≡ Libro Smiler Fair The Hollow Gods Rebecca Levene 9781444753684 Books

Smiler Fair The Hollow Gods Rebecca Levene 9781444753684 Books

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Smiler Fair The Hollow Gods Rebecca Levene 9781444753684 Books

Top notch, some beautiful new twists on a common trope.


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Smiler Fair The Hollow Gods Rebecca Levene 9781444753684 Books Reviews

My Thoughts On The Book

The Plot Of The Story
This book is an incredible find and I have no idea why I rarely see it featured anywhere as it's a gem of fantasy fiction. The first book in 'new to me' author Rebecca Levene's The Hollow Gods series, Smiler's Fair is a book of many depths and may levels. Told through the eyes of multiple character, most of which cross paths with each other during the course of the book, this is an epic and rather dark book...... it's also an amazing read! We follow the paths of Krish, the goatherd with a past even he doesn't know about that will change the land forever; Nethmi, the orphaned daughter of a nobleman who is betrothed to marry a man in a far off land that she's never met, a marriage that will result in the gift of death; Dae Hyo, the warrior of a wiped-out people who made a mistake that has haunted his every move ever since; Eric, the whore with a heart who lets himself get carried away in a affair that will change his life forever; and finally Marvan, the master swordsman with a penchant for murder.

It is a big cast of characters but never does the book feel stretched as it documents the path of each of them. In fact if anything I found the large cast made the book quite refreshing as it gave the story so many twists and turns that it became so exciting to read and I just loved it! Sometime with book with last casts the characters can sometimes not be a deep and complex as they should be but that's not the case here and I'll explain more later.

What Is There To Love?
I loved everything about this book, everything from the epic world-building, the deep and meaningful prose, the depth of the characters and the intense and twisty story built piece by piece with each character moves. This is a wonderful book and I am deep impressed by the work of the author to create a world like this and keep the level of realism so high while still keeping within the realm of the fantastical. There a few authors that can do such a thing well and they know exactly who they are as I'm sure you do. If the next book keeps up the same vein as this one then this is going to be one seriously bad-ass series.

What Is There To Dislike?
There isn't a thing that stood out to me as something to dislike, I enjoyed every single minute I spent buried in this book and am so pumped for the next installment!

How's The Writing?
I thought the writing was excellent, Smiler's Fair is an epic and quite grimdark book. This is no pretty and flouncy fantasy tale, it's full of sex and violence and is exactly the kind of fantasy tale that I just adore. The writing is deep and meaningful, it creates an intense and colourful story and the imagery that it evokes is rich and incredibly vivid.

The character all have a great depth to them which is quite a feat for a cast as large and diverse as this one is, each of them has their place in the overall story and none of them are what I'd call 'filler' characters, each have their own facets, quirks and flaws and each is realistic and completely believable in their given situations. They are the stars of the show and rightly so.

Final Thoughts
Smiler's Fair may not be book that has been widely publicized, I certainly haven't seen anything about it anywhere in my circles, or even seen any reviews of the book anywhere, but it is a book worth reading if you are a fan of the darker fantasy novels. The author has a talent for characterization and her world building is brilliant, she is an author to watch in the future for sure as is this Hollow Gods series, I have the feeling that this going to be a series that really merits trying out at least as it has the potential for greatness and for one, want to to be a part of it going forward.

Smiler's Fair is an epic book and the author had made a complex and gripping beginning to a series that I will keeping up with in the future..... would I recommend it? I most certainly would!
What do we think of as the hallmarks of 'good' epic fantasy?

Strong characterisation - Smiler's Fair has a half dozen, from a disenfranchised noble with a bloody habit, a woman in the unhappiest of marriages, a sex worker with a succession of unusual clients, the last warrior of his clan (keen on vengeance, drinking) and even the 'traditional' orphan with a mysterious fate (and it is).

Compelling magic system - Smiler's Fair only scratches the surface, but from prophesy to sorcery, there's clearly magic of all sorts lurking behind the scenes (and a build-up that promises much more of the same).

Unusual world-building - In Smiler's Fair, the Sun and Moon fought, and the latter lost. Now the Moon's loyal followers have degenerated into a race of man-eating fiends that live deep underground. And the Sun's victory is a Pyrrhic one - because if anyone stays in one place too long, the underground creatures will sense them and start digging for the surface. As a result, a world where everything is transient - from cities on ships to the titular Fair. A world where people cannot afford to put down roots, and civilisation is slowly fading away.

The quest - And here we have several, as the war has left its legacy in many ways. A half-dozen powers all struggle to wrest control of the world (and its gods) (and its magics), and our heroes are integral to their plans...

And yet...

Smiler's Fair also has what it takes to be more than good - it is great. Magnificent, even.

Because epic fantasy isn't just about the size and the grandeur and the spectacle (although that's all there a-plenty), it is about adventure. And you can't get that without surprise. It doesn't matter how spectacular the road is, if you already know what's around the corner, there's no adventure to it.

Smiler's Fair has everything that I know and love about epic fantasy, yet re-interpreted and presented in a way that kept me rapt from start to finish - pardon the cliche, but 'on the edge of my seat'. This is a book that holds your attention in so many ways - a fascinating world, brilliant characters, twisty plot and, best of all, a genuinely wonderful and surprising story.

Smiler's Fair is the epic fantasy I've been waiting for - riveting, compelling and adventurous.
Great book!
Top notch, some beautiful new twists on a common trope.