[Werthead]

Cause, on 24 May 2019 - 09:58 AM, said:

LIES was such a great book but as someone said previously it was almost too self contained! I wanted more of Locke and Jean and the rest of the crew doin confidence tricks and instead half the cast died and the books have been shifting in flavor ever since.

I hope he pulls off another great book though! Heres to hoping!

This one is another change in pace. Locke and Jean as agent provocateurs and engaging in political intrigue in the background of a full-scale war (although from the cover art it also looks like they get sucked into some of the actual fighting). Apparently the scale of the series is going to ramp up: THE THORN OF EMBERLAIN is Book 1 of the original series that Lynch planned to write, but eventually realised the story didn't work the way he'd intended and he needed to go back and write Locke's backstory first.

[Cause]

Werthead, on 24 May 2019 - 12:11 PM, said:

Cause, on 24 May 2019 - 09:58 AM, said:

LIES was such a great book but as someone said previously it was almost too self contained! I wanted more of Locke and Jean and the rest of the crew doin confidence tricks and instead half the cast died and the books have been shifting in flavor ever since.

I hope he pulls off another great book though! Heres to hoping!

This one is another change in pace. Locke and Jean as agent provocateurs and engaging in political intrigue in the background of a full-scale war (although from the cover art it also looks like they get sucked into some of the actual fighting). Apparently the scale of the series is going to ramp up: THE THORN OF EMBERLAIN is Book 1 of the original series that Lynch planned to write, but eventually realised the story didn't work the way he'd intended and he needed to go back and write Locke's backstory first.

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and try it, I really do hope he delivers. LIES was such an amazing book, I loved the story, the characters and LIES was the first book to really make me realize that the setting could be its own character. The City of Camor still influences how I think of worldbuilding and how I interpret other works. The city was alive, the beggars, the criminals, the canals, the government it all felt so real and fleshed out. I believed that the city could be real, I wanted to take a vacation there (okay in reality maybe not a good idea). In fact I think its something his next two books failed to deliver. I cant even remember the name of the city in book 2 or three.

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 24 May 2019 - 10:22 AM, said:

The series really peaked with Red Seas for me - aka "Everything is better with pirates!"

SO MUCH THIS.

Also, after that last abysmal book, this series has dropped to "kindle when it's on sale" for me, and even then I'm not paying more than $2 for it. I'm not sure after one book I was middling-to-didn't like on, and one I hated....that he can win me back.

[Abyss]

Loves LIES, enjoyed some parts of RED, read about a third of REPUBLIC and could barely skim to see how it ended.
It would take a metric fucktonne of glowing praise to get me to try book 4.

[Zeto Demerzel]

About the same. Was smitten with the first half of LIES, was rolling my eyes at some of the capers in the second half of the same book, got through RED SEAS with a shrug, and never finished REPUBLIC.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Hmm. I started listening to this series a few weeks ago, about midway through listening to Red Seas right now... it's getting pretty gripping. The performer's voices are pleasant enough to carry me through a lacklustre third novel I think... especially if it reveals more about the world.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 28 May 2019 - 02:00 AM

[Aptorian]

I was so disappointed by the second half of Lies that I never read the second book.

They sold the book as a fantasy Oceans 11 and it was anything but.

[Traveller]

Aptorian, on 28 May 2019 - 06:29 AM, said:

I was so disappointed by the second half of Lies that I never read the second book.

They sold the book as a fantasy Oceans 11 and it was anything but.

Agreed. I don't remember much about it, but I do remember it throwing my expectations out of the window about half way through, following with a disappointing ending.

[Tattersail_]

Is it just me that's super excited about The Thorn of Emberlain?

Re-reading this series and I love it.

[QuickTidal]

Tattersail_, on 13 March 2020 - 02:09 PM, said:

Is it just me that's super excited about The Thorn of Emberlain?

Re-reading this series and I love it.

Glad you are.

For me, that book will have to get utterly stellar 5star reviews across the board for me to bother with it even as an ebook, on sale.

Book 3 was BAD.

