A Plague of Giants: A Novel (Seven Kennings)

This is the first book I've read by author Kevin Hearne, and I must admit that I struggled with this one.

The story is told through the eyes of the bard Fintan. A large group of bone giants has invaded, causing chaos and destruction. Throughout Fintan's telling of the events, the reader gets a picture of what the conflict was like. Numerous (too numerous, in my opinion) characters are introduced throughout the story, and I had a difficult time keeping track of who's who. I realize this is an epic fantasy, and they tend to have many characters, but it seems to me that Hearne might have went a little overboard with his.

As for the story itself, I did enjoy it when I got into the book, but trying to keep everyone straight took away some of the enjoyment for me. I hope book 2 in the series is better than this one.

This book is nothing like Kevins other books no humor. No great love. No silly dogs. Nothing that screams Kevin Hearne. I had a very hard time getting through this book. Why have a bard tell us the story when we could live it through the characters. Arghh

After reading and loving the Iron Druid series I was greatly anticipating this new release. Quite frankly I'm not sure that I will be able to get through this book and that is quite a rarity.......grossly let down.

I really enjoyed this novel once I understood how the magic (kennings) worked. It took a little longer than I would have liked for it to become clear but as soon as you get it, the whole thing is very easy to read. Hearne takes a page from George R. R. Martin and goes with a personal flipping perspective for the narrator that truly conveys the feelings of people engulfed in a war they were not prepared to fight. I'm really looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Once ce again Hearne creates a new world for me to get engrossed in. Much different than the druid series but I was truly engrossed. A new world that reminds me of got a little of GOT BUT with more depth in character development

4 stars only because of the slow start. Like others, I had a hard time getting used to the world and the style.

Now, however, introductions have been made and I couldn’t put the book down after I hit the halfway mark. Give it a chance and don’t give up. Kevin delivered, and I can’t wait for the story to continue.

After the wonderful Druid series, this was a terrific letdown. Ponderous exposition, too many characters and confusing plot made this hard to read. While I couldn’t wait to finish each book in. The prio r series, I couldn’t even finish this. What a difference.

My favorite author. His Pov jumps in Iron Druid are often the downside of the newer books, but Owen and Atticus are amazing enough to normally offset how boring the female lead is. In Giants the book starts out amazing.
The premise, a bard telling the story to the crowd is great! However there's way, way too many pov shifts. Most just end, and then switch, with no cliffhanger to leave me caring about what happened next. It just all comes off like filler.
I love Kevin, always been a huge fan, but this was a disappointment, and a chore to read. I finally finished it and I couldn't tell you what happened the last 1/3 of the book. I just didn't care to retain it.

Love the Druid books but could t get into this. On my got 25% in. I’ll have to rea attempt. It just branches off a lot and it doesn’t really give a good background on the magic system or what’s going on.

50 pages into this book I was convinced I had found the Next Big Author. By the end of the book I had to force myself to keep reading.

The author does complexity like Tad Williams and world building like Robert Jordan. This book has complex, interwoven plots, characters in a range of societies with customs and language(!) matched to each one, a unique storytelling device (a bard who magically personifies a range of characters and tells their stories in first person), a compelling magic system, and writing that had me highlighting phrases. But despite the genius involved, by the end of the story the mechanics became more important than the characters. Although the bard (usually) made it easier to keep track of who was who, we were flipping through characters so quickly that I couldn't sink into any of them emotionally. And while I loved the interlayered stories and there were a couple of people I wanted to know more about, I didn't get quite enough time with any of them to be fully invested. It didn't help (for me personally) that the author kept jumping over into gratuitous crassness (there are ways to make your characters unlikeable rather than having them jump into modern swear words, truly--even though I swear like a sailor myself), and that pulled me out of the story as well. I guess it's analogous to Lord of the Rings without Frodo... you can like the full cast of characters but if there's not a central, relatable character that drives you emotionally, it feels more like a history lesson than a story. So although this book has amazing promise, in the end it doesn't deliver at an emotional level (for me), though I'd definitely try something else by this author in a heartbeat.

This book was terrible. About three chapters in I realized I'd been duped into buying a compilation of short stories masquerading as a fantasy epic. I stuck it out though, and read the entire thing. Unforunately, it only got more tedious and boring with each turn of the page. Forgettable characters are strewn about from chapter to chapter, and even the gimmicky narrator meant to be telling us these tales is forced to string us along by promising that the chapter we just read, and the characters we just met (only to immediately discard), will somehow be important later.

There's also the overbearing true-to-life social tones that ruin much of the journey. Whether it's the smart giant who gets to say "I told you so!" to all his foolish non-believing citizens when it turns out he was actually wise to take their money for decades to save supplies and build ships to combat a passive excuse for global warming, or the gay hunter who no longer wants to hunt with his father so he can become a farming/bee keeping vegan, this book has enough poorly veiled agendas oozing out at every turn to satisfy even the most leftist of hipsters.

In the end, the payoff for making it through this preachy, cobbled together story just isn't enough. While the concepts Hearne came up with for this fantasy world are exciting and original (and the only things keeping my review above a one star), it's just not enough to save this book from being a total letdown.

Well…this is one of the hardest novels to rate that I have ever experienced. It is at times, absolutely brilliant and at other times, maddeningly frustrating.

First, the positives:

The author, Kevin Hearne, well beloved for his urban fantasy series, "The Iron Druid Chronicles", has proven time and again that he is a master of detail and can weave a great plot. For this new series, “The Seven Kennings” trilogy, he has created an amazing and fascinating world with a well-thought-out magic system. This is true epic fantasy, and in his own words, the plot summarizes as follows:

“A continent that has enjoyed centuries of peace is abruptly attacked by two different giant armies and its people must figure out how to stop forces that appear unstoppable. It’s a second-world fantasy and has nothing in common with Iron Druid — this is a completely new thing. And it’s truly epic, twice as long as any of my Iron Druid books at 624 pages.”

The characters are well-designed, unique from each other in every aspect and come from different cultural backgrounds based on their locale and or access to the various kennings (sources of various types of magical powers). This is a world I would like to know much more about and discover more about how it all fits together.

I love it when an author breaks the mold. Especially an author who is immensely popular for a certain style and then takes risks anyway to explore his/her own passions. Hearne’s storytelling technique in this novel (and presumably for the following two books) most definitely breaks the mold. He uses a bard to tell most of the story…a framing device for a much larger tale…a bard that each day tells the story of the attack of the giants to an audience of refugees. The really cool thing about this bard is that he can physically transform into the person whose point-of-view he is currently relating, including all of their memories he has been privy to. So each day, the bard transforms into 2 or 3 or 4 different people and tells the story of the attack from very personal viewpoints. There is also an intriguing spy plot to the novel and in fact, a major aspect of the novel is the very nature of the bard himself who becomes an unreliable narrator. We readers must decide whether or not he is trustworthy with a true, necessary, and even cathartic tale to tell or if he is peddling lies.

Sounds wonderful but unfortunately, most of it just didn’t work well for me. We readers are plunged right into the middle of the action from the get-go and exposed to dozens and dozens of unfamiliar terms, including place names, character names, strange terminology, etc., all supporting the world building more than the story itself. I am no stranger to dense or challenging fantasy and I feel comfortable that this sort of opening will all mesh together and gel before long. But that didn’t happen here, at least not for a long while. For the first half of the novel, I came close to giving up on it several times.

Since the bard takes on the persona of whomever is telling the tale, he is always describing events from a first-person perspective. While this can lead to more empathy with characters in normally-constructed novels, here it adds to the confusion. No matter which character you’re reading about it is always “I” did this and “I” saw that. These individual stories are also told in a non-chronological order so the time frames also get confusing. And since this is fundamentally a story about war, many of the characters suffer severely and/or die. That’s Ok with me except that sometimes we’ll be sailing along with a character only to have the viewpoint switch and find out that the previous character has just been killed. I never really felt connected to most of the characters and so didn’t really care too much for their fates, a sure sign that all is not well for the book.

So, yes, I was frustrated for most of the first half of the book and I really only kept reading because I did identify with a couple of the characters and was interested in their stories. But the second half of the book did, finally start to gel and I began to gain a better understanding of how all the moving parts fit together. The complete story of what was transpiring and to whom was becoming clear. I wish I had book two ready to go, mainly for fear that I will need to learn all of this over again, a chore I am not relishing. I will have to decide if I am willing to undertake that effort or if I will stop here and pursue other works.

So…to the rating: 2 stars (at best) for the first 25-50%, and 4 stars for the second half. Some sections, particularly near the end when we finally get to experience the battle below “Godsteeth” are definitely in 5-star territory. But taken as a whole, I must settle on 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for a free electronic ARC in return for an honest review.

Although I generally love Kevin Hearne, this book was to put it simply: terrible. not sure what he was going for, but it was neither fun nor entertaining. However, if you're a millennial who is in dire need of a 'safe space' and all of the things that go with it, then this book is definitely for you!

This book was terrible. About three chapters in I realized I'd been duped into buying a compilation of short stories masquerading as a fantasy epic. I stuck it out though, and read the entire thing. Unforunately, it only got more tedious and boring with each turn of the page. Forgettable characters are strewn about from chapter to chapter, and even the gimmicky narrator meant to be telling us these tales is forced to string us along by promising that the chapter we just read, and the characters we just met (only to immediately discard), will somehow be important later.

There's also the overbearing true-to-life social tones that ruin much of the journey. Whether it's the smart giant who gets to say "I told you so!" to all his foolish non-believing citizens when it turns out he was actually wise to take their money for decades to save supplies and build ships to combat a passive excuse for global warming, or the gay hunter who no longer wants to hunt with his father so he can become a farming/bee keeping vegan, this book has enough poorly veiled agendas oozing out at every turn to satisfy even the most leftist of hipsters.

In the end, the payoff for making it through this preachy, cobbled together story just isn't enough. While the concepts Hearne came up with for this fantasy world are exciting and original (and the only things keeping my review above a one star), it's just not enough to save this book from being a total letdown.

Let me preface this review by noting that I have been a Kevin Hearne fan since I read the first installment of the Iron Druid series. Set in a recognizably contemporary world, this series is consistently humorous with enough action and drama to keep things moving. After having read several novels and short stories in that series, I thought that I had a good sense of Kevin Hearne's style. Reading A Plague of Giants disabused me of that notion.

A Plague of Giants marks a turn towards world building. Kevin Hearne sets this story in an archipelago of islands inhabited by humans, giants and other species. Giants prey on human settlements and humans must rely on elemental magic to defend themselves. Hearne has created a unique magic system for this world. Unfortunately for magic users, and those who seek to wield power, magic comes at a steep price. Half of those who seek to activate latent powers die in the first step of the process. Use your powers to their limits and you can add decades to your age in hours. As a result magic is "rationed" in this novel. You don't have people tossing fireballs or lightning bolts around willy nilly. Magic is often nuanced and expressed in many ways.

The writing style is far less comedic than in Iron Druid, sometimes bordering on the serious. That's not to say it's dry.

I had a tough time deciding between four and five stars. On the one hand I enjoyed the book. On the other hand I didn't consider it a page turner. It took me two weeks to finish reading it, which is not my normal way of reading fantasy novels. At the end I can recommend this novel for those who are interested in non-traditional magic systems, and who appreciate novel approaches to world creation.

Well…this is one of the hardest novels to rate that I have ever experienced. It is at times, absolutely brilliant and at other times, maddeningly frustrating.

First, the positives:

The author, Kevin Hearne, well beloved for his urban fantasy series, "The Iron Druid Chronicles", has proven time and again that he is a master of detail and can weave a great plot. For this new series, “The Seven Kennings” trilogy, he has created an amazing and fascinating world with a well-thought-out magic system. This is true epic fantasy, and in his own words, the plot summarizes as follows:

“A continent that has enjoyed centuries of peace is abruptly attacked by two different giant armies and its people must figure out how to stop forces that appear unstoppable. It’s a second-world fantasy and has nothing in common with Iron Druid — this is a completely new thing. And it’s truly epic, twice as long as any of my Iron Druid books at 624 pages.”

The characters are well-designed, unique from each other in every aspect and come from different cultural backgrounds based on their locale and or access to the various kennings (sources of various types of magical powers). This is a world I would like to know much more about and discover more about how it all fits together.

I love it when an author breaks the mold. Especially an author who is immensely popular for a certain style and then takes risks anyway to explore his/her own passions. Hearne’s storytelling technique in this novel (and presumably for the following two books) most definitely breaks the mold. He uses a bard to tell most of the story…a framing device for a much larger tale…a bard that each day tells the story of the attack of the giants to an audience of refugees. The really cool thing about this bard is that he can physically transform into the person whose point-of-view he is currently relating, including all of their memories he has been privy to. So each day, the bard transforms into 2 or 3 or 4 different people and tells the story of the attack from very personal viewpoints. There is also an intriguing spy plot to the novel and in fact, a major aspect of the novel is the very nature of the bard himself who becomes an unreliable narrator. We readers must decide whether or not he is trustworthy with a true, necessary, and even cathartic tale to tell or if he is peddling lies.

Sounds wonderful but unfortunately, most of it just didn’t work well for me. We readers are plunged right into the middle of the action from the get-go and exposed to dozens and dozens of unfamiliar terms, including place names, character names, strange terminology, etc., all supporting the world building more than the story itself. I am no stranger to dense or challenging fantasy and I feel comfortable that this sort of opening will all mesh together and gel before long. But that didn’t happen here, at least not for a long while. For the first half of the novel, I came close to giving up on it several times.

