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Twelve Kings in Sharakhai Song of Shattered Sands Bradley P Beaulieu 9780756409722 Books

Download As PDF : Twelve Kings in Sharakhai Song of Shattered Sands Bradley P Beaulieu 9780756409722 Books

Twelve Kings in Sharakhai Song of Shattered Sands Bradley P Beaulieu 9780756409722 Books

As an experienced reader of fantasy, I know how few and far between enjoyable fantasy novels are, and so, it was with trepidation that I opened this book, with so many hopes - and fears. Immediately I was introduced to Ceda
The world draws from Arabic culture, and any reader familiar with that culture will need no dictionary to figure out the slightly changed (or not at all) words that create a distinct and slightly Orientalist feeling (but all the more enjoyable for it, for this Western reader). The city of Sharakhai for me read much like Istanbul of old, and I could imagine the bustling bazaars, dusty streets, the gladiator's ring because of my visits to these classic locations in the ancient world. I loved this somewhat new setting for a fantasy novel, and had fun trying to figure out the other races - if Sharakhai was Istanbul - or Baghdad - then, was Mirea representative of China? Was Kundhunese similar to sub-saharan Africa? The resemblances were just close enough that you could imagine the people and places in your mind's eye, but the world was totally unique. People ride through the desert on surfboards, or on caravan-ships that have runners like skis across the great sands. Adichara trees bloom forbidden flowers. Mysterious, dark creatures emerge from the desert at night to stalk the streets. Blade Maidens, a combination of Vestal Virgins and Ninjas, protect the mysterious twelve kings who rule over the city with iron fists. It's a compelling world, and a page-turner.

The main character felt one-dimensional at first to me, but keep reading - her history is revealed and you come to understand why she is the way she is. She shares the main stage with her dear friend Emre, who is also an interesting person in his own right.

The book completes itself nicely. I was pleased to hear it would be one of a trilogy, but it almost need not be, because it wraps up so expertly.


Tags : Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (Song of Shattered Sands) [Bradley P. Beaulieu] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>Best Book of 2015 by Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BuzzFeed • “Promises to be breathtaking.” —Robin Hobb</b>   <b>The Song of the Shattered Sands: Book One</b> Sharakhai,Bradley P. Beaulieu,Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (Song of Shattered Sands),DAW,0756409721,Deserts,Deserts.,Deserts;Fiction.,Fantasy fiction,Fiction,Imaginary places,Kings and rulers,Kings and rulers;Fiction.,Secrecy,AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,Fantasy,Fantasy - Dark Fantasy,Fantasy - Epic,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction Fantasy Dark Fantasy,Fiction Fantasy Epic,Fiction Fantasy General,Fiction-Fantasy,FictionFantasy - Dark Fantasy,GENERAL,General Adult,Monograph Series, 1st,United States

Twelve Kings in Sharakhai Song of Shattered Sands Bradley P Beaulieu 9780756409722 Books Reviews

This was a great book. I could not put it down! It was filled with many stories, all skillfully culminating into one. I love the way the characters, especially the main character Ceda, were developed. It was a complicated story with such recur details that I felt as if I were in the desert, a part of the story. I hope there are more parts to this story. I have fallen in love with Ceda. I want to. Was strong and fearless as she is in my everyday life.
I had just started reading another book, a new book, by an author I love, and I am generally a little ocd about finishing one book (or series) before moving on to another. I stumbled on this completely by accident and liked the title, so I looked at the description, which contains a very generous sample of the introductory chapters. About two thirds of the way through, I realized that the sample was actually bait on the line, and I was well and truly hooked. This happened Sunday night. I worked 12 hours Monday, and it's now 4am Tuesday, and I've finished the book and bought the sequel. (Yes, I know there's a prequel. I'll read it later. I'll also get back to that other book I'd started later.)

I have looked, hard, for new fantasy authors over the past couple of years, but somehow I completely missed Beaulieu beforecthis. Twelve Kings was a delightful surprise, especially as it leads to several more new books that I don't have to go hunting for. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm not going to get into a detailed analysis here - there is plenty of that already. I'm sure the book isn't perfect, but it doesn't push any of my buttons - poor grammar kills books for me, and I get at least mildly irritated over repetitious language, clunky descriptions, and sex/violence that doesn't serve any purpose in the plot. I didn't notice any of those things happening enough to interrupt my enjoyment of this story.

