Contents:
Prince of the Spear. The Invisible Hands - Part 2: Noctila the Death Owl. A Legend of Ethshar. The Thief Who Wasn't There. Shadow of the Void. The Empire of Dust. The Light That Binds. The Collars of Phaleran. Fear's Union the Age of Ku, 1. Lost in the Dawn. The Legend of Lithra - Book Two: The Knives of Aesur. Skalix the Snapping Horror. The Light at the End of the World. The Sin of Hope. Demon's Whisper Tales of the Thief-City.
Cage of Thoughts Tales of the Thief-City. Tales of the Thief-City. Games of Shadow, Part 5 of Shadows of the Heavens. Shadows of the Heavens Part Court of Echoes Tales of the Thief-City. Savage Justice, Part 10 of Shadows of the Heavens. Flight of Angels Tales of the Thief-City.
Shadows of the Empire, Part 6 of Shadows of the Heavens. Heart of the City Tales of the Thief-City. The Monster in the Mirror. Song of Shadows, Part 3 of Shadows of the Heavens.
Dreams of the Dead Tales of the Thief-City. Parliament of the Streets Tales of the Thief-City. Spirit Hunt, Part 13 of Shadows of the Heavens. Tears of the Gods, Part 14 of Shadows of the Heavens. Twisted Nature, Part 7 of Shadows of the Heavens. The Book of a Thousand and One Destinies. Curse of Hearts, Part 8 of Shadows of the Heavens. The Folly of Miss Harrow. Why should you read this book?
Knife Sworn is a solid sequel in a marvelous trilogy of high fantasy. Williams is a wonderful author and fans of epic fantasy will love this magical, character-driven trilogy. However, for Grada, an Untouchable who shares a bond with Sarmin as no other, things are entirely different as, having found now her own freedom from the Pattern after a long time, she will try to find her own way to the world undertaking a mission that can bring her into a great adventure, and that may well lead her to a fate where nobody else desires.
The Tower and Knife series continues with Knife Sworn, and the second book is as full of magic, intrigue and beauty as the first -- if not even more so! One might be tempted to stop with The Emperor's Knife, its story having wrapped up so nicely at the end after all, with Sarmin coming into his own and the Pattern Master vanquished forever. But trust me, you won't want to miss this. The events at the end of The Emperor's Blade saw Prince Sarmin free at last, taking his place on the throne after years of being locked up in a tower.
Mesema, the girl sent from the horse tribes is now his wife and empress, and has just given birth to a boy. However, Sarmin's own mother the Empire Mother Nessaket has also just recently borne a son, throwing the matter of succession into question. And as the first book has shown, too many boys with royal blood at the palace has always led to bad news.
On top of this, Sarmin has been suffering from memory lapses and getting pressure from his advisers to name a new royal assassin, or a knife-sworn. He's also just received an unwanted gift of a harem of concubines, which he suspects is actually harboring a spy. There are only a few people close to Sarmin he can trust, and with the births of the princes and the arrival of a Yrkman peace convoy, they become more important to him than ever before. First and foremost of these characters is Grada, whom we met in The Emperor's Knife and has since become one of Sarmin's closest companions and his trusted investigator.
I mentioned in my review of the first book that out of all the points-of-view featured, my favorite one was Mesema's. In Knife Sworn, she takes on a less central role, but in her place Mazarkis Williams has given us the narratives of three other women, all strongly characterized and well-written. I've already mentioned Grada, whose complex past and warring emotions made her the most interesting person in the book. And finally, my favorite character in this book was Rushes, the slave girl who instantly endeared me to her with her good heart.
Mazarkis Williams' writing is also in a league of its own, invoking such powerful and vivid imagery. It has been many, many months since I read The Emperor's Knife, but I still remember a certain scene involving blooming flowers in the desert, which Williams had brought to life with exquisite attention to detail. The writing was simply beautiful, and it is even more so now in Knife Sworn since the storytelling has become cleaner and more robust.
Blade Sworn [Gareth Lewis] on donnsboatshop.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. With nations in chaos, others on the brink of war, and a conspiracy entwining. Sworn Rapiers is a Dual Blades Weapon in Monster Hunter World (MHW). All weapons have unique properties relating to their Attack Power.
It's the prime reason why I enjoyed this sequel even more than the first book; in The Emperor's Knife I sometimes found myself lost in terms of which character I was supposed to be following or trying to figure out where I was. I experienced none of that here, in the smooth flowing pace and structure of Knife Sworn. The author has also ramped up the intrigue.