Since the bard takes on the persona of whomever is telling the tale, he is always describing events from a first-person perspective. While this can lead to more empathy with characters in normally-constructed novels, here it adds to the confusion. No matter which character you’re reading about it is always “I” did this and “I” saw that. These individual stories are also told in a non-chronological order so the time frames also get confusing. And since this is fundamentally a story about war, many of the characters suffer severely and/or die. That’s Ok with me except that sometimes we’ll be sailing along with a character only to have the viewpoint switch and find out that the previous character has just been killed. I never really felt connected to most of the characters and so didn’t really care too much for their fates, a sure sign that all is not well for the book.

So, yes, I was frustrated for most of the first half of the book and I really only kept reading because I did identify with a couple of the characters and was interested in their stories. But the second half of the book did, finally start to gel and I began to gain a better understanding of how all the moving parts fit together. The complete story of what was transpiring and to whom was becoming clear. I wish I had book two ready to go, mainly for fear that I will need to learn all of this over again, a chore I am not relishing. I will have to decide if I am willing to undertake that effort or if I will stop here and pursue other works.

So…to the rating: 2 stars (at best) for the first 25-50%, and 4 stars for the second half. Some sections, particularly near the end when we finally get to experience the battle below “Godsteeth” are definitely in 5-star territory. But taken as a whole, I must settle on 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for a free electronic ARC in return for an honest review.

Although I generally love Kevin Hearne, this book was to put it simply: terrible. not sure what he was going for, but it was neither fun nor entertaining. However, if you're a millennial who is in dire need of a 'safe space' and all of the things that go with it, then this book is definitely for you!

It kills me to give a Hearne book less than four stars, but I am just not feeling this one at all. I have tried for several days to get into A Plague of Giants, but I think Hearne missed the mark with this one.

For me this whole story and feel felt forced. Kevin Hearne's books for me have always been fun and entertaining, but this new series I felt like I had to work to understand what was going on and the world was just too confusing at times for me. I wasn't expecting this type of read and that could play into my dislike, but I am used to Hearne creating worlds that are easy but brilliant so this new style just doesn't work for me.

I will confess I did not finish this story. I read over halfway so I did get a good feel for it and felt that there was no coming back for me.

Reading this book can best be described as an exercise in frustration. I think the author has created a very interesting world and peopled it with some interesting characters, but the approach he took to share that world with the reader ruined all the promise of his fantasy world. Hearne has chosen to tell his tale via the device of a bard, who recounts the stories of multiple characters, an approach that made the book very difficult to read.

The primary problem for me is that the entire book is disjointed, the individual stories told in discontinuous dribs and drabs. You need a scorecard to keep track of the characters. It's like the author wrote 10 different stories, chopped each into multiple pieces, then stitched the pieces together using a bard as needle and thread. It sounds reasonable in theory, I suppose, but in practice, it just didn't work for me. Every time the bard ended the telling of one segment of one of the characters' stories, it broke the spell and pulled me out of the tale. For me, there was no flow and it was impossible to get into the story and lose myself in the world created by the author.

I love the author's Iron Druid Chronicles, but I have no interest in reading any more books in this series.

I have to confess that I didn’t finish this book. I tried. I’ve had it for a good while, and have gone back often, trying to find something more interesting than depressing. But it was depressing, to me. Both the writing and the story.

The writing itself was okay. Very articulate. But I didn’t like jumping from character to character with no chance to have enough background to connect. It didn’t work for me.

It was “the kenning” itself that was so depressing. Why would a young person “seek” a paranormal talent, knowing that they would die immediately if denied, or have a shorter lifespan if accepted? Their lives seemed so hopeless to them that seeking a possible death was preferable? Not for me. I want more hope than that. Maybe it happens later in the book, but I couldn’t understand the motivation.

I have friends who are fans of this author, so I thought I would give him a try. I’m sure his other books are wonderful, but this one didn’t work for me on any level. Unless you are a die-hard fan of the author or of the fantasy genre, this might be a tough read.

2shay

I wish I could say that I really like this book, but I was less than thrilled with it. It is story of a war and how that war came about. My first issue is with the setting. I understand that authors want to stretch, but Kevin Hearne has been known for years as an author of urban fantasy. This story which takes place in a new entirely made up world not only takes some time to get used to and to understand, but I was a bit taken aback by its vapidity. I had to work soooooo hard just to figure out what was going on. I have loved Hearne's books for years because they are fun and entertaining and you learn a bunch about mythology from around the world. I had to SLOG through this book and it was so hard to do. I felt like I had to work to understand a very confusing world. Worst of all, there is no central character in the book to root for. The story reads more like a history lesson for some foreign land that you don't really care about. Isaac Asimov used to write books like that with no through-line protagonist-- he became famous for his plots and ideas though and not his characters emotions or understanding of humans. I don't mind putting work into books, when I feel they are worth the work, but Hearne really missed the mark on this one. I am going to wait until the new Iron Druid Book comes out to go back to reading him.

I wanted to like this book. A lot. And I did like it! Just not a lot. A Plague of Giants has a great concept between the giants (underserved in fantasy!) and the seven kenning magic system. And Hearne is obviously a talented writer who has had a lot of success with his Iron Druid series. Being more of an epic than urban fantasy fan, and given my aforementioned views on the relative merits of giants, I was excited to pick up this book. But Hearne makes some narrative choices that seriously detract from the overall story.

But let’s start with the worldbuilding, because it is great. The story in A Plague of Giants is driven by two separate invasions by two separate races of giants. The first invasion is entirely out of the blue by heretofore unknown giants that get dubbed as “Bone Giants.” Bone Giants are 7-9 feet tall, pale skinned, very gaunt, and wear bone armor into battle (hence the name). They arrive by ship across a kraken-infested sea thought impassable. The second invasion is by the Hathrim, 12’ tall, burly fire giants who flee their island home when the local volcano erupts. They resettle on the mainland, calling themselves refugees but immediately digging in and responding violently to anyone who suggests they don’t have a right to be there.

I say fire giants because that is their kenning. “Kennings” provide the magic system for the book. The series title is the Seven Kennings series. At the open of the story, there are five known kennings. Each is tied to one of the existing, known nations on the main continent (interestingly, the kennings are tied to the nation, not the people). There is one kenning for each of the four elements, plus one for flora.

To find out if you have a kenning you have to risk your life. Every nation has a location where the testing of sorts is performed. In Brynlon, for example, you dive down into a cenote and attempt to swim through a tunnel that empties into the sea. If you don’t drown, you will emerge impervious to all ill effects from water and with other powers. Most people drown.

Each kenning has multiple types of users. For example, one type of earth kenning gives the ability to run barefoot extraordinarily fast. Another gives the power to shape earth and stone with your mind.

Note that I only mentioned five kennings, not seven. The discovery of the sixth kenning is a major plotline, and the seventh is hinted at.

So far so good. And the story gets off to a rousing start. A tidal mariner—the most powerful users of the water kenning—witnesses the arrival of a Bone Giant invasion fleet while doing routine maintenance in the bay. She then singlehandedly capsizes the vast majority of the fleet, killing thousands of giants. The Bone Giants almost breach the city walls nonetheless. That doesn’t bode well for the other coastal cities we learn were hit at the same time.

Hearne then introduces a story structure/framing device. A bard—whose version of the earth kenning gives him perfect recall and the ability to assume another form—is telling the stories of each POV character to refugees from the invasions in effectively a series of flashbacks. Why, I’m not sure. It seems needlessly complicated. There is a plotline involving the bard and his handler, but it isn’t important enough to fully justify its existence. The framing device does allow Hearne to tell the entire story in first person despite multiple POVs. Which doesn’t really add anything. #TeamThirdPerson

There are a bunch of POVs (Hearne helpfully provides a character list at the front of the book). But there are really three main plotlines. The Bone Giant invasion, the Hathrim invasion, and the discovery of the sixth kenning. Of those, I thought the Bone Giant invasion was the most interesting, and the Hathrim invasion the least. Unfortunately, the Hathrim invasion gets the most page time, and the Bone Giant invasion the least, which means the discovery of the sixth kenning is the only entirely satisfying plotline.

There is a lot to like. The slowly unfolding mystery of why Bone Giants invaded (and why now) is a highlight. Like I said, my main complaint is that we don’t get more of that plotline. Several of the POVs are very strongly told and become effective once they are drawn into one of the main plotlines. The storytelling can also be very poignant.

One aspect of the magic system is particularly effective. Use of a kenning comes with a cost. It can literally takes years off of the life of the user. This provides a nice, natural highlight of the sacrifices people make for their duty and to protect their people.

Maybe it is just my advance copy, but I would have benefitted from a map even more than from a cast of characters.

Epic fantasy has gotten very ambitious. The Wheel of Time became this colossal, sprawling story, but it didn’t start out that way. The Eye of the World is dominated by Rand’s POV, with only four other POVs (not counting the prologue). The main characters are only split up once, and for a shortish period of time. The book has a very satisfying conclusion (and rousing climax). Hearne starts his series much more aggressively. Unfortunately, this really hurts the pacing. Hearne made me care about the Bone Giant invasion in the opening, but not the rest.

The climax of a book is a big deal for me. It is frequently makes a half-star difference in my rating. The climax here isn’t strong enough and ultimately proved the difference between a 4-star book and a 3.5-star book. This book is definitely the setup for a big series.

Somewhat oddly, this means that A Plague of Giants is a 3.5-star book that leaves me excited about the second book in the series. That stands in contrast to the frequent scenario of a 4-star book that leaves me with no desire to continue.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of A Plague of Giants via NetGalley.

Kevin Hearne's new series is epic in proportion, featuring an entire world, multiple storylines and points of view and a complex system of magic. While this is fabulous, it also makes it a bit of a challenge (especially since it's also a 600-page book), as there are so many people and so many stories within stories to keep track of. But, if you can handle reading Game of Thrones, you'll be good to go with the Seven Kennings.

Our main characters are Dervan, a professor, and Fintan, a bard. Fintan tells the tales of the many kingdoms, using his storytelling abilities as well as his trick to turn into the person whose tale he's telling. Dervan's kind of your everyman, keeping their leader in the know and piecing everything together. There are *so* many characters, kingdoms, rules, and systems of magic that it is hard to keep them straight but, to me, it's well worth it. What seems to be so many disparate stories slowly comes together to reveal a seventh "kenning" (a type of magic) and, as the title suggests, a rather disastrous plague of giants. I'm looking forward to the second in this epic series, A Blight of Blackwings.

First off, this is different from Kevin Hearne's other novels. This one does not have a mention of Atticus in it.

Second, this is long. My proof copy has over 600 pages, and it is part of a series. (Only the second novel is named yet.)

Third, the voice is a little different. While in other novels Hearne has different speakers for different chapters, this time he has a bard tell the story—albeit a bard who takes on the look and sound of different speakers.

I can't tell you much else about this book without giving away parts of it: The bard does a great job. . However, the bottom line is: This is a really good book. I enjoyed it and, if you like Hearne or fantasy stories, you will enjoy this, too.

I really enjoy Kevin Hearne's writing but this seemed at first very different from the Iron Druid Chronicles, and it was a slow starter for me. It's not as funny, and at times it is a bit confusing, I think because a lot of it is told in retrospect. it does have all the elements of high fantasy and the magical system is quite intriguing, as magic isn't ever easy. To use it is to shorten your life, and it's risky to obtain in the first place. It's all centered around the elements, so that is familiar, but there's supposedly magic yet to be discovered or described.
There's a lot of characters and it often seemed disjointed, and there were a lot of times that I wasn't sure who was being discussed.
The world building is very good, and perhaps one of the best aspects of the book. Teldwen is a big and varied place, with diverse cultures in 6 countries and the magic is closely tied to it.
It's really a shame that the beginning is not better, but it is simply because it is such an imaginative set up of this world and its people. By the end it starts to all come together and become enjoyable, but for me, a busy mom who's always having to stop and cook, it was quite a chore to get there. Maybe too I am a bit ADD these days. It was a bit too long and complicated for me to enjoy to the level the work that went into it deserved.

I loved the Iron Druid Chronicles by this author. I read them as soon as they were released. I have to admit that the first 4 of those were my favorite, the rest seemed to get darker and that made them less enjoyable for me. I think that is why I cimply could not get through this book, I tried multiple times, in different moods and even in different places, to pick this up and just read, but I couldn't do it. This is one that will always be a could not finish for me. Too dark, too drawn out, too complex, I guess. I really wanted to like this, but it was not to be.

I could not believe that this is the same author who gave us the riveting, rollicking Iron Druid Chronicles. After reading all the gushing reviews for A Plague of Giants, I could not believe that I had read the same book.
Full marks to Mr. Hearne for creating a highly detailed world of novel societies, cultures, faiths, geography, flora and fauna. Unfortunately this creative gift seems to have vanished when he labored at the wordsmith's forge to craft the story set in that wonderful landscape Simply put, A Plague of Giants is poorly written. The characters are flat; there wasn't a one for whom I could give a damn. Dialogue is pedestrian. What purports to be humor is either lame or puerile. The pace is glacial. I think there is a good book trapped in there that could have been set free by a bloody-minded editor with a savage red pen with which to excise vast acres of bloated verbiage. I know Mr. Hearne can write tight, spare prose where every word serves to advance the plot, set the mood, or develop character; he just hasn't done it here.
If The Iron Druid Chronicles are sleek greyhounds of words, then A Plague of Giants is an obese diabetic incontinent pug. It gives me no joy to say that. The friend who gave me this book is the one who happily introduced me years ago to the writings of Kevin Hearne. When asked what he thought of A Plague of Giants, he admitted that he couldn't even finish the first chapter before giving up on it.

