Customer Reviews

Sung in Blood

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sung In Blood (1990) is a very short standalone fantasy novel. Shasesserre is the Queen City of the Orient, with miles of waterfront on the Golden Crescent facing the Bridge of the World, the narrow straits connecting the Amor and Middle Seas. Shasesserre has been the Crossroad of the World for three centuries under the protection of the wizard Jehrke.

In this novel, the Protector Jehrke is assassinated by a gnarly man using a mysterious engine. When Jehrke's body is found, Chaz -- a giant barbarian of the north -- sends a message to his son Rider, who is out on patrol.

When Rider finally reaches his father's laboratory, most of his friends have already arrived. Su-Cha -- Rider's familiar -- is an imp who usually looks almost human, but his yellow fangs, ruby pupils and occasional puffs of sulfurous smoke ruin his disguise. Omar is a nut-brown, beetle-faced easterner, whose friends call him Spud. Greystone looks like a derelict, with wild white hair and beard, and clothing little better than rags. Preacher and Soup are still out looking for Rider.

Jehrke has left a hidden message on a blank section of the wall. Rider exposés the writing and the friends read the words. Besides a general admonition to protect Shasesserre, Jehrke reminds Rider of an updated list of the city's enemies on a bathhouse wall. Apparently Jehrke liked to leave invisible messages on walls.

These friends investigate the killing machine, fixed on top of a five hundred foot tower built for a celebration scheduled for the next day. Rider suddenly leaves the tower and returns to the laboratory. Someone has trashed the room searching for something and has probably read the message. However, a magical pass reveals their footprints.

Meanwhile, Preacher and Soup encounter the gnarly man on the way back to the laboratory. Upon seeing them, the man turns and runs away. Soup follows him while Preacher takes the shortcut. Unfortunately, Emerald is not alone and his gang takes both Soup and Preacher.

In this story, Rider releases his friends and finds out who planned the assassination. Rider attacks the assassins with a spell, but Emerald saves the leader and they both escape. Of course, others are involved in the plot.

Rider continues to follow the glowing footprints and Emerald follows him. The footprints return to the Citadel and so do Rider and Emerald. Then Emerald decides to report to his Master, but Su-Cha sees him in the crowd below and Rider's men leave the Citadel to follow Emerald. Only Chaz and Greystone remain behind.

This story is series of action filled episodes with hardly a moment to catch your breath and leading to a conclusion of sorts. Yet the ending begs for a sequel. This tale was originally published by NESFA as a tribute to the guest of honor at their 1990 convention. One wonders if it was an unpublished early work by the author.

The story itself is an exciting adventure tale that isn't easy to set aside. Yet it doesn't have the intricacy of the Black Company tales. While there are lots of action, it doesn't have much introspection. The characters are not well filled in and, except for Su-Cha, are more often described than shown. The author has done much better.

Recommended for Cook fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of adventure and continuous action in a fantasy setting.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I will note to start this that I am very happy Night Shade Books is republishing some older Glen Cook material. They are going to reprint Passage at Arms and the Swordbearer (two much better stories than this one) soon and I can only hope the Starfisher trilogy, the Darkwar trilogy, stand-alone novels like the Tower of Fear, A Matter of Time, and the Dragon Never Sleeps are reprinted eventually along with their current effort on the Dread Empire stories. It is a crime that only the Black Company and some Garrett novels, along with his new series (Instrumentalities of the Night) are currently in print by this author.

This might be my least favorite of Glen Cook's published stories (and I have read all of them with this book). It has been recently reprinted by Night Shade. This short (160 pg) novel follows the exploits of the son of an assassinated city leader and his comrades in trying to unravel a conspiracy aimed at destabilizing and taking over the local government. The story seems to take place over a most a couple of weeks, and is non-stop action aimed at locating and neutralizing the enemy sorceror and his accomplices.

Curiously, the characters seem disimilar to other Cook characters he has created over time, and somewhat more shallow. Some of this may be attributable to the ongoing action-sequences of the novel allowing little time for character development and exposition.

Spoilers

Unlike most cook stories, in this case the primary antagonist is a good bit 'less' pragmatic or realpolitikal than in his other stories. Rider's companions are captured on various occasions, yet never killed, even though Shai Kei repeatedly assassinates other members of the city elite. Some of this takes place even when his slave-woman is not in Rider's custody. Makes no sense, and that is unusual for Cook, though I guess having all of Rider's companions die early would not be helpful to the story.

This book might have the most incomplete ending of any Cook story I have read, and the last sentence is absolutely maddening, something I can only assume was intentional. I am honestly surprised this book was accepted for publication originally with an ending like that.

This author is one of my very favorites, but this story is unremarkable and could be skipped....

Edited comment - upon reflection and a comment in a later review, this story could or may be a pastiche of the oriental stories common at some point in the past (Skull-face, anyone?)

An assasination starts this fantasy novel. Cook again shows his ability to make a fantasy story interesting. While a bit too short to make a fully developed story, the characters are diverse and interesting enough to keep you turning pages. The hero's team must find the assassin of his father and the assassin's employer in order to save the kingdom. Published in limited edition, so hard to find.

I am a big fan of Glen Cook's stories and I had known about this book for years, but couldn't find it. I have ready every book of Mr. Cook's, and enjoyed most (no, not all though), but this one was bad. Simplistic characters with no depth and predictable story. I could only assume that this is the first story he ever wrote... and it shows. If you enjoy the Black Company series and the Dread Empire stories then stay away from this book. If you are a fan and just have to have this book to complete your collection, I have a copy that I will sell you

I am a big Cook fan from way back. I picked this up as I do all his books. It is a reprint of a story from the early 90s.

Frankly, it is not worthy of his skill. He was writing far better than this in his earliest work. It has the superficial feel of fan fiction. The characters are extremely flat with few exceptions. It would not shock me to learn that it was an unedited draft.

Other reviewers have rightly noted the abrupt ending. The tale must have been far longer in Cook's conception.

Finally, I have to admit that the title makes no sense to me; I have no idea what it refers to or derives from.

There are going to be a lot of people who just won't "get" this book. It is a very light-hearted take on pulp fiction set in a fantasy world. I wish this had been made into a series, but it stands well on its own.