The Ikessar Falcon

I am left in awe at the balancing act that K.S. Villoso manages in the Bitch Queen books. Talyien manages to be both incredibly badass yet show her emotional vulnerabilities in an extremely realistic way. Honestly this feels like the most feminist SFF book I have read becuase of that brilliant balance - allowing our character to be both feminine and truly heroic at the same time, without trading or overbalancing in one direction. The level of nuance that is brought is perfection.

The Ikessar Falcon, the second book in this series, brings up that vulnerability a notch from the first yet still keeping Tal as a hard nosed diplomat/leader. The tenderness brought to the role is just so well done.

This is not the most action packed fantasy, a lot of it delves into personal introspection on the characters parts, but when the action ramps up it is also properly epic. There is also a wonderful greyness to most of the characters - capable of doing both good and bad things for good and bad reasons. Everything feels reasonable and believable. The politicking really explores this in a way that is reminiscent of GRR Martin.

The world building is also fascinating - with a definite lean to oriental society but at the same time there is a lot of ‘european' fantasy constructs and tropes employed, with everything nicely balanced.

I cannot sing praises high enough for this series. It deserves far more attention than it has received.

The Ikessar Falcon, the follow up to by K.S. Villoso's The Wolf of Oren-Yaro is a book that avoids many of the pitfalls common to the middle book in the trilogy, and instead offers the readers clear plot progression, excitement, and character development.

“I've heard rumours you were dead.” “That's an improvement. Last time they said I was fucking goats.” “Oh, we took that one for a fact. What the hell are you doing here?”
― K.S. Villoso, The Ikessar Falcon

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro was one of my favorite reads last year. “Bitch, Queen, whore, warrior, wife, and mother: In The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso, Talyien aren dar Orenar is all of these and so much more.” After I finished Oren-Yaro, there was much fist-pumping. Talyien is a badass. Plain and simple. However, something changed as I read The Ikessar Falcon. While, Talyien is still very much a warrior queen, or Bitch Queen as she is often referred to by those who are lesser than her, she is not a caricature. She is not all sword and no soul. She is not all bravado with brains. Talyien is a bruised, batteling, and in some ways, a broken warrior who wants to protect those she loves. At all costs. Her upbringing allows her to do what must be done, however painful. But her heart and empathy allow her to understand the consequences of her actions. She internalizes them; she is bruised and broken by them. They become as much a part of her psyche as her sword training.

To give a very brief synopsis, the Bitch Queen is trying to save her son. I am going to quote the blurb on this because I think it sums the story up best, “Queen Talyien's quest takes a turn for the worst as she stumbles upon a plot deeper and more sinister than she could have ever imagined, one that will displace her king and see her son dead. To save her land, Talyien must confront the myth others have built around her: Warlord Yeshin's daughter, a symbol of peace, warrior and queen, and everything she could never be. The price of failure is steep. Her friends are few. And a nation carved by a murderer can only be destined for war.” As this story is much more about Tali's internal struggles and people's perceptions, it is not easy to sum it up. But know this, it is a great and terrible quest done by a mother who will do anything, and I mean anything, to save her young son.

“But even someone born and raised to be a queen can be short-sighted, maybe especially so, considering what I thought my life would be and how I would end up. I didn't know, I didn't know, I didn't know.
Ignorance can be the sweetest sin.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Ikessar Falcon

One of the things that stick out for me about Ikessar Falcon is that it is not an easy book. Firstly, my copy of the story clocks in at just under 600 pages. This can be daunting, but I don't want you as a reader to look at this tome and “nope” out. The Ikessar Falcon isn't a filler of a story where 250 pages are an actual story. The other 300 are extemporaneous filler pages describing the doorknobs, what the world looks like in painful detail, and what the Bitch Queen is wearing at various moments. I am looking at you, Robert Jordan. (Don't send me hate mail) What it does have is a complicated plot, with multiple layers of political machinations, batteling, warring cultures and religion/belief systems, and a collection of antagonists that are downright scary in the psychopathy.

