The Fell Sword (The Traitor Son Cycle)

The plot moves right along, following along the major characters from the "Red Knight". It does help to have a good memory of the "Red Knight". New characters come into the story, and there are revelations that tie things in.

I really like this series! It is well written and the characters are very well developed. The story is a fantasy set in an age similar to the Middle Ages with knights, castles, magic and monsters. The Fell Sword is the 2nd in the series and continues the story adding developments, new situations that set things up for the next book. I like it because it is smartly written and different. Each read lets you find something new or a different perspective that may have been missed the previous time.

I really like this series! It is well written and the characters are very well developed. The story is a fantasy set in an age similar to the Middle Ages with knights, castles, magic and monsters. The Fell Sword is the 2nd in the series and continues the story adding developments, new situations that set things up for the next book. I like it because it is smartly written and different. Each read lets you find something new or a different perspective that may have been missed the previous time.

Really good stuff, by an author who clearly knows what he is talking about when it comes to the swords-and-armor stuff. That helps add verisimilitude to the writing. I am looking forward to the next one.

This is the second in the series and although the enemy is not as present there is a serious game of chess being played still. I enjoyed getting to know the characters better. I feel I've invested myself into following the plot but my time was enjoyed and well spent. An excellent book I highly recommend.

The Fell Sword is the second book in Miles Cameron’s Traitor Son series. The Fell Sword shows that Cameron’s considerable flair for combat and the minutia of medieval war are paired with a grasp on fantasy at a grand scale. The Fell Sword opens with the Red Knight’s mercenary company, fresh off its costly victory in the first book, traveling to “the Empire” for a contract for the Emperor. (The Empire resembles the Holy Roman Empire at first blush but is probably a better analog to the Byzantine Empire.) Things go sideways before they start, however, when the Emperor is kidnapped shortly before the company arrives. Meanwhile Thorn weaves new plots, the Wild roils, the Galles scheme, and the north of Albin recovers.

Of course, more battles, although they don’t live up to those of the first book. Neither the fell sword nor the princess play a prominent role, but that’s ok. Once again, POVs are shared by host of characters, both new and old. Almost twenty different characters grace the chapter headings alone. Locations include familiar ones like Harndon, Albinkirk, and the Wild, as well as new ones such as Liviapolis (capital of the Empire), the capital of Galle, and Ticondaga (the seat of the Red Knight’s father). Book 2 is a story of men, but that doesn’t stop of from exploring the Wild far to the west and to the north. We see the dams of giant beavers, the source of the famous Wild honey, an irk king, giants, and much more of the Native American-esque Sossag (as well as the Huron tribes).

We also learn more about the mysterious force behind the events of the first book. From that I can think we can draw a broad sketch of where the story is pointed for the final three books. Along those lines, we learn that some characters who seemed relevant only for color in The Red Knight a now shown, or hinted, to hold more important roles in the story (Peter the slave-turned-Sossag most obviously, I think). Unfortunately, there are several plots which are neither brought to any sort of climax nor given reasonable signals as to where they might go. I’m sure they’re important, but it detracts from the book nonetheless and is the main factor in a lower rating than for The Red Knight.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary e-copy of The Fell Sword through NetGalley.

First the bad. Cameron settles in a bit too much as he puts forth this second volume in his Traitor Son Cycle series. Not sure if the series is going to be just three books; this has quite a few 'middle book' flaws even so. There is a lot of set up. A lot. Characters move and meet and very little actually happens. There are some needed set ups for the series to go past this novel, however it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort with little pay out.

Cameron also follows the "new" trend of false reality equivalence: characters must die. This is fine overall as the book is a battering rampage of war battle and murder. So death is a natural part. But some characters feel like the typical 'red shirts" a bit too much. A sudden focus that smacks a bit too much of over manipulation. Author builds up character just enough and for just a short moment to provide a "greater" impact when a character dies. I don't consider this a spoiler since Cameron still has a penchant for making sure other characters cheat death with incredible and even in some cases repeated panache.

The last flaw is that Cameron is offering a spin of a rather familiar story. It has some really nice worldbuilding by the author and enough unique spins to mostly provide a strong entertaining read. But in a couple of cases the over way too familiar plot elements simply ruin certain points that get way too much attention. Or perhaps just makes the build up seem tedious and way too lengthy. In any case a lot of the dramatic reveal falls flat because it is already obvious once you realize the parallels to another much larger more common legendary story.

The good is that Cameron writes strong action scenes, interesting characters that even in an over large cast still maintain interest and continue to grow as multi-faceted elements Cameron moves almost will-nilly across a huge and colorful landscape. The story as a whole rises above the otherwise predictable elements and leaves me looking forward to the next entry. The author also captures the feel of battle both before during and after. His research into the materials and matters of the period he establishes is strong and believable. And if at times gets a bit too mired into detail still makes sure to keep it pertinent to the story as a whole.

Soooooo, huh. Let me start by saying that I absolutely love The Red Knight, or the Captain as he’s also called. His character is layered with depth and I find myself longing to be in his PoV. There’s so many questions I have about him and few answers. Cameron tosses us these little tidbits of information and I gobble them up like starved puppy. I’m fascinated by the Captain. I can’t get enough of him. And that is why I had some issues with this book.

Like The Red Knight, this book’s storyline is heavy in military life and has a fair amount of groups that are converging together. So, basically, it’s bordering on a storyline that I can get rather bored with easily. Simply said: I’m a character reader. I want to be with my favorite character for at least 80-90% of the time. With such an intricate storyline with such a diverse cast, I’m not able to ride alongside my favorite characters in this book as often as needed. Therefore, I’m not fully engrossed in the story. So, I can sum up my complaints about The Fell Sword by saying—for me—there were just too many other characters that I was forced to read about, too many I really didn’t care about.

Now, I’m not a complete Red Knight snob. I love Sauce and Bad Tom. Great characters. Ser Michael was one I took notice of in this book. However, we’re rarely with them either. I had this same complaint about the first book, but I must say that it felt like we spent even less time with the Captain in book 2.

I love the magic system. It’s great. However, I’m starting not to care when someone gets hurt. Oh, you got hit with an arrow? No worries. We’ll heal you right up. Sure, some people died, but the heavy hitters seem immune. I know for story sake that they must live, but when you know someone can heal, it takes a bit of the intensity out of it.

The world is still interesting for me. The Wild is great, and I loved the creatures some characters had to face. That said, the Captain wasn’t in the Wild this time, so it was with a character I wasn’t that attached to which lessoned my interest. Still, some great fights.

I also had a bit of a problem with time. It took me a ways in before I understood that weeks and months were passing. I might have missed it because I did (hang head in shame) skim a bit to get to my favorite characters or the stories that interested me more than others.

Also, if you can, I’d read this as close to The Red Knight as possible. Cameron does not spend time recapping and with his cast of characters, I had forgotten who quite a few of them were. I caught up eventually, but I had just read The Red Knight a few months ago. If I waited a year, forget it. I would have been lost.

I don’t think I mentioned it in my other review, but there were a couple typos and grammar stuff. There’s not as many in the first, but be prepared for some missing quotations and a bit of confusion when two characters talk in the same paragraph.

Now, I’ve grumbled off a list of negatives, but I cannot express how damn curious I am about the Captain. He keeps me coming back to this story. I. Must. Know. More. So if you’re a character reader like I am, I think you’ll find someone to love. And personally, I like Cameron’s voice.

REVIEW SUMMARY: Epic Sword & Sorcery.

MY RATING: 5 stars

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Freshly blooded from the defense of Lissen Carrak, the Red Knight and his company venture to Morea where they find themselves in the midst of a civil war. Elsewhere in the realm factions move one step closer toward total warfare. Alliances are made and schemes are fulfilled.

MY REVIEW

PROS: Larger-than-life characters, authentic descriptions, densely woven plot, bold scope, high stakes, complex and mysterious magic, and enthralling action.

CONS: The large cast of the first book is expanded even further, and while the characters are well developed, it results in a slowed pace.

BOTTOM LINE: The sequel to one of my favorite novels of 2013 continues to deliver on the promise of the first book. This series is bound to please fans of Epic Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, and likely even Historical Fiction.

