Brian Staveley

Brian Staveley is an American fantasy writer. He has written an epic fantasy trilogy, The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne, as well as a prequel novel, Skullsworn, in addition to short fiction.

Life

Staveley lives in Vermont, and is married. He taught literature, philosophy, history, and religion before beginning to write fiction.[1]

Work

The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne

Staveley's debut trilogy, The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne (2014–2016), follows the three children of an assassinated emperor – the monk Kaden, the special forces soldier Valyn and the politician Adare – as they attempt to unravel the conspiracy gripping their continent-spanning empire. The first volume won the Gemmell Morningstar Award for best debut novel and was nominated for the Locus Award and Goodreads Choice Awards.[2]

io9 characterized the first volume as "the year's breakout epic war fantasy"[3] and noted that the trilogy, in a "nice change of pace from most of the epic fantasy landscape", was characterized by a modern mindset, even if it tended to get "sidetracked down rabbit holes" with sub-plots.[4] At Tor.com, Niall Alexander lauded the first volume's skillful use of fantasy tropes but criticized its "manifest mistreatment of women".[5] He considered the final volume a substantial improvement "in the pace and the ultimate punch of its complex plot; and in the quality, on the lexical level, of the author’s already-polished prose".[6] In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews appreciated the third volume as "a deeply satisfying but bleak, dark work; its only illumination are flashes of high tragedy".[7]

Skullsworn

The first of a projected series of standalone novels about secondary characters in the Chronicles, Staveley's 2017 novel Skullsworn is set several years prior to the events of the trilogy. It sees the apprentice assassin Pyrre returning to her home city where she is to kill seven people – including one whom she loves – in order to become a priestess of the god of death.

Reviewing Skullsworn at Tor.com, Laura M. Hughes described its setting, the swampy river delta city of Dombâng, as the novel's "show-stealer" antagonist, and appreciated Staveley's "more confident, assured" narrative voice.[8] Kirkus Reviews described it as "a pleasantly grim and emotionally complex divertissement",[9] and Publishers Weekly noted the "remarkably intimate" novel's "visceral action scenes and memorable characters".[10]

Bibliography

All cover art by Richard Anderson.

The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne
  1. The Emperor's Blades (2014), Tor Books, ISBN 978-0765336408
  2. The Providence of Fire (2015), Tor Books, ISBN 978-0765336415
  3. The Last Mortal Bond (2016), Tor Books, ISBN 978-0765336422
Other novels
  • Skullsworn (2017), Tor Books, ISBN 978-0765389879
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References
  1. "Official Bio". BrianStaveley.com. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  2. Senft, Michael (1 April 2016). "Brian Staveley on Wrapping up His Fantasy Trilogy, "The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne"". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  3. Liptak, Andrew (1 January 2014). "The Emperor's Blades may be the year's breakout epic war fantasy". io9. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  4. Liptak, Andrew (20 March 2016). "Brian Staveley Shows How To End A Fantasy Epic With The Last Mortal Bond". io9. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  5. Alexander, Niall (3 January 2014). "A Boy and His Toys: The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley". Tor.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  6. Alexander, Niall (15 March 2016). "Gods at the Gates: The Last Mortal Bond by Brian Staveley". Tor.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  7. "THE LAST MORTAL BOND by Brian Staveley". Kirkus Reviews. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  8. Hughes, Laura M. (28 April 2017). "Deadly Peril Done Right: Brian Staveley's Skullsworn". Tor.com.
  9. "SKULLSWORN by Brian Staveley". Kirkus Reviews. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  10. "Fiction Book Review: Skullsworn by Brian Staveley". PublishersWeekly.com. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
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