Great characters, telling the story from many different viewpoints. I want to know more about this world.

A Plague of Giants (Seven Kennings #1) by Kevin Hearne is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I adore Hearne's Druid series! I couldn't wait to read this but it is nothing like what I was expecting. It started out with about ten characters each telling something in their own chapter apiece, then a kind of summary chapter putting some of this together. Then another round of several characters each having their own chapters then a summary chapter and repeating. Lots of strange names for characters that was hard to keep straight. The way it was told was not appealing to me at all. I am a big fan of his but I won't be following this series, which this book...wait for it...has to be continued! Yes, I hate books that don't finish! ugh! I love you Mr Hearne but I will stick with the Iron Druid. I can't keep up with the many levels of color codes and all of that. Thanks for letting me try the book NetGalley. I do adore the book cover, super awesome!

I requested this title from NetGalley because I love Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid Chronicles. This is not the Iron Druid Chronicles.

Hearne introduced an interesting new world. There are Keenings and giants and unexplored countries... It sounded very promising and exciting.

The writing style was different than what I was used to. It's told through a bard performing for a group of refugees, with the bard taking on the "seeming" of the characters and switching between them to tell the story of the war. I thought it was a fantastic idea, fun and new.
Then I tried to read it.
It really seemed to slow the pace way down. Everything was in the past tense. It was a "How we got here" kind of thing. Which is interesting. But there was also a story about the bard and the man who was copying the stories down for record, which happened in the present.
The switching between the characters pulled me out of the story and never allowed me to develop a connection to them. It took me a while to even feel any real interest in them because I knew it would be switching to another character shortly.

If I'm really honest, this was just okay for me. I struggled so hard even starting it. I actually read about 3 chapters and put it down. If it weren't for the simple fact that this was an ARC Read-for-Review, I would have DNF'd it. I'm glad I stuck with it, though. The ending saved a little for me but at the same time, left some pretty big questions unanswered. I'm just not sure if I'll be back for book 2 to hear them.




ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review

Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
To all Iron Druid fans, this is nothing like the Atticus novels (which are spectacular)! Plague of Giants still has the feel of Hearne's writing, filled with passion and humor but the story is unlike anything I've read before.
Hearne has created a wonderful world of magic and giants, and abilities that we all dream of as children (and still secretly do as adults). The whole book is a mental treat, akin to summer evenings sitting around the campfire, listening to the best storyteller in town tell the stories that everyone has been eagerly anticipating.
I highly recommend this book, and I am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series!

The book was interesting. I did have difficulty following along at times. I found myself rereading parts at times. I did enjoy the story and will follow the series.

In this exciting new series Keven Hearne has created a fantastic world where anything can happen and usually does. Travel with a talented Bard with a fun sense of the absurd and a quiet historian who is to spy to determine if the Bard is a spy. And while this tale may echo some of the headlines in todays news we can guarantee you will enjoy this story more. This is epic fantasy at its finest.

Well…this is one of the hardest novels to rate that I have ever experienced. It is at times, absolutely brilliant and at other times, maddeningly frustrating.

First, the positives:

The author, Kevin Hearne, well beloved for his urban fantasy series, "The Iron Druid Chronicles", has proven time and again that he is a master of detail and can weave a great plot. For this new series, “The Seven Kennings” trilogy, he has created an amazing and fascinating world with a well-thought-out magic system. This is true epic fantasy, and in his own words, the plot summarizes as follows:

“A continent that has enjoyed centuries of peace is abruptly attacked by two different giant armies and its people must figure out how to stop forces that appear unstoppable. It’s a second-world fantasy and has nothing in common with Iron Druid — this is a completely new thing. And it’s truly epic, twice as long as any of my Iron Druid books at 624 pages.”

The characters are well-designed, unique from each other in every aspect and come from different cultural backgrounds based on their locale and or access to the various kennings (sources of various types of magical powers). This is a world I would like to know much more about and discover more about how it all fits together.

I love it when an author breaks the mold. Especially an author who is immensely popular for a certain style and then takes risks anyway to explore his/her own passions. Hearne’s storytelling technique in this novel (and presumably for the following two books) most definitely breaks the mold. He uses a bard to tell most of the story…a framing device for a much larger tale…a bard that each day tells the story of the attack of the giants to an audience of refugees. The really cool thing about this bard is that he can physically transform into the person whose point-of-view he is currently relating, including all of their memories he has been privy to. So each day, the bard transforms into 2 or 3 or 4 different people and tells the story of the attack from very personal viewpoints. There is also an intriguing spy plot to the novel and in fact, a major aspect of the novel is the very nature of the bard himself who becomes an unreliable narrator. We readers must decide whether or not he is trustworthy with a true, necessary, and even cathartic tale to tell or if he is peddling lies.

