Fantasy

Age of Ash

Age of Ash

  • Downloads：9451
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-22 08:52:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Daniel Abraham
  • ISBN：0356515419
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

From New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author Daniel Abraham， co-author of The Expanse， comes a monumental epic fantasy trilogy that unfolds within the walls of a single great city， over the course of one tumultuous year， where every story matters， and the fate of the city is woven from them all。

Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth， an ancient city with a long， bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold。

This is Alys's。

When her brother is murdered， a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why。  But the more she discovers about him， the more she learns about herself， and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives。 

Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar， where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones， the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything。

Download

Reviews

Jim Pomeroy ，

Very entertaining。 Subtle magic in a world of conspiracies。

Stefan ，

This one was so boring I lost my will to list all the reasons why。

Silvana ，

The book is not bad but it just took too much effort for me。 The city Kithamar felt alive， the description is very good and atmospheric， but plot wise， very few happened in so many pages。 ETA: This - especially the long self-contemplation parts - reminds me of Long Price Quartet。 It was Dan's first series and was not my favorite one。 Still good， but not great。 Having said that， I might still give this series another chance。 The book is not bad but it just took too much effort for me。 The city Kithamar felt alive， the description is very good and atmospheric， but plot wise， very few happened in so many pages。 ETA: This - especially the long self-contemplation parts - reminds me of Long Price Quartet。 It was Dan's first series and was not my favorite one。 Still good， but not great。 Having said that， I might still give this series another chance。 。。。more

Amba Kumar ，

Absolutely awesome new story by Daniel Abraham that completely lives up to the publicity it's been receiving。 I eked it out slowly over a number of days because I didn't want the story to end。 Every single character in this book is vividly drawn - no matter who they are， you feel as though you are right there with them， living in the medieval， magical city of Kithamar， you can smell the streets， hear the noises， feel the heat of the sun on your skin and you experience the story as though you wer Absolutely awesome new story by Daniel Abraham that completely lives up to the publicity it's been receiving。 I eked it out slowly over a number of days because I didn't want the story to end。 Every single character in this book is vividly drawn - no matter who they are， you feel as though you are right there with them， living in the medieval， magical city of Kithamar， you can smell the streets， hear the noises， feel the heat of the sun on your skin and you experience the story as though you were standing alongside the characters。 There are thieves， slums， palaces， mysterious ladies， powerful princes and courtiers， and a demon who claims to be the soul of the city。 If you love Game of Thrones this book is for you。 I can't wait for the next installment！ 。。。more

