Customer Reviews

Much Fall of Blood

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the third book in the Heirs of Alexandria series, a continuation of the alternate-history fantasy begun in The Shadow of the Lion (2001) and This Rough Magic(2005). Written by the Mistress of Fantasy- Mercedes Lackey and one of the Masters of Alternate History- Eric Flint, along with his co-author Dave Freer.


This book is a worthy sequel, none of that "sequel-itis" that too often sets in. The story is just as vast and absorbing- Lackey, Flint and Freer continue the fantastic weaving of characters that they started- a tapestry of political intrigue, love, vengeance and blackest magic.

This fantasy world is set in a well researched and lushly written alternate history that broke off from ours in A.D. 349 (when the Alexandrian Library was saved), Christian magic and song battles blackest sorcery. We have of course the great and well written villains-sadistic King Emeric of Hungary and Elizabeth, Countess Bartholdy, who is bathed into eternal youth by gallons of virgins' blood.


The action starts in 1540, and never stops. This third book also brings in a fascinating historical-fantasy of Prince Vlad, who is both drawn to and afraid of the blood magic that is such a large part of this series.

But this is a very silly review. What am I doing? If you have already read the first two, of course you already have this book on pre-order or at least your Wish List. If you haven't read the first two, and you're a Mercedes Lackey and/or a David Flint fan- then buy The Shadow of the Lion, right now! Note- Ms. Lackey says the three books are supposed to be able to "stand on their own" and I think she's right. But why would you want to deprive yourself of the pleasure of reading all three in order?

Anyway, a great read. If you like these authors or this sort of book- buy it.

Many alternate histories deal with just one country and it can be tiring to read yet another about England or Ireland or maybe Italy. I really enjoyed reading the wider range of this book, even though the demon possessed ruler Jagiellon was Lithuanian, which is where my ancestors are from. Many of the other reviews go into the story so I will say that it's mostly the characters that make this book, both male AND hooray! female. There is much humor and genuine feeling in the characterizations, so that one really cares about the characters and what happens to them. Vlad, grandson of Drac - the Impaler, his sister Dana, Erik the Vinlander, Manfred, heir to the Holy Roman Emperor, Bortai, the granddaughter of the great Khan, David, the young thief from Jerusalem, all took my interest, that I turned the pages eagerly to see what happened to them. The chapters and sections of chapters jumped around from character to character, sometimes country to country, from evil to goodness; from Mongol to Hungarian to Venetian to Croat to Lithuanian to Illyrian. They all have a wild ride being misled by black magic and conspiracies. Hopefully there is more to come!

Normally I've found Mercedes Lackey's work to be at least readable; I haven't read anything by her two co-authors. I don't know how much of this book was written by each of these, but I found the prevailing writing style to be something I simply couldn't get into despite numerous starts. So I can't really give it a good review, since it wasn't enough to pull me in in the first place.

"Much Fall of Blood" is the third book in the ongoing "Heirs of Alexandria"
series, a fascinating alternative history in which power in the
Middle Ages is divided in a different manner, and magic is real
and a part of the military and political arsenal of the day.

If you haven't read the first books in the series, it would be
best to do so; at the very least, go to the internet and read (I
should say "study") the synopses available there. The plotting
and story lines are multifold, complex, and deep, that is to
say, not easy to follow if you are the least bit inattentive or
not fully up-to-date on prior events.

That said, the complexity of the novels in the series is also a
virtue, for there is no lack of content and variety. The
plotting is supported by image-rich and compelling writing.
Even though the book claims a total of three co-authors, there
is no visible clash or even differentiation of styles; and the
writing style fits the content and feeling of the novel. It's
all very well done and carries the story along most effectively.
You know that you are reading Medieval fantasy when you read this
book from the writing style alone.

As for characters, werewolves and vampires stand alongside
possessed humans; there are warriors of every description, from
Venetian shipmasters to Mongol riders; there are clerics and
kings, commoners, gypsies, and much more. The novel could,
however, used more in the way of well-developed single
characters, of which there are only a few; the boy-king Vlad,
the leader of men Benito, and maybe one or two others, are the
only real protagonists. Among these, Vlad is the best drawn and
the one to whom it is easiest for the reader to relate.

I won't try to summarize the plot here; that would be
impossible. But, as you might suspect, there is dark evil at
the heart of things, and it is up to Benito and Vlad and others
to turn the tide against a possessed, evil ruler who is on the
verge of taking over the civilized world.

Room is left, of course, for continuing the series. That's a
good thing, because writing this good and this well aligned with
its genre is a rare enough commodity. There are many writers
who can write well and tell a story, but not so many of these
are so adept at matching tone and phrasing to the subject
matter. If this isn't clear, grab a copy and read a few
chapters; you'll see my point, and you'll be hard pressed to
stop reading, as you've likely been drawn into the story.

Five stars for sure, and a hearty recommendation to any fan of
well-crafted Medieval fantasy.

If you are considering purchasing this, you've either A) read the first two books in the series, or B) are a Mercedes Lackey fan or a fan of the other two authors.