Because of the amount of detail, political factions, it is easy to get lost in the book. It is my only quibble against the superb writing. I got lost a few times and wasn't sure whom Tali was talking to. So I backtracked to catch up. This probably is entirely on me, and your results may vary. If I were to reread this, I might make a chart to better understand the various war chiefs and locations. The world-building is exquisite, and as a side note, Villoso describes food in great detail. Some may not appreciate this, but I believe that getting to know a culture or a person, you can get a greater understanding of them by looking at the food they eat. Food is a cultural thing that all humans partake in. What we eat varies from place to place and can be defined by local produce and history. If you want to get to know a place, check out the food first. It is a good character and place identifier that is not often used in storytelling.

“The Oren-yaro do not lack for courage, it is true. We know how to face battles when the odds are stacked against us. We know how to give our lives for our lords and believe we know sacrifice like no other. But I did not face that dragon as an Oren-yaro. Our tenets may run deep, but they do not make us. I decided that if I ever get out of this alive, I would tell Rayyel that. We are flesh and blood, not words; we bend, we break, but our failings need not be etched in stone. I faced the dragon as someone willing to give her life for another not because of some deep-seated arrogance that I was better but because it was the right thing to do.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Ikessar Falcon

I want to talk briefly about the relationships in this book. If I say too much, I will give things away. However, Tali's relationships with the side characters in the story hinge on perceptions that those characters have of her and what she should be rather than what she is. This is true to some extent with Talyien and how she perceives who she is and her responsibilities. She is forever the daughter of a violent warlord, one who carved a road through the country made of the blood of those who stood against him. Is this Talyien? Is this who she is? I don't think she even knows, at least not yet. But slowly, as the story progresses, we see more and more of who she is. Not always the warlord's daughter, the betrayed wife, the mother, the childhood friend, and Talyien. The Bitch Queen who will hold her country together and save those she loves.

Damn the consequences, and damn those who stand in her way.

I know that K.S Villoso has much to show us readers. I know there will be more heartbreak, intrigue, power plays, and psychopathic characters. I am ready for it. Tali is a character that I think will bend but will not snap. One that will continue to do what is best and damn the consequences. I am here for it. Bring it Villoso, bring on the woe.

It took me forever to write, but I finally have a more detailed review on my website.

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RTC, but for now, that was phenomenal.

The characters are so rich and complex that I had complicated feelings about most of them and kept going back and forth on whether or not I despised or actually maybe kind of liked some of them. (But never Khine or Tali, both of whom I loved...even during the times I internally screamed “TALI, WHY?” but knew the answer is she's just, well, being Tali.)Which is to say she is very well characterized even when I find her most frustrating.

The Ikessar Falcon skillfully interweaves complex character arcs, intricate worldbuilding, and political intrigue with an epic plot that doesn't relent.

One of the central themes in this book is family. Talyien, Queen of Oren-yaro, may have fallen from grace and uncovered an evil plot that could completely change the face of multiple nations.

And yet, the beating, bloody heart of the story is the journey of Talyien, daughter of dreaded warlord and mother to the next king. She strives to live up to her father's expectations while slowly coming to terms with seeing him as both a monster and a man. And even though her quest to return home is largely about saving her nation from a mad sorcerer, saving her son is the foremost thing on her mind at all times.

Bypassing the dreaded “second book slump,” Villoso has managed to write a second book jump. All the character work and personal focus from the previous book is still there, but the plot explodes into one of epic scale. Magic zombies, ghosts with a habit of possessing people, and insane dragons all play a key role. The Wolf of Oren-yaro pulled the rug out from under me, twisting my expectations of what the story was actually about. Somehow, this book manages to pull that off again.

Readers of The Agartes Epilogues will be happy to see several easter eggs throughout the story. Certain characters (and boats!) make an appearance, and the infamous Agartes is even mentioned once or twice. For everyone else: don't worry. No prior knowledge is needed.

I want to point out just how great the cover art is. The dragon insanity is readily apparent, and the stylized art technique sets this cover apart from many others in the genre. The subtle shift in perspective showing Talyien from behind feels symbolic of both her return home and attempt to deal with her past. And the colors...well, I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that artist and writer Ash Navarre knocked this one out of the park!

All in all, this was a fantastic read that left me eagerly awaiting for The Xiaran Mongrel next year!