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stressedspidergirl's review
4.0
I have no idea why this took so long.
It was a satisfying continuation of the story, and about the perfect ending IMO. Where you know that there's more to come, but it's not like an adventure you're missing. It's the contentment of a story told, and it follows the Hero's journey flawlessly.
The world building is immaculate, the characters are maybe a little less explained than the world could be, but they feel unique and different all the same.
I would read more stories set in this world.
It was a satisfying continuation of the story, and about the perfect ending IMO. Where you know that there's more to come, but it's not like an adventure you're missing. It's the contentment of a story told, and it follows the Hero's journey flawlessly.
The world building is immaculate, the characters are maybe a little less explained than the world could be, but they feel unique and different all the same.
I would read more stories set in this world.
storytimed's review
2.0
A little less tightly plotted than the first one, a little (okay, a lot) too concerned with the sexual and romantic availability of Hezhi, whom, may I remind you, is thirteen, and ruined, ruined, ruined, by the ending where .
It's so disappointing, because this was otherwise a really great series with fascinating worldbuilding that I haven't seen in any other fantasy. But that one really nasty of the ending ruined the whole thing.
Spoiler
it turns out that Hezhi was all along just a love-interest prop for the white guy, Perkar. He is like, twenty! She is like, thirteen! This is not good! Yeah, sure, they wait a while before getting married or whatever. But it just puts a really bad taste in my mouth, personally, as an East Asian woman, to have a white writer write about a white protagonist eventually romancing an Asian preteen. Total grossnessIt's so disappointing, because this was otherwise a really great series with fascinating worldbuilding that I haven't seen in any other fantasy. But that one really nasty of the ending ruined the whole thing.
weaselweader's review
4.0
A mature epic fantasy brought to a thrilling conclusion!
Perkar's rash, ham-handed efforts to respond to Hezhi's almost unwitting call for help have opened a hornet's nest of trouble. Their flight from the city of Nohl to escape the Changeling has left behind them a trail of mayhem, death and destruction - Perkar's people, the cattle farmers, and the Mang, accomplished horse breeders, riders and worshippers are now at war; Perkar has slain and beheaded Ghe, the Jik assassin, but through the intervention of the Changeling's power, Ghe has been resurrected as a powerful ghoul who now claims to "love" Hezhi; and, in the fashion of the Greek and Roman pantheon, gods and half-gods squabble and tamper with the lives of man but their motives are murky, confusing and a good deal less than altruistic. Karak, the Raven, or the Blackgod, seems to have developed a particular fondness for Perkar, Hezhi and their small band of travelers. Much to Hezhi's utter dismay, fear and anger, he discloses to her that her destiny is at She'leng, the source of the River, where she will find the power to defeat the Changeling. But all Hezhi really wants is to be left alone. As the story unfolds, the gods' relentless tinkering with the world results in nobody knowing who to believe in or who to trust.
In The Blackgod, Keyes has moved well beyond The Waterborn and expanded Chosen of the Changeling into a truly mature epic fantasy with amazing breadth and scope. The animist pagan theology introduced in The Waterborn is explored in wonderful depth and detail. In a concept strikingly reminiscent of the Christian idea of Trinity and yet still wonderfully original and imaginative, Perkar's and Hezhi's gods - Balati the One-Eyed Lord, Karak the Raven, Ekama the Horse Mother and the Huntress - are revealed as manifestations of a single god united in their quest to eliminate the incessant, overpowering evil of the Changeling. As the war between them advances to a climax, the Mang and Perkar's people, the cattle farmers, come alive with rich and colourful detail including traditions and beliefs, costumes, history and language. Questions about the history and meaning of the priesthood and their temple in Nhol left unanswered at the end of The Waterborn are resolved with a dazzling twist. Heroes, heroines and villains alike are well-constructed, realistic and are allowed to develop and mature into different characters with strengths, weaknesses and human frailties.
Although we are reasonably certain of the eventual "winner" of the conflict, the story-telling never becomes maudlin or trite and remains entirely unpredictable and compelling. Of course, that has a great deal to do with the fact that until the very end, we're not really certain of who the bad guy really is. I said it about The Waterborn and I'm thrilled to be able to say it again for The Blackgod: "An unforgettable fantasy replete with all the requisite elements - a pretty damsel in distress, heroes and their sagas, gods, battles, good and evil, with lots of credible dialogue to bring it home! Did I mention a couple of plot twists that would make the most jaded thriller or mystery reader's eyes light up?"
If you enjoy an epic fantasy, you won't want to miss The Blackgod, second entry in The Chosen of the Changeling.
Paul Weiss
Perkar's rash, ham-handed efforts to respond to Hezhi's almost unwitting call for help have opened a hornet's nest of trouble. Their flight from the city of Nohl to escape the Changeling has left behind them a trail of mayhem, death and destruction - Perkar's people, the cattle farmers, and the Mang, accomplished horse breeders, riders and worshippers are now at war; Perkar has slain and beheaded Ghe, the Jik assassin, but through the intervention of the Changeling's power, Ghe has been resurrected as a powerful ghoul who now claims to "love" Hezhi; and, in the fashion of the Greek and Roman pantheon, gods and half-gods squabble and tamper with the lives of man but their motives are murky, confusing and a good deal less than altruistic. Karak, the Raven, or the Blackgod, seems to have developed a particular fondness for Perkar, Hezhi and their small band of travelers. Much to Hezhi's utter dismay, fear and anger, he discloses to her that her destiny is at She'leng, the source of the River, where she will find the power to defeat the Changeling. But all Hezhi really wants is to be left alone. As the story unfolds, the gods' relentless tinkering with the world results in nobody knowing who to believe in or who to trust.
In The Blackgod, Keyes has moved well beyond The Waterborn and expanded Chosen of the Changeling into a truly mature epic fantasy with amazing breadth and scope. The animist pagan theology introduced in The Waterborn is explored in wonderful depth and detail. In a concept strikingly reminiscent of the Christian idea of Trinity and yet still wonderfully original and imaginative, Perkar's and Hezhi's gods - Balati the One-Eyed Lord, Karak the Raven, Ekama the Horse Mother and the Huntress - are revealed as manifestations of a single god united in their quest to eliminate the incessant, overpowering evil of the Changeling. As the war between them advances to a climax, the Mang and Perkar's people, the cattle farmers, come alive with rich and colourful detail including traditions and beliefs, costumes, history and language. Questions about the history and meaning of the priesthood and their temple in Nhol left unanswered at the end of The Waterborn are resolved with a dazzling twist. Heroes, heroines and villains alike are well-constructed, realistic and are allowed to develop and mature into different characters with strengths, weaknesses and human frailties.
Although we are reasonably certain of the eventual "winner" of the conflict, the story-telling never becomes maudlin or trite and remains entirely unpredictable and compelling. Of course, that has a great deal to do with the fact that until the very end, we're not really certain of who the bad guy really is. I said it about The Waterborn and I'm thrilled to be able to say it again for The Blackgod: "An unforgettable fantasy replete with all the requisite elements - a pretty damsel in distress, heroes and their sagas, gods, battles, good and evil, with lots of credible dialogue to bring it home! Did I mention a couple of plot twists that would make the most jaded thriller or mystery reader's eyes light up?"
If you enjoy an epic fantasy, you won't want to miss The Blackgod, second entry in The Chosen of the Changeling.
Paul Weiss
morj's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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