Mark ，

It seems a long time ago now that both Rob Bedford and I were first singing the praises of Daniel Abraham over at SFFWorld。 Although he has more recently been known as James S。 A。 Corey， one of the co-writers of the Expanse novels， turned into a very successful television series， we first noticed him with his fantasy novels – The Long Price Quartet and the Dagger and the Coin series。It is therefore with pleasure that I turned to the first in a new Fantasy series， Age of Ash。Whilst it can be said It seems a long time ago now that both Rob Bedford and I were first singing the praises of Daniel Abraham over at SFFWorld。 Although he has more recently been known as James S。 A。 Corey， one of the co-writers of the Expanse novels， turned into a very successful television series， we first noticed him with his fantasy novels – The Long Price Quartet and the Dagger and the Coin series。It is therefore with pleasure that I turned to the first in a new Fantasy series， Age of Ash。Whilst it can be said that we’re travelling along well-trodden paths here， there’s a lot to like。 This is a low-grade fantasy novel on the whole。 What I mean by that is that it is a story of petty theft and poverty in the main， rather than a story that deals more uplifting qualities such as honour and valour。 Although the book begins with a royal funeral， the book goes back to an earlier time to show how we get to that point and focuses more on life on the streets。Throughout we get the idea that Kithamar is a big city （and the maps at the front suggest this too， admittedly。） Clearly there is much to describe and much going on in this sprawling urban area， but Daniel keeps the focus tight by mainly concentrating on Alys。 When Alys’s older brother Darro is killed， which may have been Alys’s fault， she goes on a hunt determined to find the cause and the killer。 This leads to her becoming a gangster-like adversary on the streets of Kithamar。 With her friend Sammish， Alys searches the streets looking for answers。However， Darro’s death may be only one death amongst others in a power struggle， involving the cousin of the recently-enthroned Byrn a Sal。 Arcane practices mean that this struggle seems to involve a silver knife which Darro had。In terms of the bigger picture， what Alys has got herself involved in by accident is a clandestine war between opposing political factions that in turn are associating with certain gods and goddesses。 An attempt to usurp the prince and create a change in power may be being covertly nurtured。Where does this one score？The setting is impressively vivid and the descriptions of the city， when they are given， provide an impressive image of life in Kithamar。 Daniel is quite unremitting in his descriptions of the city of Kithamar as it changes through the year， so much so that the setting is almost a character in itself as we see things change from Autumn to Winter and then Spring。 Admittedly， for all of the beauty created by the change in the seasons （and the weather！） much of the book shows us that Kithamar is not usually very pleasant – most of the colourful descriptions of the city concentrate most on the depravation and squalor than the baroque lifestyle of the rich and famous。 Where Daniel scores as per usual is his characterisation， and this is perhaps the book’s strength。 The characterisation can be nuanced and pretty complex。 In particular， Alys and her friend Sammish show clearly what it is like to struggle， and what the harsh lifestyle of living in poverty has done to many of Kithamar’s people。 Alys finds that in order to discover what happened to Darro she has to become like he was， with a brutal gangster-like presence。 This， of course， contrasts with the opulence of the wealthier groups， although brutal yet covert assassination is still part of the political game。On the downside， I felt that less strongly written was the role of those involved in the political side of the novel。 Whilst such imperial shenanigans are clearly an important part of the plot， and I suspect something that will become more important in later novels， it is not until the last part of the book that those elements are explained， and even then they feel less strong than those scenes in the grubby end of the city。I also felt that the pace of the story was variable。 Whilst there is undeniably progression through the story to the quite exciting （yet a cliff-hanger） conclusion， I must say that there were points in the middle where not a lot seemed to be happening and the pace became slower， to the point where I began to lose interest a little。 There are points where we get exposition dumped into the plot， in that James-Bond-villain kind of way。 This lower key progression of plot is pretty much through the whole book。 If you come looking for big epic battles， you will be disappointed。 This is not that sort of Fantasy novel。But I quibble。 There’s a lot to like here， for all my issues， and it must be said that Age of Ash is different to Abraham’s other Fantasy series。 Age of Ash is a very good example of those fantasies focused on the unpleasantness behind the gleaming facades of a sprawling city。 Whilst it may not be quite as violent or as unpleasant as， say， Joe Abercrombie’s books， the overriding impression at the end is that Kithamar， and the people within it， is a complex tapestry of life – even if it is not a place you want to hang around too long in。 I suspect that we may have much more to discover in future books。 。。。more

Schnaucl ，

It started slow （which I think was also true of The Expanse series） but it picked up by the end and I'll probably read the next book in the trilogy。 （view spoiler）[I'm hoping we haven't seen the last of Sammish since she's left Kithamar。 I found her more interesting than Alys。 I appreciated that neither Alys' mother or brother were quite who she thought they were。I think there's also a distinction between gods and whatever the spirit of Kithamar is。 Old and powerful， certainly， but I don't think It started slow （which I think was also true of The Expanse series） but it picked up by the end and I'll probably read the next book in the trilogy。 （view spoiler）[I'm hoping we haven't seen the last of Sammish since she's left Kithamar。 I found her more interesting than Alys。 I appreciated that neither Alys' mother or brother were quite who she thought they were。I think there's also a distinction between gods and whatever the spirit of Kithamar is。 Old and powerful， certainly， but I don't think a god。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Yağız “Yaz” Erkan ，

I love Abraham's story telling。 He certainly does not disappoint in this book either。 The story starts slow and it builds strongly。 The main protagonists are very relatable， and the reader withered their character develepment。 I can't wait to read the vent installment in this trilogy。 I love Abraham's story telling。 He certainly does not disappoint in this book either。 The story starts slow and it builds strongly。 The main protagonists are very relatable， and the reader withered their character develepment。 I can't wait to read the vent installment in this trilogy。 。。。more

Henry Lazarus ，

Daniel Abraham， one of the writers of The Expanse， tells of the magical darkness under the city-state of Kithamar during the Age of Ash （hard from Orbit）。 At the heart of the tale are two girls from the poorest section of the city， and a magical knife that a ruling religious group will stop at nothing to hold。 Set during the single year reign of the prince of the city， it is the tale of Alys whose brother was murdered and had obtained that knife。 Trying to discovery why her brother was murdered Daniel Abraham， one of the writers of The Expanse， tells of the magical darkness under the city-state of Kithamar during the Age of Ash （hard from Orbit）。 At the heart of the tale are two girls from the poorest section of the city， and a magical knife that a ruling religious group will stop at nothing to hold。 Set during the single year reign of the prince of the city， it is the tale of Alys whose brother was murdered and had obtained that knife。 Trying to discovery why her brother was murdered leads het to the heart of conspiracy。 Helping her is Sammish whose ability to quietly avoid detection leads her to a woman searching for her kidnaped son。 This is a fun introduction to in fascinating world and I look forward to more。 。。。more