If that was your favorite part of the first book, you will not be disappointed here. Conspiracies, secret agendas and betrayals abound, with twists thrown in. Almost everyone can be seen as a friend or a foe, depending on whose perspective you're following. I read this book much faster than I expected, because I wanted badly to see what certain characters would do.
The only thing I would have liked to see more of in Knife Sworn is the magic. Specifically, I wouldn't have minded a bit more about how it works; the first book introduced a very interesting system involving relationships between mages and spirits, and it was one of the coolest ideas I've ever come across in fantasy. Mages didn't play as big a role in this one, though with the emergence of a new magical threat to the empire, I hope the third book will offer a deeper and more detailed look at the magic of this world. On that note, The Tower Broken will be coming out very soon! I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Oct 19, Dragana rated it really liked it Recommends it for: I read 'The Emperor's Knife' first book in this trilogy last week. If you have read my review , you probably noticed that although some concepts and ideas were very original, when you calculate all the flaws the book was just an average read to me. So I tentatively started reading 'Knife Sworn'. After all this book would be a deal-breaker to me, it will decide if I will continue to read this series or give up.
I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the 'Knife Sworn'. It's surprising to s I read 'The Emperor's Knife' first book in this trilogy last week. It's surprising to see how much Mazarkis Williams's style matured and improved in a year. While I was reading, I felt like he read my review and worked on all the things that really bothered me in 'The Emperor's Knife'. Of course that is not possible, except if he does not own a time traveling machine. All the good things from the first book are still here in 'Knife Sworn': But switches between different points of view are not so sudden anymore.
There is less tension because of chapter per character concept, but I feel it was worth it, because the story flow feels much smoother now. Whose point of view we now have, since half of them were killed in the first book? Sarmin is the main storyteller of course. He is now the emperor and he tries to applies all those ideals of peace to his country. To spice up the things and give us some different perspectives and views of events, we also have Grada, Nessaket and Rushes a servant girl. You all for sure remember Grada.
I complained how I simply could not understand insta-love between Sarmin and her. I hoped that listening to story from her point of view would help, but I still don't understand and do not like her very much. Nessaket, on the other hand, was a real surprise. We get to know what drives her actions and I think that you could never look at her and think of her as power-grabbing stops-at-nothing b Mazarkis Williams really managed to breathe a soul to her character.
It shows us that seizing and getting control of the empire is the easy part. What will Sarmin do, when the best advice he gets is: This one is undone. Read the book to find out. I need to find out what will happen next! I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on Amazon and my blog. Nov 13, Jessica Strider rated it it was amazing.
The theme of "the pattern" from the Emperor's knife is revisited and developed. The Collars of Phaleran. Jul 05, Jude Morrissey rated it it was amazing Shelves: The Mountain of Kept Memory. Lists with This Book. Williams definitely left enough room for fleshing out this world, however. There is a strong sense of mystery.
His army, under General Arigu at the command of the previous emperor, has attacked Fryth. In an attept to mitigate the army's evils, Sarmin invites a Fryth envoy to discuss peace between their nations. Cuious about the gifts of concubines he has received, Sarmin sends the untouchable Grada to follow the slave caravans that tra Pros: Cuious about the gifts of concubines he has received, Sarmin sends the untouchable Grada to follow the slave caravans that train the women.
Meanwhile, Sarmin's mother is worried that his new child will force the death of her own newborn son and a kitchen slave hears more than she ought while avoiding a fellow slave who likes to beat her. And Mesema finds Sarmin turning away from her as a dangerous emptiness spreads from Beyon's tomb. If you haven't read the first book, The Emperor's Knife, you'll definitely need to before picking this book up. And if you haven't read the first book recently, you'll want to reread or skim it as this book has no recap for those with poor memories.
The writing is tight with several interconnected plots running through the book, showing various viewpoints. The characters are all complex, with some unrepentant scoundrels as well as serious growth by Sarmin and his mother. As with the first book I highly recommend this series. And the ending really has me wishing the third book were already out. Mar 07, Neida rated it it was amazing Shelves: As good or better than the first. I really enjoy this world setting. The magic system is original, characters old and new are engaging and the story is tight and fast paced.
Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the third book. A joy of a read!!! Jul 15, Shaheen rated it really liked it Shelves: It was great to get back into the world that Mazarkis Williams has so skilfully created, and I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Knife Sworn. This book is a lot more polished than its predecessor and the story flows more smoothly. The return of many of our favourite characters, and the introduction of some intriguing new ones, make Knife Sworn an interesting and engaging read.
