The Black Prism (Lightbringer, #1)

by Brent Weeks

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.
But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.

• ISBN10: 0316068136
• ISBN13: 9780316068130
• Publish Date: 1 September 2011 (first published 1 January 2010)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown & Company
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 787
• Language: English

Reviews

[moraa]

Light cannot be chained.

Where to begin? I’ve spent the entirety of the second half of the book tearing my hair out and grinding my teeth in equal parts apprehension and anticipation. In short, I have done everything in my power to escape real life responsibilities just to finish this.

No, of course I’m not ashamed of myself.

Alright, you know how we do this!

STRENGTHS:

1. Magic system
-Holy damned gods fucking dammit! This is the shit folks! THIS IS IT!
-I want to manipulate light, okay? I want to have the halo thing around my irises and slowly grow drunk on power before finally surrendering myself to it (see #2 below)
-Chromaturgy is a very complex magic system that I felt like I actually had to learn with the characters and I realised the hard way that I couldn’t afford to space out and “catch up” in future chapters
-(I was upset on more than one occasion when characters didn’t ask the right questions and for once I understood what it must be like to be thrust into some new world with little time to acclimatise)
-also, it’s really cool (and I mean really cool)



2. Characters
-there’s something about a slow descent into vice or - but not always - evil that I can never turn away from, such characters will always be compelling to me when done right
-the story is told from multiple POVs and not a single one of them is boring to follow at all
-bonus points for:
*racial diversity (glad to see dark-skinned characters with actual kinky hair, thank the gods)
*having all-powerful characters realise they have a shelf life too (cue my evil laugh)
-However, I did have one problem with a certain character’s arc (see #7 below)

3. Dialogue
-dialogue is actually harder to write than it seems and something in me leapt for joy when it all felt so natural to read
-Brent Weeks does it like he’s been doing it since he was born (has he? I wouldn’t know)
-the dialogue in this book is representative of skill that has me gnashing my teeth in envy
-the writing in general is great too

4. World building
-again, it’s marvellous
-there’s a lot of depth here as well and not just to the physical world (landmarks and other features, etc) but to the cultures as well (ties in with #2: Diversity above) and there was also something about old gods so it's safe to include religion
-I will say though, it does take some attention to detail on the reader’s part to fully get into it (same as the magic system)

5. Plot



-I’m a lover of intrigue (political/court/military) – anything with vicious schemers and characters who aren’t afraid to risk it all is right up my alley
-so when you give me a well-crafted fantasy world supported by an in-depth magic system and spear-headed by compelling characters and still see fit to gift me with such a twisting, roundabout, slippery creature of a plot, you best prepare for me to stick around for the rest of the series

6. The final battle
-pages and pages of pure pay off
-I forgot how to breathe
-it was great, my how it was great
-bonus points for:
*not romanticising war/battles – there is nothing elegant about being on a battlefield, I like it when authors show the gore and the describe the horrible smells and the pleas for mercy etc. That’s what real war looks like and if it’s going to be in the story then authors need to follow through

WEAKNESSES:

7. Karris’ character arc
-she is depicted as a strong woman and one of strong character too
-she’s very interesting to follow around and watch however,
let’s be real for a minute. She is in her late thirties at the very least, and has suffered various traumatic events caused by the Guile brothers, whether directly or indirectly. I can understand forgiveness and I can understand moving past old hurts, I’m not about to say she can’t do either of those things, BUT how in the world is she still in love with these men after 16 years? Sixteen years. Her backstory may be revealed only through flashbacks and she was a teenager then but it feels like she’s still leaning towards them even after all this time. None of the issues between them have really been addressed and I think that’s my main problem. If she’s going to forgive either of them, then I need to see why she would do it otherwise her character won’t seem realistic at all.
-of course I’m still excited to see what Weeks does with this subplot and I’ll be glad if it was all just a hoax and I end up wishing I called it from the start.

All power is a test

[abookishblether]

This is the first book in a long series which currently has five books out. I have collected the first four books in paperback since I was gifted the first by a friend when I was 16. I have read Weeks first trilogy, and loved the first book. The other two had disappointed me for different reasons, but there were a few common threads. I found the women to be ridiculous caricatures whose plot seemed to revolve around their potential for sex. This was one of the most upsetting parts about the original trilogy for me, because I feel fixing that issue would have massively improved the series for me.

Unfortunately, Lightbringer has started with the same issues as far as I can tell. There are a similar amount of women to men in this series, so I am not trying to imply that women aren't present. The issue I find with this series is that 3/4 women who are properly present in the plot are only relevant due to their connection to the Prism. Particularly, due to how much he wants them, or doesn't want them. There is the lover scorned years ago, kept apart by secrets that cannot be divulged. This character is described as incredibly capable and has a position in an elite force. But the character is treated with sexist jokes I would expect from a 70s sitcom. Another character is literally a sex slave.

