It’s probably been fifteen years since I last read any Stephen Donaldson. It started with LORD FOUL’S BANE then the two sequels in that trilogy (which ultimately became 10 books) and, honestly, they weren’t my favorite. The main character was more anti-hero than I’d encountered before, and any reader could see that Tolkien had an influence on Donaldson’s worldbuilding. But Donaldson has a following, so I thought I’d try again with his most recent offering, SEVENTH DECIMATE, which as far as I could tell would be different than the series that introduced me to the author.
Turns out, my first impressions of Donaldson were only reinforced.

Prince Bifalt’s homeland of Belleger has been at war with Amika for generations, but now that the Bellegerins have discovered the manufacture of rifles and their ammunition, they can finally stand a chance against Amika’s sorcerers in battle. And at first it looks like their attempts at curbing the Amikan advance would meet with success… until the Prince is knocked down in battle by obviously supernatural means with the phrase “Are you ready?” whispered into his mind. When he recovers he learns that all of Belleger’s sorcerers’ magic is gone and that the only way to get it back is by finding a book of sorcery in a library that no one knows how to find. So Bifalt and a group of warriors, a (former) sorcerer, and support staff head off on their quest to find said library and save Belleger.
I admit, I was thinking to myself, “Donaldson [smh], Donaldson. You’ve been writing for 40 years and this is what you come up with? Sending a prince on a quest to find a mythological library? Really?”
And that’s the story in a nutshell. The plot of SEVENTH DECIMATE is very straightforward, and unfortunately predictable because it’s stuff I’ve seen before. Even worse, is it’s a predictable story told soooooo sloowwwwlllly as they trek through Belleger and beyond, encountering resistance and trials along the way. Once I finished the novel and looked back, there were too many inconsistences that left me with questions. And if the next novel takes this long to reveal anything, I’m not sure I want to spend the time on it.
Part of what slows the story down is Bifalt’s continual internal monologue. Way more navel gazing than this plot-oriented reader could put up with (seriously, all Bifalt’s thoughts could have been halved and it still might have been too much). Which is weird because despite all this interior monologue some of the actions he took still weren’t believable. When it comes down to it, the story revolves around Bifalt and his evolution; but despite all the energy to tell his story, I never got a concrete understanding of the main character. Donaldson’s known for psychological complexity in his characters, so maybe I’m just not that kind of reader because I had a hard time with the repetitiveness and Bifalt’s blind mental rigidity to be able to find the conclusion believable.
The worldbuilding felt more original than the Thomas Covenant books (although the naming conventions continue to be awkward and hard to read). Bifalt is from a small, isolated country and he discovers how small and ignorant it really is, but we only get a taste of the wider world; and other than the Bellegerans themselves we learn almost nothing about Belleger. Learning about sorcerery was interesting, even though we don’t actually see any for 80% of the book, which made the magic side of worldbuilding painfully slow considering how integral its existence was to the plot as a whole.
The prose is rather stiff and formal and I never really got used to it. Donaldson is known for his use of arcane vocabulary, so I guess he’s being consistent, but I’m not sure it’s going to attract new readers–namely millennials, whom I guess would be the target audience considering the novel’s issues of intolerance and self-awareness. The prose unfortunately made the main characters feel distant and unreal. The secondary characters were more understandable to me because they were less complexly drawn than Bifalt; but especially early on I was getting them mixed up despite the repetitive character descriptions.
The end is disappointingly abrupt and falls flat. A straightforward plot and predictable events made it all feel contrived, like he had a point to make and by golly he was going to make it no matter what. I say this because it had something of a preachy tone, and I strongly suspect it has intentional correlation to modern countries and events. Perhaps your teenage or new adult son would enjoy this book because of the trials Bifalt goes through as he struggles to deal with his hatred of Amika. Alas, this book just wasn’t for the likes of me.

I'm afraid I didn't get to this in time, and I just found that my copy has expired. If you're able to send another EPUB, I'd be happy to review it. I was looking forward to this book.

The star rating below is only to be able to send this message.

I was so happy to see a new book on the shelf by this author. This story didn't catch my fancy as much as past books of his have, although it is well written. Wasn't able to really get going with it, but keeping it on the back shelf to peruse again at another time.

The Kingdoms of Amika and Belleger have been at war for centuries. The origin of the war, according to legend, is that the King of Amika was jealous that the King of Belleger was going to marry the most beautiful woman around so he attacked and killed her. The war has cost thousands of lives and left the people desolate and starving. When the Seventh Decimate renders all magicians powerless Prince Bifalt of Belleger decides to hunt for knowledge regarding the Seventh Decimate. This novel is his adventure into that search.

This novel was an average, generic fantasy novel with nothing compelling or interesting about it. The adventure to find the necessary knowledge isn’t very exciting. They face numerous hardships along the way and get into a few battles. The magic system was well written and detailed but once again there wasn’t anything unique about it. Magic is classified into six Decimates with the seventh rendering all other magic obsolete. I enjoyed how the magic can be used for both good and bad but since both Kingdoms are at war the magic is primarily used for destruction and death.

The characters are bland, especially Prince Bifalt. The reader never really got to understand him as there wasn’t much too him. He is driven by anger and hatred, he refuses to be swayed by his mission if even it is for the greater good. At the end he makes a different decision but the rationale behind it was lacking. I never really understood why he chose that option. I do remember he snarls at lot though.

Overall this is a generic fantasy novel with bland characters, a boring magic system and a standard plot. Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Books Publishing for the ARC.

3-3.5 stars. Enjoyable fantasy where two countries have been at war with each other for generations. Now Prince Bifalt's country has lost all use of magic, which will leave the other country with a huge, unbeatable advantage. Prince Bifalt sets off on a quest to discover how to restore magic to his country or to also block it in Belleger so at least his country will have a fighting chance. The prince means well but is annoyingly (to the reader) obtuse, but it is interesting to see him exposed for the first time to other people, other cultures, other ideas, and to learn that maybe he doesn't know the whole story.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book.

"Seventh Decimate" eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Stephen R. Donaldson (http://www.stephenrdonaldson.com). Mr. Donaldson has published nine novels. This is the first of his planned "The Great God's War" trilogy.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in a fantasy world where magic is possible. The primary character is young Prince Bifalt, youngest son of the Bellegerin King.

Magic has somehow been stripped from the sorcerers of the kingdom of Belleger. Most likely this has been done by their long time rivals from the kingdom of Amika. Bifalt is sent on a mission to find out how the Amikans have done this and if possible, to discover how Belleger can strip magic from Amika. The war between the kingdoms has been going on for decades, and this final blow to Belleger will soon bring about their downfall.

The journey is long and treacherous. Not only must Bifalt and his men survive harsh conditions, but they must also survive attack by forces from Amika. He soon discovers that the plight Belleger is suffering under results from far more powerful forces than merely their enemy Amika.

This 314 page fantasy was an interesting 8.5 hour read. While I liked the overall story, I found it a bit dull. The cover art is nice, but I believe that something relevant to the story would have been better. I give this novel a 3 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

I had not read the Thomas Covenant Chronicles by Stephen Donaldson, but knowing their popularity, I did request his newest title, SEVENTH DECIMATE, the first in a planned trilogy. In this tale, Prince Bifalt must locate the book of the seventh decimate and save his people, of the kingdom of Belleger, from the power of evil sorcerers from Amika. For generations, those enemies have been using the powers of fire, wind, plague/pestilence, lightning, earthquake, and drought in seemingly never-ending war against each other. The Prince and his soldiers set out on an adventure full of physical dangers, although their quest will also poses some moral dilemmas. Bifalt seems committed and admits to making mistakes - yet he does not seem like an inspiring, knowledgeable leader. Perhaps the next two books in the series will allow him to grow and develop?

I'm still not 100% on how I feel about this book. There were parts that I loved, but then I felt that it could have been shorter in other places. It's not an epic fantasy author for everyone one

This is a complex book full of wonder and terror. Beautifully written, and the imagination that went into this is top notch. I can't wait for the next book.

I consider myself fairly well-read when it comes to fantasy series, but there was always a hole where Stephen Donaldson was concerned. I was aware of him, but hadn't yet picked up one of his books. When I saw a new series announced, I figured now was as good a time as any. Donaldson's talent and pedigree at writing fantasy series is evident. The book is exciting and well-written. I was able to care for the main characters, and there were some surprising twists. Because the book is only 300-odd pages, this is a great recommendation for anyone looking to get into fantasy but not sure where to begin. At my library, fantasy is possibly the most requested genre for suggestions, and I will be giving out this one in the future. In fact, I've already passed it to a co-worker and put it on a suggested reading list.

Seventh Decimate is a well-constructed, thought-provoking storytelling of two civilizations that are dealing with decades of the effects of warring against each other.

The telling surrounds Prince Bifalt’s pursuit to find the ultimate knowledge that will end the war. It is a tale of his personal discovery and preconceived prejudices toward his enemy. You, as the reader, get to see his travels first hand through his eyes and perspective. Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a bigger, unmovable, blockhead when it comes to seeing what is right in front of him, making Prince Bifalt, not very likable.

Intriguing, compelling ethical truths about war, enemies, and inherited preconceptions are all wrapped up in a visually scripted tale. With a fast-paced well-constructed plot, I should have loved the story but I could not get past wanting to knock the main character, Prince Bifalt, over the head with a 2x4 and sadly this feeling hit often. Watching all that conspired around Prince Bifalt, I could not fathom that any individual would be that blind to personal growth, the ability to see beyond what one was told to true the reality that is presented. Because of that stagnate personality, Seventh Decimate was just an okay read for me.

I received this ARC copy of Seventh Decimate from Berkley Publishing Group. This is my honest and voluntary review. Seventh Decimate is set for publication November 14, 2017.

My Rating: 3 stars
Written by: Stephen R. Donaldson
Series: The Great God's War (Book 1)
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: November 14, 2017
ISBN-10: 039958613X
ISBN-13: 978-0399586132
Genre: Dark Fantasy

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Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

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Belleger and Amika have been at war for centuries, with their sorcerers hurling destruction and pestilence at each other and tearing the nations apart. Then Belleger’s sorcerers are stripped of their magic, and Belleger is on the verge of falling. But Prince Bifalt refuses to let that happen.
He sets out in search of the library that is the repository of the sorcerers’ knowledge, to find a decimate greater than the one used against his land, but what he really wants is to destroy all sorcerers. Through battles, desert, and near-starvation, Prince Bifalt searches for the repository, unaware that there are greater things in motion than he can even imagine.
I’ve read the Thomas Covenant books several times, and enjoyed them, but Covenant is not a likeable character. And neither is Prince Bifalt. Frequently, I felt the urge to shake him, for his blindness and refusal to consider anything but his own beliefs. Donaldson creates a vivid world, but I had a really hard time connecting with the Prince, and that made the book drag a bit for me.
Stephen R. Donaldson was born in Ohio, but grew up in India. His is the author of the Thomas Covenant books. His newest novel, Seventh Decimate, is the first in The Great God’s War trilogy.
(Galley provided by Berkely via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Belleger and Amika have been at war for generations. It began because two brothers loved the same woman, but now people have forgotten what they're fighting over. Every so many years, once the wounds from the previous battle have healed, Amika attacks Belleger and Belleger defends itself.

Though these are primitive nations, both possess magic in the form of six "decimates," Fire, Wind, Pestilence, Earthquake, Drought and Lightning. The Magisters who wield this power can only do so for so long before exhausting themselves in battle. During peace, the sorcery is used for more mundane purposes: starting fires or healing, for example. The people of Belleger figured out how to temper steel with a magical fire and have put their skill to use making rifle barrels, which gives them a limited advantage over their adversaries, who have only swords and arrows. Belleger is the smaller nation, so rifles only level the playing field. The war continues.

Until, overnight, magic disappears from Belleger. This leaves them vulnerable in the next attack, and also prevents them from producing more firearms. They are so dependent upon sorcery, that they have forgotten how to do many routine things, so the nation is in crisis. They don't know how to survive without it.

There are legends of a seventh decimate that can neutralize sorcery, and the Bellegerians believe Amika has acquired this knowledge and used it against them. The only response is for Belleger to return the favor. This possibly apocryphal power resides in a rumored book in a legendary library called the Last Repository.

