The Siege of Skyhold
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-15 08:30:59
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：John Bierce
- ISBN：B08XW7C4FF
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The Havath Dominion is marching to war。
Humiliated in the ruins of Imperial Ithos， the Exile Splinter stolen from their grasp by the ancient sphinx Kanderon Crux， Havath's Duarchs have assembled an army that dwarfs the entire population of Skyhold。 Led by their Great Powers， monsters and mages individually capable of leveling a city， they pose a threat that even Kanderon， one of the mightiest of Great Powers， and her equally monstrous allies might be unable to stop。
As the Havathi forces push closer and closer to Skyhold， Hugh and his friends train relentlessly， hoping to make a difference in the oncoming siege。 While they venture into dangerous realms of untested experimental magic， though， they're already caught up in currents far beyond their control。
Once you're a pawn in the games of the Great Powers， there's no escape。
Humiliated in the ruins of Imperial Ithos， the Exile Splinter stolen from their grasp by the ancient sphinx Kanderon Crux， Havath's Duarchs have assembled an army that dwarfs the entire population of Skyhold。 Led by their Great Powers， monsters and mages individually capable of leveling a city， they pose a threat that even Kanderon， one of the mightiest of Great Powers， and her equally monstrous allies might be unable to stop。
As the Havathi forces push closer and closer to Skyhold， Hugh and his friends train relentlessly， hoping to make a difference in the oncoming siege。 While they venture into dangerous realms of untested experimental magic， though， they're already caught up in currents far beyond their control。
Once you're a pawn in the games of the Great Powers， there's no escape。
Reviews
Aaron
，
Awesome continuation of the seriesPossibly the best book in the series。 Action， adventure， romance， Mackerel， and battles between great powers。 Really enjoyed reading this。
Tiuri
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Shocking， sad， intriguing， infuriating， funny。。。 I'm not sure which adjective best describes this book and I can think of a few more that apply。 Shocking， sad， intriguing， infuriating， funny。。。 I'm not sure which adjective best describes this book and I can think of a few more that apply。 。。。more
Hope Bolton
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This review will probably be spoilery， nothing major， but you have been warned！！！ I literally just finished this and oh。 my。 word。 I cannot even。 AHHHHHOkay， starting at the beginning lol。 The Siege of Skyhold picks up shortly after where The Lost City of Ithos left off， with the apprentice mages recovering from the gruelling battle they just survived。 Everyone's a little shaken and channeling that， in typical progression fantasy style， into getting guder。 The first half of this book is dedic This review will probably be spoilery， nothing major， but you have been warned！！！ I literally just finished this and oh。 my。 word。 I cannot even。 AHHHHHOkay， starting at the beginning lol。 The Siege of Skyhold picks up shortly after where The Lost City of Ithos left off， with the apprentice mages recovering from the gruelling battle they just survived。 Everyone's a little shaken and channeling that， in typical progression fantasy style， into getting guder。 The first half of this book is dedicated to that process， with everyone focusing in on different areas。 Sabae is working on her lightning affinity， previously subject to the same neglect as her healing affinity。 Talia is busy coming up with something typically gruesome。 Godrick is struggling to come up with armour that will take him once and for all out of his father's shadow， and Hugh is doing a thing with wards。 It's， as always， fun to watch them all working and experimenting with the exceedingly complicated magic system of Mage Errant， and whilst there are definitely times where the exposition dumps drag， they do just sort of come with the territory in this series - someone clearly likes them if Bierce keeps leaving them in， skim reading them doesn't leave the reader at too much of a disadvantage when it comes to following the plot， and they do add a level of credence to the feeling of Skyhold very much being a school as opposed to just a place to have adventures。 One thing I would have liked to have seen be explored more would be the psychological impact of what they all went through。 We get a couple of scenes of this， but it isn't really consistent。 We're told rather than shown in a lot of cases how this is affecting everyone。 The exception to this would be Sabae， who is definitely one of the more consistently interesting characters。 Her quest to free herself and her friends from the manipulations of the great powers is engaging and ties neatly into both the revelation she had at the end of TLCoI and the final twist of the book。 Her arc is the one we're getting to see some of the broader political themes through， and it's very interesting。 Also she continues to be a disaster bi and I love it。 Aside from the main four， the other two characters I really enjoyed were Kanderon and Loarna of The Vault， especially the friendship and respect between them。 Kanderon is perhaps the most shaken of all by the events of the last book， and it's clear why whilst also being clever foreshadowing。 Pacted to Hugh， she is now more than ever realising just how vulnerable that leaves her - not just physically， but emotionally。 Loarna is a character we never actually saw in person before this book， and we quickly find out why。 She also has social anxiety， as well as an autism spectrum disorder。 As someone who also struggles with pretty bad social anxiety， it was really heartwarming to see the way everyone is just accepting of the accommodations she needs to be able to do her job， and it was nice to see her connecting with Hugh over that shared struggle。 The way Mage Errant handles disability has hands down always been utterly fantastic and miles ahead of any other sff I've personally read when it comes to this topic， and this book really takes the cake。 In combination with Hugh's use of his spellbook to talk whilst he recovers and the continuing theme of the main cast having to work around their magical encumberments， this book gives some really cool examples of how magic can be used to creatively explore disability accommodations as opposed to disability cures。 And then， we come to the second half of the book。 Which OMG WTF AHHHHHHHHHH This was one of those books that had me screaming into my pillow at THE SHEER AUDACITY。 I don't want to spoil anything， so won't go into specifics， other than to say OH MY WORD。 It's rare to find a twist as well executed as this one was - so many elements that had been hinted at beforehand just coalescing for the perfect gut punch that feels as true to the characters it is devastating。 The only thing I really have to say beyond that is this - where the fudge is book six？ 。。。more