Along with Django Wexler's The Thousand Names, The Red Knight by Miles Cameron was my favorite fantasy novel of last year. This year both books get sequels (as does my favorite fantasy of 2012, Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards) leading me to the conclusion that 2014 is a good year to be a reader. What I loved most about the first book in Cameron's Traitor Son Cycle was the heart of chivalry beating underneath the blood and mud caked breastplate. The Red Knight and his company are mercenaries -- they fight and kill for payment. The combat depicted in these novels is of the gritty variety that is so popular in the Sword & Sorcery sub-genre with the added benefit of being written by a man who understands the restrictions of plate and the weight of a sword. And despite this the stories read like a contemporary take on old Arthurian legends.

The Fell Sword picks up right where The Red Knight left off. The realm is recovering from the massive clash at Lissen Carrak, an unexpected campaign that proved the Wild is still a threat. The Red Knight and his company have accepted a new commission from the Emperor of Morea, but before they arrive at the capital city they find he has been captured and the city is under siege. This new job comes with an array of complications...and opportunities. The siege is lifted but the usurper is not defeated outright and so he retreats to fight another day. The company enters the city and the Red Knight begins to enact plans to rebuild the empire, save the rightful emperor, and destroy his newest adversary. Surrounded by spies and assassins the company soon finds that fighting the creatures of the Wild is preferable to meddling in a civil war.

There's a ridiculous amount more going on in the world during the Red Knight's stay in Morea but for the sake of brevity I'll spare you all the details. The Red Knight boasted a cast much larger than I'm accustomed to reading and The Fell Sword only builds on this. There are a lot of plots and schemes and plans and agendas, and they are all woven together to create a tapestry of deceit and war. If you think there's a lot going on in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (sorry but I refuse to refer to the series as Game of Thrones) then just wait till you get a load of Cameron's Traitor Son Cycle. And honestly I hate to use the George R.R. Martin comparison because it feels so overused and cheap but it's difficult to talk about the current state of fantasy and ignore such an influential author/series.

The fact is that the two series have a lot in common. Both have that sort of historical weight behind them. Both are loaded with schemes and treachery, an aspect that I found could be every bit as thrilling as actual battle when I first read A Game of Thrones. Both have large casts of heroes you love and villains you love to hate. If you enjoy A Song of Ice and Fire then The Traitor Son Cycle is a must read. But the two series aren't exactly the same and The Fell Sword goes far to prove this. It is very much epic fantasy, in a way that I never felt A Song of Ice and Fire was. There is definite good and evil in addition to the moral ambiguity that permeates the novel.

Once you acclimate to the huge cast you'll likely find that you enjoy most every character. The Red Knight has been added to my list of All Time Favorite Characters. The Fell Sword sees our hero trying to rebuild a country while dodging assassination attempts and it displays a whole new aspect of the character -- suggesting that he's not just a brilliant strategist and fighter, but also a natural ruler. I've developed attachments to the various mercenaries of his company: Bad Tom, Sauce, Wilfull Murder, Ser Gavin, Ser Michael, Gelfred, Bent, Long Paw...the list goes on and on. And that's just his company. There are numerous POV's ranging from the Queen of Alba to the powerful sorcerer Thorn and. The Fell Sword gives a fair bit of attention to the Wild, giving it personality beyond monsters from the deep woods. The treacherous Galles also make an appearance, further complicating already complicated matters. What's great is that no matter the actions of the characters they are also so compelling that I love them all. Except for the King of Alba. I love to hate him.

The book is abundant with magic and most of the protagonists are practitioners of Cameron's magic system to some degree. In The Red Knight readers got a taste of how the system works but I found it largely obscure. In the sequel we get a much better grasp of what hermeticism is and how it functions through the perspective of Morgan Mortimir, a young man studying at the Academy in Morea. I still can't say that I completely understand Cameron's magic system but I now know enough that it makes sense. And it's awesome.

The Fell Sword features a lot more talking and negotiating than actual action. Considering that The Red Knight was pretty much one endless, awesome siege I can't complain. With this series Cameron is building towards a cataclysmic war, or more likely given the vast number of moving parts and agendas, wars. What fighting there is to be found is authentic, as I've come to expect after the first book. Cameron's background gives him the knowledge to properly write about pitched combat and he does so with style. Armed combat is brutal. People get hurt. People die. Cameron doesn't shy away from depicting the butchery of battle and the realities of war and he never celebrates it. He is an author with respect for the subject and it is clear from his writing.

