second book of two, so read the first one (Those Above) first to get to know these characters. this is a full-on meditation on war, beautifully written. ( )

I was right! It is a complete story! Well, it shouldn't be that surprising with names like Those Above and Those Below. :) And the blow-out? Lots of machinations, political intrigue from Eudokia (I absolutely love her), and WAR.

We knew it was coming. And it was very satisfying when it came. And the end? LOL. Not saying. But I was satisfied as hell.

Still, I was slightly off. It takes up 2 years after the first novel and things have been progressing and simmering. I suppose that's fine for the sake of action. :)

I still love the writing and the amount of depth in the world building. I love the way he gets behind the scenes and develops both sides of the conflict. I can't say that the four-fingered are gods. Not really. But I can tell you that I love getting to know and love them as much as the poor oppressed five-fingered. :)

How to compare it with most fantasy? Well, I'm reluctant. Polansky has a very gritty style, but he doesn't shirk the posh. And best of all, he makes all the characters ambiguous. Whether story-wise or morally. A lot of authors can say that, of course, but Polansky's style is rather unique and careful. He always takes his time to take us exactly where he wants us, and then he blows us away with fantastic fights and plot twists.

*two thumbs up* It's solid as hell. It's the reason I never refuse an opportunity to read his stuff. He's been consistently great.
( )

The concluding part of The Empty Throne duology continues with the same 4 voices guiding us through this dark fantasy tale of uprising and rebellion. Perhaps two years have passed since the ending of the first book, Those Above, and Eudokia's plans are in full swing. Currently residing in the uppermost reaches of the Roost, in part to present the tithe to the Others but also to answer for Aeleria's continued war efforts in Salucia and the amassing of the largest army the world has ever seen and for which Bas still plays a prominent part. Here she will get to match her wits against the Aubade, now Prime, and Calla, his seneschal, who would be more than happy for the status quo to remain. Meanwhile on the lower rungs of the Roost we find Pyre, formerly Thistle, as leader of the Dead Pigeons, a militant arm of the Five Fingers sect leading the rebellion against the rule of the Others.

While I mentioned that the first book wasn’t quite full-on grimdark, this one most assuredly is. With the rebellion heating up and the inevitability of war just around the corner there really isn’t much time for levity although there are some moments of humour, albeit of the darkened variety, dotted throughout the tale. The story moves along briskly and this is helped by the action set pieces but it's still very much a character driven narrative. All of the people involved have their own distinct voices so distinguishing between them isn’t difficult and with an excellent supporting cast this is a very good read. I'll definitely be on the lookout for the author's other work. ( )

This is one of those books. Gritty, well written, epic in scope and I honestly didn't care if most of the characters lived or died. We have several points of view, carrying over from the previous book, two of which are old hands and two younger people. Life is gritty, nasty and short and only one main character survives to the end.

I prefer my books to hold out hope, to uplift me instead of reminding me of the grind that is life and this book took me several weeks to read, on and off, in work. It didn't pull me in, didn't make me want to keep reading and honestly I wanted to stop reading a few times. Fans of gritty, realistic, literary fantasy may prefer it. ( )

Update: Full review can be found at Book Frivolity!

I want to swear.. Can I swear? Expletives seem to be the only response I have right now.. One thing I can formulate in my tiny mind, is that Polansky is one of the best fantasy writers of our time.. Even if you read it just for his style, his complete mastery of word play and vocabulary, pacing, manipulation of grammar to forward his intention.. Jeez *expletives*.. As the youths say 'I can't even..' Masterfully written, even though the storyline makes your guts lurch into your mouth, and leaves an ugly taste of copper for hours.. Real RTC! ( )