Rating: 8.5/10
Synopsis
THE GREAT MERCHANT CITY OF CARTHULA—RAISED FROM THE BONES OF A KRAKEN ON THE WHIM OF A GODDESS WHERE NOBLE HOUSES CALL UPON DARK MAGIC TO TRIUMPH IN THEIR ENDLESS AND DEADLY GAME FOR DOMINION…
Landless one-time king Guyime, once called Pilgrim but known to history as the Ravager, has survived the fall of the Execration — an event that set him on a path to find the legendary Seven Swords. Guided by sorcery, Guyime journeys to Carthula in the centre of the First Sea to claim the mythical blade known as the Kraken’s Tooth.
Aided by three companions — the beast charmer Seeker, a powerful sorceress and a scholarly slave — Guyime ventures into Carthula’s perilous underbelly to secure a prize guarded by ancient magics, cursed spirits, and lethal traps.
But can he survive an ultimate ordeal crafted from his worst nightmares?
Continuing the epic story begun in A Pilgrimage of Swords, The Kraken’s Tooth is a fast-paced tale of low intrigue and grand adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Raven’s Shadow and Draconis Memoria trilogies.
Review
The Kraken’s Tooth continues where A Pilgrimage of Swords leads off: with Pilgrim (AKA – Guyime) heading off with Seeker to find her daughter, as promised. This book was really similar to the first book in the series, and I thank author Author Anthony Ryan for that. After experiencing book 1, I was ready for more! I enjoyed reading the follow-up and am excited to see where the series goes from here.
I described Pilgrimage as adventure fantasy meets grimdark (see how I linked it there for your convenience?), and Kraken is much of the same. Pilgrim finds himself on yet ANOTHER quest with yet ANOTHER crew at his back (and sometimes at his front; and, actually, more often than not at his sides saving his ass from a demon with an attitude). It is a fun narrative, and one of the aspects of Kraken that I find so intriguing is that the stakes are higher this time. Pilgrim is not just out for himself as the was in Pilgrimage; he is helping someone he cares about, and that brings a little bit of a different tone in this book. Not that he was not willing to put himself in danger for the sake of others in the first book (as we came to find out), but in this book that is his goal from the beginning. And wouldn’t you know it, their goals (by chance!) are intertwined, and Pilgrim may be able to accomplish his goal while also getting Seeker what she is looking for. Talk about tension! Between the main story and subplots, this story is absolutely oozing with it.
Another great thing about Kraken is that, because we already were introduced to this world and the characters in book 1 (though with a narrow scope), it gives Ryan and opportunity to expand and provide more detail. We get some more of the history and different areas of the world, and some more about Pilgrim and Seeker’s pasts. On the flip side, we are introduced to a few new characters with one-of-a-kind skillsets that are perfect for this journey to find the kraken’s tooth. The world is really captivating, and the characters are unique. It is really cool the way the author is slowly opening this world to readers, one 100 plus-page novella at a time. Each book is like one piece of the puzzle that (hopefully) creates a full picture by the time we open them all.
I had a lot fun with this book. With The Kraken’s Tooth, Anthony Ryan has brought us another action-packed story full of as much adventure as one can fit in 150 pages or less. I recommend fantasy fans pick this series up if they have not, already. This is going to be a fun ride.
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