Book Review #2 - Grey Sister

Mark Lawrence has broken into the fantasy genre, without question. "Broken into" is an absurd understatement. He's dropped onto the fantasy literature landscape like an atom bomb. His characters are unique, memorable; his stories are the ones that stay with you, that you mull over in your mind months later; his worlds are original, even troubling. In short, his books are the measuring stick by which you will judge books afterwards, that make you put lesser books down, sigh, and wish for better.

Grey Sister, sequel to Red Sister, is no different. The characters are, by extremes, crazy and believable; none of his characters is perfect or flawless - they all have weaknesses. The action is the same, ebbing and flowing, one minute peaceful and the next full of wild violence. The world-building is second-to-none, taking place on a world in which ice reigns, leaving human civilization a perpetually narrowing band of livable land on the equator, circling the world. Lawrence drops hints about the causes of this, leaving the reader frustrated but curious for the next tidbit.

If you're a fan of epic fantasy, you'll be richly rewarded by this series. I'm looking forward to the next installment, Holy Sister, due out in April 2019.