I love Kevin Hearne and his story telling abilities. Coming into a Plague of Giants I understood that this story would be much different than the Iron Druid Chronicles. I had both the Kindle and the Audible versions so I could go back and forth. Having Luke Daniels and Xe Sands as narrators helped me identified male characters from female characters. I tend to have first book problems and it took over 8 hours (about 186 pages or 30% of the book) before I was in love with the characters and was truly vested in their future. The story is told by a bard and there are multiple characters point of view which helps you get absorbed into this new world with different nations having the ability to control elements such as wind, water, earth, fire, vegetation and animals. Plus it helps you understand what drives them. Kevin took his time setting up the world and explaining the kennings. I can’t wait to see what comes next. Again is not the same as the iron druids, it was slow to begin with but in the end it was fun, captivating and I will read what comes next.

In this new epic fantasy, a disaster has come upon the lands. Bone Giants have invaded and are determined to take whatever they want. They can throw up a city in mere weeks, and their response when meeting with anyone from any of the surrounding countries is to kill everything they encounter. In this world, every country is the site of a Keening, an extraordinary talent that is given to some of its inhabitants. There are five known kennings. In a country near the sea, the keening is to control water; another country controls rock and earth while another controls all plant life. There is talk of seven kennings but only five have been discovered and used. All the other countries band together to fight the invasion and the death and destruction the giants bring.

Dervan is an academic. He grew up with the ruler of his country and many of the refugees from the giant's invasion have ended up in his country. The ruler asks Dervan to do two things. First, he must learn how to speak with a giant that has been captured and imprisoned in order to see what he can determine about their plans. Then he is to work with and report on a bard who has come to town.

Fintan is the bard. He is a shape shifter and uses his talent to take on the character and forms of those he tells tales about. He gathers an ever-growing crowd each day to tell them about what is happening; how the giants have come, what they have already done and plan to do and what the various countries plan to counter them. He talks of heroes and disasters, of tragedy and courage and disaster and hope. The crowds grow every day to hear him and the rulers want to have someone there to be sure what Fintan is saying, as there is also suspicion that he is a spy. Can the other countries pull together to defeat the greatest enemy any have encountered? There is a rumor that the Sixth Keening has been discovered and perhaps it will provide the answer.

This is the first novel of a planned trilogy by one of the masters of fantasy. Hearne's Iron Druid series is a masterpiece in the fantasy genre and this new series promises to be another one. The world building is epic and his ability to juggle myriad characters while advancing the story is amazing. The structure of having the bard tell the story in daily implements allows Herne to introduce all the characters in detail while filling in the story of how the giants are to be defeated. This book is recommended for fantasy readers.

The Kennings are gifts or magic individuals hold. The magic comes from the elementals and mythology which quickly made me feel at home. Those who are gifted the kennings, use them with care as doing so drains their lifespan. When the story begins there are five known kennings, and they will soon discover a sixth. No one knows what the seventh kenning offers. I liked the magic and rules established within the world. We get to see a few characters come into their powers and witness them trying to master skills.

While the story contains multiple POVs and shares both present and past accounts, I felt the bard and scholar Dervan Du Alöbar who is transcribing the story being told, pulled all of it together. Kind of like a giant play with intermissions by Dervan. The stories surround the invasion of the Hathrims, the Bone Giants invasion and political unrest or indecision among those in Teldwen. I quickly became connected to the multiple characters and felt their happiness and loss.

Luke Daniels narrates much of the story and as always he is a masterful storyteller with a wide range of voices. He brings Hearnes charters to life, I even heard a little Oberon, and it made me grin. Xe Sands was a new-to-me narrator, but she compliments both Hearne and Daniels wonderfully. She typically took on the female roles and her pacing, tone and connection to the characters only enhanced Hearne’s story.

I was very excited to read A Plague of Giants because it was written by Kevin Hearne, the same author who wrote the Iron Druid Chronicles! “Sign me up to a new series!” was what was running through my mind. Man, oh man, I wanted to stop reading this book so many times but I kept on going. I will say that if you truly love epic fantasies then this book will be a delight to read and own. There is a wonderfully illustrated map in the front that illustrates the six nations of Teldwen as well as portraits of the main characters in this story. The portraits are very cool and I love that there is also a little narrative with each that gives a description of who they are. Also, there is a nice little appendix in the back with more details to add to the story.

Now when I mention main characters I am not talking about a few characters with two or three different points of view, I am talking about eleven characters with eleven points of view! That’s a lot of POV’s to follow. There are two major characters in this story and they are Fintan, Bard of the Poet Goddess, he is the one who tells the tales from the past and weaves the narratives together and Dervan Du Alobar, a Brynt historian, who was brought in to document the Bard’s tale, and he keeps the story in the present. Fintan tells the story of how the plague of giants came to be and represents all the major players from that story while Dervan deals with the current drama that unfolds with the races and cultures who do not support the tales the bard is expressing.

The main plot of this story was that there had been a subtle invasion of giants and how the six nations of Teldwen were affected by the invasion. Sounds fascinating if you are really interested in the effect that it caused but I wasn’t. I wasn’t made to care about the country or its inhabitants on a personal level. For me it was more like reading news coverage on an invasion that happened in a place I knew of but I was removed from because I had no emotional investment outside of empathy for the plight of the characters. That will not be the case for everyone but it was for me. Plus, the beginning dragged a bit and by the time the pace started to “pick up” I was already meh.

Plots within plots, both in the past and in the present, it is a lot to follow. There are many battles that are fought within this story but not only are there physical battles but there are also battles within the characters themselves. Many of them are regular people who must make extraordinary decisions in the most stressful of circumstances and not every choice leads to a happy ending. In fact, there are rarely any happy outcomes in this entire book. I liked that the characters found within this book were not typical. They were made up of refugees, academics, officials, magically inclined, and ordinary people. There were also representative of six different cultures as well.

To be fair there was so much to love with this story, the writing is amazing, the world building, the cultures, the characters are all so well developed. A Plague of Giants just has so much to offer! It was just a huge story that I felt that I pushed through to the end but I will be truthful and say that I will probably read the next book in this series. Why do you ask? It would be because of the “present day” plot that has ensnared my interest. Also, I am wondering if Gondel Vedd’s husband is going to forgive him for being gone so long, lol. Gondel is kind of a hoot and his love of mustard cracks me up. Overall, there was so much good with A Plague of Giants and if it had not felt like such a struggle to read I would have rated it higher but it was a struggle and there you have it.

Let me tell you, this book is an epic tale. It's masterfully written, and the characters are so beautifully created it's hard to not be interested in the story. Yet, I found it difficult for me to truly become attached to them.

This is a world under invasion. Clan against clan and plots so tightly woven, you nearly miss them until the strike. I loved how Hearne wrote through the telling of stories from the Bard (master storyteller), and the magic used was fabulous. BUT the entire story is told through stories! This is where I found trouble with the novel.

Remember, this is a very large book, so when you're reading, thinking "I'm gonna find out what happened to What's-Her-Name!", you do. But only by the smallest smidgen. The languages, creatures, people- they all capture your heart and interest, but they're quickly snatched away, to allow the Bard sleep, drink and the sharing of other intricate details for the story. I simply found it too exhausting. I received the ARC, but purchased the audiobook, because of the size. Doing so allowed me to finish the book faster than I'd expected, but even it was over 20-hours long! NO LIE!

Anyway, the story reminds you of other fantastic authors, like Tolkien, because they written with such care and craft. But be prepared to not become emotionally invested. You'll like it, but you can't love it the way you should.

*For the full review: www dot areneehunt dot com
A Plague of Giants
Kevin Hearne
620-pages
Fantasy, Mythology, Thriller
Random House, October 2017

So this is a book outside of my normal wheelhouse - an epic fantasy sans romance. I think this review may be a bit hard to write because this is a very complex story with detailed world building and cast development. The book gave me a feel of The Hobbit and/or Lord of the Rings meets Game of Thrones. I commend Kevin Hearne on his imagination and ability to develop such a complex society with varied cultures, language and races/species.

So the basis of this society are the kennings - which are magical abilities. There are five well known kennings (air, water, fire, earth, plants) and lesser known sixth (animals) and seventh (unknown) kennings. The kennings are largely split by city (kindgom?) and/or culture. This is a western society where the people have mostly dark skin, and are further divided by their magical abilities. The western society is invaded by giants from the east who have pale skin that burns, and no magical abilities. We will be operating in the western society for this first installment of the series. That is a very basic and brief overview the society as a whole that certainly doesn't do justice to the complexity of the story.

(I apologize for any misspellings for character names, places, etc. in this review. As I listened in audio, I will be using my best guess for unfamiliar words and names.)

The story revolves around a bard, Fintan, who is telling about the plague of giants from various different points of view. The bard's magical ability is that he is able to take on the persona of each person while he tells their story. At first I was worried about this method of telling the story - but it turned out to be extremely interesting and I got sucked into the story fairly quickly. I was listening to this as I drove across the country and it kept me captivated for the entire time.

I really liked the various magical abilities and I was glad that Hearne delved into each ability and described not only how the people came by the special powers, but also the specifics of what each power allowed them to do, and the consequences of using those powers. The character races (species?) were also very interesting. There were tree people, mariners, fire giants, bone giants, and others both magical and mundane. There were corrupt political figures, sympathetic heroes, and "regular" people who faced more run-of-the-mill issues. There was really a character type for every type of interest and I loved the diversity. That being said... don't get too attached to anyone! I did mention this story had a Game of Thrones feel in that lots of people die. Of course that didn't stop me from getting attached to people, and you felt that gut wrenching moment of loss when their life was lost heroically or not.

I know I haven't said a ton about the plot or the story details... but I really don't want to give any of those away. I think fantasy fans will get more from the execution of the plot by finding out the details for themselves. However I do have to say that if you have the chance to listen to this story in audio - I highly encourage it. The narrators were absolutely fabulous. There were so many characters for them to take on, and they both pulled it off with ease. Every character was easily distinguishable and identifiable as soon as the switch in persona occurred. They even went so far as to sing the songs of the bard and I found that to add such a nice element to the story.

I recommend this story to any fans of epic fantasy, urban fantasy, or complex stories in general.

This story was told in a really, really interesting way. Similar to The Kingkiller Chronicles in a way, this story is told by a bard, but instead of telling his own story, he tells the stories of others to create one giant (#sorrynotsorry) narrative about a series of events. He tells the story not only of the characters but as the characters night by night. I really liked that. It was told in the first person, but actually told secondhand by someone with perfect memory who was told the story and is retelling it with the flair that only someone with his specific powers can do.

The book opens with a Dramatis Personae - a short description of most of the characters here - with drawings of each of them. I really liked that, because having a good idea of what they looked like was neat. It's an awesome reference for using as you read.

This world has all of a sudden been invaded by giants. Seven or eight foot tall pale and extremely gaunt men and women that nobody has ever seen before and nobody can understand. They must have come from across the once-thought-uncrossable ocean, but nobody knows why. They've killed everyone they've come into contact with and gone on their way. So, where did they come from and why?

Characters in this book have 'kennings,' which is like a very specific magical power depending on where they live. Each land has a kenning. There are five so far that we know of: Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Plants. Some people in their respective lands choose to gain powers based on the kenning of the land. They risk their life for the chance. Their vocation is based on their kenning in most lands. For example, Tallynd is a tidal mariner. She can control water. She can more or less become water, allowing her to travel very quickly across long distances of ocean, change the currents of the ocean, and breathe underwater. It comes with a cost though, and the cost is years of life. The more she uses her power, the faster she ages. So, she's a tidal mariner. The most powerful kind of water-kenning user. She guards the ocean from invaders, looks for things along the bottom, helps boats entering or exiting the port... that kind of thing. That's her kenning, and that's her job.

There's so much more going on here than the invasion of the bone giants. There's also the displacement of an entire nation of other giants (these ones being giants that everyone does know exist- they're locals from the land of the first kenning). An entire nation has had to evacuate their land due to a volcano eruption. They move to a spot of land that seems perfect for them, but... well it's kind of owned by someone else, and is on the borders of a land that protect their trees with religious zeal and who rather do not like the idea of a people known for their production of steel and glass cutting them all down to feed their forge fires.

So, the story all begins to come together as you see it from the POV of several people from several places around the world who have different reasons to be where they are, and different skins in the game. It's a really interesting way to lay a story out. There are really neat little details abound too, like different idioms and slang used in different lands. People from Forn (plant kenning) use idioms about roots, growing, fertilizing, and things of that nature (#stillnotsorry) to reference or explain things in their everyday life. Characters in this book are men, women, gay, strait, and just about every skin color under the sun, and none of it mattered in the grand scheme of things. They were of course noticeably different races and genders, but aside from those noticeable differences, were all just people to everyone else. Not better or worse, but different, with a different story. That was pretty awesome.

And finally... what I thought of it, all told. I admittedly struggled to stay interested in this one in the beginning. It's wonderfully written, and there was nothing in it that I found inherently off-putting, but I found that it didn't immerse me as much as I hoped it would right out the gate. I ended up reading another book in between chapters 1 and 3. This is rare for me, as usually I try and power on through one book at a time. I found myself finding excuses to do other things, putting it down every few minutes, that sort of thing. However, this passed after I got used to the story, and became more immersed in it. Truth be told, I think this happened right around Abhi's story's beginning, as I really liked him as a character. I didn't care quite as much for anyone else, though. I suppose this sort of thing is bound to happen to me every now and then. I liked the setting. I think it's a really interesting world, with a really well thought out and well executed magic system. While it wasn't my favorite Kevin Hearne book, I still think it was a really, really good book all round.

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine via NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

This is an outstanding fantasy novel. A little on the large side (600+), but every page is worth it. A well written and intriguing adventure into the world of the seven Kennings. There are three different story lines, two of which are told through the eyes of a bard that has the ability to become the topic of the tale. Each character is, therefore, told in a first person format and it is a fascinating read. This is a real page turner. The only fault I had with this novel is that it ended, but I take solace in the fact that more is to come.