Aaron Advani ，

Lifeless

Marie Hesler ，

Age of AshI want to thank the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book。The characters and story were very vivid and well formed。 The world was very dark and depressing。 I don’t normally read and enjoy such distressing books。 I continued only because of the promise to review。 I might read the next books in the trilogy if the plot is a bit more upbeat。I’m currently reading The Expanse （4th book） series and find the stories have the hope of happier prospects。

Brendan Kraus ，

Age of Ash is the first book in the planned Kithamar trilogy by Daniel Abraham。 Taking place in the fantasy city of Kithamar out story follows a girl named Alys who is your average Longhill street rat， getting into trouble， always looking to make a quick buck and not having many prospects in terms of the future。 All this changes when her brother Darro’s life comes crashing down onto her own as she and her best friend Sammish find themselves swept up in something that could decide the faith of Ki Age of Ash is the first book in the planned Kithamar trilogy by Daniel Abraham。 Taking place in the fantasy city of Kithamar out story follows a girl named Alys who is your average Longhill street rat， getting into trouble， always looking to make a quick buck and not having many prospects in terms of the future。 All this changes when her brother Darro’s life comes crashing down onto her own as she and her best friend Sammish find themselves swept up in something that could decide the faith of Kithamar。A very well written fantasy novel that explores grief and what it does to a person， Age of Ash isn’t some Lord of the Rings epic。 No big battles but trying to figure out where you will sleep tonight， no epic speeches but instead trying to figure out your next “pull” in hopes of making enough money to not starve。 Rarely leaving the rundown part of the city known as Longhill Abraham creates a very intimate setting。 While the overall implications of the story's main plot are huge it feels small in scale。 The story takes place over about a year and Abraham does a good job of writing our characters change as they experience the multiple events of the book。 A good start to what can hopefully be a great trilogy 4/5 。。。more

Mennatallah | منةُ الله ，

2。5/2。75 🌟

Eric ，

I think the thing I appreciate the most about Abraham's writing （in this and in the Dagger and Coin series） is that he writes about a realistic world where things are not rosy or simple and characters don't necessarily get happy ever afters。。。 without it just being the incredibly gruesome grimdark grittiness that much of the rest of modern fantasy seems to be wallowing in。 I'm very curious to see where the subsequent books go。The characters are flawed， three-dimensional， real people; the explora I think the thing I appreciate the most about Abraham's writing （in this and in the Dagger and Coin series） is that he writes about a realistic world where things are not rosy or simple and characters don't necessarily get happy ever afters。。。 without it just being the incredibly gruesome grimdark grittiness that much of the rest of modern fantasy seems to be wallowing in。 I'm very curious to see where the subsequent books go。The characters are flawed， three-dimensional， real people; the exploration of grief and the ways in which different people handle it （including over time） is really well done， and Abraham makes you really feel compassion for these people， even some of the ones who are nominally villains， in ways that aren't cliche or pat。 。。。more

Socialteaist ，

I thought this was great！ Even though she is an unlikable character， I found Alys to be compelling。 I don't need my characters to be likeable， and I appreciate that she was well-rounded， even though sometimes I wanted to yell at her。 I am looking forward to the next book in the series！ I thought this was great！ Even though she is an unlikable character， I found Alys to be compelling。 I don't need my characters to be likeable， and I appreciate that she was well-rounded， even though sometimes I wanted to yell at her。 I am looking forward to the next book in the series！ 。。。more

Cassandra ，

3。5 This book was enjoyable， as a first to a trilogy it does a good job of laying the foundation。 However， the pacing was extremely slow and there are moments where everything felt really chaotic yet hardly anything really happens。 I enjoyed both the main characters although it's clear that A is the intended focus， however she often feels like the background character。 I'm hopeful the second book will fill the void I have for more depth in this world。 The concept is really interesting and overal 3。5 This book was enjoyable， as a first to a trilogy it does a good job of laying the foundation。 However， the pacing was extremely slow and there are moments where everything felt really chaotic yet hardly anything really happens。 I enjoyed both the main characters although it's clear that A is the intended focus， however she often feels like the background character。 I'm hopeful the second book will fill the void I have for more depth in this world。 The concept is really interesting and overall it was pleasant just not great for me。 。。。more

