Fantasy

The Black Coast

The Black Coast

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  • Create Date：2021-06-26 09:56:04
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Mike Brooks
  • ISBN：0356513912
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Summary

The Black Coast is the start of a series filled with war-dragons， armoured knights， sea-faring raiders， dangerous magic and battle scenes。

When the citizens of Black Keep see ships on the horizon， terror takes them， for they know who is coming: for generations， Black Keep has been raided by the fearsome clanspeople of Iwernia。 Saddling their war dragons， the Naridans rush to defend their home only to discover that the clanspeople have not come to pillage at all。 Driven from their own homeland by the rise of a daemonic despot who prophesies the end of the world， they have come in search of a new home。 Meanwhile the wider continent of Narida is lurching toward war。 Black Keep is about to be caught in the cross-fire of the coming war for the world – if only its new mismatched society can survive。

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Reviews

Gemma ✨ a bookish blether ，

I didn’t know anything about the author， very little about the plot and essentially picked this book based on the absolutely beautiful cover。 I eventually picked it up physically after finishing my arc because I loved the book and its cover so much。 The first couple chapters had me hooked。 A desperate clan， similar to Vikings， crosses the sea to try and make peace with the land they normally plunder。 Turns out they are in need of refuge from their home。 And now a town that considers these invad I didn’t know anything about the author， very little about the plot and essentially picked this book based on the absolutely beautiful cover。 I eventually picked it up physically after finishing my arc because I loved the book and its cover so much。 The first couple chapters had me hooked。 A desperate clan， similar to Vikings， crosses the sea to try and make peace with the land they normally plunder。 Turns out they are in need of refuge from their home。 And now a town that considers these invaders as their enemies has to find a harmony with their new neighbours。 That premise alone had me requesting the arc。 From there， the character really shone through in this book。 I found myself attached to multiple characters and their understanding of their cultures。 One of the reasons this book was so enjoyable was the clash of the cultures and it was done with plenty of attention to detail to both cultures。 Typically in fantasy books the world building is dense at the beginning and peters out over the course of the book but in this one due to the nature of the plot it was continuously evolving and developing as I read。 I’m sure the book will keep evolving as the sequels release， and I can’t wait to read the next one。 。。。more

luci ，

4。5/5 stars If you're looking for big battles and lots of actions this fantasy certainly has them in small dosis; but if what you're looking for the most is a story about two cultures having to coexist after knowing anything but war and prejudice against each other， all of it while diving in a rich worldbuilding with dragons （sort of？）， several genders， prophecies and political conspiracy then this one is definitely for you。 It was refreshing how queernorm this world feels: not only an entire cu 4。5/5 stars If you're looking for big battles and lots of actions this fantasy certainly has them in small dosis; but if what you're looking for the most is a story about two cultures having to coexist after knowing anything but war and prejudice against each other， all of it while diving in a rich worldbuilding with dragons （sort of？）， several genders， prophecies and political conspiracy then this one is definitely for you。 It was refreshing how queernorm this world feels: not only an entire culture had six genders but also same sex marriage and adoption were totally normal。 Well， in one of the cultures at least。 It's important to point out that both homophobia and sexism are present in two of the cultures portrayed but was confronted and actually addressed with views to their full eradication。But if I had to choose my favorite element from The Black Coast， that would definitely be the worldbuilding and characters which were both excellent but for a few exceptions （one of the POVs in particular was a bit of a drag） that still did not overshadow the amazing time I had reading this book。 Can't wait to pick up the second book！ 。。。more

James Green ，

For generations the people of Blackkeep have kept a watchful eye out over the seas for Raiders coming to burn and plunder。 While they have dragon knights to protect them the Raiders are born warriors so the fights are rarely even。 So when the largest fleet anyone has ever seen appears on the horizon tings look bleak for the defenders。 Meanwhile in the north a plot is underway to wipe out a family of pretenders to the throne who endanger the kingdom's stability。On the one hand this is pretty stan For generations the people of Blackkeep have kept a watchful eye out over the seas for Raiders coming to burn and plunder。 While they have dragon knights to protect them the Raiders are born warriors so the fights are rarely even。 So when the largest fleet anyone has ever seen appears on the horizon tings look bleak for the defenders。 Meanwhile in the north a plot is underway to wipe out a family of pretenders to the throne who endanger the kingdom's stability。On the one hand this is pretty standard low（ish） fantasy fare。 Vikings fighting dragon （dinosaur） riding knights while assassin and thieves run about in fantasy Venice。 Which should be not seen as a criticism as there is nothing wrong with that kind of story when told well （as this one is） fantasy is by its nature a genre with a shared set of toys that everyone gets to play with and that's all good and fine。 But it's the second hand that Brooks really shines， and that is the parts of the book that deal with three well realised and satisfying cultures coming into conflict with each other。 Not clashes of arms but of ideas。I would really recommend this to any reader who wants something familiar that is innovative too。 。。。more

Spencer ，

With 'The Black Coast，' Mike Brooks has given us an interesting epic fantasy series opener。 What I love about it are the substantive details in his worldbuilding， specifically within the illustration and interplay between cultures， which will pique the interest of any linguist/linguistic anthropologist fantasy readers out there。 For example， one regional group interprets gender identity and expression completely differently than the binary gender-normative， with several different genders which a With 'The Black Coast，' Mike Brooks has given us an interesting epic fantasy series opener。 What I love about it are the substantive details in his worldbuilding， specifically within the illustration and interplay between cultures， which will pique the interest of any linguist/linguistic anthropologist fantasy readers out there。 For example， one regional group interprets gender identity and expression completely differently than the binary gender-normative， with several different genders which are expressed with tonally-inflected pronouns， which Brooks has marked using diacritics in the text。 Another culture's linguistic norms preclude the usage of personal pronouns， demanding the use of third-person， even when referring to oneself， according to strict social hierarchy。 Beyond the language-based aspects of the various cultures， the story is ripe with sociocultural conflict and examination of several keystone human social constructs around which taboos and biases abound: gender identity and norms， sexuality， socioeconomic structure， political structure， religious structure， class structure， etc。These issues are examined via a POV that shifts among protagonists from each of the various cultural groups。 Each group is satisfyingly grey and complex， with flawed characters。 Perspective is lent even to a character of the group of clear antagonists in the story。 Overall， the perspectives are balanced: enough POV characters to make it complex and interesting， not enough to be confusing or overwhelming。 Some might argue that certain characters or relationships were not as well developed， making it harder to identify with them。 This may be true to an extent， but Brooks clearly set up those characters to be featured more prominently in a sequel or sequels， and one could argue that developing all of the characters equally would have yielded a bloated story。Brooks's prose was clear， with good pacing， flow， and just enough detail。 The battle scenes， in particular， stand out to me: they are excellent， with every movement and reaction vividly detailed。Also， there are dragons。 Rendered in believable， dinosaurish， land-based form， they strike a nice balance between the mystical and the mundane。In all， a by-no-means perfect but by-all-means compelling read， and I look forward to the sequel。4 stars， worth it！ 。。。more

MacKenzie ，

This is a well-woven tale of different cultures coming together and overcoming difficulties。 Chapters are told from different character’s points of view as needed。 While this can be a tiresome structure when some characters or places are comparatively underdeveloped， this book did not suffer from skippable chapters。 Each segment of the story was exciting and fun to read。 I was particularly intrigued by the diversity of cultures in the novel， all of which had unique and well-developed languages， This is a well-woven tale of different cultures coming together and overcoming difficulties。 Chapters are told from different character’s points of view as needed。 While this can be a tiresome structure when some characters or places are comparatively underdeveloped， this book did not suffer from skippable chapters。 Each segment of the story was exciting and fun to read。 I was particularly intrigued by the diversity of cultures in the novel， all of which had unique and well-developed languages， etiquettes， governments， and customs。 Along with those customs， gender， sexuality， and equality were explored in a different and logical manner。 The dragons in this book are as diverse and interesting as the humans， and I look forward to learning more about this complex world。 Thankfully， most of the various plot lines were at good stopping points at the end of the book， so readers won’t be dying as they await the next installment。 。。。more

Simoné Eloff ，

ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。Epic fantasy readers， rejoice！In The Black Coast， you get:- A solid start to an epic fantasy series- Varying and rich cultures- Imaginative language structures- Political intrigue- Multiple POVs across comfortably short chapters- The requisite （and let's face it， indispensable） romantic entanglements- Dragons （but dinosaurs， I think？）- Perfectly balanced world building- Fantastic and thoughtful LGBTQ+ rep- Seemingly all-consuming battle ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。Epic fantasy readers， rejoice！In The Black Coast， you get:- A solid start to an epic fantasy series- Varying and rich cultures- Imaginative language structures- Political intrigue- Multiple POVs across comfortably short chapters- The requisite （and let's face it， indispensable） romantic entanglements- Dragons （but dinosaurs， I think？）- Perfectly balanced world building- Fantastic and thoughtful LGBTQ+ rep- Seemingly all-consuming battles and conflicts that actually pale in comparison to the little-referred to but horrifically looming threat behind it all （á la the White Walkers in GoT）- Some good ol' life lessons （why can't everyone just get along？！）- An author who is as comfortable writing about his own made-up world as he probably is describing the real one （sounds like a given， but it isn't always the case in fantasy）I think all of the above speaks for itself， but I'll just end my review by saying: I enjoyed the living crap out of this， and I WANT MORE。 。。。more

Tom Mathews ，

One of the things that authors love about fantasy and science fiction is that they can introduce new dynamics into a story without having to conform to the norms and strictures of existing society。 In my review of The Left Hand of Darkness， I expressed doubt that Ursula K。 Le Guin was a science fiction writer， saying “I suspect that she is really a sociologist who writes about how people interact in societies， using imaginary distant worlds as the medium by which she explores how her subjects re One of the things that authors love about fantasy and science fiction is that they can introduce new dynamics into a story without having to conform to the norms and strictures of existing society。 In my review of The Left Hand of Darkness， I expressed doubt that Ursula K。 Le Guin was a science fiction writer， saying “I suspect that she is really a sociologist who writes about how people interact in societies， using imaginary distant worlds as the medium by which she explores how her subjects react in a given situation。” Written in 1969， when the concept of gender dysphoria was in its infancy， LDoH successfully managed to discuss gender identity without creating a controversy。 In the first book of a new series， Mike Brooks is using the same tactics to again address gender identity。 As with Le Guin， readers can easily read and enjoy this story without focusing on gender issues， but for those who want more meat in their fiction， Brooks delivers。 The story has two distinct story lines。 In the first， Tjakorshan raiders （think Vikings） land their ships near Black Keep， a Naridan village （think England） causing panic until the Tjakorshan chieftain explains that they are not there to plunder。 They only wish to settle。 Fearing that if they refuse， they would all be slaughtered， The Naridans grudgingly agree。 The social dynamics between these two peoples makes this story a lot of fun to read。 What is most interesting is that when disagreements occur， they do not happen in the way that most readers will expect。 The staunchly religious Naridans thought nothing of same sex relationships but thought of women practicing the healing arts as witches。 The pagan Tjakorshan， on the other hand， considered homosexual relationships an abomination that should be punished harshly。 Is it possible for populations so different to coexist peacefully？ There is only one way to find out。 In the other story line， assassins are sent to kill a potential claimant to the God-King’s throne。 In this country， there are four genders， based on both biology and self-identification， which known by the accent over the words ‘shè’， ‘shé’， ‘hè’ and ‘hé’。 It’s an intriguing idea that suggests that the differences between peoples can be simultaneously slight and consequential。 Bottom line: I thoroughly enjoyed this book although I found the chapters set in Black Keep more entertaining。 I look forward to reading future volumes in this series。* This review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review。 While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review， it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review。FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:*5 Stars – Nothing at all。 If it ain’t broke， don’t fix it。*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is。s *3 Stars – A solid C grade。 Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable。*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work。 A good start would be to change the plot， the character development， the writing style and the ending。 *1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire。 。。。more

Alejandro Montero ，

Great， fun read that has left me wanting more。 Can't wait for the next one！ Great， fun read that has left me wanting more。 Can't wait for the next one！ 。。。more

Anna ，

This book oozes love for the fantasy genre and the concept of peaceful coexistence - and I am here for it。

jane mckinnon ，

SuperbExcellent realistic world building。 Closest I’ve seen to George r r Martin and game of thrones。 Would make great HBO series。 Believable differing cultures， great battle fight scenes， dragons！！， cross between Vikings and Game of Thrones！！'！ SuperbExcellent realistic world building。 Closest I’ve seen to George r r Martin and game of thrones。 Would make great HBO series。 Believable differing cultures， great battle fight scenes， dragons！！， cross between Vikings and Game of Thrones！！'！ 。。。more