Williams begi It was great to get back into the world that Mazarkis Williams has so skilfully created, and I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Knife Sworn. Williams begins his novel without recapping or explaining what had occurred in the last book — which meant that I floundered for the first few chapters until I remembered who was whom and how they were connected to Sarmin and Beyon.
One of things that really stands out about this author is the methods he employs to tell his story. He is very much a fan of show rather than tell, and so while we get to see Sarmin do certain things and make certain decisions, his motivations are not exactly clear until later on. Overall, Knife Sworn is a commendable accomplishment and showcases the growth Williams has undergone as a writer.
This series brings a new and exciting facet to the genre of Fantasy, and fans would so well to acquaint themselves with it. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review. You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic. Everything that was good about that book carried on over to its sequel, making it arguably the better of the two. Whilst it may not have been a page turner, Knife Sworn was nonetheless a great read, character-focused and enjoyable. Grada is another character who gets a lot of page time, and they are both developed further in this book.
Characters are a strong point of Williams, and Knife Sworn shows that he can write them well. Read the full review: Jan 16, Stretch's Books rated it really liked it Shelves: It has been at least a year since I read "The Emperor's Knife", and I found it a little difficult to catch up with what was going on in "Knife Sworn". However, after around 50 pages or so things begin to come back to me, and I found that I had become really immersed in Mazarkis Williams' world again. Believe me when I say this is not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all. While I was disappointed that some of the character viewpoints from the "The Emperor's Knife" did not make into "Knife" sworn, It has been at least a year since I read "The Emperor's Knife", and I found it a little difficult to catch up with what was going on in "Knife Sworn".
While I was disappointed that some of the character viewpoints from the "The Emperor's Knife" did not make into "Knife" sworn, I don't think that it really detracted much from the book. The book still contained plenty of action, political intrigue, deep character relationships and a unique magic system. All things that when put together correctly make up a very solid 3.
Williams does quite well at avoiding the "sophomore slump" with "Knife Sworn". However, at times I found myself having to go back a paragraph or three to figure out what was taking place. The arcane system at times just confused me a little, and I would have to say to myself "What in the world is going on here?
Minor I know, but still worth mentioning. The deep complex characters and their relationships with each other is where I think Maz really shines. There is an interesting dynamic between Sarmin, Mesema and Nessaket. I also found the relationship between Sarmin and Grada to be very interesting as well.
With excellent action sequences and deep intrigue Mazarkis Williams has crafted a very well written second effort. I recommend giving "The Tower and Knife" trilogy an opportunity.
Of course if you are new to the series you will want to read "The Emperor's Knife" before trying to jump into "Knife Sworn", but if you enjoyed "The Emperor's Knife" then you will find "Knife Sworn" to be right up your alley. Jul 20, Karen rated it really liked it. This is the second book in the Tower and Knife Trilogy. I got this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
The book starts where book one left off, the Pattern Master is defeated and Sarmin has become Emperor. But all is not well in the Empire. Although the Pattern Master has been defeated the consequences of his curse remain.
Sarmin must find a way to heal his Empire before he can bring it the peace he desires. And with no Knife to call he may not be able to reach his goal. I received the first book in th This is the second book in the Tower and Knife Trilogy. I received the first book in the series as a Barnes and Noble Free Friday book. And I go the second book as a Goodreads giveaway.
I liked them both so much that now I will need to go buy the third book to see how it all ends! Oct 16, PopcornReads rated it really liked it Shelves: Read the rest of my review at http: Jul 05, Jude Morrissey rated it it was amazing Shelves: Like the first of the series, Knife Sworn was good fantasy, laced with political intrigue. I wondered how Williams would make the stories flow together, as the first novel wrapped up so nicely - she made it not only work, but work beautifully.
I can't wait to read the third novel! Jun 03, Nathan Washor rated it it was amazing. Mazarkis evokes an original tale in Knife Sworn. Characters are deep and complex. The world is filled with mysterious arcana that must be understood to save it from nullification. The writing is enchanting. Buy this book and enjoy! More review to come, but I am on a deadline at work Apr 14, Michelle marked it as to-read Shelves: This will be great.