The library may lie to the east, past a formidable desert, but the long-running war has limited Belleger's vision of the world. The only other nation they know is their enemy. It doesn't even occur to them that there might be others beyond their limited horizons. So when Prince Bifalt sets out with a small retinue in search of the seventh decimate, few expect them to succeed or, indeed, survive. He has no map to his destination nor any assurance that it exists.

Donaldson set out to write a novella, but it instead turned into the opening volume in a trilogy known collectively as The Great God's War. This makes sense; the book seems to start out as one thing and become something very different over its course. The trilogy title is interesting in that the people of Belleger have no gods; in fact, do not understand the concept of a god. After many hardships, Bifalt encounters other tribes and nationalities and comes to learn how limited his vision of the world is.

As with other Donaldson's protagonists (Thomas Covenant, most notably), Bifalt is obdurate, arrogant and stubborn—not a pleasant man on which to hang a reader's affections. He aggressively despises magic in all its forms, even when used for good. He believes it unfair that a man can inflict harm on others from a distance without any personal risk. He clings to his beliefs and tenets, even when it would be to his advantage (or to the advantage of his people) to do otherwise. He is a man who knows little about the world but he is oddly uncurious when presented with the opportunity to learn from those who know more, and he is staunch in his hatred of his long-time enemies. Still, it appears that higher powers are looking out for him, as evidenced by the number of times he should have died and confronts an unnamed entity asking if he is ready yet.

That the Bellegerians (and, presumably the Amikans) should know so little about their world after centuries is hard to accept. They simply believe any passages that lead away from their enemies to be impassable without testing that theory. The story feels like a thinly veiled allegory, with suggestive names. Are the Bellegerians belligerent? The Amikans amicable? Does Prince Bifalt have two character flaws? And yet these seemingly meaningful names don't join together to make a recognizable picture—at least, not yet.

Much has been written over the years about Donaldson's style. He embraces difficult language, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, one stylistic tic that he uses in most of his work is the breaking of dialog into multiple paragraphs. The only textual clue to this is the lack of a closing quotation mark at the end of the paragraph. The next paragraph continues the dialog, but without attribution, so the reader's initial assumption may be that another character is speaking. Some writers use this occasionally but Donaldson does it repeatedly, and it requires a kind of technical attention to the reading process that can be disruptive to the experience.

The next volume is tentatively titled Knowledge and Evil, representing the series' concept that Knowledge is the ultimate force for good. The Last Repository is a fortress built to contain and defend the accumulated learning of one faction of society against incursions from without by people who believe that knowledge is a corrupting influence. That certainly sounds like a modern day allegory.

It has been years since I have read any of Donaldson’s books. I remember Thomas Covenant fondly for his enormous self doubt. That theme seems to be in this book as well. Prince Bifalt shares a similar lack of self esteem or perhaps more accurately a doubt as to his abilities. He sees himself as a soldier, doesn’t regard himself as terribly bright and cognizant of his diplomatic shortcomings. His kingdom, Belleger, is locked in a generational dispute to the death with Amika. Both kingdoms are suffering and apparently suicidal. The Prince is tasked by his father the king to find a solution to the perceived one sided stalemate.

The Decimates are magical tenets or perhaps spells, I was not entirely sure which. The evoking of the Decimates are the primary cause of the catastrophic loss of life when the two kingdoms battle. The Prince’s goal is to find the Seventh Decimate which supersedes the previous six by nullifying them.

I did not find the Prince as likeable as Thomas Covenant, not that he was eminently likeable either. The book seemed more simplistic than I recall Donaldson. There were not a ton of nuances or thought provoking scenarios. My most frequent reaction to some of the Prince’s behavior was “what the heck is wrong with you.” That feeling was tempered by the acceptance that generations of death and destruction would raise cynicism to a new high. I felt this was more YA than A as far as the plot and flow were concerned.

I recommend it but I don’t think it is of the same caliber as the Covenant series.