Steven ，

I got lucky and was the first person to think to reserve it from the library; got it before it hit the new book shelf。 （It still took several weeks to process。。。）I remain underwhelmed by Abraham's taste in titles， although I freely admit naming things is hard。I enjoyed the book。 I continue to be impressed with his ability to write deeply flawed characters that you nonetheless like。 The use of magic is very like the Dagger and Coin series - most characters are totally without it， but it's there w I got lucky and was the first person to think to reserve it from the library; got it before it hit the new book shelf。 （It still took several weeks to process。。。）I remain underwhelmed by Abraham's taste in titles， although I freely admit naming things is hard。I enjoyed the book。 I continue to be impressed with his ability to write deeply flawed characters that you nonetheless like。 The use of magic is very like the Dagger and Coin series - most characters are totally without it， but it's there where it needs to be。 The setting is not quite as close as it pretends - the book does not take place ENTIRELY within Kithamar， but it's close。 The city makes a good landscape nevertheless。There are a few needlessly cryptic scenes and chapters。 Foreshadowing is cool but if the chapter won't make sense until later the book should have a footnote "ok go back and read chapter X， it will make sense now that the characters have been named and introduced"。 。。。more

Sophia ，

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I first started Age of Ash。 The blurb didn't really explain too much so what I went off was that the author also co wrote The Expanse， that the cover art was kinda cool， and that those two elements combined piqued my interest- and oh boy am I glad that I checked it out。 Set in the city if Kithamar we are interoduced to Alys， a young woman living in the poorest parts of the city and making her money through con work and thievery。 All in her life is predi I honestly didn't know what to expect when I first started Age of Ash。 The blurb didn't really explain too much so what I went off was that the author also co wrote The Expanse， that the cover art was kinda cool， and that those two elements combined piqued my interest- and oh boy am I glad that I checked it out。 Set in the city if Kithamar we are interoduced to Alys， a young woman living in the poorest parts of the city and making her money through con work and thievery。 All in her life is predictable and consistent until the day her older brother's corpse is found in the river that flows through the city。 Now wracked with grief and anger， Alys throws herself into the task of finding out how and why her brother was killed， only to find out that what her brother was involved with may have been more dangerous than she could have imagined。 Simultaneously， we follow Sammish， a notably unnoticeable young woman who has spent years pining after Alys and throws herself at the opportunity to help her friend （and crush） avenge her brother。 But as they both get more and more involved in his past work， Sammish begins to realize just how twisted the path Alys walks down is。I really enjoyed this book- the characters were engaging and the way they changed and developed over the course of the story felt real to me。 Especially Sammish， the way she developed in this book from a shy， love-stricken girl who lives in others shadows to who she finishes the book as had my attention from beginning to end。 I loved following her and watching her progress， especially through the lense of her relationship with Alys- who had some very interesting development as well。 The way we see grief and loss blind her to what her actions mean both frustrated me and broke my heart。 While I do wish that her actions had some more direct consequences， I appreciate for the most part where her story went and where we left her at the end of the book。 The one issue I really had with her is that we had such little time between her and her brother before he was killed that I was a bit confused at times as to why his death impacted her so much。 We were never really shown how close they were aside from one specific moment from the beginning and aside from that it felt like I was never really convinced of the love Alys had for him。 I wish that we spent more time with her brother （Darro） and Alys together before his death so that this relationship was better established and Alys' late actions felt like they made more sense。The plot itself was coated with mystery and the ending left me with so many questions in the best eay possible。 There are so many questions that I want answered that there's no question over whether or not I'll be reading the sequel。 I'm too investing in figuring out why the knife is so important， what the smoke/shadow monster is， and what the truth behind the city and it's history is to just leave it。 I also can't wait to see where Sammish's story leads her and how Alys' actions will further impact the story。 While I can't say that this book marks the start of a new favorite series， this is still something that captured my interest and left me wanting more。 I genuinely can't wait to see where book 2 takes us and the questions that will be answered then。 。。。more

William ，

I really liked Daniel Abraham's two previous fantasy series， The Long Price Quartet and The Dagger and the Coin so I was definitely looking forwards to this。 I think it has many of the strengths of the previous books， I've always liked Abraham's characterisation and the characters here do feel believable in their motivations and although it takes most of the book for some of them to really work out why they are doing what they are doing I find that quite realistic。 There have been a lot of fanta I really liked Daniel Abraham's two previous fantasy series， The Long Price Quartet and The Dagger and the Coin so I was definitely looking forwards to this。 I think it has many of the strengths of the previous books， I've always liked Abraham's characterisation and the characters here do feel believable in their motivations and although it takes most of the book for some of them to really work out why they are doing what they are doing I find that quite realistic。 There have been a lot of fantasy books set in big cities that follow both the nobility and those from the poorer quarters trying desperately to survive so it's not really the most original of settings but I thought the details were done well， particularly showing the insularity of some of the poorest quarters and how they feel about anyone who thinks they are too good to live there。 There are some interesting twists in the plot along the way， the overall plot is initially a bit of a mystery but gradually becomes clearer and the main villain's plan is memorable creepy even if the impact was reduced for me a bit since I read an older book with a very similar plan last year。 Abraham's series tend to get stronger as they go along so I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the trilogy。 。。。more

