The Tempering of Men (Iskryne) [Elizabeth Bear, Sarah Monette] on leondumoulin.nl . *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. In Iskryne, the war against the Trollish.
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I loved the first book in this series, A Companion to Wolves , although be warned there is some dub-con sex in that one that is very disturbing to some people depending on how dubious you perceive the consent to be. This book was more rambling, with the main characters separated again, delaying the emotional interactions that needed to happen to bind them into a working relationship.
It is definitely only to be read after the first, or you will drown in the names and designations. What I do love about this series is the feeling of authenticity, the realness of the details and the way the relationships between men and wolves are not all sweetness and light and do not make the wolves feel like furry people. There is obviously going to be another book, as this one ends in something of a cliff-hanger. Given the choice, I might wait to read this until the next one is available since it feels like it is building to something more and then stops short.
Aug 28, E rated it it was ok. This follows directly on A Companion to Wolves, where a Viking-like society soul bond with wolves to fight trolls, and occasionally have Viking sex with each other. The sequel has lost a lot of the id-scratching appeal of the first book, it spreads out the POVs to three secondary characters from the first book and divides the narrative as well. There's an increased focus on world-building which was interesting, also I appreciated the attempts to deal with finding a purpose for our wolf pack afte This follows directly on A Companion to Wolves, where a Viking-like society soul bond with wolves to fight trolls, and occasionally have Viking sex with each other.
There's an increased focus on world-building which was interesting, also I appreciated the attempts to deal with finding a purpose for our wolf pack after the victories of the first book, but the result is an equal lack of focus and drive for the story itself.
I didn't mind seeing Isolfr from an outside perspective, especially as readers of the first book know that what comes across as coldness to others is really concealing major angsting, but the POV characters this time around weren't as appealing. One of the storylines sputters out before the end and the other two feel like set-ups for book three.
The pace picked up sufficiently by the end that I will be picking up the next book but this was a bit of a letdown. Jul 26, April rated it really liked it Shelves: For example, I appreciated the importance of the wolves as well as the men as individuals because I feel like that definitely made them all vivid and believeable.
But I didn't love --or even like-- being relentlessly teased over and over again with the promise of the possibility of something happening between the male human characters gaining more forward momentum or at least a focus. Since finishing A Companion to Wolves over a year ago I had been very eager to learn what had happened with Isoflr, Skjaldwulf, and Vethulf.
The results were certainly interesting and very well done over all, but I found a lot of the side effects to be quite an unwelcome, disappointing surprise. For one thing, Isolfr was even less likable here in the second book than he ever was in A Companion to Wolves and nothing was really even from his point of view. Even when I got over the fact that the three of them were never going to have a very worthwhile relationship all together, Skjaldwulf was constantly very far away somewhere and had maybe two scenes total with Vethulf. Two great scenes, mind you, but I wouldn't have minded more of them.
Similarly, I wanted to see more of whatever was going on between Brokklfr and Kari at the beginning but that too went in a very different direction than I'd hoped. I know there were hints of that or even the occasional interlude, but I didn't find that to be particularly satisfying. I also have to note that the original terms which, while interesting, were sort of jarring as they were used rather relentlessly throughout the length of this fairly short novel.
I already know beyond a shadow of a doubt that both authors are accomplished and skilled. I already know that the world they're writing about is, quite literally, made of awesome. I also know I feel quite idiotic even bringing this up but having every single page littered with original terms in addition to original names I couldn't pronounce or often tell apart in some cases gave me a headache.
So while this might not bother other readers, I have to admit that this aspect of the writing and world-building definitely kept me from ever getting completely lost or immersed in the story. In conclusion, The Tempering of Men was quite good. I definitely think that the third book has the potential to be totally awesome given what happened in the second book and I'll be eager to revisit Iskryne once it comes out. I was so looking forward to reading this! I was left astounded by the intricate relationship and story telling in the first novel. And having to wait the order the second novel to arrive felt unbearably long.
