Age of Ash: The Sunday Times bestseller - The Kithamar Trilogy Book 1

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A huge part of that is the premise. Age of Ashtakes place in the fantasy city of Kithamar, a bustling metropolis filled with thieves, politicians, and stark social divides.Unlike most other fantasy series, which are simply longer stories cut up into multiple books, Kithamartakes a single turbulent year of upheaval in the city and then examines those events from different angles. Age of Ashis told primarily from the point of view of two thieves trying to survive their desperate situation, but future books will explore these same events from vastly different perspectives. It allows the author to tell a complete story that wraps up major character arcs in a very satisfying way. Since we know that the next two books will more or less follow this pattern of being a full story, it seems likely that each book will be satisfying in its own right, but also build into something bigger through the mosaic nature of the series. Kithamar is a city of many colors and many schemes. Those who have coin and royalty hire petty thieves and lowlives to perform roles in their stratagems. Alys, a poor girl from Longhill, gets herself involved in the midst of a pull that can shake the entire city. Some lose coin, some lose their lives, and she may even lose herself as she plays as a little wolf for the puppetmaster. The main plot might be the least interesting part, and it is still very good. I won’t go into much detail so as to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say, there is a dark secret at the heart of the city and its leadership. But the people who maintain this secret have enemies who want to see them fall. Abraham implies that these people aren’t very good, but it’s also unclear if their fall would really be all that better than the system that currently exists. Alys is not the smartest cookie in the jar. She has wit, but it’s based on honed survival skills, not on intelligence (and definitely not on the emotional one!). My favourite was Sammish. What a wonderful character in how she was introduced and how she developed throughout the story. A respite from Alys on her way to being devoured by her obsession. (It was very difficult for me to

The layers of new wood created during the annual cycle of growth can clearly be seen in the form of growth rings when a tree is cut down. The rings are made up of bands of light and dark-coloured wood. Why did I say that the novel is not character driven? Mainly because you could argue that the two leading characters are boring. If you feel particularly snarky, you can even argue that both have so little to no reason to get involved in the main plot, which is why they frequently ask themselves what and why they are precisely doing. How awful, you want to exclaim. The reader literally knows the ending of the plot before s/he knows that the plot exists! What is worse, after reading the book, one still doesn’t know what would happen had a party other than the one won won. Well, yes and no. We see the glimpses, but the mystery is still there. What we got was as much an introduction as it was a teaser. I will probably regret reading it now instead of waiting for the whole series to binge at will, but there are a few writers who are irresistible, and Daniel Abraham is one of them. The character work is good, although I felt some of the more interesting character development was right at the end of the book, so there was little time to enjoy this. The story definitely had its moments, with some of those interesting character developments driving the plot forwards in the latter stages of the book.I enjoyed this so much more on re-read, especially while listening to it concurrently with reading Blade of Dream. So many things I missed or didn't understand the significance of when reading the first time. I still really like Sammish but I didn't like Alys any better. In the UK, trees don’t grow all year round but follow the cycle of the seasons. Tree growth occurs in the spring and summer, slows during the autumn and trees become dormant in winter. If any of the things I’ve said here have scared you, that’s fair. Not everyone likes to read books that have heady explorations of themes or feature complex story structures. But despite all those elements, Age of Ashremains a relatively accessible read that tells a full and satisfying story, albeit one that leaves the door open for the sequels. “I think a story should be as simple and straightforward as it can be. But I also don’t think it should be simpler than it can be,” Daniel Abraham told us in a recent interview. That hits the nail on the head for this book so far as I’m concerned. But the tale is really not about those two. They serve as temporary conduits. The main character is the ”thing that called itself Kithamar,” and so I expect the next book to feature an entirely different set of protagonists (may, I am nothing if not excited!). I highlighted all those people’s names when I was reading the prologue, and when reading, I kept asking: where are you? why are you not having a role here? come out, please! And so I know what to expect. Plus, the epilogue is also telling.

And now, for the Expanse fans who are thinking 'can this be my new thing?': This is very different from the Expanse. You will not have an Amos or an Avasarala here, though there is a character who may recall you of her. It's not only fantasy but the writing and unraveling of the plot are slower-paced and known to you. There is no found family and, obviously, there is no space nor the Rocinante. That being said, this book has plans within plans within plans. If you enjoyed the character exploration and development in the Expanse, the political intrigue, and how one plan could shake everything (and did), you may certainly enjoy this. Is this going to scratch that The Expanse itch? Probably not, but it is still an insanely good book. Age of Ashis an easy book to understand and follow…but once you delve beneath its surface, there’s far more to it than it first appears. Just like Kithamar. The strength of this story lies in its world building. It takes only a second to realize the world Daniel Abraham has created is rich with history and is well-developed. The characters reference that history time and time again. They know which district they have come from and what it means. It means that “Longhill’s always Longhill.” No matter where you go – you’re always a Longhill. It’s the type of story that gives you the distinct impression that the author has not only every street mapped out, but that he also knows every stall and business on the street as well as who runs it.

What does ash look like?

What I enjoyed the most were the characters. We have a very diverse set of them ranging from petty thieves, witches from another country, slavers, and members of the (cultish) royal family. They all scheme, and it is all personal: we see grief over losing a loved one shapes one's path; we see someone's idealizing her (unrequited) love interest and grieving with the letting go when that person changes; we see someone losing themselves in a scheme for who is close to their hearts; and we see someone's actions being shaped by their past and her slow realization that she was a pawn, but can no longer be with the right group of friends. Above everything and everyone, I loved Darro and Sammish. Sammish was just very dear to me, I loved witnessing her development from a literal shadow to what she becomes. It's been a long time since I rooted for a character as bad as I have for her. Age of Ash is a stunningly written, character driven story, centred on thieves, grief and dark magic. Abraham certainly knows how to enchant his readers and transport them to the city of Kithamar, a place of beauty and of forbidding secrets’ Fantasy Hive Another thing I love is the deep character immersion that only happens when an author isn’t self-conscious about taking his time to really immerse you with his characters. I thrive on that kind of connection and found myself despairing, angry, and a whole myriad of other emotions right alongside them. I talked to the book a couple times, which for me is a sign of true investment. And the cool thing is he probably hasn’t even scratched the surface on what’s planned for this series (with upcoming perspectives for characters we saw only on the periphery here), and that’s incredibly exciting. Compete in intense online games ranging and discover the fast-paced gameplay of Century : Age of Ashes! Dive into the arena alone or with friends and fight for your survival in exciting game modes: