The Warded Man: Book One of The Demon Cycle

I bought this expecting just another mediocre fantasy novel, but it suprised me in the best way possible. The characters were interesting & well developed. The book ended with enough closure to not make me mad, but made me interested in what happened next. I could hardly put the book down & dreamt about it when I was reading it! I can't wait for the 4th to come out to find out what happens next. Seriously worth a read.

I really enjoyed the Warded Man; definitely a good start to a series that I will continue to look forward to. I think it's worth a solid 4 stars, not the most amazing or original fantasy I've ever read, but it certainly kept me fascinated and entertained throughout its length. There's such a definition of character traits in the novel that it lacks a certain depth achieved by other authors. In this world, you're either a coward or a fighter, good or evil, knowledgeable or ignorant. There's no room for the shades of gray that one would find in more realistic writing styles. But still very interesting nonetheless. And certainly the fact that we watch the main characters grow from children into adults is a very strong foundation for the audience to understand their personalities and motivations as the series continues. It was an original move for Brett to start the story with Arlen, Leesha and Rojer at such young ages and I think it will pay off well for him in the end in terms of character development.

I agree that the romantic chemistry between Arlen and Leesha felt very forced and I don't think he should've tried to push them together as early as he did. But I did enjoy the 3 main characters chemistry with each other overall, I felt like they were a good match for each other and will make good companions as time goes on.

One huge warning I have: I bought this book on the Kindle and was highly, HIGHLY disappointed with its formatting. It was missing capitalization and punctuation, paragraph separation-- basically anything you can think of that could be wrong with the format, was wrong. It made for a horrible read, and even though I prefer my Kindle books to trekking to the bookstore, I would recommend not wasting your money for the Kindle version. It's incredibly distracting and hard to read. And the formatting never gets better, but stays awful throughout the book.

This book was just okay. The writing is stiff. The characters aren't as developed as they could be. There were interesting ideas. I liked some areas of the story I just think Brett could have done a better job of bringing these ideas to life. I was definitely disappointed with my purchase. If the main male character was a little shallow all of the female characters were even more so. If you enjoy strong female characters look elsewhere.

Incredible. This book was a feast for the imagination. I loved the writing style. The only problem I had was a female character's reaction to a particular scene that the author sort of had her brush off like it was no biggy. I would have liked to seen a more believable reaction.

I'm interested in the characters and the tale. As a standalone, it's decent - nothing groundbreaking. As the first part of an enormous tale, it feels just right. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good, fun fantasy series.

Do not start this series. Unless you enjoy misogyny, rape, object rape, genital mutilation, and many other equally dark and offensive behaviors, this is not the series for you. I could potentially give this and the rest of the series 2 stars based on the story since it is moderately interesting. However, the prolific dark and disgusting behaviors portrayed as normalized throughout, overshadow any enjoyment gained from the story. The characters are shallow, with either ever-changing core philosophies or trite rigid qualities that prevent any kind of meaningful attachment. In my opinion, the only characters with any depth and relatability were Amanvah and Ragen Messenger. Sadly neither of these characters get more than a few chapters in the entire series.
I rarely give reviews less than 3 stars, and usually 4-5, but this book and the rest of the series were a fail for me. I did read the entire series, but it was because I kept hoping something would change. That somehow some semblance of light or moral character would be introduced, but it was not to be. I realize the grimdark subgenre is a thing, and I guess this could fit there, but I finished feeling depressed and frustrated in the end. No thanks.

I just finished reading the Warded Man and i have to say i loved it. Yes it has some of the traditional story lines we normally see in fantasy. However, it was quickly paced and i really enjoyed the content. I wouldn't liken Peter Brett to the always frustrating GRRM (gods finish a dance with dragons already), but i would put him in a class with David Gemell for a fun and fast read.

It's hard to get into. But there is much to like as you progress thru the book. Give it time. By the end you will want more of the Warded Man...PAR CHIN! My rating is based on the overall book, the story is unique. The 2nd book gives you more of the culture of the Krasian people and really is excellent.

I always think of Haplo and The Death Gate Cycle when I think of a great character covered in tattoos. There are seven books in that series; but, they keep getting better and are worth the commitment. This series, judging by the further ratings, keeps getting worse and, not being 12, I was not the target audience. Some of the clear parallels that are drawn between the Mid East and occurrences in this book also made me feel that the author was lacking inspiration. Even if one chooses to forgive the fumbling, coming of age, peach fuzz moments and idiocracy that is this world, the whole demon thing is about as scary as keeping rabbits out of the garden.

Great book! Couldn't put it down from start to finish!! Strongly recommend this to anyone who likes books that keep you in suspense.. found myself wondering when the main characters were finally going to cross paths through the whole book.. twists left and right throughout

Buy it. Just do it. My husband I have both read it now and both thoroughly enjoyed it. The author has done a fantastic job weaving a tale that gives you the need to read it through with out setting it down.

The Warded Man seems to be a very concise and entertaining reading. I enjoyed it alot. It even had and ending. All fiction is somewhat predictable, but not all of it is obvious, all the time. Read it and see. There is much worse.
RV

Great start to an amazing series with a completely new system of magic and unique view on the fantasy genre. The book is gritty and the characters well developed. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Got this book for Christmas, and it's been polished off already. I started it in the afternoon, and immediately lost all productivity as I read it from cover to cover. Brett's characters are amazing, his scene building is terrific, and the history of his little world is fascinating.

The book is unbelievably ridiculous. The setting (demons rising at night) had some promise, but the idea was so poorly executed that it completely kept me from getting immersed in the world. Countless monsters rise from the earth and slaughter everything they can find that isn't secured behind a protective ward, but there is still wildlife running around. Unless animals have figured out how to "ward" their dens, it doesn't make much sense to me. Additionally, the lead character rapidly becomes invincible, slaughtering these things with medieval karate and super bad ass attitude. The writing was about as poorly executed as mine is, and made me roll my eyes and cringe several times.

It was recommended to me on the store when looking for similar works to Martin's epic series, and I couldn't have been more disappointed.

If you're looking for any sort of depth in a fantasy novel, or want some characters to engage with, you'll likely be disappointed with this effort. I liked the initial concept and bought the book on that basis, but after reading the majority of the book (it was so predictable I stopped reading at the 'final battle') I was left with the usual taste of frustration that bad fantasy writing routinely generates. No character development, no real development of setting and a plot that fails to surprise. I sold this one at my local used book dealership and got $1.50 and I still feel like I ripped the guy off.

Nothing more than a knockoff of Barbara Hambly's The Darwath Trilogy coupled with George RR Martin's obsession with sex. Save your money and read Hambly or something else. I even tried book two in the series but put it down. Disappointing.

Edited to add that the reviews detailing the violent rape of women, their second class status and absolute misogny are spot on. I think I got this from the daily Bookbub e-mail. Lesson learned here - check the reviews before you buy a Bookbub recommendation.

The first half of the book involves the character development and introduction of the players. This is done so well that will race forward into the second half of the book. Unfortunately the book seems to spasm in the middle and skips over the continued character plot lines and pushes us to far along in the story that it is hard to recognize the same characters. If that were the only issue it would have been a reasonable initial book (should have been two and allow the same pacing of story line). The death of this series occurs in the relationship that develops at the end. The manner and characters involved in this relationship will make you consider tossing this book out the window. It should have never made it through the editorial process with this plot development. Not sure how this is going to be saved in two additional books, but know I will not be along for the rest of the ride. I look forward to Additional books from this author but urge him to find people to trust and give him feedback on his drafts in the future.

With so many reviews typed up, I'm not sure that mine will be even read - and I normally don't write reviews at all, but this book was something else. I loved it for the first 2/3's of the book, and like other readers I wanted to give it a 5 star up to that point and I was probably driving my family crazy by talking about it too.

Pro's
- I love how the book was put together for the most part. There are three very different main characters that the author shares with the readers. And we get to see how they all grow up and how they develop.
- The writing style was really neat. Brett brought in so many different cultures, ideas, topics and perspectives with enough detail that readers could appreciate and understand them all, but not too much detail that readers got lost in the background.
- The plot (for the first 2/3's) was AMAZING!

Con's
- The last 1/3 of the the book - the characters that the author had spent most of the book developing did a 90 degree flip if not a 180. You didn't recognize the characters that you grew to love
- Almost every scene where there was a woman, sex or child bearing was the topic of conversation. Brett made it seem like a woman's only interest/purpose was creating babies or making men happy. I totally get why (in a world where human population is decreasing, you want to have more children) but, really, there is no point in kicking a dead horse.
- Leesha - one of the main characters. (SPOILER) She really emphasized the above point and I don't like how she "saved" herself for 27 years, then completely falls in love the another character, and gives herself to him, at the end of the story after having met him for all of 1 week. Her character was honestly really unrealistic. At the beginning of the story she was bearable, but in the last 1/3 I read through her portions as fast as possible.

As you can see from the lengths of the pro's and con's, sadly, I could not give this book that 5 stars that the first part deserves. I would recommend it if you need a change of story, b/c it really is an intriguing idea. But I just want you to take this note as a warning about the last part of the story.

There are a few great fantasy writers working today. Despite the abundance of 4-5 start reviews on the store, Brett is not among them. This book is chock full of clumsy unbelievable characters, who all act pretty much the same. "The Warded Man" doesn't feel like a living breathing world, it feels like a bunch of marionettes shambling around a cardboard world. Characters, even main characters, exist without having their motivations or inner lives explored to any degree of depth.

The book is unbelievably ridiculous. The setting (demons rising at night) had some promise, but the idea was so poorly executed that it completely kept me from getting immersed in the world. Countless monsters rise from the earth and slaughter everything they can find that isn't secured behind a protective ward, but there is still wildlife running around. Unless animals have figured out how to "ward" their dens, it doesn't make much sense to me. Additionally, the lead character rapidly becomes invincible, slaughtering these things with medieval karate and super bad ass attitude. The writing was about as poorly executed as mine is, and made me roll my eyes and cringe several times.

It was recommended to me on the store when looking for similar works to Martin's epic series, and I couldn't have been more disappointed.

If you're looking for any sort of depth in a fantasy novel, or want some characters to engage with, you'll likely be disappointed with this effort. I liked the initial concept and bought the book on that basis, but after reading the majority of the book (it was so predictable I stopped reading at the 'final battle') I was left with the usual taste of frustration that bad fantasy writing routinely generates. No character development, no real development of setting and a plot that fails to surprise. I sold this one at my local used book dealership and got $1.50 and I still feel like I ripped the guy off.

Nothing more than a knockoff of Barbara Hambly's The Darwath Trilogy coupled with George RR Martin's obsession with sex. Save your money and read Hambly or something else. I even tried book two in the series but put it down. Disappointing.

Edited to add that the reviews detailing the violent rape of women, their second class status and absolute misogny are spot on. I think I got this from the daily Bookbub e-mail. Lesson learned here - check the reviews before you buy a Bookbub recommendation.

With so many reviews typed up, I'm not sure that mine will be even read - and I normally don't write reviews at all, but this book was something else. I loved it for the first 2/3's of the book, and like other readers I wanted to give it a 5 star up to that point and I was probably driving my family crazy by talking about it too.

Pro's
- I love how the book was put together for the most part. There are three very different main characters that the author shares with the readers. And we get to see how they all grow up and how they develop.
- The writing style was really neat. Brett brought in so many different cultures, ideas, topics and perspectives with enough detail that readers could appreciate and understand them all, but not too much detail that readers got lost in the background.
- The plot (for the first 2/3's) was AMAZING!

Con's
- The last 1/3 of the the book - the characters that the author had spent most of the book developing did a 90 degree flip if not a 180. You didn't recognize the characters that you grew to love
- Almost every scene where there was a woman, sex or child bearing was the topic of conversation. Brett made it seem like a woman's only interest/purpose was creating babies or making men happy. I totally get why (in a world where human population is decreasing, you want to have more children) but, really, there is no point in kicking a dead horse.
- Leesha - one of the main characters. (SPOILER) She really emphasized the above point and I don't like how she "saved" herself for 27 years, then completely falls in love the another character, and gives herself to him, at the end of the story after having met him for all of 1 week. Her character was honestly really unrealistic. At the beginning of the story she was bearable, but in the last 1/3 I read through her portions as fast as possible.

As you can see from the lengths of the pro's and con's, sadly, I could not give this book that 5 stars that the first part deserves. I would recommend it if you need a change of story, b/c it really is an intriguing idea. But I just want you to take this note as a warning about the last part of the story.

There are a few great fantasy writers working today. Despite the abundance of 4-5 start reviews on the store, Brett is not among them. This book is chock full of clumsy unbelievable characters, who all act pretty much the same. "The Warded Man" doesn't feel like a living breathing world, it feels like a bunch of marionettes shambling around a cardboard world. Characters, even main characters, exist without having their motivations or inner lives explored to any degree of depth.

I am sorry, but the person who wrote that this is the best book he has ever read in this genre needs to broaden his or her horizons a bit more. How this book gets 3 or even 4 stars is beyond me. This book reads like the author read a primer for how to write the modern fantasy novel and then proceeded to write the book with a check list in hand:

I. The modern fantasy novel must be gritty - check!-- we insert one incest/child molestation scene and one rape scene gratuitously.

II. The modern fantasy novel must have a strong female character inside a traditional female role - check! -- enter the medicine/wise woman.

III. The modern fantasy novel must be non-linear - check! -- we give you three chapters of one character and leave off for another character whom we have never met, but are supposed to care about. (Not everyone can be James Joyce or Marcel Proust. Doing this requires skill and careful editing. Neither of these were available to Mr. Brett)

IV. The modern fantasy novel MUST be a series - check! -- the author uses the back story as his story the whole book could have been a chapter of a well written book... ok, fine, three chapters.

So much for the actual book. Now I must really beat myself up, because I read the synopsis of this book, and thought "Nah, you can't really write a book about that..." However, after reading the reviews, for the most part glowing 4 and 5 star reviews, I thought perhaps it was worth reading... Bad idea. The book's premise is built on a flimsy premise, and little if any thought has gone into this. At night demons come out and kill EVERYTHING... everything except what is protected by wards. These are monsters that no human weapon can kill or even harm. We are told that with them rampaging around killing everything in sight... "with corelings culling the weak, only the strongest predators remain." (Brett, Peter V. The Warded Man. p. 192. Del Rey. Kindle Edition).

Meet the strongest predator, the RABBIT: "Arlen cursed the hare, and cursed all the more when it darted right for him. If it damaged the inner wards, they were both doomed." (Brett, Peter V. The Warded Man. p. 65. Del Rey. Kindle Edition). Huh? Swords can't cut them but boars can gore them... HOW???? The hare, of course, is mightier than the sword....

This is just one example of how the books premise is about as solid as dust bunny (had to keep with the rabbit theme). Others have commented already on the poor character development, and I will second them on this... Where I disagree with other critics is the sex in the book. Come on! One rape scene and off-stage allusions to people having sex? Maybe I missed some scenes that were in the parts that of the book I skipped because they were insufferably boring...

Del Rey should fire the editor who let this one through. This is an unfinished draft, and not a book. My advice: skip this and read the first Rothfuss book "Name of the Wind" which is an actual book (skip "Wise Man's Fear" as it is another draft purporting to be a book) or, if you want gritty, read "Game of Thrones" (skip the rest of the series as you will begin getting disappointed by Martin's failure to deliver on his promises and his editor's decision to leave all editorial decisions up to Martin).

I've read tons of both good and bad fantasy books over the years. And I have to say this book truly is like an abusive relationship.

The first 2/3 read like a promising first attempt at writing a fantasy novel by someone who may have a gift for it (given some more experience - detail is thin but story/plot/world is there).

Then the author pretty much destroys his own work with the last 1/3. I have to admit, I've never read a book that actually self destructed until now. It just implodes on itself out of nowhere. I honestly couldn't suspend disbelief anymore. Every single one of the characters became totally different, and nearly unrecognizable, people in the span of a chapter or two. I can clearly see what the author was going for with this: a plot twist to make your jaw drop. The problem is that the author doesn't have the skill to pull this off believably. I don't know if it is because he is green or simply rushed it out. It doesn't really matter. The net effect is the same.

One last thing: The whole rape thing he used in the book? Yeah, if you're going to actually implement a rape of one of your primary characters, you should at least make it impact the story beyond a chapter or two. Oh, and a woman is not going to throw herself at some stranger 3 days after being raped and walking around in shock about it. Sorry but this author seriously needs to stop writing women characters. I am a (manly man type of) guy and feel embarrassed for him about the way they are portrayed.

This review is of the store. My problem is the font is too small. I ordered a hardcover, hoping to that the font would be large enough to read easily. It was a library edition, not as tall so the font is ver very small.
In a physical book store I would never had bought this version, being too small of font. the store used books do not give any description of books.

I love fantasy that doesn't focus on Tolkien'esque worlds and tropes. The Painted Man, known as The Warded Man in U.S markets, does deliver on that front.

However, it falls short of being great sometimes. Let's get into why.

The plot to this book is linear and predictable. It just is. However, while the premise of a demon invasion isn't unique, the execution of this particular story is rather fresh.

The demons are introduced from the start. You learn more about them and their many subspecies as you read. They're animalistic, cruel, only come out when the sun is obscured, and they've easily stolen man's stature as apex predator.

The demons, or corelings as the book names them in the first chapter, share the role as the central focus point of the novel. Wards, magic symbols used to repel them, make up the next focus.

We follow the stories of Arlen, a farmer boy; Leesha, a small-town girl; and Rojer, a type of wandering jester called a Jongleur.

The mystery surrounding the corelings, the history of the world, and the intricate magic are what drive the intrigue and essentially anchor the book.

The Painted Man dips its toes into the water when it comes to having deep characters, but never fully delivers. Which is sad, as most of the novel is dedicated to building the protagonists' personalities from scratch, since we start with them as children.

There are moments of moral ambiguity and at times even a perfect mixing of flaws and strengths in the characters, with one drunken Jongleur being a beautiful example of this.

It feels as if the author succeeds in laying down layers of emotions, memories, and drive for his novel's characters, but those layers are just a bit too thin, too opaque, and too patch-work to truly hold up to scrutiny.

The characters are close to breathing life, but they fall just short.

I still found myself amused, laughing, and even heartbroken at times. Though there was always an emotional disconnect that kept me from truly believing in the protagonists' existence.

Peter V. Brett's prose is formulaic.

This novel doesn't lavish its reader with stunning descriptions or impressive displays of wordplay. It gets you from Point A to Point B.

The author repeats ideas too often.

He does have a good vocabulary, though, and doesn't do the same with his adjectives or common nouns more than a handful of times.

What the writing does do well is explain things. It's thick and reminiscent of older fantasy, but it's not hard to understand by any means.

You won't scratch your head when you read this book. You'll know what's going on. That's to its credit.

The Painted Man has mostly enjoyable characters, an interesting premise, an exciting magic system, and easily to follow--if dense--prose.

It's worth reading if hard magic systems or dystopian dark fantasies are your particular pleasure.

With its heavy word count, and faltering characters, it can be a chore to get through at times. Its world's culture also feels small and lacks depth, but it holds up well overall and the work will transport you to a place of horror and limited magic like you've never explored before.

I will remember this book fondly and talk about its good qualities often I'm sure. I will recommend it to friends whom I know would enjoy its drearier brand of fantasy.

(Google Ambrose Crotts book review for more reviews.)

Then this book series for you.

Otherwise, perhaps you should look elsewhere.

It is an interesting premise. It started out fairly well. However, by the end of the 1st book and the start of the second, my wife and I put it down. Wasted $9 on the second book, won't buy any more.

Women are 2nd class citizens.
The female protagonist gets gang raped in book 1 and spends maybe a chapter recovering. Written by a man with rape fantasies.

The stand-ins for Arabs are rapists, torturers, murders, and thieves.

The white people are the good ones, the honorable ones, the saviors.

I give up. Life is too short to waste on bad books and The Warded Man is just awful. I can't do it anymore. There are just so many strikes against it that make it amateurish and unreadable. Just a terrible author.

The issues for the part of the book I could slog through to read:

The evil is just monolithically evil. No nuance. Nothing. Demons whose sole purpose is to destroy humanity. Great. Lots of thought put into that one.

Characters also have no dimensions. Everyome is who they appear on the surface. They are cardboard cutouts of various overdone tropes.

It is a blatant rip off of Wheel of Time in countless ways. If I want to read WOT, I'll go reread WOT. At least Jordan could write a bit. So blatantly stolen it's nearly plagiarism.

The names...oh god the names. Brett has no imagination or phoenetic ability. He's also too lazy to bother with a random name generator. No, his method: take a real name and add, subtract, or change one letter. It's 99% of the names (the ones not stolen from WOT anyway). Dear god. Stupid and lazy. It was distracting and really hurt any suspension of disbelief.

No plot. Things just happen cause stuff. I see where this is going. May Sue here we come. Hard pass.

Oversexualized writing. This must have been written by an angsty teenager then never edited.

The dialogue...oh god, the dialogue. Wooden, unneccessary, and unbelievable. Most interactions ring brutally contrived.

The diction and style. We get to hear over and over and over again about how fear and adrenaline "lend agility" to people. Just an example of the horribly awkward choices that dominate.

Stupid deus ex machina moments for no reason whatsoever (other than to fill space because stuff happens sometimes). While in a warded circle, Arlen managed to grab a running rabbit by the ears " with farmboy quickness". It goes on to say how he just did this all the time on his home farm cause the wizard did it.

I could go on but what's the point? A truly terrible book. Let the bots continue to pump their 5 star reviews onto the site to con people and increase sales. Never buy a boom based on glowing review on the store. Worthless.

This is an interesting concept marred by weak writing, thin characterization, and, more so than the other two, a strange belief that rape is an acceptable tool to use to develop female characters. The author clearly lacks both respect and empathy for women. If you possess either of these, do not purchase this book.

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett got off to a great start, but ultimately didn't do it for me. This is a book I'd read a lot about, and so I began reading with a certain amount of pent-up expectation. The concept is great: humans have lost much of their past, including technology and magic they once used to nearly drive the demons that rise from the ground each night into extinction. They survive now only because enough of the warding magic was preserved to protect their houses where they are forced to hide each time the sun goes down. Once, there were attack wards, but those have long been forgotten. Until the Warded Man returns, a legendary figure from a bygone era who not only walks the night, but preys on the very demons who hunt humanity.

If only Brett had launched into the story like that, I think it would have worked much better. Instead he takes us on a long voyage beginning with Arlen's childhood (Arlen eventually becomes the Warded Man), the loss of his mother, and how it drives him to leave his village one day with no concern for the demons that he knows will kill him as soon as the sun sets. He survives that first night, and others, until he arrives at a city where he is taken in by a Messenger, someone who braves the night to bring news and supplies from one village to another.

The story also deals with the upbringing of two other characters: Leesha and Rojer. Leesha becomes a medicine woman and Rojer a Jongleur, a companion to Messengers and an entertainer. Their individual stories are interesting enough. Suffice to say their paths cross with that of Arlen's or, rather, the Warded Man, since that is who Arlen has become by the time the three meet, and together they stage the largest assault on demon-kind the world has seen in a very long time.