I'm excited and can't wait to read it. View all 4 comments. Jun 23, Jasper rated it really liked it Shelves: Last year when I got introduced to the line up of books from Jo Fletcher many titles had caught my attention and one of them was The Emperor's Knife by Mazarkis Williams. I am always a sucker when it comes down to an epic fantasy story that features magic, sword fighting, political intrigues and of course assassins. The story and the world that Mazarkis Williams started to build had some very cool idea's and the influences, middle eas originally posted at: The story and the world that Mazarkis Williams started to build had some very cool idea's and the influences, middle eastern, Arabian thousand and one nights really made it stand out from the rest.
Furthermore he left his story of The Emperor's Knife on one major cliffhanger! The first thing that felt to note here was that the tone of the story is slightly different than to what you were introduced to in the first book of the Tower and Knife Trilogy. In the first book we were introduced to the only surviving brother of the Emperor, Sarmin and to many other perspectives, but in the end Sarmin took to the Emperor's seat and became the new ruling voice, it is thus by these events that the book focuses on the all the courtly dealings that now accompanies Sarmin's new task.
That of ruling the Cerani empire. This type of change does remind of the one that Jay Posey introduced in his series, first writing a action packed an brutal start but then delving deeper and deeper into the world and story itself and though for some readers this might come as a shock if you just sit back and take it all in it does definitely inspire a feeling of grandness to the story. And this is also why I am pleased that Mazarkis Williams went into this direction, because besides the building Sarmin's character further, he doesn't at all skip out on the action, it might be present in a less pronounced way but it is still there and just a word up front, an emperor needs a knife Ok so for the story.
Sarmin has taken up on the throne of the Cerani empire, after finally being freed from his years of imprisonment. In the first book he was given a wife, Mesema and she has given Sarmin a young boy and heir to the throne. However to make things complicated, the mother of Sarmin, Nessaket has also given birth to a young boy, this raises the question as to who should be emperor.
This coincidence raises some deadly stakes for Sarmin and his new family However the job of an Emperor isn't only to mingle into family affairs, the predecessors of Sarmin had started many fights in order to expand the Cerani empire and this is one job that also falls onto Sarmin's lap, he has to deal both with the birth of his own son and that of his mother as well as waging war and everything that is accompanied by this. Added to this are his own personal "problems" he is receiving flashbacks and is hearing voices in his head besides his own The main focus of the story is on Sarmin and his dealings as new emperor but Mazarkis Williams also shows different sides of the story by several secondary characters: Grada, Nessaket and Rushes.
Grada was also a character who was introduced in the first book and she had and still has a strong bond with Sarmin, in Knife Sworn their relation continues in a most precarious kind of way, on one hand Sarmin is strongly drawn to Mesema but on the other one he can't seem to forget Grada. Nessaket is one perspective that dots the i's when it comes down to playing dirty. Though we had already seen some of her character in the first book she now takes on a much more pronounced role and you see her planning and scheming about for the faith of her own born son.
I can't really say that Nessaket is the evil person in the story but her character is one that has a high maternal instinct when it comes down to letting her son survive and with Mazarkis Williams laying such an emphasis on showing just what her character thinks and how she acts really helped to flesh her fully and t definitely mark her out as being dangerous. One aspect that I was very pleased about was the whole development given to Sarmin's character.
If you have read the first book you know that he was imprisoned for many years and that he due to specific circumstances rose up to claim the Emperors throne. However this shift from being imprisoned to being the strongest or better phrased powerful persons in the world isn't one that you can do in the blink of an eye and this is exactly what Mazarkis Williams shows in Knife Sworn. You can clearly see that the years of Sarmin's imprisonment has changed his point of view on several levels and he really wants to see the better in every person he meets but unfortunately this simply is impossible and this strains him.
He even appoints a new Emperor's Knife in the hope that he never has to use it during the time of his reign he would rather try to solve everything by talking and discussing instead of drawing blood. But blood had to be drawn by his predecessors to make the Cerani empire what it is Will Sarmin has to resort to this as well? Great character development and this promises a lot for the third and final book in the Tower and Knife Trilogy.
It's one that comes over as rock solid and very confident. With this he writes directly to the point, keeping the pacing and action in the book pretty tight. However this doesn't in anyway mean that there is a comprise being made between pacing and building the world of the Tower and Knife trilogy. It is precisely by this type of writing that Mazarkis Williams embodies so much more surrounding his world, he paints some very detailed surrounding in his story that if the setting weren't that grim and bleak would definitely invite you to spend your Thousand and one night adventure in!