Thieving Magpie ，

Dragons？ CheckVikings？ CheckMore than two genders？ Check。Same-sex marriage accepted？ Check。The Black Coast was almost， almost the perfect fantasy novel for me。 I greatly enjoyed reading this books; I loved the characters， the writing， the storyline - however， there were a couple of this that resulted in me cutting a star off the raiting。Firstly， the fact that the characters referred to themselves in the third person - not really a reason， just an observation， but I can't say it really bothered m Dragons？ CheckVikings？ CheckMore than two genders？ Check。Same-sex marriage accepted？ Check。The Black Coast was almost， almost the perfect fantasy novel for me。 I greatly enjoyed reading this books; I loved the characters， the writing， the storyline - however， there were a couple of this that resulted in me cutting a star off the raiting。Firstly， the fact that the characters referred to themselves in the third person - not really a reason， just an observation， but I can't say it really bothered me。 It was unusual at first， but after a couple of pages you get used to it。Point two， which really bothered me: I wanted more of The Reader， whose first name I do not dare to spell because I am vertain I will be doing it wrong。 He is the God-King， after all， and then he's being reduced to some short mention during the prologue？ Sad， really sad。。。Point three， the too similar names of Sannah and Zhanna。 At least give it some different pronounciation。 Point Four - was it really neccesary to throw two knew POVs in the final part of the book？ I was quite comfortable with the existing cast of characters， thank you very much。。。 Nontheless， a great， great book which I will return to while keeping an axious lookout for book two！I received a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Sarmat Chowdhury ，

*dnf* There was too much going on， and I did not appreciate the appropriation of Chinese/Asian culture by a white author， even one who is queer and neuro divergent

Bob ，

Summary: Former enemies seek refuge with the people of Black Keep against a backdrop of political infighting， intrigue around the succession of the God-King， and the rise of a sinister power。The sight of the ships stirred alarm among the Naridans living in Black Keep。 Decimated by plague and remember the last visit of the Tjakorsha raiders， they prepare for a desperate fight。 Then leaders of the Tjakorsha come ahead under a flag of parley。 Lord Asrel and his sons Darel and Daimon come to meet th Summary: Former enemies seek refuge with the people of Black Keep against a backdrop of political infighting， intrigue around the succession of the God-King， and the rise of a sinister power。The sight of the ships stirred alarm among the Naridans living in Black Keep。 Decimated by plague and remember the last visit of the Tjakorsha raiders， they prepare for a desperate fight。 Then leaders of the Tjakorsha come ahead under a flag of parley。 Lord Asrel and his sons Darel and Daimon come to meet them。 Saana Sattistutar， the woman warrior leading the clan doesn’t propose surrender， but rather peaceful co-existence of their two peoples。 Asrel breaks the truce of the parley in striking out against the Tjalkorsha。 Slaughter and a war resulting in the likely defeat of the Naridans is averted by Daimon， Asrel’s adopted son， who takes charge， imprisoning his brother and father。One of the most fascinating aspects of this book， the first in The God-King Chronicles， are the encounter of these two peoples， two cultures with two differing religions， two differing moral codes。 The Tjakorsha have men and women who only mate with each other。 The Naridans have six shades of gender between any two of which sex is acceptable。 Yet Narida is patriarchal while Tjakorsha’s women lead and fight alongside men。 Are their differences too great for co-existence to be possible。Daimon and Saana try to work out their differences， against a backdrop of other events that could change their world。 Conspirators from Black Creek send an emissary to report on the blasphemous alliance of the two peoples， with the objects of bringing a force of Naridans who could end up wiping out both peoples， except for the conspirators。 Then their are the concerns of the family of the God-King。 Natan， the current God-King loves men， and has no successor。 His sister is far more Machiavellian than he， recognizing the threat of the Splinter King， and acts to remove it while a rich young man becomes romantically involved with the thief who had picked his pocket。 The most sinister of all is the demonic tyrant， The Golden， who subjected all the Tjakorsha except for Saana’s clan， who fled。 His lieutenant， Rikkut is sent with a large force after her， another threat to Saana’s people and those of the Black Keep。This book caught me by surprise。 It started out with Natan and Tila which was kind of ho-hum until the scene shifts to the confrontation of those of the Black Keep and the Tjakorsha。 For a while it was hard to keep all the different characters and plotlines straight， and then it started making sense and I found myself getting more and more drawn into the world Brooks was building。 Then there are the war dragons and the kraiks， sea monsters that threaten every voyage！ The cultures， the creatures， the characters， and the plot all come together to make this a page-turner。 Even secondary characters like Darel or Saana’s daughter Zhanna are interesting and play crucial roles。Dang， another series to follow！ But this looks to be a good one。________________________________Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley。 The opinions I have expressed are my own。 。。。more