I only have two real complaints to air. The first problem is that because of the abundance of POV's I felt as though I didn't get enough of the Red Knight. There was plenty to explain what was going on in his part of the world but I felt somewhat removed from the character himself. This can be attributed to his condition at the end of the first book and his alienation from the rest of the company but as much as I love the character I'd have preferred to spend more time from his perspective. My second problem is a POTENTIAL SPOILER so skip ahead to the next paragraph if you want to avoid it. The Red Knight and his men (and women) do not trust the Princess of Morea, the daughter of their kidnapped employer. It isn't revealed until near the end why they don't trust the Princess and it shocked me from the plot. It's not a surprising reason but the fact that I had read that far in the book without it being mentioned seemed odd. Something that important really should have been expressed more clearly, earlier on.

Alas, these are two minor complaints when considering how much sheer awesome The Fell Sword has to offer. I would not recommend reading this book without first reading The Red Knight and I'd go so far as to expect re-reading The Red Knight if it has been more than six months since you first read it -- I had trouble remembering some slightly important things when I first picked this up. If you enjoy fantasy books I cannot recommend The Traitor Son Cycle enough. Miles Cameron is steadily building up toward something amazing and I eagerly await the next book in this series.

Nick Sharps
SF Signal

Having so thoroughly enjoyed Cameron's debut fantasy novel "The Red Knight", I had very high expectations for book two, "The Fell Sword" and was not disappointed! After the battle at Lissen Carak, The Company travels east to Morea and Thrake to end a local rebellion. However, after the Captain and company arrive, they find that things are much more complicated than they planned. We also get to follow more of the intrigue unfolding at the kingdom of Hardon, where life is becoming much more dangerous with the subtle invasion of the arrogant and deadly Galles, all the while secrets are emerging about the King himself and his dark past, and perhaps secrets of the castle itself. We are introduced to a villainous sorceress at Ticondaga castle who has very close ties to the Red Knight, and we get a small taste of just how powerful and wicked she can be. We also follow the evil wizard Thorn as he hatches his next, perhaps deadliest plot ever, while getting a closer look at the Outwaller tribes, the Jacks, and all the magical creatures of the Wild as their homeland and the rest of the world is falling into chaos and turmoil. And perhaps we even get to meet one of the most magical creatures of all! If you're looking for great writing, brilliant characterization, dark humor, swords and sorcery, mystery and intrigue, epic battle scenes, and more wild adventures with the Captain and Bad Tom, this book is for you! 5 big stars.

Miles Cameron's second entry into the "Traitor Son Cycle" is well written, compelling, and has a host of characters and plots to keep our attention.

At the centre of the action is, as always, the Red Knight himself. Although he now has several different titles and roles, and lives at the centre of at least half a dozen different plots. Alongside his storyline, there are also threads that deal with the Wild, with trade, with the threats to the empire, magic, and love. But it is the sheer complexity of the novel that is its greatest flaw.

The biggest virtue of the first book was that, despite the myriad of characters, and many plots, they all joined and came together smoothly. Simultaneously the action built, from a slower, smaller scale to a finale that was quick and on a large scale. This created a lovely narrative arc. This second entry is not so deft however. The action in the form of battles come quickly, then pause, then resume, and pause, and resume. The scale varies, and there is no neat single narrative thread that unites them all. As a result, the book does not have the flow or the crescendo at the end that help TRK succeed so wildly.

Nevertheless, Cameron manages a solid entry in the series. The characters continue to be believable, compelling, interesting, and have a variety of motivations. The magic is interesting, the female characters well drawn, and the villains thoroughly unpleasant and nasty. As well, the historical influences are very well handled--the novel has elements of Byzantine, European, North American Native, and ancient Greek, to name just the most obvious.

So overall, the The Fell Sword is exciting and interesting to read. And while it may not be as good as the first, it is still very good, and definitely superior to much of the fantasy that is published these days.