And now I kind of feel cheated of my expectations out of this book. Instead they only played a secondary role at best while everyone else took stage front center. My attention was spread between each adv I was so looking forward to reading this!
The Tempering of Men
My attention was spread between each adventure and character so much that it was easy to break from the world and find my thoughts wandering. Whereas the first book kept me hooked, totally absorbed in the world, re-emerging only after finishing, The Tempering of Men was opposite spectrum. It was interesting to view the world from different eyes and better understand the dynamics within the wolfheall but it clashed with my expectations and ruined the reading. I spent half the book hoping Isolf would finally take charge.
Instead, he was presented as hating or close enough everything having to do with the wolfheall and his responsabilities in it. If it were up to him, he would just sit with Viradechtis and nothing else. Sure, he shied from attention and praises but I had to remind myself of that. A second novel was bound to enrich the world and bring into play politics and relationship with other powers in the lands but again, it tugged my attention in various directions and distracted rather focused me on the story.
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Half the characters were involved in breaking truce with a lost colony of alfar and the other half in discovering the Roman I mean Rhean threat closing in on them and urging wolfjarls, jarls and other leading figures in joining for another war. Which pretty much obliterated any romantic infusions in the story. My remaining hope that I might learn more of the fragile trio formed between Isolf, Skjaldwulf and Vethulf evaporated, leaving Isolf cold and aloof as his name indicated with Skjaldwulf and Vethulf happy to bond with each other instead of keeping Isolf in the group.
I got the feeling the author shied away from exploring that complex relationship and much rather took Isolf completely out of the equation, making the other two oh so happy and misty eye dreaming of each other. The book started with the two of them sighing wistfully after Isolfr and ended with them in bed, disregarding Isolfr totally. Way out of range of anything I could have imagined. And very much displeasing. The plot itself is worthy but my expectations concerning the direction of the story and character development were at opposite poles from what the book delivered. Sep 07, Renee rated it really liked it Shelves: It's such a fascinating civilization.
Yet while those issues never overtake the story itself, they greatly inform the plot and culture. Vethulf and Skjaldwulf's stories really shed a lot of light on their characters. It was great to learn more about them, and their relationship dynamics are so interesting. I found myself reading slower and slower as the book progressed, so 4. I found myself reading slower and slower as the book progressed, so I could stretch out the story. It's going to be tough waiting till for book 3 of the series. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because I was so disappointed that Isolfr was such a peripheral character.
I really missed him. Jul 03, Jacqie rated it it was ok Shelves: The was the middle-bookiest of middle books. I came into this series kind of ass-backwards. I read the third one first, loved it and then went back and read the first book in the series. Hm, looking at my reviews that was about one and a half years ago.
The Tempering of Men (Iskryne World, #2) by Sarah Monette
Then I got to this book. I figured my way out through the third book with no problems- characters and relationships made sense and the authors did a good job with letting me know who they were without anything feeling like an infodump. In this boo The was the middle-bookiest of middle books. In this book, I couldn't figure out who anybody was, and I'd read the book in which they'd been introduced already! Eventually I started remembering some things, but it was not easy for me to get into the book, partly because of that.
The other reason was that not much happened. In my opinion, you could go directly from the first to the third book and not miss anything of importance. There's LOTS of trekking through the cold wilderness, being hungry and smelling horrible because you can't wash. Maybe that's your jam, but it's not mine. I suppose the theme of the books is "what are warriors good for when they've vanquished their enemy? Also, Isolfr is really only seen at a distance. I liked him a lot as a character and missed him- the other characters didn't fill the void for me.
View all 3 comments. Jan 16, Juushika rated it liked it Shelves: With the troll threat extinguished, the trellwolves and wolfcarls must determine their future role in Iskryne society. This sequel widens its perspective considerably to three PoV characters and as many overlapping plotlines--also to the larger world, and other human cultures, of its setting.
