Synopsis:
My execution draws near…
The noose beckons. My days dwindle. And still, my story is unfinished.
Tears are left to be shed. Blood has yet to be spilled. Lend me your ear once more to hear of sins and failures. Of swords and shadows. Of violet lightning and black blood.
For it was I who began the war of the gods.
A moody, banter-laced, violent, and poetic framed story – Z.B. Steele presents Rising Gale, book two of Song of the Damned.
Review:
The sequel I was most excited and nervous to read this year.
Whispers of the Storm was in my top five books last year. I am notorious for struggling with middle books. I didn’t know how something could live up to my experience of book one.
I’m happy to say this has put Z.B. Steele in the ranks of authors such as Jay Kristoff (Empire of the Vampire), Christopher Ruocchio (Suneater) and Anthony Ryan (Blood Song) for me.
I’d been given everything I asked for. I was a hero, slaying Reapers and leading Vanguards. The finest and the most dangerous men in the world, and I was one of the few at the helm. A leader amongst leaders, an assassin amongst killers.
If you are unfamiliar with book one, this is a framed narrative where Redlin tells his dark, bloody, and fairly unhappy life story whilst being led to his execution.
This combines the philosophical reflections of Suneater (Empire of Silence), the grittiness of Joe Abercrombie (First Law), and the clever snark of Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind). I’m not just listing authors, I’m describing how poetic, addicting, witty, dark yet vulnerable Steele’s story is.
This isn’t a happy tale where the boy slays the dragon and gets the girl. This is a tale of blood and loss, dead heroes and victorious villains. Steel and shadow. In so many words: this is a tragedy.
“Oftentimes, tragedies are better left unsaid. Unmarked by history. Forgotten.”
It’s like Steele knows exactly what I look for and also dislike in my gritty fantasy books. He subverts tropes, knows exactly how to keep a story moving (no faffing around with travelling), and nails that difficult balance between an angry hero (morally grey? anti-hero?) and a vulnerable, raw, lone character.
If you’re involved in the book community, particularly the indie side, there are also Easter eggs to look out for that I loved catching.
Overall, a very worthy sequel. I know this series will one day be extremely popular, so you need to jump on the bandwagon now – especially if you love the authors I have mentioned.
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