Daniel Abraham is probably best known at the moment as one half of sci-fi writing duo James SA Corey (The Expanse). But he did have a writing career long before that on the fantasy side of the speculative fiction ledger. In Age of Ash, first of a promised Kithamar trilogy, Abraham returns to a medieval fantasy setting.
Alys and Sammish are street rats, making their living as part of a pickpocketing crew. But when Aly’s big brother Darro is killed, the two are thrown in to a larger, more dangerous world of city politics and destiny. Alys is determined to follow in her brother’s footsteps and becomes involved with a member of the city nobility who is trying to “restore balance” to the city after the death of the previous prince, a task which becomes both stranger and more clear as the plot progresses. Sammish, devoted to Alys, starts out trying to help her but as Alys pulls away she finds herself on her own, contrary path.
Alys and Sammish are the heart of the book and both go on significant character journeys – Alys discovering what she is and is not capable of in going down her brother’s rabbit hole and Sammish finding her own power and agency. There is no really clear “good” or “bad” here as the two go down different paths but it is always clear that Alys and Sammish are pawns to larger agendas that they do not completely understand and cannot see the edges of. And while they help push various wider plot threads forward it is hard not to think that events would have turned out similarly (possibly with some slight deviations and maybe less destruction) if they had not been involved.
The real star of Age of Ash, though is the city of Kithamar. Abraham understand the city from its highest residences to its lowest hovels, the various suburbs, the racial makeup, and a long, rich history. There is the requisite map at the front of the book but the roads and bridges and byways are so well described throughout that there is little need to refer to it. And while the wider world is alluded to, the action and focus remains on the city, and is likely to for the next two volumes.
Abraham dedicates this book to “the storytellers” and it is clear from Age of Ash that he knows how to spin a great yarn. But this is fairly standard medieval fantasy with more than a hint of magic (or at least sprituality) and does not provide anything new that might entice readers who eschew the tropes of this sub-genre. For the rest though, there is plenty to enjoy and some intriguing threads left hanging for the rest of the series.

2.5 stars

AGE OF ASH is the first in a series of interconnected books that tell the stories of different people across the same year, so I guess this book is basically a standalone in terms of the other books not continuing this character's story?

The world is an interesting one. It's based in one city, which has a variety of different areas (from rich to poor), and complex social structures and traditions. I really liked the traditions around mourning and death, which were so prominent because the book was one about grief and how it affects people/changes them.

I think the reason I never managed to really sink my teeth into this book was because it didn't feel like there were any stakes or consequences for any of the characters, and particularly not for how they interlinked.

There were a few vague mentions of being killed by the richer people for Alys and Sammish (the ones Alys got tangled up in), but there was no demonstration of the richer people's power. That sort of took the teeth out of that threat. Plus, the book makes a lot of effort to set up the grittiness of the world, how hard a world it is for the poor, and that felt like it was more stakes/chances of death than getting mixed up with the rich. It sort of undercut the threat from them.

And then there was the lack of consequences. What was the consequence of the rich getting their way? Or not getting their way? Particularly what were the consequences for Alys? That never felt explained (and the sort-of-magic baddie always felt underdeveloped as to what they were doing, why, and why they were so dangerous.) And that undercut the tension because I had no reason to want Alys to defeat them, because I couldn't see what it would mean if she didn't.

For anyone who has never read an Abraham novel before, be aware of what you're getting into with his first book in a series. It's a slow, methodical unravelling of the plot, world and characters that really may - and often times does - put people off continuing. Nevertheless, I have full faith in his ability to hit pay offs later in series that elevate that original entry. I think I will enjoy this book a lot more on re-read before the second book comes out. Basically, stick with it! Abraham is master and I urge you to stick around for a whole series!

Now onto the actual book. We spend a lot of time in the slums of a large city called Kithamar following characters who pick pockets and do general petty crime. Without giving anything away, events occur that escalate the narrative and reveal more of the city and explore religions, sects, cultures that clash and mesh in this vast city. And that would be my main positive in this book, around the 40% mark, this book finally reveals its further plot and I was invested in what was happening and who was involved. Before that point however, I was having real trouble. The setting and environment felt generic and played out having read The Lies of Locke Lamora, Mistborn and countless others that involve this kind of character set. Nevertheless, like I said, once that 40% mark hits, I was engrossed and wanted to barrel through the rest. There are some very interesting magical devices introduced and explored throughout that let me know this wasn't going to continue in the vein that it begun.

