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The Black Prism/Blinding Knife Discussion
Lady Eri
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So there is this guy named Brent Weeks, and he writes a really good fantasy book. It's called:
I mean it's a really good book. So good, that there is going to be more. In fact, the sequel, The Blinding Knife is going to be coming out in a few months. Excerpts from the sequel have been posted on the author's site. Anyways what is this book about and what makes it so special? It follows Gavin Guile, who is the prism, the most powerful person in the world. Really there is nothing you can say after that, that won't spoil it. The book is written really well, like Patrick Rothfuss well, and the twists approach the ASOIF level. The world is extremely well fleshed out, and revolves around a color-based magic system. One might be skeptical hearing that, especially if you suffered through Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker. But rest assured everything in this book has a purpose and if you are even remotely interested in fantasy and politics oh god go get this book and start reading.
If you really need to know more you can read this very spoiler-lite wikipedia background section:
This thread is to encourage people looking for good fantasy to read this and for those who have read it to discuss it. Since the book and series (Lightbringer I guess he is calling it) are so new please keep everything in spoiler tags for now.
Discussion and spoilers
I mean it's a really good book. So good, that there is going to be more. In fact, the sequel, The Blinding Knife is going to be coming out in a few months. Excerpts from the sequel have been posted on the author's site. Anyways what is this book about and what makes it so special? It follows Gavin Guile, who is the prism, the most powerful person in the world. Really there is nothing you can say after that, that won't spoil it. The book is written really well, like Patrick Rothfuss well, and the twists approach the ASOIF level. The world is extremely well fleshed out, and revolves around a color-based magic system. One might be skeptical hearing that, especially if you suffered through Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker. But rest assured everything in this book has a purpose and if you are even remotely interested in fantasy and politics oh god go get this book and start reading.
If you really need to know more you can read this very spoiler-lite wikipedia background section:
he Black Prism is set in a pre-industrial fantasy milieu, albeit more advanced than most, with gunpowder weapons and widespread use of simple machines such as pulleys and gears. The story takes place in "The Seven Satrapies, 7 semi-autonomous countries surrounding a large sea, each ruled by a leader known as a satrap. Each satrapy has considerable independence, but is under the loose control of a federalist central government. The government has three branches - The White, the Colors, and the Prism, and is located at the Chromeria - also the seat of education and regulation for the color magic on which the series is based. The seven satraps owe allegiance to the Prism, who is the representative of the god Orholam, on earth. Though the Prism is technically the ruler of the seven satrapies, he has the least official governing power of the three branches. Prisms typically die (or "start to lose their colors") after their 7th, 14th or 21st year serving. Only one person a generation is supposed to have this power, however the two Guile brothers, Gavin and Dazen, both claim to be Prism. Since both demonstrated the same abilities, neither was less legitimate. Gavin was older, and thus considered Prism by default, and used this status to claim that Dazen was a fraud. As Gavin was not the nicest person, this did not sit well with those who would rather Dazen be Prism--or Dazen himself, for that matter. A devastating war resulted, culminating in a pitched battle in the satrapy of Tyrea. At this battle, Sundered Rock, Gavin defeated and killed Dazen, stopping the war. Tyrea was devastated, with almost all the men killed and its fertile farmland destroyed.
This thread is to encourage people looking for good fantasy to read this and for those who have read it to discuss it. Since the book and series (Lightbringer I guess he is calling it) are so new please keep everything in spoiler tags for now.
Discussion and spoilers
I really need to get the next book because I want to see Kerris and Daven's next conversation so bad. Also is anyone else hoping Kip stops oscillating from self-esteem issues to blind-revenge mode soon? I hope the whole next book is not Daven never finding out about the dagger.
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I can not speak to his old series, but this one is pretty solid. World is built with Wheel of Time detail, but written with ASOIF twists. If I had to choose a prose it most resembles Name of the Wind.
Something pretty amazing needs to happen for me to pick up another book of him again.
Edit: If this was a thread on the new series only....then sry, I haven't read those. Maybe he's really, really, really improved.
The Way of Shadows is not very seriously written. The main reason to keep reading was to find out what new crazy thing was going to happen in the next chapter, because there always was something to qualify. He basically threw a bunch of fantasy stuff into a pot and stirred it a lot. I liked it a lot, but not as a serious read.
The Black Prism is a lot more focused. It's got a pretty unique magic system, and it feels a lot more character-driven than the event-driven style of his first series. There's a pretty large amount of backstory that's doled out over the course of the book and some very decent worldbuilding. It's got at least one great plot twist that I didn't see coming at all. I think it deserves a second chance from a lot of you who are dismissing his earlier work.