While I did enjoy Arlen's transformative journey, I felt that introducing the Warded Man as a more undefined entity might have worked better. Instead, by seeing the Warded Man's origin story laid out in such detail, it takes away all of the mystery surrounding him.

Rojer seemed almost an afterthought at times. He fills up some pages, but was he truly needed? I have my doubts.

Leesha… a likeable character with a deep personality but I had an issue with a plot point in which Leesha is raped. I don't know what the deal is, but this is the second time I've read a somewhat recently released fantasy novel where a rape "happens" (I won't even call them scenes because they are both dealt with after the rape has occurred; the event itself is completely skipped over). The other was Sprunk's Shadow's Son. In both novels, the rape is so unnecessary to the story that I have to wonder if it wasn't the publisher who strongly encouraged made the author put it in. In Leesha's case, in particular, the character goes to great lengths at times to "save herself" for that perfect man she might meet someday (she winds up finding herself attracted to the Warded Man, something I did not get at all; it seemed really forced) only to find herself in the most ridiculous of circumstances and raped. The ridiculous circumstances are when Rojer, an experienced traveler, tells a group of perfect strangers what route they intend to take and, oh, by the way, I'm the only one guarding this fair lady.

Not that The Warded Man is all bad. The whole idea of demons rising every night is top-notch. Brett explains their existence and how humans lost the ability to fight them well-enough, also. I think he really had what could have been a grand series here. Unfortunately, I think he fails to execute and I don't think I'll be picking up the next book in the series.

When you read fantasy, you get used to a certain level of problematic racial and gender portrayals. This book takes all those stereotypes to eleven. As another review suggested, this is what would happen if Frank Miller tried to write a fantasy novel.

Imagine if you will, a picturesque fantasy setting, complete with castles, farm boys, heroes and bandits. Now, insert a magic system, in this case they are rune-like wards which instill different powers upon whatever they are drawn onto. Then insert an evil, demonic presence to threaten all of humankind, against which the wards are the only true form of defense. Then fast forward three hundred years. The demons have won. And that's where The Warded Man begins.

This is definitely an excellent premise. Much of the style of writing, the characters and the setting reminded me of a more traditional fantasy story, like Wheel of Time. The general feel of the prose has that classic feel that the genre had back in the 80s and 90s: villages populated by borderline stereotypes. Aside from the main characters, most characters in the story are typical fantasy world filler. There’s the over protective-father, exceptionally loving mother, crazy uncle, crooked town mayor, abrasive medicine woman, crude and flirtatious village girls, un-trusting foreigners, etc). But instead the big-bads like Trollocs and Fades being myths that everyone has forgotten, they've already taken over the world and now everyone's forgotten what had come before. I suppose you could call it post-apocalyptic fantasy. Settlements are few and traveling between them is dangerous. Resources are precious.

The primary protagonist in the Warded Man is Arlen, a farm boy from a remote village far from the larger settlements or cities. I say “primary” because there are multiple protagonists, but he gets the most page time and I’d say the story revolves around him. Most high fantasy stories (can this be called high fantasy? It’s written like it but it’s pretty dark... we’ll call it High-Low Fantasy) feature a character such as Arlen. He starts out fairly oblivious to the world but he’s got a fire that burns in him that can’t be quenched. He’s good at nearly everything (except social encounters regarding women, perhaps) and soon uses his new found skills to begin crushing the evil opposition. In Wheel of Time, this character was Rand al’ Thor. In Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive, it’s Khaladin. These are fun characters to read, but ultimately, they become something other than human so they sort of stop being relatable. I would say Arlen is more relatable than Rand at least, but still, of the main protagonists, I think I cared for his character the least, even though he’s the lead and most of the action centers around him.

If Arlen is our warrior/paladin character, Leesha is our witch doctor. As with Shallan in Stormlight Archive, I found myself looking forward to these chapters more than the others. She might start out as a bit of a simpleton but she quickly learns the harsh ways of life as she takes up her trade as a medicine woman's apprentice. While none of the characters in this book are too incredibly complicated, I'd say she's got more facets than the other POVs.

Then there's Rojer who would be our bard. You might be thinking, “what good is that against demons?” But you'll just have to read and find out. We don't get to spend a lot of time with Rojer. He feels like much more of a secondary character compared with the other two, but he's entertaining to read and different enough that he stands out nicely.

The further I got into the story, one theme became clear: parents suck. All three character’s sets of parents are either cowards or adulterers, with the exception of maybe one. It made me wonder if Mr Brett had a rocky childhood. If not, then he seems to just really wanted the theme of this book to be: “You don’t need to be dependant on anybody. Strike out on your own. Even if that means travelling by yourself through demon-infested lands.”

Overall, this is an entertaining book that leans more on premise and setting than it does on story. The action is sparse at times, but intense when it comes around. Most of the characters are fun to read even if many of them don’t have a lot of depth. A world infested by demons is definitely fun, but don’t expect any sort of subtle creepiness as these demons don’t stalk the night and hide in shadows, so much as run at any living thing in sight and tear them to pieces. If you’re interested in a world like Wheel of Time where the enemy has overrun and reduced humanity to small pockets around the land, this is the story for you. If you’re looking for a more intricate and political story like Game of... ah hell, just read this book, it’s fun.

This is the opening book in Brett's "Demon Cycle" dark fantasy series. While there were several character moments that I liked well, the book as a whole was not my cup of tea. It took me rather too long to care about Arlen, the initial point-of-view character. After three chapters, the perspective switched to Leesha, and again it took me too long to care for her. After three more chapters, the story switched to Rojer, who at just three years old, was young enough that I wanted no harm to come to him, but he was also too young to shape what happened.

The remainder of the book cycled between these three main characters. (I note that I was more interested in a couple of the supporting characters than in the main ones.) Most of the time, I liked the three protagonists mildly, but not strongly. Sometimes liking characters mildly is sufficient for me to enjoy a book quite a bit, e.g. if there's humor, or a nice prose style, or a fascinating plot. For me, this book lacked such compensating elements. In particular, I found the demons and the various fights against the demons underwhelming. The demons were powerful, but I didn't get immersed in the scenes and so was distanced from what happened.

This is a popular series, so my reaction is presumably atypical, but I am in no hurry to try book two.

Three and a half stars

A co-worker loaned this book to me so I felt obligated to read it. Overall I liked it but it did have a rather slow start. The book is divided into three parts, or viewpoints, and takes turns following the lives of its three main characters: Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer. I don't know why so many fantasy books insist on starting with their main characters as children but, for my part, I'm never all that interested in reading about children. As a result, the first third to one half of this book moved rather slowly for me until it brought the characters (or at least two of them) up to an older age.

The world building is pretty good though it did have the feel that the entire book was one long set up for the rest of the series. You get a good sense of each of the characters though, for me, both Arlen and Leesha are almost too perfect. Arlen especially sometimes felt like he should just put on a red cape and slap a big letter S on his chest and be done with it. He's perfectly courageous all the damn time, hardly feels any fear, and can learn practically any skill. The only real negative to him is that he's not forgiving AT ALL of anyone else's perfectly normal human frailties and weaknesses. I didn't care for how almost every other male character is made out to be a liar of the worst order or else 100% duplicitous just to highlight how virtuous and special Arlen is...as if anyone could miss that point. The same can be said of Leesha though not to the same degree. It's a matter of preference, I suppose, but I like my protagonists to be a little more flawed. It makes them more real and relatable.

All that aside, I did like the book. I wasn't, however, a fan of the sudden romantic elements tossed in there near the end. That totally didn't need to be there, especially under the circumstances. And I'm just going to say it because it's a trigger point for some and then spoiler tag the rest. There is a rape in this book. How the rape happened was believable for the setting, it's what happened afterwards that pissed me off. <spoiler> The rape victim is a 27 year old virgin who is basically gang raped and yet within a few days she's willingly having sex with the scary man she just met?</spoiler> No, just no. Frankly, that one bit is almost enough to turn me off to reading more in the series because I lost a lot of faith in how this author writes women.

I received a free copy of The Warded Man in a Goodreads giveaway. I read the book and enjoyed it. The growth of the three protagonists is gripping. I genuinely felt for them as they suffered. Suffering is a key feature of this book. All three suffer greatly. The book is very slow to start. In fact, I thought my overall review would be two or three stars, but about the halfway point it begins to pick up. The problem is that the book ends with a giant “TO BE CONTINUED.” There are six books in the series, I plan on reading them, but there are a lot of WTF moments that never get answered. There isn’t even an epicness to the quest. It’s more about survival. I expect the other books will answer the many plot holes, but if you don’t feel like committing to a six-book series, I suspect you may want to pass on this one. Overall, it was a good book that I finished over the course of a weekend.

My biggest con: The author really struggles writing for and developing the female characters and it really bothered me throughout the story. They are all the same one dimensional "I want babies" characters and/or very promiscuous. I never understand why male authors often use rape as "character development" for female characters and as an impetus for male characters.

The story started off really well, however, it dragged towards the end. It's interesting but just okay.

A story about demons, tattoos, mysterious desert people, and a sexy heroine? Yes please. I am always looking for newer, up and coming fantasy and science fiction authors. Partly to get some inspiration for my own writing, but also simply because I am always looking for newer, fresher stories. Different takes on the classic fantasy format. Peter V. Brett does not disappoint. Brett gives classic fantasy lovers a great tale that is remotely reminiscent of other fantasy tales as well as those newer to the genre, and perhaps those who are not your typical fantasy reader, something that crosses genres and trails into mystery, intrigue, crime novels, and good old adventure.

Peter V. Brett has a knack for writing. His use of language and the written word propels the story forward. His characters seem multidimensional. They develop nicely throughout the story and seem very genuine through their dialogue. He develops several protagonists that the reader grows to love and care about. I really did become emotionally attached to Leesha and Arlen and Rojer. His story progresses quite nicely as well, fast forwarding several years at a time. One might think that this would hinder the story, perhaps make the reader what happened between these chunks of time, but that is not the case. And the world that Brett builds…well, I will leave that to you as the reader, but I am suspect that this world is more familiar than we might think. The twists leave the reader wondering where we are, when we are, and what is going to happen next.

So, on to the criticism. I gave The Warded Man four stars . If I could have given it like, 3.5 or 3.75 stars I probably would have. Why? Especially with all the good things I just said about it. Well, there were, for me, several glaring things that frustrated me as a reader and, unfortunately, those things came at the very end of the book. As much attention as Brett pays his main characters, especially Leesha and Arlen, and as genuine as they seem, their actions, motivations, and characterizations at the end of the book seem very forced, almost fake. I have no desire to give any spoilers, so you will have to find out what those are for yourself. The plot, as well, seemed rushed towards the end of the book, almost as if Brett was on a deadline and he had to wrap it up. We have this great build through 85% of the book and then, BAM! the end. Now, being an author myself, I am familiar with story arcs, but this resolution seemed so sudden. And both Arlen and Leesha are confronted with some very serious issues that, because of the speed at which the book ends, don’t seem to be resolved in a very real way. Lastly, it seemed like there was confusion throughout the book in terms of point of view. I got confused in several places as to who the focus was on, where the camera lens was, whose thoughts are we listening to at that moment.

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fresh take on classic, epic fantasy and I am already reading (and listening to) The Desert Spear: Book Two of the Demon Cycle Series.

I haven’t read Fantasy since the 1980s. Back then it was Tolkien, Brooks, Donaldson, Eddings, and a slew of lesser Tolkien imitators. The books were trilogies for the most part, of manageable size volumes (under 400 pages mostly). Eddings broke convention by making his Belgariad series five volumes while Brooks decided to tell the whole story of “The Sword of Shannara” in one long volume; but then there were sequels.

But tastes change and so do the times. I wasn’t seeing much of interest, and when I did it was either too much of an imitation of my old haunting grounds, or ten volume or more epic series of 1,200 plus page volumes. While not averse to long books, I can’t imagine what goes in those things. One would hope there is one heck of an ending!

Peter V. Brett’s “The Warded Man”, part of one of a five series cycle, may make me like Fantasy again. It doesn’t do the same for me that John Scalzi did for SF, but the novel has its positives and I’m looking forward to reading the next one.

Several things Brett does that I really like:

His first in the series is under 500 pages (subsequent volumes are longer, but still under the 700 mark).

He gives his characters very pronounceable and familiar, yet different, names. So we have Leesha, Jaik, Arlen, and Rojer; rather than Hwzeghiannazi, Thakghor, Rzvrk and The Tar; or whatever can pass for a fantasy character's moniker these days.

His magic is unique and helps to explain the isolation and different cultures of people who are not so far apart geographically. This, I think, gives the author a huge advantage in where he can take the series; especially when people beyond the few travelers figure out a way to move about the world. I’ll let you read the publisher’s blurb for the background, but essentially if most of the people in your world are unable to travel anywhere that requires an overnight stay, things are going to be different for you and where you live.

He takes time to get us into the lives of Arlen, Leesha and Rojer so that we can understand them as fully developed characters and why they end up doing what they do, before bringing them together. (This isn’t much of a spoiler as it is pretty obvious from the beginning that is what is going to happen.) Although I do have some criticism on this point below.

There are a lot of clues dropped along the way about the people who had come before, and perhaps before that, when there was more emphasis on science. Could this world be ours in the future? I found this intriguing and very well done by the author.

The backstory for the world is told in a unique way that does not include people sitting around a fire and explaining to someone who should already know how this particular world works.

The first volume in the set had an ending. While reminiscent of “High Plains Drifter” except that everyone didn’t run away, it served to create a shift in the common folks’ view of their lot in life and their response to nightly demon attacks.

The Warded Man of the title is an awesome idea, and changes everything.

What I didn’t like:

There was some drag in places, especially during the telling of the top three characters’ backstory, which was unexpected in such a (relatively) short book. I think in a longer work it would have been tolerated more.

I expected Arlen, the main character of the three, to do something entirely different when he was rebuffed by one group of people than he did; and I blame the author for my wrong expectation.

The idea that no one ever thought of putting wards on weapons is mindboggling. If someone corrects me and tells me they did have warded weapons, then the author didn’t make it clear enough for me.

At the end of the book there’s a teaser added to the text for the next volume in the series that I think the editor should have taken out. It wasn’t necessary. By this time, the paperback includes a sneak preview of the book two, so the teaser was redundant as well.

All in all, this first installment was worth reading and I’m interested in seeing what’s next. I especially want to learn more about the origin of this world.

This was a bundle of contradictions and some of them not interesting or positive, but there's enough here to warrant a solid 4 star.
The premise, unique to a degree thoigh utilizing common tropes, was promising and for this first book delivered. The characters and their arcs were strong most of the time, but the time jumps were often a little disorienting. A few of their actions or reactions felt kinda stale or disingenuous. It was interesting enough to follow, but was ultimately linear and completely transparent.
While the prose never lacked for description and the dialogue did its job, the narrator's telling got irritating real quick. The author's golden rule: show more than tell, was not heeded here and it felt amateurish at times.
I could have a field day with poking holes in the wards/magic system, but it is fantasy and sometimes applying logic defeats the purpose.
I did ask myself (and still am in reading book 2) why Arlen paints his skin when etching wards into armor would be infinitely more effective.

Another puzzling contradiction is the books title varying between warded man and painted man when through this and the next book it's painted man. Imo, warded is the better of the two, but again--contradictions.

Overall, this was a tolerable read and a strong start to a story I hope only gets better. There is certainly potential.

The Warded Man tells the story of Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer and how their lives end up intersecting. We meet Arlen and Leesha when they are only eleven and Rojer when he is only four. They live in a world ravished by demons every night. Humans are forced to live behind protective wards or die terrible deaths at the hands of these demons.

I have to admit it was hard to believe the book was over 900 pages long. The pages seemed to fly by as the story unfolded and drew me in. I could not help but become attached to the characters. The idea behind the novel is simple enough but how Peter V. Brett puts it all together is simple amazing. He weaves a story that becomes more and more complex as you read it, until finally, at least for me, it almost becomes real. I couldn't help but feel the fear the characters feel each evening as the sun begins to set and they find themselves rushing to get behind wards to protect themselves from the demons rising as mist from the ground. It is simply a terrifying image that cannot help but raise goosebumps.

Be warned, once you start you will not be able to stop reading it! Definitely a 5 star read!

This is an innovative and very well-crafted story with very human characters that I connected with quite strongly. The Warded Man is set in an undetermined, Earth-like land sometime after an age of technology has fallen in the face of a demon scourge. These aren't the Satan-like demons of religious stories, but they're also not simplistic imps of many fantasy stories. They are complex and yet mindlessly hungry, and the humans are outnumbered.

Enter our heroes, and we get to watch them learn to become heroes and heroines. Peter V. Brett does an excellent job of writing strong female characters without reducing them to a stereotype of the selfless, sexless (or oversexed) heroine. Not all the women are good and strong, not all the men are either. This is a broken society, and the demons are not the only contributing factor.

The action is interspersed with snapshots of different societies and social mores, most recognizable from the Middle Ages, but tweaked just a bit for this fantasy story. Caution: there is some dialect, among the rural communities, but it's not quite Tom Sawyer-levels, so bear through it. Some graphic detail, violent and sexual, but nothing gratuitous of either type.

All in all, an engaging story that keeps you eager for the next installment.

Finally! A truly inspired fantasy worth reading. This book has a beautifully crafted, unique world that is easy to get lost in. It and the incredible characters are well articulated so it is easy to see what it is you are reading. There is a lot that this book needs to cover to get the series going, so there are a few parts that may seem a bit slow, but are more than worth it to get to the really good stuff, of which there is lots.

The characters are wonderful, fully rounded personalities. Each having their unique talents that we get to see germinate and grow through this book. I liked that we got to watch that growth. It is done in a way that we see all the important parts along the way without it becoming tedious or repetitive. It stays interesting all the way through.

I am absolutely digging this world and all the different parts and possibilities with it. Magic of this style, with the wards and the actual work and learning that goes into the different talents of our main characters, is exactly the kind of thing I love in a really good fantasy book. Nothing is free and easy. It takes time and effort to be truly great at it.

After reading this first book, as a reader, you know there is so much more to come and you are anxious to devour it.

as a lifelong fan of the fantasy genre, i approached this book with some trepidation. turns out my instincts were not wrong. i listed to it as an audiobook, which is probably the only reason i finished it. had i been reading, its numerable and glaring offenses would have been too painful to slog through. this book couldn’t be more derivative of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan in some very heavy handed and direct ways. it's one thing to be inspired by, and pay homage to, the material of your predecessors, as Jordan was by Tolkein, but it's another to plop racist simulacrums of someone else's material directly into your work. and the way this guy treats his female characters, and the women in his story in general, is shameful. his representation of women is immature, one dimensional, and misogynistic. his male characters (including the central hero), though slightly more realized, aren't much better and smack of cliche. and the world he spins feels finite and limited in scope, further burdened by the fact that it hinges on a gimmick that had to be retroactively explained and justified over and over throughout the story. though i probably could have suspended my disbelief and continued with the series had it not been for his pilfering of Jordan and his feeble attempts at rendering female characters.

This is a tough review to write, because frankly I'm not quite sure what I feel. "The Warded Man" has a lot going for it: a fascinating and unique world, compelling and interesting lead characters, and generally great writing. It also has a number of serious problems.

First, the good: Brett has created a unique and interesting post-apocalyptic world. Every bit of lore, history, or culture he reveals feels right and helps to paint a better picture, making for compelling reading. There's a lot we still need to learn about this place, but that's to be expected. The exposition never feels lacking or overwhelming.

The lead characters (and a handful of the side characters) are definitely well-drawn, fully realized, and interesting to spend time with. That said, this is clearly Arlen's story, which is a bit unfortunate as Leesha and Rojer both deserve a bit more than they get. Their Bildungsroman chapters feel a bit tacked on and mandatory; neither really has much of an overarching plot to it. As a result, the net effect is that their chapters seem to only slow the story down until all three characters come together. It's a shame, as I'd gladly read an actual story featuring either.

The pacing of the transitions between the point of view characters also feels a bit awkward. Brett wisely chose to follow the demands of the story rather than imposing an artificial constraint such as alternating chapters, but with such uneven stories to tell, that leads to large chunks of the story where any given character is wholly absent, and it's an absence that doesn't go unnoticed. I found myself wishing at times that the story would get back to Leesha or Rojer.

The final quarter of the story, once the lead characters come together, is quite good, save one rather glaring problem. There's a sexual assault that's handled so poorly that I almost stopped reading entirely. Sexual violence plays a surprisingly large part in the backdrop of the story — there are times at which Leesha's chapters feel little better than "so who's trying to rape Leesha now?" — but it's generally handled well enough, and for the right reasons: the world of the remaining humans is a dismal, terrible one, and even moreso for women. The real problem with the sexual assault is that it's presented entirely from the point of view of the woman's male companions, and becomes almost entirely about how it affects them, leading directly into a major character shift for one of them. It just plain feels gross, very Women-in-Refrigerators-y, where a woman is subjected to horrible violence merely to develop a man's character. It's a staggeringly bad choice by an otherwise capable writer — basically a textbook example of how not to write about rape.

The depiction of the Not-Arabs feels similarly ham-fisted (and why is there a desert with an entirely different ethnic group within walking distance, again?), seeming at times more like a caricature of real-world middle eastern cultures than an attempt to create a unique society within a fantasy setting.

Will I read the other books in the series? Probably. Eventually. I'm intrigued by the story Brett is telling, but there are enough pitfalls in this one to have dampened the considerable enthusiasm I had going into it.

This book is confusing. I'd give five stars for the first three quarters: Well written, great character development, great world building. Then everything goes to hell as one of the characters more or less solves the problem, fast. At that point, demons are defanged, sense of darkness and danger goes to hell along with character development for two out of three of the leads, culminating in a romance that was predictable from the beginning, yet also feels too hurried when it finally happens.

I'm not even sure if I want to start the next novel in the series, as what drew me in the first place is gone.

Every once in awhile a book comes along that I don't want to end. I just want to keep reading forever about the characters in stay in the author's make-believe world forever. Brett's The Warded Man was one of those novels. I bought this novel on a whim during my birthday shopping spree. I saw the cover of the third book in this series first and picked it up. I put it back down when I realized that it was the third book in a series I had not read. But I kept thinking about it, so I went looking for the first book. Luckily Barnes and Noble had it. Has anyone else noticed that they are notorious for not having a full series in stock? Anyway, they had it. I picked it up. I almost purchased the whole series that day but didn't. Now I am angry with myself. I'm glad I bought The Warded Man, and upset that I talked myself out of the whole series. Now I have to wait until I save up some more book shopping money before I can read the second and third books in this awesome series! Brett sucked me into his world and will do the same for you. Go read this book!

If you like this book you may want to read:
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles Book 1) by Kevin Hearne
Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy Book 1) by Robin Hobb

See more of my reviews on my blog: [...]

I had to go back and look at the ratings after I started this book. It seemed very childish. And that continued for about the first quarter. Things got interesting after that. Good storyline with enough characters to keep the story going quickly. I bought the first book for like $2. However there are 5 in the series I think. So it may be a while before I finish the series.

