This was a great book. Very fast paced with some very interesting characters and story lines. It did suffer from a few first novel issues but they were small and didn't bother me that much.

I liked that the book ended with the completion of a story line and the hint of the future mystery. I have always felt that series books should do that. I hate feeling like I go to the end of the book with no resolution what so ever.

I also thought Scholes did a very nice job of laying out his world. Giving us hints here are there but not revealing everything. There is a big mystery in the background of this book and he hints at it all the way through. I liked his mix of fantasy and tech. Will read the next one when it come out in October. ( )

What was it that kept me reading this book, even as it kept grating on my nerves and frustrating my brain's attempt to analyze it? A big attractor was the cast of clear-cut and appealing characters, each of whom were of a type, but only a couple were a stereotype. Another was the interesting world, which is something like medieval times, but not quite, and included some intriguing modern touches and hints that there is (or could be) a rich history. This made the fantasy a bit more like science fiction. Probably most of all is the unfolding story, with layer upon layer of intrigue.

Truth-be-told, it was this very intrigue that almost made me put the book down about a quarter of the way into it. Outside of the original catastrophe, about which only a little is learned, the only thing that happens for quite a while is a lot of talking and posturing and thinking and a little intrigue. Thankfully, the pace picked up and things got interesting again.

But what did grate on my nerves? Let's start with some of the writing quirks. How about the use of "magicks"? Really? We couldn't come up with a new word or a different word for something that acts like magic, but isn't? I guess if you spell magic with a 'k' it's not exactly the same. And why is it necessary to use apostrophes in names (e.g., "P'Andro Whym" to make them seem exotic? Maybe that's just a matter of personal taste. And why disturb my mind by giving someone a name that appears to my eye to be Asian and have them described as a red-haired, blue-eyed, Caucasian?

Then there's the matter of repetition, of "magicks" and "Whymer Mazes" and "scouts" and "salted knives". If this is really a complex world with thousands of years of history, there should be many more varied analogies and turns of phrase. As it is, it reads like a whole city talking about nothing but Rubik's Cubes and Quantum Leaps all day for years.

And that brings me to the whole perception of a worldwide (?) society that seems completely stuck in a single age, technologically and otherwise, for thousands(?!) of years. Is that because of the workings of a religious order that's clearly Catholic-inspired, but isn't actually based on anything spiritual or truly Biblical (with a capital 'B')? How does that work? Why isn't there more than one (or maybe two, if you count the Marshers) pseudo-religion in the entire world? Even the real Catholic church couldn't pull off more than a few hundred years of domination. And if you've got mechanoservitors and iron ships that are steam powered (the latter implied by the former), where is the industrialization that created them?

What was it that kept me reading this book? I'm still not entirely sure. But I've developed enough interest in the characters and the world to want to know more about what happened in the past and what's going to happen. I may also be hoping that the author has foreseen my objections and will reveal a satisfactory explanation. I'm probably going to read at least the next book in the series to see where it goes. ( )

I started this one on audio and finished it in regular book form. The four readers were good, but I think I would rather have had just one. There were more than four characters for them to cover, and they presented some of the characters differently, especially Isaak.

The chapters are set up as point-of-view chapters like George RR Martin's books, but they're much shorter. We get the viewpoints of most of the major players, whether good, bad or in between. There are some great protagonists here-Rudolfo, the gypsy king; Jin Li Tam, the spy; Petronus, the fisherman with a secret past; and Neb, the young man with a mysterious destiny.

The character that had my heart from the first was Isaak, the mecho-servitor. From that first scene when they find him weeping in the woods to the limp he walks with due to a damaged leg, Scholes does a wonderful job of humanizing the inhuman. I felt instant empathy and protectiveness for the character, the only principal character who doesn't get point-of-view chapters.

The world-building is as smooth as anything-no info dumps in the form of unrealistic dialogue or long paragraphs of exposition. Scholes told his story while gracefully weaving in the history, customs and religion of his unique world. One of the things I love most about the plot is the focus on restoring the library of a great city that has been destroyed.