Taylor ，

5 stars。This book is SO GOOD。 Brooks uses three distinct societies to demonstrate how those seemingly diametrically opposed to each other can reconcile differences if the proper effort is put forth。 We follow an adopted son of a lord， a raider chief， a god-king’s sister， and a street-smart thief as they navigate a world that pushes them out of their comfort zones。 Throw in a world populated by dragons reminiscent of How to Train your Dragon， and fantastically written battle scenes， and this book 5 stars。This book is SO GOOD。 Brooks uses three distinct societies to demonstrate how those seemingly diametrically opposed to each other can reconcile differences if the proper effort is put forth。 We follow an adopted son of a lord， a raider chief， a god-king’s sister， and a street-smart thief as they navigate a world that pushes them out of their comfort zones。 Throw in a world populated by dragons reminiscent of How to Train your Dragon， and fantastically written battle scenes， and this book was just a joy to consume。 Outside of this main theme of intercultural connection， the political machinations and moving pieces put in place for book two have me so excited to continue this series！ The finale of this book was a little too perfectly tied up for my taste， but that one flaw wasn’t enough to take away from the other 600 pages of pure enjoyment I got from this book。 I will now make it my mission to have as many people read this as possible。 。。。more

Katherine ，

This first volume of The God-King Chronicles sets out an original， dense， convoluted and interesting world of people who fight others simply because they are different or through a lack of understanding。 I was quickly drawn into this world and enjoyed the alternating chapters telling of the different groups which at first were confusing but eventually became clear。 I look forward to seeing how they all relate in forthcoming volumes that follow #theblackcoast。 Thank you to #netgalley and the publ This first volume of The God-King Chronicles sets out an original， dense， convoluted and interesting world of people who fight others simply because they are different or through a lack of understanding。 I was quickly drawn into this world and enjoyed the alternating chapters telling of the different groups which at first were confusing but eventually became clear。 I look forward to seeing how they all relate in forthcoming volumes that follow #theblackcoast。 Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this ARC。 。。。more

Hedwig ，

Really enjoyed this！ Fab look at the ways different cultures interact。 Also there were dragons。 Can't go wrong with some dragons 😀 Really enjoyed this！ Fab look at the ways different cultures interact。 Also there were dragons。 Can't go wrong with some dragons 😀 。。。more

Annarella ，

Loved， loved， loved！ It's the excellent start for a new fantasy series， a gripping and highly entertaining story。I loved the excellent world building and characters and the plot that kept me hooked。Can't wait to read the next book in this series。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine。 Loved， loved， loved！ It's the excellent start for a new fantasy series， a gripping and highly entertaining story。I loved the excellent world building and characters and the plot that kept me hooked。Can't wait to read the next book in this series。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine。 。。。more

Eileen ，

4。5 starsThis took me a long time to read， not because it was bad， but because other priorities came up。 Still， I just finished and it was a very satisfying read。 Although this story has the usual fantasy themes of different factions fighting for power， a God-King in one land and a Demon King in another （well， it's a Draug， but you get the idea）， plenty of battles， and different cultures clashing as some fight to live peaceably， the author also takes on the theme of gender fluidity， in a way tha 4。5 starsThis took me a long time to read， not because it was bad， but because other priorities came up。 Still， I just finished and it was a very satisfying read。 Although this story has the usual fantasy themes of different factions fighting for power， a God-King in one land and a Demon King in another （well， it's a Draug， but you get the idea）， plenty of battles， and different cultures clashing as some fight to live peaceably， the author also takes on the theme of gender fluidity， in a way that I haven't seen before。 Yes， I've read other books that cover the same theme， but he gave a lot of thought to it， to the length that one country has 5 or 6 genders depending on how you count it。 He explains some of this at the very beginning in an excerpt from a book that adds more information at the beginning of some of the chapters。 There are several storylines in this book， some of which don't develop very much， but will likely move forward in future books。 Most of this book centered around Damian and Saana， which is good， because they were definitely my favorite part of the story。 There were times I became frustrated by the interruptions of the other characters， but as we moved further into the story， I could see why their story is being told and how it will affect the world of Damian and Saana， and I found that I didn't mind the interruptions quite as much。 Ultimately， I would say this book was about two very different cultures with natural hate for each other and leaders of each group working desperately to find a way to live together。 I felt the author really succeeded in telling this story and I honestly didn't want it to end。 I look forward to future books in this series because I got enough of a taste of what's going on outside the world of Blackcreek to want to know what's going to happen next。 Would I recommend this？ Yes， definitely。 But be prepared to devote some concentration to figure out how this world works and who all the players are。I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more

