Obsidian Threads Blog Tour
Rho has awakened. Its acolytes will tear worlds apart to release their deity from its prison. Any hope of Rho's defeat lies with two people lost in a strange universe.
Kaden and Aren must learn to harness all their unique gifts if they are to rival the god of darkness reborn. They will not fight alone. A brilliant geneticist, a furry dwaro, two less than friendly elves, dragons, and a spunky red-haired computer stand with them. But if Kaden and Aren fail to reach their full potential, all of reality will be devoured until nothing remains but Rho...
Obsidian Threads
by Charlie Pulsipher
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
4 stars
A few of you may remember the review I did for the first book in this series, The Crystal Bridge, which turned
into a discussion of the sci-fi genre as a whole because this was one
of the first sci-fi books I actually really really enjoyed.
Obsidian
Threads is no different. While the sequel leans heavier into the
fantasy side of the spectrum, it is -like its predecessor- truly a mix
of sci-fi and fantasy. Dragons and AIs. Elves and dwarves and genetic
serums. Nerds and prophets
and ancient gods. The Lost
Shards has it all.
And
remember that wicked, unbelievable cliffhanger Pulsipher left us with
after the first book? I'll set your fears at ease right now -there
isn't another one. This is a satisfying conclusion and totally worth
the wait.
What
I most loved about this book was how beautifully Pulsipher weaves the
sci-fi and fantasy elements together. (Again, the aforementioned
combo of dragons and artificial intelligence.) Additionally,
we get the added dash of medieval politics, genetic
experiments, and (omg) a love triangle.
As you might have noticed in
my most recent review, I'm not a huge fan of the messy YA love triangles,
but this one I like. First, it's not actually 'messy'. Second, it's not
a simpering, whining YA romance*. It's as straight-forward as two
(pretty cool) guys liking the same girl and respecting her enough not to
pressure her and waiting for her to make a decision. There's also the humorous aspect, because neither guy can bring himself to
dislike the other and it totally irks them both.
There
is so much going on in this story, but it's so well-crafted that I
never felt overwhelmed. Not
only is an ancient Prophecy coming to bloody fruition on the world of
Ealdar, not only does the Earth science research compound Omegaphil
start experimenting with forces they don't understand, but we also get the twin gods added to the mix, watching it all unfold below them and constantly
teasing the reader along. All
of these stories and their characters twist and twirl around each
other, never quite fully lining up UNTIL the explosive finale which,
well, I never saw coming.
Mind
= officially blown.
Would I recommend The Lost Shards series to others? You better believe it.
Charlie Pulsipher is a were-hamster and lemur enthusiast living in Southern with his lovely wife and neurotic dog. He writes sci-fi and fantasy, and sometimes both at the same time. He’s obsessed with surviving the inevitable zombie-pocalypse. It’s coming. Tell your friends.
He spends his time away from the keyboard hiking and camping in stunning Southern Utah. He also enjoys woodworking, painting, drawing, and pretending to have super powers.
He neglects his twitter account. @charliepulse
His velociraptor impression is worth seeing. Ask him to show you. It just may be the coolest thing about him.
www.charliepulsipher.com
https://www.facebook.com/charlie.pulsipher
*Not that all YA romance is, just that the YA love triangle can get pretty grating.
From my Nook library, I pull out Obsidian Threads by Charlie Pulsipher, the second book in his Lost Shards series. There's a definite love triangle going on here, but it's done so well. It works with the overall story line, it doesn't bring out any of the characters' ugly sides, and both of the guys are respectful not only to each other, but to the girl their in love with! Plus, the book is freaking awesome in itself.