This work is original and skillfully done, and I'm glad there's more to read. ( )

Honestly, this book has some really glaring problems with characterization, especially in the beginning. The good guys are very good, the bad guys very bad, with very little evident complexity of characterization. I was especially frustrated with Rudolfo/Jin's incredibly perfect courtship/betrothal. But things really do pick up near the end in several ways. You basically have to swallow the idea that a vast conspiracy spanning at least centuries has been working absolutely perfectly to manipulate individual persons on a minute scale, but I definitely lost interest 2/3 of the way through, and then at the end wanted to start the second book immediately.

It's worth noting, by the way, that this book is a pretty massive Bechdel fail--I can think of two named female characters--Jin and Winters--and they never have a conversation that I'm aware of. Jin is also kind of eye-rollingly gorgeous perfect courtesan/spy/Action Girl who immediately fawns completely over Rudolfo. She starts to get some conflict near the end, but definitely not a new character type. Winters is a little more interesting, but doesn't have much to do yet.

Despite the above, mostly compelling, interesting worldbuilding, and I really do want to see where things go. ( )

Really liked this book!
Great alternative world, nice mix of science fiction and fantasy, good dialogue.
Looking forward to the rest of the series ( )

The book was strangely compelling, still I did not know whether to give it a 3 or a 4. Yes it was good, but was it great? I think that I will go for the later as it was the world and the plot that made it so. What a plot!

There was once a world, yes might just be Earth but it was destroyed. Some escaped the Wastelands to the New World and built a life there. Now they have magic, but there are remnants of the old world technology. A couple of robots and ships of iron. Also you should not dig too deep into the past, you might not like what you find. Which brings us to the utter destruction of a city of religion and learning. And where the book starts.

I really liked that there had been wars and ruin in the old days and now thousands of years later this is what we have. The almost typical fantasy society. Except for a a few tech things.

I am usually not a fan of too much religion and this was just that, but still it worked. There is a Pope, but the religion is strange. That made it different.

And I really want to know about the Old World! What truly happened. I liked the plot, what a finely woven web, I was impressed by it. And the end, omg the end people! Awesome, best thing in the book.

Good characters too. I like the weird Marsh People, I liked young Neb, Of course I liked Vlad cos he was a mastermind and the Gypsy Scouts and their king were cool.

I do want to read more of this series. Old and new mixes so wel ( )

An incredibly imaginative fantasy tale, filled with twists and turns, with an enriching, complex world. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Eager to read the next. ( )

A mix of fantasy and science fiction, Lamentation tells the story of the Named Lands, home to the survivors of a great destruction. When the great city of Windwir is suddenly destroyed, and the Named Lands' library and repository of knowledge with it, the leaders of the provinces find themselves on the brink of war. Accusations fly about who caused the destruction. While some seek retribution, others seek restoration, and still others just want to make sense of what's happened. Across the miles, they initiate their plots, each seeking to protect him or herself and her people and their lands.This is epic fantasy at its finest but no sorcery or dwarves or elves. Scholes has created his own world and people, one that we've never seen before, and populated it with characters like us. They draw us in and capture our hearts, making us care deeply about what happens to them.Scholes uses a variety of points of view throughout, with short, tight scenes that keep the pace compelling. I found his voice unique and his story compelling. His prose is haunting and captures you, pulling you along with it for the ride. His world building and characterization are also top notch. In fact, it was difficult to pick a favorite: Rudolfo, leader of the famed Gypsy Scouts from the Ninefold Forests; Petronus, the former pope who faked his own death and disappeared; Jae Lin Tam, faithful daughter who's sacrificed her body and spirit in the service of her father's political goals; Neb, illegitimate son of a monk, who watched Windwir explode and his father and whole world with it. Or perhaps it would be Isak, the metal man, keeper of the last remnant of knowledge, and possessor of a dark secret about the destruction of Windwir. Each have their own arc and history, compellingly brought together in conflict and friendship by the events which unfold.The book has drawn impressive praise, too. New York Times bestselling speculative fiction author Orson Scott Card wrote: "This is the golden age of fantasy, with a dozen masters doing their best work. Then along comes Ken Scholes, with his amazing clarity, power, and invention, and shows us all how it's done." Card liked it so much, he participated in a reading of the book voicing characters.Analog calls Scholes "one of the best writer's you've never heard of," and Editor/Publisher Jonathan Strahan said "it has the chance of standing as an important book in the evolution of the epic fantasy form...a delight...a book that readers are very likely to take to heart. it's one of the best fantasies I've read in some time."Two of the books are out, and I've read them both, and I can't wait until Antiphon comes out this fall. I wish they'd hurry up and get the others out. My only complaint is that Scholes needs to write faster or maybe just concentrate. I told Ken I am jealous of his first readers. But he's not talking, I have to wait like everyone else lucky enough to have discovered Scholes' saga with baited breath!If you have tired of high fantasy or other forms you've seen done time and again, no matter how well, give Ken Scholes' series a try. It's fantastic and well worth the effort. I can't recommend it enough. ( )