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It's rewarding to see Isolfr, protagonist of the first book, from an external perspective; the characters and relationships here have convincing nuance. But the slice-of-life feel of this can't rival the in With the troll threat extinguished, the trellwolves and wolfcarls must determine their future role in Iskryne society. But the slice-of-life feel of this can't rival the intense personal investment or id-level payoff of the first book. It remains surprisingly likeable, readable, engaging; but the first book is more than likeable, it's striking, and this can't compare. Jul 08, Aldi rated it really liked it Shelves: This contains some spoilers.
More territorial wolfjarl pissing contests, many many journeys, and not quite as much — but still quite a lot — gay wolf-bonded viking sex. I really like the unique premise of these books and that they don't play coy with some of the more controversial issues. And I enjoy the sly sense of humour shared by many of the characters. I could explore this world for quite a bit longer than the books actually spend playing in it but This contains some spoilers. I could explore this world for quite a bit longer than the books actually spend playing in it but more on that later.
Generally I enjoyed the switch in POVs. It was great to get more insight into Isolfr's two wolfjarls, especially Vethulf who was something of an enigma in the first book. And I love me some Skjaldwulf with his level head and wry sense of humour and rueful reflections on how he's older than dirt at the senile age of thirty-six okay then, mate. Vethulf and Skjaldwulf coming to a more beneficial arrangement than growling at each other and secretly pining for a guy neither of them can ever really have was also nice to see, although I do wish more time had been spent on developing that.
It started off great with their conversation about Isolfr but then almost immediately the plot sends them to different locations for almost the entire duration of the book, which felt like a bit of a let-down in terms of seeing a proper development of their relationship. Also, by wanting more development, I don't mean I wanted to see lots of them sitting around and talking about their feelings — I realise that would have been out of character. But I expected more than an entire book of physical separation with a quick shag on either end.
I did really like where they ended up, though with Isolfr matchmaking, no less! Oh Isolfr, why so very straight. I wasn't sure about Brokkolfr at first, but he quickly grew on me, and Amma with her boundless love for puppies of all species was just precious. His and Kari's adventures with the hidden swartalfar tribe were fascinating — it was wonderful to get more insight into their culture and background.
Nicely unique variation on the metal-mining elf type. His perspective in the first book as someone who is never going to be quite comfortable with his role in this society and had some hard choices to make because of that was so complex and interesting and I missed being in his head and learning how he feels about the current situation. By necessity he came off mostly as "aloof, unavailable ice prince" in this second book as viewed by the other characters, and it was quite the contrast from the first book where we got to experience his own insecurities and conflicts first-hand.
In a related vein, I found myself wishing more than once that these books were longer and that various plots and developments were more fleshed out. I don't mean bloated tomes like George R. Martin's latest few, but sometimes the narration is so perfunctory, almost summarising, when I would have loved for it to linger a bit and explore events more fully.
I do like when an author knows which parts can be safely skipped or wrapped up quickly, but sometimes this made me feel like I was being much too quickly herded from one plot point to the next when I wanted to stay and play. The introduction of Otter was a major asset! One thing I felt was missing from the first book was the presence of any major human female characters — which kind of comes with the premise and I accepted it, but Otter's appearance was a very welcome surprise anyway. Loved her attitude and the rapport she had with Skjaldwulf.
Can we hook her up with Isolfr please? Those two kids both deserve something good. I'm still struggling with the naming conventions in these books.
I like intricately built societies with their own languages in fantasy, but I also really like clarity in world-building, so I wish these books had a glossary, given the sheer wealth of foreign-language concepts that are frequently used but less frequently explained. After two books, I'm still not entirely sure of the exact differences between a wolfheofod and a wolfheall and a wolfthreat, to name just one example. And a lot of the characters are not fleshed out enough to be particularly distinguishable, which isn't exactly helped by the fact that every single man is named something that ends in "wulf" or "olfr".
Some terms like "Franangfordthreat" are also just ridiculously unwieldy but that's a minor nitpick.
All in all, this had a bit of a "middle book" vibe but it was still solid entertainment and I enjoyed it thoroughly, criticisms notwithstanding. Jan 06, Thistle rated it liked it. I really, really wanted to like this book. I love the idea of being bonded to giant telepathic wolves.
