Previous SFF Author: Thomas Brennan
(1973- )
Raised on a steady diet of fantasy novels, comic books, and Dungeons & Dragons, Peter V. Brett (“Peat” to his friends) has been writing fantasy stories for as long as he can remember. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Art History from the University at Buffalo in 1995, and then squandered over a decade in pharmaceutical publishing before returning to his bliss. He also enjoys comics and role playing. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Danielle and two cats, Jinx and Max Powers. Learn more about him and his novels at Peter V. Brett’s website.
Barren (2018) is a novella-length (just over 130 pages in my ARC version) story that answers some questions left after the conclusion of Peter V. Brett’s DEMON CYCLE series. Specifically, what happened back at Tibbet’s Brook, the small village that was home to Arlen Bales and Renna Tanner, two of the protagonists of the Cycle.
The first point I want to make has more to do with marketing and target audience than the book itself.
Bill Capossere, Jana Nyman and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 3.5 | Peter V. Brett | Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
I’ve often said that employing the usual fantasy tropes in a novel isn’t an automatic sign of poor writing; it’s what you do with them that matters. Witness the three main characters in Peter Brett’s The Warded Man: a young boy leaving his small hamlet for the larger world, a young girl trying to maintain her independent nature, a young orphan who must make his own way in the world. Anyone seen these before? Anyone? Buehler?
Luckily for us readers,
Bill Capossere´s rating: 4.5 | Peter V. Brett | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett
The Desert Spear is Peter Brett’s very worthy follow-up to his excellent first novel, The Warded Man. The Desert Spear may not be quite as consistently good as The Warded Man, but it remains a strong book in its own right, more than avoiding the pitfalls of that dreaded second novel curse.
One way Brett avoids the second problem is by focusing at first on a character (Jardir) and setting (Krasia) that we were only briefly introduced to in book one.
Bill Capossere´s rating: 4.5 | Peter V. Brett | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett
OK, here’s the thing about The Daylight War, Peter Brett’s third book of the DEMON CYCLE, following The Warded Man and The Desert Spear. I really, really want to say, Don’t Read This Book. Honestly. No sarcasm. No humor. That’s my first instinct. Because it’s bad? No. Because it disappoints in comparison to the first two, each of which I’ve given 4.5 stars to? No. No,
Bill Capossere and Tim Scheidler´s rating: 5 | Peter V. Brett | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
The Skull Throne by Peter Brett
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Peter Brett’s DEMON CYCLE series from the beginning, and the most recent addition, The Skull Throne, continues to impress, even as it sidelines two of its major characters for the vast majority of the book. Fair warning, the review can’t help but offer up some spoilers for prior novels, especially the last one, which ended literally on a cliffhanger.
The prior books have shifted from emphasizing various points of view,
Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Peter V. Brett | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Great Bazaar by Peter V. Brett
Shame on me for not having read Peter V. Brett’s The Warded Man and The Desert Spear yet. I have them on audio and I look forward to reading them — I just keep thinking that I’ll let Mr. Brett get further along in the series before I jump in (the series has been progressing slowly, but book 3, The Daylight War, comes out next February). Yet I’m attracted to Brett’s world and after reading his novella Brayan’s Gold,
Kat Hooper and Jana Nyman | Peter V. Brett | Audio | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
With The Core (2017), Peter V. Brett brings his well-received DEMON CYCLE series to a climactic close, rounding up the slew of characters he’s introduced along the way and given most of them (at least of those who have survived to this point) at least some moments of stage time for a fond farewell. I’ve enjoyed the series ever since its opening with The Warded Man, and while I had some issues with this final book,
Bill Capossere´s rating: 4 | Peter V. Brett | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Brayan’s Gold by Peter V. Brett
I’m really enjoying these little novellas that Sub Press puts out. Because they’re meant as stand-alone side-stories, they’re a great way for me to get a feel for an author’s world and writing style before jumping into a big series.
Peter V. Brett’s Brayan’s Gold is the story of how Arlen, one of the main characters in Brett’s Demon Cycle, goes on his first solo job and meets a snow demon. The episode is referred to in the story collection The Great Bazaar,
Kat Hooper and Jana Nyman | Peter V. Brett | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Messenger’s Legacy by Peter V. Brett
There are a few reasons why I haven’t yet read the novels in Peter V. Brett’s DEMON CYCLE. First is that Bill’s been reviewing them, so there’s no urgent need for me to do so for this site. (I know that sounds ridiculous, but that’s kind of what happens sometimes with a group blog.) Second is that they’re a huge time commitment — the last two were each 700 pages long! Third is that the series isn’t finished yet and I have so many unfinished series floating around in my head that I want to wrap up more of them before starting something new.
Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | Peter V. Brett | Audio | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett
The Desert Prince is the newest installment in Peter V. Brett’s fantasy universe where humans have been battling demons for ages. The prior series (THE DEMON CYCLE) ended mostly in seeming victory for the good guys (the humans), but as is often the case in these sorts of stories, victory only lasts until the next trilogy. This new series picks up about fifteen years later, and while some characters return from the prior series,
Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | Peter V. Brett | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Previous SFF Author: Thomas Brennan
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…
Detailed, thoughtful review, Bill. I'm going to read it for two reasons. First, Karen Russell wrote it, and second, it…
this sounds like a fun one