Lamentation by Ken Scholes

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I was halfway through this book when I became very sad. This book was so enjoyable and It was going to end soon. Sometimes it'a pain reading so fast. It's sad because the second book isn't out yet. I became more depressed when I read that it wasn't even going to be a trilogy. In Scholes blog, he remarks the third book is almost done and he's ready to start on the fourth. I'm involved in too many book series. I'm still a year away from the next books in George Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Stephan Donaldsons' series. Now I get to add Scholes to this list. I'm hoping he's more like Weber and can churn these books out.

This book reminded me of "A Canticle for Leibovitz" but rather than dealing with the cloistered society gathering knowledge, it's the tale of the destruction of that society and the warring factions that come to battle over the remnants in the ashes. The book opens with a cataclysm at the city of Windwir. They Gypsy King and his wandering army show up to battle Sethbert and his army from the Named Lands.

I don't know what made me like this book so much. The writing is really well done. The characters all seem to be unique. I like the mix of steam punk and magic. Who doesn't love steam powered robots? And the story focus kept shifting. Just when you think you know what it's about, it becomes something else. Intrigue, love, battles, magic and armageddon. I can't wait for October when the next book comes out. Oddly enough, called Canticle.

[cranefly]

Lady Cranefly wishes to send your review to Ken.
That okay?

--cranefly

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Of course.

She knows Ken Scholes? Tell him to write faster, dammit.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I just read a pre-review of Canticle and it mentioned there were going to be five books not three! Arrgghhhh.

The second book comes tomorrow.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Not quite as good.

I think the problem is that it's the second book. The first book was very self contained with a definite ending. Sure there were loose threads that needed to be followed up, but the story concluded. In Canticle, it's just a bunch of running around. Rudolpho has to go find a cure for the problem with the baby. Vlad Le Tam has to find out who was behind the fall of Windemer. Neb has to go off into the wastes to follow up on a message from a Mechoservitor. All these paths end but they seem kind of slight. There were some dramatic reversals but nothing fundamentally changed.

It's good in a way because now I'm not dying to read the next books. I can wait. I don't have to check the release dates every day. I will read the next books and I hope they can recapture some of the euphoria I got reading the first book.