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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
There's not much more I can laud about Richard K. Morgan as a writer--he is simply the finest writer of science fiction and fantasy that there is, in my estimation, at present. He writes efficient, interesting stories about interesting, multi-dimensional characters who struggle in understandable ways with the dystopic world that surrounds them--his allegory becomes more pointed than ever, mixing in elements of the free market, state-motivated religious fervor, the idea of nationalism and how it shapes a culture, and, of course, the issue of homosexuals in the military. Morgan's feelings area abundantly clear on these matters, as they tend to be in his novels, but his ability to avoid editorializing and other intrusive authorial missteps has never been finer. This book lacks some of the long pontifications of the earlier books (I'm reminded of Takeshi Kovacs' long, long, speeches in the second half of WOKEN FURIES), but lacks none of their conviction. It's a compelling sequel, a great novel, and a story of very memorable characters.
What I appreciate most about this novel is how Morgan contains his excitement for the plot and characters, and the restraint that he shows in writing this sequel. As fantasy sequels tend to balloon in length (Martin, Jordan, even Sanderson, to some extent), Morgan is working with a predetermined structure, answering questions, reintroducing elements, and foreshadowing the third episode of his trilogy with a sort of seamless purpose, neither pandering to his audience nor leaving them in the lurch. The less-defined elements of the world, specifically, the Grey Places, remain a mystery to us as well as to Ringil, just as the Helmsmen remain a mystery to the Emperor as well as to Archeth. I enjoyed the chapter that featured both Archeth and Jhiral sort of "studying" the Ghost Isle in her study, a chummy scene that gave me a better appreciation of their relationship, imbuing it with a sort of symbiotic codependency that I did not previously appreciate or understand. It reminded me of old college pals in graduate school, puzzling over a particularly difficult piece of research. While Egar, Archeth, and Ringil are all endeared to the reader from the very beginning of the story, Jhiral comes along at the midpoint of the trilogy as something of a human being. Ringil helps remind us of that later on, but in a more...Morgan-ish way.
As always with Richard K., the violence and sex are graphic, cinematic, and frequent. Among my favorite descriptions of the former are "the collapsing ruin of the man he'd just gutted," as well as the throat-slashing parade in which Ringil marches as he seeks to assassinate a certain key player. But more impressive than the cinema is Morgan's control of dialogue and humor--both of which underpin the deep, deep understanding of both the craft of writing and the importance of character development that Morgan exhibits in every chapter of every book that he has written. It makes his writing exceedingly readable, easy to invest in, and compelling enough to not only be willing to revisit, but rather to look forward to it--as we await the close of the trilogy in THE DARK DEFILES, I will look forward to retreading the paths of both THE STEEL REMAINS and THE COLD COMMANDS and the sheer pleasure that it is to read the novels of a writer who is aware of what a good novel entails and who is unwilling to compromise about how it is he is going to go about building both its world and its plot.
What I appreciate most about this novel is how Morgan contains his excitement for the plot and characters, and the restraint that he shows in writing this sequel. As fantasy sequels tend to balloon in length (Martin, Jordan, even Sanderson, to some extent), Morgan is working with a predetermined structure, answering questions, reintroducing elements, and foreshadowing the third episode of his trilogy with a sort of seamless purpose, neither pandering to his audience nor leaving them in the lurch. The less-defined elements of the world, specifically, the Grey Places, remain a mystery to us as well as to Ringil, just as the Helmsmen remain a mystery to the Emperor as well as to Archeth. I enjoyed the chapter that featured both Archeth and Jhiral sort of "studying" the Ghost Isle in her study, a chummy scene that gave me a better appreciation of their relationship, imbuing it with a sort of symbiotic codependency that I did not previously appreciate or understand. It reminded me of old college pals in graduate school, puzzling over a particularly difficult piece of research. While Egar, Archeth, and Ringil are all endeared to the reader from the very beginning of the story, Jhiral comes along at the midpoint of the trilogy as something of a human being. Ringil helps remind us of that later on, but in a more...Morgan-ish way.