Sounds wonderful but unfortunately, most of it just didn’t work well for me. We readers are plunged right into the middle of the action from the get-go and exposed to dozens and dozens of unfamiliar terms, including place names, character names, strange terminology, etc., all supporting the world building more than the story itself. I am no stranger to dense or challenging fantasy and I feel comfortable that this sort of opening will all mesh together and gel before long. But that didn’t happen here, at least not for a long while. For the first half of the novel, I came close to giving up on it several times.

Since the bard takes on the persona of whomever is telling the tale, he is always describing events from a first-person perspective. While this can lead to more empathy with characters in normally-constructed novels, here it adds to the confusion. No matter which character you’re reading about it is always “I” did this and “I” saw that. These individual stories are also told in a non-chronological order so the time frames also get confusing. And since this is fundamentally a story about war, many of the characters suffer severely and/or die. That’s Ok with me except that sometimes we’ll be sailing along with a character only to have the viewpoint switch and find out that the previous character has just been killed. I never really felt connected to most of the characters and so didn’t really care too much for their fates, a sure sign that all is not well for the book.

So, yes, I was frustrated for most of the first half of the book and I really only kept reading because I did identify with a couple of the characters and was interested in their stories. But the second half of the book did, finally start to gel and I began to gain a better understanding of how all the moving parts fit together. The complete story of what was transpiring and to whom was becoming clear. I wish I had book two ready to go, mainly for fear that I will need to learn all of this over again, a chore I am not relishing. I will have to decide if I am willing to undertake that effort or if I will stop here and pursue other works.

So…to the rating: 2 stars (at best) for the first 25-50%, and 4 stars for the second half. Some sections, particularly near the end when we finally get to experience the battle below “Godsteeth” are definitely in 5-star territory. But taken as a whole, I must settle on 3 stars.

I love this world! The cultures built around the elements are rich and easy to live in. The characters are strong and well defined.

Difficult to get into...very different from the other series.

As an avid reader of the Iron Druid series, I was unprepared for Hearne's new venture. I read about 10% of the book and was bored with the story. The novel centers around a war, and is told by several voices, each telling their part of the same story and portrayed by one bard. It builds slowly and has none of the wit or humor that I associate with the author. I think it will find an audience, but I don't think the novel is for me.

The format of the writing was very distracting. I felt their were way too many characters and I lost interest about 200 pages in. I do not plan to finish reading this book.

Hearne writes a complex and masterfully detailed plot of a world where you risk your life to gain magic and you use your life up to use it. Diverse and original, with intense world building, A Plague of Giants is definitely one of a kind read.

I loved how the storyteller took the form of each character transferring the dictation to a semi- “first-person” point of view. I loved the entire concept but in the end, I struggled with this one. 3.5 stars for me.

It took me a while to find myself intrigued and even longer to find myself drawn in. I'm chalking it up to it being the first in a new series with lots of world building. The overall concept is there and makes you want to go on. But even the conclusion left a lot open-ended, which I'm assuming is for the next installment, but still leaving me feel there was just not enough.

I received this ARC copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Del Rey. This is my honest and voluntary review. A Plague of Giants is set for publication October 3, 2017.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Written by: Kevin Hearne
Print Length: 640 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Sold by: Random House LLC
Genre: High Fantasy

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I love immersing myself in a well-constructed world, and Kevin Hearne took me there in A Plague of Giants, the first in a new fantasy series, Seven Kennings. No stranger to world-building, Hearne begins his story with the story of how the kingdom was invaded by giants and introduces us right away to the characters who will carry to story forward. For sure, this is dense, epic fantasy replete with unusual place and person names and people blessed with special gifts. The complex language and landscape alone will likely put off casual fantasy readers, but die-hards will lap this up. I look forward to the next entry in the series. Recommended.

As a fan of the Iron Druid Chronicles, I had high hopes for this new series by Hearne.

The writing is fantastical and intricate. There were so many different characters and places and all of them had their own language, gifts and then there were the giants.

It was a lot of work to try to remember everyone and who was who. I have to say that this is one series I think I'll pass on. Even my husband who is a huge fan, couldn't get past the first chapter.

If you are a fan of Hearne, definitely give it a read! It may be just your cup of tea!

“A Plague of Giants” is Hearne’s first entry in a new fantasy series. This entry novel is a perfect illustration of the old adage, “War is Hell.”

This reviewer has enjoyed Hearne’s novels for several years, and eagerly looked forward to this new novel. Unfortunately, this novel is written in a manner which this reviewer is prejudiced against. As the first novel in a new series, the novel had too many differing points of view. Switching to a different character for each chapter makes it extremely difficult for a reader to feel engaged with any character. At times, I considered abandoning the novel in favor of another story. There was zero investment in any character until reading a little more than 30% of the novel. For many, that is 20% too much.

