When I first sat down to write this review, I was trying to decide whether Brent Weeks was a totally freaking awesome author or just a big, evil meaniehead who got his kicks from torturing his sweet, innocent readers. Then I realized that the two are not mutually exclusive. It's obviously both. I shall, for the nonce, embrace the power of “and.” Then again, we must enjoy it. How else would this guy have sold elebenty bajillion books?
So, yes, I'm behind but I finally got around to reading The Broken Eye and it was freaking epic. Weeks has a way of bringing the mighty low and promoting the weak to power. It's hard to follow sometimes but it's on full display here. The all powerful Prism, with his powers taken from him, is now a galley slave. The son of a drug addicted prostitute is elevated to one of the highest posts in all the Seven Satrapies. I mean seriously, keep a scorecard. Or better yet don't because Weeks has provided one for us in the back of the book. It's like one hundred pages long. But it's cool because a story this huge needs a big cast.
One of the great things about The Broken Eye is how the characters remain themselves throughout everything. Gavin Guile, fallen Prism, now plots to get home instead of to rule the Seven Satrapies. Karris White Oak, scion of a destroyed noble family, marries him and consorts with a member of the Spectrum, the ruling body of the Seven Satrapies. Kip, the kid who grew up poor, now stands to inherit a fortune and the political power that goes with it. Teia, a slave, trains to be part of the Blackguard, a unit of elite bodyguards and the only group allowed to carry arms in the capital. The list goes on.
Weeks knows how to write a hero. Kip is self-doubting but doesn't give up. He nearly dies because of his sheer stubbornness and dedication. Teia does what she must, even though she hates the necessity of some of it. Cruxer, leader of a squad of Blackguard inductees makes decisions and lives with them. He knows how to balance the good of his people with the missions they have to accomplish. Karris White Oak risks her l;ife to save her husband and leaves everything that ever mattered to her behind to follow a new path, a duty she never sought but is forced to undertake.
Weeks also knows how to write a villain. The Color Prince seeks to enslave all around him by telling them they'll be free after he takes over. Andross Guile is the embodiment of self-interest, pushing forward with his goals and the expense of anyone who gets in his way. Seriously, to Andross there are three types of people; those he can use to further his goals, those in the way of his goals and those that don't matter. He's a villain's villain. I love to hate that guy.
The Broken Eye is like every other Brent Weeks book in one respect: The reader cannot allow himself to become comfortable with the way the story is going. Everytime you think things are going to work out a certain way a plot twist hits. Upon reflection they make sense, but you can never see them coming. Reading is one of my favorite forms of physical relaxation. I kick back, put my fee up and crack open a tome. I don't relax mentally when I read Weeks's work. I'm constantly trying to figure out what comes next. It never seems to work but it definitely keeps me interested.
The action sequences in The Broken Eye are amazeballs. Luxin (light turned tangible through magic) is an amazing weapon and the martial arts present here are crazy too. Primitive guns, blades and magic. You just can't go wrong. Well, maybe you could be Weeks didn't. Some of these sequences made me want to go out and hit something just to fit in.
Ok, so the actions of the Spectrum do kind of piss me off, but that's kind of the point. They're so busy denying the fact that they are at war that they won't fight an enemy that is invading their country and killing their people. They're pretty typical politicians in other words. Say soothing things to the population and do nothing to accomplish anything. I have to believe that Weeks is doing this intentionally. They do manage to appoint Andross Guile as promachos (basically a wartime dictator and leader of armies) but then he basically does nothing as well. In actuality, they do manage to throw a big party for their biggest holiday so I guess that's SOMEthing, even if it's the WRONG thing. But what do I know? I'm just the reader.
On the other side of the equation are some of our aforementioned heroes who want to do what they need to. The problem is that they don't have the political power to raise the necessary army themselves and, while some of them are crazy powerful, they don't have the ability to win the war without one. The other side has lots of powerful people too. This war is going to be a battle royale, if the Spectrum ever gets off of their asses and decides to fight it.
Honestly, I wanted to see more of the war than I did. Bad news arrives occasionally, but we don't get to see the fight up close and personal the way I wanted to. It makes sense given the plot of the book, but it's a bit frustrating. A lot of what I enjoy about fantasy fiction is the fighting and the wars. We don't get that here. It's still an awesome book though, and there is a sequel already out.
It's only fair to mention that The Broken Eye is third in a series. The first two were The Black Prism and The Blinding Knife. I recommend them all (and I'm reading the fourth book, The Blood Mirror, currently) but I would not recommend The Broken Eye as a standalone. There is too much going on here that is carried on from earlier books. Seriously, if you're going to read TBE start at the beginning with The Black Prism. You'll thank me later.
Bottom Line: 4.75 out of 5 Lightforged Arrows
The Broken Eye
Brent Weeks
Orbit Books, 2014
The Broken Eye is available for purchase at the following link:
Great reading tthis
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