The fire of vengeance

It pains me to write this. Loved the first book, so very much. My 13 years old son read it and loved it, as well. We have counted the days until the release of this second book.
Characters are the same but the writing feels rushed, there are blatant mistakes so editing must have not been done properly (we learn that Daaso Headtaker was actually a woman?!?! I mean, I would sooner believe the second book was written by the author’s evil twin, than that…) and it ends without a proper ending – third installment is required.
Very unsatisfactory.
I would say this – the first book was a jewel, written honestly and with all his heart by a gifted author.
The second is proof of what this industry has forced upon authors and readers – rushed, multiple installments with the only purpose of making money. Job not well enough done.
If I recall correctly, I paid $1.99 on Rage of Dragons – and I feel it’s worth more than $100 for me.
I paid full price for the second and I wish only that the author had taken considerably more time to review, polish and refine it, then release it when it was really well baked, without constraints.

I was so excited for this book to come out. I haven’t been so disappointed in a novel in a long timefrankly the only reason I finished it was investment in the characters from the first book (which was fantastic). It seems clear to me that this book either did not get the necessary editing time or Winter needs a new editor, altogether. The underlying structure, themes, and ideas were all great. There were some really nice moments and the overall direction of the story was well thought out. But the writing…the writing was at times excruciatingly cringe-worthy. Moments that should have felt important fell flat because there were too many elements being shoved into a small scene, or there was no buildup, the timing felt haphazard, etc. The type of stuff a sharp-eyed editor would have pointed out and helped the author with. The dialogue was frustrating because at times it was touching/funny/well done, but more frequently it felt really cliche and/or unbelievable. You could see the *potential* for greatness, while falling short.

Frankly it felt like a (good) rough draft, that needed a lot of polishing before being published. If it had gotten that, the story itself is great! The characters, world, magic system, etc. are all really interesting and engaging. But unlike the first book, which was exceptional, the writing used to employ those components was just way below the quality of the elements themselves. They published a rough draft rather than giving the book the time it needed, which is so disappointing. I really hope that Winter and his publisher can take a step back, look at where things went wrong, and return to the quality of the first novel.

I’d been eagerly awaiting this follow-up to Tau Solarin’s unceasing, fanatical and violent quest for revenge which brings him ever more pain and no satisfaction. At the end of the first book, Tau, superhuman fighter from his repeated demon battles in Ishiogo, is left broken by the devastating loss of Zuri who sacrifices herself to save everyone; while the Noble who mindlessly kills his father, Abbasi Odili, has escaped to the capital city which he now commands. Here Tau continues on his quest to hunt down Odili while ostensibly helping Queen Tsiora (who takes center stage, along with Tau) regain her city and command of the Omehi, as her Champion.

The story proceeds with breathless pace with nary a break as battles, reveals and violence, ever more violence unfold. Beyond the excellent Africa-based world building, and the well woven tale, this story also serves as a constant reminder of the cycle of violence and revenge which never stops. Even when our protagonists Tsiora and Tau get wiser, it doesn’t matter because all the choices that they’ve made, whether knowingly or having been forced to do so, will catch up to them. Because in this brutal and sad world that Winters has forged, there is no escape from the consequences of one’s actions, especially for Tsiora and Tau.

I am/was a huge fan of the first book of this series, Rage of Dragons. So, that being said, I had incredibly high expectations for Fires of Vengeance. In a lot of series I’ve read there’s usually some drop off between the 1st and 2nd books, whatever cool twist has already happened, or THE SECRET has been revealed–the cat’s out of the bag, right? Well, Evan Winter has managed to cram more cats into that original bag o’ cats. And those cats are fighting. A lot. “Why is this guy talking so much about cats?” Great question. I’m more of a dog guy so this colloquialism worked better for me, but I digress. Oh, yes. The point(s): Firstly, I hate spoilers so I decided to mainly talk about cats in bags (I am 99.9999% certain there are no cats in bags in this series). The actual point: read this book! If you liked the first book, I’d say that this one moves even faster and punches as hard. I re-read Rage of Dragons three times. I don’t re-read every book I read, but I do re-read every book I loved and Fires of Vengeance will be read again in the next 2-3 months(and that’s saying something with all the amazing books out there these days). WHERE WE FIGHT, THE WORLD BURNS!

Although I have bought the book, the review is based on a review copy I received months ago.

Book one was a tribute to Rage, Anger and suffering, Book two brings to life pain. Through both books, there is an underlying theme of love. It’s said that great artists best work is only achieved when in touch with their emotions, fueling their best work. If so then something in Evan winters life powers his narrative, the books are a symphony to his knowledge of emotional turmoil.

The power throughout the books is rooted in their emotion. The books are not exceptional, the raw emotion is. The Rage, the anger, filled the plot and gave the book life. Passion came from its emotion, from the author’s life experience and bleeds through in every page.

At the start of The Fires of Vengeance, it soon becomes clear that pain becomes a motivator for Tau and his friends. Rage and love take a backseat to the new driving emotion. Tau, Jabaris and the others struggle through the story. Displaying at times, different core emotions as the story powers on. The script is eloquent and almost hypnotic at times. Indeed I certainly lost track of time regularly as I grew entranced by the worldbuilding once again.

It’s hard to describe the book. The story covers only a short period. With a weaker Author, I would highlight how nothing major happens, a few chase’s and fights, a small battle, a few others later and yet nothing really happens. At the same time, everything changes.

This book changes, in part from the story of the individual’s hero’s journey, to the development of a group’s hero’s journey. Luckily it continues to focus on the protagonist, Tau. There is no editorial interference such as Anthony Ryan suffered after Blood song. Anthony Ryan’s editor forced other characters points of views and plots into his story in subsequent books, ruining a great series. Evan Winters has avoided editorial interference, this remains the story of Tau.

It’s hard to explain the book without spoilers, so I won’t. The emotion, it’s still as raw and brutal and painful as in book one. It’s the reason people will love this.