Yessssss. Totally agree with you. So great. This is vying for my favorite series of all time. Turns out Books 4 and 5 are like a two-part story so Book 4 feels like a part 1 in some ways but the payoffs in Book 5 made that arc in the story so satisfying. Can't wait for Book 6 and 7.
LOL. I have this image in my head of you going up to him and saying "Hey...how about that Stormlight Archive huh?" And him going "what the hell you talking about?"
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews hahhaha well we work remote but I noticed the names were different so I asked “you do not have a booktube channel, do you?” And he was like “nah”
As far as people saying this is their favorite even though there are two more books out: my theory is that those both suffered somewhat (Ashes of Man more so than Kingdoms of Death, in my opinion) from originally being one book and the publisher forcing Christopher to split them. I could be wrong about that. I know he's said it didn't really affect the books, but I don't know how that couldn't. In my opinion they both have slight pacing issues that resulted from the split. They both have amazing and epic moments, but they also didn't feel as tight as books 2 and 3. Ashes of Man especially, I felt could have been a good 150-200 pages shorter and it would have made it a better book. I honestly think Ruocchio could have had a much bigger splash in the scene had he gone the self-published route. DAW did him dirty. He's now switched to Bane, so I'm hopeful they will be better for him, but we'll see. The novellas and short stories are self-published, but the main series is traditionally published. I also realize not everyone has the skills or desire to go the self-published route, but it seems like he's gained a lot of that experience now through the side stories that it would be a viable option for him in the future.
Trust me when I say that okay yes... books 4 and 5 are not as good. But! They are good for entirely different reasons for me. They are essentially a different era of Hadrian. I can actually see you liking them a ton based on your taste!
I didnt really engage with the story in book 1, but the writing was sensational. I'll push on to book two in due course, but Joe Abercrombie has me in his grip at the moment.
This book is incredible and criminally underrated. The first battle scene is so vivid and engaging that I thought, wow! This could be a scene from a great action movie. After finishing this book, I became depressed about how Christopher Christopher Ruocchio was going to top this book. And I still could start the fourth book!
I absolutely love the first section of Demon in White, which reads like a sci-fi horror story similar to the classic movies Alien and Aliens, in all the best ways.
Idk why but this series seems so elusive. I keep hearing about it on booktube, but I can't find it at my local bookstore, and it's even expensive on amazon. Seems like it's a more or less hidden gem. Im going to give it a shot
I borrowed the audio books from my local library. EverAnd (the app) also has all of the books in this series except the Tales of the Suneater short stories.
I am curious what you’re going to say about book 4. To me, ‘Demon in White’ is the best book I’ve ever read, but book 4 would be a DNF if the previous 3 were not 5-star reads. I believe ‘Kingdoms of Death’ suffered from the fact that the author had to split the story into 2 books as it stretched beyond publishable size (at least that’s what the publisher claimed). Fortunately, the story recovered quite a lot in book 5.
So happy you’ve connected to this book and series as much as I have. This book is a masterpiece from start to finish, and with all of the epic scenes, my favorite sequence might be the quiet one when the company takes a vacation on the tropical island. Thanks for getting the word out and hopefully we can help it build some more steam in the sff fandom!
Love this series...my only gripe, is how this series spans hundreds of years but none of the technology advances...it's the same ships, weapons, etc... you'd think they'd find a way to find and/or make more of those high matter swords....or make better ships....or make better armor....or whatever...but even though a few centuries have passed everything has stayed the same.
Yeah. That's why I think of it on the more fantasy side than the science fiction side of science fantasy, cause the science/tech is just a setting instead of part of the story itself. I think one could explain it away by saying that the Sollen Empire has plateaued, and the Chantry has kept technology stagnant. Maybe the extra-solarians are advancing and making new technologies and stuff, but we don't see it.
That's intended though. The author is basing the civilization on Ancient Rome, which also stagnated for hundreds of years. Also there is a subtle (well, not so subtle) anti-technology theme. More specifically, the author is outspoken about technology ending up our master instead of us ruling it. If you think about it, the ruling class wants things to be stagnant, because that maintains the status quo. In our case, technology is its own authority. I know it's a bit of a stretch, but based on interviews I've seen, I think that's what Ruocchio is going for.
My favorite in the series too. It's the best because the recent two were split and that hurt the books significantly. Still good books but DIW has so much going on, all in one book. Still Ruocchio improves. Kingdoms and Ashes go into very interesting mysteries that make the universe feel grander and stranger. I love the series so much.
Book 1 is my favorite book of all time, since I'm partial to the first books in a series. But book 4 is probably my follow up favorite in the series. I wouldn't worry too much about it falling off.
I had just finished this when I heard you were starting so was excited to hear your review. Tbh this was the review I expected. The book is stunning. How does he keep getting better?!
It ticks me off seeing the books that win awards. This book is amazing. Deserves to be revered and honored. I’m completely in awe of Christopher’s story telling and the way he writes. Usually read these books physically or on kindle but I’m hooked on the audiobooks. I equate the voices with the characters now. I’ll definitely read the books myself later.