Story line(s): contains spoilers.

A bard (Fintan) has come to Pelemyn to tell the story of the giants war. Dervan, a historian has been assigned the task of chronicling the bard’s tales and to keep an eye open, as well, because it is feared the bard may be a spy or even an assassin. As the stories progress, a certain faction from a neighboring nation doesn’t care for the bard’s depiction of their peoples or one of their leaders. Several attempts are made on the lives of the bard and the historian in an effort to stop the knowledge from becoming heard. Dervan also becomes aware that the stories may also lead to the discovery of what caused the death of his wife.

A volcano erupts on Hathrir and the giants flee and take refuge on the shores of Ghurana Nent. What is believed to be a camp of refugees turns out to be an invasion, as the giants have no intent on leaving. The giants use their Kenning (Fire) to establish a defense and a city and several battles ensue between the giants, the forces of Ghurana Nent, and a woman from a neighboring nation, in possession of her own Kenning. She is a greensleeve and has at her disposal the means to create problems for the giants that are harvesting her nation’s trees.

Meanwhile, on the east coast, a full scale invasion is taking place by peoples of an unknown nation in search of the seven-year ship. These people are referred to as bone giants, due to their size and appearance. A Tidal Mariner (Water Kenning) notices the invasion and summons the waters of the sea and drowns a good portion of the invading force before they touch land. However, many do land and several Kennings come to bear against them.

An edge-of-your-seat read.

Disclaimer: I am a fan of Kevin Hearne, so my input may be slightly biased.

Summary: A new fantasy world has been created by the author. Magic exists in specific forms (Kennings) which only special people are granted access by each regions local god. The people attempting to receive a kenning are either selected to be an avatar/channeler or die nearly instantly in the attempt. Each region/country has access to a specific kenning -- similar to elements or specific sphere of influence. There are no signs of being able to access more than one kenning by a given person. The use of the power slowly burns up the life force of the person doing it -- gift / curse your point of view applies here.

The story is told from the point of view of a traveling bard with perfect recall and the ability to create illusions / moving pictures of the characters that he is discussing. The story is laid out in fits and starts from several different points of view / life lens. It is a clever way of integrating world building with story exposition. The approach takes a bit to get used to, but is very effective as the pacing of the vignettes increase. Kevin Hearne should be given a fair of credit for developing this approach.

The actual story is about the various known countries being invaded by a brutal group of giants from an unknown area. The countries are taken by surprise with devastating effects -- blitzkrieg by unforgiving and very dangerous people who do not give quarter. Logistics, warriors, bravery, inter governmental in-fighting and political intrigue are all part of the story. The book is fairly long so be prepared to read it in sprints but that works well with the story telling style.

The book has a very different feel from Kevin's other books. He clearly has worked very hard and put a lot of thought into it.

I've been seeing some pretty mixed review for A Plague of Giants so far, but I'm happy to say that I loved this book.

The premise is that of a frame story, in which there is an outer story with one main character narrating the present, and the other half of the story is told by a bard who tells his tale through the usage of a variety of different characters. The bard tells parts of his story each day by taking on the form of different characters and having them tell their story through him. I love this idea, largely because I've always been intrigued by bards and the various methods of storytelling, so I thought that this was a fantastic way to tell an epic fantasy tale.

I can't say that the story and plot itself is anything overly unheard of, but it's the details and the characters themselves that make this story stand out so much. A Plague of Giants is complex, intricate, and beautifully written. I really loved the world created in this book, even if I don't fully understand it. There is a rich array of cultures and diverse characters, which I found fascinating and also rather refreshing.

As is the case in most books with multiple POVs, I found myself a bit uninterested in one or two them (Nel, Meara), which did make it a bit of a drag to get through. However, the rest of the narrators and story bits were deeply compelling and more than made up for the boring ones that were few and far between. I was particularly enraptured by the main character Dervan's story, Abhi's, and Gondel's. The sheer detail of each perspective gave each character such a distinct personality that I really appreciated.

I found myself slightly confused about a few things here and there, but for me personally that wasn't a major hindrance because, if we're being honest, it's not uncommon for me to get a bit lost or confused in epic fantasy. There's just too much going on for me to necessarily have a full grasp on everything unless I've read the book multiple times or had a chance to discuss it more at length. I also would have loved to see a map of this world.

This is the first book I've by Hearne, so I don't know if his books are normally as witty as this particular book was, but I loved it. I chuckled at many points throughout this book, but that doesn't mean that it didn't have its more depressing or dark moments as well. This book doesn't hold back, but it also isn't unnecessarily violent or gory. It uses violence and intensity at appropriate moments and for appropriate lengths. There's no censoring or attempt to make things nicer--there are certainly some gory moments--but it doesn't overdo it or normalize it too much, which was a nice reprieve from all the grimdark I've been inhaling lately.

Overall, I've given A Plague of Giants four-and-a-half stars! If you are a fan of epic fantasy or really wonderfully told stories with many layers, go pick this one up!

I wasn't expecting this book to be as good as it was.

I like Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series and I generally keep up with it, but they are lighter urban fantasy fare - good, humorous, worth following. This book is completely different.

Stunning in its structure and storytelling.

Hearne switches to epic fantasy and this tale with surprising skill - the characters, even minor ones, have depth rarely done this well and they don't make stupid mistakes. That is, to say, they make regrettable choices and mistakes that have consequences, but none of those stupid annoying ones that have readers seething in frustration that exist soley because the author couldn't find a better way to move the plot along.

There's joy and heartbreak. The aftermath of war is masterfully depicted. The characters' decisions felt real; the emotions felt real. Time will tell how the rest of the story is handled, but if it continues on its current path, this trilogy will stand out as a masterpiece.

For epic fantasy lovers, I say this is a must read.

I have been a fan of Kevin’s for years and it’s not just because he is a home town hero. I love his Iron Druid series on so many levels. and so, I admit I had some preconceived notions of what to expect with this new series. Well I was completely mistaken. Don’t take that wrong I enjoyed it but it was nothing like what was expecting. This takes place in a whole new world created by Kevin, unfortunately that means no talking dogs or Irish goddesses. That is not an entirely bad thing though. While not as strong of a book as the Iron druid it has some fresh ideas that give it a lot of promise.

Usually when a book is told in first person there is only one POV and that is kind of how this one works except not at all. The POV we see through is from Dervan, a widowed historian of a country called Brynt. He has the task of writing down the story a bard named Fintan is telling of the Giants War. That is where the other POVs come in, when the Bard tells each part of the story he uses magic to take on the appearance of the person that part of the story is about. So the “voice” of the book changes frequently. I have to say Kevin did a very good job with that. Each one has its own personality and Idioms. That really brought the different characters to life. Some of them were boring at first but luckily it never stays on one person for too long and they all got better as time went on.

The book as a whole has plenty of blood and violence I would almost classify the book itself as Grimdark. But the moments that are in the present are more lighthearted and it seems as if most of the war is over.

The magic system was particularly interesting. It is called a Kenning and there are 7 distinct types, each with its own subtypes that have different abilities. The first is fire and then water air and so on. To be able to use this power you must go to the location for that kenning and it just so happens that each one is in a different country. To try and gain the power you have to risk your life. Brynt’s Kenning is water and if you wanted to gain this ability you must dive down in to an underwater cave as the tide is strongest and swim to the bottom. Of the people that attempt to gain a kenning at least 9 out of every 10 die in the attempt. We don’t find out why people are chosen, but the lucky ones will have powers that are pretty awesome afterwards. It is said that each Kenning was discovered by someone that was suicidal in just the right place at the right time. I said before that there are 7 of them but that is just what everyone believes, there is only 5 known Kennings. As with all magic there is a cost though and to use your Kenning ages you. The more power you use the faster you age.

That is all really cool! The thing I didn’t like that much are the Giants. No, not because they are the bad guys. Wait, well yes, they are the bad guys but that’s not why I don’t like them. I actually liked some of the fire Giants. But I am getting ahead of myself again. There are 2 different kinds of giants. First is the Fire Giants (whom I liked sometimes) that live on the southern islands and have a history of trade with most of the other nations. They have the Kenning of fire (hence the name Fire Giants) and are known for the glasswork they produce.

Then we have the Bone Giants. They like to kill things and they wear armor made of bone. (Hence the name Bone Giants) That is about all we learn of them. We never find out if they have a Kenning. We never even really see why they sent armies across the ocean to attack. I am sure we will find out more as the series continues but I would have liked to know a bit more of their motivations.

Final Thoughts

I loved the magic system and how each land had mixed their idioms with the kenning they have. It was a fast-paced tale and Kevin told it very well. I would have liked to learn more about the bone giants but hopefully that will come in the next book. I am going to give A Plague of Giants 4 out of 5 stars

I was excited to see this book on NetGalley because I am such a big fan of Kevin Hearn’s Iron Druid series. I imagine many of Hearne’s fans will be checking this book out. A Plague of Giants is very different from the Iron Druid series. But it has one thing in common and that is marvelous storytelling.

Kevin Hearne has mastered the art of enveloping the reader in an amazing, exciting, emotional saga. The adventure is relayed by the bard, Fintan, who has collected narratives from a myriad of characters, each with his or her own pivotal role in the invasion of the giants.

And so Fintan tells the story of two separate giant invasions. One is the people from the island of Harthrad who fled to the mainland after a volcano erupted. They plan to take over a significant portion of someone else’s territory (without asking permission). The other giants are known as the Bone Giants and, previously, had never been seen. The run rampant through the countryside, killing everyone they meet. No one knows what they want, nor does anyone speak the language of the Bone Giants.

Fintan’s tales are interconnected and together, they relate an epic, magical part of the people’s history. His characters are nobles, scholars, soldiers, merchants, young people, old people, good guys and not so good guys. Each character is the hero of his or her own story, but the reader gets to decide who the real heroes and heroines are.

What an amazing storytelling experience! The blurb on the store, and I imagine other booksellers, does not do this story justice. The cast of characters is vast and colorful. The stories will horrify you, uplift you and even make you cry. A Plague of Giants is among the best of fantasy in 2017.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley so that I could bring you this honest review.

Dervan chose the life of an academician; he wasn't a spy, but when the pelenaut, the ruler of his city and a personal friend of his, needed help, he called on Dervan. You see, a visiting bard from Rael had been dispatched to perform and tell the people of Pelemyn the story of the war against the Bone Giants - up to this point at least. However, the government of Pelemyn was certain that the bard, Fintan, was also spying on them. The people of Pelemyn needed their own spy, so when Dervan was assigned by the pelenaut to chronicle the stories that Fintan tells, he was simultaneously thrown into the world of spies and intrigue. Dervan and Fintan met daily to put on paper the previous day's tale.

Performing daily for the people, Fintan bounced from place to place, all around the six nations [Forn, Brynt, Pelemyn, Ghurana Nent, Rael, and Hathrir], bringing to life, literally and figuratively, first-hand accounts of the days leading up to and following the Bone Giant's arrival. Using a gas encased in a hallow black rock, Fintan can take on the form of those who he has met or had described to him in great detail. His perfect memory then allows him to tell their story in first person, seeming to bring the character to life before everyone's eyes. This perfect memory and his ability to magically broadcast his voice is Fintan's kenning or blessing. In each of the six countries, the god or goddess of that country gives special powers to some seekers; unfortunately, those who seek a blessing, but remain unblessed, die in the process. Seeking those blessings is considered seeking a kenning, which look different in every country. To begin with, Fintan told the tale of Gorin Mogen, blessed by the first kenning - fire; he told the tale of Nel, a blessed to be a greensleeve from the country of Forn, a place of green and trees; he recounted the story of Pelemyn very own Tallynd, who had almost single-handedly saved the city from the Bone Giant's invasion. He recounted these stories and many more. He told stories of those who sacrificed themselves for the protection of others, of those who wanted (and still want) to use the invasion to gain more power, and those who lost everything because of the attacks. Each day, he gave the people of Pelemyn snippets of stories from across the six countries, moving the story forward slowly. By the end of the book, much has happened, but at the same time, the story is just getting started.

I like the book. It is interesting and the author has created a very unique world. The story has an appropriate amount of twists and turns, yet rings true with the age-old themes of love, courage, and the willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. I would have liked to jump around a little less, but that is a stylistic choice on my part. I wouldn't recommend the book for younger readers, because there is a lot of death, violence and rage, some of the characters are crass which is portrayed clearly in the book, and the world which the author has created is liberal in its philosophy. I'm not sure how I feel yet about the hopelessness which pervades many seeking a kenning or how many people die doing so, but I am rooting for many of the characters to succeed and to find what they are seeking, so I'll most likely pick up the next installment when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions contained above are my own.

This is a well laid out fantasy with an unusual narrator. Fintan is a bard of the Poet Goddess Kaelin. He essentially is the narrator of the story. The lands that are illustrated in the book take their Kennings or talents from either the land or the gods of the lands. It isn’t clear which. Those on the sea have talents of the sea, those in the forest have talents of the forest. Kennings are acquired through great sacrifice and there are not many in any country that has a Kenning.

The story is focused on the Bone Giants invasion but the intricacies are more focused on the individuals and their nations and how they respond to invasion. The Bone Giant invasion seems to be religion based but that is unclear as they are a mystery to the folks they are attacking.

Fintan starts the story by trying to explain the history of the war to a vast crowd of refugees. Fintan has a unique way to tell stories that provides a highly realistic story for the crowds.

Hearne does a nice job and allows his story teller to provide a lot of depth on characters with an explanation as to why he is doing so. He also points out the irascibility of both nation states and leaders and how that can lead to tragedies.

A good book, I recommend it.

