The Blackfire Blade

The Last Legacy, Book 2

De: James Logan

Narrado por: Brenock O'Connor

The hotly anticipated sequel to The Silverblood Promise continues the incredible new epic fantasy series perfect for fans of Scott Lynch.

This program is read by actor Brenock O’Connor (Game of Thrones, Derry Girls) and features a conversation between O'Connor and author James Logan.

Winter has come early to Korslakov, City of Spires, and Lukan Gardova has arrived with it. Most visitors to this famous city of artifice seek technological marvels, or alchemical ingenuity. Lukan only desires the unknown legacy his father has left for him, in the vaults of the Blackfire Bank.

But when Lukan's key to the vault is stolen by a mysterious thief known as the Rook, he and his friends race to win it back—and find themselves trapped in a web of murder and deceit. In desperation, Lukan requests the help of Lady Marni Volkova, scion of Korslakov's most powerful family.

Yet Lady Marni has secrets of her own. Worse, she has plans for Lukan and his friends. Plans that involve a journey into Korslakov's dark past, in search of a long-lost alchemical formula that could lead to the city's greatest discovery . . . or its destruction.

"A fast-paced carnival of setbacks and skullduggery that reminds me of... me! Charming from the first twist to the last."—Scott Lynch on The Silverblood Promise

"The audiobook narrator, Brenock O’Connor, perfectly captures [protragonist] Lukan’s voice." —IGN on The Silverblood Promise

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

Praise for the Last Legacy series:

"A fast-paced carnival of setbacks and skullduggery that reminds me of...me! Charming from the first twist to the last."—Scott Lynch, New York Times bestselling author of The Lies of Locke Lamora

"The first volume of this sure-to-be-stellar series is a ribald, swashbuckling tale of treacheries, lies, and characters as gritty and cutthroat as anyone you’d meet in a tavern at midnight. Don’t miss these first steps into an epic world—one I can’t wait to tread again."—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Starless Crown and The Cradle of Ice

"There’s never a dull moment in this instantly absorbing debut that offers effortless escapism. Perfect for fans of the “Mistborn” series by Brandon Sanderson."—Library Journal (starred review)

"[A] winning debut... Logan has an evident fondness for both the choreographed crime of Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen Bastards series and the underdog politics of Seth Dickinson’s Baru Cormorant books, while adding hints of a deeper backstory of lost empires and legendary supernatural threats."—Publishers Weekly

"Heartfelt and grim heroic fantasy with a snarky twist—perfect for fans of Scott Lynch."—Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

"Enough grit to make you flinch, enough heart to make you punch the air. Everything that's good about modern fantasy is here. "—Ed McDonald, author of Daughter of Redwinter

"An engaging and action-packed fantasy read."—James Islington, author of The Licanius Trilogy

"An engrossing fantasy romp full of endearing characters, The Silverblood Promise is full of unexpected twists and turns, and an optimistic spirit. Relentlessly entertaining, defiantly idealistic, it’s a daring debut filled to the brim with classic fantasy fun."—Sebastien de Castell, author of Traitor's Blade

"A fast-paced, addicting read chock full of action, adventure, and good, old-fashioned skullduggery! You'll get sucked in by the world and the story's intrigue, but you'll stay for the wit, humor, and heart. Fans of Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, Jackson Bennett's Foundryside, or Netflix's Arcane will find plenty to love in these pages."—M.J. Kuhn, author of Among Thieves

Absolutely un-put-downable

A great addition to the series that's even better than the first one in almost every way. Don't get me wrong, the first one was one of my favorite books from last year, but this one is even better. The writing, the flow, the banter, the humor, the excitement and emotion of the story were all turned up to 11, IMHO.

A big reason for that was Brenock O'Connor's narration: his narration of the first book was his first time narrating and he was so good reading that. But this one was even better: his comedic and dramatic timing is excellent and the different voices he does really bring the characters to life. He also smashes it out of the park during action and suspenseful scenes.

I absolutely loved it and will definitely listen to the next one in the series.

Thank you, James and Brenock for a fantastic listen!

Lessons to be learned

Im really digging this series, its gotta a great mixture of familiarity with a newness that makes it its own.

James Logan has done a great job crafting this story. Its fast paced while making sure a beat isnt skipped. The characters are great. They can be frustrating (Lukan) but its because they're written well so its appreciated.