Engrossing, fascinating and beautifully written story that is post-apocalyptic (set in a future world thousands of years after most of the world was laid to waste), steampunk (mechanical birds and robots live side by side with a technologically backward populous), fantasy (dreams come true, magick is real and regularly used), epic tale, romance, political intrigue, and mystery (who destroyed the capital city?). It is hard to characterize Lamentation, but perhaps that doesn't really matter - the characters are what pulls the reader in. There is a remarkable cast of complicated, interesting, believable, and sympathetic characters, who take turns narrating. The story flows seamlessly, though, and getting to know all of these disparate characters so closely makes the story more suspenseful and appealing. I really care about all of them.

Moreover, Ken Scholes' world is carefully crafted, and he lets details unfold naturally. It is apparent that a cataclysmic event caused vast swaths of land to be destroyed and people to fear technology generations later, but exactly why happened and why is gradually introduced as the story progresses. This adds an element of intrigue to the already intriguing mystery of why the capital was destroyed.

Ken Scholes' writing is beautiful, flowing, lyrical. I immediately ordered the rest of the books in the series, and in fact everything I could find by Mr Scholes. Wonderful. ( )

It's a complicated and involved story that starts with a city being destroyed and continues into the why's more than the who. It took me a fair while to get truly into the story but once I was into it I was hooked.
Nebios is one of the pivotal characters, he's an innocent abroad and his life is never going to be the same. Lady Jin Li Tam is also interesing, her relationships are pivotal to the story.

I enjoyed the read, and look forward to more. It is pretty complete on it's own and while there are unresolved issues there is a completed arc within this book. ( )

From my website:

Within pages Scholes creates a full bodied universe with adversaries and heroes, though by the end you still might not know who is which. To set the scene, Scholes opens his debut novel with the event that will follow the characters around and set into motion the underlying shockwaves that carry forward the story for the next four hundred pages. Within the first 50 pages, Windwir is destroyed by some mystical force that destroys the entire city and the thousands of people within its borders. As the center of the Named Lands, Windwir acted as the seat of power for the Androfrancines, an order that collected knowledge from the “Old World” and maintained within the confines of the large library that made up most of the city. The Androfrancines act much like a religious order of our own world, except instead of peddling gods and religions, they seek to find and protect knowledge, leaking it out to the general public in slips and pieces as they think the general populace can handle it. In the destruction of Windwir, the world loses most of the knowledge of the old as well as the group that maintained peace within the world. As everyone attempts to figure out who could have caused such destruction, sides build towards inevitable war.