I lost interest in fantasy, heroic, epic or urban, for a long while. But I came back to it with a vengeance with this book. It does everything that's been done before but does it afresh, with vigor and style and complete sincerity. I almost lost interest once the story shifted from the first protagonist's point of view, and had some difficulty warming to the second and third protagonist--maybe because I somehow assumed from the title and cover blurb that it was a single-pov story--but once I kept reading, I found that they were as well delineated as the first.

That is Brett's first and greatest achievement: to create vivid believable characters that not only hold our interest and earn our empathy but have a growth arc that would take many other fantasy series a half dozen books to achieve. What Arlen, Leesa and Rojer go through in this one 544-page book alone is more than most fantasy trilogies. Not all of it is pleasant. Much of it is quite the opposite. Yet, we root for them and want them to survive and thrive.

Do they? Ah, that would be telling. What's important is that the journey is well worth taking. The action sequences are brilliantly staged and described and never do you feel the author flags in energy or attention, even ending with a terrific battle sequence to cap a great journey. This is closer to Abercrombie than Tolkien and the better for it. Recently, I read it's been optioned for a film adaptation by Paul W.S. Anderson of the Resident Evil series fame and I think that's a terrific choice: this is also a strong fighting protagonist adventure saga and I hope The Demon Cycle goes on to spawn its own franchise.

I'll certainly play the PS3 game with relish! Hopefully, they'll bring out a version for the Move, so you can use your hands to ward off and battle demons, with an AI interface that's intelligent enough to track sunlight and shadow (or mud and rain, and the like) to make it as realistic and exciting as the book. This one's a true breakout in the genre and Brett has my admiration and loyalty from here on out. Write on!

No spoilers in this review. Brett creates a unique world where demons have the upper hand, though theybare limited by daylight. The story follows three heroes who have no idea of their import. Once the initial awkwardness of the story's beginning is over it quickly falls into a rhythm. The action is intense and the style is refreshingly smooth. The story flows well and the protagonists are likeable. I'm excited to begin book two!

received this new novel by Peter V. Brett a couple days ago from Del-Rey for review and so I decided to sit down from my few months being a mom to read it. I was so glad I did. The Warded Man is an intense ride that begins with the lives of three young children that through different diversities survive to fight on in a world where just the corelings or demons aren't the only things that should be feared.

In this well written novel, you will meet Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer, each set on their own path by tragedy or by the evil of others. Their journeys are all thwart with different types of danger from One Armed demons to the evil of greedy men. Each one will have you wrapped around their stories as they pull you from the world you know into one that nights are feared and demons roam only to take you into that darkness never to return.

The Warded Man is a well put together novel. With intense actions scenes that do not rob from the brilliant dialogue, the beautiful, yet, horrifying imagery literally engulfs you in a world that is filled with mountains, deserts, wall cities, and small villages. Each chapter brings you deeper into the shadows filling your mind with visions of small fire demons to the large stone ones.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves good fantasy and great action. It is a bit on the dark side with some violence to kids as well as to grown ups so please use discression when looking at it for kids younger than sixteen or so. Other than that, I implore you to give Mr. Brett a chance. I know I will be reading the next in his series for sure.....

This was a really well told story. It is a classic fantasy story set in a dark fantasy setting while not being too dark. The world building in this series is a backdrop where humans live in fear while demons ravage the night. The demons are called corelings because they come from the core of the earth, and every night when the night comes they rise from the earth and do whatever they please because they have defeated the humans. The humans now live behind magical wards which hold out the demons. But the humans can't kill the demons so they live in towns that are like cages.

The strong point of this novel is the character building of three characters. Even though the point of view is from three characters throughout the books, Arlon is the main character. As he becomes the Warded Man. Arlon's story is revenge and his ability to not want to fear the corelings like his father and every other villager did. He watched his mother dies by the corelings while his father looked on too afraid to help their mother. This fuels Alron to become what he becomes all the while searching for offensive wards that have been lost to the humans. Leesha is the female lead and she decided to become a healer, especially after a young boy tells the village that he slept with her. She becomes so disgusted and finds that the escape is to devote her time to being a healer. And Rojer is a Jongleur, the third main character. His story was the fact that he was the only survivor of a coreling attack and was brought up on his own. He becomes an apprentice jongleur to an aging drunkard jongleur to survive, but soon finds out that his fiddle playing is something extraordinary.

All three of the characters paths cross within the book and the story is a coming of age story about all three characters. We start with them as young children until they rise to young adulthood. This book is a combination of a typical fantasy with one of darker tones, i.e. the corelings. I preferred the darker aspects and I enjoyed the ending which is a revelation for the second book to build on. This was a very good fantasy book.

I read just about any and every well-rated or well-received sci-fi and fantasy book under the sun, or at least the first 5-10 pages of them. Typically I just stop reading them due to careless prose, dialogue or flat characters.

I am extremely critical of literature, especially sci-fi and fantasy, which is largely cliche and terrifically annoying.

This book left me breathless! I marathoned it!! I was dying to read the second, which at first threw me for a loop and then I was totally behind it and dying for the third! Which also fulfilled all my hopes.

I loved this book so much I contacted the author about the rights for it, want to create a video game series like Mass Effect and either a movie series or mini-series based on the books.

Arlen is born into a fierce world. Every night, like clockwork, demons rise from the center of the Earth and attack every human alive. If an area is properly protected by "wards" then demons can't enter and content themselves with repeatedly smashing into the warded zone. Most people refuse to fight the demons, which are strong and tough, and settle for hiding and hoping their wards hold through the night.

When we meet Arlen he is merely a young boy. His mother is severely injured in a demon attack and he sets off on a trip to the local Herb Gatherer (doctor) to find treatment for her injuries. Along the way she dies, and Arlen runs away from his father in a rage. He must now face the perils of the demon-filled night alone.

There is a cast of minor characters who face similar travails. Leesha is a beautiful young woman whose mother is the village slut and who is engaged to the town bully. She escapes her mother by apprenticing to the local herb woman, eventually becoming highly skilled in healing. Rojer's parents are killed when he is only a toddler and he is raised by an alcoholic performer, becoming skilled himself in performing music. These lesser characters eventually meet with Arlen, who has become a demon-killing machine, to unleash some serious whoop-ass on the corelings.

My main problems with this book were that A) it's a bit formulaic, and B) the demons become tiresome. You can already see how the novel fits well with tired fantasy cliches such as the young protagonist maturing into an old, embittered protagonist, the beautiful love interest, and a medieval society plus magic. The demons are interesting at first. You have to wonder, at some point, how there are just so many demons that they can simultaneously attack every human being on earth all night every night in groups of five or more. Killing any number of demons only attracts more demons. Fire demons, wood demons, sand demons, air demons, water demons.... if you enjoy demon attacks on primitive cultures, this is the series for you! As other reviewers have mentioned the author's attitude towards women, children, and sex was a bit disconcerting. 3.3 / 5 stars.

When darkness falls, Demons rise from the mists and rule the night. In a frenzy they kill, devour and destroy; held at bay only by ancient wards. However, when the Corelings breach the wards; tragedy strikes. Houses and towns burned to rubble; family and friends slaughtered. There is no way to fight back; all you can do is cower in fear, hide and pray that your wards will hold through the night - and be thankful that it isn't you that's being devoured.

The story follows three main characters; Arlen, who after a series of events and observing a great cowardice from his father; runs away in an attempt to be free, and moreover - fight back against the demons. Arlen is ever willing to do what others have thought impossible for generations, ever since the lost wards and the return of the Corelings. He gains his talents and specialties during his quests for knowledge and the desire for change.

After escaping from her manipulative and demanding mother, Leesha goes trains under the town hag and becomes a skilled healer. As she grows older, she must also deal with the leering looks of men, and protect herself in a male-dominant society; all the while searching for the right guy. She shows great strength of character; and alongside her skills with healing, she finds herself with a will to fight.

Rojer was raised by a Jongleur after his parents were killed by the demons when he was three. Scarred from that encounter; Rojer is missing fingers, though they serve as a reminder of his parent's love. Struggling with juggling, Rojer more than makes up for that lack with his extraordinary skills playing the fiddle - skills which may prove magical.

Peter Brett`s debut novel, The Painted Man (A.K.A The Warded Man) at first begins like the traditional well-known fantasy story; with a country-boy in a small village. Yes, there are a few clichés in the plot like that, however Brett does a fantastic job with making it his own. With the characters starting out fairly young; as they mature and age (the story spans about 15 years) the plot goes from the idiosyncrasies of small villages to the complexity of city-life, with the different sights, sounds and people.

In short: It's a great book, The Painted Man is among my favorite fantasy books; this would be my fourth re-read of it. I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy novels, action - and can deal with some mature themes.

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This Review was originally posted at : [...]

A fantasy world of villages and walled cities haunted by demons that rise every night. The people of this world have a system of markings or ruins called wards. The demons can't pass wards, though the wards sometimes fade, get covered or are not plentiful enough. Demons kill daily while the people pray for a deliverer who was foretold by legend.

So, for a simple setup, this was an outstanding read. There are a series of young people we get to know who all have their own personal issues. As each finds their own path through various adventures, they all find their inner heroes. There is some drama, some humor, some irony and lots of adventure.

If you like pseudo-medieval worlds haunted by demons with strong heroes and beautiful heroins, this is a classic. If you don't find fantasy your thing, this isn't a good place to start. While it is a classic hero tale, it reeks of dungeons and dragons - thatched roofs, warded stone cities and ancient ruins. As a graduate of Middle Earth, student of Hogwarts and lover of a good hero tale, I bought the story, went with it and enjoyed it. First class fantasy fiction.

Meh - I stayed with it to the end, but there was no reward - the things that you think will happen do - the things that would make the book interesting are missing - characters are not stand-out - the only reason I stayed? - the world was great - the demons (corelings) were interesting and the different ways to combat them - but the warded man - well, very anti-climatic in story-telling - I will not continue, because every character that lived I don't care about and I didn't skip a beat when a character died - also, the females are treated, well, cardboard - even though there is a strong female character (kind-of) she still is treated like a useless throw-away - it is not horrible, but when I get to the end of a book, I ask myself, do I want to know what happens to these characters? - the answer simply is - NOPE.

Honestly this is more of a Horror Fantasy novel than anything else. It has a really good feel to it.
It is definitely worth a read. It has its flaws as many people pointed out. Only the first 3/4ths of the book is 5 star, the remaining 1/4th is still readable.
Pros:
Great Magic System
Well developed main character (Arlen).
Fast Paced
Will keep you turning pages

Cons:
The two secondary characters (Leesha and Rojer) are a little flat. Ironically the supporting characters are quite good.
The book really goes downhill at the end, Arlen is a fascinating character when he relies on his wits and learning to escape danger. When he no longer needs to do that, he becomes less interesting.
Violence towards women is a little jarring, and although I passed through those sections, it did detract from my enjoyment of the book.

Still it is a very unique book, and I highly recommend it.

Book Stats

Fantasy

453 pages (paperback)

1st book in its series

Characters

This book focuses on three main characters, Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer. The book takes place over about 10-12 years and follows these characters over that time. By following them all and showing different experiences that they have over a course of years, you get a good sense of why the characters change as they do throughout the book. The book focuses primarily on Arlen for the first two-thirds of the book and as a result he is probably the most well developed character of the three. All three of the characters were interesting and while at times I wondered exactly how all three of the characters would relate to the overall plot, I still enjoyed reading all of their viewpoints throughout the book.

Setting

The story is set on a world where every night demons arise from the core for seemingly no purpose other than to terrorize the few humans still left in the world. The only defense that humans have against the demons are wards that can be used to prevent the demons from entering their homes at night. The wards that people have are remnants from society hundreds of years in the past when humans knew how to fight the demons as opposed to simply hiding from them. Many of the cities in the world are small and separated so that only a few people are willing to travel between them. These few people are known as messengers and are trained in creating wards, this allows them to travel and even occasionally stay out at night.

Plot

The plot follows the three main characters who start in separate parts of the world and we watch them as they grow up from somewhat naive children to much more competent adults in different areas of their life. Arlen and Rojer are forced to grow in their life when their villages are attacked by demons, while Leesha has obstacles relating to her life being promised to a brutal young man who threatens her dignity. Arlen is ultimately led upon a journey to become a messenger after being trained in the making of wards. While journeying through the world he ultimately discovers some wards that have not been known to humans in the world. Leesha becomes apprenticed to an Herb-Gatherer and is trained in healing. She learns to deal with her own problems as opposed to relying on others to solve them for her and becomes a well respected healer in the town where she works. Rojer is the youngest of the three characters at the beginning of the book, where he is just 3 years old. After having his village attacked early in the story he is apprenticed to a Jongleur, learning different performing arts including singing, juggling, tumbling, and playing the fiddle.

The plot causes all three characters to learn their respective skills and how these skills can be used to help deal with the ongoing problem of the demons who corrupt the world. Ultimately the three are united where they learn how they can all help one another to survive out in the wild which most humans avoid while cowering behind their wards in their cities.

Enjoyment

I loved this book and read the first 350 pages in one day, I would have finished the book that day but it was getting late and I had to get some sleep since I had class the next morning.

Overall Grade

While the books does slow down slightly about two-thirds of the way through, the end is still satisfying and gives promise towards the next book in the series.

9/10

On the whole, a worthwhile read. I disliked the way that one character's story stopped abruptly and the next chapter introduced another completely unrelated character. This practice of chopping up the storyline was used in chronology too, so that sometimes I wasn't sure whether events talked about in new chapters were from several chapters before (the last time the character was featured) and I had forgotten them or if the telling of the events was meant to bring me up to date on what had happened to the character while the story focused on someone else.

I almost stopped reading because of this disjointed organization. The multiple chapters written to introduce a new character seemed like massive info dumps, and I felt the author was lazy in not trying to weave the storylines together more. After about the first third of the book, though, the irritation was gradually replaced with growing interest in the story.

I will definitely read the next book in the series. Since this book is the writer's first effort, I hope his second book will read more smoothly.

This book never develops an actual plot. Hard to believe for a fantasy novel but you'll get through the first 2/3s of the book waiting in vain for some form of actual antagonist, challenge or direction to emerge in the story. This isn't to say they develop in the last third, they don't. Instead, what had been been passable character development simply gets thrown out the window as our lead protagonist finally adopts the 'Warded Man' role becoming an overnight ninja superhero and it is clear the rest of the series will be about how he single-handidly sets the world to rights.

Well not alone, of course, as was blindingly obvious from the beginning he'll be accompanied by his healer love interest and minstrel friend/romantic competitor. As soon as the three main characters meet the book goes into deep Mary-Sue mode but the flaws are deeper than this.

* We spend two hundred pages in the childhood of the three protagonists, covering ground any decent novel would have done in its first few chapters. The extra length doesn't bring any extra depth to the characters and as they get older we begin jumping years at a time. There is no flow to their development and the time and viewpoint cuts serves only to lessen your interest in them.

* The author decides to use a proxy Muslim culture, Arabic named desert warriors, where women cover themselves and are poorly treated by their men. These people are portrayed as xenophobic, fanatical and treacherous.

* Women in the novel are respected as Mothers once they give birth. This is the most amazing thing any woman can do any women who have not had a child are looked down upon. The author no doubt thinks making his female lead a 'strong willed exception' someone balances the fact that every other female character is a two-dimensional drone.

* The books Messenger class use wards to defend themselves against demons that can be woven, carved, inscribed, written or painted. The messengers all also have tattoos. Nobody except the title character ever thought to tattoo a protective ward on themself.... There is no reason whatsover this (or wearing warded armor) should not have completely altered the basic rules of the world he builds.

At the start, its not terrible and then you wait for an actual story to begin, and for a long time it doesn't. Then our hero becomes the Warded Man and it just gets cheesy real quick.

Terribly disjointed, major plot holes in the world-building, lacking any tension or suspense, highly predictable and centered on inconsistent poorly sketched characters. This won't be obvious from the start but you wil not be rewarded for persevering.

All in all, this book is a strong debut that has its fair share of problems.

First of all, the positives. The book has strong characterization for its three leads and many of the supporting cast, especially Leesha's mentor Bruna, Rojer's master Arrick, and Arlen's mentors, Cob and Ragen. In addition, its demons are enjoyable unique, as it the magic that combats them: wards. It's a lot of fun watching characters use this magical tool inventively, and it's even more fun watching Arlen make discoveries about them throughout the book. Not only do the characters and the magic get good treatment, but the world itself is well-developed, with rivalries, cultures, and economies there for the discovery as characters make their way through the wold.

Secondly, the negatives. Mr. Brett's style is still developing, and he has a few idiosyncracies that grate, such as dialog attribution ("Here's some example dialog," I recommended) along with a lack of emotional weight to actions in the world. At one point, Rojer loses a favored Jongleur tool to rivals, and all that's described is the thing's destruction with no reaction from Rojer whatsoever. Besides the stylistic flaws, there's a development in the plot that I hesitate to even call a twist. It felt like it was played for cheap drama, and it even took away from a potential romantic culmination not 50 pages later. I wasn't quite offended by the development, but it felt like a cheap and tasteless trick just to keep tension high. The worst part is that the character seems to have completely brushed it off by the conclusion of the book, only lending credence to the perception that it was a cheap trick.

All that said, the positives still outweigh the negatives. I greatly anticipate reading the Desert Spear (the sequel to this book), especially if Mr. Brett avoids the pitfalls of this book.

Three stars.

I bought this book because I liked the cover. (Yes. I know.) Also, it seemed to get rave reviews. But from the start, I found it trite, shallow, and poorly written. It wasn't just bad. It was insultingly, embarrassingly bad. Take the following passage:

"In face and form, Elona was much like her daughter. Still beautiful at thirty, she had long hair that hung rich and black about her proud shoulders. She also had a full, womanly figure that was the envy of all, the only thing Leesha hoped to inherit from her. Her own breasts had only just started to bud, and had a long way to go before they matched her mother's."

Ewwwww!

What's more, Brett's characters have names like Steave, Jeph, Rojer, Arrick, Piter, and (God help us!) Rusco. I'm not sure I understand why Brett finds it necessary to change the spelling of these names, but it quickly becomes annoying.

Here's another bit of ugliness: "Keep an eye on Arrick with your wife," Geral muttered. "They call him 'Sweetsong' because his voice will make any woman sweet between the legs, and I've never known him to stop at a wedding vow.

or how about this:

"She was not yet flowered, and thus could not wed, but she was promised to Gared Cutter, the handsomest boy in the village. Gared was two summers older than her, tall and thick-muscled. The other girls squealed as he passed, but he was Leesha's, and they all knew. He would give her strong babies."

Brett's worst writing seems to revolve around his female characters, but others like the "Tender Michel" get equally bad treatment. A shallow attempt at feminism from an old, wrinkled herb-gatherer later in the story just can't compensate for this bit of teeth-curling ickyness.

Here's a piece dialogue I drew at random from the book:

"Promise me," Ragen ordered.
"I promise," Jenya said.
Ragen nodded, hugging her one last time. "I'll look in on you when I can," he said. She was still crying as they left. Arlen stared back at her as they went.

Clumsy, blockish, and dull.

I once read a book review in which the critic claimed he felt sorry for the tree that lost its life so that a certain book could be printed. In this particular case, I felt sorry for the ink and the glue as well. Do yourself a favor, and spend your time reading something--anything--else. Or just knock yourself on the head with a hammer. You'll be better off, I promise.

For starters, I have so far read 132 pages, and I would like nothing more than to beat the village idiots over the head with a bat,accept the old healer. The plot of this story has great potential, with demons rising each night to cause destruction among the Village, as well as other nations, and the only way to protect themselves, is by drawing or painting wards around your house in order to keep the demons away. Three main characters are introduced who have the potential to stop the demons for good... Now here is my main problem with this book... as someone who has been reading fantasy for several years, including the likes of George R. R. Martin, and Joe Ambercrombie, I am not easily offended by sexual content in anything I read, however, I do have a problem with the way its being presented, each time a male and female are interacting with each other, there is always some kind of sexual reference made. I started reading this book with the idea that I was to enjoy an amazing action packed novel with great characters. Instead I find myself wanting to hit the delete button on my iPhone, however I will continue reading this book with the hopes that I will be able to get past the dysfunctional part of the village people, and get right into the action and plot part of this book.

You know you've stumbled onto something special when you start building your day around opportunities to read. I mainlined the book from the second I started it, until I made it through the first two in a week (while working 80 hrs).

If you need a book to reignite that love for reading, let it be this one.

Has flashes of brilliance but those are squelched by the overall poor quality of the rest of the book. You can tell the author is a D&D fan because it reads like a quest someone would write up on a Friday night. Book two and three are about the same. This series also features hands down THE MOST ANNOYING CHARACTER I HAVE EVER READ. The character I refer too is Arlen's (main character) love interest. I might have stuck with the series if it wasn't for her. I don't overexaggerate. An absolutely terrible question.

If you want a series that really had potential and decays before you're eyes to something that becomes down right annoying, this is for you.

If you're looking for something that attempts to recreate the magic of LOTR, or something that captures your attention like A Song of Ice and Fire, keep looking. I still am. Sorely disappointed.

I was looking for the next great fantasy epic when I picked this up at the bookstore. Unfortunately, after reading this, I'm still looking.

It started out pretty well, though there was an awful lot of info-dumping at the beginning through the convenient placement of a messenger from far away explaining the entire world to an eleven-year-old boy. But the concept of demons rising from the core was interesting, and I thought the story of the ages-long conflict with the demons good enough to ignore the obvious plot device of having a minstrel tell a story.

Arlen was an engaging character who captured my attention quickly, and seeing him struggle with realizing his father was controlled by fear was great. The switch to Leesha's story was rather jarring at first, but I also got sucked into her story, though I quickly tired of reading about how beautiful she was (and how she didn't seem to be aware of her own beauty). Rojer wasn't as promising, and I found myself alternating between pitying him for having lost his parents so young and being raised by an alcoholic loser, and just disliking him.

There were some plot twists I could see coming a mile away (the whole encounter in Krasia, for instance) but I could overlook that, since honestly, twenty-year-olds make mistakes that older people can see coming a mile away, especially when they've been given precious little examples of strong adults.

I didn't find the dialogue as annoying as some reviewers have, but I was thoroughly sick of the unnecessary sexual content before the main character was even old enough to have it. In a society where Mother is a capitalized word and women who have children are respected for adding to the population, I still can't believe that every single woman thinks the only important thing in the world is to have children.

All of this could have been overlooked, but there was one scene late in the book that killed any real enjoyment I had. SPOILER--A woman who has been brutally and repeatedly raped by a gang of bandits isn't going to try to seduce some other man two days later. Not even her rescuer. Adding to my disappointment, it was just a lame plot device to distract the main character enough that he could be surprised by a demon.

I finished the book to find out what happened, but I won't be reading the second book.

Had I known it was going to be this good, I would have planned better and started reading in the morning. In a land where demons walk the night, villagers are safe only behind the wards that protect them. Arlen is sick of watching people die. He wants to fight back and the night his mother dies as his father stands helpless Arlen decides there has to a way to live that isn’t drenched in fear.

The story moved faster than I’d expected in terms of years covered. Arlen is ten in the beginning and a man when the book ends but it doesn’t feel rushed. The wardings as a focal point in the story are cool, but it's the way the characters come to life against a well painted backdrop that makes this book such a great read.

