A Blight of Blackwings

The Seven Kennings, Book 2

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Luke Daniels, Xe Sands

Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling creator of the Iron Druid Chronicles comes the highly anticipated sequel to A Plague of Giants: A world-breaking war - an invasion of giant warriors - inspires a movement to fight back.

Soldier and avenger

Daryck is from a city that was devastated by the war with the Bone Giants, and now he and a band of warriors seek revenge against the giants for the loved ones they’ve lost. But will vengeance be enough to salve their grief?

Dreamer and leader

Hanima is part of a new generation with extraordinary magical talents: She can speak to fantastical animals. But when this gift becomes a threat to the powers-that-be, Hanima becomes the leader of a movement to use this magic to bring power to the people.

Sister and seeker

Koesha is the captain of an all-female crew on a perilous voyage to explore unknown waters. Though her crew is seeking a path around the globe, Koesha is also looking for her sister, lost at sea two years ago. But what lies beyond the edges of the map is far more dangerous than storms and sea monsters....

In this sequel to A Plague of Giants, these characters and more will become the voices of a new generation bringing hope and revolution to a war-torn world.

Don’t miss any of Kevin Hearne’s action-packed Seven Kennings series
A Plague of Giants • A Blight of Blackwings • A Curse of Krakens (coming later!)

©2020 Kevin Hearne (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“So strong [that] it is very easy to become immersed...Kevin Hearne is continuing to prove how earned his reputation is as a storyteller at the top of his game who is continuing to push his storytelling skills to new heights. A Blight of Blackwings is an immensely entertaining, rewarding, and powerful novel.” (SFFWorld)

“Elements mesh perfectly, presenting an inventive, eye-filling panorama...that will leave readers impatiently awaiting the concluding volume.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Great book! Great listen!

All I can say is that I wish there was a way for me to give this book, and this series, more than 5 stars.
You should listen to it, then you will get why I use this quote for this book - "It's just the BEST!"

Exceptional as always

Loved the story! Couldn't wait for this one and now I can't wait for the conclusion.

Excited for book 3

Push away your expectations and you will appreciate these stories more. Yes, we live in a world of instant information and gratification, so admit that putting yourself in a world in which months and years could easily pass — to find out what happened to your friends/family members who left on that journey to travel by boat, on horse, or on foot to another city — is difficult. Hearne puts you there.

And you will be rewarded in time.

Fans fans of speculative fiction and fantasy have the chance to be immersed in a world of storytelling. There are also the unique magics, cultures, and beings of Kearne’s most recent world building.

His fans may expect Iron Druid, but remember how he said that was finished. So, he has something very different in the stories of the Seven Kennings.

Though, you will be rewarded over time.

I’ve listened to A Plague of Giants and A Blight of Blackwings, and now I’ve read some of the feedback. I had to invest a little more time to get into book 1 but I was greatly rewarded, especially with how Hearne uses the act of storytelling to create layers to a plot that has literally unfolded upon the audiences in Survivors’ Field.

There is most definitely a plot, to vehemently disagree with some reviewers, but what makes the story is the way Hearne uses the telling of stories (which has been oral for the majority of human history and only thoroughly accessible for a great majority of peoples in the last 75-100 years) and a little of his world’s magic to put the reader in all parts of larger story. By the end of book 2, readers must come to terms with the idea that the stories they’ve been following are still happening, especially the story of the primary narrator. I’m very curious to find out what happens in book 3 because at some point the story telling will need to shift. Alas, I must wait until November — six long months — to learn what happens to this world and the fascinating people in it.

I was rewarded after a little patience.

I admit that it feels a little strange hearing different accents from the two readers. I must always remind myself that the accents change because of changes in the who is speaking that part of the tale.

Book 2 picks up immediately where book 1 ended. In fact, the chapter number continue, going from 20-39 since book 1 ended with chapter 19. This immediately made me thing of Lord of the Rings. It was originally written as one volume. Tolkien’s publishers made the shift to print the story in three volumes because they feared a financial loss. The success of all three volumes eventually led to the printing of all six books in one volume. Hearne’s seems to have taken a cue from that method and purposely written his story into three volumes that should be considered one large tale.

For those who say the book has too many characters, just enjoy the story. You can keep track of the characters. If you want a real challenge, go read War and Peace, and while this is a big story, everything takes place over 39 days through two books.

The reward is there. Just have a little patience.

P.S. If you want to hear Xe Sands at/near her best, listen to the Southern Reach Trilogy. If you are reading this, you likely already know of a few good things from Luke Daniels.

brilliant!

I love the character building. The depth of the emotions is just brilliant. The story is unique and beautifully narrated by Luke Daniels. 

Amazing world being built

I really love this series so far. Very cool magic system, great characters, and a very interesting world. Looking forward to how the story develops!

Author/performer total knockout

The Hearne and Daniels team can’t miss! Great range of time, character and emotion. One new character had me laughing out loud in amazement at the spark of talent in the writing and reading.

story time Luke Daniels

I enjoyed it the story is good and the reader are nice to hear.

Excellent sequel

I really enjoy the narration of this series. The talents of Luke Daniels and Xe Sands bring life to many characters and their story lines.
Can’t wait for the next book.

love it

Getting to see how this awesome story will end is great. Kevin has built this great world.

Whatayaknow! Xe Sands Grew On Me

After my last review of A Plague of Giants, I just want to say that Xe Sands narration took some time getting used to. Sometimes a good story and well written characters can get you past anything. It's slight too but I think her Fornish accents are softer now in this book, which were the problem accents for me. Not the hard drag as it was. It was also a better mix between getting to Like and then back to Xe.

Can't speak for everyone else's feelings on the matter but this story and it's world our rich in culture and people, once you settle in on understanding each, and are written with care. My only issue is that it sounds like this is a trilogy and there is still so much about each culture you don't know. So much about the Gods for that matter (you get a glimpse). Which is weird because we all know Kevin Hearne is very comfortable in that subject matter. The gaps of 100s of years they hint at would be great stories to tell in all of the cultures point of views. I hope he's able to get around to it. I personally can't wait for the next book now. The title is mentioned in the closing credits. I think it sounds awesome, epic, and scary. **Giggles**