There are some really interesting pieces of world building, I loved a lot of the characters in the book and the themes are strong with the story conveying exactly what it wants to. My main problem comes with the 'main character'. I found myself struggling to connect and actually care about her and instead wanted to spend all of my time with every other character we've met. I believe her pay off is worth the journey this book takes, but I actually think it could have used an extra 100-150 pages to really soak in the journey she experiences. Instead, I wasn't wholeheartedly invested in the culmination of this book having not been completely on board through the majority of her journey. This however, lends to my belief that I will enjoy it more on reread and having the later entries to explore and grow the characters and world.

Don't miss out on Abraham!

Age of Ash is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy by Daniel Abraham. As one half of the duo that wrote The Expanse, a bestselling space epic that’s also adapted as an Amazon Prime series, Abraham is a well known name in the sci-fi community. His fantasy books are lesser known but not less beloved. So for a time now I’ve been wanting to read one of his books but I hadn’t gotten around to it when Age of Ash was announced. Intrigued by the premise and Abraham’s reputation for writing meticulous plots and intricate characters, I thought this a perfect chance to finally pick up one of his books. And because Orbit was kind enough to give me an early review copy, I will bring you along with me on my journey through the streets of Kithamar.

Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold. This is Alys's. When her brother is murdered, a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why. But the more she discovers about him, the more she learns about herself, and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives. Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar, where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones, the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything.

The exploration of grief is where Age of Ash is at its most impactful to me. You follow Alys as she laments the loss of her brother and deals with the loneliness and anger that comes with losing such an important figure in her life. This grief changes her in a way that takes her down a dark path: Alys abandons much of her former life, lashes out at the people around her and wants to erase herself in order to keep her brother alive. Her arc through this sorrow struck a chord with me. If I would lose one of my loved ones, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself and cling hopelessly to whatever’s left of them. This understanding makes her journey immensely human and realistic. At the core, Abraham tells a story about how if you lose yourself in your rage and grief when you can’t accept death, that sorrow will swallow you whole. That feeling can get so intense it’s paralysing and pulls you into a never-ending cycle of melancholy and pain.

The message of loyalty is an equally important theme in the book. This is most evident in the characters of Sammish and Saffa. For both women, love binds them to the important people in their lives but the internal struggle they face because of it, differs wildly. Sammish must learn that loyalty is a two-way street; it can make you lose sight of your own happiness when you give more than you receive. Her adoration for Alys drives Sammish to help her in any way she can at her own expense. Making Alys notice her becomes more important than surviving. Through constant rejection, she notices her destructive behaviour and realises that you can’t help someone who doesn’t want help. If only she could understand that moving on is the healthy thing to do. Saffa, on the other hand, fights with tooth and nail to protect her loved ones. In leaving her life behind and risking everything to save them, she shows the unconditional and unrelenting side of loyalty.and love It’s so inspiring to see Saffa sacrifice her own wellbeing for someone else. Abraham shows two sides of the same coin but never indicates that there’s only one right path.

Alys’ journey through grief is well developed on page and lifelike but I feel conflicted about her character. To me, she’s not very likeable and so I don’t empathise with Alys as much as I would like. It’s frustrating to read about her when she makes mistakes, pushes Sammish away and associates with people who clearly don’t have her best interests at heart. I wouldn’t follow that path myself which makes it harder to feel like I'm walking in her shoes. Abraham probably made Alys intentionally unlikable. Intense sorrow can change someone for the worse and cause them to rage at the world. Her character arc only feels complete and satisfying because Alys goes through those hardships and grows in spite of them. I know this but that doesn’t alter the fact that I only sympathise with her on a surface level. That feeling of truly understanding someone is why I read so consequently Alys’ emotional moments aren’t as impactful. Sammish and Saffa however do resonate with me on a deeper level; since their actions & demeanour are more in line with my own. So they’re characters I could latch onto.

“Kithamar is an unforgiving city. The common wisdom states that it was founded on hatred, but this is a misunderstanding. In truth, it was founded on hunger, and there are many kinds of hunger at its heart.”

From the first line of the book, I immediately get a sense of the foreboding, yet hauntingly beautiful nature of the story I’m about to embark on. I’m getting immersed straight away. Abraham accomplishes this predominantly through the use of poetic and descriptive language. This creates a bewitching atmosphere as if the city is a living, breathing thing. It feels as though Kithamar becomes a character in and of itself. It’s evident that the author put a lot of effort in fleshing out the rituals, practises and traditions of the city. The immersive writing blends together with the meticulous worldbuilding to provide a feeling that the city has existed for millenia and has a rich history. This all enhances the story, characters and ambiance in a meaningful way.

