Review: The Black Prism - Brent Weeks

 Lightbringer, book 1

Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 626
Published: Aug 2010

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.

But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart. 

The plot:

Truth be told, Gavin as powerful as he sounds there. His power by now is more religious, but he is still feared because he is the prism and he has magic. But others control the "real" things. He is young, handsome, and he fought his brother and together they lay waste to cities. Now he sees to that the 7 satrapies are under control, and he hunts those that have gone mad from magic. But then he learns he has a son and goes to find him, a son born after that terrible war. That son is Kip and he has just discovered his magic after something terrible happened. The world stands still, a man crowns himself, and renegade mages are at work.

My thoughts:

Wow, I am just aching to spill it all, but I will not. The secrets, I can't even start to explain my shock at some, and the confusion that followed. That together with a question, whom to like? Weeks has woven a masterful plot. I do applaud that.

The magic in this book is new too, and I like the thought that has gone into it. People have different powers depending if they draft one colour, or more. The Prism can draft all. You can't use magic just like that, you have to see the colour you can use, so most use glasses with coloured lenses so that they will not find themselves without. The magic is shown in the eyes, and the magic will drive you insane in the end so most want to die before that. The colours also represent different things, and some places have more mages from certain colours, for example it is better to draft green if you live in a forest, it makes it easier. It was fascinating.

I liked Gavin, and could not help myself, he was just so, powerful, and set on his goals to make the world better. Kip, a chubby 15 year old was fun to get to know too, and he is bound to be really powerful. Then there was Karris, now one that guards the mages, and a Gavin's former fiancée´, I do have to like a woman that can kick ass. Liv, from Kip's village, a mage too, and someone I was unsure about. All in all some great characters.

Recommendation and final thoughts:

Yes! Where was Night Angel was rather dark and depressing to read, this one is lighter, and more complex in a way. It was great fantasy and I would recommend it to other fantasy fans and to the rest too. I am looking forward to book 2 because the lies and misunderstandings are sure to make for a lot of drama.

Great fantasy keeps me on my seat, and this is one that I had a hard time putting down. And the shock, oh the shock!

Cover: meh...edit 2 days later: Now I suddenly really like it

Quiz! :D

I'm a green magic drafter!

Take the quiz at Brent Weeks.com