15 replies to this topic

[Werthead]

France, 1633. Cardinal Richelieu is the most powerful and feared man in France, overseeing the affairs of the kingdom from Paris. His current priority is to prevent war from breaking out between France and Spain whilst France is militarily distracted in the Low Countries. To this end, at the request of the Spanish crown he reforms an elite band of men and women known as the Cardinal's Blades and gives them a delicate mission that will strengthen the ties between the two countries. For Captain La Fargue the restitution of the Blades is a great opportunity, but as he re-gathers his former soldiers it becomes clear that a very complicated game is afoot, designed to see Europe crushed under the dominance of an ancient foe...

The Cardinal's Blades is the first in a series of books recounting the adventures of the titular military force, set in an alternate-history Europe where humans live alongside the spawn of dragons. Originally published in France in 2007, the novel has been translated into English by Tom Clegg, who seems to have done a good job. This is a swashbuckling novel packed with rooftop chases, back-alley swordfights, epic tavern brawls, clandestine roadside meetings in coaches and cool diplomatic exchanges between men of power where what is left unsaid can be as important as what is voiced. It's somewhere between Dumas and The Seven Samurai with a bit of the Dirty Dozen thrown in as well (and, contrary to some earlier buzz on the book, nothing at all to do with Temeraire; these dragons ain't talking sky ponies).

The book is cleverly written. The first third or so of the book sees the introduction of numerous characters, most of whom are pretty shady and disposed to violence. It's clear that this is the 'captain getting his old soldiers back together for a new mission' section, and it's fun working out which characters are the good guys and bad guys (and getting it wrong half the time). In fact, Pevel keeps the reader guessing about that right through the book, as various characters are pulled in different directions and even the apparent heroes' loyalties are sometimes murky. Rapid-fire chapters and changes between location and groups of characters can sometimes be disorienting, but after a while the book finds a rhythm which keeps the pages ticking by nicely as the nature of the conspiracy against France and Spain is made clear and various characters' true loyalties are revealed. The book is rich in historical detail, plunging the reader into 17th Century Paris and its environs quite convincingly, and the fact that sometimes chapters at a time go by with no reference to the draconic storyline can occasionally make you forget that you are reading a fantasy work at all.

There aren't that many problems. The book is quite obviously the first in a series and whilst the main storyline is resolved, quite a few character arcs break off in mid-flow, some just as they're getting interesting. The rapid-fire chapters at the start of the book can be a bit confusing and ironically this is one book that would benefit from a dramatis personae, but doesn't have one. Keeping track of who is who can be a problem, as dozens of characters are introduced in a fairly short space of time. However, as the book settles down halfway through, this ceases to be an issue.

Overall, The Cardinal's Blades (****) is a rollicking good book, full of action, adventure, mystery and some quite delicious intrigue. The book will be available on 19 November in the UK in hardcover and trade paperback, and on import in the USA. A sequel, The Alchemist in the Shadows, follows next year.

[beniowa]

Good review, Wert! I'm looking forward to my copy when it shows up in the mail.

[Brady]

Definitely sounds like a lot of fun. Is Richelieu in it much, Wert? I always found him fascinating.

[Werthead]

Brady, on Nov 14 2009, 02.38, said:

Definitely sounds like a lot of fun. Is Richelieu in it much, Wert? I always found him fascinating.

Not in it a huge amount, maybe 5-6 scenes, but he's quite well portrayed when he does show up. He comes across as a mix of Tywin Lannister and the Patrician from the Discworld books, which works quite well.

[niamh ni Forlán]

God I'm a sucker for Louis XIII stories. Will I ever get sick of them?
Very warily, I'd like to read it. What's the title in french? I ain't reading a translation :P

[Werthead]

niamh O'Toole, on Nov 14 2009, 20.19, said:

God I'm a sucker for Louis XIII stories. Will I ever get sick of them?
Very warily, I'd like to read it. What's the title in french? I ain't reading a translation :P

Les Lames du Cardinal, I believe. The second one is already out in France as well.

[niamh ni Forlán]

Cool. I'll get my mum to buy them as she's coming next week.

Wanna spoilers on book 2? :PPP

[Galactus]

Sounds like fun. But what's the french doing in the Low Countries in '33? (the Low Countries who I might add, are controlled by Spain in the time period, so I'm generally befuddled here, shouldn't Armand be too busy paying us to fight the Emperor?)

[Werthead]

Galactus, on Nov 15 2009, 17.18, said:

Sounds like fun. But what's the french doing in the Low Countries in '33? (the Low Countries who I might add, are controlled by Spain in the time period, so I'm generally befuddled here, shouldn't Armand be too busy paying us to fight the Emperor?)

Ah, my mistake. I think Richelieu mentioned Lorraine and the Holy Roman Empire as the regions where he thinks France might be engaged in warfare, so he has to keep Spain off France's back.