Alexis （Mother of Books） ，

“The term for the night between the funeral of the old prince and the coronation of the new one is gautanna。 It is an ancient Inlisc word that means， roughly， the pause at the top of a breath when the lungs are the most full。 Literally， it translates as the moment of hollowness。 For one night， Kithamar is a city between worlds and between ages。 It falls out of its own history， at once the end of something and the beginning of something else。” This was one of my most anticipated releases beca “The term for the night between the funeral of the old prince and the coronation of the new one is gautanna。 It is an ancient Inlisc word that means， roughly， the pause at the top of a breath when the lungs are the most full。 Literally， it translates as the moment of hollowness。 For one night， Kithamar is a city between worlds and between ages。 It falls out of its own history， at once the end of something and the beginning of something else。” This was one of my most anticipated releases because of how interesting it sounded， but when mixed reviews started coming in， I got a little nervous。 I looked at a few reviews and determined that I still wanted to give it a chance and that worked out so well for me。 Age of Ash is set in this city called Kithamar and it is a place with a bloody past， and a city where only the wealthy seem to have an easy life。 Everyone else has to fight for their right to live and survive。 We follow this woman named Alys and she is doing just that， surviving。 However， when her brother gets killed， it sends her on this quest for revenge。 Let me start by saying that this is a very character and kind of setting driven story。 There are not a lot of action scenes on the page， which I enjoyed， but fantasy fans looking for that may leave a bit disappointed。 So much of the story is moved forward by Alys， or Sammish。 Alys is also not an easy character to love a lot of the time， but she is going through a lot， which made it more understandable in my eyes。 Alys lost her brother and she is grieving the loss of him through most of this book。 We see her go through the many stages of grief from sadness to anger， and I loved the way Abraham showed this on page。 She becomes obsessed with keeping him alive in her own way， which us as the reader can see is destructive， but to her it is the only thing she has to hold on to。 “Grief was supposed to fade。 Wounds—even wounds to the soul—were supposed to heal。 She felt hers getting worse。” There is another character that I would argue is a second main character and that is Alys’s friend and partner in crime， Sammish。 I really liked Sammish’s character。 She wasn’t dealing with the same grief that Alys was， though arguably by the end of the book， she kind of was。 This allows her to make better decisions than Alys。 Through Sammish’s eyes， we see so much of the world of Kithamar and show how expansive it truly is and how different areas in the city differ from each other。 Kithamar itself feels like a character at certain moments。 The city feels alive and it has this feeling that it will eat its inhabitants alive if needed。 As the story progresses， more about the city and its rules are revealed。 The ruling of the city is in danger because of other people who want to take over， which sets up these interesting politically intriguing moments。 There is also quite a bit of magic， and some of the questions I had weren’t answered in this first book， which means they will probably be answered in future releases， which excites me。 I also have to comment on the writing。 I was so impressed by how beautifully Abraham writes。 There were so many lovely sentences and it’s not the purple prose style that a lot of people are not a fan of。 This makes me want to read more from him because the writing drew me in from page one and never once let up by the ending。 “‘Death is division，’ the priest said。 ‘Not only for the dying who passes from this world to the coming cycle， but within each of us。 We are trapped between the life we had when our friend， our lover， our parent， our child was with us， and this diminished world without them。 We are split in two， and bringing ourselves back to wholeness is the spirited work of mourning。'” Abraham has said that each book in this series will follow the same events， but will be told from a different character’s perspective， which I think is so unique and I can’t wait to see how that plays out。 I have some ideas of whose perspective the second book will be from。 I think the author is doing something special here and I hope the right audience continues to find this story。 As for me， I am impatiently waiting for the sequel。 CW for the death of a sibling。 。。。more