1st book reviewed 6 months ago, 2nd book 3 months ago, 3rd book now, (4th and 5th may take another few months). If u guess a series being good, why dont u complete it immediately? Why do u start other series without completing the previous one?
A lot of reasons. 1. I find I like stories more when I get some space to really soak in the concepts. It makes me get more eager to read them, and I don't get any burnout that I might otherwise get. 2. I read a lot of new books that I want to get reviews out for as soon as they come out, so that always gets first priority in my reading schedule. 3. My viewers generally don't love it when I review the same series back to back, and like getting a bigger variety in my videos.
Loved this book! Kind of scared to read book 4 with everyone telling me it will shatter me, but also super excited to discover more and more about this universe
I knew you'd love this more than the first two. It is my favorite in the series, and it's just like... 5 banger books in one book. I feel you could go either way on Kingdoms of Death and Ashes of Man. I don't know how dark you like your stories yet. For me, KoD was a step down because of my own preferences, but given that Malazan is your favorite series, it might be better for you. That R. Scott Bakker review might also be a solid indicator based on what I've heard of his work lmao.
yeah, KoD was a hard read for me. Not because it is poorly written or anything like that, its fantastic in that regard, but man...did shit get dark and gloomy for awhile.
I think the plot is good. At the very least it's keeping me engaged enough to want to know what happens next. I am still struggling to see how the prose is up there with the best though.
So my microphone ran out of batteries and it sounds like I'm in a cathedral. My bad!
Hey I like cathedrals
Sounds epic
Yessssss. Totally agree with you. So great. This is vying for my favorite series of all time.
Turns out Books 4 and 5 are like a two-part story so Book 4 feels like a part 1 in some ways but the payoffs in Book 5 made that arc in the story so satisfying. Can't wait for Book 6 and 7.
As for the question "who wouldnt like this?" the next two are certainly more polarizing in my opinion.
Working through Tales 1 and 2, then im off to Book 4! Very excited to dive in
I have a coworker that for like a month I thought it was you. You guys look so alike and sound exactly the same lol
LOL. I have this image in my head of you going up to him and saying "Hey...how about that Stormlight Archive huh?"
And him going "what the hell you talking about?"
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews hahhaha well we work remote but I noticed the names were different so I asked “you do not have a booktube channel, do you?” And he was like “nah”
Where is the review of the rest of the series?
Haven't read them yet!
@@MattsFantasyBookReviewsjust started Kingdoms of Death last night, hope you start it soon!
Wait am I actually 2 for 2 on tbr predictions this month? 😱 I don't think I've ever even got 2 total right in a single month yet
Nobody was 2/2 because everyone got the First law wrong :)
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews oh was it one of the ones that wasn't a rating but a more or less than before one?
@@redgiant970 yeah
@@MattsFantasyBookReviews Damn, well in my head I said that'd both be 5/5 and I'm counting it as a personal win 😂
like the review, but what BAD books have ever won the Hugo/Nebula???
Man you look like in a trance
As far as people saying this is their favorite even though there are two more books out: my theory is that those both suffered somewhat (Ashes of Man more so than Kingdoms of Death, in my opinion) from originally being one book and the publisher forcing Christopher to split them. I could be wrong about that. I know he's said it didn't really affect the books, but I don't know how that couldn't. In my opinion they both have slight pacing issues that resulted from the split. They both have amazing and epic moments, but they also didn't feel as tight as books 2 and 3. Ashes of Man especially, I felt could have been a good 150-200 pages shorter and it would have made it a better book.
I honestly think Ruocchio could have had a much bigger splash in the scene had he gone the self-published route. DAW did him dirty. He's now switched to Bane, so I'm hopeful they will be better for him, but we'll see. The novellas and short stories are self-published, but the main series is traditionally published. I also realize not everyone has the skills or desire to go the self-published route, but it seems like he's gained a lot of that experience now through the side stories that it would be a viable option for him in the future.
Book 4 was written to shatter souls
Yep. About to finish book 4 myself. What a punch to the face.
Book 1 is available for free for Audible members FYI. Thanks for the review. Diving in to this series soon!
This series just gets better and better. love it.
Trust me when I say that okay yes... books 4 and 5 are not as good. But! They are good for entirely different reasons for me. They are essentially a different era of Hadrian. I can actually see you liking them a ton based on your taste!
I didnt really engage with the story in book 1, but the writing was sensational. I'll push on to book two in due course, but Joe Abercrombie has me in his grip at the moment.
Reading this now! Absolutely fantastic!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Long live Hadrian Half-Mortal!!!
Where do you get the animated book covers?
This book is incredible and criminally underrated. The first battle scene is so vivid and engaging that I thought, wow! This could be a scene from a great action movie.
After finishing this book, I became depressed about how Christopher Christopher Ruocchio was going to top this book. And I still could start the fourth book!
I absolutely love the first section of Demon in White, which reads like a sci-fi horror story similar to the classic movies Alien and Aliens, in all the best ways.
