The second volume in the New York Times best-selling Cradle series!
Lindon has taken his first step on the road to power, but the sacred artists of the world outside his homeland are still far beyond him.
To advance, he turns to the arcane skills of the Soulsmiths, who craft weapons from the stuff of souls. With new powers come new enemies, but also new allies, including a mysterious mentor who seems interested in Lindon for his own purposes.
Even with new training and new help, Lindon is still only a Copper, and he soon finds himself facing down an entire sect of enemy Golds.
SERIES DESCRIPTION
The Cradle series is the best-selling example of the Progression Fantasy subgenre, which includes works of fantasy where the primary plot revolves around a character growing more powerful in their use of magic. Cradle is high-stakes, fast-paced, and action-focused, with minimal time dedicated to world-building, and as such the books are lean and focused. The series is often compared to anime, with fans using phrases like "anime in book form" or "fantasy novels meet Dragon Ball Z," emphasizing the story's specialty of loud and colorful super-powered battles.
About the Author :
Will Wight is the New York Times and #1 Kindle best-selling author of The Cradle series, as well as The Traveler's Gate trilogy and the Elder Empire cycle, though these titles may differ in alternate timelines. His true power is only unleashed during a full moon when he transforms into a monstrous mongoose.
Will lives in Florida, lurking beneath the swamps to ambush prey. He graduated from the University of Central Florida where he received a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and a cursed coin of Spanish gold.
Visit his website for eldritch incantations, book news, and a blessing of prosperity for your crops. If you believe you have experienced a sighting of Will Wight, please report it to the agents listening from your attic.
To contact him, you can comment on his website, visit his official Facebook page, track him down on Instagram, or write his name thirty-three times on the beach at low tide. Any of the above will cause him to call to you from the waves.
Review :
A Perfect Blend of Character Progression and Hard Magic
This was the most fun book I've read in quite a while. It's a worthy successor to
Unsouled, which I also enjoyed significantly. If you liked Unsouled, I think you'll
like this as well.
The bottom line? Will Wight is defining a new genre that blends the long-term
character progression of Eastern fiction with Sanderson-esque hard magic - and I
can't wait to read more.
Brilliant Character personality writing. Progressive growth in power. Engaging
story. Fun and Action Packed.
Will Wight does a great job of making a reader emphatize with his main
characters. The story feels reasonably realistic and the world feels harsh, as well
as well developed and enticing.
This is the kind of story where the protagonists grow from strength to strength -
my favourite kind. The main character is absolutely weak compared to the people
around him, but has energy, drive and cunning. He knows how to think on his feet
and his interactions with the world and people around him feel substantial and
real.
The rubber meets the road
I just love that Wight doesn't give Lindon anything freely. No gods granting him
powers, no personal epiphanies unveiling surprising abilities, just his own grit and
determination as he claws his way forward even as he's shoved two steps back.
His newest and extremely powerful benefactor could have been framed as an
easy-way-out solution to leveling Lindon up quickly and efficiently, but it's already
clear that nothing about his plans will be straightforward or easy.
My favorite story yet from Will Wight
The real prize in this story however, is the magic system Mr. Wight has created to
fuel the plot. He gives enough detail about how and why the Sacred Arts work to
satisfy my technical curiosity, but was also able to structure things in a way that
there aren't really any boundaries to this power. The author is pretty much
unrestricted in the fireworks he can show us, and have it still make perfect sense
in the storyline.
