Book Review – Deathbringer by Blake Carpenter

I have a hard time liking fantasy for the most part. But having read Carpenter’s story in Periapsis Christmas 2 (a masterful story that I would love to read anything from an expanded story), I wanted to pick up anything by him. He did not disappoint with Deathbringer.

A darker world with elements of magic but also the technology of trains and firearms. This isn’t steampunk per se, but those mid-19th/20th-century esthetic elements are there. A matriarchal society is in place but these aren’t women who act like men; there are women who are high-born noble leaders who are hardened under the stress of ruling and leadership.

All characters are well-motivated and actions are believable to their personalities. There is no worry about reading about overpowered boss babes who hate men with politics of current day. They live and exist and act in the world as they have been established.

Carpenter writes the characters that you care about the story of each one, even the bad guys- I mean ladies. Our main character Inga has a great story arc. She loves a betrothed and when she experiences loss, she maintains that feeling as a real person would. She doesn’t shake it off and moves to the main male lead, Kale. She loves with a love of someone who is a young married. And she also experiences thoughts of revenge of someone thrust from the small world she’s accustomed to to a much, much wider world – and a metaphysical reality as well. Kale also is experiencing a change is accustomed reality and his story of sexual assault in a matriarchal society establishes a great motivation and psychological damage that makes him sympathetic to the reader (although I wasn’t fully convinced until much later in the story he could be trusted. The main bad character is a great opposing force to our main lead. Her mother is also a great read and any moments reading her were tense and also understandable.

As for plot, Carpenter establishes well and sets off on the journey well. About 20% of the start of the journey has a little to desire in terms of pacing. It’s not bad by any means just a different pace. I was a little leery at first with the idea of a talking sword (telepathically) and there was a power that’s critical to the story that seems to be bestowed on Inga a little too conveniently. Having it come up a little at a time through the journey section would have added to a more established turn of action.

The story moves so phenomenally well in the later part of the book – from the city to the end is nothing but greatness. I will also say that it is so difficult to convey fighting scenes to where it’s not just “a collection of punches” or anime speeches between big moves. Not so the case here. Fights have weight and enough writing to make them action-based but not every swipe of a sword or bullet fired has to be talked about. It seems clear that Carpenter seems to have some familiarity with combat fighting especially with bladed weapons. Carpenter has built the tension and he lets you have moments of breath before he rises it again. I did end up gasping, literally, in a moment of one of the final scenes – I was invested!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Carpenter’s characters and writing. There’s no getting bogged down in long family lines and there’s a world built where there’s enough detail given to you to know what you need to but there’s more to explore. I will not only continue the series but be picking up pretty much anything else Carpenter has out there. A great way to kick off 2024 reading!