Walden Effingham ，

Worth a punt : I enjoyed this， with it's use of cultural speech mannerisms， dragons， but especially the excellent characters。 Looking forward to number 2。 Worth a punt : I enjoyed this， with it's use of cultural speech mannerisms， dragons， but especially the excellent characters。 Looking forward to number 2。 。。。more

Sifa Poulton ，

What drew me to THE BLACK COAST was the promise of a book that explores what happens when cultures who have been at war are forced to find a way to live together。It's such a fun premise， exploring clashing cultures and historic wrongs - and whether those can be overcome。 There were constant frictions that threatened to set it all alight， from people and cultural values on both sides， and from external forces （i。e。 someone else coming to attack。） It was a melting pot of tension just waiting to bu What drew me to THE BLACK COAST was the promise of a book that explores what happens when cultures who have been at war are forced to find a way to live together。It's such a fun premise， exploring clashing cultures and historic wrongs - and whether those can be overcome。 There were constant frictions that threatened to set it all alight， from people and cultural values on both sides， and from external forces （i。e。 someone else coming to attack。） It was a melting pot of tension just waiting to bubble over， though I was rooting for them to ultimately win and unite。I loved the way language was used to show differing cultures。 There was an essay released as part of the promo about this， which I found， and was one of the key factors in me picking this up。 The Naridians in particular were very interesting， not having a concept of self/I/me。 Instead， they referred to themselves （in speech， not in prose） in relation to the person they were talking to。 "Your servant" if subservient， "this man"/"this lord" depending on status - and so on。 It did take a few chapters to get used to the way of speaking， but it was such a fun way of showing a core idea about the society。There are a LOT of POVs in this book。 Most narrate throughout， but a few only had one chapter - and so felt rather pointless， like the scrap of information contained within could have easily been conveyed by another character rather than adding yet another POV into the mix。 There were also a few POVs who had nothing at all to do with the main storyline around Black Keep， and so I found rather uninteresting as they did not （at any point at all， not even the end， unlike one other） intersect。These were the Naridian Princess and a street thief on a city half a world away from Black Keep。 It took a while for these two storylines to very briefly brush， but no more。 They felt disconnected， unmoored， and thus extraneous to the plot。 The thief in particular was very dull and had basically no impact on anything。I know it's my personal preference to have connected POVs， but this just reinforced why I have that preference。 These POVs could have been removed from the story， and nothing change overall at Black Keep。 It's a big book， and felt it at time when these characters came up。 Sure， the title of the next book implies they'll become important （THE SPLINTER KING， referring to a non-POV character that binds the two POVs）， but I want more of a reason than that to spends pages reading about them （I ended up skimming them。） 。。。more

Rebecca ，

I picked up this arc not knowing much about it or the author， and the story ended up really pulling me in。 It didn’t take long before I was fully invested in all the characters and binging chapter after chapter。 Genre-wise， this book feels like classic fantasy in many ways （large cast of characters， political and military conflict， expansive world-building， timeless themes， DRAGONS！） while the characters and conflicts speak to today’s reader。 I honestly loved this book and would recommend it to I picked up this arc not knowing much about it or the author， and the story ended up really pulling me in。 It didn’t take long before I was fully invested in all the characters and binging chapter after chapter。 Genre-wise， this book feels like classic fantasy in many ways （large cast of characters， political and military conflict， expansive world-building， timeless themes， DRAGONS！） while the characters and conflicts speak to today’s reader。 I honestly loved this book and would recommend it to teens and adults with even a passing interest in fantasy。 。。。more

Me， My Shelf， & I ，

Once again Tor/Orbit （torbit for short） just know what I like。And does it tickle me endlessly that this book is a petty reply to the passage of Brexit？ You better believe it！Biggest disappointments in this book？ Not enough dragons， not enough magic。 Everything else was honestly fantastic！ I love the diversity of voices and perspectives and everything that's going on at Black Keep。 Two societies with different customs， language， history， religion， beliefs are forced to find common ground and meld Once again Tor/Orbit （torbit for short） just know what I like。And does it tickle me endlessly that this book is a petty reply to the passage of Brexit？ You better believe it！Biggest disappointments in this book？ Not enough dragons， not enough magic。 Everything else was honestly fantastic！ I love the diversity of voices and perspectives and everything that's going on at Black Keep。 Two societies with different customs， language， history， religion， beliefs are forced to find common ground and meld the best of both their cultures to strengthen one another-- made especially difficult by their shared history of killing each other。 The characters， the interactions， and especially the baby dragons were all super enjoyable。 Also appreciated how often there was a punch of action so things never felt stale。This is a multi POV story （with new POV chapters cropping up as late as ~500 pages in） so there's quite a few storylines and perspectives to juggle。 （And while I understand having the perspectives away from Black Keep to start setting things up for the sequels， they weren't where my heart was at all。）Can't wait for the next installment。 :） 。。。more

