The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett has now made its splash on this side of the pond, in the United States.
And it seems like it was a large enough splash to create more than a few ripples!
A great deal goes into a book release, and even more goes into a great book release both here in the US and in the UK. A fantastic cover in both countries. Check. An artful book layout in both countries. Check. Excellent publicity in both countries. Check. But above all, a great yarn!
Check!
Well, some bloggers out there on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean are heralding The Warded Man and I had to share what some of them are saying! Here are some short excerpts from bloggers who have reviewed The Warded Man (titled The Painted Man in the UK) with links to their reviews, followed by some thoughts from Peat about the Wards that make up his series:
- A Dribble of Ink: “As debut novels go, Brett’s The Warded Man stands among the best.”
- Grasping For the Wind: “I cannot recommend The Warded Man highly enough.”
- Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review: “Not only did I enjoy what I’d read but I’m left in the position of eagerly waiting to find out what’s to come…”
- Dave Brenden’s Fantasy & Sci-Fi Weblog: “You will find yourself reading late into the evening, hoping beyond hope that the wards will hold, hoping that you will not be cored when you finish the novel, you may find yourself thinking that the wait for Book Two may be too long.”
- Blood of the Muse: “Let’s get this out of the way first. The Warded Man is the best debut novel since Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind.”
Here is Peat on the magic in his book:
| Magic is what defines a fantasy story. In some, it permeates the lives of the characters, and in others it is rare and mysterious. Some stories restrict it to items, or mythic beasts, and in others it is a raw power that can do most anything. How magic should work in a story is something an author must consider carefully before sitting down to write. In The Warded Man, I wanted to limit the use of magic so that neither the characters nor I could use it as a crutch. I thought about how almost every culture has symbols of power meant to ward off evil, bring good fortune, or curse one’s enemies, and decided to expand upon that idea. What if those symbols really held power? What if the “evil” they held at bay was very real, and patiently waiting for a gap to open in their protective field? And so I developed ward magic, a complex system of interconnected symbols meant to hold back the corelings, demons of enormous power who rose when the sun set to besiege humanity, imprisoning them until dawn. Ward magic defines the lives and society of the characters, but without conveying them special advantages in their dealings with one another, and making it clear to the reader that magic isn’t going to sweep in and save the day when all else has failed. While designing my website, I hired an artist to create a number of wards of protection based on the story. After much discussion, we settled on a style that combined Asian character writing with Middle Eastern Hindi and Arabic script. These symbols have become a unifying design element in all translations of my work, featured prominently on book covers, and in temporary tattoos and other promotional material. The symbol on the cover of The Warded Man is a ward of protection against flame demons. — Peter V. Brett
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Read a Special Extended Excerpt with introduction from Anne Lesley Groell, Senior Editor Del Rey/Spectra.
Don’t you think it is time to read The Warded Man and see for yourself!
Cool! Sounds like an excellent book. I’ll have to get it. I like the fact that in this article you also manage to convey some writing advice from Peat about use of magic. The corelings sound really interesting and I’m looking forward to getting this book. Have you read it yet and if so what were your favorite parts?
It is a fun book! I have to say that my favorite part was the Krasion maze battle and the accounts of both Arlen’s and Rojer’s first time out in the woods at night.
Great stuff.
It’s a great book, although I’m not feeling the love for my own review, Shawn
http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2008/09/painted-man-by-peter-v-brett.html