Bender
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The book picks up nicely from end of Book 4 and we see the conflict between Kanderon and Havathi Empire coming to a head。 As the blurb says， the Havathi’s have mounted a massive invasion and despite all the spying and advance preparations， the invalid force dwarves anything anyone including Kanderon expected， leaving Skyhold in a desperate battle to survive against overwhelming odds。This is actually a book of two parts。 The first 70% is all about the Siege itself， the preparations and the antici The book picks up nicely from end of Book 4 and we see the conflict between Kanderon and Havathi Empire coming to a head。 As the blurb says， the Havathi’s have mounted a massive invasion and despite all the spying and advance preparations， the invalid force dwarves anything anyone including Kanderon expected， leaving Skyhold in a desperate battle to survive against overwhelming odds。This is actually a book of two parts。 The first 70% is all about the Siege itself， the preparations and the anticipation。 It’s kind of a slow burn which fits the psych of people in Skyhold as news filters about their mounting losses in initial engagements and progressive dampening of morale of its residents。 People are scared， they are losing hope by the day。 This has a more serious impact on our group of protagonists。 The battle in Imperial Ithos at end of book 4 has made them realize the harsh realities of real life conflicts。 The brutal truths about killing and getting near-killed themselves turns them from happy adventure seekers to a more jaded veterans as they seek to battle their internal fears and doubts。 The transition is done really well， and we get to see our team debating the necessity of dubious ethics and morality associated with their fight and macro situation across the world。 They realize that the line between good and evil isn’t as clear cut as their believed and stress of their actions having fallen into the grey area in-between takes its toll on them。 Though we get some classic battles in-between， the pacing is a bit heavy and slow。 Though it fits the overall feel of the book， in hindsight this could have been tightened up and made more taut。The last 30% makes up for the pacing of the early segments as the battle begins。 Then the roller coaster ride begins and we get pages and pages of glorious actions and epic battle scenes…oh， loved it！ This is probably the epic-est of the battle scenes in the series and we get tons of Great Powers going at each other。 Brilliant chaos。 Most of the previously names Great Powers and some new ones go all out。 The scale of fight is truly massive and has everything a battle loving adrenalin junkie reader like me could hope for。At the end…let’s just say both the plot direction and decision of the author left me speechless in bittersweet surprise。 Definitely NOT what I’d have expected from John or from the Mage Errant’s。 I can’t wait for the next book。 Get cracking， John！ 。。。more
Francis Blair
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Note: My review is based off a beta copy， however I wouldn't expect anything to change significantly between now and release。So the short version of this review is this: Read this book！ At all costs， read this book！Longer （spoiler-free） version: Wow。 Just。。。 wow。 I thought I knew what I was getting myself into based on the previous books in this series。 A group of teenagers learn to use their powers in various clever ways， all the while growing closer to each other as they face off against a my Note: My review is based off a beta copy， however I wouldn't expect anything to change significantly between now and release。So the short version of this review is this: Read this book！ At all costs， read this book！Longer （spoiler-free） version: Wow。 Just。。。 wow。 I thought I knew what I was getting myself into based on the previous books in this series。 A group of teenagers learn to use their powers in various clever ways， all the while growing closer to each other as they face off against a myriad of different problems arrayed against them。 They got lost in a labyrinth， stopped a draconion coup， helped fend off a daemon invasion， and then stole one of the most powerful artifacts away from the largest empire in the world。 All par-for-the-course stuff for a bunch of magical teenagers， right？And for the first half of The Siege of Skyhold， my expectations were met。 The book starts out right where the last one left off， with Hugh and his friends dealing with the fallout from taking on the Havath Dominion。 They get tasked with with various tasks （of which continuing their education remains one of the key facets）， all while the aforementioned Dominion draws ever closer to their school， bent on getting revenge or reclaiming the artifact or whatever reason is needed at a given moment to justify their expansion and conquest of the known world。 There is even a good bit of time spent by several characters delving into these reasons， and what exactly both empires and greater powers mean for the world at large。 All blended seamlessly with the action， and giving the book a nice feeling that it has a lot more going on just beneath the surface。Then the titular siege begins， and all bets were off。 I've read some amazing battle scenes in my time， some that were so immense and over the top they were hard to conceptualize。 This one blew all of them away， and then got even crazier about five more times。What could very easily have been a confusing mass of different characters clashing their powers against each other until everything was lost in the chaos was instead done as an expertly choreographed series of chapters， with each participant on the Skyhold side being constantly pushed to think quickly and outside the box to save themselves。 