Book Review: The Name of All Things
Next up: Chorus of Dragons part two! Does the series continue to be awesome? Spoiler alert, reader: it does.
Kihrin and his friends have defeated Gadrith the Twisted, and Kihrin has recovered Urthaenriel, the sword called the Ruin of Kings, from its not-so-hidden hiding place. He also destroyed the Stone of Shackles and unleashed the demons across the world. When he meets Janel, the woman from his visions, she asks him to help her — because the dragon Morios is waking underneath a city in Jorat, and he must be stopped. Oh, and you can rest assured that Relos Var has not forgotten Kihrin either…
First thing’s first: disabuse yourself of the notion that this book is about Kihrin. The series as a whole is about Kihrin, but this is really Janel’s book. It’s also a book about how the two of them come together again, after many cycles of reincarnation. Seriously, if you go into this book expecting it to center on Kihrin, you’re going to be disappointed, which is a shame because it’s a damn good book and Janel is a damn good character. All good? Cool.
Much like The Ruin of Kings, The Name of All Things is structured as a two-part narrative for the majority of the novel. The present-day storyline covers Kihrin and Janel trapped in an inn by the dragon Aeyan’arric, as Janel tries to convince Kihrin to help her save the city of Atrine. The past narrative is Janel’s story, told alternately by Janel and her cleric/servant/friend Qown, starting with her discovery that something nefarious is at work in Jorat and leading up to the present day. When those narratives converge, the book becomes a high-paced romp as Morios awakens to attack Atrine and everyone must band together to stop him. Oh, and this book is ALSO a work of scholarship by an in-world character, but a different one from the first book.
Lyons has done a really remarkable job with the worldbuilding here, perhaps even more so than in The Ruin of Kings. Joratese culture feels fully realized and thought through, their specific concepts of honor and gender especially. (Does anybody else get a ji’e’toh vibe from thudajé?) And the switch from Jorat to Yor is stark and sharp; we get the same deep fish-out-of-water sense that Janel has.
To top that off, there are some major plot revelations to be had here. A much clearer light shines on Relos Var’s agenda, as we learn more about who and what he is. We start learning more about Kihrin’s relationship with Vol Karoth and his past lives (as well as the people he knew in those past lives). We learn more about demons, what they are and what they can do, and we learn more about the Eight Immortals.
I mentioned up above that Janel is a good character, and I want to back that up here. She has a bit of the “not like other girls” vibe, except there are other female stallions that appear occasionally. Her central dilemma is one that would throw anyone for a loop: is she really a demon? If she is, how can she do good? What does Xaltorath want with her? Can she save her people (and herself) from the bonds of tyranny? She makes some progress on these over the course of the novel, though the demon question remains unsettled for now. And, like Kihrin, she starts to learn more about her past lives - who she was in addition to who she currently is.
Her supporting cast are a fun set of foils. Brother Qown is uptight and scholarly, in many ways her opposite, and he has one of the more compelling side character arcs as the true identity of his teacher shocks him to the core. Mare Dorna is a maternal, protective presence for Janel, keeping an eye on her charge when she gets reckless. Together, they keep Janel honest.
And unlike The Ruin of Kings, Relos Var is centerstage for a large chunk of the novel. Janel interacts with him quite a bit, and we get to see him in action as a result. He’s manipulative, deceptive, and two steps ahead of everyone else, but he also has the occasional moment of real pathos. We also get to meet Senera, his assistant and the “author” of the book, and learn why someone would follow Var.
With the exception of Kihrin, most of the main cast from the first book are sidelined for this one. A few show up at the end to help fight Morios (Tyentso, in particular, makes a hell of an entrance) but don’t get too concerned. They’ll all be one big (unhappy) family in the next one.
Plotwise, The Name of All Things gripped me just as much as its predecessor, if not more. In fact, I’d say Janel’s story is even more fast-paced than Kihrin’s in The Ruin of Kings, with the added ticking time bomb that we know, upfront, that a hostile dragon is waking up. It ebbs and flows very naturally, moving from the initial conflict in Barsine to Atrine to Yor and finally back to Atrine for that big draconic confrontation, which…wow. A metal dragon that breathes swords. What an inspired idea.
Saying all that to say, I never felt like the series slacked in any way. As long as you can get past the focus shifting away from Kihrin for a book, I think you’ll be richly rewarded. (And for the love of God, read The Ruin of Kings first — do NOT start here if you’re new to the series).
Grade: 5/5 stars
Memorable Quote:
“The problem with dying every time you close your eyes is never knowing if this time is the last time. If this time it’s for real.
Was I dead or just unconscious?
I couldn’t tell...
I wondered how people in the Living World would react if they knew the truth about the Afterlife. Most souls never reached the Land of Peace. No religion I knew spelled out that the reward for a life well lived would be another eternity on the front lines—in the Afterlife, fighting demons.”