[Abyss]

Tattersail_, on 13 March 2020 - 02:09 PM, said:

Is it just me that's super excited about The Thorn of Emberlain?

Re-reading this series and I love it.

It's just you.



...ok, fine, it's entirely not just you, but for moi it would take massive universal praise to go back to this series after my disappointment with REPUBLIC.






Amazon says Oct 2021.... you seeing something else?

[Tattersail_]

A fewplaces I've seen September 2020

[Slow Ben]

QuickTidal, on 13 March 2020 - 02:28 PM, said:

Tattersail_, on 13 March 2020 - 02:09 PM, said:

Is it just me that's super excited about The Thorn of Emberlain?

Re-reading this series and I love it.

For me, that book will have to get utterly stellar 5star reviews across the board for me to bother with it even as an ebook, on sale.

100% this.

You all are really going to have to be singing this books praises for me to get it.

3 was just so so so bad.

[Aptorian]

I remember being disappointed with the very first book so I never bothered with the rest of the series. Is there any point in picking the series back up if it's as uneven as you guys suggest?

[amphibian]

Book 2 is really bad. Book 1 is good. I liked big chunks of 3.

Keep in mind that Lynch was undergoing some really horrible stuff with his depression throughout, so that should be taken into account a little. It's not that he has committed sins and needs to be forgiven. It's more that a promising author nearly had his career and life derailed.

[Abyss]

Slow Ben, on 13 March 2020 - 05:03 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 13 March 2020 - 02:28 PM, said:

Tattersail_, on 13 March 2020 - 02:09 PM, said:

Is it just me that's super excited about The Thorn of Emberlain?

Re-reading this series and I love it.

For me, that book will have to get utterly stellar 5star reviews across the board for me to bother with it even as an ebook, on sale.

100% this.

You all are really going to have to be singing this books praises for me to get it.

3 was just so so so bad.

Yep. 2 was so-so, but the good parts were good enough to keep me there.
3... i started skimming early and barely that.

Aptorian, on 13 March 2020 - 05:25 PM, said:

I remember being disappointed with the very first book so I never bothered with the rest of the series. Is there any point in picking the series back up if it's as uneven as you guys suggest?

My $0.02, if bk1, which i loved, didn't capture you, don't bother.

amphibian, on 13 March 2020 - 05:40 PM, said:

Book 2 is really bad. Book 1 is good. I liked big chunks of 3.

Keep in mind that Lynch was undergoing some really horrible stuff with his depression throughout, so that should be taken into account a little. It's not that he has committed sins and needs to be forgiven. It's more that a promising author nearly had his career and life derailed.

All absolutely accurate and true. I sympathize. If the groupthink ever shifted to 'he's back to LIES level great' i would buy his books in a heartbeat. But i won't spend dollars on 'hope' after two books i've not enjoyed, and when there are so many less popular, less paid, authors whose work i want to read.

[Tattersail_]

I get it though. You cannot have every book where he comes out on top. As long as the pay off is there in the end. The mystery and world building in LIES is just so good. Truth be told I REALLY REALLY want the bindsmages to get it. I dont hate near as much as you guys and I'm looking forward to the next book. It's been a long time coming.

[Slow Ben]

Beaver Killia, on 13 March 2020 - 07:28 PM, said:

I don’t get the hate Red gets. It was fun. Not Lies fun but fun.

I agree. Lies was phenomenal. But I still enjoyed the hell out of Red also.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

They were all uneven. His attempts at sillier subplots have generally not been that great, even in Lies. But overall I've found them all worthwhile. The major twist in book three has me interested in book four, which will hopefully go deeper into the lore.

[Kanese S's]

Tattersail_, on 13 March 2020 - 10:18 PM, said:

I get it though. You cannot have every book where he comes out on top. As long as the pay off is there in the end. The mystery and world building in LIES is just so good. Truth be told I REALLY REALLY want the bindsmages to get it. I dont hate near as much as you guys and I'm looking forward to the next book. It's been a long time coming.

I hate the bondsmagi so much. I hate the Falconer to like, almost to like, Kallor and Mallick Rel level.