Love this series. Can't wait for the next installment. This is fantasy - magic and alternate societies with elves and witches. Don't read this if you don't like that sort of thing. It is about war between the different factions - there is a great deal of dismemberment and death - but it is fantasy, so I didn't get to disturbed by it. It isn't something for a kid to read though. It's a good vs evil tale. It's also about love and honor and respect and kindness and perseverance in the face of tremendous difficulties. And likewise, the opposite of those appear: betrayal, dysfunctional families, evil incarnate. The author really knows his military strategy and weaponry. It's told from many different point of views. You can get lost trying to keep up with who is who and belongs to which faction. I read this one through twice just to make sure I had gotten all the different factions straight. If you haven't read "The Red Knight" (the first one), do that and then read this one.

Miles Cameron continues to maintain the tension in this next volume of his highly addictive Traitor Son series.
Heroic fantasy complete with heart-stopping, exhausting battles, palace intrigues, geo-political manoeuvres and the occasional romance all mixed up with knights, mercenaries, magisters and creatures of the Wild in this medieval referencing landscape. Oh and did I mention boggles, trolls and irks. Renegade sorcerer and aether handler Thorn develops new and more powerful magics. The Red Knight has his hands full! Magister Harmodius still shares his body, and that's a whole 'nother story. The Emperor has been seized, there are spies in the palace, the Red Knight's men are being poisoned, his horses have been killed and assassins are in place. Of course all our favourites are present; Bad Tom, Mags, Sauce, Ser Michael, and Kaitlin to name a few.
Fast paced and compelling. A fitting next chapter!

A NetGalley ARC

As many have written, the multiple storylines and POVs make this sequel a bit challenging. However, given the wonderful characterization, rich battle scenes and the slowly revealed intricate plotline, I am more than willing to do the "work" of jumping from one development/POV to the next. The author has created a richly detailed and immersive world - dragons, Indians, imaginary versions of Africa, France, the Byzantine Empire, walking trees, faeries, knights, boggles and did I mention dragons? -- Cameron has thrown everything but the kitchen sink into this series and manages to both balance and knit it all together magnificently, all the while making you care about the main (and even side) protagonists. Speaking of knitting it all together -- the Christmas Eve dance scene was wonderful. I also enjoy the female personae and their storylines in this series. Sister Amicia, Ghause Muriens, the treacherous princess, Mag, Desiderata, Sauce -- all different female characters with complex motivations. I am really looking forward to the next installment.

This is my personal preference & opinions only. Of course this can viewed as purely a subjective review by an avid reader of the Sci-Fiction & Fantasy genre. Anyways the story continues with the same kind of complexity & excellent prose as the first book, although it has a little less action comparatively.

Let's list out the things I like about book 2:-
1) Same level of intrigue, twists & revelation.
2) More flashing out of old & new characters that gives the story an almost desperate feel to get to the truth.
3) Great action scenes, a little less than book 1.
4) New characters, more back story, interesting twists & deaths of certain supporting characters.
5) Map included:)

Things I prefer if it were different:-
1) I find the break in paragraph for book 1 is beyond compare but book 2 focuses too long on the story segments of supporting characters. I would prefer the progression of the Red Knight be more prominent & sprinkle more evenly.
2) Some of the story arc for the supporting characters are not as interesting & the pace not as intriguing as book 1. Sometimes it's just traveling from point A to B even though it's a difficult track in the story.
3) The Red Knight in book 1 was more intimate, in book 2 he is almost regulated as a good supporting role.

Overall it's a great book & love the new illustrations of the characters & map in this book. Can't wait to see what happens in book 3.
Great read, finished it in 3 days & I was savouring it.

I thought parts of the Red Knight had storytelling on a really, really high level and parts were slow and tedious. This book has more of the latter. Too many characters and too little progress for my taste. In the end it just becomes frustrating. Bummer...

This is one of the best fantasy series going, well-written, exciting, complex, and rewarding. It was so good that I was sad to see that it was only 622 pages long, twice that length would have been much preferred!

Not as good as the Red Knight but still entertaining. Cameron spends to much time (in my opinion) focusing on events away from the company. While focused on Gabriel and his cohorts the book is much more interesting.

Anyway looking forward to book 3.