The red stepped forward, pulled off her mask, and stepped out of her robe. She was young, athletic, beautiful, and also naked. Kip’s eyes widened. He tried to hold them to her face. Somber ceremony, Kip. Orholam’s watching, Kip. Straight to hell, Kip. p. 321

I think the idea I'm trying to paint here is clear, so I will move on.

Another problem I found with the book was the writing. In the author's debut series I found the writing to be enjoyable, and I don't remember noticing anything otherwise. In this series the sentences are short; blunt and the structure of the sentences feels particularly repetitive. I think the audiobook was possibly exacerbating this issue, so it possibly was just my reading experience. Also, characters would occasionally express a thought in first person without any indication; italics, quotation marks or any another punctuation. I thought this was poorly done as was a jarring change from the third person narrative.

It is also worth noting that one of the main characters is fat, and about 2/3 scenes he is in reference his weight actively. It seems ridiculous, I know more about this kid's weight than anything else about him. He barely has a backstory or a personality. It is fair so say that the terrible characterisation of women and this main character isn't special, because I don't really feel any if the characters have any characterisation that isn't directly related to the plot. We know a lot about one of the MC's backstory because the plot needed us to, but we don't know much else.

The magic system of the book was the most exciting thing about the book as I began it. It remains the most interesting part of this book, but it isn't really compelling me as much as I thought it would. I will be continuing on with this series as I have been gifted the books over the years, but I felt really disappointed by this book. A lot of reviewers are very positive of this book and mention it improves upon the Night Angel trilogy. I disagree and think the Night Angel (while it has problems) is done better, but it could be that later books will change my mind.

[ross91]

So... It's not easy talking about this book. It's been ages since I wanted to read it and, based on the synopsis and the goodread rating, I thought this would be an easy 5* for me. Alas, I was disappointed.
I really enjoyed the Night Angel trilogy, even if I am not madly in love with those books, and I strongly believe that in terms of writing style and magic system The Black Prism is an improvement. It's impossible not to see Weeks' creative effort in writing an interesting and multifaceted story.
What this book lacks is depth and clarity: the magic system is innovative and unique, but sometimes really difficult to understand and grasp in its entirety; big segments of the book are dedicated to its explanation and it seems that Weeks wants to throw at the reader all the basic notions as soon as possible, resulting in being confusing as hell. I kept comparing his work with Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy: both have difficult magic system, but in Mistborn everything is discovered gradually and hand in hand with the progression of the story, while here it's all a long confusing and boring exposition.
Another thing that is missing is the emotional depth: the story take place in a matter of days but, even so, the reader doesn't feel the pressure of the events and the characters seem detached at best: Kip, one of the main protagonists, sees a lot of violence and yet the next day everything is fine and he's ready for his new life. And this is just one of the numerous examples that I could have written. The characters easily accept everything that happens to them without any emotional breakdown whatsoever. That's why sometimes their choices and acts are not believable at all.
Gavin is the only exception: he has a round personality and everything he does is for an understandable reason. I found and his chapters the most entertaining and easy to read. Karris is interesting as well, but for now she is just promising and needs to be developed more in the sequel. Instead Kip and Liv were annoying as hell. God, what a whiny pair of teenagers!
Overall this book has a lot of potential and gets a lot of things right as well: the story, although not very epic, is still entertaining, there are numerous twists and turns that I couldn't predict (not all necessary, but still very effective) and everything is set up to be developed in the best way possible.
I hope the sequel will be an improvement!
In the end I gave this book 4 hopeful stars... Even though maybe it's more of a 3,5 (but I am strongly against .5 ratings... So 4* it is!)

[kimbacaffeinate]

I absolutely love the world Weeks has created in Black Prism. This book is pure fantasy and the saga (part of a trilogy) looks to be exquisite. The magic used in this realm is based on light and color. It is quite unique and different. I was a little confused at first, but quickly figured out how this power was used. I like the way Weeks was a little vague leaving plenty of room for surprises and tweaks. The plot is brilliant and the battles are epic. The book is over 600 pages long, but don’t let that scare you. It is seamlessly written and captivating; a gripping story that will leave you begging for more.
Weeks characters were complex and I felt engaged and connected with them. Our young protagonist Kip is fifteen and the bastard child of Gavin Guile, the Prism. He is a chubby, quick to temper, loyal, winey, courageous and loveable hero. I was entranced by so many of the characters in this book especially, Gavin, Dazen, Liv, Kallis, Corvan, Ironfist and the White.
The political games and the way Weeks describes this world and its history brought the pages to life. Just when I thought I knew the direction the story was going and who was who, Weeks turned everything inside out. It made me crazy, it made me mad and I want more. There were a few sub-plots which made the story more fascinating. While this is the first in a trilogy, I wasn’t able to find even the hint of a release date. Mr. Weeks…I do not like waiting!
you can see more of this review and others on my blog: http://kimbathecaffeinatedbookreviewer.blogspot.com/