I'm sure I don't have to remind you that I was a huge fan of Michelle West's the Sun Sword. It is one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. Sadly, I was far less enthused about the House War sequence which came after. Especially the finale, War, which is without a doubt the most underwhelming ending to a fantasy series that I've ever read. It took me a year to give West another shot. Invested as I was in this story, I knew I'd eventually return to her grand Essalieyan saga at some point.
It took me such a long time because, according to most fans, the Sacred Hunt duology is West's first and weakest work. And yet, since you cannot read her latest novel,
Hunter's Redoubt, without having first read the duology, I had no choice but to go through both
Hunter's Oath and
Hunter's Death. True, my expectations weren't particularly high to begin with, yet I found myself enjoying both novels a lot more than I expected. There is a much tighter focus to the writing, which was a welcome change from everything Michelle West has written after the Sacred Hunt.
Hunter's Redoubt is the first volume in the Burning Crown series, which will focus on the events of the End of Days period. It's a return to the kingdom of Breodanir nearly thirty years following the release of
Hunter's Oath. It is also West's first self-published Essalieyan title after being dropped by Daw Books. Given that this is the beginning of the end, so to speak, I was dearly hoping that it would be more Sun Sword and less House War in both scope and execution. Alas, it was more the latter.
Here's the blurb:
THE SHINING COURT IS RISING
The Lord of the Hells has damaged the barriers between the ancient wilderness and the world of man, and that wilderness has begun to seep into mortal lands. His war to rule the entirety of the mortal world has begun.
ONE KINGDOM STANDS AGAINST THE FALL OF THE WEST
The kingdom of Breodanir is in turmoil. Even the merchant roads in the heart of Breodanir can become wild, unknown places between one step and the next; some have walked those roads, never to return. Now, more than ever, Breodanir has need of Hunter Lords as symbols of strength and stability.
Stephen of Maubreche and his huntbrother Nenyane have been summoned in disgrace to the King’s City. They, and other hunters who have rejected Hunter oaths, are to be schooled in the necessity of the oaths they’ve rejected.
If only it were that simple.
The problem students soon find themselves tested against the forces of the wilderness, the shadows of demons—and even each other.
If they fail these tests, Breodanir will fall—and the entirety of the West will become the Lord of the Hells’ domain.
Given how verbose and repetitive Michelle West is, my biggest concern was that without an editor who can put her foot down (even though the author got away with way too much repetition and focus on pointless extraneous plotlines for years),
Hunter's Redoubt would be a bit of a mess. Unfortunately, it is that and more. Clocking in at more than a thousand pages, it's is an absurdly long book considering how little actually occurs from start to finish. One would have thought that it would at least conclude the Breodanir storyline of the saga, but to all ends and purposes it's just the start of it. Yes, West is as repetitive as in her previous works, perhaps more. Another problem that plagues this new novel is the fact that West feels the need to retell everything that took place in the Sacred Hunt duology on multiple occasions. A What Has Gone Before section at the beginning of the book would have worked wonders and would have prevented the narrative from getting bogged down time and time again with various details from the earlier novels. I understand that it's been nearly thirty years and that some readers may not remember much more than the key plot points, but such a section would have been the perfect reminder and would have allowed the author to go along with the End of Days elements instead of being forced to go through all the pertinent information from both
Hunter's Oath and
Hunter's Death in several scenes. All told, you could probably cut at least 250 pages from
Hunter's Redoubt without losing anything important. It looks as though the absence of a editor will be detrimental to this final series in more ways than one.
As a mater of course, the worldbuilding remains the most amazing aspect of this saga. It's evident that there is a depth to Michelle West's universe that rivals those of Tolkien, Erikson, and Bakker, and it's a depth that keeps growing with each new installment. Which continues to be quite a feat, considering how high the bar has been raised thus far. Though the tale doesn't progress quite as much as I would have expected,
Hunter's Redoubt unveils new secrets about Breodanir, the firstborn, the Ariani, the Sleepers, the gods and goddesses, Meralonne, the Wilderness, and more. All of which added yet more layers to what is already one of the most convoluted fantasy series of all time. Trouble is, worldbuilding is only the backdrop of the tale. No matter how detailed and complex that facet turns out to be, it's all a matter of execution on the part of the author that will allow it to shine or not. And as mentioned, West's newest has more in common with the House War books, and that's not necessarily a good thing.
Characterization is what ultimately sunk the House War series. Unfortunately, the poor characterization and the weird choice of perspectives often undermined what should have been key and emotionally charged moments. It is a bit better with
Hunter's Redoubt. Having said that, it couldn't really be worse. The very best addition is Gervanno di’Sarrado, a former Annagarian soldier and now a caravan guard who'll have the misfortune of getting swept into events when demons decimate his companions and reality continues to unravel in Breodanir. Coming from the Dominion, his perspective is fresh and interesting. Not surprisingly, Stephen of Maubreche, son of the Breodanir god, and his huntbrother Nenyane, a strange girl with no memories of her past, were also intriguing new faces. A little too much air time was given to those sent to the King's City, especially about the tension between Ansel and Heiden. It was nice having things come full circle and have Kallandras and Meralonne return to Breodanir. But did we really need Jarven ATerafin's POV? In true House War fashion, his perspective served no purpose yet kept returning at times when it just got in the way of better things. As far as the supporting cast is concerned, the Master Gardener of Maubreche remains the most fascinating surprise.
The novel starts with a bang with a prologue focusing on the Shining Court which brings various threads from previous titles together. Gervanno di’Sarrado's introduction is also quite good, and for a while it seemed that Michelle West was back on track. However, as the Wilderness keeps encroaching and reality continues to unravel throughout Breodanir, and as demons and strange creatures lay waste to villages, too much focus is put on the students sent to Hunter's Redoubt. Finally, when the major players are sent to do something about it, à la House War West concentrates on the little things that are not always important in the greater scheme of things. Why was the Lord of the Wilderness that must be defeated in order for the people of Margen to be saved never named, even though she was known to Meralonne? How did she bind the Silences? It's the End of Days, Allasakar and the armies of the Shining Court are about to be unleashed on the world, and the Burning Crown is meant to be comprised of four installments. Yet the first volume, weighing in at more than 1000 pages, is only about saving one small village and its people that disappeared in the Wilderness?
This is a Michelle West novel, so of curse there are pacing issues. The middle portion of
Hunter's Redoubt is by far the slowest and most problematic. Things start picking up when we finally leave the King's City, but the endgame is not that exciting. Nor is the resolution, as you realize that essentially all that you've read over the course of more than a thousand pages was just about saving one small village in the middle of Breodanir. True, it establishes Stephen and Nenyane as important protagonists with a stake in the conflict to come with the Shining Court, and Gervanno di’Sarrado's link with the fox known as Eldest (as seen on the cover art), yet that's about it. I was hoping that this would match the scope and vision of the Sun Sword series. I guess it wasn't meant to be. . .
As I said, I'm totally invested into this saga and I can't wait to discover how it will end. Here's to hoping that the next volume,
The Wild Road, will take the story further and will weave the threads from West's previous series together in a fashion that will make the End of Days a great ending to what has been one of the most complex fantasy series ever written.
The final verdict: 7/10
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