Watcher of the Dead

Alright for those who do not know, I am a huge fan of J.V. Jones' 'Sword of Shadows' series. It's the first book, 'A Cavern of Black Ice' that inspired me to actually write my own saga and shifted the ground beneath me because it also solidified in my mind what I wanted to become - or I could at least what it was that I could potentially become.

The only down side is that over the years, the gaps between the books coming out has been achingly long and I now await the publication of the fourth of the series, 'The Watcher of the Dead' which is mucho exciting, as it refers to my favourite character (and possibly one of my top fictional characters of all time), Raif Severance who can heart-kill in an instant. J.V. Jones has kindly been posting up updates, as well as a prologue and an excerpt on her journal, all of which are great tasters. I can't figure out what to make of it, other than I love it but I can't fathom what it might allude to within the storyline. *shrug*

As always, I am intrigued to see where the story is going to go but I suspend my expectations; for after reading 'A Cavern', which seemed to be simply amazing, perfect (to me), I would endlessly think about the possible directions of Book 2, which is never a good idea because it generally goes in a rather different direction as you yourself are not the author! So I will be ignorant to assumptions and so be pleasantly be surprised. What really does engage me are the chapters on the Clans and the simmering wars between them; they have to be the richest fabric of the story because each clan has its distinct culture with their own clothes, rituals, roundhouses etc etc - they really do come alive on the page. I recommend it to anyone, even those who do not like the fantasy genre because it does transcend the genre. And you won't be disappointed by the antagonists who are almost more delicious than the protagonists. You may be put off as each book is rather hefty but you won't be disappointed.

Oh and on another note, I would love to bring these stories to the screen, I just hope the rights don't get sold before I get a chance!