Though Mr. Scholes must, by now, recognize that he is sitting upon a goldmine in the Psalms of Isaak series, he does not commit the crime, as many before him have done, of slowing down the pace of his series in order to sell more books. If anything, Mr. Scholes has thrown the throttle wide open on this second, apocalyptic offering from a future Earth swathed in desert and darkness.
All the sharply drawn characters from Lamentation are back, save for the ones who died, but don't rule them out completely. In a world where songs can be made into weapons of war, and where mechanical birds can snuff out the light of knowledge, not even the barrier of death can hold entirely firm. One gets the sense that, before Mr. Scholes is through, some of those characters will wish for death, for, sometimes, that is preferable to knowledge in an unforgiving world.
Canticle is as pacy as it is well-plotted, but the pathos is what sets this series apart from other fantasy offerings. The taste of bitterness lingers on every page. Mr. Scholes is exquisite with emotion, for, even the victories his characters achieve seem to come through sorrowful self-discovery. This is not a perfect book, but if you liked Lamentation's unique blend of politics and fantasy, set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, then Canticle will not disappoint. (4/5 Stars)
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