Blood Ties (The Castings Trilogy)

This book has sat, unread, for far too long on my shelves! It has also been far too long between reads of a cherished genre - such a tale reminding me of the reasons for favouring fantasy as my early literature bedrock. My only excuse was to acquire all three in the trilogy beforehand, quite unaware that the abrupt conclusion to this first lends itself to continue, post-haste, with the second. As indeed I will!

Blood Ties, unapologetically, offers itself as the opener to a far-reaching story-line; immediately conferring an introductory intonation with the intriguing, regulated interplay between the ever-evolving lives of the main players: Bramble, Ash, Martine, and Saker. And as is the wont of these narratives, with an inevitable show more convergence of their many differing paths. Set in a well-constructed, alternative sphere, this first book merely unveils the foundations to a world inhabited by these Travellers and their long-ago conquerors; filled with visible ghosts and old gods; ancients songs and archaic magic - and the inescapable bias and prejudice of the victors over the subjugated, with the unerring consequences of such a state of play.

There is however, I find, a difference in this book from the standard fantasy fare. Ms Freeman weaves, with subtlety and great skill, delicate nuances and strategic otherworldly creations into this chronicle, beguiling and bewitching the reader as each is artfully unfolded, and which thence arise neatly to pre-eminence in the story-line as a whole. Each character is gradually developed, cleverly through a first-person viewpoint, plus intricately crafted within stimulating asides from minor parties, and thus is their world fully intimated; both past and present revealed in all its glory; in all its repugnance. The regular oscillation between characters, I am sure, may irk some readers, but I have always enjoyed this pattern of storytelling; my pleasure in the tale emphasised by my dismay at being summarily deposited into another chapter, the speed in which I am readily engaged afresh, and the delight in once again returning to a past, unfinished accounting!

All in all this was a very entertaining book; and although no more than a beginning, nonetheless the characters are full of charisma and are rounding out nicely, whilst their world is divulging essences of great import, all of which hold much interest; plus there is a fascinating underlying thread to the plot - intelligently hooking the reader into the vast array of impending events. This is most definitely a book of fantasy worth the visit, and I would recommend it to any avid fan of the genre - and even to those readers who are not.

(Feb 15, 2011) show less

The world-building is wonderful. If the hallmark of good exposition is to tell readers what they want to know rather than what they need to know, the exposition here is exemplary: the world of this novel has rich and complex history, culture and metaphysics, each of which is revealed tiny bit by tiny bit as we follow the characters' stories. It's an excellent read. Unlike some other Australian fantasy, this world is thoroughly northern hemisphere, abounding in elms and willows, in tansy, arnica and the whole herbal pharmacopoeia. But the central theme of the consequences of ancient dispossession has powerful Australian resonances -- though the revenge motif, which is just hitting its stride at the close of this first part of the show more trilogy, is at odds with Aboriginal responses to our shared history. Whatever, having followed to this point the disparate journeys of the beautiful horse-gentler Bramble, trained assassin Ash who sings in the voice of the dead, the enchanter Saker intent on massive destruction, as they deal with warlords, gods, oracles, ghosts and other beings in the world of the eleven domains, I earnestly hope the second volume isn't too long coming.
http://homepage.mac.com/shawjonathan/iblog/C1020611578/E20070902165621/index.htm... show less

Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman is the first book in The Castings Trilogy. It is also the first adult fiction novel the author has published,as she usually writes for children. I have read several of her children’s books and enjoyed them immensely. This book was no exception. In fact, it has qualities that make it stand apart from her previous writings. If you are a fan of the author, then you definitely will not be disappointed with Blood Ties.

The story is well written - smooth and interesting. The characters are not perfect people, which make them realistic, and they are likable and well rounded. And the world is believable yet enchanting.

I was especially impressed with the flow of the story. It is so easy to read, which makes it show more almost impossible to put down. From what I’ve heard, the second book (Deep Water) is quite the page turner so I’m looking forward to reading it soon. Another unique quality of the book is what I call the mini-stories of the minor characters. They give the story depth and allow the reader to view storylines from different perspectives, which is brilliant.

In all honesty, Blood Ties is the best adult novel I’ve read in a while. I highly recommend it. show less

1000 years ago, one group of people invaded a land and dispossessed another group. This series deals with the remnants of that dispossessed and how some want revenge.

