Canticle

Ken Scholes began his 5-book "Song of Isaak" series, by hitting the ground at a dead run. His first novel, Lamentation, was a critical and popular success. Scholes continues in a similar fashion with the second novel in the series, Canticle. Canticle begins at a fever pitch and the suspense rises and falls in all the right ways as Scholes plays the reader like a fine musical instrument. First an ancient robot appears out of the Churned Wastes with a warning. Then, at the childbirth feast for King Rudolfo's first child, invisible scouts burst in past the formidable Gypsy Scouts of Rudolfo's army. These assailants overpower everyone and murder two kings at the feast, mysteriously sparing Rudolfo. The earth magick of Rudolfo's scouts was overcome by the older, forbidden, and lost blood magick from the time before Xhum Y'Zir destroyed the world with the seven spells of Cacophonic Death, and created the Churning Wastes. Canticle takes us into the Churning Wastes seeking a lost library, through the seas to an island where blood magick is indeed still practiced, and into the hearts and minds of the main characters: Petronus, last Pope of the now-defunct Androfrancine Order; the aforementioned King Rudolfo; Winteria, the too-young Queen of the perfidious Marshfolk, the beautiful Jin Li Tam, wife of Rudolfo, mother of his heir, and daughter of the self-exiled Vlad Li Tam; Vlad Li Tam, himself, master manipulator and father to a vast and powerful clan; and Neb, Homeseeker and beloved of Winteria. And, of course, there is the sad robot, Isaak, who wept at the destruction of Windwir, the greatest city in The Named Lands. In this series, there is much mention of Whymer Mazes and the Queen's Game. The intrigue and suspense in Canticle is masterful. The answer to each question, when it comes, is often the beginning of another question. Well done and highly recommended! "This is the source of the dream. Hidden within that `Canticle to the Fallen Moon' lay Neb's destiny, and he welcomed it." [This review originally ran in Kobold Quarterly magazine]

More than any other book released in 2009, I was most looking forward to Canticle, the second volume in Ken Scholes' Psalm of Isaak series. Scholes came out of nowhere with the amazing Lamentation (The Psalms of Isaak), and I was dying to see where he would take this powerful new fantasy series. Lamentation ended with an uneasy peace after the Desolation of Windwir (Scholes' equivalent of the Vatican). That peace is shattered quickly in Canticle when blood magicked intruders storm a feast held by Lord Rudolfo of the Gypsy Scouts and assassinate several key leaders of the Named Lands. Soon all of the main characters from Lamentation are scattered to the corners of the earth - Vlad Li Tam in search of the threat beyond the Named Lands, Rudolfo in search of Li Tam, Neb and Isaak out in the wastes in search of Sanctorum Lux, Winters in pursuit of threats within her own people, and Pope Petronus on trial for the execution of Overseer Sethbert. It soon becomes apparent that an outside threat is responsible for all of these developments, and the consequences to the Named Lands will be devastating. Scholes wastes little time totally dismantling the status quo in this book. Whatever comforts his characters may have earned by the end of Lamentation are quickly eliminated in Canticle. This book is all about breaking and forging, both in terms of key players and the very land they inhabit. As with Lamentation, Scholes weaves another fascinating tale of magic, politics, love, hate and hope in the face of incredible adversity. Canticle seems more like a transitional story designed to get the various players in the Named Lands arrayed against their newly revealed foe, but it is no less effective or moving than Lamentation, and it maintains this series' status as one of modern fantasy's best sagas. Fans of George R.R. Martin and Guy Gavriel Kay in particular should find the Psalm of Isaak highly enjoyable.

What can I say, I really like Ken Scholes' writing. He avoid's cliches, his characters act & talk like real people and I find his writing clear and easy to follow. I also like that this book & the first one, Lamentation, both have very tidy endings. I think the author is very considerate in wrapping up most the events of each book, with the understanding that "larger" forces are at work in his 5 book arc. These days, it seems many authors end on a cliff hanger to get you to buy the next book. The trick is fellas, write a great book and you don't have to worry about using a cliffhanger to get people to buy the next one. It'll sell itself. This book & the one before are the kind of book I read slowly and completely. Going back and re-reading a section if the kids distracted me etc... the books are that good. I don't want to give too many details or spoilers. Suffice to say that all the plot lines from the first book are moved ahead, we begin to understand the forces that were at work with the fall of Windwar and some of the hidden threats from the "old world" - so to speak. The story is told from a handful of character perspectives, I thought that was fine. The only POV I thought could have been defined a little more was the Entrosulians. For some reason I wasn't clear on all the characters in this section, but a minor quibble. Possibly I was not paying attention well enough at one point. That "group" didn't seem as well defined as the Forest Gypsies or the Marshers etc.. I eagerly await the 3rd book. According to the author, there will be 5 books so lots more to go! I really like when an authors states that they are writing a set # of books in a series. I am fine with another series later (re: ray feist) but I'd like each series' to have a completion, a logical exit point for the reader and not one that simply goes on for 10+ books. Maybe I obsess. Do yourself a favor, on the [...] site, there is a free short story that precedes this entire series by about 2000 years - it ties in nicely with the events of this book. Read it after Canticle for a nice wonderful treat. Search for the author's name and you can read it online or download to your fav ereader. Some of the characters from that short story are mentioned in Canticle!

I have really been taken away by this series so far. There are going to be five books in all. The characters are well developed and you really get a feel for them all, even the ones you think may be the "bad" guy or girl. The world that is created in these first two books is amazing. You have different cultures, religions, believes and gods. All well done to give you just what you need to understand the rules and what is going on, yet enough to keep you with the feel of mystery. I think Ken Scholes is an awesome author with an epic tale to tell. He lays the paths of possible ways the story could go, we just have to wonder if we are thinking the correct path. Just when you are on the right path you come to a fork in the road again. The story can change directions at any time, but the rules never change and the information is there to keep you on the correct path of thought, thus creating a great mystery adventure. Being a second book of a series Ken has started us right into the next story. Not even 50 pages into the book and I was caught up with where I left off on the first book and full scale right into the middle of another great mystery of the Whymr maze in this amazing fantasy book. This book has; mechoservitors ~ Kens' term for metal men, magick ~ which has limits, Gods ~ are a distant past but are there in the background, an ancient vendetta of two old families and ways of lives, and current people trying their hardest to find where there home is. These books are amazing reads from the point of view of the characters. You learn so much in this way with the way Ken writes it. Very well done to understand what is going on, just pay attention to get the details.