KEVIN HEARNE!! If you know the name, welcome aboard you're going to love it. If you dont know him you wil wonder how you could have missed him. It is that good. His Iron Druid series is loved by anyone who has ever spelled faery with the "e" the world over. This is not that. This is new. By new i mean unlike anything you've ever read before. It is all new. I wll repeat that for emphasis This is new. There are no fairies of any spelling nor any familiar characters from any other story. Okay there is a bard, but other than that - it is all new. Just like your first trip to the world of hobbits, there is nothing familiar in this book. I wont share spoilers on general principle and it would be a crime to deprive you of the rare experience of something completely outside of everything you know . What I will say is Plague of Giants is fantasy at it's purest Imagine your best friend stepped into the dimension down the street and brought you back the tale. It is that fantastic. The first book at over six hundred pages introduces us to the multiple races that share a world uniquely their own. Where the rising of the sun is the only thing we'd find familiar. And war, of course. Just as the sun will always rise, it seems there will always be discord. But the challenges they face , the allies and enemies they face them with and the natural laws that govern them, are completely unlike anything you've known. Mr Hearne has imagined magic in an entirely new way and given us a brand new world to experience it in. Giants ar only the beginning. Get lost in a world filled with wonders and dangers beyond imagination. With characters and ideas that will stay with you long after the book is done. Congratulations on finding it. Come on in, the water is fine.

I received this book for X-mas a few days ago and could not put it down after I started reading. New series are sometimes hard to get into for readers when we really enjoy the author’s other work. I would say that my trepidation lasted less than 30 minutes. I enjoyed how Kevin put all the disparate stories together, making a timeline that was easy to follow. He developed new characters that are easily loved, hated, or a bit of both. Readers get to know a varied cast of characters which are NOT difficult to keep track of due to the set-up of stories.

Teldwen, the world where this story takes shape is an entirely new world for readers. As our characters know the world, it is six countries. The maps in the end pages were helpful, but could be even more so with a list of each countries rulers (titles), kennings, gods, etc. The book takes a person, or small group of people from each country and weaves and interlocked story of their lives through bards tales of a short period of time, including the timeframe that their world is discovered by a new race of people, called Bone Giants.

In addition to the stories, we learn much about how people can deal with tragic events, prejudices, paranoia, and just plain old human nature.

A wonderful read, it was hard putting the world down when done reading. Already looking forward to the next book.

The author has created a new land, new type of people, and new format, with the story told thru the bard. He lets the characters develop instead of giving you the 5 min backstory that answers every question - which happens often in this impatient world. My entire family (ages 13-65) has ENJOYED the Iron Druid series IMMENSELY, so I trusted Kevin Hearne to take me on unknown adventures. It was a grand adventure.

Readers, be patient. It is a little slow to connect with characters in the beginning, due to the story-telling format. But it is worth the wait.

Can't wait for the next one.

Kevin Hearne is best known – and deservedly so – for his excellent Iron Druid series, and now, after dipping his toe in the Star Wars franchise, he’s begun a new fantasy series with “A Plague of Giants” (Del Rey, $28.99, 616 pages).

Like the Iron Druid books, “A Plague of Giants” manages to be gritty (with the effects of violence not glossed over) while at the same time retaining a somewhat light touch. Hearne, unlike many modern authors, balances the bloody with the benign in this story of a continent invaded by not one, but two groups of giants.

Yes, these are actual giants (12 feet tall), but still human giants, and they are countered by a world steeped in god-given powers called Kennings. One acquires these powers (which range from control of water to control of air) by risking death. For example, the gain the power to control water, aspirants must dive into a deep pool from which they can only emerge if they are become blessed – and the vast majority simply drown.

There are several Kennings, and they all play a role in the complex plot, which is framed by an unusual story-telling device that works, thanks to Hearne’s writing skill and talent.

“A Plague of Giants” is volume one of who knows how many, but it was a very good read, and I’m definitely looking forward to the followups. At 600+ pages, though, it may take a while for Hearne to deliver the second installment, but given his history, I’m happy to wait.

“A Plague of Giants” is Hearne’s first entry in a new fantasy series. This entry novel is a perfect illustration of the old adage, “War is Hell.”

This reviewer has enjoyed Hearne’s novels for several years, and eagerly looked forward to this new novel. Unfortunately, this novel is written in a manner which this reviewer is prejudiced against. As the first novel in a new series, the novel had too many differing points of view. Switching to a different character for each chapter makes it extremely difficult for a reader to feel engaged with any character. At times, I considered abandoning the novel in favor of another story. There was zero investment in any character until reading a little more than 30% of the novel. For many, that is 20% too much.

After 30%, the novel became a pure joy to read. There were some characters more interesting than others. This made it tedious reading some points of view when it really wanted to get back to the interesting characters. This made “Giants” a page-turner at times.

I would love to give this novel a four or five-star review. I liked it, I truly did; however, given the issue of too many multiple points of view for the first novel in a new series, I believe a three-star rating is a better overall rating.

The series has huge potential and I look forward to seeing where this story will go.

Note: An ARC was received from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"This great war of our time has indeed been terrible, and I am still struck with its horrors, waking up in the night sweating."

Kevin Hearne, author of The Iron Druid Chronicles gives us a tale told by Fintan, Bard of the Poet Goddess Kaelin. A fleet of Bone Giants, tall, thin people with bone armor on their torsos and arms, is on its way to kill anyone in their path to find the unknown Seventh Kenning, a form of magic given to a blessed few. People blessed with kennings are charged with defending their homes at any means against the giants who are invading their land. Kennings include moving the earth, building and destroying walls, moving water, talking to animals, communicating by roots and stems, and taking on the voices and likenesses of others to inform the masses of what is to come.

This is a 640-page, epic story of terror and wonder with an assortment of interesting characters. At times the story was confusing with all of the characters and plot lines, which is what took me so long to finish it. I would have appreciated an Appendix of all of the characters and their kennings more than the tables that were provided. In all it was a very fascinating, unique story and I love the cover of the book. However, it was too long for me and I do not plan to read the next book in the series.

Wildly original. Epic fantasy. Multiple POV.

Normally novels have a central protagonist whose tale we follow throughout the book. In this book, that would have to be the historian Dervan. Who, to my mind, is completely overshadowed by the bard Fintan.

A bard's job is to spread news so that ordinary folk know what is happening across the realm. [Epic fantasy, remember, so no TV or newspapers or Internet.]

Fintan does not just relate the news. Instead, his magic allows him to temporarily appear AS the person whose experience he's telling. Very effective way to quickly shift points of view!

All that said, I have not yet decided whether I'll be reading the second book, since I'm not used to such a Canterbury Tales-style of narrative.

I will admit, though, that I liked the "kennings" [magical gifts found in various countries in this world] and, overall, enjoyed the approach to magic in this book.

Recommended for most public library fantasy collections.

It's been a while since I dove into the realm of high fantasy. For me, it takes a chapter or two to mentally shift gears and find the narrative flow. Especially when it's something as involved as this book is.

No lie, this book is involved. It has a big cast of characters--some of whom we only meet briefly before being whisked off to meet up with the next set--and a big, complicated societal structure that is built around the different abilities each kingdom wields and...you know what? I'm going to let you read about that. Suffice to say, it is complex, but everything makes sense once you start visiting the different kingdoms.

Here's the deal...Through the bard Fintan's ability, we see key moments of the Giant invasion from the perspective of various peoples in the different kingdoms. We're given triumph and heartache in equal measure as Fintan recreates the first sighting of strange ships ghosting into the harbor of one kingdom to their outright destruction of pretty much everyone they come across.

It's brutal at times. It's painful at times. The secret 6th ability and the possibility of a 7th kept me mentally hopping. As did the outright destruction the giants sow as they do their invading. Good times!

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

I tried and tried to read A PLAGUE OF GIANTS. I thought the start of a new trilogy would be the perfect time to try Kevin Hearne’s work.

The way the story is structured is the primary reason the book didn’t work for me. The idea of using a bard to tell the history of the invasion is cool. But the bard had the ability to mimic the form of those he heard the story from, so he would take their appearance and thus tell each part of the story from their point of view. The result is a mishmash of narratives that slowly tell small details of how the invasion started, told from the views of characters I didn’t care about.

There’s magic and different countries (maybe?) and some other stuff, but I had a hard time with the worldbuilding and memorable characters in this, or I should say, lack thereof.

I'm a huge fan of Kevin Hearne, starting from an ARC of the first book in the Iron Druid series. Loving those as I have, it was a big step to go from that to a *huge* epic fantasy series - but I'm glad I took that step. The story is well done, and though I'm not usually a fan of the multiple viewpoints (I tend to struggle to keep track of who is who.), there wasn't really that issue with this. Each of the characters was so different that there was no issue with blending them together. I also like to focus not on the typical hero, but on those who are affected by war anyway and must make decisions that may or may not be the right ones.

Overall, while my thumbs may regret reading the book (the hardback is...not small), I do not. I look forward to reading the next one in the series and keeping track of where these characters may find themselves.

This first book in a new epic fantasy trilogy is a tome of a book at just over six hundred pages. Don’t let its lengthiness dissuade you from picking this one up though, as the story is totally absorbing and the pages will just fly by. It’s a very interesting and imaginative world the author has built that takes you to a wholly different place. I like the way the author cleverly tells the story mainly through the bard, Fintan, who has total recall and a gift for storytelling. There is a very diverse cast of characters and I grew to like many of them. I hated to see some of them meet their end, others not so much. A story of survival, heroism and self sacrifice, I can hardly wait to find out what the author has in store for us in the next chapter of this terrific fantasy series.

Be aware that if you're a fan of The Iron Druid series this book is very different from that. Personally I became so bored by the flat characters that I couldn't finish it. Maybe the last half of the book is amazing but I didn't have the heart to go there. If you're a huge fan of The Iron Druid series like I am just be aware that this is very different book. All of the Iron Druid characters were people I cared about, found interesting and could invest in. I found none of that in Giants which may be why, regardless of the creativity of the story it was like going on a journey with boring strangers.

This is a great book filled with enchanting characters and gripping adventures. I automatically chose the Audible version because I listen to all of Kevin Hearne's books instead of reading them, simply because they are narrated by Luke Daniels. But I’ve now realized there can’t be any better way to enjoy this story. I mean really, what could be more epic than having an amazing narrator read out loud to you the words of the bard, telling you the tales of old. It would not be the same to read it to yourself. It's like being in the bard's presence. Amazing. I loved this book and may just have to go listen to it again.

I was prepared to not like this book. I had read other reviews that didn’t like the format and how different it was from ID. I liked it lot. At first I was uncomfortable with the format of a narrator telling the stories of different people, but the further I got into the book it began to coalesce into an over arching story that was pretty good. I became interested in each of the characters and the part they played in the big story. I don’t like that the story ends with a cliff-hanger. I hope Hearne doesn’t take years for the next book like some authors. Have an open mind to a new story from Hearne,and I think you will enjoy this.

Gosh, this is a hard review to write. I had a hard time deciding on how many stars. I won’t say it’s a bad read. I feel like it depends on what kind of reading mood I’m in. If you’re looking for a fast read where you don’t have to think, this isn’t it. The author builds a huge and wonderful complex story. I feel like there will be some wonderful books in this world , especially after the world building. This author has some really amazing ideas and is a genius at thinking this stuff up. It is more of a serious read than his other series. I think it will be one of those epic tales that will always be remembered through the ages.

**I was given a copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. **

I really respect Kevin Hearne and enjoyed the Iron Druid series. That being said, if after three hours there is no story or character to hook me I cannot see the point of continuing. I really tried. The book is all over the place. Waiting for the story to coalesce could be fruitless. I may wait in vain. I almost never give up on books but life is short.

Luke Daniels was the only redeeming feature of the audiobook. I was not however a fan of Xe Sands. Her delivery put me in a stupor.

I have a hard time giving Kevin Hearne two stars for any of his works. I am an avid fan of the Iron Druid Chronicles and am sad to see Scourged is the last installment, for now anyway. I listened to the first six chapters on Audible and was frustrated to say the least and gave up on A Plague of Giants and for the first time, I gave the book back. This book is has too many characters with names and roles that just aren't memorable. The notion of the kennings intrigued me but there was insufficient detail on them. To add to the frustration, Xe Sands' performance was the worst of any narrator in any of the hundreds of audio books that I have listened to. Luke Daniels did a superb job and I probably could have endured if he narrated the entire audiobook. I may read this book in Kindle format when I have time with the hope that Kevin will provide us with a brilliant follow-up.

As a fan of the Iron Druid Chronicles, I had high hopes for this new series by Hearne.

The writing is fantastical and intricate. There were so many different characters and places and all of them had their own language, gifts and then there were the giants.

It was a lot of work to try to remember everyone and who was who. I have to say that this is one series I think I’ll pass on. Even my husband who is a huge fan, couldn’t get past the first chapter.

If you are a fan of Hearne, definitely give it a read! It may be just your cup of tea!

Netgalley/Del Ray

A masterpiece featuring a complex and interesting world, the strength of united diversity, and the horror of war.

The Good: Worldbuilding by immersion, a well-grounded magic system, balanced themes, rousing characters, and... so much more.

The Meh: I listen to an audiobook while commuting and sometimes had trouble understanding the high-pitched female voices.

The Ugly: There's only one book available in the series! Noooooooo! Write on, Mr. Hearne, write on! 

The Good are what I enjoyed most about the story:

Worldbuilding: It's an essential part of every Fantasy and there are many ways to do it. Immersion is, by far, my favorite. It features characters that don't information dump every little detail to a reader, but invites them to discover all the world's details as the story progresses. It means engaging the reader and making them ask, "What does that detail mean?" and then pushes them deeper into the story to find answers. In this case, I think it's pushed me deeper into the series, because I still have many questions that every character in the story also seems to have. I applaud your style, Mr. Hearne - thank you!