Even though the story bounced between view points with three or four characters telling the story through their eyes in each chapter, the novel flows effortlessly. Moving from one character to the next doesn’t jerk you out of the action or takes much adjustment because all of the characters are so well-developed. Even the characters that have awkward “fantasy” names that are not common in the real world have distinctive traits that soon turn them into individuals after being introduced. The story is centered around four distinctive voices with others leading detail as needed:

Rudolpfo – the gypsy king of the Nine Folds Forrest, an honorable man who prefers sticking to matters of his own territory, but seeks to honor his “kinclave” with the Androfrancine order

Jin Li Tam – a daughter of the house of Li Tam, a familial network that subtly attempts to affect change within the Named Lands, acts as a spy for her father

Neb – a teenage orphan of the Androfrancine order who was leaving Windwir with his father to enter the old world for research

Petronus – an old fisherman who is much more than he pretends to be with an emotional stake in the destruction of Windwir

Through their eyes, the story unfolds – war begins, mysteries unravel, loyalties change and somehow the mythology becomes more and more complicated as the entire world gets involved in the aftermath of the destruction of this one city.

Lamentation defeats the boundaries of genre classification. Yes, I compare it to epic fantasy, but at the same time there are mechoservitors – metal men used by the Androfrancine order for maintaining their library – and steam powered technology, magic seeping in through the cracks, and human drama reflected in the tribulations of a post-apocalyptic world as it falls apart. Though it begins in a slow steady pace that builds up a world almost as real as our own, Scholes has no hesitation in running at full speed, developing the world as the action powers the story along.

This is the first of a five novel series with the third book, Antiphon, coming out in September. There is no way any words of my own can justify how fantastic this book is. I highly recommend it and its sequel Canticle to anyone who enjoys getting lost in well constructed, beautifully written worlds full of action, mystery and intrigue. This isn’t Lost. Questions get answered as often as they get asked, though theorizing and putting pieces of the puzzle together along with the main characters is part of the fun. ( )

An engrossing fantasy. I like the world he's built, and the characters. I need to grab the sequel.

Title: Lamentation
Author: Ken Scholes
Publisher: Tor Books
Date: Febrary 17, 2009
Pages: 368

A blast of extraordinary sci-fi fantastical adventure that starts with a big boom.

The storyline follows the twisted thread that connects a city to a number of different peoples, cultures, and the created cyborgs after an entire city has been decimated. The mystery of how the explosion happens pervades the storyline with each different facet being explored. Who destroyed the city, who pulled the strings, it's all politics and intrigue that are only somewhat answered at the very end of the book.
I enjoyed reading this book, its one that I could see myself re-reading because you never really catch every minute detail in the first read. Each time you re-read this book, I bet you could find some other thing that you've overlooked, some shard that puts another piece of the puzzle together. I was able to get the gist of each culture, and was amazed at the level of political intrigue that continued to spiral backwards and forward in time. I would enjoy seeing a more thorough explanation of the cultures, perhaps through detailed childhood memories.
This book definitely keeps itself open to a sequel, which I look forward to reading. ( )

This didn't amaze me but it was pretty good, probably more like 3.5 stars. Some adult content but it wasn't really gritty or dark. The plot was rather unique - no arrogant elves or comedic dwarves, no dragons, no dark lord in his dark tower and very little magic. The writing was nice and the steampunky mecho-servitors were cool.

I guess my biggest problem with it was that there wasn't a lot of suspense. Usually the good guys do okay then things start going bad until you think "oh my how are they ever going to survive this?" Then something clever happens and everything is okay. This was more like something bad happens then the good guys kick the bad guy's ass. ( )

While magic holds predominance over science, the book would greatly appeal to anyone who liked Dune, by Frank Herbert. Religion, politics, and multiculturalism play equally significant roles in the plot and tone. However, it is easier to identify with characters. Both had strong character development, but Dune's evoked observation while Lamentation's evoke identification.

At least three apocalypses have happened on this world.

