Review - Corvus by Paul Kearney

Corvus [US] [UK] picks up 23 years after the epic march of The Ten Thousand (from The Ten Thousand if you were having trouble keeping up :D). Rictus' Dogsheads are the best of the best in all the Macht and really the only ones keeping the mercenary life alive. Rictus has become a legend as one of the few survivors of that march.

Because of his legendary status and because of the Macht's tendency toward fighting and war, Rictus is also somewhat of a target, especially for an up-and-coming leader named Corvus who wants to hire Rictus (whether he likes it or not) for his campaign.

Corvus is not your typical Macht. He doesn't quite look right or think the same, but what he does brilliantly is conquer and that's what he plans/has already partly done to the Macht people.

He needs Rictus because while Corvus is a conqueror, he wants to do so with as much aplomb and as little blood as possible and who wouldn't give up knowing Rictus and his Dogsheads are against you.

While Rictus is legendary and war is something he does best, he is also now a family man with family concerns. Stepping away from them could cost him dear especially if anyone wanted to use them against him.

After reading Corvus, it was pretty clear that Kearney uses (at least for this series) a common plotting scheme that I showed up in The Ten Thousand as well. Not that it's a bad thing either even though the word I want to use is "predictable" because it's not that. We grow attached to the characters, a minor plot is introduced that seems not to matter, set up to climax, climax, minor plot comes back to finish the reader out in the rest of the story. This is obviously a similar scheme to plenty of other authors, but I felt it really stood out in this series and mostly because Kearney is such a direct author - nothing is superfluous.

I quite enjoyed Corvus and possibly even a bit more than The Ten Thousand. While the costs don't seem as great as in The Ten Thousand, Corvus presents problems that are even greater on a personal level regarding decisions people make with their lives and families. For me, this was a more poignant novel than The Ten Thousand.

Corvus actually represents one of the main reasons I read fantasy - to be faced with situations that make you contemplate what it is to be human and what it means to do the right thing.

Why Should You Read Corvus?

This is a great second installment and as good if not better than the first. While the world that Kearney has created is an interesting background, the characters are what set this series apart. If you need a break from complicated worlds and series' and just want something straight-forward with great plot and very little to no magic, this is for you.

I'm really looking forward to the final book in the Macht trilogy, The Kings of the Morning (June 28, 2011) [US] [UK]

4 out of 5 Stars

Review - The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney

It's been far too long since we've seen a review around here and I'm fixin' to change that. Okay, also fixin' to change my use of the word 'fixin''.

The Ten Thousand [US] [UK]

The Macht are a people out of legend in the land of the Kufr. A hardened mercenary-centered people that live for war and make a living through it. Where would be a better place to go when you're looking to overthrow a kingdom?

And to be honest, the plot has a couple twists and turns, but this is basically it. The Ten Thousand reminded me a lot of Steve Erikson's Deadhouse Gates [US] [UK]. There's an epic force that has to make it's way through an entire continent,which is the only way to safety, but which encounters one obstacle after the next.

Throughout the book, we follow Rictus, from the legendary Isca, which is no more. Early in the book, he finds himself in a mercenary company and heading to the land of Kuf to fight among what becomes known as The Ten Thousand. Being from Isca, Rictus has developed a fighting prowess that is matched by few. Rictus is young and cocky, but a really fun protagonist to follow. He makes mistakes, but he's easy to root for and has reasonably explained talents.

Paul Kearney has a knack for plotting and although I alluded to it being simple, that's not entirely the case. It's definitely straight forward, but Kearney does a great job setting up a great climax, but leaving you with enough loose ends that the ending is just as rewarding and extremely surprising in this case.

In addition, Kearney doesn't bog down the narrative with info-dumps. He keeps the world flowing around the characters, so we're let into his highly imaginative story one step at a time. I mean, there's even a glossary and a number of interesting races that he explores, but Kearney does it with such ease, the pace is kept nicely.

Why Should You Read The Ten Thousand?

If you like low magic, and really there's none, but high military action with multiple imaginative races, you'll really enjoy The Ten Thousand. It's fast-paced, it can be gory at times, but the world is all it's own and the story is epic while keeping the epicness of the page count low.

4 out of 5 Stars