Synopsis from Amazon:
Close to death, a loner who lives a life of slavery to geomantic forces tries to forget the horror he glimpsed and the god-like beings that threaten the very existence of the world.
A young woman cursed by a witch seeks shelter in a castle as winter closes in- only to find herself propelled into a nightmare.
A healer who has reached the limit of her abilities and endurance when she struggles with a mysterious, incurable disease, seeks help from her mentor but is swept up in events beyond her control.
In each of these people and many others, ancient forces stir in response to the existential threat facing the world of Aona. A suffocating darkness to stand against the destroying light; a raging torrent of power bestowed through a thousand years of blood.
Oblivion's Forge is the first book in the Aona series, which tells of a monumental struggle between two great powers, an unparalleled existential war.
"What if all of this- our powers, our world- is that last light hanging in the void?"
A young woman cursed by a witch seeks shelter in a castle as winter closes in- only to find herself propelled into a nightmare.
A healer who has reached the limit of her abilities and endurance when she struggles with a mysterious, incurable disease, seeks help from her mentor but is swept up in events beyond her control.
In each of these people and many others, ancient forces stir in response to the existential threat facing the world of Aona. A suffocating darkness to stand against the destroying light; a raging torrent of power bestowed through a thousand years of blood.
Oblivion's Forge is the first book in the Aona series, which tells of a monumental struggle between two great powers, an unparalleled existential war.
"What if all of this- our powers, our world- is that last light hanging in the void?"
>>>>>>>>>>>>
My Review:
One
thing I will say about this book: there is no shortage of intriguing
concepts and fascinating ideas here! Early on in reading this book, I began
to get the vibe that it was a lot like Stephen King's Dark
Tower, which I had recently
read--and also kind of like Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn
trilogy, in its scope, the
multiple viewpoints and how it all converges and builds up to this
one scene at the end. That was very well done and I got some
satisfaction along with the chills and the sense of foreboding I got
when what all these characters were hoping for, and the conclusion I
was expecting, were all thwarted in a most spectacular way.
The
problem, I feel, was how much meandering and wandering and
"head-hopping" I had to do to get there. Also the fact
that, unlike Mistborn, there
weren't really any stand-out characters I could track with and follow
through the dark, despondent mire of supernatural machinations and
inexorable destinies--Amethyst, perhaps, and the power she cannot
understand that draws her in a specific direction, for reasons she
cannot know, so she attributes her own reasons for this destiny
placed upon her by another; also Iyoth, who kind of shows up randomly
halfway through the book, but turns out to be more deeply connected
to several other characters than anyone would have guessed. There's
Vornen, who is kind of like the "Roland" of this series--a
mysterious, roving "Ranger with a mission", disliked by
many, who knows only slightly more about the truth of the situation
than the people around him, yet cannot let go of his painful past...
And since this is
most definitely the first book in a series, the end reaches far
beyond the last page of this book, and so I am left with a conundrum:
do I keep going to see where the author plans to take this world
next, now that the big cataclysmic moment has occurred, launching a
new set of problems and perils to challenge the characters... or do I
leave it as it is, to avoid the pitfalls of getting sucked in deeper
to wanton pain and destruction that is sure to follow this dramatic
beginning? I suppose I can move on for now, whittle down my TBR list
by a few dozen more books, and hold off on revisiting until I am good
and ready. One thing I am sure of: Aona is a world worth revisiting in the future!
All
that said, I would give OBLIVION'S FORGE a solid ****3.5 STARS****
for all the things it did do
right: the history, the lore, the prophecies, the "otherworldliness"
of it, plenty of food for abstract thought and fascinating concepts!
If you are someone who enjoys getting drawn into books, enjoys heavy
high fantasy with a liberal
overlay of dark supernatural elements, and you're one who would have
the time to stay committed to a series for the long haul, and doesn't
get disappointed by much--then by all means, this is definitely a
series worth picking up!
Further Reading: (Sci-Fi/Other Worlds/Deep Lore/Supernatural Peril)
The Untamed Series--Madeline Dyer
-Untamed
-Fragmented
-Untamed
-Fragmented
The Cadeau Series--Connie Olvera
-Who Can You Trust?
-Who Can You Trust?
Alexi Sokolsky: Hound of Eden--James Osiris Baldwin
-Burn Artist
-Blood Hound
-Burn Artist
-Blood Hound
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