Magic System: It's powerful, hard to obtain, has clear limits, and exacts a toll on the user. More than that would introduce spoilers - read the book!

Themes: There are many, but none of them come across as preachy or overdone. In my opinion, too much importance these days is placed on details that are largely irrelevant. Including them in this story, the way the author has, brought me unexpected joy - a balanced portrayal of diversity that adds flavor to the narrative. You might not care for war stories, strong female characters, empathizing with people who commit atrocities, or people with different sexual preferences than you - but that's your choice to make. No one can force another to celebrate what they dislike - but I seriously doubt that anyone can get through this story without a sense that they're better for having read it.

Rousing Characters: It wouldn't be good Fantasy if you couldn't cheer some and hate some.

The Meh are the things that just didn't work for me.

High-pitched voice: This could have given me trouble for any number of reasons, it wasn't so bad that you shouldn't get the book.

The Ugly are the real detractors.

Honestly, I want more, more, more. That's not an issue if there are eight books out there, but it is if it's the first in an unwritten series. 

Final thoughts: You will not regret reading, or listening to, this book. There's so much in fiction that you might walk away from thinking, "Why did I even bother reading that? I'm happy the story's over because it made me feel so awful." (The Hunger Games had this effect on me) A Plague of Giants brightens my day and inspires me as a writer. 6 out of 5 stars, and some graaavy!

Having never read anything by this author, though Iron Druid was recommended to me, I started out fresh to his style. And really liked it! This book is fantastically complex without the dryness of high fantasy authors (sorry husband, Tolkien's not for me).
This book begins with a charater list, which may prove useful for some people, but it does give you advance notice that there are many characters, and I suppose only 2 main ones. Theres the Bard, telling the tale of all these lives weaving together, and the scholar, writing it all down. The chapters are 1 day in the life of these two men. I really loved this set up-my favourite thing in books is to read a million different perspectives and watch them all tie together. I adore the complexity of it, and the skill to pull it off. But I know a lot of people find this confusing, so keep that in mind.
The plot itself is fantastic (I'll try for spoiler free here). There's a few different invasions of giants, in different areas of the land, and the nations are stuck dealing with that. Each nation has its own 'magical blessing', if you will, and the blessed (and un-blessed in some cases) use these powers to fight the invaders. You get a perspective of all these types throughout the different characters. This book also really showcases the horrors and senselessness of war-so if you're easily grossed out, tread carefully.
I also found it interesting that this book is so low-key diverse. There's no political statement thrown in your face, no preaching; there is just a statement of fact. There are people of different color and sexuality, and different cultures react to these facts differently.
To me, to weakest area in this book was the detached writing style and language. The writing was a little inconsistent to the overall feel at times; there were instances where I'd be incredibly devastated over a characters death, simply because of how it was written. Other times a death seemed so nonchalant-again because of how it was written. This disconnect doesn't serve a purpose, so I assume it wasn't meant to be there.
The language also suffers from some inconsistencies. Sometimes its very modern, and other times it's along the lines of typical fantasty speak. In one part of a sentence, a character will use a contraction, then in the next part not use one at all. Its these little things that break the suspensuon of disbelief for me.
Overall though, I throughly enjoyed this book, as the plot and characters make up for those inconsistencies for me. Infortunately, I recoeved an ARC, so it'll be awhile before I get my hands on Blight Of Blackwings.

After hearing audiobooks of all of the Iron Druid series I had high hopes for this one. Sadly, it is a huge letdown. Shallow characters, flat humor, awkward plotting. I'm not even halfway through and have stalled out from lack of interest. If I can get back into it and finish it I'll try to revise this negative review.

Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
To all Iron Druid fans, this is nothing like the Atticus novels (which are spectacular)! Plague of Giants still has the feel of Hearne's writing, filled with passion and humor but the story is unlike anything I've read before.
Hearne has created a wonderful world of magic and giants, and abilities that we all dream of as children (and still secretly do as adults). The whole book is a mental treat, akin to summer evenings sitting around the campfire, listening to the best storyteller in town tell the stories that everyone has been eagerly anticipating.
I highly recommend this book, and I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series!

This was an interesting first book in the series of the Seven Kennings. The kennings are special magical powers/abilities that certain people are able to try to get by putting their lives in extreme danger. Most of the stories are told through a historian relating a bard's tale of what has happened in the world and the people the bard has met or whose journals he has read when an invasion happens from across the sea. Overall, I give it 3/5 stars and will continue to read the series to see how it plays out.

First, I must disclose that I read this as an ARC, and the ARC HAD NO MAP. Oh my goodness. On one hand, I can understand why it wasn’t included, time constraints or printing costs perhaps, but then I can’t. because this book is seriously hard to follow without a map.

However, the book didn’t lose stars for that. I can only imagine that the map makes things a great deal clearer as they talk about different countries and cities and how people travel from one to the other.

The book is told as a series of short vignettes, certain events (…or part of events) in the different character’s lives. Told by a magical storyteller who has a perfect memory and can mimic the appearance and voice of the person. This was a fun way to do things… but I think the author went too far. I understand the need to tell the tale chronologically, from every angle… but then… with so little time devoted to SO MANY people, the book hardly gets anywhere. Even though it’s quite long. That was frustrating.
Frustrating enough to lose it 2 stars, never mind the map.

The plot is great. The kennings are fun. The points of view were done very well. The different people are cool. (Although I got the feeling the author really liked the animal kid, and I found him super annoying.)

When more of the series is released, you might give it a shot if you like the sound of the plot… but reading it as a single book, an introduction to the series… was almost painful. I would not go back to read the next book.

I read this as an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Starting with a shameless plug: At this writing, Goodreads just opened up voting on its Goodreads Choice best books of the year award. Their exclusion of A Plague of Giants as a candidate for best fantasy is an egregious oversight on their part. This book definitely belongs in the running. Thank the Goddess Kaelin that they allow write-in votes.

Kevin Hearne, best known for his Iron Druid series featuring Atticus O’Sullivan, has decided to take a hiatus from urban fantasy and tackle the world of high fantasy and it promises to be epic. Readers may think that moving from a series that required knowledge of Earth gods and mythological characters and a familiarity with Phoenix’s best Irish watering holes to a trilogy requiring full-fledged world building with a multitude of characters from different backgrounds and cultures may be too much for some writers. Hearne makes it look easy.

In the first book of a proposed trilogy, Hearne has chosen a unique and imaginative way to tell the story of a continent invaded by a heretofore unknown race of giants. He employs a bard, Fintan, to tell the tale of the seven kennings. But this bard doesn’t speak with only one voice. As part of his kenning (a blessing with special abilities bestowed on a small number of people) he is able to assume the voice, the appearance, and even the size of a wide variety of characters and tell their stories in their own words. His stories are told from the viewpoints of giants, humans, scholars, spies, mothers, parents, children, warriors, tradesmen, politicians and heroes and more. Each character is lovingly crafted and imbued with a life of their own, including aspirations, fears, insecurities and guilts. When they fall, and some will, you will grieve for them, even for some that you considered enemies.

Be advised: This is by no means a book for younger readers. It includes language and sexually explicit conversation that some discerning parents may consider rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. My opinion is that not everyone is always polite and well-spoken and to expect readers to believe a world exists where giants and villains don’t curse is, at the very least, inauthentic.

Additionally, readers who are offended by the presence of sympathetic LGBT characters may wish to avoid this book. One such character is Abhinava “Abhi” Khose, who promises to play a significant role in the trilogy. We first meet this young man while struggling with how to tell his parents that the life of a hunter is not for him. Trust me, you will want to follow his story. It’s doozie.

*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.

When I saw Plague of Giants pop up on NetGalley I was so excited! I’m a fan of Hearne’s Iron Druid series so I couldn’t wait to see what he thought up next!

I was definitely not disappointed! Plague of Giants is a brand new series – Seven Kennings – set in a brand new universe. Instead of an urban fantasy like Iron Druid, Plague of Giants is more of a traditional high fantasy. Epic adventure, bards, pre-technology society, magic (called kenning), kings, and espionage are all present.

Plague of Giants is a story within a story – a central bard ties different characters’ threads together as he shares the many stories of how the war we’re thrust into at the beginning of the novel came to be.

There are seven societies at the center of our story and each society is built around their own specific form of kenning, and each of those broad kennings has specialist sub-forms of kenning or magic. One has kenning related to water, another to fire, a third to wood and plants, a fourth to earth and a fifth to air. (I do have those out of official order. Fire is referred to as “the first kenning” so there is an order of discovery.) You may recall that the series is called the Seven Kennings. You’ll have to read Plague of Giants for more information about Kenning # 6 and #7.

The kennings and societies built around them feel much like the elemental societies of the Avatar: The Last Airbender or Legend of Korra animated shows on Nickelodeon. If you’re familiar with The Last Airbender, then the quote “Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked” will feel very appropriately applied to Plague of Giants.

Hearne weaves a rich tapestry of complex characters that drive the story forward. He jumps from character to character, fleshing each out with different POV sections. It’s in these different sections that we meet a variety of diverse characters. Hearne has obviously taken some of the general criticism of High Fantasy as a genre – that it’s painfully white and heterosexual – to heart. His cast of characters includes more than one LGBT character and more than one non-white race – including POV sections from characters of those non-white races. It’s heartening to see someone so prominent in the fantasy world do something to address the yawning chasm where diversity should be. Characters are given space to breathe and grow and ponder the ethics of their decisions.

I will admit that I was afraid that in his shift from lighthearted urban fantasy to high fantasy, Hearne would swing too far toward a stiffer storytelling and lose some of his signature humor that charms us all in the Iron Druid series. I am glad to be wrong. Hearne’s humor is deftly applied and just as satisfyingly clever. Many of Hearne’s fans adore the dog Oberon in the Iron Druid series, but I find the dog to be pretty obnoxious and the opposite of charming. (The dog’s obsession with females is kind of gross and sexist.) I’m pleased to find no parallel character in Plague of Giants. Instead, Hearne takes the best of Iron Druid’s wit and humor and injects it into The Seven Kennings. I found myself laughing out loud and rolling my eyes at the best (worst) puns.

Plague of Giants is a masterfully written pivot for Hearne and I’m simply dying for the next installment of the series, A Blight of Blackwings. Do yourself a favor and run right out and buy this for yourself.

I received an ARC from the publisher to review.

I loved it. Took a bit more to grab me than I expected but there are many threads in this first book to pick up. With each switch to a different character, I'd get a bit angry at the switch, wanting more of what I'd been reading, only to get just as invested in the next character. This first book was setting up the rest and I again found myself marveling over how someone can come up with such awesome concepts and make me immediately believe in them. I look forward to the next in this series even as I both look forward to and dread the final Iron Druid book coming next month.

A couple of disclosures here: First, I didn't buy the book from the store, a family member did and lent it to me. Second, I didn't finish it.

Yes, I called this book fragmented. For those readers who weren't raised on authors like George Elliot, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens, this book will be a nightmare of endless waiting. For those readers who cut their teeth on those old tomes, expect to will wade through the obligatory first chapter, hoping for something interesting, read through the first fifty pages, then fizzle out somewhere before the end of the first third.

Hearne started his fiction career with some great action and adventure, then gradually toward the end of the Iron Druid series started slipping in some ideas I will describe here as 'fringe', even for a fantasy story. For readers who notice such things this book is odder and with more unsettling moral, relationship and ethical ideas. I suppose that the rare reader who likes to deconstruct new age fiction might find the construction errors intriguing. For readers who don't notice things like this, just ignore this paragraph and consider the book to be a boring failure.

Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
To all Iron Druid fans, this is nothing like the Atticus novels (which are spectacular)! Plague of Giants still has the feel of Hearne's writing, filled with passion and humor but the story is unlike anything I've read before.
Hearne has created a wonderful world of magic and giants, and abilities that we all dream of as children (and still secretly do as adults). The whole book is a mental treat, akin to summer evenings sitting around the campfire, listening to the best storyteller in town tell the stories that everyone has been eagerly anticipating.
I highly recommend this book, and I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series!

This was an interesting first book in the series of the Seven Kennings. The kennings are special magical powers/abilities that certain people are able to try to get by putting their lives in extreme danger. Most of the stories are told through a historian relating a bard's tale of what has happened in the world and the people the bard has met or whose journals he has read when an invasion happens from across the sea. Overall, I give it 3/5 stars and will continue to read the series to see how it plays out.

First, I must disclose that I read this as an ARC, and the ARC HAD NO MAP. Oh my goodness. On one hand, I can understand why it wasn’t included, time constraints or printing costs perhaps, but then I can’t. because this book is seriously hard to follow without a map.

However, the book didn’t lose stars for that. I can only imagine that the map makes things a great deal clearer as they talk about different countries and cities and how people travel from one to the other.

The book is told as a series of short vignettes, certain events (…or part of events) in the different character’s lives. Told by a magical storyteller who has a perfect memory and can mimic the appearance and voice of the person. This was a fun way to do things… but I think the author went too far. I understand the need to tell the tale chronologically, from every angle… but then… with so little time devoted to SO MANY people, the book hardly gets anywhere. Even though it’s quite long. That was frustrating.
Frustrating enough to lose it 2 stars, never mind the map.

The plot is great. The kennings are fun. The points of view were done very well. The different people are cool. (Although I got the feeling the author really liked the animal kid, and I found him super annoying.)

When more of the series is released, you might give it a shot if you like the sound of the plot… but reading it as a single book, an introduction to the series… was almost painful. I would not go back to read the next book.

I read this as an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Starting with a shameless plug: At this writing, Goodreads just opened up voting on its Goodreads Choice best books of the year award. Their exclusion of A Plague of Giants as a candidate for best fantasy is an egregious oversight on their part. This book definitely belongs in the running. Thank the Goddess Kaelin that they allow write-in votes.