I was sad when it ended.

The Warded Man is a very well written first book in the Sci Fi series, The Demon Cycle.. It starts with a young man's coming of age story, but quickly moves onto the development of a whole world and the human/demon conflict. I like that the author make both the male and female characters strong, and that there are conflicts and resolutions throughout the storyline, not just the major conflict.

Fair warning: There are spoilers within.

I truly did not enjoy this book. It was recommended to me by somebody very close to me, and it's made me rethink his other recommendations.

The writing is dry and procedural - major events happen with barely a paragraph to describe them, but pages are spent elaborating on comparatively boring things. Tremendous character growth happens, but it doesn't happen in the pages of this book. Rather than seeing the characters grow, you're told that they grew.

The world itself seems like a mush of every fantasy trope Brett had in his head. Every power figure is selfish and stupid, every weak character is secretly strong, and every physically strong person is greedy and bad. At one point, the main character determines that everybody in the country (?) is a Thesan, and then is quickly told that the duke is hanging anybody that utters that name. Mere chapters later, we learn that the *language* is called Thesan. The main character (there's really only one), Arlen, is a clear Mary Sue, because he's simultaneously stronger, more clever, and more noble than anybody else in the story. At the same time, he's terribly awkward, but that doesn't prevent him from being a heartthrob in every situation.

In addition to being far better than everybody else, Arlen consistently comes up with brilliant, world-changing ideas that nobody EVER thought of before. Wards (symbols inscribed on things) are a core concept in the book, and Arlen invents the idea of selling wards that you know to another Warder. Nobody else in the capital city had apparently thought of this! He also came up with the idea that you could use the wards as weapons, which was news to the rest of the world. The book is rife with this poor, ignorant world being enlightened by an upstart child hero, and it's just silly.

The book is also rampant with really weird sexism. Women, as far as I can tell, are only brood mares in this world. They're only EVER referenced with respect to their sexuality, faithfulness, or fertility. One of the auxiliary characters is a woman, and her entire storyline is based on the fact that she's a virgin that was accused of having had sex. The main (and supposedly most noble) character even asks "Since when do men make way for women?" at one point. George R R Martin treats his women with more respect. *Robert Jordan* does. I seriously wonder if the author has ever interacted with a woman with the assumption that she's a human being too.

Finally, we get to the characters. We're shown three characters with utterly disparate lives who all meet at the end of the the book. Arlen, the main character, suffers from adolescent guilt and rage that never seems to grow up with him. Then, all of the sudden, he transforms (behind the scenes) into an epic badass and shows up almost in the hour of need. I say 'almost' because the female auxiliary character gets gang-raped by a bunch of strong, powerful men right before he shows up (suffering the loss of her oft-prided virginity). This, however, doesn't stop her from trying to seduce him mere days later (???). The other Auxiliary character shows up for the first time halfway through the story, and without a whole lot of context. He's apparently important, though, because he becomes part of the band of misfits that are all way more powerful and intelligent than normal people.

I really wanted to like this book, because I know a lot of people that love it. I could barely make it to the end.

This is one of the best books I've read in awhile in regards to character and story development, especially for the first 3/4 of the book (approx) where the backgrounds of the three focal people grow into their adulthood/special skills. The only thing that ruined the book is that After all the remarkable build up, the story ending seemed too rushed by comparison, and the characters suffered (literally as well as metaphorically) for the author's impatience to end the book. All in all, an excellent first book. It could have ended a couple of chapters early and I would have given in 5 stars; the last couple of chapters could have been better done (and expanded) in the second book, as this is intended as a trilogy. Definitely don't let a disappointing review of the last chapters prevent you from picking up and reading this book though, it's worth the read.

The Warded Man is the first in a planned five book fantasy series, The Demon Cycle, of which only two are out. It's set in a world where there are demons called corelings that come out at night to destroy and plunder human civilisation. The only things that keep them away are wards - writings of power. If a ward is improperly set or happens to rub off, the demons break through immediately.

We follow three characters - Arlen, Leesha and Rojer, from various points in their childhood to maturity. They have very different lives, but they all eventually embark on a journey.

The world is pretty interesting - the frequent coreling attacks have reduced humans from a state of advanced technology to the dark ages. There are small hamlets everywhere, but also a few Free Cities, all with very different cultures. Very few people travel, since it's hard to ward yourself when you're not in a shelter.

This book had too much incidental sex-related plots for my taste - almost every encounter between a man and a woman has some sexual overtones, no matter what their ages or age differences are. Leesha is so beautiful that every man who looks at her wants to rape her (except the good guys, who are just attracted to her.) There's a lot of incest, rape and general lasciviousness. I know that A Song of Ice and Fire is currently quite popular, but I'm not really a fan of such gritty stories.

Aside from that, the book is pretty decent. The world is the most interesting part, I really liked reading about the history. There are a bunch of likable characters, although no one stands out as particularly special. I found most of them to be extreme in one way or another.

I'm going to give the next book, The Desert Spear, a shot, but I'm not that excited. Hopefully I'm proven wrong.

Peter V. Brett's Demon Cycle is among my favorite coming-of-age fantasy series along with Robin Hobb's Farseer & Tawny Man trilogies and Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle. It is certainly not the best yet still impressive and exciting, flawed but not off-putting. Overall quality isn't as good and complex as Ms. Hobb's and Mr. Rothfuss', and the amount of rape, incest and infidelity made me uneasy. However, the connection and emotions I felt for the titular character were just as profound as those I felt for Hobb's Fitz and Rothfuss' Kvothe, for Arlen is a character I quickly loved and believed in from the beginning that I couldn't help reread the series immediately and non-stop.

Book 1, The Warded Man: Alternatively entitled The Painted Man. Although the title is revealing and may feel somewhat predictable, it does not spoil the plot. The pace is refreshingly quick and the premise of demons rising each night and the use of "wards" (magic symbols) is very promising and engaging. I felt really moved and inspired by the hero and my excitement did not diminish when the other main characters became less believable. Pivotal and very entertaining is the demon One Arm.

Book 2, The Desert Spear: Provides backstories and retelling of events that shaped the life of the warded man but little plot advancement, essentially a setup for an upcoming conflict typical of how a middle volume in a series works. Gone is the sense of fear cultivated in the first book due to the overuse of wards, replaced with political interactions and soap dramas. While the other main characters became even less convincing and their decisions questionable, Arlen continued to captivate me with his self-deprecation and influence, and very stirring is his reunion with his maternal-figure.

Such is my experience and despite its faults, I greatly enjoyed this series, hopeful and eagerly looking forward to reading the rest.

I'm torn on my review for this book. It really rates 3.5 stars in total, and I would even bump that 4.5 stars if I could forgive the premise that starts the book, but after finishing I just can't.

Spoiler alert

Basically, the protagonist of the book, has his entire psyche based around an incident where his mother is killed by corelings, which rise every night to attack humanity, and are invincible under current knowledge.

Arlen's whole life becomes centered around a night where his mother runs out of the wards to attempt to follow a crazy woman in her attempt to rescue a dog chained to a fence, and Arlen follows her into a night of horror which ultimately leaves his mother dead, Arlen embittered, and his father a "coward". The problem I had with this premise is that the the mother is entirely lionized, and the father is entirely villainized, even though the mother was the one who chose to throw her life away(and inflict terrible grief on her family) daring invincible demons to attack.

As a dog person it hurts a little to say this, but inflicting the loss of a wife and mother on one's family is not justified by a failed(or even if successful) attempt to save a doomed pet. Yet the entire novel follows this thread where Jeph, the father, is somehow the worst scum on the planet for thinking his family should stay in the wards rather than blindly assault invincible demons, and the mother is a saint for pointlessly throwing her life away and inflicting that hurt on her family. I just couldn't look past it.

The book is very well written and with the exception of the premise I would recommend to any fantasy fan, but I just can't stand nonsensical protagonists.

What a marvelous book. I enjoyed it - unfortunately not until the end.
The author takes his time (in a very positive way) over the first 400 pages to build the world and to give his characters time and space to develop. But then he seems in a hurry. Suddenly Arlen has become the painted man. I just bet that some scenes had to be deleted because the story was too long for the publisher.
And then there's one thing that really annoyed the hell out of me: the rape of one major character and the way the author handled the aftermath. Sorry, that was so not helpful and rather insensitive. The love story that followed is absolutely not believable for me.
All in all I still give four stars, slightly grumbling - for the absolutely enjoyable and masterfully written first 400 pages. I even give the next installment, 'The desert spear' a chance. I just hope that the author lives up to what he started.

After all the sniping I do about world-building-focused high fantasy, it feels a little hypocritical to pick The Warded Man as my favorite new series of 2009, but this really hit all the right buttons (and in the right way).

The Warded Man takes place in an unusual, fascinating world with a thoughtfully-composed system of magic, realistic culture and detailed society. Although the two protagonists were straight out of fantasy tradition, they were excellent guides around a captivating world and served deftly as narrators for an engaging, cinematic plot. Brett put a lot of thought into his world, but also considered his story as well. This is a wonderful example of good old-fashioned fantasy story-telling, with everything coming together to create absorbing, swashbuckling entertainment.

This book had me on the edge of my seat - or, more realistically, firmly stuck in it - I missed my stop on the morning commute twice due to Brett's debut novel. Which, given the rush hour crowd, is no mean feat.

I bought this book because I am thoroughly enjoying diving into the depths of the Kindle fantasy/sci fi section. I think the premise is amazing, I read the description and I immediately knew that I wanted to read this book. However, I now feel robbed of my time and money.

This books was almost completely the author telling what happened instead of showing. And for all the warded man promise and how interestingly demons can be used in fantasy, the author drew flat and static villains and uninteresting characters. There are a few time skips that the author uses to completely bypass character development, or show them growing in any way.

The main character, Arlen, started off likable, but he gets grating and annoying after a while. His need to fight corelings and show humans the right path to getting their world back just becomes annoying and diminishes any actual character growth that could have been shown.

Also, the amount of sex/rape/breeder/mother paragraphs were just off putting. I don't mind that villains do rape people, or that women can be treated incorrectly in dystopian future stories, it's part of that world and narrative. Somehow, in this book, the author makes everrryyyyy woman want to be a mother or pregnant. Half the woman only actively talk about getting pregnant or romping in the woods with their current boytoy. It got old, and seemed to be used as filler, I am bit confused as to what the author tried to accomplish with those story lines.

All in all, the book was a quick read, but I will not be reading any more in the series, and this author is probably gone from my list as well. Honestly, I love the premise of this book so much, I hope I can find something similar but written well.

I read Peter V. Brett 's The Warded Man: Book One of The Demon Cycle (The Demon Cycle Series 1) on 4/19>p66, on 4/28 >p117 on 5/6 >p178, on 5/6>p201, on 5/12>p271, and completed it on 5/20/16. It was recommended to me primarily by my daughter Kristina Davis, but several others as well.

I’m giving it 4 stars and recommending it to fans of fantasy who like magic and fighting with medieval weapons. As you can see, at the store I would be forced to fudge up or down as they have no "I really liked it" as they do on Goodreads.

Arlen Bales, “son of Jeph” is our primary protagonist. The evil antagonists are demons that rise from the Earth when the sun sets. There are other primary characters who come and go: Love interests, mentors, and characters in threads of sub-plots. There are multiple antagonistic characters who come and go, but the story largely revolves around Arlen and the demons called corelings, or as he later learned to call them, <i>alagai</i>, from the people he respected. People who fought the demons instead of cringing in fear of them. We have a quest and a coming of age story here where the story’s problems seem divided into the crucibles of daily duties during the light, and the horrors of the darkness.

I think “The Warded Man” may both say too little to buy the book and too much if you know that wards of various types protect against the demons of the night in various ways. People who can “ward” are highly respected and are needed to ward off the horrors of the night. Where is it safe if your home is a meager wood shack when powerful fire demons rise at sunset? Wards carved or painted on the outside surfaces of that shack my repel the fire, but a rock demon would easily smash through the walls with hardly an effort. So, you see, a warder must know the many different signs that will magically repel the demons if a person is to survive the darkness.

This is a review of the eBook and the Audiobook which I switched between.
These https://www.the store.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3AT7TI6FXN6WM are my the store reviews.
This link [...]

This book is very compelling from the first page. The characters are carefully crafted and the world is very interesting and innovative. Unfortunately, it seems like the opening moves take up about 75% of the book. I started to wonder when all the pieces would be connected. By the end, he was obviously setting things up for another book, which is fine but the last few pages left me feeling like a lot of this book was stalling for extra pages. After page 100, I would have rated it 5 stars. In the middle, 3 stars, and at the end it was good enough for 4. The story could have been a whole lot tighter, though.

Like many other recent authors from what must be the Jordan school, Brett has started a series when a single book could have worked. That's fine when you have an epic, but it's a pretty big challenge for a first time author. I will probably read the second of these, but the reviews are a little mixed.

I understand that the author was going for a grand epic, but 90% of this book is about the coming of age of the three main characters and I felt like the whole book is just a prologue instead of a complete story. As other reviewers have said, the author does not give the readers any credit about drawing their own conclusions about the characters as the same themes get repeated over and over again. Other than the main characters, most of the men in the story are presented as completely without control of their lust, and the women presented as if their whole life is empty without bearing children. Several times I felt like I could have skipped whole sections of the book and wouldn't have missed very much. Also as other reviewers have said, after spending an arduous amount of effort building up these characters through 2/3 of the book all that background is tossed aside as their characters transform into something else entirely in the last third.

This book commits three sins that truly annoy me- in part because they are becoming so prevalent in fantasy writing (but perhaps I am simply out of touch with my times and these "sins" will not matter to you).

The first two sins tend to occur whenever a book sets out to open a trilogy rather than just be a good book. The sins are: (i) the book gives way too much back ground and (ii) it ends as a cliff hanger. Personally I don't feel that the cliff hanger ending is fair to the reader- either you have a complete story for a book or you don't. That criticism needs to be toned down here to be fair to this book- it really does wrap up the major story lines it just doesn't stop there. It ends by (briefly) starting the next major story line and, by extension, shining a spot light on the unresolved story line of this book right at the book's end.

The book also spends a large amount of time introducing us to the mating rituals in different communities and a large cast of characters. (I apologize if my comments lack detail but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.) The book ends on a rather exciting high but the ending also makes it appear that 9/10s of the background information is going to be meaningless in the later story lines. I haven't read the second book yet but, in short, the this book left me with the impression that if all the meaningless background had been left out the first two books could have been consolidated into one truly excellent book.

The third sin is reliance on stupidity to move the story in a desired direction. I felt this was present in several passages but the worse one was where a main character who has spent a significant amount of time traveling in the hostile environs featured in this book simply forgets to be careful and as a result significant damage is done. (Damage, by the way, that in no way endeared the characters to me or significantly aided the story lines.)

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because it is better than average and really good at certain points. For the reasons stated above it really tried my patience at times but I still liked this book enough to get the next one. However, I'm getting the next one in part because of what I now have invested in this series so, if my foregoing comments concern you, then perhaps this book is not for you. I consider this author to be quite good and would have considered him fantastic if the drawn out background and stupidity hadn't so tested my patience (after all, there's plenty of that in real life).

This was a wonderful book. I don't say that often -- particularly when it comes to fantasy novels. Personally, I like this one better than Name of the Wind. Not as much as Lies of Locke Lamora. And about on par with (although I favor Warded Man) Way of the Shadow.

I finished this over Halloween. I usually read horror this time of year, but the Warded Man was a nice underworld/nederland touch--magical demons rising from the core to slaughter mankind.

Characters. I like the characters...some who stay with the story...some who exit stage left. I connected with each of them. The warrior, the perfect beauty, the musical clown, the merchant, and all of the surrounding cast. Just a great job with creating believable characters that you'll love and hate.

Anyways, if you like fantasy, this one is a must read.

WOW! Just WOW! What an amazing story! The flow, the plot(s), twists, characters, scenes, the story itself, is all just AMAZING! There is never a lull in the story. It's fast pace from the first page! I HIGHLY recommend all three in this series.

HOWEVER!!! PAY ATTENTION!!! This isn't a trilogy!!! Book four comes out in 2015!! BTW: If the author is reading this: First off, GREAT job! Secondly, I want to wring your neck for making me wait so dang long for the next book. I wont hurt you, though...you have to finish!! HAHA! Honestly, mind blowing series! As Sheldon from BBT says "Once your mind is blown, it can't be re-blown." He, apparently, has never read this series. Mind blowing even the second time I read it! :)

The book had a very predictable story but was well written with interesting settings and concepts.

I really enjoyed this book a lot for most part and would have given it four stars since a lot of books I picked up lately based on reviews and recommendation fell short. However, I read all three books of this series that are out, and the latest book really soured the series for me. I wouldn't have brought it up except there were few minor signs of that eventually happening even in this one.

I saw the top review(review 164, it was called) mentioned character Leesha and women in general in the book which I also had problem with although I have slightly differing opinion.

I thought setting and such were realistic considering the setting and understood some of changes Leesha had gone though. However, I felt at points that female characters felt like just good copied observations of female individuals that sometimes failed because the author seemed to have certain ideas how women act and think. It wasn't really that noticeable and was more like seeing something at the periphery of my sight.

I would like to write more especially about Leesha. But, she just gets complete character make-over in the book three, and I don't think it's worth to complain about comparatively minor flaws in her character in this one. Especially considering how there are very few consistent and real female characters are in books now. Even in the ones written by women.

Okay, I should probably warn book three was one really really bad in terms of female characters and their inconsistenty and b*tchy-ness and random characters thrown in. Just don't start and save yourself from major disppointment later on.

Huh, I just thought of what to title this review.

Demons rise during the night, preying on mankind and men who are unable to adequately fight back and have no known weapons that will kill demons. Villages and cities are gradually are being worn down with people huddling behind weak wards (runes of some kind that can form barriers) that sometimes keep the demons away. (I wonder what the demons will eat when mankind IS finally wiped out? Apparently it's not a concern of demons, who seem mostly unthinking, voracious beings.) Ages past, mankind had learned to deal with the demons through magical means--wards and weapons that could actually kill demons instead of just keep them away; but after the demons were defeated, an age of science and technology rose and the magic was lost and demons forgotten. Then the demons returned and no tech could harm them, and mankind was thrust back into dark ages of no tech. They have only regained the ability to make weak wards and everything in the past is just legends.

Three young people are featured, growing up and having to cope with this harsh world. Arlen is from a small village where attacks and deaths are a nightly occurrence. Even at eleven years old, he is frustrated that men just cower in their homes, waiting to be attacked. He thinks there must be something to the past legends of ways to defeat the demons. This comes to a head when his father will not step beyond the wards even to help his mother who has been caught beyond the wards by demons.

Leesha is a girl awaiting adulthood and marriage, also in a small village. She, also, comes to believe there should be more that could and must be done. She's introduced to a wider world by apprenticing to the village Herbalist-Healer.

Rojer's story starts when he's three years old. A traveling Jongleur is visiting when demons break through the wards. The man cowardly pushes all aside to squeeze into the small safe space and Rojer is orphaned as well as maimed, losing two fingers.

Much of the book concerns Arlen's early life (and Leesha's too) and beyond establishing some world-building, it can be somewhat slow-moving and not seemingly pertinent to moving the plot forward. Disconcertingly, when things start developing later on there are more gaps in time. This speeds up the plot, but seems to leave interesting bits out. The three characters do not come together until towards the end of the book. The book ends with: End Book I. There is a decent arc concluded before then, so that's not quite so frustrating as it might be. Overall, the first part was not terribly compelling, the characters were sympathetic, but still somewhat distant and their lives not that interesting. Things did pick up, though, but then, as I said, time was skipped to move things forward. It seemed uneven in that respect. But still, not a bad read.

I finished The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett the other day and figured I ought to review it-- for a few reasons. Mainly because it has great promise, but doesn't deliver as well as hoped, but also because friends might be considering reading it and there are a few scenes worth knowing about-- by way of warning.

The Warded Man takes place in a land where corelings, or demons, rise from the earth at sundown every evening, whereupon they viciously attack any humans who are not sufficiently protected by mystical wards. These wards apparently have to be drawn just so, and arranged in a way that creates a solid 'ward net' in order to ward off the corelings.

The story follows Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer, three young people who either survive coreling attacks or otherwise traumatic experiences. Their stories are separate, but as these books go, we know they will somehow intersect.

Arlen is a young lad who is disgusted by his father's cowardice and ends up running away. The circumstances around his leaving his remaining family behind are, in my mind, problematic and not motivated enough by the character, at least early on. Brett does make an effort to motivate Arlen's treatment of those who love him later in the book; I just wish this had been done better and earlier. However, he is the most proactive of the characters and that wins him a place in our hearts.

Leesha is a young woman who is promised to a powerful young man in her village. Due to various awful events, Leesha ends up learning the lore of healing and herbs. Her story is potentially very intriguing, but she is rather passive until the end of the book.

Rojer is also quite a passive character who goes from one tragedy to another. He is crippled in the attack that takes his family, and ends up becoming an apprentice to the traveling entertainer whom he ended up in a basement with.

It's clear from the start that these characters have a destiny to fulfill. Their choices affect their lives and world adequately, and the choices they are presented with are well motivated by the world they live in. What's more, the world is robust and replete with different cultures and a solid history.

The peripheral characters are not bad, with Ragan and Gared and Bruna taking top place, while others tend to be foils or fit molds that are needed for the development of the story.

To this point, I fear I sound pretty hard on this book. Good. It started out so well. Arlen's experiences are tragic and his heart and emotional reactions are wonderfully painted. His reaction to his father's cowardice makes for an excellent conflict and the loss of his mother really gets the ball rolling. We get a feeling that Arlen is going to break out of the fear that rules the populace and do great things.

Which he does. But somewhere along the way we lose the heart. It feels like the book will be about remarkable heroism as these characters struggle and fight to do what they know is right and change the world they live in, but the pay-off is a bit of a letdown. So I was excited to get into the book and it grabbed me right away, but because of the letdown that began at the middle of the book- where the heart seemed to go out of it and accomplishments came so easily to the characters, I just lost a bit of interest.

I think the problem is that the book tries to do too much in too small a span. These people live about 14 years of their lives and the things they do mostly seem quite effortless. As readers, we want to see struggle and difficulty; we want our characters to go through hell and get the snot beaten out of them- but then we want to watch them overcome and take down the bad guys in an epic finale.

The Warded Man didn't quite deliver on the promise at the beginning of the book.

That being said, the battles are well done, with tension remaining more or less strong throughout. The world is intriguing and a nice twist that happens to Arlen toward the end of the book make me want to keep going to the next book, The Desert Spear.

Now for a bit of scathing commentary:

Is there some kind of statement on saving yourself for true love in this book? The horrible things that happen to Leesha don't necessarily seem like a statement against her approach to sex, but something's going on there.

Also, we don't know anything about the enemy- their nature, origin or what drives them. Why do wards and other things affect them the way they do? Brett plays this area of the book far too close to the chest. The reader will lose interest in an antagonist that seems mindlessly evil. At least we knew were Tolkien's orcs came from and who was running that particular show.