Joel Harris ，

I have always loved book by this author。 He has never disappointed when it comes to telling a great story， and this was no exception。 I can't wait to read more in this series。 I have always loved book by this author。 He has never disappointed when it comes to telling a great story， and this was no exception。 I can't wait to read more in this series。 。。。more

Scott ，

Often in fantasy， clashes between cultures are violent ones。 We rarely get to see what it means for two societies to integrate with each other。 This is what makes The Black Coast feel refreshing to me。The settlement of Black Keep is a rundown fortress of the Kingdom of Nardia， its purpose to protect the coast from raiders hailing from the isles of Tjakorshi。 When they spot sails on the horizon， they expect another attack but find something else entirely。 Chief Saana Sattistutuar and clan have fl Often in fantasy， clashes between cultures are violent ones。 We rarely get to see what it means for two societies to integrate with each other。 This is what makes The Black Coast feel refreshing to me。The settlement of Black Keep is a rundown fortress of the Kingdom of Nardia， its purpose to protect the coast from raiders hailing from the isles of Tjakorshi。 When they spot sails on the horizon， they expect another attack but find something else entirely。 Chief Saana Sattistutuar and clan have fled their homeland to escape a daemonic warlord conquering the islands。 They are now forced to seek refuge among their ancestral enemies。 Young Nardian lord Daimon Blackcreek unexpectedly finds himself forced to negotiate peace between the two peoples， even as the rest of the continent lurches toward war。I was unsure what to expect from The Black Coast， given that I've never read Mike Brooks before。 The description makes it sounds sound like a very war-heavy book。 While there is undoubtedly action aplenty， most of the drama comes from the characters trying to navigate the cultural morays of two very different peoples forced together。 The Tjakorshi are relatively egalitarian when it comes to class and gender， but are also virulently homophobic。 The Nardians are the opposite， accepting gay relationships but having strict class and gender divides that the Tjakorshi find stifling。 The book has some interesting commentary on how the different environments their cultures developed in shaped their beliefs。 The book doesn't present either group as a monolith， however。 The cultures' exposure to one another prompts people on both sides to examine their prejudices and how badly they've treated those around them。The two main viewpoints， Daimon and Saana are well done， both sympathetic and playing off of each other well with clashing personalities。 My only major complaint with the book is that there are too many PoV sections that don't contribute equally to the plot。 The characters of Tila and Jeya exist （in this book at least， Jeya looks like she'll have a much bigger part in the sequel） primarily to serve to highlight the neighboring country of Alaba。 Alaba is home to a Daenerys-esque group of Nardian royals in exile and has an interesting system of gender expression， which is plainly laid out in one of the early chapter epigraphs （although I wish Brooks had made readers figure it out on their own）。 These sections get more interesting towards the end of the book but exist mainly to set up future plotlines。When the book does shift to the action， it's very well written， with combat being detail-heavy and focusing on balance and momentum。 Cultural differences play a role here， too， with the lack of metal ore in Tjakorshi， meaning that their fighting is done with stone weapons and slings rather than metal swords and arrows。The Black Coast a big surprise for me， with its nuanced depiction of clashing cultures， sympathetic characters， and great action。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Hillary ，

I understand that this is the beginning of a series， but I assert nevertheless that， at 650 pages， there were way too many unresolved points。 That said， I enjoyed most of the book despite myself， so。