Read this series, you won't regret it.

love the story line, the narrator, and the interaction btwn characters

so far this is one of the best series I have read. this would be great as a movie. up there with lord of the rings. I wish the next book was completed. strongly recommend if u enjoy fantasy like lord of the rings.

Could have read the last chapter and not missed anything

His last book was my favorite of the year, I was really looking forward to the sequel. It felt like this book was rushed in order to keep publishers happy. Everything was there but the whole time I was wondering how the plot ties into the first book, and it doesn’t much until the end. The whole plot could have been skipped and he still would have ended up with the key in the vault, the entire plot was just one obstacle after another preventing him from picking up where the last book left off. Frustrating. Hope the next one is more like the first book.

Is This An Interquel?

As another reviewer aptly put it, you could read just the last chapter and not miss anything. This sequel really felt like a long interquel—one of those novellas that takes place in between the major events of the main books in the series; an enjoyable but entirely non-essential side story. Having said that, the narrator was excellent.

To be clear, this book was still far above-average compared to the usual fantasy fare out there, and it is probably unfair of me to critique it so harshly. This review is from the standpoint of someone who, due to the level of excellence achieved in the first book, had exceedingly high expectations for the sequel. I absolutely loved The Silverblood Promise and re-read it in anticipation of The Blackfire Blade, but found Blackfire to be lacking the fast pace, deep intrigue, and genuinely witty banter that made me fall for book one. The following non-exclusive list of gripes contains spoilers, so please proceed at your own risk (and advance apologies for any incorrect spellings):

1. The plot was slow and plodding until the final fourth of the book, and I never felt compelled to keep turning the page, so to speak;

2. There was no meaningful character development;

3. There were no side characters I found to be genuinely interesting except Clank, who we unfortunately left behind in a city of zombies;

4. There were some lapses in both the characters’ logic and the book’s internal logic that made it feel like I was listening to a YA fic where the reader isn’t expected to think too much. Examples are:

- Finding a scrap of paper related to the construction of the Rook in an abandoned wing of a manor and deciding that this is alone is incontrovertible proof that the manor’s owner must be behind the Rook’s creation and all subsequent misfortunes that befall our heroes, despite clear indications to the contrary;

- Barinov’s daughter forging a letter in his name that orders our heroes to be promptly tried and executed, and Barinov is totally shocked to learn this ever happened. I’m shocked that city officials would act upon an extraordinary letter demanding that the judiciary forgo their established protocol, convene a kangaroo court, conduct a same-day trial and secure a conviction in record time, and thereafter *not a single soul* ever mentions it to the person who ostensibly made the order. Did no one send a messenger down to his manor after the trial ended to let Barinov know that his will had been fulfilled? Or what about a message to update him that his prisoners had been released at the last minute at the behest of another party? In an aristocracy characterized by petty jibes and manipulation of one’s peers, are we to believe that no one ever made a passing comment or snide remark to Barinov about his highly unusual request to execute two foreigners by means of a farce of a trial? Bonkers.

- It’s repeatedly emphasized that a gollum is powered by its amber-encased soul, and that shattering the amber “kills” the gollum. The amber also seems to be significantly less durable than metal. Given this, it was painful reading through the characters’ drawn-out struggle to blow the dragon to smithereens with tons of explosives, when all they needed was a concentrated hit to the eyes. Frankly I kept expecting Flea to pull out her crossbow and take care of business. It was a bit like watching someone open a can of soda by cutting off the top with power saw instead of just pulling up on the provided tab.

character driven fun

this series is really fun. my only note is that our protagonists have some thick plot armor. I do wish the author would let injuries and consequences play out a little more heavily. other than that, you will not regret reading or listening to this. the narrator is one of the best I have heard. bith this and sliverblood promise are incredibly engaging and well written.

Fun book. Enjoyed the world building

The way one character died was tropish. Besides that, no complaints and I look forward to the next book

No plot progression, another 15 hours of side quests.

This story just makes me so mad. The world building is great. The characters are good. The action is good. BUT NO PLOT PROGRESSION HAPPENS AT ALL. It’s crazy. The first book had similar issues but I figured we were just meeting the main characters and the world. Nope. That’s just how this guy writes. 20+ hours in and the core plot of what happened to MC father has barely been touched. Absolutely wild. Probs deserved 2 stars but I am pissed. Coulda been a great book.