Finally, I just don't get the point of graphic sex scenes. Who actually enjoys reading that? I feel that it did nothing to enhance the book or the story, but there was plenty of it. It wasn't on the level of Goodkind (gracious, man, keep your fantasies and political lectures away from storytelling!), but there was too much of it anyway.

All in all, I give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was probably better than that, but the promise of the beginning was so strong, and it just didn't get paid off.

Some of the worst fantasy fiction I've ever read. The character development was sporadic and frequently contradictory. The demons were without any development at all, you have no idea why they want to destroy things, nor is any attempt ever made to explain it.

Plenty of good books out there, skip this one.

Firstly, the more observant reader will note that I share the same surname as the author but sadly we are not related. I say sadly because if I was related I would hope to get to see the next book quicker!

I liked this one. Set in a `world' (although there are `hints' that this could be our world under different circumstances which gives this added interest) that we would equate to the early 1800's where small villages plant crops and people are not well travelled. However at dusk it is demons that rule and humans hide in their homes protected by magical wards. Nightly siege and loss of life to the demons has become the way of things, but it would appear that the demons are winning as the wards get weaker and nobody stands up and fights.
Enter three young protagonists, a feisty young lad with a skill at warding, a healer and a jongleur. First we see their separate stories and then it all comes together as we see them as young adults who eventually find their paths coming together as they end up defending, Magnificent Seven like, a village against a horde of demons.

This is more fantasy then horror and while I have seen a few similar books (mainly using Vampires rather then demons) I still found this a real page turner and sufficiently different to be very enjoyable. The author spends time building his characters so we feel a connection with them and we understand, as they grow, how and why they have evolved into the people they become.
Having read other reviews, there seems to be some confusion as to whether this is a `young adult' book, in my humble opinion it is not as adult themes are touched upon.
Recommended and I eagerly await the next one.

I confess: most fantasy bores me. The conventions are usually overworked at the expense of character development, the action bogs down in tiresome descriptions, and most plots consist of marching the combatants from one place to another through magic neverlands. None of these flaws exist in Peter Brett's fine debut novel. What draws five stars from me is the book's clean portrait of believable characters dealing with situations that have less to do with mystic malarkey than with the perils of the human condition. Strip away the fantasy elements, and you'd have an early Cormac McCarthy novel with a laconic, flawed hero, a desperately-seeking heroine, and a coming-of-age orphan trying to overcome his physical and psychological tormentors.

Still, I suspect there is enough fantasy for most fans of the genre. The post-apocalyptic world is detailed enough for belief yet hazy enough in its outlines for the reader's imagination to lay whatever map on it they like. The demons are finely drawn and the magic powers, the "wards," are useful without tipping too far over into deus-ex-machina territory.

The real strength of the book, though, is the characters and the very real-world issues they face. Arlen struggles to define heroism throughout the book after watching his father cower while his mother is killed in the beginning. Leesha must deal with an over-bearing mother and a loudly-ticking biological clock while searching for true love amid the chaos of the world she inhabits. Rojer grows up mildly crippled and psychically scarred, a seeker of self respect and belief in his own fortitude. When the three finally meet, the meld is a good one that produces many answers while raising several new questions for the next book in the series.

Kudos for an author who produced an entertaining, literate debut.

First the good stuff:
The story itself is pretty compelling. A very interesting concept and world. I liked viewing the growth of the characters over time from young to (mostly) adult. It helped you connect with the characters. The magic system is not excessively innovative but it is interesting.

[SPOILERS BELOW!!!!]

Now to the reason I can't give this book a positive review (also why I won't read the rest of the series....):
I feel sorry for Peter Brett. I assume from his writing that he has had some terrible experiences with women or at least some exposure to terribly boring women. Every female character in this book, even the supposedly independent and strong main character, is obsessed with babies and sex and marriage. Every scene involving a female involves some reference to babies or sex. Almost all of the men in the book perpetuate this by clearly viewing women as nothing more than receptacles for their genitals and, consequently, their babies. And the way he casually tosses rape around? So not okay. It is just taken as a matter of course that it is okay for men to attempt to rape women and that if women don't like it, it is up to them to find tricksy ways out of it. And then when it actually happens, when this poor women is essentially gang raped on the road, he completely brushes it off. I wish I could live in Peter Brett's world where apparently gang rape is not a good thing, but it isn't too bad. And it is incredibly easy to get over! In fact, the character essentially throws herself at the next man to come across her path with no regard for what it actually might do to her psyche, let alone her actual physical body, to have sex again that soon after being violently raped by multiple men, including one who was repeatedly described as "giant".

I can't bring myself to continue to read about a world that so undervalues women as a gender. And I can't bring myself to continue to support the author by paying for his books. Maybe you should get out and really meet real women and talk to some actual rape victims before attempting to write about them.

This has been on my wish list for about a year and I am really glad I finally read it!

This book is similar to brandon Sandersons The Way of Kings (5 stars) but not quiet as good. Very well written with great character development. This first book really sets the stage for an epic series.

PS- I have read over 400 books and 4 stars for me puts the book in the top 15%. 5 stars is reserved for top 5%.

I stopped reading fantasy/sci-fi novels many years ago and have only recently begun picking them up again. Much to my delight the genre has seemingly matured into a much more imaginative, artistic and engrossing medium than I had been accustomed to. "The Warded Man" is one such example of an intriguing storyline with complex undertones and equally intriguing and complex characters.

"The Warded Man" chronicles the maturation of three young individuals (Arlen, Leesha and Rojer) in a world where humans are at war with magical corelings (demons) who arise from the core of the earth at night. The corelings have become far more powerful than the humans whose only defenses are wards - ancient magical symbols that hold the demonic creatures at bay. Indeed, the corelings hunt humans as prey. Humans only venture out in daylight and retreat at night into isolated cities and hamlets behind warded structures. Over the centuries, man has been reduced to living in fear and cowardice. Humanity is on the decline. Coming from troubled pasts, Arlen, Leesha and Rojer each grow up in different villages where they develop different skills that will serve them into early adulthood and provide hope for mankind's salvation.

From the first page I was hooked and found the riveting story hard to put down. Great finish and a subtle hint of more to come in future novels. I, for one, can't wait.

This is by far one of my favorite books. It start with the main character as a kid and as he progresses through the world. The world is very original. It take place where every night demons rise from the dark and humanity has no way to fight back.
To me this book is a search for freedom. it looks at humanity as fear itself to scared to move forward and a character that is willing to brave it all for freedom.
I would say this so far is the best book in the series and a must read if you like dark fantasy.

Snagged this on a whim, as I'd heard good things... while the novel certainly shows promise for Mr. Brett, as the beginning of a series I found this book lacking on many levels. Others here are fond of posting long, lush prose-filled reviews made up of meaty, chunky paragraphs. Well I'm feeling lazy, so I'll go the list route, myself. No elaborating, no spoilers, yay.

******
PROS:

(1) PACE.
(2) PREMISE.
(3) CHARACTERS (at least early on).

******
CONS:

(1) CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.
(2) VIEWPOINT. (Third Person Omniscient that reads like bad Third Person Limited)
(3) STRUCTURE/PLOT.
(4) THIRD ACT = CRUSHING LETDOWN.
(5) ABOMINABLE SETUP FOR THE REST OF THE SERIES.
(6) LAME FIXATION ON SEX.
(7) PAINFUL RACIAL/RELIGIOUS STEREOTYPES.
(8) WORLD-BUILDING.

I could probably go on for a while, but this book was a letdown. Reading the reviews of the 2nd in the series... it sounds like it gets even worse, which makes sense if it continues in the direction the end of this book presents.

Interesting premise where people hide indoors at night protected by magical runes that keep out demonic creatures known as 'corelings' that appear when the sun goes down. In ages past humans had defeated the corelings, but then the magical knowledge was lost over time, leaving human civilization almost defenceless when the demons suddenly reappeared.
The story follows the lives of three youths: Arlen, Leesha and Rojer. It is Arlen's story which takes up the greater part of the narrative, and which drives the story forward. Frankly the other two story threads aren't nearly as interesting.
On the whole a very enjoyable book. I hope the sequel 'The Desert Spear' will provide more background on the nature of the corelings and the history of mankind's previous victory.

"The Warded Man" breathes new life into the fantasy genre by creating a dark world in which humans are on the losing end of a battle between humanity and demonkind. Nevertheless, humans have banded together, doing their best to survive in the face of insurmountable odds. From this world come three main characters, Arlen, the book's title character, Leesha, an herbalist, and Rojer, a musician and jongleur. Through troubled childhoods, these three characters eventually come together and attempt to give hope to a nearly defeated world. Brett's main strength is his character development. All of his major characters seem very real and are not just fantasy stereotypes. Furthermore, he does an excellent job describing battle scenes. My thought while reading this book is how it would make an excellent video game. Finishing the book will leave you hungering for the next one in the series, and wishing for more fantasy series that break the traditional mold.

Great book set in a fictional land where demons roam the night. Imaginative and creative, it follows the story of 3 characters and their quests against the demons. Perfect for anyone who likes fantasy and magic. Can’t wait to start book 2 in the series!

I'll keep this short. I'm almost finished with the 3rd book in this series and while it is enjoyable it is not a masterpiece. This review is more of the whole series than just this book. A lot of the dialog is not well written, in my opinion. Many of the characters behave childishly, over-reacting to events that are really minor. In a few cases, the author repeats information over and over as if the author forgot that he just told us a few chapters back.

But, I don't want to knock this series too much. I am enjoying it, even if I have to grit my teeth every now and then.

This novel is the first of a promised trilogy, and I am eagerly awaiting the second in the series.

As the novel opens, fragmented societies of humans struggle for continued existence in a world where the night is controlled by demons. Only a few people, it seems, have the courage to try to reclaim the knowledge required from the past in order to try to create a better future. Only by combining forces and knowledge gained from a variety of sources can humankind hope to survive.

But is there hope beyond survival itself?

In the world created by Mr Brett, we have the struggle between good and evil against a background of lost knowledge and of overwhelming fear. I very much enjoyed this novel. The main characters are clearly defined, I can readily visualise the world and I ended up caring very much about the success of their mission.

As in most fantasy, there are elements that appear similar to those in other novels. But to dismiss this as derivative would be inappropriate, in my view, and unfair. Mr Ward has created a world of his own and I very much want to read the complete story.

I recommend this novel very highly.

Please note: this novel is published as `The Painted Man' in some countries, including Australia.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

"I firmly believe it is characters, more than concepts, that drive a story." author Peter Brett says in the interview included with his debut novel The Warded Man. "Make the characters relatable and compelling," he continues, "and the story will work." And work it does. From the first words to the final sentences Brett spins an enchanting tale centered around 11 year old Arlen. Arlen begins exhibiting heroic qualities, courage, bravery, determination, and valor, from the moment he's introduced. Over the course of the novel he matures not only physically but emotionally taking the reader on a wild ride as he searches for answers to very real questions within the framework of a masterfully crafted fantasy world. An intoxicating mix of tragedy, heroism, and weakness Arlen, and the characters he meets along the way, are the perfect mix of the hero we all long to be and people we really are. That The Warded Man provides such an introspective look into humanity through the genera of fantasy is remarkable enough, but the compelling story Brett manages to weave at the same time makes it a truly incredible read. This isn't a book I would have picked up on my own but once I had it in my hands I found it was impossible to put it down. December seems like far too long to wait for the sequel.

I have liked this series a lot so far. Book one and two have been great. I would be wary with all the reviews online - you shouldn't to judge a book by what other people think. I went in expecting to not like it and I was pleasantly surprised. Character development is great and the story lines are intriguing. Would read again.

Exceptional. Elegant. The Warded Man maintains your interest and steadily develops a creative storyline. The syntax is smooth and the depth of the character interactions is refreshing. To call this book a Fantasy novel is almost a misclassification; Mr. Brett has a very classic writing style and The Warded Man is how I would envision a story reading if Victor Hugo had ever written a piece of Fantasy. If I had to say anything bad about this story it is that the characters, at times, come across as more mature and eloquent than you would imagine they should be in a post-utopian world. However this makes each interaction more enticing and thought-provoking. An exceptional read, The Warded Man far exceeds the standard of the average Fantasy novel; this is something more.

I bought this book a few years ago and, knowing a sequel would soon be published, waited to read it. After coming to the conclusion (mistakenly) that this was a trilogy, I eagerly cracked open this book's spine. And now, I am torn between being disappointed that the series isn't final so I can read it all consecutively and so excited that there will be more books beyond The Desert Spear and The Daylight War: Book Three of The Demon Cycle. This is such an impressive debut! Brett has a real skill in bringing his epic fantasy to life - and really richly painting the scenery, the society and different cultures without dumping information in awkward speeches or lengthy (usually dull) sections. The author has quickly joined the ranks of my favorite high fantasy writers! It is so exciting to discover a new - and so uniquely creative! - series to read and anticipate.

Brett spends the bulk of the book introducing not only his world, but also three main characters - Arlen, Leesha and Rojer. But this is in no way a slow or boring way to learn about them! Instead, each becomes quite endearing and gives added room for the lush detailing of this demon-ridden world and its creatures. The threads of these characters' lives do eventually converge in a quite thrilling conclusion. Each grows and develops across the novel, and the book ends with a tantalizing omen of what is yet to come in the sequel.

The only downside of the novel is the handling of the female characters. Brett shows a lot more depth and understanding with his male characters. Even the lead female, Leesha, takes some very unrealistic actions... Hopefully she will act more consistently in the successive novels. Aside from one very shocking scene, this is a wonderfully exciting start to a series I can't wait to continue reading!

The world is infested with demons (see also vampires, zombies, etc.) that rise from the ground like mist at sunset. They are incredibly powerful, all but impossible to kill, and are ravenously hungry. Anyone caught outside the protection of magical wards is doomed to a grisly death. People live in remote villages unable to communicate or travel due to the impossibility of being caught outdoors at night. Although a few stalwart messengers travel the land, braving the nightly demon onslaught with portable warded circles.

Arlen is a young boy living in a remote village who is so horrified by his father's cowardly refusal to suffer almost certain death to save his mother that he runs off into the night (presumably to become demon chow) only through unbelievable luck, is saved and brought to a remote city where he can pursue his dream of becoming a messenger.

Although really what he wants to do is get all these people to stop huddling in their semi-safe warded houses at night and take the battle back to the demons. So he travels to the warrior desert people of Krasia (read: middle easterners) who are warlike, make their women wear burkas, are suspicious of foreigners, but routinely battle demons. Of course the mean Krasians steal the legendary spear Arlen has found. But not before he copied all the super special wards that were on the spear. He then travels the desert close to death, starving, and tattooing his body with powerful wards. I don't want to spoil any surprise for those who didn't see this coming from the very beginning but Arlen becomes.....the warded man.

This was a reasonably enjoyable book that felt like an amalgamation of better books (Wheel of Time, The Passage, Name of the Wind, etc.). The concept of demons who have all but overtaken man seemed original at first but then quickly settles into your basic "young boy journeys to become powerful hero" stuff. The main characters are all brave, kind, smart, and wonderful. Also flat and forgettable.

Also there is an undeveloped romance shoehorned into the end of the story that particularly bothered me. This woman is gang-raped by bandits (mercifully we learn about this after the fact and don't have to actually read the nitty gritty) and suffers no emotional trauma due to this. So she happily has a romantic interlude with the hero just a few days after this brutal episode. To which I say no. Just no. If you don't want to deal with a woman loosing her virginity by being raped by a troupe of heathens then don't write it into your story. But if you DO choose to have her suffer this fate then there damn well better be some repercussions. Because this is a pretty heavy thing to have a young girl just toss off like it was nothing.

There will presumably be a Book 2 to follow but I'm neither intrigued enough by the author or the story to care to continue.

Demons rise during the night, preying on mankind and men who are unable to adequately fight back and have no known weapons that will kill demons. Villages and cities are gradually are being worn down with people huddling behind weak wards (runes of some kind that can form barriers) that sometimes keep the demons away. (I wonder what the demons will eat when mankind IS finally wiped out? Apparently it's not a concern of demons, who seem mostly unthinking, voracious beings.) Ages past, mankind had learned to deal with the demons through magical means--wards and weapons that could actually kill demons instead of just keep them away; but after the demons were defeated, an age of science and technology rose and the magic was lost and demons forgotten. Then the demons returned and no tech could harm them, and mankind was thrust back into dark ages of no tech. They have only regained the ability to make weak wards and everything in the past is just legends.

Three young people are featured, growing up and having to cope with this harsh world. Arlen is from a small village where attacks and deaths are a nightly occurrence. Even at eleven years old, he is frustrated that men just cower in their homes, waiting to be attacked. He thinks there must be something to the past legends of ways to defeat the demons. This comes to a head when his father will not step beyond the wards even to help his mother who has been caught beyond the wards by demons.

Leesha is a girl awaiting adulthood and marriage, also in a small village. She, also, comes to believe there should be more that could and must be done. She's introduced to a wider world by apprenticing to the village Herbalist-Healer.

Rojer's story starts when he's three years old. A traveling Jongleur is visiting when demons break through the wards. The man cowardly pushes all aside to squeeze into the small safe space and Rojer is orphaned as well as maimed, losing two fingers.

Much of the book concerns Arlen's early life (and Leesha's too) and beyond establishing some world-building, it can be somewhat slow-moving and not seemingly pertinent to moving the plot forward. Disconcertingly, when things start developing later on there are more gaps in time. This speeds up the plot, but seems to leave interesting bits out. The three characters do not come together until towards the end of the book. The book ends with: End Book I. There is a decent arc concluded before then, so that's not quite so frustrating as it might be. Overall, the first part was not terribly compelling, the characters were sympathetic, but still somewhat distant and their lives not that interesting. Things did pick up, though, but then, as I said, time was skipped to move things forward. It seemed uneven in that respect. But still, not a bad read.

I finished The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett the other day and figured I ought to review it-- for a few reasons. Mainly because it has great promise, but doesn't deliver as well as hoped, but also because friends might be considering reading it and there are a few scenes worth knowing about-- by way of warning.

The Warded Man takes place in a land where corelings, or demons, rise from the earth at sundown every evening, whereupon they viciously attack any humans who are not sufficiently protected by mystical wards. These wards apparently have to be drawn just so, and arranged in a way that creates a solid 'ward net' in order to ward off the corelings.

The story follows Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer, three young people who either survive coreling attacks or otherwise traumatic experiences. Their stories are separate, but as these books go, we know they will somehow intersect.

Arlen is a young lad who is disgusted by his father's cowardice and ends up running away. The circumstances around his leaving his remaining family behind are, in my mind, problematic and not motivated enough by the character, at least early on. Brett does make an effort to motivate Arlen's treatment of those who love him later in the book; I just wish this had been done better and earlier. However, he is the most proactive of the characters and that wins him a place in our hearts.

Leesha is a young woman who is promised to a powerful young man in her village. Due to various awful events, Leesha ends up learning the lore of healing and herbs. Her story is potentially very intriguing, but she is rather passive until the end of the book.

Rojer is also quite a passive character who goes from one tragedy to another. He is crippled in the attack that takes his family, and ends up becoming an apprentice to the traveling entertainer whom he ended up in a basement with.

It's clear from the start that these characters have a destiny to fulfill. Their choices affect their lives and world adequately, and the choices they are presented with are well motivated by the world they live in. What's more, the world is robust and replete with different cultures and a solid history.

The peripheral characters are not bad, with Ragan and Gared and Bruna taking top place, while others tend to be foils or fit molds that are needed for the development of the story.

To this point, I fear I sound pretty hard on this book. Good. It started out so well. Arlen's experiences are tragic and his heart and emotional reactions are wonderfully painted. His reaction to his father's cowardice makes for an excellent conflict and the loss of his mother really gets the ball rolling. We get a feeling that Arlen is going to break out of the fear that rules the populace and do great things.

Which he does. But somewhere along the way we lose the heart. It feels like the book will be about remarkable heroism as these characters struggle and fight to do what they know is right and change the world they live in, but the pay-off is a bit of a letdown. So I was excited to get into the book and it grabbed me right away, but because of the letdown that began at the middle of the book- where the heart seemed to go out of it and accomplishments came so easily to the characters, I just lost a bit of interest.

I think the problem is that the book tries to do too much in too small a span. These people live about 14 years of their lives and the things they do mostly seem quite effortless. As readers, we want to see struggle and difficulty; we want our characters to go through hell and get the snot beaten out of them- but then we want to watch them overcome and take down the bad guys in an epic finale.

The Warded Man didn't quite deliver on the promise at the beginning of the book.

That being said, the battles are well done, with tension remaining more or less strong throughout. The world is intriguing and a nice twist that happens to Arlen toward the end of the book make me want to keep going to the next book, The Desert Spear.

Now for a bit of scathing commentary:

Is there some kind of statement on saving yourself for true love in this book? The horrible things that happen to Leesha don't necessarily seem like a statement against her approach to sex, but something's going on there.

Also, we don't know anything about the enemy- their nature, origin or what drives them. Why do wards and other things affect them the way they do? Brett plays this area of the book far too close to the chest. The reader will lose interest in an antagonist that seems mindlessly evil. At least we knew were Tolkien's orcs came from and who was running that particular show.

Finally, I just don't get the point of graphic sex scenes. Who actually enjoys reading that? I feel that it did nothing to enhance the book or the story, but there was plenty of it. It wasn't on the level of Goodkind (gracious, man, keep your fantasies and political lectures away from storytelling!), but there was too much of it anyway.

All in all, I give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was probably better than that, but the promise of the beginning was so strong, and it just didn't get paid off.

Some of the worst fantasy fiction I've ever read. The character development was sporadic and frequently contradictory. The demons were without any development at all, you have no idea why they want to destroy things, nor is any attempt ever made to explain it.

Plenty of good books out there, skip this one.

The story follows the perspective of various characters and eventually makes then meet. The plot offers magic by drawn symbols which only hurt or ward of demons. I personaly like how this book creates legends and has great character conflict of love and betrayal. The character Development and growth are present and constant, and the chapters end with enough suspense to get you back up into reading.

Firstly, the more observant reader will note that I share the same surname as the author but sadly we are not related. I say sadly because if I was related I would hope to get to see the next book quicker!

I liked this one. Set in a `world' (although there are `hints' that this could be our world under different circumstances which gives this added interest) that we would equate to the early 1800's where small villages plant crops and people are not well travelled. However at dusk it is demons that rule and humans hide in their homes protected by magical wards. Nightly siege and loss of life to the demons has become the way of things, but it would appear that the demons are winning as the wards get weaker and nobody stands up and fights.
Enter three young protagonists, a feisty young lad with a skill at warding, a healer and a jongleur. First we see their separate stories and then it all comes together as we see them as young adults who eventually find their paths coming together as they end up defending, Magnificent Seven like, a village against a horde of demons.

This is more fantasy then horror and while I have seen a few similar books (mainly using Vampires rather then demons) I still found this a real page turner and sufficiently different to be very enjoyable. The author spends time building his characters so we feel a connection with them and we understand, as they grow, how and why they have evolved into the people they become.
Having read other reviews, there seems to be some confusion as to whether this is a `young adult' book, in my humble opinion it is not as adult themes are touched upon.
Recommended and I eagerly await the next one.

