Reviews

Honestly after the first book I was lost. Want to go back and reread, I like the writing and the relationships but the similarities in the names was confusing me

jowithtwoiis's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed the way this was wrapped up and I got my wish in a totally unexpected way. I'll continue to recommend this series to fantasy fans at work, especially for peeps who are still waiting for Rothfuss to finish up.

shandyt's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

After the better part of a year to let it percolate, plus a reread, I finally feel like I have enough emotional distance from this book to give it a proper rating: 4.25 stars. I was really hoping for this incredible series to end with a bang, and while this book unfortunately fell a little short of the epic bar set in The Memory of Souls, what we did get was at least very satisfying.

With this reread, I was able to focus less on what was immediately happening, and more on the overall structure and vibe of the book. My issue with the previous entry, book 4, was that it felt extremely slow-paced after the nonstop adrenaline of TMoS, and unfortunately, the first half of The Discord of Gods is more of the same. It's mostly setup, people in different places having conversations, and then having the same conversations again, because additional characters need to be debriefed. In fact, getting everyone on the same page regarding the various plans, revelations, etc., feels like it takes up a third of the whole book. While I laud Jenn Lyons for having a solid understanding of which of her 293,847 characters knows what, the implications thereof, and following through with that continuity, there has to have been a neater and more succinct way to get all that briefing done.

As for the events of the book (spoilers abound):

SpoilerThe last third of the book is where things really begin to pick up speed—and to shine. The dominos have been placed, and now it's time to poke them and see what pattern emerges. The part where Kihrin engages in a four-way battle between himself, the Guardians, Xaltorath, and six dragons, is nothing short of jaw dropping. And I fistpumped when Kihrin absorbed Xaltorath and restored the sun. I saw the S'arric and Rev'arric switcheroo coming (partially because of the similar gambit at the ending of a certain other large fantasy series, but I think in this case it was far better thematically supported by all the previous Stone of Shackles body-swaps). It was a great way to close out all the plots and plans and rituals, and it was fun to see Relos Var finally outmatched.

Speaking of Relos Var, wow, what a villain. It was unclear throughout the series who the final enemy would be. First I'd thought it might be Vol Karoth, but then Book 4 happened. Xaltorath made a terrifying candidate, due to her powers to negate the events of the entire series. But really, it could only ever be Rev'arric in the end. I happen to find his archetype one of the most satisfying kinds of villains. He absolutely believes he's right, and that he's saving the world. He's the ultimate Machiavellian. But his assumptions are flawed, due to his titanic ego and hubris. He, ironically like Thaena and her cohort, had come up with a single conclusion about what needed to be done, decided he was right, and refused to entertain any alternative possibilities. It's the out-of-the-box thinkers like Kihrin, Tyentso, and Thurvishar/Senera who have the real power to change things, and oh boy, do they. No amount of meticulous, millennia-spanning plans can hold up to their brilliant chaos. Also, I found the bit where Rev'arric refused to wear his own body for thousands of years because he was too pretty to be taken seriously hilarious. Really, he's just an A+ antagonist all around.

Other people have noted their dissatisfaction with the body count remaining so remarkably light at the end. To which, I do feel compelled to point out that death has been only a minor inconvenience for most of the characters at any given point. Plus, many of the major characters were given god powers, which necessarily provides them with some amount of plot armor. That said, it did feel somewhat low-stakes at the end. I'm not sure what I would have done to change that, but it is an understandable complaint.

It's the denouement where I think some of my initial ambivalence toward the book comes in. Prior to the final conflict, there were multiple new guardians invested with god-powers, and then immediately de-powered. The Empire of Quur was barely being held together. And then, at the end, Kihrin got a brand new body to walk around in. What about afterward? We did get to see a little bit of the implications of Kihrin's new digs in the epilogue, but not enough for my tastes. What happens to the god-concepts now? Did they disappear with Relos Var? (If so, how does Xivan's epilogue work?) What does Surdyeh's appearance in the afterlife mean for Talon? What happens to Quur? Do Grizzst and Tyentso reforge the empire with Sheloran's ideas? What happens to Tyrin? Also, can we get more scenes of Fayrin with Tyentso, please? What's Jareth up to, now that he's got a real body? Do Galen and Qown ever kiss? Do Thurvishar and Senera continue on as bickering scholars publishing memoirs with catty footnotes at each other? If I ever get around to finishing my own writing project, the epilogue is one of the things I plan to spend the most time and care crafting. It's the final thing your readers will experience, and so I believe it should leave a good taste in their mouths.