The Night Angel series is pretty... I don't know, strange maybe? It's a bit grimdark, but sort of upbeat. It begs for more stuff set in the same universe because there are loads of plot threads that start but are unfinished at the end of the book. I loved it, but highbrow it is not. It is in no way subtle about anything it does, you know the bad guys are bad because of the sledgehammer-like literary devices, like, the fact that they hit poor people with sledgehammers.
The Black Prism was really good too - certainly a more complex book than the Night Angel trilogy. But suffered from the self-loathing fat teen angst which continues throughout the whole thing.
I didn't know the next book was only months away, I am pumped as hell.
EDIT: I don't know if it's GRRM level stuff, and I haven't read Rothfuss. I mean, it's so radically different it's sort of incommensurate. It's like comparing Drive to ...I don't know, Taken, or The Matrix or something.
Also, @Lady Eri didn't you say something similarly hyperbolic about the Acts of Caine series?
EDIT2: I recommend all of these to every fantasy inclined person I know. Amusingly, a bunch of people also have them recommended by the bookstore employees ("Seriously dude, try this. TRY IT!" is what I often hear reported.)
EDIT3: I just saw a "book trailer" linked from Brent Week's site. What the hell is a "book trailer"? That was lame.
Anyway, the thing that is most interesting to me about the book is:
I've yet to see one that didn't make me cringe.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
They make no sense. NO SENSE.
Also this trailer seemed odd given that at no point was the main character a buff black guy, but was instead a fat white guy with floppy hair.
"Five exclamation marks. Clearly the product of a madman".
.
Island. Being on fire.
Maybe I'll read it at some point before the next one comes out.
I talk about Fringe a lot, but not really anything else.
Then I apologise, I have you confused with someone else.
I haven't read the Acts of Caine series, but I hear they are quite good. Even if its fans exalt it with such an offputting po-faced earnestness.
EDIT: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/137613/acts-of-caine-the-best-damned-fantasy-youve-never-read - apparently I am a sexist who can't tell female posters apart.
The Acts of Caine are what the Hunger games wanted to be.
I also have a theory that the real Gavin is going to die as the prism at the 21 year mark and then Daven will begin his first year for reals. Though it depends, I suppose, how long they plan to stretch out the books if its a couple months or years timeframe or longer.
I'm not sure about the two-prism problem. It is almost certainly a product of my... anti-religious leanings, but my immediate thought was the religion is a fraud, and that the theology is part pious fraud part social/political control scheme. The reason there can be two prisms is the theology that explains their origins is wrong. I also suspect that the Blinding Knife is the tool that the White uses to control the Prisms, and the reasons Prisms start losing their colours rather than a spontaneous degeneration.
Obviously, I am concerned about Gavin losing the ability to bend a particular colour, and I am hoping that this gets fixed before too long. I really do not care for power loss stories as a whole, I find them frustrating.
I am also noting that Superviolet drafters are considered the weakest drafters. This I believe will become a plot point (i.e. that they are actually crazy powerful in another way) for three reasons - 1. Gavin and Liv's conversation wherein he demonstrates to Liv the subtleties and uses of the Superviolet, it's made an explicit point between them, 2. Liv's angst over being being merely a superviolet and her low status and power, combined with her defection to the forces of Omnichrome who can clearly teach people a thing or two about drafting 3. Ultraviolet light has the shortest wavelength and is the most energetic of the near-visible spectrum.
Please remember that I am only just getting around to rereading the book, so my ideas may well be contradicted by the text due to hazy memory. Has it been confirmed that Kip is also a Prism yet? Because that's my probably only too obvious prediction.
Night Angel is very good. Highly recommended. However, it isn't for everyone.
If the movies are ever made they're going to need to tone it down a lot. Would be better off being an mini-series for each novel on Starz or HBO.
It's begging the be continued though, like, the whole thing about:
But yes, in a hypothetical series/movie:
Actually I was concerned about the human morality issues
Doll Girl's appearance will be difficult to execute, too. I wonder whether her scarring would effect how many actresses that would be lining up for the part. I expect an unknown or lesser known actress would be fine with it. Anybody else is going to want changes so they can have some beauty. The studio might want to lessen the scars to appeal to viewers, as well. I can't even remember any big budget movies with a lead actress that has a role which is terribly scarred.
Fantasy has plenty of good material to read in the genre.
People keep talking like the two series are bad or sub par. They really arent.
They are better than Okay, but definately not Great. They are still Good.
MWO: Adamski
Agreed.
Heh. I like that description. Also Acts of Caine get the :^: from me. I'm a fan.
I will check this out based on the OP. sounds right up my alley given the authors referenced
Though color magic like this would not translate well to the TV/movie screen.
How does the magic work exactly? Why do you think it would be difficult to adapt?