November 24, 2014
This dense, overwritten fantasy novel reunites the ragtag crew of adventurers from Sykes’s Aeons’ Gate series (Tome of the Undergates, etc.). Done with adventuring and the requisite tally of murders, Lenk—a hardcore killer with an incongruously sweet face—wants out, and he needs his team to help him collect his final payday. Unfortunately, things do not exactly go to plan, and it’s up to this comically inappropriate group to save the day as their city descends into chaos and ruin. The fantastical, dangerous world and the creatures that populate it are packed with potential, different enough from standard fantasy fare to be exciting. The delivery is less appealing; Sykes struggles to get a handle on non-human perspectives and the mindset of people who kill for money, and characterization is inconsistent. Meanwhile, the potential for a rousing and gritty adventure is disappointingly smothered by pages of repetitive and meandering narrative.
December 15, 2014
A new entry in the grimdark fantasy genre begins with this follow-up to the Aeons' Gate trilogy (The Skybound Sea, 2012, etc.). The priest Miron Evenhands has yet to pay the swordsman Lenk and his band of adventurers for services rendered, so they track their elusive employer to Cier'Djaal, a corrupt, teeming city on the brink of civil war. As the forces of two opposing gods square off, both the wealthy fashas who rule the city and a powerful criminal guild struggle to reassert control, but all are helpless before the Khovura, an insane cult bent on resurrecting the demons. Lenk just wants his gold so he can retire, but he and his companions are unavoidably caught up in the city's bloody chaos. And soon they discover that Miron is not whom he seemed to be. The author attempts to give his characters depth by loading them up with dark secrets, which he then hastens to reveal as quickly as possible, leaching them of their dramatic power. Sadly, the protagonists-the cynical, weary swordsman; the priestess struggling with her faith; the brash young wizard; the feral warrior woman; and the dragonman who's the last of his kind-simply lack the emotional texture that would make them real people instead of stock fantasy figures seemingly drawn straight from a role-playing game manual. Foes pursue them, whereupon they fight, they argue, separate to their own affairs, reunite and begin the process again. There's an attempt to create tension through Lenk's conflicted desire to lay down his sword; but we know he won't for now, because the series wouldn't be very interesting if he does. It's not clear if the series will be all that interesting if he doesn't, either. A great deal of shouting, soul-searching and swordplay adding up to nothing very much.
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December 1, 2014
A small group of adventurers is heading for the city of Cier'Djaal to collect on a debt, but they could not have chosen a more dangerous time. The city is about to erupt in violence, as the local criminal gangs are taking to the streets, the nonhuman residents are restless, and the forces from two foreign powers are squaring up for a battle right in the middle of town. Lenk and his companions get in trouble together and separately as they sort through who is stirring Cier'Djaal to violence, and to what end. VERDICT A dark fantasy with humor and lots of action, this should appeal to fans of Scott Lynch or Joe Abercrombie. Bringing back characters from his earlier "Aeon's Gate" series (Tome of the Undergates), Sykes deftly introduces his world to first-time readers and is setting up the rest of what is sure to be an exciting new series.
Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
February 1, 2015
In this companion series to Sykes' Aeons' Gate trilogy, nomadic adventurer Lenk and his motley crew of humans and nonhumans sneak into the gated, supposedly civilized city of Cier'Djaal to find their benefactor, who has disappeared without paying. Lenk intends to retire from life as a hired killer, disband his crew, and become respectable, but their quarry proves elusive. Instead of getting paid, Lenk's group unwittingly trips over a war brewing between the city's factions, and, as often happens, it makes everything worse. The city implodes into violence, but it may be a demon, a former Aeon banished to hell, leading the charge. Though hampered by an overcrowded plot and uneven pacing between the energetic battle scenes and the protracted navel-gazing of multiple characters, the book's central conflict, between Lenk and the demon seeking his help, is compelling, as are the hints to the purpose of Lenk's legendary killing skills. This will appeal to fans of epic fantasy centered on brash antiheroes doing violent deeds, and it's not necessary to be familiar with Sykes' prior series to enjoy it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)