Summary :. My name is Kardelj Abaskar After I left for dead, BIID Sherna made his way, and in a few years, here he became ruler of an empire feared by all. Even proud Qivhviens bowed to the power of the sword of blood and its bearer. Raised by a pirate crew, I tried to make me forget. Yes, I survived and I have not said my last word: Sherna destroyed my life and faith Shao, I will destroy his. I will make the people of the continent their lost freedom.
Edition : Critic
My Opinion : Remember, the first volume of Sabre Sang made me have a good time reading, providing a strong and vibrant history (you can also find criticism of Volume 1 here ), but the end offered us a cliffhanger of the most brutal and had to wait several months before they can eat later. Volume 2 is now available for a few weeks; I bought my copy at last Imaginales with the added bonus of an interesting discussion with the author. I find the cover, illustrated by Cyrielle Alaphilippe and Laurent Miny, really friendly, even if having the first edition of Sabre Sang 1, it will slightly spoiling my library.
Kardelj was betrayed by his friend and BIID his sword with blood and he was left for dead. But here he survived and he knows that sooner or later he will avenge BIID who became the new emperor. Changing main character in this book, we follow Kardelj, a few years after his last confrontation with BIID. The author alternates moments of flashbacks to explain how he survived, and these moments when Kardelj will realize that it is time to stop BIID which is increasingly consumed by his sword.
The plot share a little about the same basis as volume 1, a story of revenge and survival, but here it is a personal vendetta, Kardelj is not revenge of a people who conquered the but a friend, a brother in arms, who betrayed him to the power and authority. The plot is fairly simple on the substance and yet, as volume 1, we find ourselves embedded in this story where one is not bored for a moment. The author perfectly handles the twists, betrayals and reversals of situations never to bore the reader. an epic book that gives us exciting and breathless fighting, but not that the author also looks to the emotions and feelings.
I was in a tome the world created by the author deserved to be worked, you could feel the abounding yet the author limited his descriptions. I must say that in this volume I have been filled we learn a lot more about this rich universe, but also on the different peoples and traditions that compose it. We also learn more about the history of this universe and I must say it is really exciting to discover.
The characters are always complex and worked, the author often dwells on feelings and emotions which makes them more dense and engaging. Especially Kardelj which ultimately is a man who has lost everything, whether his love as his friend, who finds himself break and that will be difficult to meet, to rebuild. Being around the feelings of the hero with the action makes this book more interesting to explore. I have just one minor complaint is the ease of the character to reveal who he is and what he wants to do.
The pen of the writer is really fluid, efficient and highly visual I think. One can easily imagine the scenes described by the author. The use of narration in the first person gives more depth to Kardelj whether in his feelings but also in action. Then of course some small facilities appear here and there, some more twists its easy to guess, but nothing to sulk pleasure that we offer this diptych of epic fantasy.
Note that a new in the universe is available here . But it must be read after reading the second volume of Sabre Blood since it contains some major characters in this tome2.
Abstract : This is a second volume that I was waiting for some time and that did not disappoint me. I had a good read through this book in the plot may be simplistic, but captivating and epic offering us the action and plot twists, all worn by complex characters and worked also with a feather smooth and efficient. In addition the author also focuses on the feelings of the characters and not only on the action. This diptych is a great discovery for me and I recommend it especially if you are looking for worked and complex characters and a good dose of adrenaline.
My rating : 8/10