In the case of the former, I can only guess from the other reviews, that this is like the other books. I haven't read them, so I can evaluate this as a stand-alone book, which it purports to be, and which I will do now.

There are many clear signs that this is intended to be simultaneously a stand-alone and part of a series. This is always a problematic approach, for any number of reasons (e.g., backtracking to bring people up to speed, introducing a large number of characters (i.e., preloading) at the beginning of the book, weak causal and plot connections to the rest of the series, etc.).

This book seems to have managed to acquire ALL of these. For example, the first portion of this book could adequately be described as "migraine-inducing". If you haven't read the other books in the series (and perhaps even if you have), being introduced to some thirty characters in sixty pages is a bit much. Particularly since you have no idea why you are meeting most of them. This is even more painful when some of them disappear a bit less than a quarter of the way through the book, likely to return in the next installment.

After this migraine, the pace speeds up from non-moving to glacial. For about a third of the book, very, very little happens. Once you get to page 250 or so, it picks up and the story gets a lot better. So, if you are on the fence, and willing to sit through about a third to a half of the book that is boring and meaningless, eventually it gets a little better. Not something that I would recommend, though.

Grade: C-

Harkius

Just finished reading the book and liked it immensely. And found an unexpected surprise... until I came to do this review, I did not know that this was the 3rd book in a series. Clearly I read the book without expectations and can say that it stands on its own without the need to have read the previous books (which I will now be ordering).

The story has a slow start, it was a good read but until midway into the book, I wasn't hooked into the characters. Once I hit midway point, I was hooked, understood the characters and understood what was going on very well and could not put the book down.

Up front, I was a little worried that with 3 co-authors the writing would be a bit disjointed. I found that once I was into the book, I completely forgot that there were 3 authors and was immersed in the story, enjoying the plot unfolding.

Highly recommended.

Third in the Heirs of Alexandria series, this book once again greatly expands the story of what is happening in the fringes of the Holy Roman Empire. Once again, Prince Manfred and his bodyguard Eric are sent on a diplomatic mission that goes far astray from its original purpose. Manfred and Eric are sent as escorts for an emissary who is traveling from Jerusalem to the Great Mongol Horde. As usual, things go badly wrong as betrayal and the actions of the local representatives of the Empire's enemies send everything awry.

This is an excellent alternate history series, though not for anyone who hasn't read the first two books in the series. Unlike many series, each volume in this one adds new, memorable and sometimes historically familiar characters. The series is highly recommended for anyone who loves epic fantasy, or alternate history.

"The Heirs of Alexandra" explores an alternate-world Europe, one where magic works, Christianity split, but rather differently than it did in our world; and the library at Alexandria never burned. Among other things. Prince Manfred and his mentor-bodyguards, Erik, are featured here, but so are several other characters, including Vlad, the grandson of Drac the Impaler, who has been raised an isolated prisoner; Vlad's sister, Dana; a Mongol princess and her injured brother; and David, a thief turned horseboy; as well as the evil protagonists, Countess Elizabeth Bartholdy, an enchantress; her nephew/dupe Emeric, King of Hungary, the demon-possessed Jagellion, and the slimy magician Count Mindaug, among others.

Although it gets off to a somewhat slow start, due to the sheer number of characters and necessity for establishing their current circumstances, this is an interesting and ambitious read, one that focuses on the shifting reality of politics and alliances as circumstances change. Many of the characters, especially Erik, Princess Bortain, Dana, Vlad, and Countess Elizabeth are well-drawn and believable (insofar as an enchantress who is probably several hundred years old is believable). Magic is integrated almost casually into the society, neither being a be-all, end-all, nor being HERESY! which is rather refreshing.

Although the core plot and characters were engaging, several of the non-central characters seemed to exist just as plot devices - i.e. Manfred had to be around so that many activities could occur around him, but didn't really progress as a character. The shifting viewpoints sometimes made it hard to figure out what was going on.

This book does NOT stand alone very successfully. References are made to characters and individuals off-screen and it would be very difficult to understand who was who without first reading the companion volumes in the series. Also, some plot devices are introduced - i.e. Maria spending the winters with Aidoneus - but never really progress. The book might have benefitted from some tighter ending.

Overall, though, a very pleasant alternate world/fantasy read. The authors complement one another well and this is an enjoyable series.

MUCH FALL OF BLOOD continues the fantasy begin in THE SHADOW OF THE LION and tells of Prince Manfred and his mentor, warrior Erick Hakkonsen, who have survived supernatural and natural enemies and who embark on a new mission to escort an envoy of Mongols to the lands of the Golden Horde. The mission leads to a deadly clan civil war in this moving saga.

Lackey, Flint and Freer are all competent novelists. However, their collaboration produces a work that equals or excels their individual work. Part action/adventure and part political thriller, the first two books in this series were set (mostly) in and around Renaissance Venice. The volume returns us to that world but follows some of the characters we were introduced to earlier and follows them in their travels in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. We meet some lively new members of the cast, too. From the random facts I've checked it seems that our authors have done their homework and remained true to the period. It's all a fine read. Highly recommended