

I read a lot of sci-fantasy and I didn’t set this book down. Awesome.

Takes a long time to get into it. However I kind of like that because I'm hoping for a mega trilogy

This is one the of the best books I’ve readed in a very long time