the_litterature ，

Age of Ashby Daniel AbrahamPublished on 02/15/2022Audiobook Narrator: Soneela Nankani** I was given this E-Arc copy of Age of Ash by NetGalley and Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review。 ** Synopsis: Age of Ash is the first in a new trilogy by Daniel Abrahah， a co-author of The Expanse series。 This book is written from the POV of several different characters but finally settles upon two primary POVs: Alys and Sammish， who are two friends that live in one of the poorer neighborhoods of Kith Age of Ashby Daniel AbrahamPublished on 02/15/2022Audiobook Narrator: Soneela Nankani** I was given this E-Arc copy of Age of Ash by NetGalley and Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review。 ** Synopsis: Age of Ash is the first in a new trilogy by Daniel Abrahah， a co-author of The Expanse series。 This book is written from the POV of several different characters but finally settles upon two primary POVs: Alys and Sammish， who are two friends that live in one of the poorer neighborhoods of Kithimar。 The story begins after Alys' brother Darro is murdered and Alys finds a dagger and some gold coins within Darro's secret apartment。 Alys and Sammish then work to understand who murdered Darro and why。 As they begin to learn the truth， larger truths about the city they live in begin to unravel as well。 Thoughts: After getting this e-arc， I was incredibly excited to read this one。 I had heard so many good things about The Expanse series and I really wanted to try one of their books。 I was incredibly disappointed。 I appreciated the writing style but that's where my praise ended。 The characters were not very interesting and honestly， I found myself apathetic to what they were doing or what would happen to them。 I also found the descriptions brought the city to life and created the start of a very atmospheric tale but I do think the author was a bit too detailed。 The details drowned out the storyline making the plot slow and for me， ultimately insufferable。 At the 50% mark， I realized that I was bored。 Although I had traversed over 200 pages into the book， very little had happened and although I recognize this is the first in a series， I still need something that's going to hold my attention and keep me intrigued。 This book did not offer that for me。 Unfortunately， I did decide to not finish it。 Perhaps in the future， if I hear the continuation of the series is worth it， I might pick it back up but for now， I cannot finish it。 。。。more

Penny ，

DNF。 Life is too short to spend time on artful drek。

MAB LongBeach ，

I was very slow getting into this and almost put it down several times。 But ultimately I was glad I kept going。 Looking forward to the rest of the series。

Justin ，

I really liked Abraham's The Long Price Quartet and then， of course， he was half of the writing team James S。A。 Corey of The Expanse fame。 This novel is the start of a new series and a very promising one at that。 He takes time to build the world and the characters before truly setting the plot in motion， but it is all interesting。 I regret it took me so long to finishing reading this， but it's been a busy couple of weeks at school and sometimes the brain is too tired to handle a complex story su I really liked Abraham's The Long Price Quartet and then， of course， he was half of the writing team James S。A。 Corey of The Expanse fame。 This novel is the start of a new series and a very promising one at that。 He takes time to build the world and the characters before truly setting the plot in motion， but it is all interesting。 I regret it took me so long to finishing reading this， but it's been a busy couple of weeks at school and sometimes the brain is too tired to handle a complex story such as this。 I will happily read the next one in the series。。。hopefully in about a year's time。 。。。more

Jamie ，

Too much describing， not enough dialogue。

Amanda ，

DNF at 30%I struggled getting into this book mostly because of the long descriptions of the story starting off all of the chapters。 I felt like the city was more of a character than any of the people that we were following。 While I do like Daniel Abraham's writing， I was lost trying to find a plot in this story。 He has a way with description that is absolutely beautiful， but it was the only part of the book pulling me in。 The characters and plot left me wanting more， and I felt very little intri DNF at 30%I struggled getting into this book mostly because of the long descriptions of the story starting off all of the chapters。 I felt like the city was more of a character than any of the people that we were following。 While I do like Daniel Abraham's writing， I was lost trying to find a plot in this story。 He has a way with description that is absolutely beautiful， but it was the only part of the book pulling me in。 The characters and plot left me wanting more， and I felt very little intrigue to continue on。 This one could be a hit for some people， and I even think I would have loved it in the right mood。 But be prepared for a slow start with lots of world dumping。Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit Books for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Mayim de Vries ，

Like the master storyteller he is， Daniel Abraham returns with yet another extraordinary tale。 Don't be fooled by the deceiving simplicity of the plot: setting and characterisation take this novel far beyond your tropey street-rat story into the realm where human longings are shaped。 FRTCI will probably regret reading it now instead of waiting for the whole series to binge at will， but there are a few writers who are irresistible and Daniel Abraham is one of them。 Also in the series: [I know you Like the master storyteller he is， Daniel Abraham returns with yet another extraordinary tale。 Don't be fooled by the deceiving simplicity of the plot: setting and characterisation take this novel far beyond your tropey street-rat story into the realm where human longings are shaped。 FRTCI will probably regret reading it now instead of waiting for the whole series to binge at will， but there are a few writers who are irresistible and Daniel Abraham is one of them。 Also in the series: [I know you are there， come out please] 。。。more