For reference, I re-read each of the first 10 WoT books at least a dozen times each, and I didn't mind RJ's level of detail or pacing at all. I love Sanderson, because his stories are good enough to make up for the less polished prose. Rothfuss is spectacular, and as such can be forgiven for writing even more slowly than RJ. N K Jemison writes straight to my soul. I enjoy Anthony Ryan, Daniel Abraham, GGK, and Brent Weeks, although if he keeps it up with the "on accident" thing, he may find a horde of enraged grammarians beating down his door some morning. I love Ender's Game, but there are too many sequels and they got just a little too weird. I go back and re-read Tad Williams every couple of years, and Madeline L'Engle and Anne McCaffrey at somewhat longer intervals. Once upon a time I enjoyed GRRM, but I'm furious that he chose to make a TV series instead of finishing the darned books first, and more furious that he started writing the books as if they were TV, so I'm done with him. I will read anything Robin McKinley writes, ever, in any genre. Outside of the fantasy genre I read history from ancient Egypt to early America, and I read multiple copies of almost every MPM book to pieces before they came out on kindle. If you like any or all of these authors, you should read this book right now. If you don't like them, what are you even doing in this section?? If you've never heard of them, read this book, and if you like it, go look them up.
I'm a fan of Beaulieu's previous trilogy, The Lays of Anuskaya, so was intrigued to check out the start of his new trilogy, The Song of Shattered Sands. The first book in this new trilogy, Twelve Kings In Sharakhai, is an impressive start, worthy of the raves it has been receiving. It is a second world fantasy, centered on a setting reminiscent of the Arabic One Thousand And One Nights but with plenty of the author's own touches. It is a dark world in some respects, ruled by 12 Immortal Kings. The main protagonist is a young, female pit fighter who wants vengeance for the murder of her mother. Through a series of flashback chapters, we come to understand her life and it presents a fully fleshed out character, someone the reader will care about. As she follows her path of vengeance , she begins to learn numerous secrets, about her mother and about her world. The reader will be fascinated with these revelations and you will be riveted to the very end, when you will anxiously want the next book.

Beaulieu's prior trilogy was dense and required more effort from the readers but his new book is a much easier read, though it doesn't sacrifice depth or complexity. Though it is a long book, of over 500 pages, it doesn't drag, keeping your interest throughout. I especially enjoyed the mixture of history and mythology that Beaulieu created, and look forward to more of that in future volumes. Beaulieu's skill as a writer has only grown and I heartily recommend you check out his newest novel.
As an experienced reader of fantasy, I know how few and far between enjoyable fantasy novels are, and so, it was with trepidation that I opened this book, with so many hopes - and fears. Immediately I was introduced to Ceda
The world draws from Arabic culture, and any reader familiar with that culture will need no dictionary to figure out the slightly changed (or not at all) words that create a distinct and slightly Orientalist feeling (but all the more enjoyable for it, for this Western reader). The city of Sharakhai for me read much like Istanbul of old, and I could imagine the bustling bazaars, dusty streets, the gladiator's ring because of my visits to these classic locations in the ancient world. I loved this somewhat new setting for a fantasy novel, and had fun trying to figure out the other races - if Sharakhai was Istanbul - or Baghdad - then, was Mirea representative of China? Was Kundhunese similar to sub-saharan Africa? The resemblances were just close enough that you could imagine the people and places in your mind's eye, but the world was totally unique. People ride through the desert on surfboards, or on caravan-ships that have runners like skis across the great sands. Adichara trees bloom forbidden flowers. Mysterious, dark creatures emerge from the desert at night to stalk the streets. Blade Maidens, a combination of Vestal Virgins and Ninjas, protect the mysterious twelve kings who rule over the city with iron fists. It's a compelling world, and a page-turner.

The main character felt one-dimensional at first to me, but keep reading - her history is revealed and you come to understand why she is the way she is. She shares the main stage with her dear friend Emre, who is also an interesting person in his own right.

The book completes itself nicely. I was pleased to hear it would be one of a trilogy, but it almost need not be, because it wraps up so expertly.