Of course, it is an alternate history, so not everything is going to track with established history. There are a couple of hints that England is more powerful than she really was at this time, possibly to do with dragons, and at one point Richelieu has to set free a proven traitor to the French crown to avoid offending England (although of course this might just be because again France can't afford to fight England at the same time as being engaged against the Empire).

[Werthead]

Book 2: The Alchemist in the Shadows

Quote

France, 1633. A secretive female agent, known as La Donna, is wanted for crimes across Europe. When she stumbles across a draconic conspiracy aimed at the French throne, she asks for a pardon from Cardinal Richelieu in return for the disclosure of her intelligence. Whilst Richelieu's agents and La Donna engage in a verbal battle of wills, the Cardinal's Blades are assigned to uncovering the extent and nature of the conspiracy before it can be set into motion, only to learn that the formidable Black Claw agent known as 'The Alchemist' is involved.

The opening novel in the Cardinal's Blades series was a fun, swashbuckling adventure which combined elements of Dumas with dragons to great effect. This second novel is a somewhat different beast. The first book seemed to establish a potential formula, with the Cardinal's Blades being made aware of a threat and moving to counter it, a formula which could generate quite a few novels before feeling tired. Interestingly, the second novel ups the ante and moves events onto a larger and more apocalyptic scale before ending on a cruel cliffhanger just as the plot starts to really get going. The result is a book which is, at least compared to its predecessor, somewhat disappointing for much of its length and then abruptly ends just as it catches fire.

Part of the problem is that the book lacks the clear structure of the first one. In the first novel the Blades were gradually re-recruited by Captain La Fargue, assembled and then unleashed against a formidable enemy. In this volume the Blades seem to be more at the whims of fate and luck than working effectively as a team (the book sees the Blades off on their own missions for much of its length, with a corresponding lack of the banter and camaraderie of the first novel). Some character arcs are continued from the first novel, although bafflingly the major cliffhanger of the first book is only briefly referred to and then dismissed, which makes me wonder why it was included in the first place. Held back until later, it would have been more powerful and effective. Characterisation is also uneven, with Leprat, Laincourt and Saint-Lucq being satisfyingly developed whilst Marciac simply doesn't have much to do. The character of La Donna is introduced, becomes fascinating, and then vacates the storyline with little forewarning, with even her much-referred-to verbal fencing skills being reported rather than shown directly, which is a disappointment.

This lack of depth is frustrating, given the evident skill Pevel has in other areas. 17th Century Paris is again vividly described and Pevel has some skill depicting political intrigue, whilst there are more swashbuckling swordfights, rooftop chases (amusingly slightly subverted here) and dastardly carriage escapes by moonlight, all mightily enjoyable, but generally they arrive fairly late in the day after many pages of fairly workmanlike plotting. The Alchemist in the Shadows simply lacks the je'nai sais quoi that made the first volume so much fun, only showing signs of its predecessor's verve and energy towards the (well-realised) conclusion and the cruel cliffhanger.

The Alchemist in the Shadows (***) will be released on 16 September 2010 in the UK.

[Myrddin]

Thanks for the reminder. I just pre-ordered tCB, which is being released in the US in October.

[Jussi]

Book three in the series, The Dragon Arcarna, will be published in October:
http://www.amazon.co...97858168&sr=1-1


Pevel has a new novel coming out also in September 2012. The Three Prince War is unrelated to The Cardinal's Blades. Here is the blurb:

Quote

Pierre Pevel has written a fantasy Dumas novel, and now he's bringing all the skills of a historical fantasy writer to an epic stage. In the wake of Martin and Gemmell, his new project charts a dynastic power struggle between three brothers.

When the King dies his will, to everyone's surprise, leaves the throne to the second of his three sons. It's a surprising choice, and a worrying one as it coincides with a prophecy: that the succession will lead to war, chaos and the undoing of the entire nation. It's something his eldest son can't allow to happen... so he challenges his brother's right to rule – as does the youngest son, with the full support of the Church behind him.

But while the prophecy itself is clear, it's not so clear which prince it's referring to. Lorn knows which side he's on: his King chose a sucessor, and Lorn is going to fight to the last to place him on the throne. Honouring that last wish is the right thing to do; Lorn is also fighting for his best friend and the man he believes should be king.

But belief is one thing, victory in politics and war is another and the odds are against them. Worse: with every passing day the prophecies grow darker, and a land already torn by civil war is easy pickings for an invasion...

http://www.amazon.co...97858227&sr=1-1

[Dagger]

Werthead, on 13 November 2009 - 05:16 PM, said:

[url="http://thewertzone.blogspot.com/2009/11/cardinals-blades-by-pierre-pevel.html"]nothing at all to do with Temeraire; these dragons ain't talking sky ponies

You won me right there.

[Garlan the Gallant]

Loved the first two. Can't wait for the third (already pre-ordered). Anecdote: I had to make a character guide for the series because I was so confused by the French names.

