Review of Bloodheir by Brian Ruckley

Bloodheir (2008), like The Two Towers and some other trilogy bridge books, is difficult to review. It carries forward the story begun in Winterbirth, but doesn't stand on its own. It works only in context.

Bloodheir carries forward the Godless World story at exactly the point Winterbirth left off. And it does so in extremely consistent, just-as-enjoyable fashion. Like Tolkien, it's clear Ruckley wrote the three books as part of one, long story. At the most basic level, if you enjoyed Winterbirth and were looking to go deeper into the characters and world, then Bloodheir fully delivers.

Bloodheir does depart slightly from Winterbirth in that where the first novel was almost entirely realist with a tiny bit of fantasy, Bloodheir cranks up the fantasy dial to 2. This may not seem like a lot, but the realism of the setting makes the contrast feel like more. The historical fiction m.o. remains at the core, but the magic/supernatural starts to have a impact on the storyline. Naturally occurring in the Aeglys/Shared storyline, it reveals itself to be something subtle but powerful—Ruckley deploying it to excellent effect without exceeding the limits of the world built.

The lion's share of Bloodheir's story concerns Aewult and his massive army's march north to protect the Lhannis-Haig from the Black Road. Aewult the classic, narcissistic son of a hubristic emperor, he acts like nothing can touch him. And in some ways, he's right. But blood will tell, and thus it's on the battlefield that his ability to coordinate and lead men to victory is truly tested.

On the side, Ruckley continues to develop the storylines of Aeglyss and the woodwights. His 'magic' something hinted at but left mostly shrouded in Winterbirth, in Bloodheir the cloth is pulled back, and the worry and concern of the na'kyrim is given reason. Readers likewise continue to follow Orisian and the small band that has built around him as they look to stay alive and help the war as best they can.

In the end, Bloodheir proves that Ruckley had a firm idea in mind and was, technique-wise, able to stick with it in highly-consistent, engaging fashion. For those worried about any weaknesses inherent to a trilogy's bridge book, look elsewhere; Bloodheir only ramps up the story and interest. Question now is: can Ruckley stick the landing in the third and final volume, Fall of Thanes?