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>> No.23666209 [View]
File: 324 KB, 1377x1377, Burning Blade & Silver Eye (Django Wexler).jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
23666209

I finished reading Django Wexler's most recent trilogy, Burning Blade & Silver Eye, comprised of three novels: Ashes of the Sun, Blood of the Chosen, and Emperor of Ruin. Here's my condensed thoughts on it.

So, this is marketed as fantasy, but it smacks of sci-fi in a lot of ways. There's supernatural powers, but they are funneled into technological developments like genetic engineering, flying cars, blaster rifles, etc. The story takes place in the remnants of an empire once ruled by an elder race known as the Chosen, now ruled over by a human republic and an order of, well, basically like Jedi Knights but with more spectacular and flashy powers. They even have an iconic weapon that is just a handle with a magic blade that comes out of it.

The story follows two siblings, a brother, Gyre, and his younger sister, Maya, who are initially opposed to one another due to being tragically and traumatically separated in early childhood. Maya was raised by the Twilight Order (the Jedi guys) on account of having the same vanishingly rare powers they do, which is the reason they abducted her as a toddler. Gyre was permanently maimed in that abduction, and swore vengeance against the Order, leading to him joining a variety of would-be rebels against the republic. They start off as enemies in book 1, but by book 2 they're cooperating (tenuously), and in book 3 they are steadfast allies united against a common foe.

I feel like I was teased with a dramatic brother vs sister fated conflict plot but it never really pans out. The larger background conflict involving the elder races and their 400 year old war is what really drives the plot and over the course of the novels is what supplants the personal conflicts. The world building behind it is pretty decent, though I found the plot twists rather easy to predict.

This is the second series by Wexler that I have read, and so now I can confidently say that he definitely likes lesbians, and seems to feature gratuitous lesbian sex in as many novels as possible. I felt it was wildly out of place in the Shadow Campaigns, but less so in this series, except that he redoubled his efforts at inclusion by making 2/3 characters homosexual or bisexual. That's not an exaggeration, either. Maya's group in book 1 is composed of 4 people, 3/4 are gay, including Maya. While there are male homosexuals, none of them have intimate scenes, while virtually EVERY lesbian couple among the named cast do have intimate scenes.

To be sure, there's some hetero content as well. Gyre is straight, and has multiple lovers, but man one of them tests your patience. Kit is a character I haven't mentioned so far, because I'd rather not remember her. I think 90% of her dialogue is raunchy innuendo. I'm no prude, but it gets very tiresome when it's not well written and often is used to spoil the mood of a scene.

Also, the series ends rather abruptly, without much care given to exploring various characters' lives. It just stops, like this review.

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