Ryan Mac ，

I am a huge fan of the Expanse series so was excited to read a new fantasy series by one of the co-authors。 This book was a really slow burn and I had a hard time wanting to come back during the first half。 The world building is fairly extensive as the city of Kithamar felt like a fully fleshed out character。 The bulk of the story takes place in the slums area of the city so it has echoes of Joe Abercrombie （without the witty banter）。 Unfortunately， I didn't really care too much about most of th I am a huge fan of the Expanse series so was excited to read a new fantasy series by one of the co-authors。 This book was a really slow burn and I had a hard time wanting to come back during the first half。 The world building is fairly extensive as the city of Kithamar felt like a fully fleshed out character。 The bulk of the story takes place in the slums area of the city so it has echoes of Joe Abercrombie （without the witty banter）。 Unfortunately， I didn't really care too much about most of the characters。 Other than Sammish， they mostly fell into the standard tropes and did what we would have expected them to do。 On the whole， this felt like a 400 page setup for the next books in the series as not a whole lot happens until the last 75 pages。 There is a decent foundation here--hoping that the next book can move the story forward。 。。。more

Reader Reborn ，

Solid opening to what should be a good trilogy。

Julio ，

Problemas en novelas con demasiados puntos de vistaHola amigo， esta vez hablaré de Edad de la Ceniza （The Kithamar Trilogy 01）， la última novela de Abrahams， uno de mis escritores favoritos conocido en la fantasía por La daga y la moneda。 Reseña aquí， y en la ciencia ficción por ser uno de los dos autores de The Expance。Esta nueva novela que tiene a penas semanas de ser publicada no es mala， y me pregunto por qué la habrá escrito， si la fórmula de Daga y Moneda con suficientes puntos de vista fu Problemas en novelas con demasiados puntos de vistaHola amigo， esta vez hablaré de Edad de la Ceniza （The Kithamar Trilogy 01）， la última novela de Abrahams， uno de mis escritores favoritos conocido en la fantasía por La daga y la moneda。 Reseña aquí， y en la ciencia ficción por ser uno de los dos autores de The Expance。Esta nueva novela que tiene a penas semanas de ser publicada no es mala， y me pregunto por qué la habrá escrito， si la fórmula de Daga y Moneda con suficientes puntos de vista funciona bien。 ¿Quizá por experimentar algo nuevo？ Bueno， vale， pero bajo mi opinión esto no ha resultado del todo bien。Si has leído mucha fantasía moderna probablemente te guste， pero si has leído mucha， probablemente puedas prescindir de ella porque no se destaca en nada a otras novelas del género。 Es cierto que tiene un mundo muy bien creado， con suficiente historia y magia de las que no hablaré。 Es cierto que la ciudad en donde ocurre la historia está descrita de manera ingeniosa， así como las clases sociales a las que pertenecen los protagonistas。 Los diálogos están bien。 La novela tiene todos los componentes para ser una obra maestra。 Incluso el enemigo es un misterio hasta la última cuarta parte del libro， y no está nada mal。 Tenemos evidentemente a un personaje que no es bueno ni malo para los guerreros que leemos grimdark。 Seguro pasaréis un buen rato con este libro， sin embargo， tiene algo que hace que sea menos interesante que otras novelas de este género y creo que aquí es cuando Abraham arriesga mucho。Age of Ash （La Edad de la Ceniza） cuenta con demasiados punto de vista en una novela de extensión corta。 Los dos puntos de vista principales están bien trabajados y tienen una cantidad de capítulos suficiente para conocer mejor a los personajes， dos amigas que por circunstancias de la vida terminan trabajando para organizaciones secretas diferentes （o grupos， porque quizá organización suena demasiado gandes） con fines opuestos。 Una de ellas ama a la otra。 No lo dice explícitamente， pero sí que siente un gran afecto， mientras que esta otra se dedica a estas actividades por su hermano asesinado。 Esto está muy bien， pero para que la historia avance Abraham usa otros puntos de vista， y creo que esto le quita mucha sustancia al punto de personajes， ya que nuevamente tenemos que empezar desde cero y conocer a sujetos de los que no sabremos mucho después y que solo están ahí para cumplir su papel en la historia。Age of Ash hubiese funcionado mejor solo con dos personajes， sin embargo， ¿la historia hubiese fluido de la misma manera？ Eso no lo sé。 Personalmente no lo creo， y en este caso creo que hay dos maneras de continuar con la historia sin disminuir el paso。 La primera es usar personajes pov nuevos pero que hayan aparecido antes （esto lo hace Abraham aquí）， pero en sus capítulos debes darle más trasfondo así como sumar canon a la historia para al final eliminarlos （Martin en prólogo y epílogo， o algunas veces King）。 La segunda es hacer lo que hace Kearney。 En las monarquías de dios usa personajes nuevos povs para avanzar la historia de otros puntos de vista que ya conocemos， y ya está， sin embargo esto es más complejo de hacer， porque para que funcione todos los personajes deben de estar medianamente balanceados no en sus capítulos， sino en su relevancia dentro de la trama， así aquí el truco es trabajar con escaletas。Age of Ash （Edad de la Ceniza） no está traducida a español， tiene una nota de regular y una nota de 6 de 10 cuchillo ceremoniales posibles。 En la escala grimdark tiene un cráneo de tres。Escala grimdark:Un cráneo: fantasía con personajes realistas。 Malice， Age of Ash。Dos Cráneos: grimdark balanceado， en su máxima expresión。 La primera ley， Juego de tronos， Geralt de Rivia。Tres cráneos: grimdark con ambientación oscura。 Un grimdark para mi， regular。 No conozco nada en español similar。 Lo más parecido el blackwing， pero Blackwing es mejor que otras cosas leídas en inglés， sin embargo， estas otras novelas son mucho más oscuras。Cráneo mágico oscuro: una bonificación a las novelas donde la magia es muy importante， pero al mismo tiempo es de ambientación oscura。 Malaz。Craneo mágico: una bonificación a las movelas donde la magia es muy importante。 Trilogía de la pólvora。 。。。more