After 30%, the novel became a pure joy to read. There were some characters more interesting than others. This made it tedious reading some points of view when it really wanted to get back to the interesting characters. This made “Giants” a page-turner at times.

I would love to give this novel a four or five-star review. I liked it, I truly did; however, given the issue of too many multiple points of view for the first novel in a new series, I believe a three-star rating is a better overall rating.

The series has huge potential and I look forward to seeing where this story will go.

Note: An ARC was received from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’ve been reading Kevin Hearne for a few years now (his Iron Druid Chronicles), so when I saw that he had a new series coming out I really wanted to see what it was all about. Plague of Giants is the first book in a new series that examines the path to war in a fantastical world where “blessed” people are granted special powers.

When I first started the book, I was a bit confused because you are kind of dumped into a fantasy realm with little to no background about what is going on at all. Although I found this a big jarring because a few “technical” terms are used within the first few pages and it takes a bit of catching up, you are eventually drawn into the whole store seamlessly.

The story is really told primarily from two basic vantage points. The main character that drives the story forward is a storytelling bard who has the ability to transform into anyone and tell the story from that person’s perspective. It’s this constant shifting in perspectives that allows you to get a real feeling of the history of the main conflict from people all across their known world. The second vantage point happens more in real time and is a scholar who has been tasked with capturing the bard’s stories for posterity. Admittedly, there’s a bit more intrigue than just simply writing a story, but you get a general idea about how this book progresses.

As for my review, I enjoyed it once I got into it. It was kind of fun to get swept up into a new fantasy world with its own rules and guidelines in fashion similar to some of the best “word creators” out there (C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, etc.). I also enjoy how Hearne tackles a variety of modern issues (including a number of lesbian and gay issues) from the vantage point of a completely different world with its own unique value structures, norms, and traditions. I would definitely recommend to anyone who has a desire to read fun, interesting, and unique fantasy.

I was very excited to read this novel. The storytelling is similar to The Name of the Wind but way denser. This book had great character and world building. A Plague of Giants is well-crafted and entertaining. I would recommend to high fantasy fans.

I love Kevin Hearne's other series and was excited to get a ARC of this new one. I wish I loved it but I just could not get into the story. It was a did not finish. I would pick it up, read some and put it back down to read something I liked betters. For me it was a disappointment

The nation of Bryn was devastated by an invasion by previously unknown giants while Ghurana Nent faced invasion by giants who claimed to be refugees from a volcanic eruption. To help the people of Brynt understand how the wars have unfolded so far and allow the leaders of surrounding nations to develop a plan for how to respond, a bard tells the history of the war in nightly installments.

With wars unfolding on multiple fronts simultaneously, the plot proceeds at a relentless pace. The world building and magic system are intriguing, but it is the characters who truly make this story shine. Using the bard - Fintan - and his interactions with a local "minder" to frame the story makes the multiple narrators more relatable and engaging. By choosing only pivotal episodes from each character's life to show the unfolding of the war, each character quickly emerges as a complex individual. The bard's interactions with his host make it clear that while he is much better informed than locals, he is not omniscient and he may not be as reliable as he is trying to appear. At the same time, the bard's brief introductions to each night's tale helped keep a robust cast of characters grounded in their appropriate context and time.

HIGHLY recommended for fantasy fans.

In another world full of humans and hominids, humans and giants have existed (more or less) in a uneasy détente for many years. However, a new race of giants from a previously uncontacted land has shown up and is single-mindedly tearing up jack up and down the coastline, wiping out entire villages.

The tale of the giants, and how the different societies of people rose up to try and fight them back, is told through the viewpoint of a bard, a man "blessed" with the ability to memorize stories and perform them back in the body and voice of the original teller. The tales tell of people blessed with several different elemental magics, such as affinity to trees, water, fire, air, etc., specific to the lands where they live. These magics, while powerful, exact a great price -- extreme feats are fueled by taking away part of the user's lifespan, visibly aging or even killing them.

What do I know -- I'm just a huge nerd -- but this has the potential to be one of those beloved series that sticks around forever and ever and colleges host trivia nights about it and there will eventually be a movie or TV series that is really good, but nowhere near as good as we all think it should have been.

Anywho- engaging and addictive, this first in a new series will transport readers into a new world that will be difficult to leave. Characters are fully fleshed out and complex, and the multiple points of view strengthens the story. The only downside to reading this book is that there is not yet a book two, and withdrawal will be harsh.

Bonus: my personal favorite character was a nerdy little man wearing a mustard stained tunic who has no magical abilities whatsoever, but who has the most intriguing storyline due entirely to his intelligence and reluctant bravery. Extra points to any fantasy novel that has intriguing normal humans.