[Datepalm]

Garlan the Gallant, on 19 February 2011 - 10:48 PM, said:

Loved the first two. Can't wait for the third (already pre-ordered). Anecdote: I had to make a character guide for the series because I was so confused by the French names.

Could you share it? I'm not entirely lost, but at some point, well, all those people started sounding alike.


I really enjoyed the book, though I thought it started a bit better than it finished. Things got a bit too hectic and stuff that had been built up to be really important (reunions, etc) kind of went over without notice, and some characters got slightly short shrift. Really just feels like part one of a longer book.

I did find the moral logic, for lack of a better term, kind of odd. Maybe its not really the right way to look at what is clearly supposed to be a fairly light hearted story, but I was expecting something more interesting with Saint-Luc, after he kills the clerk-guy. Which I thought I was supposed to take as obviously A Bad Thing, but then he's just kind of revealed to be a good guy, and no further questions asked. Well, maybe its in the next book - the ending did leave an awful lot of character stuff hanging.

[Garlan the Gallant]

Datepalm, on 14 April 2011 - 03:25 PM, said:

Could you share it? I'm not entirely lost, but at some point, well, all those people started sounding alike.


I really enjoyed the book, though I thought it started a bit better than it finished. Things got a bit too hectic and stuff that had been built up to be really important (reunions, etc) kind of went over without notice, and some characters got slightly short shrift. Really just feels like part one of a longer book.

I did find the moral logic, for lack of a better term, kind of odd. Maybe its not really the right way to look at what is clearly supposed to be a fairly light hearted story, but I was expecting something more interesting with Saint-Luc, after he kills the clerk-guy. Which I thought I was supposed to take as obviously A Bad Thing, but then he's just kind of revealed to be a good guy, and no further questions asked. Well, maybe its in the next book - the ending did leave an awful lot of character stuff hanging.

Sure!


The French

The Cardinal
Cardinal Richelieu (Armand-Jean du Plessis): The Cardinal; the King’s confidant
Pere Joseph: The Cardinal’s confidant
Charpentier: The Cardinal’s secretary

The Cardinal’s Blades
Captain Etienne La Fargue: Captain of the Cardinal’s Blades
Antoine Leprat: Ex-member of the King’s Musketeers; Lieutenant of the Cardinal’s Blades
Agnes de Vaudreiul: A baroness; a member of the Cardinal’s Blades
Saint-Lucq: A half-breed; a member of the Cardinal’s Blades
Almades Lorbois: A fencing master; a Spaniard; a member of the Cardinal’s Blades
Nicolas Marciac: A duelist; Gascon; a ladies man; a member of the Cardinal’s Blades
Ballardieu: A veteran and friend of Agnes; a member of the Cardinal’s Blades
Bretteville: A member of the Cardinal’s Blades; deceased
Arnaud de Laincourt: Ex-officer of the Cardinal’s Guard; double agent (Black Claw) truly working for the Cardinal; new member of the Cardinal’s Blades
Guibot: The Cardinal’s Blades’ guard
Nais: The Cardinal’s Blades’ cook; a mute

The Cardinal’s Guard
Brussand: A veteran of the Cardinal’s Guard
Neuvelle: A new entry in the Cardinal’s Guard

The Cardinal’s Spies
Rochefort: The Cardinal’s spy and assassin

The King’s Musketeers
Captian de Treville: Captain of the King’s Musketeers
Athos: A member of the King’s Musketeers

Cour Des Miracles
Grand Coestre: The leader of the Cour Des Miracles
Grangier: An Archisuppot of the Cour Des Miracles; an ex-priest
Tranchelard: A member of the Cour des Miracles; a thug

Friends of Our Heroes
Cecile: La Fargue’s daughter
Jean Delormel: A Fencing master; a friend of La Fargue
Marion: Surrogate mother to Agnes
Vicomte d’Orvand: A friend of Marciac
Gabrielle: Marciac’s mistress

Other Frenchman
La Rabier: A moneylender
Monsier Lorbois: A fencing provost
Lucien Baileux: A notary
Guerante: A noble’s son
Urbain Gaget: Owner of the Dragonet Messenger Service; in the Cardinal’s employ
Madame De Sovange: An owner of a gambling house

The Spanish
Chevalier d’Ireban: Heir to a Spainish Grandee; truly Gabriele
Castilla: D’Ireban’s companion; a duelist; deceased
Comte de Pontevedra: A Spaniard; ex-Cardinal Blade member; a traitor
Ignacio: Pontevedra’s confidant

The Black Claw
Vicomtesse de Malicorne: A descendant of the Ancestral Dragons; a member of the Black Claw
Marguis de Ganiere: A member of the Black Claw
Saint-Georges: Ex-Captain of the Cardinal’s Guard; a member of the Black Claw; deceased
Malencontre: In the employ of the Black Claw
Savelda: A member of the Black Claw: loyal to the Grand Lodge; a spy