User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
We're all locked in the same burning house. It benefits no one to fight while the flames rise.
- Baldezar Kern
The flames in the Aurelian Empire burn high and hot as the Civil War between the Imperialist and Independent Guilds rages on. All the while the Great Elders led by Kellerac plot and hold a crack in the sky wide open. Humanity needs all their defenders, but they're too busy with the semantics of what the Empire should be going forward.
I believed from the beginning that The Elder Empire had a grand story to be told. I've really enjoyed all of Will Wight's stories except for The Elder Empire, but I've finally enjoyed a book in the series with Of Kings and Killers. My interest was peeked with one little quote towards the end of Of Dawn and Darkness. (view spoiler)
[ "I found allies in the void, but enemies too. I was not surprised. There are enemies everywhere. But strangest of all were those that were neither hostile nor friendly: the guardians in white." - The Unknown Wanderer, from Observations of the Unknown Wanderer (Held in the Blackwatch archives) (hide spoiler)]. This single quote made everything occuring much more significant and that was just the beginning.
From the beginning I've found the Sea Side ie Calder's crew the more interesting bunch to read about. Shera and her friends are fearsome, but somewhat strange and dull. Calder and his friends had all the aspects of a family. For all Calder's faults, he loves his crew and he'd do whatever he can for them. They prove time and time again that they'd do the same for him. Calder is an interesting yet flawed protagonist just like his crew. The story also did an excellent job cementing Izaria Woodsman's importance to the crew through flashbacks. In many ways it was as though he was still around even after the events in book 1.
The Great Elders are terror incarnate and I feel like it was glazed over too often rather than emphasized until Of Kings and Killers. The reader gets a good look at the hell scape the characters are trapped within. Another quote somehow eloquently hit like a ton of bricks, (view spoiler)
[ "Who are those who watch beyond the borders of our world? And why do they not save us?" - The Emperor (hide spoiler)]. It's amazing what two sentences with the proper context can accomplish.
I know Will Wight took a few years off between book 2 and 3, but he really brought a strong conclusion to The Elder Empire series with Of Kings and Killers. All the while leaving the door cracked to revisit the world, should he so wish.
Rating: really liked it
Jeez Luiz I LOVE this series. I couldn't sleep last night and so I listened to both audiobooks back to back and it was such a fun time. Honestly I like really deeply thematic and thought provoking books the most. That's what all my favourites tend to have in common but Will Wight really is the poster child for the other approach. Everything he's written is just so.damn FUN while also being really sarcastic and insanely epic in fight scenes he writers between all these super high power leveled people. These last two books were a super satisfying conclusion to events and I was so happy to get direct evidence of this series taking place in a Cradle equivalent to Sandy Brandy's Cosmere. I would love for any of these characters to appear with Linden in the next Cradle installation!
I was recommending the series to someone the other day and I came to a realization about what the series reminds me of. Anime. This authors books all read like the best parts of those quintessential shounen style anime I grew up on like Naruto (specifically for his Cradle series), Bleach, Fairytail, One Piece, even Dragonball Z. Now to be even more specific (mind you I already consider it a mortal sin for anime lovers not to read Will Wight), the anime his books are most like has to be Hunter x Hunter. If you love that show then truly pick up this series immediately and thank me later.
Rating: really liked it
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: The grand finale’ to a riveting series that under-achieved in broadening the story line.
Our hero becomes mired in political intrigue and factional rivalries. The supporting characters and their various back stories add a bit of levity to a droning Calder. How this guy goes from interesting to boring-as-fuk is a mystery.
The greater universe that the author has built in the Cradle series begins. These various worlds and their champions will one day meet to fight the fiends that riddle the galaxies. Just a hunch.
Still, a fun read by an accomplished author.
Rating: really liked it
*Might contain Spoilers*
Excellent book with an "Amazing" ending until I read the other OKAK book.
It was like no one even knew or care about the contribution Calder made, I felt like I am reading One Punch Man climax. Even Shera, the head of the Consultants guild, the guild that is supposed to know "everything" dismisses his sacrifice of using Optasia to change back the sky as a mere rumour and none of the Regents or the Consultants checked on the condition of Optasia for five full years. I find it extremely unlikely that the regents wouldn't have checked on Optasia after battle. If they had checked it then they would have seen that it was destroyed and a little mundane investigation would have revealed who used it last and what his condition is now. After seeing Loreli's personality I think she would've definitely cured or at least tried to cure Calder.
Also the regents acted like bullies through out the book, it was so unlike them from Shera's perspective. Only Loreli withheld her prejudice and investigated anything before judging Calder.
At least this is how I feel.
Rating: really liked it
Ohhhhhhhhh SO GOOD. My only real complaint is that this beautiful series is over. RIP. My heart will not go on. But this book was a stellar combination of Calder's crew, intense Elder action, scathing failures, great sacrifices, and satisfying resolution. I wish Calder got some more appreciation. He's freaking awesome. I wish everybody in that whole Empire knew that. Also the ending was a little more open than Shera's ending, and I only wish I got more, more, more. Okay, I guess I just wish I had 12 more books in this series.