Benedict ，

The Black Coast is a good starting book for The God-King Chronicles。 It is not an excellent book and it is not a bad book。The worldbuilding in this book is really good。 It's believable and the mention of crossing the ocean really puts this image in your head that the world is two large continents or more， with warring tribes and differences of opinions via religions and personal beliefs。Some parts in this book really stood out， namely the action parts with people like Rikkut and The Golden and o The Black Coast is a good starting book for The God-King Chronicles。 It is not an excellent book and it is not a bad book。The worldbuilding in this book is really good。 It's believable and the mention of crossing the ocean really puts this image in your head that the world is two large continents or more， with warring tribes and differences of opinions via religions and personal beliefs。Some parts in this book really stood out， namely the action parts with people like Rikkut and The Golden and other parts just seemed to be bits that I didn't want to read as much。 The characters are believable which is great but I wanted more from some of them as they really faded into the background of the story。The unique parts of this book were really hit and miss。 On one part you have dragons who don't fly （as far as I can tell） and the Naridans ride them into battle which is really cool。 Then you have the whole gender language and take， which for me， I have no interest in if I'm completely honest。 At times， initially， it made the book trickier to read since I was having to re-read sentences to understand what was being said between each person。To summarise， I enjoyed the book。 I think the story is unique and I love multiple POV stories。 I enjoyed the fantasy elements within this story and only wish some other parts were more fleshed out and more exciting。 It is obvious to see that the author， Mike Brooks， is creating something bigger here。 I just hope he can pull it off。 。。。more

Jbarth ，

It’s been a long while since I’ve read a multiple POV that was this good。 While it followed a few of the typical tropes， the characters were very well developed， the world building was fantastic， and the storylines flowed very nicely。 I’ve already preordered the sequel！

Tamara H。 ，

Pretty good book！

RG ，

Pretty standard fantasy。 Good world building and blending/clashing of cultures。 The plotting was good but at times predictable。 Quite a long book which wasnt helped by having a large number of characters。 I only really liked a few of them， whist the others felt like side characters not really too important to the main plot。 I guess being a series they might play a larger role in the next few books。 I also did love the writing and the use of language for various cultures。I expected more from the Pretty standard fantasy。 Good world building and blending/clashing of cultures。 The plotting was good but at times predictable。 Quite a long book which wasnt helped by having a large number of characters。 I only really liked a few of them， whist the others felt like side characters not really too important to the main plot。 I guess being a series they might play a larger role in the next few books。 I also did love the writing and the use of language for various cultures。I expected more from the dragons but it didnt make the book any better or worse。 Loved the cover。 I feel like people will either love this or be underwhelmed。 It will definitely find an audience。 。。。more

Kahlia ，

This book didn't disappoint （also， the author did an AMA over at r/fantasy and he seems equally great）。 The premise is remiscient of a lot of traditional epic fantasy about a clash between cultures， and it does have a lot of those trappings （particular the war dinosaurs dragons）， but it does a few things differently， which I really appreciated。 First is its treatment of said culture clash。 The focus of this book is on Daimon， newly crowned leader of his community， and Saana， who has led her own This book didn't disappoint （also， the author did an AMA over at r/fantasy and he seems equally great）。 The premise is remiscient of a lot of traditional epic fantasy about a clash between cultures， and it does have a lot of those trappings （particular the war dinosaurs dragons）， but it does a few things differently， which I really appreciated。 First is its treatment of said culture clash。 The focus of this book is on Daimon， newly crowned leader of his community， and Saana， who has led her own people away from violence and in search of a safer place to settle。 Where a lot of books would go straight for the epic battles when these two groups meet， the focus of this book is on solving problems through negotiation and communication。 Daimon and Saana stand out as characters who are genuinely committed to finding a way through the impasse that befalls their respective cultural groups， and who value behaviours other than the ability to chop people's head off with a sword。 Not that there isn't any fighting， but the fighting is clearly the result of characters' frustrations about not being able to communicate effectively， rather than their first strategy。 It's ultimately an optimistic book about the possibilities that arise from initial conflict， which is refreshing。 Relatedly， I love how this book handles gender and sexuality。 Daimon's world is a queernorm one， with a range of different pronouns that signify the spectrum of possibilities gender representation。 It takes a bit of getting used to， but it's inventive and honestly just really cool。 On the other hand， Saana comes from a world unused to such ideas， and this book is honest in how it approaches this particular conflict - Saana's worldviews are valid in that they are formed from what she knows and the history of her society， but they are also explicitly wrong， and the text doesn't ever apologise for her in this regard。 It's really compelling stuff。There are some other characters in other parts of this world， but they are honestly the disappointing part of The Black Coast， in that they feel like bit parts who are clearly only there to set up for future books in the series， rather than being properly integrated into the main plot of this book。 But， I'm looking forward to getting to know them better in the sequels。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Black Coast

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Black Coast&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Black Coast&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0