The chapters alternate between key players. The narrators alternate with the key players. All are excellent narrators, and the methodology is very effective. ( )

Ken Scholes' post-post-apocalyptic world is richly depicted by his clever prose, that interweaves and re-enlivens the stock phrases and tropes of our world. The layers of intrigue in [Lamentation] make for a disconcerting read, that is ultimately more satisfying than any any and easy solution could be. Scholes' characters are delightfully human in their imperfections and inadequacies, and equally strong in their resolve. He successfully maneuvers past simplistic depictions of good and evil, to raise questions about the freedom of the human will, and just what exactly the mark of a "good" man is. Highly recommended for people looking for thoughtful and well-written speculative fiction. ( )

Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, magic and technology exist side by side, and the great repository of information is the library of Windwir, which is mysteriously destroyed. As the characters try to uncover the plot behind the desolation of Windmir, they are also moved in a game of politics, religion, and war.

Review: I wanted to like "Lamentation." I wanted to like it so much. It’s a story about magic and technology and religion, which are three themes that I absolutely love in fantasy, especially when tied together. I mean, there are robots! Awesome! However, I found the story so abrupt and jarring that I could not get into it. Every time I settled into a particular character’s head, I would be forced out and thrown to another character like a hot potato. The POV scenes are way too short and the overall narrative is frustratingly choppy. Normally this would be okay if the characters were worth sticking with, but the characters in "Lamentation" are so flat and one dimensional. They are stereotypes of stock fantasy characters like the dashing but roguish prince, the femme fatale, the insane fat villain, etc. I kept on waiting for one of the characters to do something that added complexity to their archetypes but they never did.

I mean, the first time Rudolfo meets Jin Li Tam, he’s all “I must have her!” It was a line straight out of a corny romance novel. I burst out laughing and not in a good way.

I also don’t like the way Scholes handles different cultures in the novel. Again, he just deals in stereotypes and/or weird interpretations. Rudolfo is the Gypsy King and as far as I can see, that just means he wears scarves on his head and comes from a line of wandering, thieving bandits. Yeah. How deep. Jin Li Tam has an Asian name and seems to come from an Asian tradition, but oh yeah, she’s a redhead with “alabaster” skin. Romany and Asians are rolling their eyes everywhere as their very real and meaningful cultures are summed up in a few token gestures.

To be fair, none of the cultures in "Lamentation" are really developed. The world is shiny and exciting (robots!), but it's ultimately pretty shallow.

Conclusion: It didn’t work for me, unfortunately. I wished it could; it had a lot of premises that I liked. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. ( )

Extremely well written, this book is a little bit of everything skillfully rolled into one fantastic piece of work. It's multi-genre with a bit of post apocolyptic lit in there, some fantasy and sci-fi. Somehow Scholes manages to make it all work, and nothing seems out of place. He moves seamlessly from character to character. Often times one event is being shown from several perspectives, but in no way is it repetative or boring, it actually adds depth and life to the book. I found it impressive that there was no loss of momentum or drop off when switching between characters as sometimes happens with GRRM in his ASoIF series. There is no filler to be found in this book, and no dead sections. I also appreciated the fact that Scholes gives glimpses of the background or back story of characters and places but manages to avoid bogging the reader down with details. The author manages to make other well known, successful fantasy look almost amateurish when stacked up against the skill put forth in this book. I would say this is a must read and look forward to starting Canticle immediately. ( )

I really enjoyed this book, despite the plot. Yes, despite the plot. The plot is basically taken right out of medieval history - sack Rome, kill the Pope, then two Popes spring up, one of them 'bought' by the side that did the destroying. Not very original. The other annoying part was the names and roles that were too parallel to our world. 'Androfrancines'? Just call them Franciscans or Jesuits and you'll see what I mean. I also found the too short chapters that dealt with each character, even while they were all in the same location made it a bit choppy.
However, I enjoyed the characters and the political intrigue, it was quite interesting. I'm looking forward to the next one. ( )

This story to me is like the Whymer Mazes used as a meditation device by the Androfrancines. The maze circle that seems to never end and always turns back on to itself. I loved this story, there's always a mystery to figure out. Who and why did they destroy the city of Windwir, the home to the Androfrancines who protected the rest of the people in the world from the technology and dark pieces that could be used to destroy the world and only trickling out the small pieces of information they feel the people of the world can handle.