Rating: really liked it
I have such mixed feelings about this. Yes, we get the build up, the big battles, the closure on Calder's story but... It still
feels like only half a story. I wasn't left satisfied by all those dangling threads, and that niggling sensation that some of them
may be addressed in the companion series but equally may not be. Also knowing the ending and then having to re-read the whole timeline from the beginning? It was a bit disheartening. I think this is where the two series, one story concept really fell flat for me.
I longed for it to be told more like Trudi Canavan's Thief's Magic, where the two stories occurring at the same time but in very different places were told alongside each other. There were a few times where events in Calder's adventures lent themselves to being natural break-points, and I wish I had skipped over to Shera's narrative. It's no fun when you feel you're missing something big, and to some extent this instalment felt shallow because of it. When major events, say the introduction to or the death of a very important character (view spoiler)
[(meeting Loreli happens at the beginning of Shera's book, but she just pops up fully formed here as if we've already read it - I hadn't, assuming it came afterwards, because, well, chronologically Shera's Part 3 timeline does. And the "oh, actually Etsyr's still alive, shoulda mentioned that" thing? The faceless person -wonder who that is? - taken over by an Elder, whoops he's defeated, on to the next thing? Meh) (hide spoiler)], happen off-screen it's very anticlimactic. I just knew "ah, that will be explained in Of Killers and Kings". Or at least, I hope it will be.
I also got confused by the writing during some of the earlier action sequences. I re-read them a few times before giving up trying to work out who was doing what and when, and skimmed a fair portion. It could just be me, but I didn't find it very clear. The big battles at the end were much better in that respect, but still felt lacking in that events were only half-told.
And lastly, a whinge no one will care much about unless you actively look for romance in these kinds of books but... Jyrine. I can't believe she and Calder were any more than good friends. Like, super-close maybe. Calder's idea of romantic leanings shown in flashback are slightly creepy possessive ones rather than emotional, and Jerri herself only ever tells us straight out she "loved" him. It's all very... boy to spend all that time and effort explaining an intricate magic system (which is amazing, this isn't to bash the world-building) so that I believe it, but to only ever tell rather than show an emotional connection. (view spoiler)
[How she's dispatched by him in the end also just made me side eye at the idea of them ever having been romantically involved. It just didn't ring true. I'd have believed they were a marriage of convenience, if only to stop Calder's mistrustful crew mates from chucking her off the ship. I wanted her to have been using him and faking it, or being his friend and telling him "sham marriage? Sure. Don't get any bedroom ideas though!" because she was such a tough and driven character and that would just have reinforced that without. (hide spoiler)] They had zero chemistry and it bothered me. Sorry.
Whinging aside, was it worth it? Yes. The story is a bloomin' marvel of epic fantasy with a dark tinge. I loved the writing. I came to really appreciate the characters, and the flashbacks gave so much more insight into them. I only wish the story had been told in it's entirety here. I will read Shera's finale, because I want to know why she and others did what they did, but it feels like a missed opportunity in story telling not to have these two concurrent narratives told in the same volume.
Rating: really liked it
The final work in the Elder Empire: Sea Series is a very mixed bag. Will Wight takes some major risks, chiefly connecting this setting to his larger Cradle setting. The Lovecraftian Elders are just Class 1 Fiends and their unknowable plans, they just want to get off planet. While I appreciate the desire to connect his works to larger setting, a common enough pursuit of fantasy authors, I cant help but feel the move diminishes the work the author put into the setting and it's mysteries.
The Regents coming into the picture essentially sink any hope for Calder and his faction. Shera and her allies were already ridiculously powerful and with the Remnants, one of which is said to equal to the Emperor's ability in combat firmly establish Calder as the underdog in the first half of the book. The character's in the opposing series give him little chance and seem to hate him unconditionally. Most of their political problems could have been solved with good listening skills. In fact Calder is such an underdog that he get's stabbed to a death by Shera with little difficulty and disposed of as an afterthought. The author's choices in the first half of the book were not to my taste and if you were waiting to see Calder get any validation from anyone don't hold your breath. I'll wait and see if Shera or any more of Shera's actions seem more understandable from her own point of view in the companion book.
The second half of the book dealing with the main character's confrontation with the Elders is much more satisfying. Notably Calder's relationship to the old Emperor and his wife are fully explored. In addition we get to see more of Calder's always entertaining crew. Calder gets a few moments to shine. His final confrontation with his wife, now an avatar of an Elder is heartbreaking. His coming to terms with the Emperor is also interesting and the reveal that Calder's favourite philosopher is just one of his pseudonyms, is also a fun and surprisingly cutting reveal.
To put a cap on this half of the series. It was a fun series with a frustrating elements. If I had to do it again I'd probably still read it. However, I don't think I'll ever choose to read it a second time.
TL:DR - Exciting book with some risky and not entirely satisfactory decisions.
