Reviews

Blackflame is the third novel in Will Wight’s fantasy series, Cradle. Dubbed a ‘progression fantasy’, the series follows Lindon’s journey to become strong enough to defend his homeland from an apocalyptic threat. I’ve really liked the series thus far, and unless there happens to be a drastic drop in quality in the next few instalments, I will likely be following the series to the end (that’s twelve books, by the way).

Soulsmith, the second novel, ended by putting Lindon on a timer. He’s been forced into a duel with a much stronger ‘sacred artist’ but has been given a year to train so that the fight will have some semblance of fairness.

‘Lindon Levelled Up!’

Something that I was wondering as I started into Blackflame was how author Will Wight would manage to keep Lindon’s continuing quest for strength from becoming stale. Levelling up for the sake of it is fun in video games, but in a story there needs to be some meaning behind it.

Of course, Lindon has a distant goal in mind (the threat to his homeland won’t happen for decades) but what about the here-and-now?

In Blackflame, Wight solves this problem with a deft hand. Lindon’s master, Eithan, pushes his apprentice into pursuing a forbidden Path, i.e. a set of skills and powers that are so strong they’re feared and pretty much banned across the continent. It also drives the user mad, over time. Lindon, of course, doesn’t have much of a choice. Without this Path—the Path of the Black Flame—he’ll likely lose his duel. Choosing to follow it comes with its own risks, though.

This provides a nice bit of tension to Lindon’s training, as we understand that there will be consequences to this down the line, even if we’re not seeing them right away. There’s also the question of Eithan hanging over everything because it’s clear that he’s training Lindon for his own purposes. What they might be adds a level of intrigue to the whole thing.

Take Five

Wight also smartly diverts our attention from Lindon repeatedly during the story to set up some external stakes. The story is a bit of a balancing act. Lindon’s training needs be front and centre—it can’t be glossed over, otherwise the weight of it would be lost, and there wouldn’t be any catharsis in him getting stronger. But if we spend the whole time with Lindon training, where will the climax of the story come from?

Well, that’s where we get a nice bit of worldbuilding and political intrigue. As I mentioned in the last review, Wight is a master of doling out information. There are a lot of unique elements in this world, but you’re never going to feel overwhelmed by it all, because you only learn what you need to learn to get the most out of what is happening right now in the story.

In Blacksmith, we get to learn a bit more about how the factions and clans of the Empire work with/against each other. There’s no need to bog you down in this review with a detailed look at it all, but basically a prominent clan that we’re already familiar with from book two has serious beef with Eithan’s clan, and the two are embroiled in a feud that will directly impact Lindon and his training.

There’s also thread running through these novels that I’ve only lightly touched on that concerns the world of Cradle and its place in the cosmos. I personally really enjoy this plotline, which only usually pops up once or twice per book, because it seems to be giving context for greater threats ahead (and foreshadowing how powerful Lindon could become) but I can envision some people struggling here.

Very simply, these threads are such a great departure from Lindon’s narrative as to be somewhat jarring and also have a lot going on worldbuilding-wise. There’s stuff being mentioned that the reader has zero context for initially, which I personally love (piecing together a world over time is part of the fun of epic fantasy for me) but could also confuse a more casual reader. These sections don’t overstay their welcome though, so don’t let them put you off—I only mention them as some might find them as tantalising as I do.

The Path of the Great Story

One final point to mention is that I really enjoyed Yerin in this book. She’s Lindon’s friend and oftentimes his saviour, and I really like how she pushes Lindon to shift his perspective a little in this story as they’re made to train together. Where Lindon remains somewhat timid and humble, Yerin provides a nice counterpoint with her extremely blunt personality and bleak worldview. The two play off each other nicely.

Overall, Cradle continues to be an incredibly strong series. As I experience more and more of this world, I find myself getting sucked in deeper, and watching Lindon grow stronger feels natural and cathartic. I’ve already started the next book in the series, too, so look forward to a review of that soon!