There is talk of an ancient Wizard whom created the Seven Cacophonic Deaths, which no one is to know what the words are inorder to protect everyone and anyone from causing distruction.

However, the book starts right off with the distruction of Windwir and only one metal man from the city, being fully functional, seems to have somewhere in his memory some idea yet no idea as to what happened on that tragic day. Isaak is the name given to this metal man.

There are many creative secrets in this book, such as the letters with secret messages intertwined within, the tapping out of messages while talking to another person on their skin, and the wonderous magic of running so fast and not being seen either running or standing still. Then you have Isaak the metal man, who is powered by a constant steam source.

I loved the writing style of a view from each characters point of view. When I first say this was the writing style I was nervous that information would be lost in the translation. After I read through this book so far, I did start taking notes so I didn't forget all the wonderous details to help with the mystery, but found that I really liked the way the author wrote this with the point of views. I actually got more details from seeing and knowing what each character did.

Did the right man pay the price for the distruction of the city? Could he have weaved the web that you see in this book? The further you go in the book the more intricate the web becomes. The more I thought on the book after reading and trying to piece together information from through out the whole book I have a very my idea of what is going on. I am curious to read what really happens. I had a wonderful time piecing the pieces together and making the story go the way I think it may. ( )

Ken Scholes's debut novel is a stunning work of epic fantasy. The action begins from the very first page as the mighty city of Windwir, home of the greatest library in the world, is utterly destroyed. The high pillar of smoke draws key characters to the point of destruction - some to celebrate, others to grieve, others to prepare for war. The pace of the book is quick and ruthless. Scholes' background is in short story writing, and it shows. The world-building is effective and doesn't drown in detail. Each chapter switches between several major viewpoints, each with a distinct voice and viewpoint that shows Windwir and the ensuing political and military warfare in a different light.

I loved this book, and I can see why it generated so much buzz. It really does have a different feel than most epic fantasies, and I think that would make it more accessible to those who don't usually read the genre. Some of the characters were very moving. I loved Isaak the mechanoservitor and Jin Li Tam. This is the first in a series of five, and I'll definitely pick up the rest as they come out. ( )

The great city of Windwir, repository of all learning literally religiously gathered and guarded by the venerable Androfrancine Order, headed by the Pope, is suddenly destroyed in an incredible magickal conflagration. The Brothers of the Order had perhaps discovered some ancient knowledge that was too dangerous, it was thought. The power-vacuum inevitably leads to a battle for supremacy and war between various factions.

The characters involved in this are varied and interesting. There is Rudolfo, sometime good-time boy and dandy, otherwise, Lord of the Ninefold Houses and General of the Wandering Army, the crack military Gypsy Scouts. He has seen the fiery clouds of destruction of Windwir, which he was in alliance with, and recovers one of the Order's metal men in the ruins. The mechanical Servitor, dubbed Isaak by Rudolfo, is in anguish, believing itself responsible for the destruction of the City. Rudolfo discovers that a renegade apprentice of the Order had tampered with the Servitor, programming it to give voice to an ancient magick that called down destruction upon the city.

The apprentice was in the pay of Lord Sethbert, Overseer of the Entrolusian City States and the Delta of Three Rivers. He is unwisely boastful of the City's destruction, leading even his own military to question his sanity. Sethbert has brought his army with him, to happily (or unhappily) view the destruction of Windwir, and to secure all power to him, particularly from the Gypsy King, Rudolfo, whose army stands in opposition to his. Sethbert has set up a cousin as the new Pope of what Androfrancines are left, and has told him to declare Rudolfo shunned as having caused the destruction of Windwir.

