Barclay is at his storytelling and adventure-creating best in this book. Considering the subject matter it would be so easy to let this book become some sort of horror and gore extravaganza. While it does become a bit gruesome at times, what is primarily conveyed is the anguish felt by those having to fight against resurrected loved ones.
All of the favourite characters are back from the first book and each of them has grown and changed over the ten years since we saw them last. Barclay has done a wonderful job of recreating the same characters but making sure they are ten years older. His atmospheric descriptions are even better then they were before and they present some pretty stark visuals that pop into your mind.
This is Barclay at his best, writing great characters and creating imagery that brings the whole scenario to life. His worlds have always been vivid and believable and Estorea is no exception. What is new is the emotional depth and honesty that he has brought to the characters. Even the villains of the pieces are given definition that limits our ability to hate them.
This is a great book, and I believe that the whole Ascendants of Estorea sequence is one of those series that people will be reading years from now. From the opening lines of Cry Of The Newborn to the ending of Shout For The Dead, Barclay doesn’t set a foot wrong or strike a false note. For the fan of the intelligent and well written fantasy/adventure story, these two books will serve you beautifully; they are written by an author at the top of his game.
Unfortunately neither of the two books in The Ascendant of Esotrea sequence are for sale in the United States. They are currently for sale through Amazon.Ca or Amazon.UK
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