A Betrayal in Winter

When I finish the first book in a series I don't usually go straight to the following volume, leaving myself some time to… digest the story and the characters. Not this time: after closing A Shadow in Summer I began immediately to read book two, and that might explain the undefined feeling of something missing that had me struggling to go on for the first few chapters. Luckily for me that sensation passed quickly and once the story started to unfold I was once more totally immersed in Daniel Abraham's world and completely absorbed by the unfolding tale.

Such elements that were more lightly touched in the first book, as the cruel custom of sending away the "excess" sons of a ruling house so they don't create further contention with show more their warring brothers over succession, take a more defined and dramatic shape in the second book where the story develops with the characteristics and rhythms of a Greek tragedy, where the reader (or spectator) knows that it can only end in death and anguish - and that's one of the hooks that grab the reader and never let go until the end.

The level of political intrigue and scheming is taken to new levels, at the same time giving a broader and deeper insight into the world's society and its customs, and at the same time it forces the characters - both old and new - toward choices that can be both cruel and unavoidable. I am amazed at Mr. Abraham's skill in world building and the way he makes the background of the cities and the world at large interact with those characters and create a solid, believable, three-dimensional story animated by people I care about - both in the positive and negative way.

With a very few exceptions I tend not to re-read books, but I suspect these will end up in that short list, because I'm certain that revisiting them will prove even more entertaining, and that I will discover more facets that I might have overlooked now. show less

I enjoyed the first installment of this series, but I found this book to be even more compelling. Maati and Otah, the two main characters from book 1, return after a 14 year time gap, in a completely new city, with new rules, new characters, a new andat, and a whole new tangle of political brambles to work through. Otah goes to try to protect someone, whereas Maati is on a journey to work out the truth of the situation. At its core however, this book is about sexism. The male heirs to the throne, called the Khai, murder one another to become the new ruler after their father has died. The daughters don't get to participate in this butchery. Instead, they are married off to solidify political ties to other strong families. But what show more unfolds in this book is truly tragic, because the daughter of the current Khai is the one who decides to murder her brothers, and even her father, in an attempt to take power. But all of the men are abhorred by a woman doing this and condemn her, even though they were ready to support a man who would do the same things. Otah even benefits from this, because ultimately he takes the position of Khai once all of the dirty work has been finished by his sister, and his political backers maneuver him into place as the Khai after exposing her actions. It is well written because Otah so many of the male characters don't even think about how sexist their actions are, that's just the way their society is built. It is truly a tragic tale, and even though Otah claimed the throne, I wouldn't say that he won. The book was paced well, featured another intriguing andat, somehow managed to work another love triangle in without making it tedious (especially since the first book also had a love triangle), and introduced us to another unique setting and group of characters. Recommended. show less

There's a lot of fantasy books that deal with succession, but this one is different in that the youngest son, Otah, doesn't want the throne, but ends up caught up in the politics anyway, and the person who can't have the throne (the only daughter and Otah's sister) is the one that wants it the most. The book is very well-written, the world-building is excellent, and the characters are developed. I ended up feeling a fair amount of sympathy for the villain, Idaan. In her quest for power she poisons her whole life, and she realizes it, which makes her villainy all the more satisfying. I would have liked to have more story around the poet Cehmai and his andat, Stone-made-soft, because I am so intrigued with this magic system. I hope that show more changes in the next book. Keeping this for an eventual reread. show less

This second book in Abraham’s Long Price Quartet takes us to the Winter Cities, about as far from the setting of the first book as possible. Machi spends half the year frozen, and tunnels under the city offer an opportunity for social life even when it’s too bitter to go outside. (I love the attention to setting in these books; I live in a climate with very volatile weather, so I miss it when the seasons never get a mention.)

The Khai Machi is dying, and his sons must start killing each other – only the sole survivor can be his heir. The Khai has three official sons, but there is also the fourth – Otah Machi, who was sent to the poets’ school as a child, but who, uniquely, neither became a poet nor rejected his claim to his show more father’s throne. As soon as people become aware that he is still alive, he becomes known as The Upstart, a frightening, half-legitimate figure in the shadows.

And so, to be sure that chaos does not ensue, the Dai-Kvo, head of the poets’ organization, sends the disgraced poet Maati to the city to find Otah, determine if he has been illegitimately murdering his brothers, and stop him if he can. The problem is, Maati still loves and respects Otah, and is sure he is not the one behind it.

He’s right. This is no spoiler; rather than being structured as a mystery, the book lets you follow both the criminals and the investigators at the same time. The murderer is Idaan, the Khai’s daughter. Frustrated at her position in life – destined to be married off for political power – she has developed a plan to make her fiancé the new Khai, by killing all of her brothers and pushing his family to the top of the political structure. It would be the honorable thing to do if she were a man; since she is a woman, it is a terrible crime.