Andrew F ，

The Age of Ash is a very character driven fantasy story that also feels very intimate in scope。The entire novel takes place in the city of Kithamar， which is an independent city state ruled by a prince。 The beginning of the novel opens with the funeral procession of the recently crowned prince。 This scene sets to the tone for the book where grief is a central theme。 Then the novel jumps back several months in time to tell the story how we got to this point。 Here we meet our two main protagonists The Age of Ash is a very character driven fantasy story that also feels very intimate in scope。The entire novel takes place in the city of Kithamar， which is an independent city state ruled by a prince。 The beginning of the novel opens with the funeral procession of the recently crowned prince。 This scene sets to the tone for the book where grief is a central theme。 Then the novel jumps back several months in time to tell the story how we got to this point。 Here we meet our two main protagonists， Alys and Sammish。 Their story opens with a scene of them performing 'a pull'， which is the coordinating act of thievery of two or more people。 One to distract， one to cut， and one to take the handoff in this case。 This is the life of the poor in Kithamar， the residents of the Longhill district， desperate for any coin so they can survive。 The author does a very good job at setting the scene， letting the reader view the world through the eyes of the characters。 And overall the character work is among the best I've read in fantasy。Not long into the book， Alys's brother is murdered and she is stricken with grief that she's unable or perhaps unwilling to cope with。 In an effort to find out the person who killed her brother， she takes on the shady work he had been doing for some wealthy patrons。 The loss of her brother causes Alys to nearly spiral out of control in her laser focus on revenge。 As the reader， you can see her make poor choices and the terrible consequences of her actions， yet she's still a sympathetic character。Sammish is an obviously more likeable character。 It's clear early on that she is in love with Alys， but the feeling isn't mutual。 Yet she clings to some hope for something more。 She is described as someone who is perfectly unnoticeable， which makes her great at spying and exploring places she doesn't belong。 We don't really know much about her background as much as we do Alys， who is the central main character。 Sammish's story focuses more on her finding her own way to live her life and being brave enough to make her own decisions， independent of Alys， and finding a way to let her go so she can also move on。 The other main character in the book is Kithamar itself。 The city is described so intimately that it seems to have a mood of its own。 The history and future of the city becomes part of the central plot of the book。 This book is the story of Kithamar itself and I really enjoyed this aspect of the book。 It's not often where a specific location in a novel is such a central focus。I haven't really discussed much of the fantasy element of the plot as it's best to go in knowing as little as possible。 But suffice it to say that both Alys and Sammish get wrapped up in it and how that plays out reveals a lot about these two characters。 I did find the magic and plot of the story interesting， but my main complaint with the book is the plot is a little too thin for my taste。 The book is heavy on descriptions and character development， which slows down the pacing a lot。But you can get away with this if the characters are good， and the characters in this book are excellent。 I like that we get points of view from other characters， including the antagonist。 Characters that I didn't care for initially became much more interesting by the end of the book， such as Alys's mom。 If you like a slow paced， character driven fantasy story， I think you'll quite enjoy Age of Ash。 For my personal enjoyment， it was perhaps too focused on characters， but I really liked the writing style and I felt swept away in the city of Kithamar。 I think this book works as a standalone， but I'm intrigued by where the series is heading as I have no idea what the author is planning next。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Age of Ash

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Age of Ash&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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