The Desert Spear: Book Two of The Demon Cycle: Book Two of the Demon Cycle (The Demon Cycle, #2)

by Peter V. Brett

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER •  “[Peter V. Brett] confirms his place among epic fantasy’s pantheon of greats amid the likes of George R. R. Martin, Steven Erikson, and Robert Jordan.”—Fantasy Book Critic
 
The second volume in the internationally bestselling Demon Cycle series continues the epic tale of humanity’s last stand against an army of demons—and reveals a new contender for the role of savior.

The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that prey upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind half-forgotten symbols of power. Legends tell of a Deliverer: a general who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. But is the return of the Deliverer just another myth? 

Out of the sands rides Ahmann Jardir, who has forged the desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army. He has proclaimed himself Shar’Dama Ka, the Deliverer, and carries ancient weapons—a spear and a crown—that give credence to his claim. 

But the Northerners claim their own Deliverer: the Warded Man, a dark, forbidding figure. Once, the Shar’Dama Ka and the Warded Man were friends. Now they are fierce adversaries. Yet as old allegiances are tested and fresh alliances forged, all are unaware of the appearance of a new breed of demon, more intelligent—and deadly—than any that have come before. 
 
BONUS: Now with twenty pages of bonus material, including an exclusive interview with Peter V. Brett, and an excerpt from Peter V. Brett's The Daylight War.

Don’t miss any of the thrilling novels in Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle
THE WARDED MAN • THE DESERT SPEAR • THE DAYLIGHT WAR • THE SKULL THRONE • THE CORE

• ISBN10: 0345524144
• ISBN13: 9780345524140
• Publish Date: 1 March 2011 (first published 1 January 2010)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Random House Inc
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 672
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780345524140

Reviews

[Rinn]

Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

The Painted Man was a fantastic book. It builds up a world of lore and magic - and The Desert Spear builds so much more on top of it. Whereas The Painted Man followed several of the protagonists from a young age to the beginnings of adulthood, The Desert Spear covers a shorter period of time, apart from the first section which tells the history of Jardir.

At first I was a bit frustrated with the amount of time spent with Jardir, who we only met for a short while in the first book, because I wanted to get back to Arlen, Leesha and Rojer. But then I grew to really like Jardir. I grew to understand why he did what he did to Arlen in the first book, why he is like he is - and how he actually has a sense of justice, and is not just out to conquer the world and look down on others like the majority of his people. Although he is rather prejudiced to begin with, he slowly starts to realise that maybe his people can learn something from the chin, or Northerners. I really loved his relationship with Leesha, it showed a softer side of him and I was glad that Leesha was finally thinking about herself for once.

One section that I particularly enjoyed was the battle at Deliverer's Hollow from Jardir's point of view, when he first visits. It was just really interesting to see these characters I've come to know through the eyes of another. And Renna's transformation! From a meek, scared young girl to a bloodthirsty warrior - I really like that she is very strong in that way, after all she's been through.

All in all, it was exactly what I was hoping it would be and more, now just to wait until next February (I believe) for the third book!