I confess: most fantasy bores me. The conventions are usually overworked at the expense of character development, the action bogs down in tiresome descriptions, and most plots consist of marching the combatants from one place to another through magic neverlands. None of these flaws exist in Peter Brett's fine debut novel. What draws five stars from me is the book's clean portrait of believable characters dealing with situations that have less to do with mystic malarkey than with the perils of the human condition. Strip away the fantasy elements, and you'd have an early Cormac McCarthy novel with a laconic, flawed hero, a desperately-seeking heroine, and a coming-of-age orphan trying to overcome his physical and psychological tormentors.

Still, I suspect there is enough fantasy for most fans of the genre. The post-apocalyptic world is detailed enough for belief yet hazy enough in its outlines for the reader's imagination to lay whatever map on it they like. The demons are finely drawn and the magic powers, the "wards," are useful without tipping too far over into deus-ex-machina territory.

The real strength of the book, though, is the characters and the very real-world issues they face. Arlen struggles to define heroism throughout the book after watching his father cower while his mother is killed in the beginning. Leesha must deal with an over-bearing mother and a loudly-ticking biological clock while searching for true love amid the chaos of the world she inhabits. Rojer grows up mildly crippled and psychically scarred, a seeker of self respect and belief in his own fortitude. When the three finally meet, the meld is a good one that produces many answers while raising several new questions for the next book in the series.

Kudos for an author who produced an entertaining, literate debut.

First the good stuff:
The story itself is pretty compelling. A very interesting concept and world. I liked viewing the growth of the characters over time from young to (mostly) adult. It helped you connect with the characters. The magic system is not excessively innovative but it is interesting.

[SPOILERS BELOW!!!!]

Now to the reason I can't give this book a positive review (also why I won't read the rest of the series....):
I feel sorry for Peter Brett. I assume from his writing that he has had some terrible experiences with women or at least some exposure to terribly boring women. Every female character in this book, even the supposedly independent and strong main character, is obsessed with babies and sex and marriage. Every scene involving a female involves some reference to babies or sex. Almost all of the men in the book perpetuate this by clearly viewing women as nothing more than receptacles for their genitals and, consequently, their babies. And the way he casually tosses rape around? So not okay. It is just taken as a matter of course that it is okay for men to attempt to rape women and that if women don't like it, it is up to them to find tricksy ways out of it. And then when it actually happens, when this poor women is essentially gang raped on the road, he completely brushes it off. I wish I could live in Peter Brett's world where apparently gang rape is not a good thing, but it isn't too bad. And it is incredibly easy to get over! In fact, the character essentially throws herself at the next man to come across her path with no regard for what it actually might do to her psyche, let alone her actual physical body, to have sex again that soon after being violently raped by multiple men, including one who was repeatedly described as "giant".

I can't bring myself to continue to read about a world that so undervalues women as a gender. And I can't bring myself to continue to support the author by paying for his books. Maybe you should get out and really meet real women and talk to some actual rape victims before attempting to write about them.

This has been on my wish list for about a year and I am really glad I finally read it!

This book is similar to brandon Sandersons The Way of Kings (5 stars) but not quiet as good. Very well written with great character development. This first book really sets the stage for an epic series.

PS- I have read over 400 books and 4 stars for me puts the book in the top 15%. 5 stars is reserved for top 5%.

I stopped reading fantasy/sci-fi novels many years ago and have only recently begun picking them up again. Much to my delight the genre has seemingly matured into a much more imaginative, artistic and engrossing medium than I had been accustomed to. "The Warded Man" is one such example of an intriguing storyline with complex undertones and equally intriguing and complex characters.

"The Warded Man" chronicles the maturation of three young individuals (Arlen, Leesha and Rojer) in a world where humans are at war with magical corelings (demons) who arise from the core of the earth at night. The corelings have become far more powerful than the humans whose only defenses are wards - ancient magical symbols that hold the demonic creatures at bay. Indeed, the corelings hunt humans as prey. Humans only venture out in daylight and retreat at night into isolated cities and hamlets behind warded structures. Over the centuries, man has been reduced to living in fear and cowardice. Humanity is on the decline. Coming from troubled pasts, Arlen, Leesha and Rojer each grow up in different villages where they develop different skills that will serve them into early adulthood and provide hope for mankind's salvation.

From the first page I was hooked and found the riveting story hard to put down. Great finish and a subtle hint of more to come in future novels. I, for one, can't wait.

This is by far one of my favorite books. It start with the main character as a kid and as he progresses through the world. The world is very original. It take place where every night demons rise from the dark and humanity has no way to fight back.
To me this book is a search for freedom. it looks at humanity as fear itself to scared to move forward and a character that is willing to brave it all for freedom.
I would say this so far is the best book in the series and a must read if you like dark fantasy.

Snagged this on a whim, as I'd heard good things... while the novel certainly shows promise for Mr. Brett, as the beginning of a series I found this book lacking on many levels. Others here are fond of posting long, lush prose-filled reviews made up of meaty, chunky paragraphs. Well I'm feeling lazy, so I'll go the list route, myself. No elaborating, no spoilers, yay.

******
PROS:

(1) PACE.
(2) PREMISE.
(3) CHARACTERS (at least early on).

******
CONS:

(1) CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.
(2) VIEWPOINT. (Third Person Omniscient that reads like bad Third Person Limited)
(3) STRUCTURE/PLOT.
(4) THIRD ACT = CRUSHING LETDOWN.
(5) ABOMINABLE SETUP FOR THE REST OF THE SERIES.
(6) LAME FIXATION ON SEX.
(7) PAINFUL RACIAL/RELIGIOUS STEREOTYPES.
(8) WORLD-BUILDING.

I could probably go on for a while, but this book was a letdown. Reading the reviews of the 2nd in the series... it sounds like it gets even worse, which makes sense if it continues in the direction the end of this book presents.

Interesting premise where people hide indoors at night protected by magical runes that keep out demonic creatures known as 'corelings' that appear when the sun goes down. In ages past humans had defeated the corelings, but then the magical knowledge was lost over time, leaving human civilization almost defenceless when the demons suddenly reappeared.
The story follows the lives of three youths: Arlen, Leesha and Rojer. It is Arlen's story which takes up the greater part of the narrative, and which drives the story forward. Frankly the other two story threads aren't nearly as interesting.
On the whole a very enjoyable book. I hope the sequel 'The Desert Spear' will provide more background on the nature of the corelings and the history of mankind's previous victory.

"The Warded Man" breathes new life into the fantasy genre by creating a dark world in which humans are on the losing end of a battle between humanity and demonkind. Nevertheless, humans have banded together, doing their best to survive in the face of insurmountable odds. From this world come three main characters, Arlen, the book's title character, Leesha, an herbalist, and Rojer, a musician and jongleur. Through troubled childhoods, these three characters eventually come together and attempt to give hope to a nearly defeated world. Brett's main strength is his character development. All of his major characters seem very real and are not just fantasy stereotypes. Furthermore, he does an excellent job describing battle scenes. My thought while reading this book is how it would make an excellent video game. Finishing the book will leave you hungering for the next one in the series, and wishing for more fantasy series that break the traditional mold.

Great book set in a fictional land where demons roam the night. Imaginative and creative, it follows the story of 3 characters and their quests against the demons. Perfect for anyone who likes fantasy and magic. Can’t wait to start book 2 in the series!

I'll keep this short. I'm almost finished with the 3rd book in this series and while it is enjoyable it is not a masterpiece. This review is more of the whole series than just this book. A lot of the dialog is not well written, in my opinion. Many of the characters behave childishly, over-reacting to events that are really minor. In a few cases, the author repeats information over and over as if the author forgot that he just told us a few chapters back.

But, I don't want to knock this series too much. I am enjoying it, even if I have to grit my teeth every now and then.

This novel is the first of a promised trilogy, and I am eagerly awaiting the second in the series.

As the novel opens, fragmented societies of humans struggle for continued existence in a world where the night is controlled by demons. Only a few people, it seems, have the courage to try to reclaim the knowledge required from the past in order to try to create a better future. Only by combining forces and knowledge gained from a variety of sources can humankind hope to survive.

But is there hope beyond survival itself?

In the world created by Mr Brett, we have the struggle between good and evil against a background of lost knowledge and of overwhelming fear. I very much enjoyed this novel. The main characters are clearly defined, I can readily visualise the world and I ended up caring very much about the success of their mission.

As in most fantasy, there are elements that appear similar to those in other novels. But to dismiss this as derivative would be inappropriate, in my view, and unfair. Mr Ward has created a world of his own and I very much want to read the complete story.

I recommend this novel very highly.

Please note: this novel is published as `The Painted Man' in some countries, including Australia.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

"I firmly believe it is characters, more than concepts, that drive a story." author Peter Brett says in the interview included with his debut novel The Warded Man. "Make the characters relatable and compelling," he continues, "and the story will work." And work it does. From the first words to the final sentences Brett spins an enchanting tale centered around 11 year old Arlen. Arlen begins exhibiting heroic qualities, courage, bravery, determination, and valor, from the moment he's introduced. Over the course of the novel he matures not only physically but emotionally taking the reader on a wild ride as he searches for answers to very real questions within the framework of a masterfully crafted fantasy world. An intoxicating mix of tragedy, heroism, and weakness Arlen, and the characters he meets along the way, are the perfect mix of the hero we all long to be and people we really are. That The Warded Man provides such an introspective look into humanity through the genera of fantasy is remarkable enough, but the compelling story Brett manages to weave at the same time makes it a truly incredible read. This isn't a book I would have picked up on my own but once I had it in my hands I found it was impossible to put it down. December seems like far too long to wait for the sequel.

I have liked this series a lot so far. Book one and two have been great. I would be wary with all the reviews online - you shouldn't to judge a book by what other people think. I went in expecting to not like it and I was pleasantly surprised. Character development is great and the story lines are intriguing. Would read again.

Exceptional. Elegant. The Warded Man maintains your interest and steadily develops a creative storyline. The syntax is smooth and the depth of the character interactions is refreshing. To call this book a Fantasy novel is almost a misclassification; Mr. Brett has a very classic writing style and The Warded Man is how I would envision a story reading if Victor Hugo had ever written a piece of Fantasy. If I had to say anything bad about this story it is that the characters, at times, come across as more mature and eloquent than you would imagine they should be in a post-utopian world. However this makes each interaction more enticing and thought-provoking. An exceptional read, The Warded Man far exceeds the standard of the average Fantasy novel; this is something more.

I bought this book a few years ago and, knowing a sequel would soon be published, waited to read it. After coming to the conclusion (mistakenly) that this was a trilogy, I eagerly cracked open this book's spine. And now, I am torn between being disappointed that the series isn't final so I can read it all consecutively and so excited that there will be more books beyond The Desert Spear and The Daylight War: Book Three of The Demon Cycle. This is such an impressive debut! Brett has a real skill in bringing his epic fantasy to life - and really richly painting the scenery, the society and different cultures without dumping information in awkward speeches or lengthy (usually dull) sections. The author has quickly joined the ranks of my favorite high fantasy writers! It is so exciting to discover a new - and so uniquely creative! - series to read and anticipate.

Brett spends the bulk of the book introducing not only his world, but also three main characters - Arlen, Leesha and Rojer. But this is in no way a slow or boring way to learn about them! Instead, each becomes quite endearing and gives added room for the lush detailing of this demon-ridden world and its creatures. The threads of these characters' lives do eventually converge in a quite thrilling conclusion. Each grows and develops across the novel, and the book ends with a tantalizing omen of what is yet to come in the sequel.

The only downside of the novel is the handling of the female characters. Brett shows a lot more depth and understanding with his male characters. Even the lead female, Leesha, takes some very unrealistic actions... Hopefully she will act more consistently in the successive novels. Aside from one very shocking scene, this is a wonderfully exciting start to a series I can't wait to continue reading!

The world is infested with demons (see also vampires, zombies, etc.) that rise from the ground like mist at sunset. They are incredibly powerful, all but impossible to kill, and are ravenously hungry. Anyone caught outside the protection of magical wards is doomed to a grisly death. People live in remote villages unable to communicate or travel due to the impossibility of being caught outdoors at night. Although a few stalwart messengers travel the land, braving the nightly demon onslaught with portable warded circles.

Arlen is a young boy living in a remote village who is so horrified by his father's cowardly refusal to suffer almost certain death to save his mother that he runs off into the night (presumably to become demon chow) only through unbelievable luck, is saved and brought to a remote city where he can pursue his dream of becoming a messenger.

Although really what he wants to do is get all these people to stop huddling in their semi-safe warded houses at night and take the battle back to the demons. So he travels to the warrior desert people of Krasia (read: middle easterners) who are warlike, make their women wear burkas, are suspicious of foreigners, but routinely battle demons. Of course the mean Krasians steal the legendary spear Arlen has found. But not before he copied all the super special wards that were on the spear. He then travels the desert close to death, starving, and tattooing his body with powerful wards. I don't want to spoil any surprise for those who didn't see this coming from the very beginning but Arlen becomes.....the warded man.

This was a reasonably enjoyable book that felt like an amalgamation of better books (Wheel of Time, The Passage, Name of the Wind, etc.). The concept of demons who have all but overtaken man seemed original at first but then quickly settles into your basic "young boy journeys to become powerful hero" stuff. The main characters are all brave, kind, smart, and wonderful. Also flat and forgettable.

Also there is an undeveloped romance shoehorned into the end of the story that particularly bothered me. This woman is gang-raped by bandits (mercifully we learn about this after the fact and don't have to actually read the nitty gritty) and suffers no emotional trauma due to this. So she happily has a romantic interlude with the hero just a few days after this brutal episode. To which I say no. Just no. If you don't want to deal with a woman loosing her virginity by being raped by a troupe of heathens then don't write it into your story. But if you DO choose to have her suffer this fate then there damn well better be some repercussions. Because this is a pretty heavy thing to have a young girl just toss off like it was nothing.

There will presumably be a Book 2 to follow but I'm neither intrigued enough by the author or the story to care to continue.

I met Peter Brett at a coupld of diferent conventions. He was very articulate when he talked about his book. He added that it had made the best seller list in the UK. He definitely tweeked my interest.
Honestly, I bought the book because I was impressed with Peter, the person. Now that I have read the book, and cursed the fact I had to work, sleep, eat, and do things with family and friends, and not finish the book in one huge bite, I am impressed with Peter, the writer. He has the beginnings of a great book series here. The characters are alive and real. The situations are relatable.
Peter builds a very believable world. I loved that the world was not homogenized and all parts the same. His 3 main characters were strongly written. You could see how each one got to where they are going at this time.
I think the most important thing was, when I came to the last page, I wanted to know WHEN book 2 was coming out. It certainly cannot be soon enough for me! This young man has been added to my short list of authors I buy in hard cover instead of wating for the paper!

This is a nice consuming read and well worth a wasted weekend of reading. I bought this because of one of the the store suggested reading links and it looked like an appropriately intriguing story. I do have a couple of quibbles:

* The point of view shifts to Leesha and Rojer occur too early and are too detailed.

* The scene where Rojer and his new sponsor Jaycob are attacked seems to provide too much back story for too little insight.

* The author struggles when his main characters finally come together. If Rojer is too young for Leesha why suggest a romantic interest?

* The near-love scene between Leesha and Arlen seems contrived and rather callused considering the backdrop.

* The final fight scene could have blended the talents of the protagonists a lot better. It would seem the discovery of being able to battle would be more important then the battle itself.

* How the magic of the wards works is really vague.

Overall this was a nice read. If the sequel was ready today I would immediately buy it but, as another reviewer has already mentioned, I do not know if this is something I'll remember 6-12 months from now.

The premise and set-up of this book is fantastic. The demons and whole humanity on the brink of collapse and extinction thing is something I find interesting. The problem I have with this book is one depth. There is none. The characters are static and boring, the demons are not explored at all. There is nothing said about what the wards actually are or where they came from. They are just there. The prose is sub-par and repetitive.

The men in these books are all rapists and predators and all the women are overbearing shrews and/or victims. I understand the place for this is such a savage setting. The author just relentlessly bashes you over the head with it. There is no subtlety to it to the point that all the characters are completely flat and uninteresting. In almost every chapter there is incest, rape, sexual assault done in such an immature and clumsy way.

Great concepts about a world of demons and people dealing with those demons. I really enjoyed the development of a world where going outside at night is a death sentence. Unfortunately I couldn't get past all the threats of rape, acts of rape, and other unpleasant sexual encounters. Almost every sexual encounter in books 1 and 2 (I gave up at the end of book 2) is at the very least creepy and unpleasant. I was extremely disappointed because other than that major flaw, the book (and its sequel) is excellent.

As is the case with virtually any novel, there exists the chance for a good read as well as a no so good experience. I enjoyed The Warded man because of its simplicity and straightforward approach to a commonly used plot device: Demons. The characters spoke to me in their simple desperation to not only exist, but to survive and grow as human beings. I know there are more sophisticated stories out there; however in this case simple was the best route. How many books have you read that tried to pull off a complicated plot line and failed?

I liked this book and look forward to the next (and the next)in the series; so long as Mr. Brett doesn't pull a GRRM five plus year no-show (DwDs)...

I dont think my review will ever be read with so many reviews already attached, but oh well. I borrowed this book from my local library, and was drawn into the story very fast. This book is very well written. The only thing about this book I did not like was it was to much about sex and making babies. Yeah, we get that with the demons killing humans and little population it is important. But at some parts I got the feeling that the women ONLY think about sex, and making babies.
And the men are not better.

I liked Arlen, he is a strong character with a good personality.

Leesha is also a good character, but I felt that it was to much of her being the prettiest girl in the village with everyone falling in love with her.

But I enjoyed the book even if the demons made me sick...

I had such high hopes for this book and with over 600 reviews and 4 stars it's bound to be good right? Apparently not! The book starts off a bit slow, but shows promise. Just about the time you are starting to connect to Arlen as a character, the author moves on to start the story of Leesha. A character that was even more difficult for me to identify with. Again, once you start to find Leesha a bit interesting the story changes gears and introduces Rojer. Some books pull this transition between story lines off well. The Warded Man is not one of them. That being said, the book was relatively good for the first 2/3rds. It showed promise anyhow.

*Spoilers below*

There were a few things I found a bit corny. Rojer being able to tame, enrage, or repel demons with the power of his fiddle... really?! Okay, let that slide. The city of Krasia was a huge disappointment. Take every stereotypical thing you've heard about middle eastern culture and don't try to add any fresh or different ideas to it or make it different as it's found in a "different world" in a fantasy novel. And make the men incredibly stupid in their fighting of demons. They have a "special ward that no other culture knows" that can allow a demon to pass through but not get out. (I find it hard to believe you could keep wards secret to the degree it's claimed in this book, but whatever) The Krasians have a maze where they lead demons into pit traps that are warded with these "one way wards". Men die "bravely" every night doing herding demons into these pit traps. And yet the Krasians are too stupid to realize they could just simply have large "holding pens" with these one way wards surrounding the city. Any demon who wanders into them (or gets lured in) gets captured until the sun comes up and poof, crispy demons. Too bad Krasians (or Peter Brett) are too simple minded to think of it I guess.

But lastly, the final 1/3 is where the book simply implodes. Leesha, a gorgeous 27 year old virgin is brutally gang raped and with in a day or so is throwing herself at the warded man who she was repulsed by previously. And she so distraught when she find out he murdered her rapists. Because human life is so precious. Really? And you don't get to see Arlen's progression from learning about painting wards on himself to being the worlds greatest demon fighter. And he seems to simply forgotten every motivation that has driven him to get there. He is unrecognizable as a character.

The first 2/3rds were decent enough it retained 2 stars. But the last 40 pages or so were a real torture test to finish it. I simply cannot fathom why so many people like this book.

I'm writing this review after having read the first three books. I really wanted to like this series but I found it incredibly difficult. It's just boring. Plain and simple. Entire chapters are devoted to stories that are not relevant to the story line and will only be referenced once again, ever. I understand that the author is trying to create a background for his characters but there is such a thing as too much detail. If you've read 1/2 the book and there is no story progression, it's a pretty good sign that the author is writing just to keep page counts up.

Also, 5 books? This story is pretty basic, I don't see a reason (other than to milk the money cow) to not end it in three books, especially with how long the third book was.

One of the reviewers here commented about how Peter V. Brett writes women and I thought I should comment as well. Peter V. Brett is perhaps the WORST writer of women I have ever seen in any book, fiction or otherwise. The only topics of conversation about and between women is 1) rape 2) seduction 3) getting pregnant 4) needing protection. That's it. Even the main female roles are reduced to sexual targets in these books.

Do yourself a favor, don't read these books.

It was the book jacket endorsement by Terry Brooks that made me open the book despite the fact that this is the author's first book and the title seemed very "male-centric." I was thoroughly delighted with the read. This book doesn't have the intense detail of, say, The Name of the Wind, or the poetic language of The Lies of Locke Lamora, but I was impressed with the richness of the world Brett creates.

The book is divided into sections relating to three main characters; while two of the characters' stories (Arlen's and Leesha's) are more developed than the third, Rojer's, I felt that Arlen's and Leesha's lives were equally engrossing.

I was also glad to see the depth and strength of Brett's female characters.

I don't have much time to read with school and work, but I still buy sci-fi and fantasy books here and there with the intention of reading them all at some point in this lifetime. The last books I read were The Name of the Wind (Rothfuss), and the first 3 books from A Song of Ice and Fire (Martin). After going for several months without reading anything else on my own bookshelf (a lot of books), I made it a point to take The Warded Man down and set it next to my bed. It was either that or Mistborn (Sanderson), which I'll be starting next (I just finished The Desert Spear). After The Warded Man sat there for about 2 weeks staring at me every night, I finally opened it up. Let me tell you, from that point on it never left my side until I was done, and right before I finished I ordered The Desert Spear which also didn't leave my side until just this morning when I finished that one too!

I'm really excited for book 3 to come out, and if you haven't read the first 2 yet then do yourself a favor and pick them up! I'll be leaving a short 5 star review for Desert Spear, which I thought was just as good. Happy reading!

The way magic works is absurd. People live with nightly demon attacks. How do you protect yourself? Well, just draw a ward, anyone can do it but for some reason the people in this world will only draw the bare minimum to protect themselves. Don't draw extra or have extra areas warded, just do the bare minimum and if something goes wrong you die. In the book a few characters who are "extra cautious" actually do draw more than one circle, crazy concept huh? Oh, and have the main character age years off page three or four times and spend an inordinate amount of time with sexual encounters and rape driven men and women "breeding" and less in world and society development.

This book is outstanding reading with a great story. Hard to find stories these days that are well written while taking you through an adventure. This is a page turner and I could not put it down. I was very glad to see that the story had a second and third book to a series. Could not put this one down fellas, right up your alley if your into scifi good story, different realm.

Thank you Peter for an awesome story.

You meet Arlen, at eleven years old, while he and his parents are coming to town to assist and clean up with the few people remaining after the corelings, or demons, attacked the previous night - as they always do attack but the wards on the houses this night didn't hold. Then we meet the lovely Leesha who, at thirteen, thinks her life is perfect and on the proper path, but suddenly changes. Finally, we meet Rojer who as a three year old losses his parents to the corelings in an attack infront of him, due to neglected wards (not of their whole fault). These three people meet many others along their way and come across many rough patches to be the ones needed in the end.