The ending of Knife Sworn does allow you to guess just what Mazarkis WIlliams might want to show in the third book of the Tower and Knife Trilogy, Tower Broken, but I also had an assumption about how Knife Sworn would go but was wrong on that front. What Mazarkis Williams has shown is that you will be in for a surprise! Knife Sworn is just a book that the Tower and Knife Trilogy needs. With The Emperor's Knife Mazarkis Williams gave a solid introduction into his world and just what kind of story he wanted to see, with the sequel, Knife Sworn, Mazarkis Williams goes into a quite a different direction but one that works in many ways to take his story further.
It's not one that focuses heavily on the sword and sorcery aspect but one that cleverly builds on the court politics and intrigues that accompany the rise of the new emperor Sarmin. I for one was very pleased to have seen such a developments for many of the characters and in particular Sarmin. This taken all together can mean only one thing. Tower Broken will be one epic conclusion! As such it had a tall order in front of it; it had to live up to the first book and keep the narrative going so there will be a strong draw back for the third book.
And of course, it has to avoid middle-book-syndrome. And people wonder why writing that second book is harder than writing the first! So you'll be glad to know that Knife Sworn did the first and the second and was relatively successful at avoiding the last. I was quite pleased with how Williams continued the story after the relatively self-contained The Emperor's Knife and the book's ending definitely left me eager to start the final book. However, while it wasn't less action-packed, slower-paced or only a bridge between book one and book three, Knife Sworn certainly doesn't stand on its own; one could read it without having read the first book, but you'd miss a lot of background and the story doesn't have as satisfying an ending as The Emperor's Knife.
Still, Knife Sworn is a very enjoyable read and shows Williams' growth as an author quite well. The book features different points of view than the previous one. Sarmin makes a return, and we get new viewpoints from Grada, Rushes and Nessaket. Which means this time we get three women and one man, whereas last time it was one woman and three men.
I do have to say I missed Mesema's point of view in this book, as I'd come to care for her and I was sad to only see her at a remove in this book. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Rushes' and Grada's story arcs and I appreciated getting to know Nessaket better and seeing what makes her tick. All of the point of view characters are unreliable in some way as well, which made the narration of the novel even more interesting as you had to keep reading closely.
I really liked Rushes, as she's an interesting character and she provides an informative view not just of the lower classes in the palace, but also more insight into the Mogryk faith. Sarmin's development from the imprisoned prince in the tower to a ruling emperor is a rough road and quite fascinating, especially with the pattern magic factored in.
However, my favourite arc in the book was Grada's. I loved the way she has to learn to live with what she has done as part of the Many and what that experience has made of her. She essentially has to remake herself, find her own identity again by incorporating all that's been added to her by the Patterning. It's a hard lesson to learn, but I found it quite moving and I really enjoyed Grada's voice as well. Ostensibly Knife Sworn is about Sarmin dealing with the Nothing, an unexpected after-effect of the Pattern Master's final pattern, a mysterious force that is one of unmaking and negation.
But it is also about remaking; not just that which has been destroyed by the Nothing, but identity, self, peace, a nation, and people's lives. I found Williams' incorporation of The Longing of the Unpatterned, those who Sarmin cured of the Patterning and returned from the Many to themselves haunting. The sense of loss these people experienced and the loneliness Grada and Rushes feel is heart-breaking and you'd almost wonder whether Sarmin shouldn't have found a way to make them better while still being able to connect to the Many.
Especially Rushes' story shows us why Sarmin was right in what he did and Rushes' realisation of this was quite bitter-sweet. Knife Sworn was the sequel The Emperor's Knife deserved and in many ways was even better. The book felt better paced and the writing was far more certain and unflinching. There are some beautiful and gruesome scenes in here and Williams almost gave me a heart attack with a few of the developments. I found this quite an exciting read and I can't wait to start The Tower Broken , the concluding book of the trilogy, which is what I'll be doing once this review is up.
A review for the final book will be up in the near future. This book was provided for review by the publisher. Once again, I find myself having divided opinions. In some ways, it might even have been better if it had been. But alas, the author decided to make a trilogy of the story begun in that first book. While I am beyond excited at getter to know the amazing universe better, I do think that this sequel starts rather heavily dealing with the aftermaths of a finished story.
It makes it a little tough to really get into it. But once you are i Once again, I find myself having divided opinions. But once you are in the middle of it, you do get caught up in the entanglements and twists of the plot. But still it kept my attention and built its own painfully slow suspense toward the end. It is a story of strong elements. Mazarkis Williams has a brilliant flair for shaping the language into the most beautifully poetic prose.
She has really managed to create her own distinctive voice as a narrator — a quality I admire greatly in an author. There is no generic use of language in her books.