Before I detail the plot and characters, I want to give a little description of the magic system which centers around light and the ability to "draft" physical objects from it. Each drafter can draft different colors -- each color has certain strengths and weaknesses; green can be incredibly durable, but will also weigh you down and can induce mania, superviolet may be invisible to most, but it can be used in secret messaging, and so on. When someone can draft, which not everyone can, they can be a monochrome (one color), bichrome (two colors), polychrome (3+ colors, usually in successions: red-orange-yellow), or if they can draft every color, they are known as the Prism.
Only one person can be the Prism at a time. They last for years in increments of 7 -- they die out after 7, 14, or if they're lucky, 21 years. Gavin Guile is the Prism at present. Unfortunately, due to unknown circumstances, his younger brother Dazen was also granted prismatic drafting abilities. This spawned the Prism's War (or the False Prism's War, if you were on Dazen's side). Gavin won the war 16 years ago, and has been the religious figurehead, sort of emperor, and High Luxlord Prism of the Chromeria ever since. The Chromeria is a neat, sort of oppressive ruling body and elite school where anyone who can draft, and can afford it or earn a sponsor, goes to learn the magical craft.
The Black Prism follows Gavin and a few other key characters, like his bastard son, Kip, his prisoner and brother, Dazen, his ex-fiance Karris, a general who fought on Dazen's side in the False Prism's War, Corvan Danavis, and Corvan's daughter, Liv. I honestly can't talk too much about plot without giving away a huge spoiler that happens about 1/3 of the way into the book. Though I will say that watching Kip and Liv, both from the same town originally, learn and grow so differently based on how the Chomeria affects them when they go there was a great dynamic.
Spoilers aside, the plot focuses on Gavin's great purposes that he sets out to accomplish before his final 7-year span finishes and how each of the other characters eventually help or hinder him. In the land, there are seven satrapies (sort of territories/countries) that are loyal to the Chromeria. Unfortunately, one of them-Tyrea, has had their head satrap (diplomatic leader) go rogue and insist he is the King of Tyrea. Gavin has to enlist the help of everyone to try to figure out why this occurred-aside from the fact that Tyrea suffered major losses 16 years ago in the (False) Prism's War-and how they can put an end to the senseless massacres of innocent citizens.
I loved this book, and the magic system was incredibly fun to learn about. Of course, once you think you have a handle on it, Weeks throws in some curveballs that the characters don't even understand, but that just adds to the whole mystery of chromaturgy (drafting powers). The only real complaint I have about the book is Kip's POV. Even from the beginning of the novel, I wasn't a huge fan of his sections. At first, I thought he was a boring weakling, but even after he started becoming more powerful, he was just awkward. It was obvious that it was part of his appeal, but I didn't find it that appealing. The shifts from third person narration to first person in his sections was a little jarring at times, and sometimes just felt unnatural. Fortunately, it was a rare occurrence that the rest of the brilliant narrative easily makes up for. Balancing his incredibly awkward teen vibe, Gavin Guile absolutely shines in the book as a debonair, clever, handsome, and extremely powerful ruler who is actually wily and more humble than he likes to admit. His character was incredibly fun to read as a POV and I am excited to get more of him in the next book, The Blinding Knife.
With The Black Prism, Brent Weeks spins an incredible tale of secrecy, intrigue, loyalty, and questioning faith. If you enjoy high/epic fantasy with incredibly intricate and clever magic systems, I highly recommend The Black Prism. It's through the magic and worldbuilding that the book really shines. With plenty of character growth in the second half of the novel, the Lightbringer series is a promising one.
Your audiobook is waiting!
Enjoy a free trial on us
- One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection to keep (you’ll use your first credit now).
- Unlimited listening on select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
- You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
- $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
The Black Prism
Audible Audiobook
– Unabridged
Read & Listen
Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible audiobook with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $12.99 after you buy the Kindle book.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of $12.99 after you buy the Kindle book.
$0.99/month for the first 3 months
For a limited time, save 90% on Audible. Get this deal
My New Favorite Series
Lets talk books. More specifically, The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks. This is now officially my favorite book series of all time. Needless to say, this is my spoiler-free attempt at getting you to read them.The Dark Tower books by Stephen King have been my favorite books for 30 years. 30 years! I have a tattoo of it on my leg, which for some people may not be significant but I only have 3 tattoos: 1 celebrating survival, 1 depicting the struggles of mental illness and 1 dedicated to the Dark Tower.And The Lightbringer Series knocked the "King" off his throne. (See what I did there?)Each book is spectacular in its own right, but as a series, the build-up, the connections, watching it all come together like a perfectly choreographed dance? He's the author that other authors should try to be.Plot: There are multiple different plots that interplay together and weave such a tale as I've never read before. From the first chapter to the last page, the books are near impossible to put down as you wait to see what happens next.Characters: Whether you love them or hate them or they baffle you, there isn't a single main character in these books that doesn't evoke emotion. You don't just get to know them, you get to the point where you feel how they feel, you hurt when they hurt, you love when they love, you fear when they fear.Themes: You want political intrigue in a world where you never really know who your friends and enemies are? Where alliances and lifelong hatreds hang by threads? You want a perfectly imperfect mirror view of the true depths of political power struggles? How about an in-depth dive into the social conditioning and trappings of religious authority? These books hit every level of humanity through honest eyes, sometimes leaving me as a reader to question my own views in life. In a world of black and white, you learn to appreciate that the world exists best in shades of gray.These books made me laugh out loud, cheer quietly, cry and feel at times breathless in their beauty.In conclusion, if you want an action, romance, magic, horror, fantasy, comedy, drama that makes Game of Thrones feel like it was written by a high school student, read The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks
Top reviews from other countries
-
Cliente Amazon (Portugal)Reviewed in Spain on July 9, 2021
Recomendo!!!
Apenas irei comentar o estado do livro. Não é um tall paperback, o livro não é floppy. Porém, caso isso não seja impedimento, recomendo comprarem! Apanhei-o a um ótimo preço e chegou super rápido e está em excelente estado!Recomendo!!!Cliente Amazon (Portugal)
Reviewed in Spain on July 9, 2021
Images in this review
- MargheritaReviewed in Italy on August 27, 2020
great read, definitely exceeded expectations
- English RivieraReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2019
The girl with the dragon tattoo of fantasy novels