Kevin Hearne, best known for his Iron Druid series featuring Atticus O’Sullivan, has decided to take a hiatus from urban fantasy and tackle the world of high fantasy and it promises to be epic. Readers may think that moving from a series that required knowledge of Earth gods and mythological characters and a familiarity with Phoenix’s best Irish watering holes to a trilogy requiring full-fledged world building with a multitude of characters from different backgrounds and cultures may be too much for some writers. Hearne makes it look easy.

In the first book of a proposed trilogy, Hearne has chosen a unique and imaginative way to tell the story of a continent invaded by a heretofore unknown race of giants. He employs a bard, Fintan, to tell the tale of the seven kennings. But this bard doesn’t speak with only one voice. As part of his kenning (a blessing with special abilities bestowed on a small number of people) he is able to assume the voice, the appearance, and even the size of a wide variety of characters and tell their stories in their own words. His stories are told from the viewpoints of giants, humans, scholars, spies, mothers, parents, children, warriors, tradesmen, politicians and heroes and more. Each character is lovingly crafted and imbued with a life of their own, including aspirations, fears, insecurities and guilts. When they fall, and some will, you will grieve for them, even for some that you considered enemies.

Be advised: This is by no means a book for younger readers. It includes language and sexually explicit conversation that some discerning parents may consider rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. My opinion is that not everyone is always polite and well-spoken and to expect readers to believe a world exists where giants and villains don’t curse is, at the very least, inauthentic.

Additionally, readers who are offended by the presence of sympathetic LGBT characters may wish to avoid this book. One such character is Abhinava “Abhi” Khose, who promises to play a significant role in the trilogy. We first meet this young man while struggling with how to tell his parents that the life of a hunter is not for him. Trust me, you will want to follow his story. It’s doozie.

*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.

When I saw Plague of Giants pop up on NetGalley I was so excited! I’m a fan of Hearne’s Iron Druid series so I couldn’t wait to see what he thought up next!

I was definitely not disappointed! Plague of Giants is a brand new series – Seven Kennings – set in a brand new universe. Instead of an urban fantasy like Iron Druid, Plague of Giants is more of a traditional high fantasy. Epic adventure, bards, pre-technology society, magic (called kenning), kings, and espionage are all present.

Plague of Giants is a story within a story – a central bard ties different characters’ threads together as he shares the many stories of how the war we’re thrust into at the beginning of the novel came to be.

There are seven societies at the center of our story and each society is built around their own specific form of kenning, and each of those broad kennings has specialist sub-forms of kenning or magic. One has kenning related to water, another to fire, a third to wood and plants, a fourth to earth and a fifth to air. (I do have those out of official order. Fire is referred to as “the first kenning” so there is an order of discovery.) You may recall that the series is called the Seven Kennings. You’ll have to read Plague of Giants for more information about Kenning # 6 and #7.

The kennings and societies built around them feel much like the elemental societies of the Avatar: The Last Airbender or Legend of Korra animated shows on Nickelodeon. If you’re familiar with The Last Airbender, then the quote “Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked” will feel very appropriately applied to Plague of Giants.

Hearne weaves a rich tapestry of complex characters that drive the story forward. He jumps from character to character, fleshing each out with different POV sections. It’s in these different sections that we meet a variety of diverse characters. Hearne has obviously taken some of the general criticism of High Fantasy as a genre – that it’s painfully white and heterosexual – to heart. His cast of characters includes more than one LGBT character and more than one non-white race – including POV sections from characters of those non-white races. It’s heartening to see someone so prominent in the fantasy world do something to address the yawning chasm where diversity should be. Characters are given space to breathe and grow and ponder the ethics of their decisions.

I will admit that I was afraid that in his shift from lighthearted urban fantasy to high fantasy, Hearne would swing too far toward a stiffer storytelling and lose some of his signature humor that charms us all in the Iron Druid series. I am glad to be wrong. Hearne’s humor is deftly applied and just as satisfyingly clever. Many of Hearne’s fans adore the dog Oberon in the Iron Druid series, but I find the dog to be pretty obnoxious and the opposite of charming. (The dog’s obsession with females is kind of gross and sexist.) I’m pleased to find no parallel character in Plague of Giants. Instead, Hearne takes the best of Iron Druid’s wit and humor and injects it into The Seven Kennings. I found myself laughing out loud and rolling my eyes at the best (worst) puns.

Plague of Giants is a masterfully written pivot for Hearne and I’m simply dying for the next installment of the series, A Blight of Blackwings. Do yourself a favor and run right out and buy this for yourself.

I received an ARC from the publisher to review.

I loved it. Took a bit more to grab me than I expected but there are many threads in this first book to pick up. With each switch to a different character, I'd get a bit angry at the switch, wanting more of what I'd been reading, only to get just as invested in the next character. This first book was setting up the rest and I again found myself marveling over how someone can come up with such awesome concepts and make me immediately believe in them. I look forward to the next in this series even as I both look forward to and dread the final Iron Druid book coming next month.

A couple of disclosures here: First, I didn't buy the book from the store, a family member did and lent it to me. Second, I didn't finish it.

Yes, I called this book fragmented. For those readers who weren't raised on authors like George Elliot, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens, this book will be a nightmare of endless waiting. For those readers who cut their teeth on those old tomes, expect to will wade through the obligatory first chapter, hoping for something interesting, read through the first fifty pages, then fizzle out somewhere before the end of the first third.

Hearne started his fiction career with some great action and adventure, then gradually toward the end of the Iron Druid series started slipping in some ideas I will describe here as 'fringe', even for a fantasy story. For readers who notice such things this book is odder and with more unsettling moral, relationship and ethical ideas. I suppose that the rare reader who likes to deconstruct new age fiction might find the construction errors intriguing. For readers who don't notice things like this, just ignore this paragraph and consider the book to be a boring failure.

I'm such a huge fan of the Iron Druid, but this book was just OK. There are inherent flaws with the storytelling method he chose (narrator and tons of POV characters), namely lack of attachment to the POV characters, lack of tension, and a climax that was too distant. The good - I LOVED the character of Abhi. The worldbuilding was fantastic.

Such a captivatingly creative presentation! I've read so very many books, this one was unexpectedly refreshing, presented in an unusual style that was so spectacularly well executed it was as delicious as melted chocolate. Well done Mr. Hearne, a fabulous story brilliantly executed, I eagerly await the next installments, and thank you for not leaving any soul- tormenting cliffhangers.

There are a lot of things I don't like about this book, but I think my biggest problem is how it is written. When I got to the end - The Acknowledgements - I learned from the author that writing this way was something he had in his head for a long time. "The idea of nightly, serial storytelling...." The problem is, it doesn't have a proper flow written in this way. Everything does start to come together, but sadly, thanks to the authors writing style I wasn't invested in any of the characters, therefore I really didn't care what happened to any of them. That right there makes a very bad book. I was listening to The Crown Tower during this same time & loved the book. I thought about it all of the time & was curious as to what would happen next. In that book, I was fully invested in the characters. I finished that book & am wholeheartedly looking forward to listening to the next book in the series. This book on the other hand, I have zero interest in continuing with the series.

While this novel is about giants invading various lands, it is also about unique skills or what the author calls kennings that some people are 'blessed' with. Elemental things, such as water, fire, air, & earth. A wonderful thing to earn if you feel that when you use your kenning it takes away your life. The more you demand of it, the faster you age. Therefore you are never likely to live a full life. If you are not chosen, you die even sooner. You die seeking your kenning. Naturally the majority of folks who seek their kenning have nothing to loose, nothing to live for. If they are chosen, woo hoo! If not, woo hoo death! In these situations it is hard to be happy for someone seeking a kenning. They are tools to be used up & tossed away by their various lands form of rule/government. Someone is always seeking a kenning, so they are replaced easily enough. Sure, they get more respect then the regular folks, but what a price they pay in the end.

There are other things about the characters that didn't really sit well with me. Behaving in certain ways in different situations. It just didn't feel right. I couldn't connect with the way these various people behaved. It didn't seem normal. At times the language didn't flow right either. Sometimes the author got it right & the story flowed along, but then there would be that inevitable bump in the road jarring me out of the story & making me wish I could just finish the darn thing & move on to something hopefully better.

One main situation in the book is resolved at the very end, so no sudden abrupt stop to the story that many authors/publishers have the nerve to call 'cliffhangers'. For me, as mentioned, I don't plan to read the next book in the series. I don't care what happens next.

Kevin Hearne brings this world to life in an oft-unused method of storytelling. The story is enthralling and makes it hard to put the book down. The reader gets to discover the events of a war as it unfolds in multiple parts, as told by a mutitude of points of view. Each narrative is a thread that gets woven into this story until the whole picture is revealed. Layers upon layers of trials, adventures, and emotions make the characters in A Plague of Giants come to vibrant life as you devour this book.

In this exciting new series Keven Hearne has created a fantastic world where anything can happen and usually does. Travel with a talented Bard with a fun sense of the absurd and a quiet historian who is to spy to determine if the Bard is a spy. And while this tale may echo some of the headlines in todays news we can guarantee you will enjoy this story more. This is epic fantasy at its finest.

I absolutely could not put this book down. I've been a fan of Kevin Hearne's writing for a few years, immensely enjoying the Iron Druid Chronicles, and I was nervously excited about A Plague of Giants. I've read books by many other authors who fall flat when they branch out into a second series beyond the one that made them well-known, and I was extremely glad that that didn't happen here.

A Plague of Giants transports the reader into a unique world with compelling magic systems that provide checks and balances on each other in a natural way. The character building and development is compelling, and feels complete enough to make this book feel like a complete story in its own right, despite leaving enough room for growth for the characters to expand in many books down the line. I can't wait for the next book to learn more about this universe!

Kevin Hearne has fallen into the same traps that several other urban fantasy authors have. Much like jim butchner's craptastic steampunk book and larry correia's boring black sword. The world building is lacking i think its becouse in his other series all he had to do was explain what was different between his world and the real world and now he was trying to create a new one from scratch.

The Six Kingdoms have existed in tentative harmony for generations, each country kept safe by a “kenning” or magical ability, each one specific to a certain kingdom. The peace is shattered when an invading fleet of pale, nine foot tall warriors, called Bone Giants, run rampant over the coastal cities, slaughtering everyone they come across. The kingdoms, reeling from the attack, must race against time to ensure their survival. But surely the world will never be the same again.

I really enjoyed his book, but I have to say that it probably would have been a dud if written by a different author. This book is, in essence, a 600 page flashback. A novel-length world building tome. Yet it works. It’s crazy, but it works.

When the story opens, the invasion is months in the past. The book follows Dervan, a scholar set the task of writing down the tale of Fintan, a bard. It is the bard’s duty to tell the story of the invasion and the subsequent retaliation by the Six Kingdoms. Every night, Fintan stands on the wall of the refugee city and tells another part of the tale. His bardic gifts let us hear the story from devious politicians, poor hunters, forest dwellers, scholars, and soldiers. Intermixed in all this are the gifted, the lucky (cursed?) few able to control one of the kennings.

The book is huge, the story is epic in scope, and the world beautiful and terrible in all its detail. Hearne has created something incredibly ambitious, and he does it well. As I said, the format of telling the story in a series of flashbacks is odd, and it took me a bit to get into it, but I was hooked soon enough (though I have to say I do hope we get some more direct action in the next book). The plot would tend towards Game of Thrones-level darkness at times if it weren’t for Hearne’s sardonic sense of humor shining through. The brief moments of levity are enough to offset the horror of invasion, betrayal, and mass slaughter.

Any one looking for a new epic fantasy series to dive into (I’m looking to you, Game of Thrones folks!) should invest some time into this book. Fans of Hearne’s Iron Druid series will also likely enjoy this book, though it is certainly a different creature from that fantastic urban fantasy series.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Plague of Giants is the first book I have read by Kevin Hearne and I fell in love with the story and the author. It is high fantasy, and the first book of a proposed trilogy. The author used a unique way to tell the story, one you will either hate or love, and it worked so well.

The story is about two invading forces of Giants, one in the north and one in the south. They invade the land of Teldwen, made up of six nations. This invasion has become known as the Giants’ War. The story is told by Fintan, a Raelech bard, who has been gifted with magical powers (called a keening) that allows him to project his voice across vast distances and gives him an eidetic memory to be able to recall all the details of an event so that he can accurately relate the event.
In addition to his keening, Fintan uses a seeming stone that allows him to take on the persona of anyone he wishes. He uses this technique to hold his audience spell bound as the story of the Giants’ War unfolds from the view point of the various individuals he has meet during his travels.

Each new persona has a different story to tell that makes up the whole of the Giants’ War. Fintan tells the story over numerous days to the people who have lived through the war and are now assembled on Survivor’s Field. Some of the personas the bard assumes are not always cast in the best possible light. This has created problems for himself and the scribe, Master Dervan, which accompanies him in order to record and preserve the story.

There is a lot going on in this book since it has many points of view (11 in all… I think) and you must read carefully to fully understand what is going on. At first, it was a lot to absorb, but as I got deeper into the story all the pieces started to fit together and I could not read fast enough. I loved the complexity of the story though I acknowledge that it will not appeal to everyone. The world building is outstanding and this is a must for me. The prose was also really good and despite the length (over 600 pages) it read like a much shorter book because I become so immersed in the world that it felt like the pages turned effortlessly.

In short, this is my kind of book. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series. I hope it is not a long wait. I recommend this to all loves of epic fantasy. The story is sure to entertain you.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Disclosure: Kevin Hearne has bought me tacos before.

Epic fantasy isn't my go-to genre, but I'm always happy to try new stuff. I'm glad I got the audiobook of A PLAGUE OF GIANTS, because the narrators brought the story to brilliant life. Also: this book is funny. Why isn't there more funny in epic fantasy?