This book sets the stage of the fear, beliefs, and mentality of the people in this world. Along with creating some wonderful characters by what has happened, or not happened, to them. Arlen is the main character of the book, but you follow three the characters through part of their lives, at least the major parts. These characters grow dramaticly through the book, and I enjoyed watching them do so. Arlen is one of the few characters I have read who grows up to be what he wants, not because of an amazing mentor but because of the weaker influences in his life. He uses the weaknesses of others to be an influence to himself to be stronger and not as fearful as others. He didn't want to be like the others and watch or just be.

The writing style in this book struck a cord in me, as for me it reminded me of a cross between Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy and Patrick Rothfuss's Name of the Wind. I have to say if you enjoy Fantasy, this is a must read for you. I don't know what it is but there is an attraction in their story telling that drew me in and kept me there, and Peter Brett now is in that category with them.

The story is written as every word counts and means something. I found the descriptions of details wonderful, as I could see the corelings, happenings, and the scenery clearly in my minds eye. I knew and understood what the characters felt. I learned a lot of the corelings and characters at a gradual pace as to not overwhelm me but to keep me wanting more as well. The story does have a quest in it, but it is more of an adventure to travel.

The ending seemed a little rushed for me and for that reason a little less exciting for me compared to the rest of the book. But, this was a small thing compared to the books over all greatness.

The cover looked pretty cool, and the reviews were pretty positive so I picked this one up before a long trip. I had a hard time putting the book down. It was pretty darn good.

I like the world - the ancient history (which hopefully we'll learn more about in the coming books), the idea of runes, and the whole prophesy backstory. But a good book needs more than just a good world, it needs a good story and delivery, and Mr. Brett delivers big time. I will definitely be checking out the next installments.

This could have been a stand-alone book and I'd have been completely satisfied. It very much reminds me Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice. Great story-telling in your typical Fantasy setting, but you know there's so much more going on in the world than what's being told - and you want to see more books come out to fill in the gaps and continue the main plot thread. But if no further books come out, I can say I had a fun time reading The Warded Man, and the [...] not only kept me up at night, but it told a great story.

In the end, this is a fun read and great start to a new series.

Peter V. Brett delivers a captivating new fantasy world full of fast paced action, eerie suspense, a deeply rooted history, and an army of demons.

Concept
Humanity takes a stand against the demons that haunt the darkness.

World
Every night, as the sun sets, hordes of demons rise from the ground and feast on humans. The only things that keep them at bay are ancient symbols of power known as wards. When the wards are drawn in a precise geometric pattern, they form a barrier that prevents the demons from entering. However, if one of these wards is faded, damaged, or drawn imperfectly, the demons will find a way in and slaughter everyone inside. As the sun rises, the survivors cautiously creep out of their homes to see who lived through the night. There are prophecies of a hero called the Deliverer, who will come and help turn the tide of battle against the demons. In many fantasy novels with a deep world, the author sacrifices the pace of the book to explain all of the relevant historical details to the reader. At times, it feels like you are reading a fictional encyclopedia. With The Warded Man, this is not the case. Historical details are expertly woven into the settings, the dialogue, and the background. As you're progressing through the story, you end up absorbing the richly detailed world, without feeling like the book stops.

Writing Style
The writing style is very reader friendly and easy to visualize. It flows and the book moves along at a fairly rapid pace. In the beginning of the book, several main characters have their own origins and they later meet up and drive the story. The dialogue is mostly good, although some of the romantic scenes feel a bit awkward. The first half of the book is definitely better than the second half. There are a few brief instances where some of the characters' motivations seem odd and the overall goal of the book becomes unclear. But after a few pages, the book rights itself.

Characters
Although, the character progression is shaky at times, you'll still have plenty of reasons to like them and cheer them on. Most of the time, the characters are great, but there are a few head-scratching scenes where they seem just a bit out of character. They usually correct themselves pretty quickly as the story progresses.

Action
The Action is very good. It's fast paced, has consequences, and works well with the magic system. There are skirmishes, fist fights, and large scale battles.

Maturity
This book contains violence, gore, sex, rape, death, horror... Although, none of this is extremely graphic, it would disturb younger readers.

Overall
This is a very good book, especially for a debut. If you want to read about a population struggling against tides of demons in the darkness, you really should pick this one up. It's got action, suspense, gothic horror, pretty good characters, and a finely crafted world.

If you liked this book, you may also want to read the sequel, "The Desert Spear," or "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss.

For a while I had been struggling to find a new sci-fi or fantasy series to keep me occupied. Having finished the Inheritance Cycle and The Song of Ice and Fire Series, I found myself looking at this book in B&N and it caught my eye. While the concept of demons coming out at night and striking fear into people seemed relatively odd to me when i read the back, I still decided to give it a shot. And I am VERY glad that I did so.

Peter V. Brett took a very odd idea in my mind, and turned it into something great that I have thoroughly enjoyed. His character development throughout this book is tremndous, I have seriously grown close to the individuals in the book and the experiences that they go through. If you like Sci-Fi and Fantasy, I give this book my highest recommendation for tremendous writing, and the ability to really hook you in from start to finish.

The Warded Man is an interesting novel that falls a bit short, but presents hope for the rest of the series.

I greatly enjoyed the world building; the nightly attacks are interesting, if a tad overdone (with wards failing so constantly I'm really not sure how anyone is still alive). The runes and need to rediscover more has promise.

However, the book is essentially a very long introduction and coming of age: fine for the first third of a novel, but with three characters who don't meet until the end of the book it ends up taking the entire page count, leaving no room for the rest of the story resolution - it feels like this really should have been divided into three books, each to a character. Plot happens in sudden, lurching steps that leave a reader disatisfied and give the sense that large excerpts were edited away.

The main characters are reasonably interesting but every supporting character is trite, predictable and unchanging. Not a single one endures growth or gives anything but the expected, which is almost invariably the worst characteristics of humanity until the final battle, which apparently takes place in the only vaguely moral spot left.

However, with this book - and it's agonizing character introductions - complete, hopefully the rest of the series will be able to focus on better paced plot development and less patterned, more dynamic supporting characters.

Arlen is growing up in a small farming village in a world held mercy to demons roaming the night. Demons are kept at bay by drawing special wards and Arlen is adept at making them. Life is far from idyllic in the small community and a tragic event is about to change Arlen's life forever.

Peter Brett has created a fascinating world filled with flawed people trying to overcome adversity. He does a wonderful job weaving the mythos of the daemons throughout the story. My only complaint is that the demon side of this world seems unexplored. Maybe sequels will delve into that. Awesome read even if there weren't sequels.

A well developed, interesting book.

It has its own monsters (corelings) and its own magical framework (wards). Thankfully, unlike so many cookie-cutter books today, neither elves nor vampires are anywhere to be found.

There is a nice range of well developed characters; some sympathetic, some self-centered, some clueless. But all the characters' actions make sense in their own world view, with the conflicts arising naturally from differing goals, not from "the plot calls for a fight here".

It does deal with some adult/unpleasant themes - less so than many prime time TV shows, but it's not CS Lewis.

Well written, and engaging. I'm already looking forward to Brett's next one.

What a wonderful story that is not the standard orphan that is really some magical Prince who is the only one who can save humanity. I loved to character development and their interaction. This book feels like the author spent a lot of time developing a good story before they even started writing. I am real excited to read the next one. I recommend this book to fantasy genre fans who are tired of average.

The Warded Man is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read in my life. The setting, the writing style, the characters, everything is awesome. Peter V Brett weaves together a brutal, dark, and magical tale into a story of epic proportions. He mixes all the best parts of classic fantasy and makes you care about each character in some form or another. Most you love, some you hate. Either way, you care about what happens to each person you encounter in this book.

I don't like ruining things for people so I will keep this EXTREMELY general.

The main story is that of Arlen, a young boy from a small village. He runs away out of frustration and eventually finds his calling. Along the way he encounters two others, Rojer and Leesha, whose stories had been progressing between each other. One thing I really liked about the book is that there are certain symbols attached to each of the main characters. At the beginning of each chapter, symbols appear above the name so you will know which main character(s) appear in the chapter. The ending to this book is one of my favorite ever. I could see it so vividly in my mind as one of the most awesome, epic endings to an epic movie ever.

In short, BUY IT! And once you're done, get the sequel, The Desert Spear. You won't regret it!

I freely admit that I initially picked up this book because I saw a recommendation from Terry Brooks on the cover. The Warded Man proved to be one of the best fantasy novels I have read in a long time.
The three main characters are well developed enough that I found myself truly caring about their thoughts and feelings. The pacing of the book never lets up from page one...this is truly a book I did not want to put down (come to think of it, I didn't).
I am looking forward to both the sequel to this novel and to future novels by this very talented new author!

Mr. Brett fell into what I like to call the "Martin vortex". Like George he felt the need to leave no person un-raped and no character with any sort of depth. I enjoy a dark tale as much as anyone, but spending every other page slogging through how hopeless everything is doesn't leave a lot of room for story telling.

I really enjoyed this book and was thoroughly convinced that it was one of the most original works that I had read in some time. That was until I remembered "Wheel of time", and it all started to unravel a little bit.

Moving on, I thought it was a great book that seemed to fly by, and I'm happy that I read it. One of the things that I look forward to in fantasy books is new and interesting systems to explain magic with, and the one contained here is pretty cool.

I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. My first read by Peter V. Brett, and I look so forward to reading the rest of this series and many more of his books. It was like dreaming with my eyes open....loved it.

To get started with , this is my first book i have read among fantasy novels. I liked the way the author built up the story about the three main characters. Their descriptions were fantastic and their environment could be better depicted by none. My main concern was the last 1/3 of the book , where i fealt that everything was rushed up in a hurry. One chapter gone and BAM! Leesha and Arlen were already in love. This doesn't keep pace with the fact that she was waiting 27 years and overnight fell for someone , knowing them barely few days. Still its a very good read and i was deeply pulled into the storyline. I would definitely suggest to anyone looking for serious/causal read. I'm off to to the next book in the series.

Don't have a lot to say about it, just that I found myself making time to read this book. I finished it inside of 3 days, and I'm breaking my personal rule of waiting for the hardback and going out and buying book 2 as soon as I can.

The characters were totally engaging, and I found them extremely easy to care about and sympathize with.

The world itself is extremely unique and different, and it's intriguing to see the effect that demons coming out every night has on culture, even to the point where the word "night" is used as a swear word.

Highly recommended.

I had to struggle to finish this book, not because of it's length or it's complexity or it's lack of action, but because it's poorly written, weakly plotted, and uneven. The main plot is written like a young adult novel, with brilliant children who instantly adapt to every situation that's thrown at them, somehow being smarter, better, and luckier than almost everyone around. Mix this into scenes of demonic violence, which were few and lacked any sense of doom or true danger, and entirely too many scenes depicting or discussing the rape and sexual experiences of young women. Everything is so obvious and just flat, I read through the book waiting for something to happen, but people continue dying from various causes and still nothing made me care one bit. This is YA fiction, but with lots of medieval-style witch hunting. Sorry, this was a dud.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The story and characterization is a page turner for sure.

I absolutely loved watching Arlen grow and develop as a person. Turning from an angry kid into the Warded Man was such a treat to experience the journey. The topic matter is not one I've read in the past so I'm not sure how unique the story is but Peter V. Brett is an absolute wordsmith.

Every day when the sun sets, the corelings rise and try to get past the defensive wards on buildings in order to kill humans. Mankind fears these ferocious demons and no one understands that abject trepidation more so than Arlen who watched his mother killed when she was outside and his terrorized father refused to help her even by opening their home or come to her aid. Arlen leaves home to become an apprentice to a Warder and then a Messenger traveling the roads to deliver mail and supplies to the hamlets. He happens to find a way to fight the demons by constructing offensive wards, a lost art long forgotten by people who thought the coreling threat over.

Leesha refuses to marry the man her family chose for her because he spread lies about having already bedded her. She apprentices to local healer Bruna, an even bigger outcast than she has become. She returns to her home village when a plague kills people she knows. She begins healing villagers accompanied by Rojer, whose parents demons killed when he was a child. In their journey they meet the WARDED MAN hoping to join his quest to take the fight to the corelings.

When humanity thought the demons were gone forever, they built great cities and science and technology flourished. Demons and demon fighters became myth and knowledge lost except for some limited defensive wards. When the demons return, mankind is vulnerable to their attacks and live in fear behind warded walls. This vivid description of how far humanity has fallen sets the atmosphere for the three coming of age protagonists learning to fight as the legends describe the demon hunters. Fans will enjoy their action-packed escapades in a world filled with frightened humans hiding in fear. Peter V Brett's work is an outstanding fantasy sublimely written with characters people feel are real.

Harriet Klausner

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The world and story are interesting enough, though I found the prose to be a little pedestrian. The characters seemed a little two dimensional and predictable, and I would have liked a little more depth across the board.

That said the book is not awful, and I think if people are looking for a good, if not layered, fantasy then give this a try.

I couldn't escape this book. And I mean that in the best possible way. When I was at work, I was thinking about this book. When I was at school, I was thinking about this book. When I was stuck in traffic, I was thinking about this book.

And what was I thinking?

"I have a couple of spare seconds here. Maybe I can read a few paragraphs while I wait."

But I could never read just a few paragraphs. Paragraphs became pages, and pages became chapters. In what few spare moments I had during my quite busy day, I would find myself with my nose in this book, trying desperately to get through as much as I could before I needed to return to the task at hand.

I nearly skipped class by accident because I was reading this book. I forgot about my laundry for a few hours and ended up having to hang up my clothes in my apartment for them to dry because I was reading this book. I stayed up far later than I should the night before a couple of tests because I was reading this book.

Each time the perspective shifted, I found myself excited to be with that character again (whether it be Arlen, Leesha, or Rojer) while also wanting to breeze through that character's chapters to return to the story of one of the other main protagonists. When I was reading about Leesha, I desperately wanted to know what was happening to Rojer. When I was reading about Rojer, I desperately wanted to know what was happening to Arlen. When I was reading about Arlen, I desperately wanted to know about Leesha.

The author struck such a beautiful balance in expanding these characters' stories episodically.

Somehow Mr. Brett was able to invest me, as reader, in these characters' individual stories so much the desire to find out more about each one of their lives kept me reading. The story seemed to be paced perfectly with perspective changing at just the right times to keep me wanting more.

I love these characters, but I also love the world. Well done, Mr. Brett. You have my attention.

I wasn't real sure about the book when I received it, but I am very glad to have read it and look forward to more! Peter Brett has written a great story and I will follow it to the end. The characters were interesting and believable. He blended enough magic, adventure, romance and action to entertain nearly all readers! I expect to be following all of his work! I received The Warded Man as a free book from Goodreads First Reads.

Thanks to the book review blog Walker of Worlds, I have discovered some new fantasy and science-fiction authors from looking at Mark Chitty's This Year's Top Reads: Peter V. Brett, Neal Asher, Eric Brown and Alastair Reynolds.

I have actually read a fair number of books by these authors since I discovered Walker of Worlds in December 2009, but the first book I want to review for "Thursday Reviews" is The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett. As I have mentioned before, it's much easier to read books than it is to write up reviews of them!
I have a backlog of at least a dozen book reviews that are in various stages of preparation at this point, and I just finished another novel (Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself) last night!

Chitty has a similar love that I have for grand-scale, military space opera, so he is also a big fan of Peter F. Hamilton. However, he is an even bigger fan of Neal Asher who I have just begun to get into. We both are not huge fans of fantasy unless it is done really well (like Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind) so when Chitty gave Peter V. Brett's The Warded Man a 10/10 review it caught my attention.

The corelings are demons that emerge once night falls and take different forms: sand demons, wind demons, wood demons and (the most dangerous) flame demons and rock demons. They are a fantastic invention, but I did have a quibble with Brett in that I don't think he did as good a job as he could have to make it clear what the demons were. First, I thought they were intangible spirits but by the end he makes it clear that they are completely physical beings that eat, bleed and defecate but somehow are magically prevented from violating an area with a ward (a special symbol) on it. I suppose this lack of information in the reader's mind about the nature of the corelings is meant to mimic the characters' ignorance about the demons; the fact that most people have no interest in even fighting the demons or finding out anything more than how to avoid them is a key plot point. However, I found it slightly frustrating that the demons could be both described as ghostly figures that materialized from under the ground as soon as the sunlight faded and solid enough creatures that with sharp teeth and talons and ichor for blood.

The book is quite suspenseful. Mark Chitty identified the most with the main character of Arlen (and he is given the most attention by the author) but I like Leesha more and felt that Rojer was given slightly short shrift. It is clear that Arlen is the title character (it should be noted that in the United Kingdom the book was released with the title The Painted Man, which Chitty thinks is a better, less revealing title to an important plot point but I disagree. I think The Warded Man is an improved title, although either way I figured out the plot point well before its reveal in the book). His journey takes up the majority of the book and ends up in a surprising and somewhat sad conclusion.

Excellent features of the book are its very realistic depiction of life in big cities and small towns in a culture which has almost no technology and the ways that class and gender impact the lives of the characters (there is almost no depiction of race, per se although there is some discussion of ethnicity). Also, the fight scenes between characters and the demons are uniformly excellent, with the final battle to close out the book producing a pulse-racing finale.

Overall, the book is a compelling, exciting tale set in a well-depicted, realistic world that I look forward to visiting again in future work by this first-time author.

OVERALL GRADE: A/A+.
PLOT: A+.
IMAGERY: A.
IMPACT: A.
WRITING: A+.

Could have been so much better. Had a hard time getting past the lack of emotion and character development. This book could have been twice as long and three times as interesting. A great story that felt like it was written in a hurry.

Peter V. Brett has weaved a novel far batter than many give it credit for. When I read a fiction novel, rather than nit-pick the author's vocabulary or grammar, I look for how the author makes use of genre conventions, themes, and above all else how immersed I find I am in the story.

The Warded Man is something of an origin tale for a fantasy superhero (and his friends) or a "coming of age" story. The book follows Arlen, a farmers son who feels imprisoned by the fact that humanity lives in fear of the demons that stalk the night, Leesha, a woman who refuses to let the expectations which other people have of her determine who she is or can become, and Rojer, the youngest of the three, who desires to rise above the tragedy which scarred him early in childhood. It reads somewhat slower in the beginning, allowing us to get to know the characters, their personalities, and their flaws, and begins to pick up pace from there. Brett establishes the "rules" of how his world works early on, and has them so firmly set in the reader's mind that, when he begins to bend and break them, as any good story will, the reader feels nearly as shocked, amazed, overjoyed, or devastated as the characters themselves.

Brett manages to take established genre conventions and put a refreshing spin on them, making some elements which some readers may feel are cliche or over-used, into something to be excited about. What's more, he tells us early his characters are neither flawless nor invincible, and they are easily as believable as any fantasy character could be.

While the story wraps itself up very well, Brett had the foresight to tease the reader with hints of a sequel at the end of the book, which, I personally, actually found to be encouraging. Brett drops little hints at characters, events, conflicts and excitement to come in future installments, and I am excited to read the sequel, "The Desert Spear." As I understand it, "The Warded Man" is his debut novel, and I expect Brett will only improve with time and experience. I look forward to it.

If you're seeking a novel so wordy the color and texture of the stable-guard's underwear, a la Robert Jordan, you'll not find it here, and if you want fantasy allegory steeped in social commentary, like Terry Goodkind's work, again, this is not the book you'll find it in. What you'll find in "The Warded Man" is a well told story, every bit as fun as it is exciting.

I don't write reviews as a general rule because it is so boring to do so. This book, however, is so good that it deserves something. In a single volume (though I hope there will be more), this author puts the bulk of fantasy writers to shame. His hero is purely human, but brave and clever, hard working and eternally curious, driven somewhat by revenge perhaps but mostly by the notion of freedom -- not just personal freedom, but freedom that he would share with the world, freedom from fear, and the power to direct one's own life. The world building is extensive and flawless, distinguishing itself from other worlds by the existence of demon plagues based on one of the non-Greek elemental systems (I think it's Japanese). The writing is excellent, and the pacing neither too slow nor too fast.

A well developed, interesting book.

It has its own monsters (corelings) and its own magical framework (wards). Thankfully, unlike so many cookie-cutter books today, neither elves nor vampires are anywhere to be found.

There is a nice range of well developed characters; some sympathetic, some self-centered, some clueless. But all the characters' actions make sense in their own world view, with the conflicts arising naturally from differing goals, not from "the plot calls for a fight here".

It does deal with some adult/unpleasant themes - less so than many prime time TV shows, but it's not CS Lewis.

Well written, and engaging. I'm already looking forward to Brett's next one.

What a wonderful story that is not the standard orphan that is really some magical Prince who is the only one who can save humanity. I loved to character development and their interaction. This book feels like the author spent a lot of time developing a good story before they even started writing. I am real excited to read the next one. I recommend this book to fantasy genre fans who are tired of average.

The Warded Man is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read in my life. The setting, the writing style, the characters, everything is awesome. Peter V Brett weaves together a brutal, dark, and magical tale into a story of epic proportions. He mixes all the best parts of classic fantasy and makes you care about each character in some form or another. Most you love, some you hate. Either way, you care about what happens to each person you encounter in this book.

I don't like ruining things for people so I will keep this EXTREMELY general.

The main story is that of Arlen, a young boy from a small village. He runs away out of frustration and eventually finds his calling. Along the way he encounters two others, Rojer and Leesha, whose stories had been progressing between each other. One thing I really liked about the book is that there are certain symbols attached to each of the main characters. At the beginning of each chapter, symbols appear above the name so you will know which main character(s) appear in the chapter. The ending to this book is one of my favorite ever. I could see it so vividly in my mind as one of the most awesome, epic endings to an epic movie ever.

In short, BUY IT! And once you're done, get the sequel, The Desert Spear. You won't regret it!

I freely admit that I initially picked up this book because I saw a recommendation from Terry Brooks on the cover. The Warded Man proved to be one of the best fantasy novels I have read in a long time.
The three main characters are well developed enough that I found myself truly caring about their thoughts and feelings. The pacing of the book never lets up from page one...this is truly a book I did not want to put down (come to think of it, I didn't).
I am looking forward to both the sequel to this novel and to future novels by this very talented new author!

Mr. Brett fell into what I like to call the "Martin vortex". Like George he felt the need to leave no person un-raped and no character with any sort of depth. I enjoy a dark tale as much as anyone, but spending every other page slogging through how hopeless everything is doesn't leave a lot of room for story telling.

I really enjoyed this book and was thoroughly convinced that it was one of the most original works that I had read in some time. That was until I remembered "Wheel of time", and it all started to unravel a little bit.

Moving on, I thought it was a great book that seemed to fly by, and I'm happy that I read it. One of the things that I look forward to in fantasy books is new and interesting systems to explain magic with, and the one contained here is pretty cool.

I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. My first read by Peter V. Brett, and I look so forward to reading the rest of this series and many more of his books. It was like dreaming with my eyes open....loved it.

