Book II, The Blasted Lands: Seven Forges

The book was shallow, and 800 year old sorcerer apparently is blind to a warrior culture assessing the empires military strength, the only time this was questionable was related to sexual interest, and no one seemed concerned at all with their fanatical devotion to their gods.

I gave the first book 3 stars - because the setting was original, the premise was fresh and consequently, i was willing to overlook the choppy writing.

But the remaining 2.5 books are absolutely putrid - this is, possibly, one of the worst fantasy books i have had the misfortune of reading in a very long time. Why 2.5? Because I read the 2nd book, skimmed the 3rd and gave up half-way through the 4th. That should give you an idea of how completely and utterly disinterested i was in the story or any of the characters.

Where do I start?

For starters, the writing is puerile. It really comes across as having been written by a teenager just getting started with writing: there is no polish to the prose, the phrasing is choppy and the author spends a lot of times repeating the same ideas (mainly to do with how tough the Saaba Whatever are, and the mysteriousness of the wizard, WhoCaresAboutHisName) and ignoring pretty much everything else.

And what he focuses on is so inconsequential to the main plot, it makes you want to slam your head on a brick wall. There is a war going on, and the supreme general of the armed forces of the most powerful Empire basically gathers his soldiers and personally drills them like a sergeant. Apparently, there are no layers of officers between him and the soldiers. The senior members of the Empire know a war is coming, but there is no mention of any strategic preparations or such (other than the General personally trying to train his soldiers). The Empire is supposed to be so large and all-powerful but his writing style and exceedingly unambitious scope makes it seem as if the army is the size of a few score men. However, that doesnt stop large groups of Imperial soldiers to appear elsewhere when needed.

Large scale events just happen in a few paragraphs. Evacuation of a city? Done. Invasion and destruction of a town? Done. However, the author has time to use large portions of a book to describe each of the 7 meetings Andover has with the Saaba Whatever gods - and each of those meetings follows pretty much the same template, so it really is the same experience narrated 7 times Well, it fills pages, atleast.

When he does get around to the other characters, he just seems to lose a sense of perspective. There is one scene where the Investigator or Interrogator or whatever is trying to interrogate the members of the royal family. Apparently, he keeps them all penned up in a room and just stares at them for half a day without speaking. And by watching them, he knows who is innocent. Which is interesting, because he - and us, the readers - have ALREADY been told who is responsible for the crime that he is investigating, and that entire arc is quite minor anyway. SO WHAT IS THE POINT OF SPENDING SO MUCH TIME ON THIS???

Another example: there is a section in Book 4 when a character who has been missing for the last 2 books is reintroduced, and the author chooses to spend 3 pages expanding on the fact that she and her suitor havent had sex, are saving themselves for marriage and are getting off via handjobs and dry-humping (really). This is in the middle of a war of survival.

That's when i stopped reading.

The Taalor Whatever are, of course, invincible and their gods make a convenient Deus Ex Machina - the other side has a powerful wizard who can destroy continents? Taalor Gods to the rescue. Character died? Taalor Gods to the rescue. But the other side gets its own DEM as well.
4 books in, there seems to be no real sense of urgency.

In this and the next 2 books, this is what happens (no, it isnt a spoiler - there is nothing here that isnt even remotely interesting or suspenseful):
- the Saaba Whatever invade.
- no one can beat the Saaba Whatever
- they attack the capital city and a DEM occurs which saves the Empire - atleast for the time being

That. Is. It.

The author has taken a very interesting premise and mired it in extreme banality - and this is primarily due to lack of writing skills.

If you are trying to decide whether or not to buy this series, do yourself a favor and dont. Read the airline magazine a second time instead (that's what I did).

This review was originally posted on Avid Reviews: [...]

The Blasted Lands is the second book in the Seven Forges trilogy. I reviewed the first book in the series, Seven Forges, here:

[...]

As I mentioned in this review, Seven Forges is written in the tone of a prequel, and though I liked it, I was much more excited to read Blasted Lands. The end of Seven Forges really hooks the reader, and it is not until the last few chapters that the conflict of the series actually begins.
I am happy to affirm that I enjoyed Blasted Lands much more than the first book in the series, and Moore has finally fully engaged me in the Seven Forges series. Blasted Lands more than makes up for the action that Seven Forges lacked, and the pacing of the book is also considerably faster. Moore also expanded his world building in this book, while at the same time revealing much more about the characters and places with which the reader was already familiar. It was refreshing to read a second book in a series that avoided the “second book slump” that so many authors seem to fall into.
The rest of this review will contain major spoilers for Seven Forges; so beware if you have not yet read it.
The Blasted Lands picks up right where Seven Forges left off. A member of the Sa’ba Taalor (the race of people who inhabit the Seven Forges) has assassinated the Emperor of the Fellein Empire during a diplomatic mission. Now a war between the two peoples seems inevitable, and in many ways this war has already started. Merros Dulver is the new commander of the Fellein armies and he fears that a war with the violent and incredibly deadly Sa’ba Taalor could be a disaster for the people of the Fellein Empire. He must bring together a fractured army and teach them to fight the most savage and skilled fighters the world has ever seen, all while trying to please the new Empress and follow the whims of a mysterious wizard who has an agenda all his own.
I really recommend this book, even to those that did not enjoy the first book in the series. This series is gearing up to be a unique epic fantasy full of war, gods, magic, and monsters. There are so many different factions in this story, and I loved how Moore managed to make a large cast of characters and several different storylines work together into a cohesive and fast paced read. A map would have been helpful, as the story covers many different areas of a large world, and I became rather confused about the orientation of these places in regards to each other.
This book finally gave the reader plenty of action, a deeper look into Moore’s remarkable world, and a story on an epic scale. These were all elements that I felt were missing in Seven Forges, and The Blasted Lands is where Moore’s story really begins. The end of the book also had me on the edge of my seat, wanting more. I will definitely be reading the next book in the Seven Forges as soon as it comes out.
I am happy to rate this novel an 8/10, and I am glad my interest in this series finally paid off.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher (Angry Robot) in return for an honest review.