What follows is war and intrigue, with crosses and double-crosses, and plots and machinations that reach back for generations. Involved with all this are other characters, such as the Lady Jin Li Tam, formerly consort of Sethbert, but foremostly, daughter and agent of the House of Li Tam, one of the most powerful trading houses in the Named Lands. And there is young Neb, raised by the Order and hoping to become a Brother some day, who barely escaped death in the city, but lived to see the destruction with his own eyes, including the death of his father and everyone he's ever known. And there is the mysterious Petronus, who claims to be a simple fisherman.

The book has a solid ending and reads almost like a stand-alone. But from the "Palms of Isaak" subtitle listed on-line (but nowhere in the actual book), it seems this is the first in a series and the story will continue. With its interesting characters, strong world-building and involving plot, most readers should find a sequel most welcome. ( )

According to the blurb by Orson Scott Card on the book jacket, "This is the golden age of fantasy, with a dozen masters doing their best work." That's an awfully bold statement, but one that is not entirely without some support. Epic fantasy authors such as Martin, Gilman, Brett, Lynch, Erikson, Redick, Farrell, Baker, and Novik (just to name a few) are indeed weaving exceptional multi-volume tales that are setting an awfully high bar. At the same time, revisionist writers such as Mieville, Morgan, and Abercrombie are testing and (at least in Morgan's case) exploding the accepted boundaries of the genre. It may not be a true golden age of fantasy, but there is little doubt that it is a rich and vibrant time.

Having set those metrics, the question is whether Scholes lives up to the hype. I think it is difficult to say definitively after only one novel. Some authors (without naming names) came out of the starting gate exceptionally fast only to bog down in writer's block or what might be called, albeit indelicately, writer's diarrhea. That being said, there is little question that Scholes tells a compelling narrative and introduces a number of interesting characters. Some of the supporting cast come dangerously close to stereotype, but that is an inherent risk in epic fantasy. The multi-narrator structure is not my favorite, but seems almost obligatory these days. Thankfully, he does not fall into the trap of including too many narrators, which can be both annoying and distracting.

The story is one that will be familiar, at least in its broad outlines, to fans of speculative fiction. In a post-apocalyptic world (yes, there is a subtle hint of science fiction lurking around the edges of the book) science and technology have been jealously and judiciously guarded by a monastic order known as the Androfrancine Order. When their golden city of Windwire is destroyed by a long-lost "spell," the survivors must struggle to find a path for rebuilding what has been lost and forging new alliances. For nearly 400 pages, we follow the paths of two possible "Popes," a Gypsy King, a young Androfrancine novice, a crafty banker/spy-master, his consort daughter, and others in their struggle. There's politics a-plenty, as well as some rather complex plotting that teeters on the edge of being just a little too cute. But it ends in satisfying enough fashion, bringing the story to a close while leaving enough open for the inevitable sequel.

Bottom line: definitely worth the read and bears watching to see how it develops. One complaint: I got tired of reading "Whymer Maze" again and again and again. Yes, this is all very complicated. Yes so is a maze. Yes I get it. ( )

It’s been some time since I read any epic fantasy; I stopped because it was all starting to sound the same to me. Lately, though, I’ve been on a quest for the quirky, the original, the off-beat. I’m tired of clichés and predictability, comfortable as they sometimes are to read.

Fortunately for me, Ken Scholes seems to be of the same mind. Lamentation, the first book of The Psalms of Isaak, while partaking of the spirit of traditional epic fantasy, gives the old tropes a new spin. Perhaps it is because his book partakes as much of science fiction as of fantasy (his book could as easily be a far future version of our own Earth as it could be a totally invented world); perhaps it is simply because he has a terrific imagination and a writing style to match. In any event, Lamentation was a pleasure to read.

The book begins with the destruction of Windwir: “The city screams and then sighs seven times, and after the seventh sigh, sunlight returns briefly to the scorched land.” A nuclear explosion? Something else? It is not possible to tell in this world where science seems to be indistinguishable from magic, and deliberately so, apparently the province of a religious order that seems much like a far future Catholic Church (as much as it seems like a far past Catholic Church, the Church of the Dark Ages when it preserved knowledge from total destruction). The destruction of the city leads to war between different kingdoms, each of which blames the other for the city’s annihilation. We know from the beginning who is truly responsible, but we do not know the motive except that the destroyer seems to be mad.