As always with Richard K., the violence and sex are graphic, cinematic, and frequent. Among my favorite descriptions of the former are "the collapsing ruin of the man he'd just gutted," as well as the throat-slashing parade in which Ringil marches as he seeks to assassinate a certain key player. But more impressive than the cinema is Morgan's control of dialogue and humor--both of which underpin the deep, deep understanding of both the craft of writing and the importance of character development that Morgan exhibits in every chapter of every book that he has written. It makes his writing exceedingly readable, easy to invest in, and compelling enough to not only be willing to revisit, but rather to look forward to it--as we await the close of the trilogy in THE DARK DEFILES, I will look forward to retreading the paths of both THE STEEL REMAINS and THE COLD COMMANDS and the sheer pleasure that it is to read the novels of a writer who is aware of what a good novel entails and who is unwilling to compromise about how it is he is going to go about building both its world and its plot.
It’s worth pointing out that an audio book gives a different feel to book, so really I’m reviewing Richard Morgan’s writing and Simon Vance’s performance of it, and it is a performance, Vance gives each ‘voice’ a different inflection to bring them to life. And I’m praying that he’ll be asked to read The Dark Defiles as I’m really not sure what I’d do if he didn’t [luckily he is]. From that you must know that I’m invested in the lives Ringil Eskiath, Egar the Dragonbane, and Archeth Indamaninarmal and their fate.
And fate there is as by the end The Cold Commands sets our characters in places they wouldn’t have expected to be in at the beginning, which made the last quarter or so quite a surprise, and had me scrambling to find two hours listening over 24hrs to finish it.
At the the start it’s not clear where you are going. This does require an act of faith to push through as it feels like Morgan knows you already know and love these characters and will follow them regardless of where they end up but he doesn’t really give a sense of direction.
To be fair the characters aren’t sure what they should be doing either and each of them is eventually pushed or pulled into some sort of action – Ringil is freeing slaves, Egar is bored and does a bit of breaking and entering which gets him into more trouble that he could possibly imagine and Archeth is sent to retrieve a helmsmen, who brings with him promise of her again meeting her people.
The Cold Commands does several things that make it ‘different’ or at least outside the ‘norm’ and reading Brit Mandelo’s tor.com review reminds me that a few of them really should be highlighted.
The sequence is called ‘A Land Fit for Heroes’ but who are our heroes? Ringil is probably the most surprising being not only gay but also a gay man whose intimate relationships with two minor characters are supportive rather than destructive,which is unlike The Steel Remains where the close relationship is destructive for him and the wider world and it comes back to haunt events here. Archeth is struggling with restraint over her own desires and whether a slave girl is an expectable release. And finally, Egar’s own intimate relationship causes danger to all three though it is also a linchpin in strengthening the relationships between them.
I love The Cold Commands for that alone as there is no neon signposting. The sexuality and the problems that brings feels like an extension of the characters and I’m glad that Ringil’s relationships especially don’t ‘punish’ him.
Not that this novel a romance, it has another side shown in some dark and brutal moments. There is a rape scene, which is rightly disturbing, and its inclusion shows a lot about the world in which everything takes place and is also telling about the characters involved and how they react.
There are a lot of soul searching moments, especially Ringil’s as he transverses the Grey Places, but each of the trio gets focus and attention, and for a middle book in a trilogy it goes deeper and further than just treading water until the next book’s third act big finale.
Morgan likes to linger on the fights and the sexual scenes, often giving a blow-by-blow account, which I guess makes this ‘gritty’ or ‘dark’ and not for squeamish or prudish. Though I do think it’s important that it never feels gratuitous; the fights especially have consequences. And often war ‘heroes’ are glorified by others, which are quickly earthed by Egar’s and Ringil’s putdowns.
