⋙ [PDF] Gratis Century of the Soldier The Monarchies of God Paul Kearney 9781907519093 Books

Century of the Soldier The Monarchies of God Paul Kearney 9781907519093 Books

Download As PDF : Century of the Soldier The Monarchies of God Paul Kearney 9781907519093 Books

Century of the Soldier The Monarchies of God Paul Kearney 9781907519093 Books

I think this series is brilliant. I hate to draw comparisons between authors, but I will say that I prefer Mr. Kearney's series to those of the other two prominent authors to whom other reviews compare him. The writing is tight and even poetic at times; the characters, their motivations, actions and dialogue are believable; the worldbuilding is extraordinarily well thought-out. The books read quite like really well-written historical fiction, with the addition of magic (which is also unusually well thought-out and does not challenge my capacity to suspend disbelief at all).

I find it worth the time to add that his major female characters are probably the best I have read in the genre, head-and-shoulders above those of any other fantasy author I can think of, excepting perhaps Frank Herbert.


Tags : Century of the Soldier (The Monarchies of God) [Paul Kearney] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A re-issue of a classic fantasy series, back in print for the first time in almost 10 years.<BR><BR>By the mid sixth century of Ramusian reckoning the great struggle is approaching its climax. For the victor there will be supremacy; for the vanquished,Paul Kearney,Century of the Soldier (The Monarchies of God),Solaris,1907519092,Fantasy fiction.,Hawkwood, Richard (Fictional character);Fiction.,Hawkwood, Richard (Fictitious character);Fiction.,Action & Adventure,FICTION Action & Adventure,FICTION Fantasy Epic,FICTION Science Fiction Action & Adventure,Fantasy,Fantasy - Epic,Fantasy fiction,Fiction,Fiction - Science Fiction,FictionAction & Adventure,FictionFantasy - Epic,Hawkwood, Richard (Fictitious character),Irish Novel And Short Story,Science Fiction - Action & Adventure,Science Fiction And Fantasy,Science fiction

Century of the Soldier The Monarchies of God Paul Kearney 9781907519093 Books Reviews

This review is for the series as a whole. The first omnibus volume really had me excited. Great action, with plot threads that were disparate but connected and characters who were awesome (and to be clear George RR Martin, Erikson, Abercrombie are my cup of tea). And for long stretches of the first two books of the second volume - I thought that intensity and presciion was maintained. But events in the west, which were given extensive sections in the earlier books, were essentially ignored in favor of Corfe and left too many plot strands blowing in the wind - e.g. the role of magic in society.

{Spoiler Alert} Then, in the last book - ships of the west - everything sort of falls apart and lot of what I cared about is rushed, ignored and not given much context. Take Abelyn - gets his wooden legs, then that's it - he dies almost off-screen in a poorly explained battle. For someone who he has nearly 1/4 of the series up to that point, it just makes no sense. Also the resolution to the Murad, Hawkwood, Bard triangle is equally silly. Corfe was really the only story line to hold up, and even then his grand plan was a little too much Hannibal crossing the Alps theme. I hate to say this but it felt like the author painted several key characters into plot corners and the only way to resolve them was to have them killed off.

Just frustrated because ships of the west undid a lot of goodwill that had built up from the first four books and there was poor resolution on a number of key issues - like the extent of Bard and Golophin alliance or whether the fimbrian were just going to steam roll over a depeleted populace, And what happens to Corfe's wife is she queen? or does Nasir rule?

Still the first few books are such a great ride that the series is definetly worth reading. Just not the five star overall I thought it would be after book 2.
I really can't think of much to add to my review of the first two books of this series under the title of Hawkwood and the Kings as a duology. This also is a duology so the Monarchies of God are essentially four books total.

Kearney wraps it all up pretty well so it was a satisfying conclusion. This series doesn't come close to the brilliance that is his Macht trilogy however (starts with The Ten Thousand and is the best military fantasy I've ever read without magic involved).

After a long hiatus he is releasing a new book in September, called The Wolf in the Attic, which is the same month one of his biggest fans, Steven Erikson, is releasing the next Kharkanas trilogy book.
Century of the Soldier does an excellent job at describing the intensity and horrors of medieval warfare!!!

Story
This is a continuation of the Monarchies of God. Reading this Book without reading Hawkwood and the Kings would be like jumping into the Lord of the Rings Trilogy at Return of the King. So you REALLY need to read that book first. Century of the Soldier contains three books with some upgrades since they were originally published and it completes the Monarchies of God Series.

The first two books included in this omnibus complete the main story arcs from Hawkwood and the Kings.
The final story takes place 17 years later and deals with the aftermath and the struggles of the next generation.
So, the first four books in the series have a nice fast paced flow. The final book is very good, but it just feels like it was tacked on.

World Building
The world is full of extremely complex political negotiations between the kingdoms. There is a western kingdom, sultans, a corrupt church, exploration, aristocrats, and the military. There are also werewolves, mages, and other dark creatures. The battles are intense and go into great detail about tactics, supply lines, command decisions, weaponry, giving the reader more insight to how battles are won, rather than just writing about the good guys swinging their swords better than the bad guys.

Characters
The surviving characters from Hawkwood and the Kings are back and they seem better in this book. You get a better feel for their emotions, their struggles, and their pain. They're still realistically flawed, but you like them more in these books, than in the first two.

Action
The military tactics, chains of command, and tactics are so good, they make other fantasy books seem flat and ridiculous. The battles are written from the perspective of the generals. They gather info about the enemy from spies and scouts. They march their armies across the world as they protect their supply lines. They get updates from couriers. Before the battle, they deploy their cavalry, infantry, cannons according to strategy. And once the battle begins, all hell breaks loose. Soldiers get destroyed by creatures, cannon fire, pikes, spears, cavalry, spells... The battlefield is obstructed by the fog of war and at the end it is stained red and littered with the dead. This book is loaded with massive military battles with thousands of soldiers fighting on each side. It's pretty amazing.

Maturity Adults
There is graphic sex, violence, torture, rape, death, etc... Some of the scenes are so brutal, it feels like you got punched in the stomach. This is NOT for kids!

Overall
Century of the Soldier features 3 books. The first two do an excellent job at finishing up the Monarchies of God story arcs. The final book does feel a bit rushed, but it is also very good. So, you get 3 books for the price of 1. If you enjoyed Monarchies of God at all, then this is a must read.

Read this book if you love battles.
Read this book if you want to know about military tactics and politics.
Read this book if you can handle graphic scenes of violence and torture.
Read this book if you like complex plots and characters.
Avoid this book if you are squeamish.
Avoid this book if you need your good guys to be good and your bad guys to be bad.
Avoid this book if you don't like long battles and military campaigns.

If you enjoyed this book, you'll like the Warhammer Novels, and if you were OK with the Brutality, the Night Angel Series by Brent Weeks is almost as brutal. If you liked the battle hardened characters, then check out David Gemmell's Legend, Winter Warriors, or Sword in the Storm.
I think this series is brilliant. I hate to draw comparisons between authors, but I will say that I prefer Mr. Kearney's series to those of the other two prominent authors to whom other reviews compare him. The writing is tight and even poetic at times; the characters, their motivations, actions and dialogue are believable; the worldbuilding is extraordinarily well thought-out. The books read quite like really well-written historical fiction, with the addition of magic (which is also unusually well thought-out and does not challenge my capacity to suspend disbelief at all).

I find it worth the time to add that his major female characters are probably the best I have read in the genre, head-and-shoulders above those of any other fantasy author I can think of, excepting perhaps Frank Herbert.