This is the continuation of the story which was started in The Seven Forges. The world that has been created for the series is full of variety and diversity, from the characters to the landscape, and becomes more lush and vibrant in the second book. What is intriguing in the series is that each area of power is ambiguous in terms of whether they are inherently good or evil. It's interesting to watch the interplay between them. Their regional belief systems guide (or in some cases don't) how they behave. Every character has a mission, calling or reason to act, and they seem justified in the decisions they make. So who is the real “bad” guy? It isn’t clear cut, which makes the book, and the series, genius.

Where the Seven Forges introduced you to the characters, The Blasted Lands invites you to the table for an up close and personal experience with their cultures and history with a huge dose of mystery and intrigue woven into the fabric of the story. Between the Fellein and the Sa’ba Taalor, there are many characters to follow that are rich in depth and development. It doesn’t take long to rack up favorites on either side of the battle lines. And James Moore writes from the perspective of those in power to those who seemingly have none flawlessly.

And they are all on paths that are going to converge at some point. The question is how will that happen and who will survive? You have to read it to find out. And hopefully, you will fare better than me.

I actually finished the last paragraph, and was so engrossed; I didn’t realize it was the end. I hollered out loud, “That’s IT????” And proceeded to gnash my teeth. I wanted more. And now I have to wait. Impatiently. So go, buy, read, get lost in it, enjoy!

We looked very much forward to this sequel to the stellar debut book - Seven Forges.
And, at last, it is here and we just finished it. It took my husband and I each a week to read this worthy sequel, and we both, as always, talked about it before I typed this review.

We both liked it alot, but felt it was not quite as great as Seven Forges. But worthy sequel, nonetheless.

We never give away plot points in novels, so if you just wanna read a quick and real review from both a male and female perspective, here it is.

As a female reader, I really enjoyed this book. The gray-skinned Sa'ba Taalor people are much more interesting than their normal human counterparts. Especially the female warriors, Swech and Andover Iron Hand's teacher and guide, Delil. Tusk and Drask Silver Hand are badass characters, too.

The Blasted Lands answers a couple of mystery questions that Seven Forges began with, (what's behind the veils of the mysterious gray-skinned ultimate warriors. Who is behind the great black ships that are invading. What happens to the human leader's baby inside of the mysterious gray-skinned female warrior Swech.) And on and on and on...

We like how this particular author does NOT repeat himself here, as most authors do for sequels. Not rehashing over and over what happened in the first book. (If you start here, you will be lost.) Most authors do this, and it is a waste of pages. This author gives readers all-new material, not any rehashing. How refreshing!

As the Empire of Fellein morns the assassination of their emperor, newly-appointed general Merros Dulver,(one of our fav characters in this series), has his hands full grieving his best friend's death from the first book while preparing the army of human warriors that have grown soft, preparing them for the ultimate challenge and inevitable battle from these strange beings of gray-skinned warriors that have come out of the blasted lands.

We find ourselves cheering on the gray-skinned Sa'ba Taalor over the human race in these books. The humans come off as cocky, spoiled children, other than Merros Dulver and the uber-cool sorcerer Desh Krohan and his three 'Sisters'. There are quite a few new characters introduced in this book, and some surprisingly are quickly very interesting and then don't last the end of the book. We like surprises like this.

Even though we kinda felt that Merros Dulver was too caught up in the political upheaval here, and not kicking butt and going out into strange, unknown lands, battling weird creatures and weirder men, the author still managed to keep us interested in him.

We liked the introduction of the son of Merros Dulver's dead best friend, Nolan, who ends up going out on a quest with one of Desh's strange 'Sister' out into the badlands of the Blasted Lands, where horrendous storms are the norm, hiding hideous creatures and the mysterious and hidden "Mounds.' (Can't wait to see what is revealed here!)

Author Moore does a great job of furthering the many mysteries here in this fantastical fantasy world and its environs. Even though we felt Merros was a little wasted here, and hoped for a bit more action, there was enough of both to keep us engaged, with an ending that was much like the first book - with mind-blowing cliff hangers that leaves one angry that one has to wait for another sequel to get some much-needed and wanted answers.