To get started with , this is my first book i have read among fantasy novels. I liked the way the author built up the story about the three main characters. Their descriptions were fantastic and their environment could be better depicted by none. My main concern was the last 1/3 of the book , where i fealt that everything was rushed up in a hurry. One chapter gone and BAM! Leesha and Arlen were already in love. This doesn't keep pace with the fact that she was waiting 27 years and overnight fell for someone , knowing them barely few days. Still its a very good read and i was deeply pulled into the storyline. I would definitely suggest to anyone looking for serious/causal read. I'm off to to the next book in the series.

Don't have a lot to say about it, just that I found myself making time to read this book. I finished it inside of 3 days, and I'm breaking my personal rule of waiting for the hardback and going out and buying book 2 as soon as I can.

The characters were totally engaging, and I found them extremely easy to care about and sympathize with.

The world itself is extremely unique and different, and it's intriguing to see the effect that demons coming out every night has on culture, even to the point where the word "night" is used as a swear word.

Highly recommended.

I had to struggle to finish this book, not because of it's length or it's complexity or it's lack of action, but because it's poorly written, weakly plotted, and uneven. The main plot is written like a young adult novel, with brilliant children who instantly adapt to every situation that's thrown at them, somehow being smarter, better, and luckier than almost everyone around. Mix this into scenes of demonic violence, which were few and lacked any sense of doom or true danger, and entirely too many scenes depicting or discussing the rape and sexual experiences of young women. Everything is so obvious and just flat, I read through the book waiting for something to happen, but people continue dying from various causes and still nothing made me care one bit. This is YA fiction, but with lots of medieval-style witch hunting. Sorry, this was a dud.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The story and characterization is a page turner for sure.

I absolutely loved watching Arlen grow and develop as a person. Turning from an angry kid into the Warded Man was such a treat to experience the journey. The topic matter is not one I've read in the past so I'm not sure how unique the story is but Peter V. Brett is an absolute wordsmith.

Every day when the sun sets, the corelings rise and try to get past the defensive wards on buildings in order to kill humans. Mankind fears these ferocious demons and no one understands that abject trepidation more so than Arlen who watched his mother killed when she was outside and his terrorized father refused to help her even by opening their home or come to her aid. Arlen leaves home to become an apprentice to a Warder and then a Messenger traveling the roads to deliver mail and supplies to the hamlets. He happens to find a way to fight the demons by constructing offensive wards, a lost art long forgotten by people who thought the coreling threat over.

Leesha refuses to marry the man her family chose for her because he spread lies about having already bedded her. She apprentices to local healer Bruna, an even bigger outcast than she has become. She returns to her home village when a plague kills people she knows. She begins healing villagers accompanied by Rojer, whose parents demons killed when he was a child. In their journey they meet the WARDED MAN hoping to join his quest to take the fight to the corelings.

When humanity thought the demons were gone forever, they built great cities and science and technology flourished. Demons and demon fighters became myth and knowledge lost except for some limited defensive wards. When the demons return, mankind is vulnerable to their attacks and live in fear behind warded walls. This vivid description of how far humanity has fallen sets the atmosphere for the three coming of age protagonists learning to fight as the legends describe the demon hunters. Fans will enjoy their action-packed escapades in a world filled with frightened humans hiding in fear. Peter V Brett's work is an outstanding fantasy sublimely written with characters people feel are real.

Harriet Klausner

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The world and story are interesting enough, though I found the prose to be a little pedestrian. The characters seemed a little two dimensional and predictable, and I would have liked a little more depth across the board.

That said the book is not awful, and I think if people are looking for a good, if not layered, fantasy then give this a try.

I couldn't escape this book. And I mean that in the best possible way. When I was at work, I was thinking about this book. When I was at school, I was thinking about this book. When I was stuck in traffic, I was thinking about this book.

And what was I thinking?

"I have a couple of spare seconds here. Maybe I can read a few paragraphs while I wait."

But I could never read just a few paragraphs. Paragraphs became pages, and pages became chapters. In what few spare moments I had during my quite busy day, I would find myself with my nose in this book, trying desperately to get through as much as I could before I needed to return to the task at hand.

I nearly skipped class by accident because I was reading this book. I forgot about my laundry for a few hours and ended up having to hang up my clothes in my apartment for them to dry because I was reading this book. I stayed up far later than I should the night before a couple of tests because I was reading this book.

Each time the perspective shifted, I found myself excited to be with that character again (whether it be Arlen, Leesha, or Rojer) while also wanting to breeze through that character's chapters to return to the story of one of the other main protagonists. When I was reading about Leesha, I desperately wanted to know what was happening to Rojer. When I was reading about Rojer, I desperately wanted to know what was happening to Arlen. When I was reading about Arlen, I desperately wanted to know about Leesha.

The author struck such a beautiful balance in expanding these characters' stories episodically.

Somehow Mr. Brett was able to invest me, as reader, in these characters' individual stories so much the desire to find out more about each one of their lives kept me reading. The story seemed to be paced perfectly with perspective changing at just the right times to keep me wanting more.

I love these characters, but I also love the world. Well done, Mr. Brett. You have my attention.

I wasn't real sure about the book when I received it, but I am very glad to have read it and look forward to more! Peter Brett has written a great story and I will follow it to the end. The characters were interesting and believable. He blended enough magic, adventure, romance and action to entertain nearly all readers! I expect to be following all of his work! I received The Warded Man as a free book from Goodreads First Reads.

Thanks to the book review blog Walker of Worlds, I have discovered some new fantasy and science-fiction authors from looking at Mark Chitty's This Year's Top Reads: Peter V. Brett, Neal Asher, Eric Brown and Alastair Reynolds.

I have actually read a fair number of books by these authors since I discovered Walker of Worlds in December 2009, but the first book I want to review for "Thursday Reviews" is The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett. As I have mentioned before, it's much easier to read books than it is to write up reviews of them!
I have a backlog of at least a dozen book reviews that are in various stages of preparation at this point, and I just finished another novel (Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself) last night!

Chitty has a similar love that I have for grand-scale, military space opera, so he is also a big fan of Peter F. Hamilton. However, he is an even bigger fan of Neal Asher who I have just begun to get into. We both are not huge fans of fantasy unless it is done really well (like Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind) so when Chitty gave Peter V. Brett's The Warded Man a 10/10 review it caught my attention.

The corelings are demons that emerge once night falls and take different forms: sand demons, wind demons, wood demons and (the most dangerous) flame demons and rock demons. They are a fantastic invention, but I did have a quibble with Brett in that I don't think he did as good a job as he could have to make it clear what the demons were. First, I thought they were intangible spirits but by the end he makes it clear that they are completely physical beings that eat, bleed and defecate but somehow are magically prevented from violating an area with a ward (a special symbol) on it. I suppose this lack of information in the reader's mind about the nature of the corelings is meant to mimic the characters' ignorance about the demons; the fact that most people have no interest in even fighting the demons or finding out anything more than how to avoid them is a key plot point. However, I found it slightly frustrating that the demons could be both described as ghostly figures that materialized from under the ground as soon as the sunlight faded and solid enough creatures that with sharp teeth and talons and ichor for blood.

The book is quite suspenseful. Mark Chitty identified the most with the main character of Arlen (and he is given the most attention by the author) but I like Leesha more and felt that Rojer was given slightly short shrift. It is clear that Arlen is the title character (it should be noted that in the United Kingdom the book was released with the title The Painted Man, which Chitty thinks is a better, less revealing title to an important plot point but I disagree. I think The Warded Man is an improved title, although either way I figured out the plot point well before its reveal in the book). His journey takes up the majority of the book and ends up in a surprising and somewhat sad conclusion.

Excellent features of the book are its very realistic depiction of life in big cities and small towns in a culture which has almost no technology and the ways that class and gender impact the lives of the characters (there is almost no depiction of race, per se although there is some discussion of ethnicity). Also, the fight scenes between characters and the demons are uniformly excellent, with the final battle to close out the book producing a pulse-racing finale.

Overall, the book is a compelling, exciting tale set in a well-depicted, realistic world that I look forward to visiting again in future work by this first-time author.

OVERALL GRADE: A/A+.
PLOT: A+.
IMAGERY: A.
IMPACT: A.
WRITING: A+.

Could have been so much better. Had a hard time getting past the lack of emotion and character development. This book could have been twice as long and three times as interesting. A great story that felt like it was written in a hurry.

This is a fabulous book. Author Peter V, Brett created interesting, likeable characters and mythology and set them into scenes of intense action. I was captured by the story from the first page. This book is the first of a planned series of five and I eagerly look forward to reading the next one The Desert Spear and the forthcoming The Daylight War, The Forest Fortress and The Core.

Read this review and many more here: [...]

"The Warded Man" (in the UK also known as "The Painted Man") is the debut novel of American writer Peter V. Brett, who has successfully mixed the murky darkness of dark fantasy with the coming-of-age feel derived from the young adult fantasy genre. Fortunately for readers of all ages, the author has managed to pen down a novel that is vigorously headed toward the masterpiece category and intends to stay there.

The world in "The Warded Man" is reduced to a scorched heap of past glory and scattered knowledge, its inhabitants lacking both the determination and skill to drive away the endless hordes of demons rising from the Core each day after dusk, pillaging and murdering any living soul not warded sufficiently against them. In this setting of ceaseless fear, of bodies consumed by fire and demons feasting on human flesh, three children are given the power to change the destiny of all men.

Arlen, hotheaded and stubborn, witnesses his own father cowering away while demons tear his mother's skin. Escaping the cramped place he used to call home, the boy sets out on a vindictive adventure marked with blood, demon's poison and lost knowledge. Arlen vows to never again let the demons take away anything from him, but does not understand that the fires within can consume him as surely as any demon from the Core.

Blooming with suppressed beauty, Leesha's simple life is destroyed with the aid of an ugly rumour run amok in her secluded village. Betrayed and hurt, she finds herself an apprentice to a fearful hag who is dead serious in her attempts to teach the unyielding girl a craft as helpful to friends as it is venomous to foes. Our third unsuspecting hero-in-the-making knows nothing of the outside world until his safe haven is burnt to ashes and with it the innocence of youth. Taken as an aide by a bard, the boy discovers a melodious talent that can turn the tide of any war.

These are the three main characters Peter V. Brett has created in order to give life to his dark world and to be honest, he is extremely good at it. Throughout the novel, the reader is able to see their development as they shake away the delusions of youth and grow into strong individuals, whose talents one day will unleash the fury of mankind on the bloodthirsty demons and once again claim the night. The plot is fast-paced, action-driven, as the author periodically changes the point of view. Moreover, "The Warded Man" is suffused with details, which shows the extent to which Peter Brett has mastered the worldbuilding techniques needed to give the necessary scope to his debut novel.

However, I found the inspiration behind the people of Krasia too obvious and unnerving in the way the author has siphoned a lot of it into his book, which may be frustrating at times. Furthermore, some of the secondary protagonists are barely sketched and are in a desperate need of further development. I also found the black-and-white concept of the setting a bit naive and the plot barely a whisper from being too predictable. Despite these flaws, the story flows easily, the characters are likeable and the reader is easily swept into this world thick with fear and hope and survival.

In conclusion, "The Warded Man" is one of the my favourites this year. With the sequel already out, the next days of my life will be spent reeling in this world of demons and demon hunters.

I listened to the audiobook for this and for Desert Spear. This is an instant classic, like the Dragonlance Chronicles, but much darker. I listened to it at least twice in a row & shortly thereafter a third time. Currently, I am resisting the desire to listen to it again (don't want to wear it out!). I do not usually read books more than once, probably only a handful that I can think of: The Hobbit/LOTR, Dragonlance Chronicles, Ray Bradbury short stories and Isaac Asimov. Not so dark but also enjoyable on audiobook: The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flannagan. (Many years ago, college major was comparative literature....).

This book has been on my reading to-do list for almost 5 years and have finally gotten around to it. Wow, it's been awhile since a book (fantasy) has actually moved me through an emotional rollercoaster. Having just finished "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" series, this was a very simple narrative by comparison, but it's lack of complexity and honest prose is what made it such an enjoyable read for me. Brett has made it up into my top list of authors with this work and am eagerly looking forward to what the rest of the books bring.

Peter V. Brett's debut novel is nothing less than a contender for the title of new fantasy's flagship title. Fast-paced, action-packed, yet thought-provoking and emotionally moving, THE WARDED MAN follows the lives and developments of three people in a world where the night is ruled by supernatural creatures that seem invincible. The sense of dread is palpable throughout, and the central characters face more than the demons of the night - they each face their own personal demons, overcoming them to find ways not just to hurt the demons of the night, but to strengthen mankind in the process. Fighting, healing and music - three unlikely allies that have nonetheless been drawn together as they search for purpose and freedom in a harsh world. I want to reiterate that THE WARDED MAN is fast-paced, the hallmark of new fantasy. While there are some interesting developments about the world of the past and of the hierarchies that make up this terrified realm, they are somewhat vague but compelling nonetheless. It was a relief to read a fantasy novel that was more concerned with character development and a forward-moving story than with detailing the vast-yet-somehow-necessary history of the currency or clothing styles used by people. Bravo, Peter Brett - I will be waiting for the next book with great anticipation!

For about the first three fourths of this book, it was brilliant. Then it kind of falls apart. The three main protagonists rise from humble beginnings to become incredible characters, and then they kinda go backwards.. rehashing the same issues and really regressing. The second book continues in this way.

I was really excited and then really disappointed and I wish I had just stopped with the first book.

This book totally surprised me. I picked it up at bookstore and knew nothing about it. I had a little trouble getting into it and was a little confused about their "world" and then, I just could not put it down. I truly cared about the characters and appreciated how they "grew" throughout the book. It was a combination of adventure and scifi. I cannot wait to read book 2.

I am NOT a fantasy reader or fan..... But this is a WONDERFUL story! Brilliant. I felt so attached to the characters & invested in the story throughout. Have to say I disagree with some that say they were disappointed..... I went on to " The Desert Spear" immediately & have nO regrets other than having to wait until February for the next part!

A great read! This book has a fantastic combination of character development, action and insight into human nature. All of the characters are well developed and thought out. The world in which they live is believable and internally consistent. Best of all the writing style is clear and not directed at a 12 year old. No plot reviews every fourth page either! Other reviewers have compared Brett's style to Martin's and I agree with that; only Brett manages a much better pace that moves the story forward more quickly without requiring 1000 pages to do it. That being said, finishing the book I wished it was longer. Not because it leaves the reader unsatisfied but because I just plain wanted more. I have already pre-ordered "The Desert Spear" and am counting the days.

I found this book to be slow moving and mediocre. The gist of the story is there's these stupid demons that attack when the sun goes down and everyone cowers behind wards; our hero comes up with the groundbreaking idea of using the wards offensively. This was a concept that I found boring and simplistic, but maybe I was just expecting too much--a reviewer apparently found this book comparable to Sanderson's Mistborn, (this had sparked my interest) but I would definitely liken this more to Terry Goodkind... I was also really annoyed with this author's female characterization. The female character is secondary (a good thing considering her snooze factor) but she's the stereotypical healer breed complete with an unreasonable aversion to violence; many of her decisions and actions seemed inexplicable and irritated me. For instance (SPOILER ALERT) at one point the heroine is raped and I hated the way the author dealt with this: she sobs about it for a bit, but like 2 days later she's passionately defending her rapists and already jumping the hero's bones. But hey, some people wont mind this, and oddly enough, there seem to be plenty of people who enjoy Goodkind; if you happen to be one of them maybe this will blow you away.

I have not read a book with such an addictive pace since the time of the Great David Gemmell.
It was very hard to leave down and extremely enjoyable.
I always nervous about reading new authors, but I predict that Peter V Brett will one day join the list of Masters of Fantasy Fiction.

The plot is not perfect, there are some acts that are perpetrated solely for the purpose of moving the plot along its designed path, but overall I found the story plot addictive, the characters well formed and I am looking forward to reading more.

I love it when I find a new author--especially a new fantasy author. (I realize Peter Brett isn't really 'new', but he's new to me.) Anyway, I loved Warded Man. The concept was so unique that I couldn't put it down. And now, I have to read the second book in the series, The Desert Speak, which is already on my iPad. :)

The Warded Man, originally titled The Painted Man, is the first book in a set of three. The book centers around three main characters who we follow from a young age as they grow up in a world where demons, known as corelings, surface from the earth every night when the sun sets. The only protection people have against the corelings are magical runes, known as wards, that can be drawn or inscribed around their homes or settlements.

The story begins with Arlen, a young boy who lives in a village with his parents. His family is attacked one night by demons and Arlen fights them, something very few people are willing to do. Arlen isn't your typical hero of a fantasy book though. He doesn't have magical powers or some ancient prophecy that tells of his destiny. He's just a boy who grows up to become a man and ultimately show others how to face their fears.

The second character is Leesha, a young girl who lives with her hateful, abusive mother and subdued father in a separate village from Arlen. She's been promised to marry a young man and is eager to do so until he spreads rumors about her that destroys her good name. Leesha soon finds herself under the wing of a herb gatherer that trains her in caring for the sick. Leesha has to overcome not only her fear of the corelings, but also her fear of an overbearing and ruthless mother as well.

The third main character is Rojer, a young boy who has a deformed hand, caused by an encounter with the corelings who killed his family when he was an infant. Rojer is a jongleur, sort of like a jester, that travels with messengers from village to village during the day. While he does many tricks, Rojer's specialty is playing the fiddle. It's a gift that proves very valuable over the course of the book and helps him through the trials he faces.

Fear is a theme throughout the book and one that the author, Peter V Brett, discussed in his interviews. He wanted to write a book about fear, what it does to people, and how they react to it. The Warded Man achieves those goals brilliantly. Peter Brett puts forth a story full of suspense, action and great characters that makes the reader eager to turn the page. Definitely one of my favorites and very impressive work from a first time author.

It all began wonderfully, I loved Arlen and Leesha. But I hated Rojer, he was uninteresting and spineless. The book got so sexist by the end and (spoilers) Leesha getting raped was so tasteless that I forced myself to finish it. Seriously, does everyone always think about sex?? And when I got more spoilers for the next books, like Arlen being with Renna, Leesha getting pregnant blabla like wtf?? Sorry I have no incentive to buy the next books. Amazing beginning, great story telling and building, but the worst society and character creation ever.

Stumbled upon this audiobook, and it has not left my mind all day. Fantasy + Religion + good writing and good audio performance and production... can't believe this is free on you tube. I will be sending this author money one way or another for the experience.

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett is the story of a world held siege by demons. Each night, with the setting of the sun, these demons (or corelings) rise from the ground and attack anything alive. The people who inhabit this world hide behind runes, magical symbols which ward the demons off. Legends speak of a great warrior who led the armies of man against the corelings and defeated them for awhile. Brett's book follows the story arcs of three people: Arlen, Leesha, and Rojer. While trying to pursue their chosen vocations each find it necessary to confront the corelings in their own way. Brett's book, at first glance, may seem to follow the worn footsteps of many a farm-boy who is the only one who can save the world. However, as each of the characters confronts their own personal challenges, and occasionally is found lacking, they lift this story out of the expected rut. Brett's world is an engaging place full of imperfect people trying to do what is best for themselves. As the story progresses, not only do the main characters develop into persons with rich backgrounds and motivations, but so does Brett develop the mythos and motivations of the corelings. This is an engaging story and a truly promising first effort. I highly recommend this book to fantasy fans, especially those who enjoyed The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

The book started out rather interesting. The format was a little irritating, three stories that just seemed disjointed. Any way, without giving anything away the story just....slid....down....into.....stupid. Two stars for keeping me interested enough to finish.

This is a full review written by me, published originally and available at: [...]

The Warded Man focuses on three characters: Arlen, Leesha and Rojer (although it seems, at least initially, that a disproportionate amount of time was spent on Arlen and Leesha). These three characters live in a world were creatures (demons, if you so wish) called corelings rise at night, constantly threatening the existence of the human race. Their only defense against the corelings are Wards, symbols that have magical properties, defending their homes and fragile lives. But do not assume for a moment that the humans are safe - for every night that passes, more lives are lost to the corelings. Arlen, Leesha and Rojer are all survivors of coreling attacks, each bearing not only pains from those incidents, but also burdens that are formed from the beliefs, fears and mentality of those living in the world.

Each character is well explored and defined, allowing readers insight into their thoughts. Readers will be able to watch these characters grow as the story progresses. Brett's illustrations of the characters are quite realistic. Either you will enjoy reading the decisions they make, or become maddeningly frustrated with their actions. The only thing I have to criticize in this area is the comparatively underdeveloped Rojer. Nevertheless, all three characters possess qualities that make them, but also features that break them.

If you are looking for a book similar to Wheel of Time, where there are discussions of the finer points of the magical system, or very specific descriptions of almost everything, look somewhere else. This book paces itself quickly, and things happen quickly. I do not recall a moment while reading this book where I found myself wondering when something substantial is going to happen. And by extension, because of the lack of complexity that you find in books such as LOTR and WoT (Yes, I use these as benchmarks often), it makes for an easy read - suitable for beginners to the fantasy genre, but also a very refreshing book for avid fantasy readers.

That said, this book is a little darker than your average fantasy novel. There are themes and events involved that may disgust you - although they are not excessive or very frequent. And for this, I must praise the author for his ability to tread between darker themes and weave them within the book's reality, without having the book scream EVIL! DARK! SCARY THINGS HAPPENING!. Just a little warning.

In referring to the complexity of the book once again, you will not find elves, unicorns and things that will wow your mind. While I enjoyed this book a lot, I cannot say that it pushes the creative boundaries of fantasy novels. However, I still recommend veteran readers to try this novel. Brett's novel is a fine example of how sometimes you do not need a very special/unique magical system or jaw-dropping setting to enjoy a fantasy story. I do believe that cliches work for a reason, and while this book does contain some of them, it does not deteriorate its enjoyability one bit.

If you're looking for entertaining, competently-written escapist fantasy, you could do worse than the Warded Man. The level of writing is about middling for the genre, but I enjoyed the unusual setup of Brett's world, where bestial demons rise out of the ground every night to terrorize human beings protected by fragile magic wards. He's obviously put some thought into how human societies might have adapted to such a reality over the centuries -- the resulting world reminded me a bit of Stephen King's The Wizard and the Glass, with its part medieval, part Wild West, and part post-apocalypse setting, though the mix here leans more towards the former. The twists and turns of the protagonists lives, as they grow from childhood, kept me involved in the story, and I found myself staying awake "just one more chapter".

Yeah, the book has its flaws. The prose can be adverb-heavy and a bit repetitive about making a point, the side characters are a little exaggerated, and the demons themselves have all the personality of monsters from the computer game DOOM. There is a sequence where a character avoids being raped by means that are completely unbelievable. On a side note, there are scenes of successful rape and sexual abuse elsewhere in the book, which some readers have complained about. I can't say that I object to the author's choice to include them, as they fit in with the harshness of the novel's world and the difficulty of escaping from bad people, but readers sensitive to such things should take note.

Overall, though, I found The Warded Man an enjoyable read and got sucked into the book's world. I liked the conflicted central characters and the portrayal of human society in uneasy coexistence with an ever-present (if mindless) supernatural threat. Usually, I don't mention the audiobook experience, but, in this case, the narrator, whose voice was perfect for this kind of tale, probably added something. Give it a shot. I immediately downloaded the sequel upon finishing.