From the author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, a thrilling novel that kicks off a fantasy series with an entirely new mythology—complete with shape-shifting bards, fire-wielding giants, and children who can speak to astonishing beasts MOTHER AND WARRIOR Tallynd is a soldier who has already survived her toughest battle: losing her husband. But now she finds herself on the front lines of an invasion … finds herself on the front lines of an invasion of giants, intent on wiping out the entire kingdom, including Tallynd’s two sons—all that she has left. The stakes have never been higher. If Tallynd fails, her boys may never become men.
SCHOLAR AND SPY
Dervan is an historian who longs for a simple, quiet life. But he’s drawn into intrigue when he’s hired to record the tales of a mysterious bard who may be a spy or even an assassin for a rival kingdom. As the bard shares his fantastical stories, Dervan makes a shocking discovery: He may have a connection to the tales, one that will bring his own secrets to light.
REBEL AND HERO
Abhi’s family have always been hunters, but Abhi wants to choose a different life for himself. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, Abhi soon learns that his destiny is far greater than he imagined: a powerful new magic thrust upon him may hold the key to defeating the giants once and for all—if it doesn’t destroy him first.
Set in a magical world of terror and wonder, this novel is a deeply felt epic of courage and war, in which the fates of these characters intertwine—and where ordinary people become heroes, and their lives become legend.
Praise for A Plague of Giants
“You’ll laugh and cry and crave mustard as you’re immersed in the literal magic of storytelling in Kevin Hearne’s vivid new epic fantasy. I have experienced acute withdrawal symptoms since the book ended. I don’t want to leave this world.”—Beth Cato, author of Breath of Earth and The Clockwork Dagger
“A Plague of Giants is an absorbing epic fantasy, with clever storytelling that allows its many threads to each feel important, personal, and memorable. I’m very much looking forward to the sequel!”—James Islington, author of The Shadow of What Was Lost
“A Plague of Giants is a rare masterpiece that’s both current and timeless, groundbreaking yet traditional, merging the fantasy bones of Tolkien and Rothfuss with a wide cast of characters who’ll break your heart while reminding you of your humanity.”—Delilah S. Dawson, author of Star Wars: Phasma
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Let me start by saying the Kevin Hearne is a talented writer with some absolutely brilliant stories. I loved his Iron Druid Chronicles and was so excited to see this start to a new series.
A Plague of Giants comes in at 600+ pages and is quite the undertaking, especially with so many characters and situations. The premise is an exciting one and quite often, there are some amazing scenes to hold a reader’s interest. The problem lies in the execution of the story. It is told by Dervan, a historian and that, in itself, wouldn’t be bothersome except that Dervan is retelling the stories that the bard, Fintan, is telling to the people gathered to listen. So, basically, this is a story of a story, or more accurately, several stories of stories. The way the bard goes about it is imaginative with the optical illusions and colorful language, but each chapter is a different story. By the time I was able to get into each individual tale, it was coming to a close and time for the next, creating a rather disjointed story.
As this is a series, the story will continue in the next book, but by the time I got to end of this one, I found that I’m not sufficiently invested in any of the characters to see where it goes from here.
Hearne is a favorite for this reader and I’ll be looking forward to seeing what comes after this series. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark and was just okay for me.
I ended up really enjoying this book. I have had the book for a while but was a bit intimidated by its size. Since I am spending almost all of my time at home with the current health crisis, I decided that this was the perfect time to finally tackle this story. This is a very different book than Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles and I enjoyed seeing him take on high fantasy. It did feel like a very dense story and I felt like it took me longer to read than a lighter story of the same length might have. I had a good time with the book in the end.
I liked the way the story came together. There are a lot of points of view in this book but they are all shared through the tales from a bard. The bard, Fintan, takes on the persona of each individual as he shares their story. I will admit that it was a lot to keep track of at the start of the book but as I continued to read, I got to know each character and started looking forward to learning more of their story. I did like the way that all of the different points of view came together to tell a story that stretched across more than one group of people.
This story is set in a very interesting world. We actually get the opportunity to see more than one realm in this story and I found it interesting to see what each group shared and how they differed. The different lands had individuals with special abilities. Those abilities changed from place to place but each required anyone seeking the power, or kenning, to risk their lives. If they survived, they would be blessed with a special ability. Each land had its own kennings which were often closely related to the terrain in which they lived.
I found this book to be quite exciting at times. There was quite a bit of action spread throughout the story. I also enjoyed getting the chance to see the political workings of each of the groups. I found the personal journeys of some of the characters to be the highlight of the book. I really wanted to see things work out for these characters as they faced incredibly difficult challenges.
I would recommend this book to fans of high fantasy. This book transported me to a world of unique people with extraordinary abilities. I grew to care for many of the characters as they worked to keep their people safe. I cannot wait to read more of this exciting series!
I received a digital review copy of this book from Random House Publishing – Del Rey via NetGalley.
I’ve been a big fan of Kevin Hearne’s “Iron Druid” series. I found this one one very slow, with a not-terribly-original premise. When I realized I had read half the book and was still waiting for the plot to get moving, I put it aside and haven’t picked it back up yet. I really do mean to give it another try, but every time I scan my library for what to read next, I always think “meh… maybe next time.” I wish I loved this book, and I’m kind of hopeful that I will when I come back to it.
Much as I loved his Iron Druid series, I just could not get into this one. Never actually finished it.
May be even better than the Iron Druid Chronicles! I cannot wait for more in the series. World-building on an incredible scale, unique presentation of the tale itself, incredible characters. Hearn hit it out of the park!
A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne is the first installment in the Seven Kennings. Fintan is a bard that tells the story of the war of giants.
I was excited to read Hearne’s book as I had heard great things about his books, but this was such a disappointment. There were a lot of characters to keep up with, which wasn’t a problem. The world building is incredible. My problem was the dialogue between characters. While I love a good dialogue, it can make or break a story. In this case it broke the story. I felt as though I was in a lecture hall listening to a very boring professor.
Kevin Hearne has a knack of building great worlds and this one is even more unique than his Atticus Finch series. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
I LOVED this book, great world and culture. The audiobook is very well narrated. Can’t wait for more of this world.
Story really dragged. Couldn’t get into it, couldn’t finish it.
Did not finish. I got tired of his “let’s have multiple points of view going on simultaneously and swap between them like a monkey on crack” schtick towards the end of the Iron Druid series, and did not find it more palatable taken to an extreme and made into a plot device here.
This book is from one of my favorite writers (Iron Druid Chronicles) and I expected this to be written in the same vein, but was surprised at the change of style which I found rather unique, yet still enjoyable. I am eager for the next title to be available.
The author is one of my favorites. His work never disappoints. Exciting, complex and Unputdownable!
Absolutely incredible writing. Totally original.
unreadable