Scholes tells his story from the viewpoints of four characters, skipping from one to the other throughout the book. The device works well, for it gives us information we need to know what’s going on, while preserving secrets from characters who cannot know certain facts.

Rudolfo is the classic hero of the tale, a gypsy king who leads the Ninefold Forest Houses. But Scholes is not content to make him tall, handsome, brave and true. Instead, Rudolfo keeps Physicians of Penitent Torture on hand to “treat” miscreants with salted knives, and he watches them work while he dines sumptuously. At the same time, he treats women with dignity and grace; works to preserve the world’s knowledge when Windwir’s great library is destroyed; and is enormously skilled as a warrior and a dignitary. In addition, there are forces operating to make him what he is of which he knows nothing, making his life a tragedy and making him, to some extent, a puppet: but to what extent?

Our heroine is Jin Li Tam, a woman of great resourcefulness, but who is as close to a cliché as any character is this novel comes (and that is dangerously close, I regret to say). Despite her Asian name, she has characteristically Western features, and those of a fashion model at that, including every adolescent male’s dream of red hair and big breasts. And, of course, she is exceptionally skilled in bed, and of course she falls in love with the hero almost at first sight. At least Scholes has also chosen to make her cunning and, at least to some extent, ruthless.

Neb is a survivor of the destruction of Windwir, an acolyte of the religious order that ran the city. He is in his mid-teens, the son of a member of the order (and therefore technically fatherless; the members are supposed to be celibate, apparently, but that vow also appears to be dishonored with some regularity, so boys like Neb are not unusual). He becomes attached to Petronus, lately a fisherman from a village not far from Windwir. Petronus is drawn to Windwir when he sees to tower of smoke rising from the city’s destruction; we gradually learn why, as he assembles and manages a work crew that buries the dead of the city.

The plot involves the war between Rudolfo and his allies and Sethbert and his allies for control of what remains of Windwir and the Church. As mentioned above, we know from the outset that Sethbert has caused the destruction of Windwir. But Sethbert is able to manipulate the powers that be in such a way as to create doubt about who was truly responsible, and the result is war. Who joins with whom is surprising to many, including the allegiance of the mysterious Marsh King. The role of the financier to the Church, Vlad Li Tam (Jin Li’s father and Petronus’s boyhood friend), is also crucial to the outcome of the war.

This is not, however, so much a book about battles as about politics and political manipulation. That is why I found it so fascinating. The strategy, the history, the skills of the players, the personalities – everything is detailed carefully and colorfully, and the book is full of surprises. While some aspects of the ending of the book are never really in doubt (as with most fantasies), others came as a shock, and suggest that there is much, much more to be told in the four volumes of this saga that are yet to come.

And there is so much that I have not told you about Lamentation: I haven’t mentioned Isaak or his fellow mechoservitors; I’ve barely touched on the Androfrancine Order; and there is way more to the Marsh King than I’ve suggested here. This is a rich story indeed, beautifully told. ( )

I'm always a little wary when reading books that have all sorts of over-the-top quotes from other others, amazing pre-press reviews, etc. It just raises my expectations too high, and then I feel all let down.

This book totally deserved it all. Not only did it pull me along so tightly that I stayed up all night to finish it, but I actually felt *satisfied* with the ending, which is all too rare with the first book in a series. Characters across the book are developed in depth, not just one or two with the rest cardboard prop-ups. The world is both familiar and intriguingly different. While the book covers many of the same themes as most post-apocalyptic fiction -- distrust of science, religious resurgence, secret cults and conspiracies, and fiefdoms with competing ideologies -- enough twists and turns and new sparks are thrown in to create a story that is wholly engaging.

Oh, and did I mention the robots? :D ( )