In conclusion, Age of Ash is a must-read if you love layered characters, intriguing worldbuilding and the in-depth exploration of heavy themes. I believe this new book to be the start of another stellar trilogy by Abraham.This story has so much to offer and the more the mystery unfolded, the more intrigued I became. I’m eagerly awaiting the continuation of this personal, evocative journey through Kithamar. There is still so much left unanswered, I simply have to keep reading and I’m certain I'll enjoy every minute of it.

To me, this is the story of two girls who have to learn how to deal with grief...

I really liked this book. It's fast paced, an intriguing plot and I really liked the characters. My only “problem” with it is that we only get a glimpse of what is going on in Green Hills and with some important side characters. But I think the next books will show us that.

Looking forward to book 2!

Age of Ash is the first in Daniel Abraham's new epic fantasy trilogy - Kithamar. This is my first outing into Abraham's novels that wasn't The Expanse and I can honestly say it won't be my last journey to Kithamar.

This story is set in beloved Kithamar, a city so rich and full of beautiful history that has a tale to tell for each resident but a sinister secret at its very core that is kept hidden. We start in the slums of Longhill, home to two thieves - Alys and Sammish - who succumb to political and magical intrigue of this journey. When Alys' brother Darro is killed, she sets on a rampage of revenge. Sammish tries to guide her through the struggle but the more they learn the truth, the more our thieves realise that there is more to save than just themselves.

I do adore a story centred around a heist that involves action and humour. Abraham certainly creates a slow start to Age of Ash that is character driven but the action that we do get is an intense change. Abraham has created characters with such deep depth that indulge loss and grief that it really drew me to these characters and that can be a hard thing to do in such epic stories. The point of views could have been intertwined better as I did feel disconnected at times but they do fall into place the longer the novel goes on. Abraham has a knack for perfectly detailed imagery and with each description that was written there was a clear image in my head of the scenery. Kithamar is brought to the forefront of this and we can tell that Abraham is an atmospheric writer who knows how to take words from page to mind.

I did find myself noticing how slow and lacking the book was at times. For as much as the book was detailed and packed, the lack of action left me more eager for conflict and more of this would have held my attention more. There is no denying that this is an exquisitely written, character-driven story that focuses on grief and secrets. Abraham has lured me into this series already and I cannot wait to see where this goes.

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy for a free, unbiased, and honest opinion
I was really excited to read this book partly because the author is one half of James S. A Corey who created the complex world of The Expanse and I wasn’t disappointed.
The author’s writing is lyrical and lush and bring to life the seediness, the culture the bustle of the slum like Longhill. The story is a little slow to start off with, but I liked that as it gave me time to enjoy the world of Kithamar which plays an important role literally in the overall story.
The story is told from several points of view, the main ones being Alys a common thief and Sammish her friend who is secretly in love with her. The fact that they are girls is no way an impediment to the paths they choose once Alys brother is killed unexpectedly- a fact I found refreshing compared to a lot of other fantasies set in similar worlds. Alys becomes a violent enforcer for Andomaka, a mysterious royal and Sammish finds herself helping a mother looking for a lost son. The two plots collide in spectacular way at the end of the book.
This book focusses on how grief can affect a person. All Alys actions are driven by her overwhelming grief for her brother and her difficulty in coping with this.
There are no cliffhangers at the end of the book but the story for the next book is neatly set up.
Content warning
Murder of a child, missing child, grief for a sibling and son
Perfect for fans of
The City We Became
Summary
I enjoyed this book despite the slow start and will be reading the next book
Note for publisher- I will be publishing this review on my blog on the 21st of February 22

I hadn't read anything by Daniel Abraham before and this was quite a good experience.

It was a good mix between world-building and the story being told.

There isn't a huge amount of magic in this book but what little there is really suits the story.

The story is told from several different points of view including of the main protagonist which is quite interesting.

It was a good setup for the next book in the series with a promise of politicing to come without ending in a cliff hanger.

I will definitely read book 2 when it comes out.

First of all I would like to thank Little Brown (and Netgalley) for providing me with a free copy of the book for an honest an unbiased review.

This novel tells the story of Alys, a poor teen from the slums of Kithamar, whose brother's murder opens a pandora's box of events that take Alys on an adventure and a journey of self discovery. The main thing I liked about the book is the ambiguity of the moral compass of its characters, which is always good to read. The main character is actually quite unsympathetic, immature, and childish, and perhaps not unlike many other teenagers who might find themselves in similar circumstances. Overall, it's also an ok story with an ok plot. It's a solid entry novel for fantasy novices into the world of fantasy.

