Review: A Prophecy Unsung by Adam R. Bishop
Blurb:
William and Baldric were successful in trekking across the uncharted lands of the elves. After reaching the Viridian Veil and warning Lord Thinduill of Dadro’s deceit, they thought their journey had come to a close. But in truth, it had only just begun—and the more they descend into the battle for Cellagor’s fate, the more they’ll learn about their own mysterious pasts.
Preceding their arrival to the Veil, Avolin’s visions revealed that William and Baldric were tied to the Book of No Quarter. Upon learning this, Lord Thinduill insisted they accompany him to the elven capital of Leof Ealdwin.
Meanwhile, Rhan is no more, and its ashen remains mark the beginning of a new age. Arnion’s sacrifice may have altered the fate of Cellagor, but his father’s resolve continues to be tested. In the north, houses have reunited once again, and the Braxi army slowly encroaches on the Unspoken Border. Talfryn remains the last standing house to refuse Dadro’s rule—but they must rekindle old alliances if they mean to survive further bloodshed.
Word of Dadro’s victory over the elves continues to spread across the realm. Thousands have sworn their fealty to him, and whispers of a promising union linger on the horizon. But war does not come without its price. Dadro’s brother has yet to recover from the Battle of Rhan, and the pyromancer Aleister’s treachery remains unseen. With his ambitions still unknown, neither side is safe during this ushering in of a new age.
Review:
Adam has done it again with A Prophecy Unsung. Everything that I loved about A Sea of Cinders was expanded upon and improved in this sequel novel. Bishop’s imagination is on full display as he guides us through this complex story.
We pick up almost immediately where we were left after A Sea of Cinders. William and Baldric are welcomed into the Elven community and journey south to Leof Ealdwin where they are to meet the King of the Elves. King Richard of Talfryn travels north to further secure and strengthen old alliances. Dadro and Darith continue to wreak havoc across the continent of Cellagor. Aleister lurks sinisterly around every corner. And we are introduced to a new mysterious character, Maja, who I predict will play a pivotal role in future books.
I will continue to shout from the rooftops that Adam’s true strength lies in his worldbuilding. Upon starting this book, I quickly fell back into Cellagor as if I had never left. The lore that surrounds this story is phenomenal and so interesting. This is a world that is created and infused with its magical history. The landscape itself weaves full stories of past battles and triumphs and devastations. It is evident that Adam has been exceptionally thoughtful while artfully crafting the world of Cellagor in such a way that it almost feels like the land itself is a character in the story. I cannot wait to learn more about the Book of No Quarter and the war-strained relationship between humans and elves. There are a handful of series where the lore is engaging enough that I get excited when authors publish Silmarillion-like books of their world. Lord of the Rings, obviously. A Song of Ice and Fire. The Wheel of Time. Maybe someday the Stormlight Archive. Cellagor is a land where I would absolutely love a book chock full of lore and history.
Adam packs in twists and turns throughout this book, with big reveal following big reveal. He masterfully splits the curtain on these reveals, allowing enough of a peek to fan the flames of curiosity while still holding his cards close enough to his chest to keep the reader guessing and reading with a sense of urgency to learn more. As I mentioned, there were a LOT of twists and reveals, but it never felt overwhelming. He progresses the story naturally, with solid pacing throughout. There were no areas of the book where I felt like my attention was weaning.
I saw some reviews criticizing his use of alternating time jumps for a series of interludes that are scattered throughout the main narrative. For me, I thought the interludes worked well. I didn’t have any issues with them. They reminded me a bit of watching Memento, so if you can mentally accept the flexibility of a fractured timeline, it works well. Having finished the book, I can understand where he’s coming from artistically and I appreciated him experimenting some with the interludes.
Similar to Sanderson, I think Adam has fairly stripped down, simple prose that allows a reader to dive into the story and become immersed in the worldbuilding. Like A Sea of Cinders, I found some clunky phrasing/word use that I personally would have edited differently. I only mention this minor issue here because I want to emphasize to someone who thinks that they may get hung up on some prose issues: the story is worth the read. It just is.
The Voice of No Quarter series yanks you into its epic, complex narrative with layered, intricate worldbuilding, all wrapped in the embrace of classic fantasy nostalgia. This is quickly becoming a must read for lovers of fantasy.