I love the word the books are set in. I love how natural and accepted gay sex was in this book. But I just couldn't like this book. I stopped reading it later than perhaps any other book I've read: I was just so beyond caring at that point though, I wanted to spend my very limited reading time on something I might like bett I really, really wanted to like this book. I was just so beyond caring at that point though, I wanted to spend my very limited reading time on something I might like better.
Tempering of Men felt more like an in-between step between books instead of a book itself. There were three POV storylines. In order of how much I liked them: Usually these wolf groups have one alpha male and alpha "female" really a man , but in this case there were two alpha males and both of them loved the alpha female So, through time, the two alpha males realized they loved each other.
In a book series where I still, after two books, had no idea who most of the characters were, it was unsurprising that the subplot with the characterization was the one I liked best. As I never liked the elf race, this really was not at all interesting to me. It had a slightly different name, as everything in this book did from the real world version, but it was still the Roman Empire. While there had been nothing in the previous book that said there weren't other parts of the world other than the cold north where the wolf men lived, this felt like it came completely out of left field, and I really did not enjoy it at all.
Usually I rail against books that include a list of who characters are and a glossary of made-up words, but this book needed those. However, instead of including them, I wish the authors had instead written in ways that hadn't made them necessary. Character names were letter long, appeared mostly random order to English-only me, and more often than not, started with V. I wanted to like this book. Apparently I enjoy the "companion animal" genre which makes sense, really. Sadly this one just didn't work for me. I never hated it thus my "okay" rating for it , but I ever liked it either.
I haven't deleted the third book from my Kindle yet, but I don't expect that I'll be reading it anytime soon. Feb 16, Eisheth rated it liked it Shelves: I started this book with equal parts eagerness and trepidation, because I truly adored A Companion to Wolves , so I was surely setting myself up for disappointment with unreasonable expectations. And I was right, kind of. I did like this book. These are the same fantastic settings and characters that I loved from before, and we get to learn more about their fascinating world and follow on more of their crazy shenanigans.
And there were some awesome new things; brilliant layers added to this alrea I started this book with equal parts eagerness and trepidation, because I truly adored A Companion to Wolves , so I was surely setting myself up for disappointment with unreasonable expectations. And there were some awesome new things; brilliant layers added to this already rich and intricate world.
Some sequels leave me wishing I'd stopped after the last book, but that was not the case here. But I do I feel like it suffered from a distinct lack of focus. Companion felt very tightly plotted to me; it had a strongly woven central plot, revolving around Isolfr and his integration into a wolf-bonded, troll-killin' band of warriors during a time of war and upheaval. The Tempering of Men didn't seem have as much focus. It spun out in a lot of different directions, and I never got a strong impression of what the book was really about at its core, besides the further adventures of Wolf-Vikings and Co.
Elements were touched on with some significance, only to trickle off into obscurity. Obstacles were raised, with little or no resolution. It felt like a lot of stage-setting for the next installment, so maybe my issues will settle down a bit with a third book under this series' belt. I feel that the writing slipped a bit from the "authentic" feel of the first. I hesitate to say "authentic," because of course this is a fantasy, not a historical. I don't know or frankly care how accurate the old-timey Scandanavian-ish details are.
But this book, at times, had a more contemporary feel to the prose, and sometimes jarringly modern-sounding dialog. For instance, a character starting a monologue with "So I was thinking All in all, a good book. Enjoyable, but not quite as riveting as the first. A definite link in the chain, that will flounder a bit in my estimation until it is joined by a strong third book to the series, which I await with eagerness. Sep 28, Abigail Hilton rated it really liked it. I have loved everything I've read by this pair of authors, including the short stories on which they've collaborated.
I really enjoyed this book, too, which is a credit to the authors, because it's pretty piecemeal. You get the idea that the authors thought they were done after one book, and the readers said, "More! Because what comes next isn't that exciting. The wolves and their bonded human brothers exist to fight the trolls. Their roll in the community is defined by this desperately needed task. However, in Book 1, they managed to actually kill or dive out all the trolls. So now what do they do? Fortunately, a number of lesser enemies present themselves, but you get a real sense of the frustration and futility of a honed military machine that is suddenly without a real opponent.
