Synopsis:
The balance of power in Epheria is shifting.
Gods are waking.
The world is burning.
Ashes and dust are all that will remain.
Review:
Firstly, Hello. The below is entirely spoiler free.
This will be the first piece of writing that makes its way to a public space in roughly two years, so I am deeply apologetic for how poor this will be, but sometimes you read books so good that they deserve a review, consider this my Michael Jordan moment.
Secondly, Ryan Cahill is a butthead. I’ve said it on twitter, I will say it again in other public forums. The man is consistent in his attempts at causing me emotional damage, but If I stop him then I get no more books, a vicious cycle.
And finally, before we get to the semblance of a review that you find below, if you haven’t read my writing before, its rambly and nonsensical, but it’s like having a chat with a friend and that’s all I really care about. So, either leave now or forever hold your peace.
Actual Review:
I bought my copy of Of Blood and Fire from Cahill’s own personal website when he was still selling copies he signed at home and posted out himself. While this may not seem important and is somewhat just me bragging about having one of the first every signed copies, it does link somewhat to what was one of my first ever reviews when I began blogging, I called OBAF a nostalgia bomb, a grown up, better written version of Eragon, I loved it, but I didn’t think it was mind-blowingly unique. I rated it highly.
The more I read of Cahills work the more I think this sometimes was entirely on purpose, as an unknown Indie author, he took one of this generations favourite fantasy books, remade it in his own image, and then punched us in the throat with it, figuratively speaking. We were all hooked, and we all wanted more.
Next was Of Darkness and Light, it was a 9.5/10. It wasn’t the Eldest v2 that I somewhat expected, it was undeniably its own book, it wasn’t a punch to the throat, it was a chokehold, one we were never removing ourselves from. Of War and Ruin came next, it was a 10/10, but if my scoring is anything to go by should then it should be a 12/10, (my rating structure is clearly flawed) and as I’m clearly stuck in the analogy now, I guess it was a front suplex maybe? I never watched any wrestling, but it looks suitably painful.
I would call Of War and Ruin one of the best fantasy books ever written. Its certainly in my top 5.
Of Empires and Dust. There’s a lot of reasons to love this book and the Bound and the Broken in general. Dragons are the coolest, this is an immediate win. Cahill writes incredible action and as the stakes get higher and more pieces appear on the board these moments only get more intense and more exciting. His world building continues to floor me, every book has expanded so much that it’s hard to believe that this is that same Epheria we where first introduced to. The new plot lines in OEAD absolutely floored me, so many bloody twists, so much I didn’t see, so much I shall have to look out for in my next reread.
“Nothing is ever like the stories. If the stories told the truth, people would never pick up swords.”
But what really gets me about Cahill’s writing is that well he draws you in emotionally. The connection I have with these characters, how emotionally involved I am with these boys that don’t even exist, equals and sometimes transcends those I have for living, breathing humans. Maybe this is a weird thing to admit, but I know full well if you picked me up and plonked me in Epheria I would follow Calen, Dann and the gang till my dying days.
“The elf didn’t approach, for which Calen was thankful; he needed a moment. In truth he needed a lifetime, but he’d settle for a moment”
Every POV is gripping, every character introduced is a necessary piece of the story, every page demands I read every word, and every paragraph makes me so excited I want to skip to the end of the chapter. Ryan writes with a passion that viscerally pours from the pages in a way I only feel from those great authors like Robin Hobb, Fonda Lee and John Gwynne. Cahill takes OEAD and those pages hes poured his love into and uses them to cement himself at the pinnacle of the Fantasy genre as one of the greats, and anyone that disagrees can fight me.
This book for all its action, all its rage and war, all its ruin and death, is a story of family, of loyalty and brotherhood, of promises made and love untold. It’s a book about the bonds between people and their fight to build a better world for the people they love. Its perfection in fantasy, its literary perfection, and its bloody spectacular.
My rating for Of Empires and Dust is 100/10. Its 500 gold stars. It’s every participation trophy I can buy. Its every award I can find.
tl:dr Of Empires and Dust is real good and you should read it. It made me cry 3 times.
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