Some books hook you from the very first sentence. Other books fail to capture you at all. And then, there are books like Banewreaker: tales what will coax you subtly, irrevocably, word by word, without you realizing it, until you cannot stop poring over its pages. I started reading this series because I found an interesting comment by George R.R. Martin in his own website: he said that it was a good read, that it told the story of the Lord of the Rings from the point of view of Sauron's minions. Both the source and the recommendation were enough to make me grab my own copy, but it turned out that things were, as they are wont to be, much more complex. A retelling of the Lord or the Rings? No: so much more. Banewreaker's first lines are not very easy to read. The first chapter might be slow, as Carey explains with her flowery, descriptive prose the intricacies of the world's origin, of its deities, its inhabitants, its myth and lore. Perhaps the reader will find trouble remembering the names, or recognizing what the names refer to. But, as pages start to flow with increasing speed, it is obvious that these seeming faults are, in truth, great strengths: The prose has a cadence, a rhythm to it, that will immediately evoke a powerful epic in the reader's mind: he reading does not pick up because of a change in the writer's style, but because the reader understands the pace and dances along with it. Descriptions abound, but are never overused: I could feel every nuance of atmosphere in this book and did not feel the need to skip a paragraph once. Races, places, items are mentioned, and the reader is supplied with enough information to know “what” the author refers to without having their imagination limited in any way when it is unimportant to the plot. This helps to create a feeling of realism and continuity as well: if the fantastic things Carey is writing about (such as “rhyos”, for example) are not painstakingly detailed, the reader is left with the impression that the item is common, real, part of their life, and thus does not require further presentation. Every character, from the Shapers and the ancient dragons to the lords to the soldiers, is a piece that fits perfectly in the tapestry that is Banewreaker. They all have motivations to be where they are, to do what they do. They know hate and duty and passion. They might seem bitter at times, or haunted by their past, but that is because such is the nature of man: yes, Lord Ushahin has never forgiven those who tried to kill him with stones and sticks when he was but a child because of his mixed heritage. But, can we honestly ask him to forgive and forget? Satoris feels the hatred of his older brother, and becomes more and more bitter, but, can we ask anything else, when he has been turned into the paradigm of evil because he did what he had to to protect life as it was? The villains of this tale are, indeed, the heroes from the other side, and it doesn't take long before we can empathize with their trials and their plight. Surprisingly enough, the alliance of elves and men and charred ones who set out to stop Satoris, those who would bring destruction to the characters we have come to love following blindly after a prophecy , are not hateful. While I personally hoped with all my might that they would not succeed, I found their dedication well placed, their hopes reasonable, the mercy real. They are characters just as fascinating as the heroes, who have placed their beliefs in Satoris' enemy and who follow him to the end, no matter how bloody it might be, how much they suffer. And these all these heroes and villains clash in a riveting storyline wherein Satoris' attempts to prevent the prophecy of his destruction to come to fruition: the words have always been there, but now that his enemies are on the move, he decides to strike first and capture one of the integral parties: the Lady Celerinde, whose wedding to the descendant of a particular House of men would signal the beginning of the end. But was this move to stop the prophecy, or to follow it through? Satoris is not the evil he's been made to look like, but will Celerinde understand this in time to make a difference?Because all things are as they must be, and the darkness of Darkhaven shines bright even as the alliance of his rival brings the shadows to its doorstep. One final word of personal opinion: Banewreaker is a must-read. It is a renovation of the fantasy genre, with choices and shades of gray. It is also a deep work that will make the reader think, not only about Satoris and his fight, but about the very nature of conflict, of good, of evil.
I picked up this book because I enjoy the author - Jacqueline Carey - and her other series, Kushiel's Dart. She is an extremely talented author and I have not yet read a book by her that has not been wonderful.This book, of course, is no exception and has not failed the high standards I set when reading Carey for the first time. As far as I am concerned, she is one of the very best fantasy writers. In this book, she has embraced the all-too standard fantasy setting of heroes, magic, dragons, and war, and has renewed what becomes stagnant in this genre. It's like reading this genre for the first time again.The story itself is not told from the Heroes' point of view; there is your standard group of Companions; the warrior, the ranger, the archer, the sorcerer, and so forth. But rather, it is told from the 'bad guys' side, from the side that everyone is taught is supposed to be evil. The characters from whose view we see this story are not the good guys, but they're not the villains you're expecting; in fact, I've come to view the 'good guys' in the wrong light through this expert storytelling. What also makes this book so well worth reading is the fact that a lot of the story is seen through characters that most fantasy books consider 'minor'; they play major roles in this book unlike I've read anywhere else.I am simply blown away by Carey and her ability to create characters that could be real, settings that are entirely viewable in the mind's eye, and by the way she writes.
What do You think about Banewreaker (2005)?
Written as a thought experiment, this is essentially Lord of the rings as told from the other side. the Fjeltrolls are minding their own business, working for the living deity who protests them when the faux elves and rowdy, aggressive humans have to go fulfilling prophecies and stirring shit. This lampshaded some pretentious and irritating things about high fantasy (elven women are so beautiful even Orcs want them! Dragons speak with sssssssounds! Names that sound like aspirational gated communities!) which I found very satisfying.
—Margaret Sankey
I think this is one of the most interesting stories I’ve read in a while. It’s your basic Good v. Evil story, but it really focuses on each side’s reasons. We’re given insights into both the good guys and the bad guys, and the intriguing thing you discover is that both sides are pretty much the same. The only reason one is considered ‘bad’ is because of a very old grudge and what basically boils down to a big misunderstanding. But with the misunderstanding diluted and the grudge concentrated ove
—Krystal
I just finished the first volume of Jacqueline Carey and it was a journey unlike anything I've read before. I have read the other reviews that make mention or compare similarities in this series with that of LOTR. I don't agree. This delves into the misunderstood truth of right and wrong, good and evil. Banewreaker shows us the large gap that is the "Gray" between black and white. From the first page of the prologue, I was hooked. My nerves were strung so tight because I had to know what fate awaited Tanaros, and poor forgotten Ushahin, of brave Speros, and the loyal Fjeltroll. This is a complex story woven with many lives, memories, stories that have been repeated and bent until the story morphs into something completely different.If you like LOTR and want to explore a different world, the world hard fought of Uralat, give this a try. I'm off to start volume two of the Sundered series.
—WishfulMiss