The book follows a number of subplots, character relationships, and minor skirmishes. It lacks cohesion, but I still found it thoroughly enjoyable. The book is also interesting because it never shows Isolfr's point of view. You see him as others see him, which is eye-opening. You realize exactly how well Viradechtis understood her brother's dilemma when she chose her mates.
Sexuality in the book is incredibly nuanced and realistic. For instance, you have a character trying to explain that, while he's capable of enjoying gay sex, he only falls in love with women. This is definitely a book for people who enjoyed Book 1. You should start with A Companion to Wolves and then read this one if you liked the first.
Aug 24, Meg rated it liked it Shelves: I find it interesting how A Companion to Wolves was a strong stand alone book, but The Tempering of Men is anything but stand alone. It leans heavily on both the first book and a book that hasn't even been written yet. It's not that the plot is thin. The plot is quite thick. It's that the plot isn't remotely finished.
Oh, we reach AN ending point by the time the book closes and its not even a forced ending. It's a fine ending. It's just not the end of the plot, so we're left lacking a deeper sense of resolution. Also, all of Brokkolfr's bits felt really tacked on. They were good for perspective on the wolfheal and I'm sure the things established in his book will come to be really important in the next story.
But for this story, they felt tacked on. What I did like about this book was how it developed other characters in this world, most dominantly Skjaldwulf, with a side of Vethulf, Kari, and Brokkolfr. And through their eyes, we see further development of Isolfr, gaining access to knowledge about him that we couldn't get from the third person limited of the first book. That said, Isolfr is NOT the main character, not even close. He's present, he's active, but the book focuses far more on other characters.
So if you're looking for lots more Isolfr, you will be disappointed. But if you just want more wolves and their gay wolf companions killing things, then you will be pleased. Jan 17, Gardavson rated it liked it Shelves: If you want to read about A Companion to Wolves instead of spoiling yourself reading about its sequel, that book review is here. While the three wolves are quite fond of each other, this choice ends up being much more problematic for the three men bonded to the wolves. Vethulf and Skjaldwulf could not be more different. Vethulf is hot-tempered and outspoken while Skjaldwulf is quiet, introspective, and slower to speak his mind.
To make matters worse, both of them are quite taken with Isolfr despite the fact that he has no romantic interest in either of them. While there will always be threats to men, the wolves are not concerned with being conquerors or the wishes of wolfless men. After thinking about it, Skjaldwulf believes it may be worth taking a look through to see if there is any knowledge that will help the wolfhealls plan for the future.
He considers the offer, and when one of the brothers of the wolfheall decides to leave to help his trueborn sibling against an attack, Vethulf arranges for them to travel together with the godsman.
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When traveling south Skjaldwulf learns more of this army and is prominently involved in the decision on how to respond to the threat, beginning the process of stepping into his own new role and possibly changing that of the wolfhealls. I found it had a slower start, but by the end I was really enjoying it. It was easier to become immersed in and I preferred the focus on just one main character for a novel of this relatively short length. It did take me a little while to get involved in The Tempering of Men and really want to find out what happened next. There seemed to be a larger frequency of Norse names to stumble over for a bit, and it took some time to get going, partially because there were three main characters to focus on instead of just one.
While the previous volume was mainly about Isolfr, this book shifted him to the background and moved his two wolfjarls, Skjaldwulf and Vethulf, and Brokkolfr, another man bonded to a female wolf, to the forefront. By focusing on Isolfr and his experience with becoming a companion to a wolf and eventually a leader, the first book served as an introduction to this world. In contrast, this book is about three seasoned wolfcarls, albeit ones that need to adjust to new roles within their community. Skjaldwulf and Vethulf have already been bonded to wolves for a while, but the two have been thrust into leading men by the choice of Viradechtis.
They have to come to terms with their new duties, competition with each other, and preparing for the wolfheall to change with the trolls gone.