This is one of the times I wish that I could give a 4+. Great world building. I love maps and this one is beyond a 5. With Kevin doing it himself. While it took me awhile to get into the rhythm of the storytelling, I adjusted and enjoyed it. The characters are vivid and three-dimensional. A shout out for making the women equals. Loved the drawings of each character. I will definitely be getting the next two books and can only hope that they come out quickly.

This really is a great book. The jumping POVs can be off putting until you get into the swing of the story. I almost wish there was an introduction to this world and its cultures at the beginning of the book before you’re tossed in and expected to swim. But the things Hearne has to say about love, war, PTSD, and survivial are things I will hold close to my heart until the end of my days.

Enjoyable overall. A vividly described world in most cases, and an interesting magic system (the "kennings"), but the narrative is divided over a number of points of view, which makes it hard to follow if you are reading casually. If you have a few uninterrupted nights to crank though it, it would probably be wise.

Definitely one of my favorite series now! Such an interesting and creative novel. I never lost interest for a second, and have not read anything like this series. So refreshing! This is definitely up to par with Lord of the Rings and Eragon for me. Buy or borrow, no doubt about it.

An intriguing world has been created. Fintan, who’s life work is to tell stories, speaks to the people of Pelemyn. For 19 days, he appears to tell them the story of the great war that is upon them. Fintan has perfect memory and the ability to look, act, and speak like each of the characters story he is telling. Every day we hear from a handful of characters and their stories. The land was equally divided and there had been peace until two seemingly unconnected events occurred, a volcano erupted which forced the resettlement of one group and a mysterious new race of tall giants appear on the shores whose sole purpose seems to be destruction.

Kennings are the magic bestowed on a person if they wish to be tested. Fail the test and you will die. Pass and your life changes. There are five known kennings that shape the various cultures. A sixth kenning type is discovered in this book and a mysterious seventh type is rumored to exist. The known magics are: wind, water, plants, fire, stone. The author did a brilliant job at creating the characters and world, especially the magic cultures of the plants and water and the new sixth one. For example, the dialogue from a Tidal Mariner, one blessed with water magic, “drown me”, “currents keep you safe”.

There’s political intrigue, family life, loss, love, war, and everyday life. It ranks close to classics like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.
It’s similar to the Game of Thrones, in that there is a threat that can wipe out everyone. The society doesn’t have technology and only a few have some magic. It’s less complex than the Game of Thrones and there is more focus on everyday people. I rate this a 4.5. I enjoyed the world building and characters. Parts of the ending and where it was left didn’t engage me as much as the rest of the book.

Detailed and complex world-building with a unique storytelling style. That took some getting used to, and the sheer volume of characters was overwhelming at first, but I was drawn in more and more as I got deeper into the book. A lot of plot lines left open for the sequel, which wouldn't bother me so much if it was available now!

An amazing adventure with a host characters and a rich world, as deep as an epic should be. Easily ranks up there with classic and modern epics, but delivered as if hearing the Bard himself tell the tale. I can't wait for the next book!

Honestly, this book is fantastically written, but the million viewpoints gave me a reader whiplash. Maybe because I shouldn't have gotten the audio book (every time I'd tune back in I would have no idea who it talking), but I couldn't make it all the way through. Might have to try it again in paperback.

Very different from Hearne's other series. I had a hard time getting with the story. There is complex world building and back story. Interesting characters throughout the story but even with all of that it just did not catch me. That was a surprise as I loved other books by Hearne.

I enjoyed the structure & conceit, it made 'bard' something less stupid & had an air of Homeric storytelling. However, I found myself less interested in the action and story arc. At times, many times, the prose felt labored and needlessly meandering.

This was in a different format from his other books, but just as gripping and fun.
Very interesting concept on how he tells everyone's stories.
It was very hard to put down.
The only problem is that it is going to be a while for the next book! I almost didn't get it so that I could read them all at once, but didn't want to wait THAT long! I'll just have to re-read it (again) when the next one(s) come out.

A new world with 7 countries, cultures, languages, and themes.The story slowly builds and increases speed. The characters, flora and fauna are quite imaginative and the themes are enjoyable. eLibrary book

This was a great start to this new series by Kevin Hearne of Iron Druid fame. He did really well with the character development especially now that he is having to juggle a dozen characters instead of just a couple. I started getting emotionally attached to the characters even this early on. Yes I know... this is a mistake.

With the map of Teldwen next to me to keep track of the storylines, it did whet my appetite for more in the series.

I read this because I love the Iron Druid books by this author, but I struggled with this read. Perhaps it was due to the number of characters, or the unconventional framing devices, but I found myself unable to care much about any of them. I finished the book because I always finish them, but I struggled with it. I might check out the next one from the library, as I need to see if it gets better before I buy.

I'll admit I was looking for another Iron Druid, took 2 listings to like it & 3 to fall in LOVE. Now I need the next book may need to send Mr Hearne a spectacular gift basket of cheese & sausages to keep his wonderful mind going. In total if you don't like it the first time try again!

I do not like to write reviews and rarely do so for books because tastes differ so. I was driven to do so because of the unique voice of this story and the even better art of the storyteller. Fantasy readers visit this world - you will not be disappointed!

Following multiple characters was not easy and the beginning was difficult to get into (due to my brain having to adapt to the multiple characters telling the story). After I got used to the style of the story, I loved it.
The ending definitely made me long for the 2nd book.

If you know him from the Iron Druid Chronicles this is a must read, if this is your first time being introduced to Kevin Hearne I say go for it and then go read all the Iron Druid books. He is an amazing world builder and this is a testament to his work. I am already eagerly awaiting his next installment of this series !

I liked this book enough to give it a four star rating, but not enough to continue on with the series when the second book is released. One of the problems I have had with the Iron Druid series was that there were so many different points of view in each novel that it was sometimes hard to keep track of where I was supposed to be and with whom. This first book in the Seven Kennings series has that same issue in spades. There is Dervan the narrator who interacts with the bard and holds the story together. Then there is the bard, Fintan, who tells the story of the war which has just been waged to the survivors gathered in one city and uses a creative invention by the author which allows him to take on the physical appearance of the person who's story is being related. Each day Fintan and Dervan gather in the town square and the bard sings before he assumes the physical manifestation of the person telling their portion of the story. Some days there are more seemings (where the bard takes on the appearance of another) than others, but the action has always already taken place. There are nine more characters who have their part of the story told. Each chapter is divided into days, there are 19 days in all, and within each day there is a label with the character's name in it to tell you who is speaking. With a little over 600 pages in the book and with so many stories being told, you can bet I got my characters mixed up at times.

The world Hearne has developed here is complicated. There are many different nations and each has its own speech, religion, and main source of earning a livelihood. Within each nation there are people who have a 'kenning', a gift which sets them apart from others; they must specifically seek this kenning and few are chosen. Those who don't survive the attempt die. There are five kennings already known and the sixth kenning is discovered in this first book. The remaining books in the series will be the search for the seventh kenning. It is very obvious that Kevin Hearne has been in the process of planning and writing this saga for a long time because he has developed so many differences in the appearance of the people and almost all the plants and animals are new inventions. My main qualm with the story is that it is so large with so many circumstances and battles and discoveries and the author had to continue throughout the book to grow the abilities of each kenning and even added a character toward the end of the novel.

I gave this book four stars because I found it interesting. Notice I say that it was just *interesting* for me. I don't have any desire to know what the seventh kenning is. Because of the makeup of what cost a kenning can have for a person when they utilize it to its maximum potential some favorite characters were lost along the way. The next book following will be called A Blight of Blackwings and the descriptions of those birds in this book was enough to turn me off that book right there. However, I'm sure new characters are waiting in the wings to join this story and the search for the Seven-Year Ship and the seventh kenning will go on.

Let me preface this review by noting that I have been a Kevin Hearne fan since I read the first installment of the Iron Druid series. Set in a recognizably contemporary world, this series is consistently humorous with enough action and drama to keep things moving. After having read several novels and short stories in that series, I thought that I had a good sense of Kevin Hearne's style. Reading A Plague of Giants disabused me of that notion.

A Plague of Giants marks a turn towards world building. Kevin Hearne sets this story in an archipelago of islands inhabited by humans, giants and other species. Giants prey on human settlements and humans must rely on elemental magic to defend themselves. Hearne has created a unique magic system for this world. Unfortunately for magic users, and those who seek to wield power, magic comes at a steep price. Half of those who seek to activate latent powers die in the first step of the process. Use your powers to their limits and you can add decades to your age in hours. As a result magic is "rationed" in this novel. You don't have people tossing fireballs or lightning bolts around willy nilly. Magic is often nuanced and expressed in many ways.

The writing style is far less comedic than in Iron Druid, sometimes bordering on the serious. That's not to say it's dry.

I had a tough time deciding between four and five stars. On the one hand I enjoyed the book. On the other hand I didn't consider it a page turner. It took me two weeks to finish reading it, which is not my normal way of reading fantasy novels. At the end I can recommend this novel for those who are interested in non-traditional magic systems, and who appreciate novel approaches to world creation.

Dervan chose the life of an academician; he wasn't a spy, but when the pelenaut, the ruler of his city and a personal friend of his, needed help, he called on Dervan. You see, a visiting bard from Rael had been dispatched to perform and tell the people of Pelemyn the story of the war against the Bone Giants - up to this point at least. However, the government of Pelemyn was certain that the bard, Fintan, was also spying on them. The people of Pelemyn needed their own spy, so when Dervan was assigned by the pelenaut to chronicle the stories that Fintan tells, he was simultaneously thrown into the world of spies and intrigue. Dervan and Fintan met daily to put on paper the previous day's tale.

Performing daily for the people, Fintan bounced from place to place, all around the six nations [Forn, Brynt, Pelemyn, Ghurana Nent, Rael, and Hathrir], bringing to life, literally and figuratively, first-hand accounts of the days leading up to and following the Bone Giant's arrival. Using a gas encased in a hallow black rock, Fintan can take on the form of those who he has met or had described to him in great detail. His perfect memory then allows him to tell their story in first person, seeming to bring the character to life before everyone's eyes. This perfect memory and his ability to magically broadcast his voice is Fintan's kenning or blessing. In each of the six countries, the god or goddess of that country gives special powers to some seekers; unfortunately, those who seek a blessing, but remain unblessed, die in the process. Seeking those blessings is considered seeking a kenning, which look different in every country. To begin with, Fintan told the tale of Gorin Mogen, blessed by the first kenning - fire; he told the tale of Nel, a blessed to be a greensleeve from the country of Forn, a place of green and trees; he recounted the story of Pelemyn very own Tallynd, who had almost single-handedly saved the city from the Bone Giant's invasion. He recounted these stories and many more. He told stories of those who sacrificed themselves for the protection of others, of those who wanted (and still want) to use the invasion to gain more power, and those who lost everything because of the attacks. Each day, he gave the people of Pelemyn snippets of stories from across the six countries, moving the story forward slowly. By the end of the book, much has happened, but at the same time, the story is just getting started.

I like the book. It is interesting and the author has created a very unique world. The story has an appropriate amount of twists and turns, yet rings true with the age-old themes of love, courage, and the willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. I would have liked to jump around a little less, but that is a stylistic choice on my part. I wouldn't recommend the book for younger readers, because there is a lot of death, violence and rage, some of the characters are crass which is portrayed clearly in the book, and the world which the author has created is liberal in its philosophy. I'm not sure how I feel yet about the hopelessness which pervades many seeking a kenning or how many people die doing so, but I am rooting for many of the characters to succeed and to find what they are seeking, so I'll most likely pick up the next installment when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions contained above are my own.

Wildly original. Epic fantasy. Multiple POV.

Normally novels have a central protagonist whose tale we follow throughout the book. In this book, that would have to be the historian Dervan. Who, to my mind, is completely overshadowed by the bard Fintan.

A bard's job is to spread news so that ordinary folk know what is happening across the realm. [Epic fantasy, remember, so no TV or newspapers or Internet.]

Fintan does not just relate the news. Instead, his magic allows him to temporarily appear AS the person whose experience he's telling. Very effective way to quickly shift points of view!

All that said, I have not yet decided whether I'll be reading the second book, since I'm not used to such a Canterbury Tales-style of narrative.

I will admit, though, that I liked the "kennings" [magical gifts found in various countries in this world] and, overall, enjoyed the approach to magic in this book.

Recommended for most public library fantasy collections.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started Kevin Hearne's newest epic fantasy (and it truly was epic), but I was, as always, pleasantly surprised! This was a really unique book, essentially a story told within a story than expanded throughout most of the world. There were many characters (my favourites being Nel and Abhi), and each one was layered, complex, and had their own clear voice even as they grew into their arcs, though each of them carried Hearne's signature charm. One of my favourite parts was the way the magic––the Kennings––worked and the price they exacted on their users. There is still a lot of unanswered questions, which I can't wait to learn the answers to in future books. And if that wasn't enough, there was plenty action, all of which lead to one glorious climax. Seriously, remind me never to mess with stubborn giants. I really enjoyed this, even when I got my heart broken near the end (there were a couple tears to be sure), and I can't wait to see what happens next.

First things first, there are no talking dogs in this book (what? I think Kevin Hearne, I think Oberon), but there is a giant talking cat (he only says one word). So talking creatures are checked off for this one ;)

In all seriousness, this is one of the best books I've read this year, second only to The Fifth Season trilogy. The world building and magic system was fantastic. The characters were great, whether or not they were likeable. And I really enjoyed the way it was told, bouncing from one POV to the next through a Bard. I listened to the audiobook and both narrators were perfect.

And now I'm off to buy a signed copy from Worldbuilders!