Monday, October 8, 2012

The Black Prism, Brent Weeks

"Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. 

He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals. 

But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart."

The Black Prism was my first foray into the world of Weeks. One of these days I will get around to reading The Night Angel trilogy. What I need is something akin to six months off work to get all caught up. But I digress.

I loved this book. It's one of those where its biggest strength could also be its biggest weakness, depending on your personal preference. For me, the overly complex magic system was heavenly, one to get truly entangled in and lost within. One to wonder about in the middle of the day when you're supposed to be working on something urgent but a certain colour catches your eye and before you know it you're off...visualising drafting and wondering which boundaries can be stretched and how far. For a fantasy obsessive like myself The Black Prism was an absolute gift.

As a counter balance to the complexity of the magic, Week's characters are effortlessly readable, a complete joy. They remind me of Brandon Sanderson in style. The plot is heavy with twists and turns, although it often felt deceptively slowly paced due to the sheer weight of detail packed in there.

I love the price of the Magic here, it makes everything all the more 'real', if that makes sense. Power comes at a cost, and that's what makes things really interesting. All told, a fabulous read.

2 comments:

  1. I've liked the look of the Black Prism for a while, and it was the magic system that caught my attention too. I'll have to give it a proper shot.

    Jamie

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    1. It's a good time to do it, as the second one is on the shelves now :)

      It's one of those Magic Systems that makes you think "Damn..why can't I think of stuff like that??"

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