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West, Michelle. Battle. New York: DAW Books, 2013.
Michelle West's books are awesome and everyone should read them. This book, the fifth in the House War sequence, picks up almost directly after the events of last year's Skirmish and I loved it just as much as I did the last one. Things continue to happen, Jewel and her den continue to be awesome in different ways, and there continues to be a lot of sarcasm and dark humor thrown around, which I appreciate because that is basically how I roll.
I said on Twitter that I was highly impressed with the way that Battle shows that West has been tieing characters, plots, and meaningful details together across 13 books and counting, because it's in Battle that we begin to see even more strands of the overarching story weaving together at last. I have been a fan of this overarching story since I first picked up The Broken Crown in 1997 and didn't fully understand what was going on but knew I loved it anyway, and it was a pleasure in this book not only to see that but also to get some rather large revelations about certain beloved characters, as well as to see other characters finally undertake tasks we've known they must one day undertake for six books or so.
I've recommended these books to basically everyone I know, and I continue to do so; I continue to think that West is basically writing epic fantasy the way it should be, and that the fact that she isn't better known is criminal. (Well, not criminal; a reflection of the sexism rife in SFF and society in general.) (That said, see the posts I've linked for more discussion of issues and themes than I have the brain cells for now.) This is not the book I would recommend people start with; given ongoing issues with the availability of The Sun Sword books in e-form (i.e., they are coming out, but slowly) it is probably best to start with The Hidden City, though in some ways that book is a poor reflection of the scope of the series. (In other ways, of course, it's foundational.) But if you can get your hands on a copy of The Broken Crown, starting there is not a bad idea either. In any case, more people ought to know these books, and the awesome characters (many of them female) and well-thought out cultures and politics that fill them.
Michelle West's books are awesome and everyone should read them. This book, the fifth in the House War sequence, picks up almost directly after the events of last year's Skirmish and I loved it just as much as I did the last one. Things continue to happen, Jewel and her den continue to be awesome in different ways, and there continues to be a lot of sarcasm and dark humor thrown around, which I appreciate because that is basically how I roll.
I said on Twitter that I was highly impressed with the way that Battle shows that West has been tieing characters, plots, and meaningful details together across 13 books and counting, because it's in Battle that we begin to see even more strands of the overarching story weaving together at last. I have been a fan of this overarching story since I first picked up The Broken Crown in 1997 and didn't fully understand what was going on but knew I loved it anyway, and it was a pleasure in this book not only to see that but also to get some rather large revelations about certain beloved characters, as well as to see other characters finally undertake tasks we've known they must one day undertake for six books or so.
I've recommended these books to basically everyone I know, and I continue to do so; I continue to think that West is basically writing epic fantasy the way it should be, and that the fact that she isn't better known is criminal. (Well, not criminal; a reflection of the sexism rife in SFF and society in general.) (That said, see the posts I've linked for more discussion of issues and themes than I have the brain cells for now.) This is not the book I would recommend people start with; given ongoing issues with the availability of The Sun Sword books in e-form (i.e., they are coming out, but slowly) it is probably best to start with The Hidden City, though in some ways that book is a poor reflection of the scope of the series. (In other ways, of course, it's foundational.) But if you can get your hands on a copy of The Broken Crown, starting there is not a bad idea either. In any case, more people ought to know these books, and the awesome characters (many of them female) and well-thought out cultures and politics that fill them.