There is also a turning of the tide here. We see the struggles that the ruler Jhiral Khimran II has in keeping power and how he keeps blocking the damn against the religious furore of the Citadel. I quite like him as character because of who he is and why he does what he does. He has a charm that comes from his scenes with Archeth and even though she’s a lot older than him he often feels much wiser. Though he s brutal and unflinching as well (and here Vance’s performance plays a strong role).
Speaking of Archeth, even she isn’t safe from Morgan’s callus hands. Outside influences extend to even her. But I’ll leave it as that to avoid unneeded signposting or spoiler inducing.
As I said at the beginning, it’s not clear at the start what to expect and I don’t want to flag those moments too much as their revelation makes you rethink a lot of earlier moments and makes a reread or re-listen in my gave something to look forward to. But I will say that by the end Morgan has prepared the ground for something big. And the point where you hear ‘the cold commands’ will make a shiver run down your spine.
The Cold Commands uses traditional fantasy tropes and stretches those conventions to cover places they normally don’t reach. The main characters should be hard to like but they have plenty to hook your sympathies and understanding especially as their hearts are in the right place as storms gather around them. Honestly The Dark Defiles can’t come fast enough, though at last report it’s 50% bigger than this one and pays of debt due, but I’m nervous about how much Morgan is going to tear into the hearts of our characters.
Vance, as always, does a startling performance, and it always makes me chuckle that the dwenda sound welsh. His portrayal of Jihral especially sets the right tone and the helmsmen sound alien and disturbing. I could honestly listen to him read the phone book. Though with The Dark Defiles being half as long again I hope his voice holds out.
And fate there is as by the end The Cold Commands sets our characters in places they wouldn’t have expected to be in at the beginning, which made the last quarter or so quite a surprise, and had me scrambling to find two hours listening over 24hrs to finish it.
At the the start it’s not clear where you are going. This does require an act of faith to push through as it feels like Morgan knows you already know and love these characters and will follow them regardless of where they end up but he doesn’t really give a sense of direction.
To be fair the characters aren’t sure what they should be doing either and each of them is eventually pushed or pulled into some sort of action – Ringil is freeing slaves, Egar is bored and does a bit of breaking and entering which gets him into more trouble that he could possibly imagine and Archeth is sent to retrieve a helmsmen, who brings with him promise of her again meeting her people.
The Cold Commands does several things that make it ‘different’ or at least outside the ‘norm’ and reading Brit Mandelo’s tor.com review reminds me that a few of them really should be highlighted.
The sequence is called ‘A Land Fit for Heroes’ but who are our heroes? Ringil is probably the most surprising being not only gay but also a gay man whose intimate relationships with two minor characters are supportive rather than destructive,which is unlike The Steel Remains where the close relationship is destructive for him and the wider world and it comes back to haunt events here. Archeth is struggling with restraint over her own desires and whether a slave girl is an expectable release. And finally, Egar’s own intimate relationship causes danger to all three though it is also a linchpin in strengthening the relationships between them.
I love The Cold Commands for that alone as there is no neon signposting. The sexuality and the problems that brings feels like an extension of the characters and I’m glad that Ringil’s relationships especially don’t ‘punish’ him.
Not that this novel a romance, it has another side shown in some dark and brutal moments. There is a rape scene, which is rightly disturbing, and its inclusion shows a lot about the world in which everything takes place and is also telling about the characters involved and how they react.
There are a lot of soul searching moments, especially Ringil’s as he transverses the Grey Places, but each of the trio gets focus and attention, and for a middle book in a trilogy it goes deeper and further than just treading water until the next book’s third act big finale.
Morgan likes to linger on the fights and the sexual scenes, often giving a blow-by-blow account, which I guess makes this ‘gritty’ or ‘dark’ and not for squeamish or prudish. Though I do think it’s important that it never feels gratuitous; the fights especially have consequences. And often war ‘heroes’ are glorified by others, which are quickly earthed by Egar’s and Ringil’s putdowns.