Web: http://www.stephenrdonaldson.com/

I have a sort of love/hate relationship with Mr. Donaldson. I read the first Thomas Covenant books, and they grew on me; I still have to investigate the follow-up, but given my current TBR pile is such I’ll be reading twenty years after I’m dead, that may take a while. Then he did an SF series, that totally turned me off for reasons I won’t go into.

However, I decided I’d renew our “acquaintance” when I had the chance to obtain an advance copy of the first book in his new series from the publisher, and I fear I’m going to be adding more to that TBR pile, willy-nilly.
To compress the story into a nugget that doesn’t begin to do it justice, The Seventh Decimate is essentially a quest novel. Anyone familiar with Mr. Donaldson’s work will hear the unspoken “with multiple nuances.” Prince Bifalt is a man reared to be a warrior, the eldest son of the ruler of Belleger, which has been at war with its neighbor Amika so long no one really remembers what started it. There are stories, of course, and Bifalt has his preference as to which is most likely true, but that’s not the same as really knowing why your country is being destroyed.

The most devastating weapon in this endless war has been magic. Theurgists able to control lightning and earth and pestilence from afar cut down soldiers in horrific ways, and Bifalt hates them even while he uses them.

“Prince Bifalt believed all sorcery was dishonorable; worse than unfair or dishonest. A Magister could conceal himself in perfect safety while he killed…The plight of his people made nagging questions of honor meaningless."

However, Belleger develops another powerful weapon: rifles. If they can be used to kill Amika’s mages, they may be what’s needed to finally end the slaughter. So, accompanied by the best shots in the Bellegeran army, Bifalt battles his way to within range of where the Amikan Magisters hide…and is killed by lightning.
Except he doesn’t die, and as he falls into darkness a voice in his head demands "Are you ready?"

Two years later, Belleger is in deep trouble. Manufacturing the rifles requires magic, and suddenly, for no discernible reason, all of its Magisters have lost theirs. Convinced the deed was done by the Amikans, Bifalt swallows his hatred of magic and undertakes a journey into the wilderness in search of a book that will allegedly allow the Bellegerans to do the same.

Bifalt is a soldier. It’s all he’s ever known how to be and do. Defending his father’s kingdom and his people is his life’s work. And, like many people with specialized training, he is hard-pressed to deal with anything that can’t be addressed by force of arms. His view of what’s acceptable is narrow and full of suspicion; he is full of outrage that his people are dying and teeters on the brink of murder every moment. And, of course, he hates magic to the depths of his soul.

So, then, not perhaps the ideal candidate to send on a quest for a book of magic, but doing his duty is a natural to Bifalt as breathing. And as he confronts not just new terrain but an entire world he really had no idea existed, given Belleger’s total isolation by geography and constant warfare, his concept of reality is, step by step, severely challenged.

It isn’t often I enjoy a book so much I can hardly wait for the sequel. The Seventh Decimate is one such book, and I am praying Mr. Donaldson won’t take as long to provide that sequel as George R. R. Martin does. I’m no longer young, and I really, really want to know how this tale ends. As with the Covenant books, his protagonist isn’t all that likeable, and there are times when the reader has the desire to knock him upside the head for being altogether too dense for his own good.

That, of course, it what makes this novel work. Even if one doesn’t like Bifalt, one has to admire him for what he is—devoted, honorable, dedicated to the welfare of his people and willing to do anything, including die, to achieve it. He’s not the least bit noble, which is refreshing given how tiresome noble people can be. He’s a man who does his job well when he can and to the best of his ability when he can’t. There is much to admire in that.

https://portablesoup.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/review-the-seventh-decimate-by-stephen-r-donaldson/

Seventh Decimate by Stephen R. Donaldson is the opening installment of his new series, The Great God’s War. Featuring a somewhat jaded hero on an epic quest of discovery, the narrative is a fast paced affair with more than a few twists and turns, which nicely sets up the story going forward. Unfortunately, though, it failed to live up to my lofty expectations. More on that a bit later.

For generations, the kingdoms of Belleger and Amika have been at odds. Both sides using the power of their sorcerers to wage near constant war against the other; the nearly unstoppable decimates of power raining down death to people on both sides. Yet, now, things have changed.

