Valnir's Bane (Black Hearts Series)
This book is a cliche. It's the first word that come to my mind. This is a book about men who are about to die and they are given a chance to be free again... Now.. Tell a movie where this happens? Dirty Dozen and more appropiated, the Sven Hassel books. That's right.Now the story begins with the main character Reiner a man of noble birth contemplating which of the prisioners would do well in a attempt to escape. Afterwards he and others ( the ruthless and bloodthirsty Knight, the pair of villanous pikemen, the cowardly savant Artilleryman, the downtrodden Engineer, the malicious Barber-Surgeon, the plucky young archer and the unfortunate Tilean Rogue)
I didn't like only one person... the knight. He has no character and he sounds like a stupid person. If that is the point Nathan Long wanted to made then he is okay too.
The story itself it's a good one. The main story focus on the attempt to recover a banner which will help the empire win the battle that is coming. The book also focus on betrayal and the instability of the whole pack. Several of the characters die. Some I didn't feel any remorses others I did. Another good thing was their mismatched personalities leading to good dialogues and thoughts.
Even if they are carcerated they are not in the whole ideia evil.
Nathan Long really knows how to write good stories.