There are a few things that someone who's read their fair share of fantasy might find less exciting. For full disclosure - I'm writing the following remarks with a few specific novels that somehow remind me of this one at the back of my mind (specifically, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Lynch, The Final Empire by Sanderson, Among Thieves by Kuhn). There are a few reasons I didn't really like this book and had to stop mid way through:
1) the worldbuilding was lacklustre. Nothing really wrong about it, but there was also little to make it stand out. Another city with a complex history. Another world with a bit of magic at the edges. Etc etc
2) the plot overall didn't feel new enough. I just couldn't understand why it was worth spending my time on another teenager filled with righteous anger and psychopathic tendencies.
3) the character building was quite weak. Alys's motivations feel a bit raw. Yes - vengeance, but it feels like there's nothing else. The character comes across as very one-dimensional. The few remarks there are about other parts of her psyche (e.g,. sex interests) are made in an off hand way and never get properly developed. Her companion seems to be mostly dominated by an obsession with Alys and nothing much more, which feels a bit reductive. While love and lust are indeed important motivators, so is hunger and need for warmth. Something about this character also comes across as too shallow as well.
4) the dialogues don't feel real. They oscillate, in my view, between the Hollywood b-movie script, and journalistic delivery. There's little warmth or nuance. It feels contrived and dry. The discussions don't leave the impression of real relationships.

My main disappointment is frankly my own fault. Perhaps I expected too much from a known collaborator of George R R Martin and one half of James S. A. Corey, I wanted crisp and witty dialogue, engaging characters who make me care about them despite their flaws, and worldbuilding that permeates my dreams. This didn't happen.

Age of Ash follows the tale of the city of Kithamar during a tumultous time in history with assassinations, rivalling gangs and religous cults abound. We mainly follow Alys, a young thief from the slums who sets out to avenge the murder of her brother and learn who killed him and why. As she uncovers more about her brother and his secrets, she inadvertenly peels back the layers of a conspiracy that threatens the entire city. Alys and her allies (some old friends, some relcutant, some trushworthy and some not) must choose whether the dark truths that lie at the heart of the city are worth the danger in confronting them.

This book is a really fun ride full of intrigue, backstabbing and self discovery as we follow Alys and her journey. I really enjoyed the overall pace and tone of the story, the city of Kithamar is quite a grim place but the author decribes it in a way that makes it very easy to imagine and creates an excellent atmosphere that isn't quite grim dark but you can feel the tension and sweltering oppression of the city lurking in the background. The story unfolds gradually as we discover the layers of mystery that lay at the dark heart of Kithamar but you are kept enagaged the whole time and at no point did the pacing feel jagged (ie rushed/too slow).

I liked some of the side characters as well, we also get quite a bit of Sammish's POV, one of Alys childhood friends who is secretly in love with her (love a bit of sapphic pining T_T) who is trying to save Alys from herself for a lot of the book, whihc is often a fruitless task. I liked seeing their friendship and all the angst alongside the exploration of how high political stakes and constant threat put close relationships under a lot of strain.

We also get the POVs of some of the "bad guys" which I honestly really enjoyed and thought added an extra layer of dimension to the story.

I feel like my only criticism of the book is that I didn't feel super connected to the characters. I thought they were very likeable and compelling to follow but something held me back from completely falling in love with them and hence enjoying the book that little bit more! Also I don't think this book is super action packed/battle heavy but rather is more about the intrigue and mystery - I actually prefer this but I just wanted to raise it so you know what to expect!

Overall a very promising start to what is an exciting new fantasy series full of lots of familiar and comforting elements while still feeling like its own book.

Kithamar runs on the life blood of its people, all of them from the very wealthy to the very poor, and maybe something more

We follow Alys - emo queen of bad decisions

and Sammish - who is way too tired to be dealing with everything - and by everything I mean Alys' bad decisions.

In the beginning we don’t know much, apart from the hardship the characters see and face everyday from children. They need to make money to buy food and they will do that anyway they can - running cons and cutting purses.

They know as little as we do about magic, riches and crafted daggers. Then something happens that thrusts Alys, and through her Sammish, into a world where the decisions they used to make seem easy and nothing is certain

A great slow paced fantasy willed with morally grey characters, old gods and even older magic.

I really enjoyed this book, though there were at times were I was wishing that the suspense and mystery would give way to action sooner - the descriptions and world building started to drag slightly. But the action when it does come is enrapturing and definitely worth the wait. The plot twists and turns and so do the characters !

(Massive thanks to Daniel Abraham and Orbit publishing for the opportunity to read this book !)

The writing is indeed special and original, Daniel Abraham creates a collage of characters, situations and scenes inside Kithamar that is very hard to follow at the beginning. Although it is tricky to follow, the story pays off as it progresses, the style clicks in and the pacing turns into something comfortable. I found this title to be a difficult one to review, since it has so many (I mean, SO MANY) layers that it demands a re-read. It will be definetly worth it to try again once I have my Hardback.