At first, this change brings renewed hope to Belleger; their craftsmen discovering the secret to forging repeating rifles. Even the eternally sullen and gloomy Prince Bifalt certain his kingdom can finally turn the tide which had been slowly rising against them. But then another event dashes all those hopes: the vanishing of magic from Belleger.

Frantic to learn the cause, the King of Belleger determines that there exists a rumor of a Seventh Decimate; a final tenant of the sorcery arts which – when invoked – will strip all magic from a land. And so with a single act, the Amika have once again taken from Belleger any hope of triumphing in their eternal war.

Never on to give in to despair, the Belleger king sends Prince Bifalt and a small group of veterans off into the unknown world in search of a legendary repository of sorcery, a grand library where the Seventh Decimate can be learned. And so begins the enlightening and nightmarish quest for the Seventh Decimate!

Before I get into the problems with this novel, I really do need to point out the strengths, starting with Stephen R. Donaldson’s writing. Others might find the author’s style too wordy, too filled with unfamiliar phrasing, or whatnot, but I’ve always enjoyed his distinct techniques with fast paced action, deep introspection, and focus on characterization. So, naturally, I enjoyed sitting down to read another of his works, finding in this narrative a past friend who was refreshingly familiar and overwhelmingly comfortable.

Also, I have to admit finding many parts of the overall story well thought out and intriguing. Especially compelling was the eternal war between Belleger and Amifa. It is never glorified. The realities of such a never ending conflict shown in a real way. The consequences of generations of annihilation surround the characters. Its effect on the people is portrayed with a morbid sense of realism. And even the main hero of the quest, Prince Bifalt, cannot rise above the horrors of a lifetime spent at war; fear of failing his father and people ingrained upon his psyche to the point it clouds ever thought, taints every action he tries to make.

This does lead into the main problem with Seventh Decimate for me personally: Prince Bifalt. This young, troubled man is the focus of the story; it is his journey of discovery and maturity. A reader experiences the world and the quest through his eyes. All information passes through him, shaded by his natural prejudices. Yet, from first page to last, he is nearly impossible to learn to care for. And I don’t mean in that Thomas Covenant smart-ass leper way. No, Bifalt is so thick-headed, so stupidly stubborn, that he never learns anything from his trials and triumphs. His stiffed neck ignorance quite annoying, as it bars him from any real character growth. Honestly, he ends the tale as the exact same person he was at the start. A situation which ruined the whole novel for me personally, as the entire journey became pointless.

As overjoyed as I was to experience a new novel and world by Stephen R. Donaldson, I felt Seventh Decimate was merely an okay read. The overall story concept was intrigue; the realistic look at a never ending conflict and its effect on the people was well executed; and the epic quest itself had many interesting twists and great action; but the failure of Prince Bifalt as the main viewpoint character was startling and ruined the entire narrative for me personally. Hopefully, the author will rectify these problems in the next book, but if not, I can’t see this series ending well.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

The storyline is interesting, but unfortunately I couldn't really connect with the characters, especially the main one, from who's PoV the narrative is written; also the pacing is not so great. I will check the sequel, to see if it's improved, but for the moment I'm not really convinced. 3+

Probably somewhere between a 3 and a 4 but I bumped it up for nostalgia's sake since I first read Donaldson about 30 years ago.
So there's a never ending war between two nations, both of them use magic to obliterate each other in somewhat of a war of attrition. But then one side gets guns and starts blowing away the mages on the other side. Then all of a sudden their magic stops working and they send Prince Bifalt on a quest to discover a solution. He expands his world and encounters thing beyond his comprehension that challenge his world view. I feel like I was supposed to learn something from Bifalt's experiences in some sort of allegorical fashion but I didn't. I thought, "Man, this guy is dumb. I feel sorry for him being written this way." There's a big reveal at about 85% of the way through that explains the reason that Bifalt was spared death several times and called on his quest.
Not a bad story, and I do want to see what happens next, so there's that.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever (first and second) were a pivotal moment in my early fantasy reading. They were grown-up fantasy, full of moral quandaries and difficult emotions, but they were also stunning works of imagination, populated by brilliant characters. Even when he was writing gothic romance and portal fantasy with Mordant's Need, or sweeping science fiction with The Gap Cycle, Stephen R. Donaldson's work was always marked by those elements - stunning imagination and brilliant characters.