I found this one a little harder going than A Shadow in Summer. Possibly this was because I didn’t connect with as many of the characters. I still liked Otah’s reluctance to get involved and his eventual realization that not getting involved was going to be disastrous, but Maati seemed to exhibit a lot of learned helplessness in this book, and the Machi poet Cehmai just didn’t do much. I wanted to like Idaan, but about halfway through I thought to myself, I wish this wasn’t yet another story about a woman being slapped down hard for stepping out of her place. If Abraham wanted to explore the awful ways the tradition of succession damages people (a genuinely interesting subject), he could have at least done it with a male character.

All of which makes it sound like I didn’t enjoy the book. I did, and I continue to love the worldbuilding and the andat and the way he explores the long-term consequences of peoples’ decisions. I will absolutely be reading An Autumn War as soon as I can get my hands on it (unfortunately there isn’t a bookstore in town that has a copy for sale). But this is a dark book, slow-paced and melancholy, and with the blush of new love fading from the series, I found it a little more work to get through. show less

(Long Price Quartet #2)

A sequel to ‘A Shadow in Summer,’ set in the same location and a few years after the events of the previous book, but it also works as a contained story.

The Khai of Sarakheyt is ailing. Tradition demands that the next ruler of the city will be the last son of the current Khai left alive – it is the duty of brothers to kill each other to ensure an uncomplicated succession. However, one of the Khai’s sons has never had any interest in ruling. He’s left the city and has been living under an assumed name, pursuing a quiet life with an innkeeper, whom he loves, and making a living as a combination bike courier and spy. It’s the gathering-information part of the job that’s becomes a problem, because when show more one of his brothers is reported poisoned, he’s assigned to go find out what’s happening. Otah Machi would rather be as far as possible from these events – but he’d also rather not blow his cover by refusing the job for no logical reason.

Unfortunately for him, his cover is blown when he runs into an old friend (or maybe an enemy), Maati, one of the “poets” who sustain the economy (and the land’s defense) through the elemental golems called ‘andat’ that they summon into being through words. Maati is also interested in keeping informed on what’s going on, as politics is essential to the poets.

To his further dismay, Otah’s carefully maintained low profile is working against him, as public opinion has focused on his mysterious disappearance. No one will believe that Otah is not secretly plotting.

The reader, however, knows the identity of the real plotter from the outset: Otah’s sister Idaan. No one in this patriarchal world expects a woman would be involved in politics, but Idaan is brilliant, ambitious, and believes that she has her lover (whose name she expects to rule in), and the situation, under her thumb.

The story proceeds as a combination of court intrigue and murder mystery; with a rich setting and complex characters controlled by and fighting against their pasts, their ‘proper’ place in society, tradition, and their own emotions. Very well done. show less

I read Book 1 a while ago, but eventually remembered the key points; this is a land in which poets bind creatures of immense power with their thoughts, and the city’s rulers are hereditary with a tradition that the heir is the one who kills all the other sons, at least the ones who haven’t renounced the throne and been branded. In the previous book, a youngest son escapes that fate and runs away; now it’s years later, his father is dying, and someone has killed one of the three sons still in contention. Palace intrigue ensues. I like Abraham’s later work a lot better. This one really reminded me of the vagaries of interpretation: either this is a book about how misogyny devastates women (and blinds men) or it’s a book about an show more incredibly treacherous and selfish woman. I’m pretty sure Abraham intended the former, not least because of the hilarious moment when key protagonists list the possible culprits and insist they’ve identified everyone and she’s practically standing in front of them performing an interpretive dance on the theme of “it’s me!” But it wasn’t as fun to read as a banker heroine. show less

A Betrayal in Winter is the second in the Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham. There is definitely a step up in the writing with this second book, including a fairly complicated plot and another kingdom's future at stake. This book is all about court intrigue and political maneuvering.

Fifteen years have passed. The Khai Matchi is ailing and the battle for succession has started. By tradition the sons of the Khai fight it out and the last man living is the new Khai. This time, though, it appears there's another party trying to sway the outcome of the succession. The Galts have allied with someone in Matchi in an effort to bring down the ruling house and gain power on the continent.

I find that I'm having a hard time writing a review for show more this book. There are so many things I liked. The worldbuild is great. I continue love the concept of the andat and the unique flavor this world has. The plot is complicated, more so than it really needs to be given the Galt's goal, and takes a lot of fun twists and turns. Idaan makes a pretty great villain. The characters feel like real people, they have flaws, and are well written. And yet I just wasn't drawn to any of the characters the way I was with Amat and Seedless. Otah spent most of his time trying to avoid the inevitable, though I'm glad he finally came around in the end. I felt kind of bad for Maati. He really is clueless about, well, everything. He was going the wrong direction for his whole investigation until the grumpy librarian helped him out. Idaan trying to buck tradition I understood very well. I can even admire her ruthlessness to a point. I just wish I'd found her more likeable. Cehmai and Stone-Made-Soft were the most intriguing. Abraham did an amazing job of making the andat seem very alien and also a part of us at the same time. Too bad the character itself was so bland! Just give me one character I liked and could root for and this would've been a 4 star book.

Not that that's going to stop me from reading the series. This was a great set up for what I hope is going to happen next. Must find out how Otah handles his new role! show less