I'm been very busy the last few weeks with one thing and another so I'm way behind with my posts. Thanks to those still reading, I promise to be a bit more prolific going forward. After all, there is no point calling this thing the Daily Stream if I don't provide something on a daily(ish) basis!
So without further ado I'm back into the book reviews. Book #2 of Jeff Gunzel's Gatekeeper series, Siege of Night.
*SPOILER FREE*
I've been bouncing around quite a few series this year and sometimes it takes a while to remember where you are and who is who in these series. Particularly as fantasy writers seem to have this conspiracy which causes them to use very similar names for their characters! Once you have more than about 2 or 3 epic series on the go (as I like to) you struggle to work out whether you are coming or going.
The Gatekeeper series is quite refreshing on a number of levels. Firstly, the books aren't actually that long and so there isn't really the time or the scope to inject vast swathes of characters into the story. Those characters that are added don't really have the development of, say, a Wheel of Time or Song of Ice and Fire - but I don't think the story suffers from it. Those characters we met in the first story are all present and correct, with a few extra ones thrown in. There is nothing particularly different about them that hasn't been seen before but that isn't really a problem.
In many aspects, these are books are kind of "light" versions of the heavier fantasy tomes. They concentrate on the action pieces and are less interested in the slow-burning build up. Sometimes that is a nice change, not everything can be a 1000 page epic spanning months or years in which very little actually happens. Gunzel keeps the story ticking along nicely and provides just enough diversion to keep the pace varied when it needs it.
The plot itself, again, isn't earth shattering. But it is good enough to hold your attention and keep the pages turning. There is more here too, you can feel it, The series has put down its roots and is starting to stretch the branches a bit, trying a few things that the confidence of a successful book behind you can bring.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this. I read it in about 3 hours on the train so it's not exactly War and Peace. It fills a very nice hole in my reading portfolio and I am looking forward to the next couple in the series. At the princely sum of £1ish per book on the Kindle, it really is a no-brainer.
Verdict: 4 stars out of 5
Till next time.
DT
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