Rating: really liked it
A great finaleSome thoughts. The two-sided series comes to a close. I decided to read the “shadow” side first for each installment. I personally prefer Shera’s story, but this last installment was the best for the “Sea” side of the series. Will does a good job of balancing the stories and not going into the happily ever after zone where none of the main characters perish. There is a realism that a sand born hydra would appreciate. The last in the series has a nice tie-in to the multiverse that Will has been creating. We can continue to hold out hope for an Avengers like cross-over story in the distant future. I’m mostly droning on because if you’ve made it this far in the series than you already know what you are getting and don’t need me to tell you. Just waiting now for my next fix from Will’s wild twisted mind.
Rating: really liked it
This book was surprisingly a slow starter... if you've been following the trilogies... you'll know what happened in the last 2 books and you'd have been all psyched up for this book, expecting a big splash! Ooopsie boo boo! 🤣
In of Dawn and Darkness, Calder Marten is in the possession of the emperor's crown! And he's ready to step into the vacuum left in the wake of this great entity... But, the Guilds, aren't in agreement over this convenient solution... and the Consultant's Guild is absolutely opposed to it, believing no one person should have that much power, because "absolute power corrupts absolutely! So really, I shouldn't have been at all surprised that Will Wight would have to give the action a backseat while he built up all the Political machinations that were happening. Only then could he could push the pedal to the metal...
And WOW, he ended up with a fantastic book and a great story ARC!
I really haven't mentioned in any of my other reviews of the Elder God series, just how much I've enjoyed the magic system! In this series if, you imbue your intent on a inanimate object, it can be awakened ie: a weapon that will actually want to kill! A makers tools; a hammer for instance, might rebel if it thinks that hammering a nail into a door is dumb, even missing on purpose! LOL!
The few books I've run into previously with "aware objects" had been in Nina Kiriki Hoffman's, Matt Black books, and David Brin's, The Practice Effect... and I've got to say, I loved them too!
The narration by Travis Baldree is as always, simply great (He's a favorite of mine)! But now I can hardly wait to listen to Emily Woo Zeller (another favorite) narrate the 6th and final story of the two side-by-side trilogies, Shera's story! She's an assassin, and leader the Consultant's Guild!!!
Rating: really liked it
Wow. A fantastic ending to a great trilogy. It is really evident that Wight has taken everything he’s learned from the fantastic Cradle series and put it to work in the third iteration of this series.
Books one and two came both came out in 2015, so it’s been a solid five years since he’s added to this series. He’s published seven books since then in his Cradle series and has finally returned to finish the parallel trilogy that is Elder Empire.
The pacing is absolutely crazy, pedal on the gas the whole time. This book absolutely destroyed my sleep over to two days that I read it because I couldn’t find a good place to stop. I. Just. Had. To. Keep. Going. This is the same issue I had with Cradle after Unsouled.
Wight’s writing style is ruthless in that after he finishes his first draft, he goes back and essentially purges any scenes that don’t move the story forward in anyway. He’s gotten better and better at doing this as he’s written more books, and all of that practice has paid off to close this trilogy at breakneck speed.
The characters are endearing and seeing how they’ve grown together over the series and end their journey together is bittersweet.
Overall, if you like Wight’s Cradle series or enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ll likely enjoy this series. I’d recommend starting with the Of Shadows side, then switch to the Of Sea side.
Rating: really liked it
All three books 4*'s. Looking forward to the companion series and seeing the view from shadow.
Rating: really liked it
3.5/5
The book ended with a bang but I can’t help but be disappointed. The whole story shines in the adventure and the magic of the past, and not in the preset. And that is a real shame as I would have loved to read a story about the adventures of Calder and his crew out on the sea rather than him sitting on a throne and making bad decisions.
The book felt like it missed the mark for me, focusing on the wrong things. It felt like it had grown far too much in scope and the characters never caught up and so it spun out of control.
I really like the world and the lore and the Elders, I just didn’t like the story that was told in it. Which is my biggest disappointment.
Rating: really liked it
AmazingWill Wight is one of the reasons I keep paying for Kindle Unlimited. What I thought were going to be a series of silly books to keep my mind off other things turned into spellbinding novels of complex magics and strange worlds that have kept up far too late on far too many nights.
I'm sorry to see that these two latest installments end the trilogies I rest easy that the stories are told and ended well. I'm tickled by the tie-in to the Cradle series (one of my top book series).
Will, keep up the amazing work.
Rating: really liked it
If you don't want to see a moment of triumph in the main plot until the end of the book. If you want to see every plan of the main character and the character's on his side fail, fail, and fail again. Then you've come to the right book.
I slogged through just so I can write this review.
Will Wight's excellent writing style is also what pushed me through, but good god, the plot is just depression and frustration incarnate.
Rating: really liked it
Yet again, Will has done a great job of telling the story from the other side and keep a few surprises to boot. Bloopers were fantastic, wish they get added to earlier books too.
I definitely hope there will be short stories to fill the details that were left unsaid in these books. The ending has opened up a few discussions about connections related to Willverse and I look forward to re-reading these books.
