Thorns of War by Joao F. Silva (Smokesmith #2) - ARC review
Empire Strikes Back with a side of Dagger & Coin
I received an ARC of the book from the author & my thoughts below reflect my honest feelings about the book
Escalation is the name of the game in this thrilling second installment of the Smokesmith Saga. Cosmic conflicts erupt side by side with at-ground character conflicts with no character truly being spared pain - even the on-paper bad guys. This is truly an outstanding sequel that goes from strength to strength right from the get-go.
Second books often almost serve as place-holders. while also following certain templates of storytelling. The world gets expanded, and characters find newer conflicts while the ending typically adheres to the "Night is Darkest before the Dawn" adage. Thorns of War adheres to it almost faithfully but it's never boring or predictable. The sheer intensity of the book makes for a relentless read. The status quo is almost immediately and violently disrupted and characters are uprooted to face their failures and demons.
Gimlore, ascendant at the end of book 1, gets dragged down literally and figuratively and has to figure out a way to get past losses. Rednow looking forward to a peaceful retired life gets anything but that. Orberesis remains the most intriguing character in this series - weak, easily manipulated, and housing a god. Suffering from grandeur of self-delusion, he is also the worst kind of liar - the one who believes his own lies.
“Perhaps wishing for peace had been a tad naive of him”
Character work drives this series - the internal conflict raging along with the rapidly escalating external world-changing conflict. None of this however comes at the cost of plot. The pacing is absolutely scintillating which makes the book insanely unputdownable. You don't even realize and within no time, you are at 40%. The storytelling element in this book is so strong that its only late in the game the author brings back attention to the driving plot element of the first book
“Fighting had given her everything she had but it also had taken so much away”
On the flip side, this breathless pace gives the logistics a bit of a Game of Thrones Season 7 feel. Time seems to be a bit of a fluid concept and sometimes some characters experience time differently than the reader (something I faced in Dune 2 as well)
“The lamb forgets its loyalty to the shepherd when presented with greener pastures”
As befits a second book, the ending is suitably apocalyptic and hopeless for our leads. Hope exists in pockets specifically the way Rednow approaches the conflict. The emergence of a key supporting character elevated into a PoV in this book and the character's development also holds promise.
Thorns of War is truly the Empire Strikes Back of this series and absolutely elevates the series in terms of character development and plot. The third book promises to be a banger and can't come soon enough.
Rating - 4 monstrous beings on 5