There is also a turning of the tide here. We see the struggles that the ruler Jhiral Khimran II has in keeping power and how he keeps blocking the damn against the religious furore of the Citadel. I quite like him as character because of who he is and why he does what he does. He has a charm that comes from his scenes with Archeth and even though she’s a lot older than him he often feels much wiser. Though he s brutal and unflinching as well (and here Vance’s performance plays a strong role).
Speaking of Archeth, even she isn’t safe from Morgan’s callus hands. Outside influences extend to even her. But I’ll leave it as that to avoid unneeded signposting or spoiler inducing.
As I said at the beginning, it’s not clear at the start what to expect and I don’t want to flag those moments too much as their revelation makes you rethink a lot of earlier moments and makes a reread or re-listen in my gave something to look forward to. But I will say that by the end Morgan has prepared the ground for something big. And the point where you hear ‘the cold commands’ will make a shiver run down your spine.
The Cold Commands uses traditional fantasy tropes and stretches those conventions to cover places they normally don’t reach. The main characters should be hard to like but they have plenty to hook your sympathies and understanding especially as their hearts are in the right place as storms gather around them. Honestly The Dark Defiles can’t come fast enough, though at last report it’s 50% bigger than this one and pays of debt due, but I’m nervous about how much Morgan is going to tear into the hearts of our characters.
Vance, as always, does a startling performance, and it always makes me chuckle that the dwenda sound welsh. His portrayal of Jihral especially sets the right tone and the helmsmen sound alien and disturbing. I could honestly listen to him read the phone book. Though with The Dark Defiles being half as long again I hope his voice holds out.
This book was great once it got going but it took until two-thirds of the way through it for that to happen. Major pacing problems.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Much as I tried to find something to like in this book, I just couldn't. First of all the complete lack of punctuation confused me a great deal. My copy had no speech marks at all, just the odd comma and full stop. Bizzare! There were many 'Info dump' paragraphs at the start of the book, making it feel too weighty. And too much detail about characters who didn't really have much to do with the plot. I just couldn't warm to Archeth at all, and later on when Ringil was in the 'Grey Places' things got so confusing I thought I had been slipped some drugs. Shame..not for me!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not as good as the first book in the series (The Steel Remains), but again an interesting take on the sword and sorcery genre.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After The Steel Remains, I expected to struggle through The Cold Commands, but I'm glad to say that it's so much better. It's still harsh, uncompromising, pulling no punches, but the author is no longer trying too hard, neither to shock nor to go through some third grade creative writing checklist. The characters are much more developed and no longer striving to be crass, unlikable and hard to support. The world is more fleshed out, making more sense, little by little, if you snatch the pieces when they appear. The thrilling combat scenes remain, but the graphic brutality is used more sparingly and skillfully. And that may be even more true for the sex scenes, which this time around are meaningful and convey emotion. As for the walks through the Grey Places, while the following ones make much more sense, something like that disjointed plague fever dream that is chapter 19 definitely takes skill to pull off.
There is still plenty of room for improvement, however. The fact that many names remain too strange or complicated for me to be able to properly keep track of who's who is probably my problem more than the author's, but I wouldn't say that the same holds true for still feeling like I'm grasping at smoke too often for this point in the story, that in certain cases no, or at least no better, explanations will be provided. On the other hand, while this takes the story to what I gather is much more familiar territory for the author, and I must admit that the much greater magnitude and impact of the fantasy elements compensates for it, I'm still not keen on the increased amount of science fiction elements that are introduced. And, albeit as a far less important aspect, there are still moments, and probably one in particular, when that overuse of f-words remains grating.
Very good, especially if you liked the first one (I wouldn't recommend reading this one first). The characters are different from most fantasy protagonists and Morgan writes great action scenes. Definitely sets up a sequel but resolves a lot of the story in this one.
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated