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Category: Petrik’s Reviews

Book Review: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 (The Sun Eater, #4.5) by Christopher Ruocchio

Book Review: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 (The Sun Eater, #4.5) by Christopher Ruocchio

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Cover art illustrated by Nathan Anderson

Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 by Christopher Ruocchio

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #4.5 of 7)

Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy

Pages: 157 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 1st June 2022 (Self-Published)

Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 2 is a comparatively better collection of short stories that shows The Sun Eater can still function without Hadrian Marlowe’s POV. …

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Book Review: Long Chills and Case Dough by Brandon Sanderson

Book Review: Long Chills and Case Dough by Brandon Sanderson

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Long Chills and Case Dough by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Genre: Mystery, Detective noir

Pages: 67 pages (ebook edition)

Published: 19th December 2023 by Dragonsteel

If The Sunlit Man was the final book to end the Year of Sanderson, Long Chills and Case Dough is the epilogue to it. …

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Book Review: The God is Not Willing (The Witness, #1) by Steven Erikson

Book Review: The God is Not Willing (The Witness, #1) by Steven Erikson

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Review copy provided by the publisher—Tor Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Steve Stone

The God is Not Willing by Steven Erikson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Series: The Witness (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic fantasy, Military Fantasy

Word Count: 191,000 words

Pages: 496 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 16th November 2021 by Tor Books (US) & 1st July 2021 by Bantam Press (UK)

The God is Not Willing made me sad. It might be time for me to admit everything in the Malazan universe beyond Malazan Book of the Fallen is not for me.

“Longing. Look for it, in every crowd, and you will find it. Paint it any colour you choose: grief, nostalgia, melancholy, remembrance, these are but flavours, poetic reflections.”

…

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Book Review: The Great Change (and Other Lies) by Joe Abercrombie

Book Review: The Great Change (and Other Lies) by Joe Abercrombie

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Cover art by John Anthony di Giovanni

The Great Change (and Other Lies) by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Age of Madness (Book #0.5 of 3), First Law World (Book, #11 of 11)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Grimdark fantasy

Pages: 120 pages (Hardback)

Published: 30th September 2023 by Subterranean Press

The Great Change (and Other Lies) is a terrific and thought-provoking insight into the behind-the-scenes of creation and revolution in The Age of Madness.

“Greed was the one thing in the diamond trade, after all, that could always be relied upon.

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Book Review: Cytonic (Skyward, #3) by Brandon Sanderson

Book Review: Cytonic (Skyward, #3) by Brandon Sanderson

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Review copy provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Sam Green

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Skyward (Book #3 of 4)

Genre: Sci-fi

Pages: 432 pages (Hardcover edition)

Publish date: 23rd of November 2021 by Delacorte Press (US) & Gollancz (UK)

Cytonic was not as underwhelming as I expected, which is good, but it felt like reading a middle-book syndrome despite it being the penultimate installment of the series.

“Sometimes it’s too easy to forget the things you should remember — and far too easy to remember the things you really should forget.”

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Book Review: Demon in White (The Sun Eater, #3) by Christopher Ruocchio

Book Review: Demon in White (The Sun Eater, #3) by Christopher Ruocchio

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This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Demon in White.

Cover art illustrated by Kieran Yanner

Demon in White by Christopher Ruocchio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #3 of 7)

Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy

Word Count: 295,000 words

Pages: 784 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 28th July 2020 by DAW Books (US) & Gollancz (UK)

An absolute masterpiece. Demon in White is a genuinely epic space opera fantasy at its paramount shape.

“Silence… The great empire of silence: higher than all stars, deeper than the kingdom of death! It alone is great; all else is small.”

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Book Review: Unbound (Songs of Chaos, #2) by Michael R. Miller

Book Review: Unbound (Songs of Chaos, #2) by Michael R. Miller

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Review copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Randy Vargas

Unbound by Michael R. Miller

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

eries: Songs of Chaos (Book #2 of 5)

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Progression Fantasy

Pages: 672 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 1st October 2021 by Monolith Books (Self-published)

Unbound is where Songs of Chaos truly transformed to a progression dragon rider epic fantasy series. …

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Book Review: The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

Book Review: The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett

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This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review of The Tainted Cup.

ARC provided by the publisher—Del Rey Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art designed by Will Staehle

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Shadow of the Leviathan (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Murder Mystery, High Fantasy

Pages: 432 pages (Kindle edition)

Publish date: 6th February 2024 by Del Rey (US) & Hodder (UK)

The Tainted Cup is a compelling and rewarding murder mystery in a high fantasy setting redolent of Attack on Titan and The Last of Us. …

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Book Review: ReDawn (Skyward, #2.2) by Brandon Sanderson & Janci Patterson

Book Review: ReDawn (Skyward, #2.2) by Brandon Sanderson & Janci Patterson

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ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Sam Green

ReDawn by  Brandon Sanderson & Janci Patterson

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Skyward (Book #2.2 of 4)

Genre: Sci-fi

Pages: 227 pages (Hardcover edition)

Publish date: 26th of October 2021 by Delacorte Press (US) & Gollancz (UK)

ReDawn is a necessary installment to read before Cytonic. …

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Book Review: A War to End All (Manifest Delusions, #3) by Michael R. Fletcher & Clayton W. Snyder

Book Review: A War to End All (Manifest Delusions, #3) by Michael R. Fletcher & Clayton W. Snyder

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ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Andrew Maleski

A War to End All by Michael R. Fletcher & Clayton W. Snyder

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Series: Manifest Delusions (Book #3 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages: 535 pages (Kindle edition)

Publish date: 18th September 2023 (Indie)

A War to End All is a philosophical and tepid conclusion to a brilliant grimdark fantasy series.

“The Old Gods were broken by wars and plagues of the mind, left reeling like the most bloodied veterans. Infected with horror at the cost of their actions, they retreated into dementia. Insanity as escape. Seeking to free themselves, they fled to a world of delusion, a world uncorrupted by jealousies and psychoses. And yet, in the end, even this they would pollute. So deep their need, so desperate their flight from their bitter past, they ignored the one truism all must bow before. Belief defines reality.”

…

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