Never was I as a reader left in the weeds， wondering what was happening to someone， as the action moved forward quickly and decisively， and yet there was SO MUCH of it。 This was an epic battle to end all battles， the perfect culmination of what Bierce has been building towards with introducing characters and factions through four other books。Then there were the last two chapters， which I will not spoil other to say that I may have to spend some time rocking myself in a corner before I'll be anywhere close to emotionally moving past。 This book was epic in the grandest sense of the term， and yet the ending still managed to defy my expectations and leave me both hungering for the next volume， and desperately， desperately afraid for what Bierce has in store。So yeah， I imagine if you're reading this， you're already a fan of Mage Errant。 Go read the next book as soon as its out。 And if it's out already， what are you doing wasting time reading my far inferior words， when you could be enjoying Siege of Skyhold？（Oh， and in the spirit of posting an honest review， I must note that this book did not （view spoiler）[contain any further information or expansion concerning the development of a cheese affinity， for which I am immeasurably sad。 （hide spoiler）] If you can get over this grievous oversight， then please， by all means， read the book。） 。。。more
Sundeep
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Link to my blog postAs a lucky beta reader， I get to read the book early。 I note down my reactions per chapter and highlight any typos I catch。 I'm not a fast reader， so these additional steps do not affect my reading enjoyment much。 But my beta reading role certainly takes a hit during fast paced portions of the book。Coming to the review， the series just keeps getting better。 "The Siege of Skyhold" picks up immediately after the events at the end of book 4 （which I re-read as a preparation for Link to my blog postAs a lucky beta reader， I get to read the book early。 I note down my reactions per chapter and highlight any typos I catch。 I'm not a fast reader， so these additional steps do not affect my reading enjoyment much。 But my beta reading role certainly takes a hit during fast paced portions of the book。Coming to the review， the series just keeps getting better。 "The Siege of Skyhold" picks up immediately after the events at the end of book 4 （which I re-read as a preparation for this book）。 As the title gives away， the setting moves back to Skyhold and we get to see events related to the impending siege。 The author does a great job of showing various preparations and how it affects the daily functioning of the university， the mindset of students， etc。 The uncertainty was palpable。To nobody's surprise， Hugh and his friends want to get involved， beyond their student responsibilities。 Their team dynamic continued to be one of my favorite parts of this series， along with worldbuilding and other characters （old and new）。 Once the siege started， I didn't want to stop reading。 I stayed up late finishing the book， causing minor eye strain 👀👓 （despite knowing this would happen， which is why I usually go to sleep well before 10PM）。Subtle foreshadowing was another of my favorite things about "Into the Labyrinth"。 We got a pleasant surprise at the end of "The Lost City of Ithos"。 By the end of book 5， you'll get to see various clues planted right from book 1 come to fruition and a few hints of things to come。 。。。more
Travis Riddle
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I'm not gonna say much， because it's hard not to spoil things otherwise， but The Siege of Skyhold contains probably the most insane， epic battle I've read in fantasy。 I guess it's not a spoiler to say that there's a siege in this。 It's in the title， after all。 The book can basically be divided into two parts: before the siege， and the siege。 Both are really masterfully handled， and the reason for that largely boils down to Bierce's skill with worldbuilding。 While a large portion of the book can I'm not gonna say much， because it's hard not to spoil things otherwise， but The Siege of Skyhold contains probably the most insane， epic battle I've read in fantasy。 I guess it's not a spoiler to say that there's a siege in this。 It's in the title， after all。 The book can basically be divided into two parts: before the siege， and the siege。 Both are really masterfully handled， and the reason for that largely boils down to Bierce's skill with worldbuilding。 While a large portion of the book can be summed up as the characters just "waiting，" this section is never dull。 Whether we're watching relationships grow and deepen between characters old and new， or mastering new magical techniques， or learning about aspects of the world， it's always compelling and keeps you engaged。 The amount of detail Bierce has put into this world's magic， its cultures， and its history always astounds me， and it's on full display here。 Not to mention the breadcrumbs he's laying that help set up the big battle and the future of the series。 Then in the battle， somehow Bierce is able to keep every chapter feeling fresh and exciting despite the amount of pages this thing lasts。 There are so many wild setpieces， filled with a huge number of colorful characters （both human and non-）， you're barely given a chance to catch your breath before the next one comes along。 But with such a huge， varied cast that all possess wildly different abilities， Bierce's cleverness in how the characters employ them and how he matches opponents up together never gets anywhere near dull。 It's not just endless pages of the same type of action over and over again; there's something new and unexpected， both small- and large-scale， happening on every page。 But action is nothing without emotional stakes， and I'll simply say that the book delivers this in spades as well。 I won't say any more， though！ With The Siege of Skyhold， John Bierce has once more topped his own action and worldbuilding while setting up what will surely prove to be an epic final act of the Mage Errant series。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Siege of Skyhold
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Siege of Skyhold&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Siege of Skyhold&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0