Sean Gursky reviewed Lords of the Sky by Angus Wells
Review of 'Lords of the Sky' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Trust is like a sword, Daviot; it cuts both ways.
From a r/fantasy I came across this book and was glad I did because it was a wonderful mix of character, magic and got involved with some heavier topics not typically found in these stories.
In the first half of the book each chapter offered a new location, new keep and new people. This allowed the story to stay fresh, but with so many names characters coming in you don’t know if they’re important or to be forgotten by the end of the book. As the story progresses you realize that those people, places and locations may not be relevant now but they mattered to Daviot and are a measure of what was lost in his adventures.
Yesterday is a country of the memory that is no longer quite what you recall.
One narrative choice I enjoyed was that when …
Trust is like a sword, Daviot; it cuts both ways.
From a r/fantasy I came across this book and was glad I did because it was a wonderful mix of character, magic and got involved with some heavier topics not typically found in these stories.
In the first half of the book each chapter offered a new location, new keep and new people. This allowed the story to stay fresh, but with so many names characters coming in you don’t know if they’re important or to be forgotten by the end of the book. As the story progresses you realize that those people, places and locations may not be relevant now but they mattered to Daviot and are a measure of what was lost in his adventures.
Yesterday is a country of the memory that is no longer quite what you recall.
One narrative choice I enjoyed was that when Daviot tells his stories at keeps only the name of the tale is mentioned and that's it. Pages aren’t devoted to history that’s not essential to the preset. This avoids lengthy chapters but does take away from the world building. I’m in favour of this narrative decision and glad that the focus remains on the present story.
Urt was not my enemy, nor I his: those roles were chosen for us by the past.
As the story unfolds you realize there is tension and racism between Trueman and Changed, and that is only the beginning of social change that is discussed here. Such commentary on prejudice isn't common in fantasy stories but it adds wonderful depth and makes the story so much more than magic battles.
Power corrupts, but its usage can be most enjoyable.
The story plays out similar to how Hobb's wrote the Farseer stories from the Elderlings saga. I felt that there were parallels between the protagonists on their emotional struggles and journeys they went on. There was also an emphasis on friendship, love and the forms it takes and the power of trust.
This book has a lot of positives about it and it had such a unique telling that I will be thinking about it long after I completed it.