Sadly, that's precisely why Seventh Decimate falls so short. The first book of The Great God's War reads like a self-indulgent short story, big on ideas, but short on everything else. It's a heavy-handed morality tale about the horrors of war and the stupidity of racism/nationalism, couched in a thinly-veiled desert fantasy.

For a man who excels as world-building, this falls so short, it's really quite embarrassing. We get two warring countries, separated by a river . . . or chasm . . . or cliff . . . or something that's never really clear. There is an ocean to one side of them and a desert to the other, both assumed to be impassable - although it turns out the desert is simply a challenge, and hardly an insurmountable one. If there is anything else to the world (and we do get hints later in the story), neither country has the slightest idea.

Similarly, for a man whose fiction is defined by its characters, this falls even shorter than it did in the world-building. There is hardly a likeable character in the book, and none of them have any more depth than a background character. Most importantly, Prince Bifalt, the protagonist of the story, is even more unlikable than Thomas Covenant - a miserable, leprous man who most readers remember for a single unconscionable act. The Prince is a bland, boring, arrogant young man with a single-minded obsession. If only he had demonstrated a sliver of growth, this could have been a far better story, but if that growth is in the cards, it's not in this volume.

Finally, that brings us to the plot, which is the only thing weaker than the world-building and the characters. It is largely a paint-by-numbers story, predictable in every way, with a conclusion so foregone it should just be dropped into the cover blurb. Aside from the opening battle and the scenes involving the mysterious desert caravan of nations, there is nothing here of interest or excitement. There were moments of potential, where the story could have opened up, but it lacks the characters necessary to do so.

I had high hopes for Seventh Decimate, especially after The King's Justice proved to be such a fantastic read last year, but was bitterly disappointed. Unless the digital ARC was a rough draft that was accidentally released, I don't see myself continuing with this.

It's so hard for me, when there is a book that I know I could love, but for some reason I just don't. Seventh Decimate has everything in it that should keep pulling you in. There is plenty of action, a well developed world, conflict, and a seemingly impossible quest. 

I think the problem for me was that while the characters are well developed, I couldn't form a connection to the main character, Prince Bifalt, or really to majority of the novel's cast. The entire book is told from Bifalt's viewpoint, so this made it increasingly hard for me to care about the fate of this quest.

As the first born son of a King, even one whose main duty is as a soldier, he should be at the very least more shrewd in his scrutiny of the world around him. This is apparent in the last 1/3 of the novel where he is opened to new experiences, however his attitude remains that of a sulky, hate-filled child uninterested in gaining knowledge, insight, or any additional tactics that could help his country. Indeed other than his devotion to his men and his people, which is his one redeeming quality, I can't remember a protagonist I could identify with less. 

The storyline itself had problems with pacing. After I finished I was sorely disappointed that so much of the novel had dedicated itself to the journey, which at times taught us things, however it could have been condensed and instead the ending expanded upon. Though with how Bifalt acted in this section of the story, I don't know if I could have stomached it.

Indeed the 'climax' of the novel gives barely any resolution and no falling action. I understand wanting to end upon a cliff-hanger if this is to be the start of a series, but there wasn't enough falling action for me to feel as if I know if there is another story coming or if I just received a very unsatisfactory ending. 

On a good note, the setting was phenomenal. I could feel what the characters were going through, I could perfectly picture the journey, the terrain, and the countries. The details were incredibly rich. Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the novel was how explicitly the rules of magic are in the world. This to me makes it even more believable, and I want to understand more about this world. 

And this is the moment where I'm torn. If there would be another book, I'm incredibly tempted to read it. I desperately enjoyed the world, and I think that I could love some of the characters that we were introduced to at the end. However, I don't know if I can stomach the main character and what is bound to be more bull headedness, and once again not caring what happens to him, just to see this world. I'm not sure yet if it's worth committing myself to searching out the next installment. 

Thank you to Stephen R. Donaldson, NetGalley, and the Berkley Publishing Group for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.