The format was different. Each chapter, whether 1 page or 50 pages, followed one character. And it switched between at least 6-10 different characters. By the end of the book you began to see the hint of an outline of how all these different threads were coming together.

I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the rest of this trilogy.

The premise: Thousands of years ago, the Eleven Domains were invaded and its natives were pushed onto the road, to be known as Travelers. Now the Eleven Domains are governed by Warlords, but the natives haven't all forgotten the betrayals of the past, and some seek to right the wrongs done to their people. There's Saker, an enchanter who'll do anything to return the land back to the natives; Ash, a safeguarder who has a talent that feels like a curse; and Bamble, a wild, carefree girl who is forced to the road when she kills a Warlord's man. This book, the first in a trilogy, braids these character's stories together while giving the reader a rich world and its history, and it sets up for a battle that's yet to come.

My Rating

Worth the show more Cash: I can't say it's a must-have, not yet (but it's very close!), because it's only the first book in a trilogy and the point of ending frustrated me a bit. It's cliffhanger, and it really doesn't resolve anything other than to raise more questions and make the reader wish Freeman had ended in either a more resolved section of the story or a much bigger cliffhanger, if that makes sense. It's not the kind of cliffhanger that had me reaching for the second book right away, but it's enough of one that'll frustrate readers because it just kind of, well, stops. But don't let that knowledge detract from an otherwise fine, beautifully wrought world and story. Yes, the book is set-up, but the format and style of it reminds me of a cross between George R.R. Martin and Ursula K. LeGuin, as does the story itself. It's not political fantasy, but it's not sword-and-sorcery either. Epic is probably the best way to describe it, but the attention to certain issues, like displacement of the Travelers and what becomes of the land in the hands of invaders, has a certain ring to it that keeps you turning the pages. The world-building is fantastic, I can't stress that enough. The use of ghosts, the incorporation of gods, just the simple details are wonderful, so if you're a fantasy reader that craves this kind of thing, you simply have to pick this up. The characterization is also finely-tuned and fantastic, as well it should be, given how many pages are spent focusing on each of the POV characters. That I was able to take a three-month break between readings and pick the book back up with no trouble also speaks well to the craftsmanship of the book. The only real flaws are the way that the POV will head-hop a wee bit, and this is distracting (while done well) because each chapter is marked with the POV character's name, so when we're in someone else's head, it's disconcerting for a bit. But no matter, I've got the second book on my shelf, waiting patiently, and the third and final book of the trilogy comes out late this fall. There's no doubt I'll continue reading, and I'm glad that for once, I could judge a book by its cover. :)

Review style: this one will be a little different. Each character has his or her own story, and unlike more familiar books, like George R.R. Martin, the characters don't meet up (some not at all) until the very end, so we have three stories braided together to form the book, which is more set-up than anything, but very good and enjoyable set-up. So, for the sake of the review, I will be talking spoilers, and I'll divide the review into four sections: one for the three main characters, and one extra that discusses what Freeman does that's a little special in terms of world-building.

The full review, which again, includes spoilers, may be found in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Pamela Freeman's BLOOD TIES: BOOK ONE OF THE CASTINGS TRILOGY

Happy Reading! show less

Blood Ties is the first novel in what is being called The Castings Trilogy, an epic fantasy set in a world where ghosts and prophecy are a part of everyday life. The story follows three characters: Bramble, Ash and Saker, all children of a subjugated race called Travelers. They have been oppressed for a thousand years by the blond haired and blue eyed Actons. As the story progresses, each character is forced to deal with what it means to be a part of a reviled race, while also coming to terms with what they can do about it.

I loved reading Blood Ties. Although the majority of it is given over to character and world building, the world it builds is fascinating and the characters extremely compelling. The plot has a very nice ebb and flow show more of action and introspection, and Freeman has done well in keeping the reader’s interest.

Full Review at Grasping for the Wind show less

“Blood Ties” is the first book of the Castings trilogy by the Australian writer Pamela Freeman. Set in the Eleven Domains, the story is centred around Bramble and Ash, two troubled young adults belonging to the “old blood”, an oppressed and dispossessed people in their own country. It is an enthralling story full of mystery, magic and dark secrets.

I was very late to discover Pamela Freeman’s work but it is always a pleasure to find another talented Australian fantasy writer along the lines of Sara Douglass and Trudi Canavan. I’m really enjoying the series.