Idk why but this series seems so elusive. I keep hearing about it on booktube, but I can't find it at my local bookstore, and it's even expensive on amazon. Seems like it's a more or less hidden gem. Im going to give it a shot
I borrowed the audio books from my local library. EverAnd (the app) also has all of the books in this series except the Tales of the Suneater short stories.
If this is the best the genre has to offer then sci fi is not for me. Was not a big fan of it
I mean, it's all subjective. What I think is the best in the genre others may hate.
Nice, I'm starting this one in the next few days.
Would like to see a video on similar books to this series.
So would I!
I am curious what you’re going to say about book 4. To me, ‘Demon in White’ is the best book I’ve ever read, but book 4 would be a DNF if the previous 3 were not 5-star reads. I believe ‘Kingdoms of Death’ suffered from the fact that the author had to split the story into 2 books as it stretched beyond publishable size (at least that’s what the publisher claimed). Fortunately, the story recovered quite a lot in book 5.
So happy you’ve connected to this book and series as much as I have. This book is a masterpiece from start to finish, and with all of the epic scenes, my favorite sequence might be the quiet one when the company takes a vacation on the tropical island.
Thanks for getting the word out and hopefully we can help it build some more steam in the sff fandom!
Love this series...my only gripe, is how this series spans hundreds of years but none of the technology advances...it's the same ships, weapons, etc... you'd think they'd find a way to find and/or make more of those high matter swords....or make better ships....or make better armor....or whatever...but even though a few centuries have passed everything has stayed the same.
Yeah. That's why I think of it on the more fantasy side than the science fiction side of science fantasy, cause the science/tech is just a setting instead of part of the story itself. I think one could explain it away by saying that the Sollen Empire has plateaued, and the Chantry has kept technology stagnant. Maybe the extra-solarians are advancing and making new technologies and stuff, but we don't see it.
Technology has limits so maybe he had that in mind.
That's intended though. The author is basing the civilization on Ancient Rome, which also stagnated for hundreds of years. Also there is a subtle (well, not so subtle) anti-technology theme. More specifically, the author is outspoken about technology ending up our master instead of us ruling it. If you think about it, the ruling class wants things to be stagnant, because that maintains the status quo. In our case, technology is its own authority. I know it's a bit of a stretch, but based on interviews I've seen, I think that's what Ruocchio is going for.
This is probably my favorite book of all time
Same
My favorite in the series too. It's the best because the recent two were split and that hurt the books significantly. Still good books but DIW has so much going on, all in one book. Still Ruocchio improves. Kingdoms and Ashes go into very interesting mysteries that make the universe feel grander and stranger. I love the series so much.
Book 1 is my favorite book of all time, since I'm partial to the first books in a series.
But book 4 is probably my follow up favorite in the series. I wouldn't worry too much about it falling off.
I had just finished this when I heard you were starting so was excited to hear your review. Tbh this was the review I expected. The book is stunning. How does he keep getting better?!
im hooked on this guy's writing like a crack head
This series deserves more love. You'll experience every kind of emotions reading all the books
This is my next book after I finish Morning star in the Red Rising series.
I love this series! Happy to see it get the praise it deserves, way more people need to read this!
I will have to get book 1 now.
It ticks me off seeing the books that win awards. This book is amazing. Deserves to be revered and honored. I’m completely in awe of Christopher’s story telling and the way he writes. Usually read these books physically or on kindle but I’m hooked on the audiobooks. I equate the voices with the characters now. I’ll definitely read the books myself later.
1st book reviewed 6 months ago, 2nd book 3 months ago, 3rd book now, (4th and 5th may take another few months). If u guess a series being good, why dont u complete it immediately? Why do u start other series without completing the previous one?
A lot of reasons.
1. I find I like stories more when I get some space to really soak in the concepts. It makes me get more eager to read them, and I don't get any burnout that I might otherwise get.
2. I read a lot of new books that I want to get reviews out for as soon as they come out, so that always gets first priority in my reading schedule.
3. My viewers generally don't love it when I review the same series back to back, and like getting a bigger variety in my videos.
Loved this book! Kind of scared to read book 4 with everyone telling me it will shatter me, but also super excited to discover more and more about this universe
It's inspired partly by berserk which should tell you all you need to know 😅😅😅
Did you finish book 4 yet?
I knew you'd love this more than the first two. It is my favorite in the series, and it's just like... 5 banger books in one book. I feel you could go either way on Kingdoms of Death and Ashes of Man. I don't know how dark you like your stories yet. For me, KoD was a step down because of my own preferences, but given that Malazan is your favorite series, it might be better for you. That R. Scott Bakker review might also be a solid indicator based on what I've heard of his work lmao.
yeah, KoD was a hard read for me. Not because it is poorly written or anything like that, its fantastic in that regard, but man...did shit get dark and gloomy for awhile.
Wait what R Scott Bakker review are you talking about?
@@abdullahisayuti6698 It's not out yet, but I think in one of the TBR videos he said he's reading something by Bakker
I think the plot is good. At the very least it's keeping me engaged enough to want to know what happens next. I am still struggling to see how the prose is up there with the best though.