If you like multiple plot points, lots of interesting and diverse characters, this series is for you.

This was a great sequel to the incredible first installment of the Seven Forges series. It picks up immediately after the final events of the first book. Like Seven Forges, The Blasted Lands jumps between various story lines of the the principle characters as the kingdom of Fellein (spoiler alert for Seven Forges ahead) prepares for war in the wake of the emperor's assassination and the loss of Captain Merros' (now General Merros') right-hand man. Though the story feels more like a bridge between the first and what I expect to be an action-packed third installment (City of Wonders), it is no less riveting to read. There are many characters, some new, some old, but Moore is deft at keeping them distinct, subtly reminding the reader who we are with at any time. The level of action is a little less in this volume (though there is still plenty of it), rather we learn a great deal more about the Sa'aba Taalor, even what's behind those mysterious veils. Like Seven Forges, this one ends with a shocking cliff hanger. Greatly looking forward to the next installment.

This second book in the Seven Forges series is good, and nearly as good as the first one, although it cannot be read independently. I still found that most of the characters, and in particular the fearsome inhabitants of the Seven Forges and the “First Advisor” (and Master Sorcerer) of the Empire of Fellein and his “Sisters”, are as attractive as in the first book. There is one new character in particular – a very mysterious man termed “The Pilgrim” – who appears in this book and will not doubt have a significant role to play in the third volume.

The main addition that this volume brings is some more information on the Seven Forges and Seven Kingdoms, through the continuing initiation of one Andover, formally an apprentice blacksmith of the Empire and increasingly a Seven Forges” convert as he meets with the Kings and Gods of the Forges. Apart from this, however, the plot does not really move along very much, hence my impression that this title was a bit of a filler.

It would however be unfair to state that nothing happens. As you will see when reading the book, a couple of momentous events do occur, with the Empire of Fellein taking further hits in particular. However, I could not help being a little disappointed by this title, especially since its subtitle (“War has come”) is somewhat misleading. By the book’s last page, it is indeed just about to break with the Empire standing on the brink of invasion, but it has not yet quite happened. One could also be forgiven for believing that the war had in fact started in the first volume, making all the hype about “War has come” somewhat artificial and even a bit melodramatic.

Another feature which is similar to the first book is the large amount of “mystery” which the author does his best to preserve throughout most of this second title. Much of what is happening throughout both titles finds its origins in a distant and hazy past where a cataclysmic war raked the continent and left large parts of it inhabitable.

What started the war a thousand years ago and what happened during the conflict are the key parts of this mystery, and so are the Seven Gods of the Seven Forges, entrenched in their mountains and inaccessible valleys. What is made clear, however, is that it is these Gods who seem to be driving it in what seems to be a belated and long-planned revenge. By and large, this feature worked rather well, even if, at times, it was a bit overplayed. By the end of the episode, you still do not know how “the Mounds” came into being, why the fearsome warriors of the Seven Forges are forbidden from going there, and how exactly the territory separating the Empire of Fellein from the Seven Forges earned its fateful name of “The Blasted Lands”.

This was a good and exciting read even if the main elements of the story did not move ahead very much. Three and a half stars.

Very good fantasy. I do have one concern, a concern that prevented me from giving this book a higher rating. In fact, it's possible that the book should have been given 3 stars (by me, anyway) but that would suggest I don't think it is worth reading, which is NOT how I feel. The problem is that Moore has made his villains too powerful. I am worried that he will resort tothat old hack's tool, the Deus ex Machina. That is, having made his bad guys too powerful, Moore will have to come out with some super-power (magic, artifact, new players - whatever) to allow his good guys to triumph. I hope that he will not resort to that, but I just don't know. I expect big things from the Pilgrim, but I won't say anymore as I don't want to drop spoilers.
By all means, read this great fantasy - just cross your fingers for the later books.

This book lets you know how awesome the enemy warriors are and the power of their gods. The next book should allow the reader know what offensive weapons the humans can come up with, and what gods will show support for them. It should provide for some very enjoyable reading in the future books of this terrific series!

James Moore tells a rip-roaring action fantasy yarn better than anyone. He draws you in, gets you involve, keeps you hooked, and leaves you breathless. The Blasted Lands continued the Seven Forges storyline and broke through into entirely new territory. I loved it.

Oh, these cliff hangers are killing me!! I hope there will be more. This was just as good as the last one, I found it enthralling. I am definitely ready to see where this is going! Congratulations on building an Epic fantasy adventure.

What seemed like a simple story really exploded into something bigger. The blasted lands opens up more depth and deeper storylines than the first book. Even the different parts of the lands get into more depth. I liked the fact that there are more characters with their own agenda. The only draw back, and it's a small one, is I wish for more action. Definitely worth every penny.

Well this follow-up is dull as dishwater! Much of the story is focused on a whiny butt character that is secondary. A lot of the story is talk, talk, talk. Not enough story time for the more interesting characters. Not enough meat to the story to make me buy book 3 when it comes out. Really disappointing as the first book was good. Very frustrating read.