The Desert Spear (1 of 3) [Dramatized Adaptation]

Written by Peter V. Brett

Narrated by A Full Cast, Eric Messner, Joe Brack and 29 more

The sun is setting on humanity. The night now belongs to voracious demons that prey upon a dwindling population forced to cower behind half-forgotten symbols of power. Legends tell of a Deliverer: a general who once bound all mankind into a single force that defeated the demons. But is the return of the Deliverer just another myth? Perhaps not. Out of the desert rides Ahmann Jardir, who has forged the desert tribes into a demon-killing army. He has proclaimed himself Shar'Dama Ka, the Deliverer and he carries ancient weapons—a spear and a crown—that give credence to his claim. But the Northerners claim their own Deliverer: the Warded Man, a dark, forbidding figure. Once, the Shar'Dama Ka and the Warded Man were friends. Now they are fierce adversaries. Yet as old allegiances are tested and fresh alliances forged, all are unaware of the appearance of a new breed of demon, more intelligent—and deadly—than any that have come before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: GraphicAudio
• Release date: Jun 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781645418252

Peter V. Brett

Peter V. Brett is the bestselling author of the Demon Cycle series—including The Warded Man, The Desert Spear, The Daylight War, The Skull Throne, and The Core—which has sold over two and a half million copies in twenty-five languages worldwide. He spends too much time on the internet, but occasionally unplugs to practice kickboxing and dad fu. He lives in Manhattan.

Reviews for The Desert Spear (1 of 3) [Dramatized Adaptation]

[srussells · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great follow-up to The Warded Man. This is such a good story with characters that are truly deep. The whole story is dark and powerful as it draws you in. You actually feel what the characters are going through. You also find yourself agreeing with the hard and sometimes brutal decision they make for the greater good. Mr. Brett is truly a talented writer and I can not wait for the next installment.

[ellsea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What can I say? I've been waiting for this book ever since I read the first in the Trilogy, The Painted Man, last year. I've had it on pre-order on Amazon for what feels like forever, so I couldn't help but dip into it immediately after it arrived yesterday. I started it at 6:30, and barring one small break to put Bella to bed, read straight through to the end at somewhere around 3 a.m. - good thing we didn't have to get up for school this morning! My only complaint is that I now have another long, tortuous wait until the final installment appears - hopefully about 1 year from now. I almost wish I hadn't snarfed it so fast, because then I could have prolonged the pleasure just that bit longer ....I loved every word of this book.The story picks up from where it left off, with the invasion of Thesa/the Free Cities by the Krasian army, and follows through on the aftermath of that, connecting us through the eyes of the pov characters from the first story and an important and electrifying new addition - Ahmann Jardir, the Krasian leader. The storytelling is immediate, powerful and personal, individuals making shift as best they can in terrible circumstances, but influencing and directing events by the light of their bravery and integrity. And woven throughout the attempts to forge new alliances is Jardir's history and - indirectly - that of the Krasian people.It's utterly fascinating, and provides a compelling view of the 'other side' of the human conflict in this story. With an honour-based desert-living society it would be easy to slip into a standard muslim-bedu stereotype complete with moral judgements, but this is avoided by a total immersion in that society, giving an understanding of the imperatives driving their apparently harsh code, and the intelligent portrayal of Jardir, a fascinating man moulded into a hard warrior with little space for compassion, but at the same time a canny politician who knows the value of listening to more than one side of the story. The unfolding of his rise to power and his consolidation of position, one step at a time, spreads a broad understanding of his motivation for invading Thesa that takes him out of the region of 'monster' and makes him a very human man at the centre of momentous events, manipulating and being manipulated in turn, as he tries to drag all of humankind to a state whereby the demon invasion can be faced, and stopped.His aims, therefore, coincide with those of the characters familiar from the first book - Arlen, Rojer, Leesha - even if his methods differ. But even amongst themselves, the northerner's methods differ. Arlen pursues his head-on confrontation with any and all demons, whilst Leesha attempts a more peaceful - but no less determined - path with Rojer, devoted but hopeless, at her side. The tensions inherent in the relationships between the characters enhance and contribute to the overall conflicts, making a compelling and dramatic interplay against the background of the invasion and their attempts to rally an alliance against it. Will they be able to find common cause and stand together against the demons, or will the men destroy each other and any hope of a united, coherent defeat of the real evil? It's a fascinating question, and set against the interplay of two conflicting cultures it packs a powerful punch and poses some important questions and the validity of moral judgements without true understanding of the underlying situation/culture.And all the while, a new and deadly threat is rising from the demons as they begin to take notice of the resistance against them, and it becomes clear that there is a new level of threat beyond that which they already face awaiting them, and that the demon core is starting to move against them in earnest - and the outcome is by no means cut and dried, even with the advanced wards they are learning and sharing.But this is not totally an all-action power-packed political-military epic - there is room for the softer, more sensual side too, and that is fully exploited to deliver on a number of levels - from the straightforward eroticism of the Krasian women and the relationship between Leesha and Jardir to the hopelessness of the unrequited love Rojer feels for Leesha, and Leesha in turn feels for Arlen, and at every turn it's well-handled and convincing, alternating between blatant sexuality and an almost coy drawing-of-the-veil, with rich and vivid description making a luxurious counterpoint to the spare harshness of their world.The ending comes abruptly, too soon, on a note of hope, and left me desperate for more. Even now, a day after I read the book, I'm sick with story, snagged on elements of it, and wishing I could go back into that world to find out what happens next. I'm going to go back to the beginning, and re-read the two of them back-to-back. It won't help any with the longing, but hopefully it'll ease the craving a little.

[isamoor_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jun10:Well, was a bit of a departure from the first book. In particular, spent a bunch of back story on the leader of the 'Muslims'.Plot: Still very solid. Eventually moved on towards showing some Coreling princes and things to come. The whole harem business was a bit much at times.Characters: They spent a lot of time with the desert leader dude. He was almost worth it. the others were still around and kicking ass though.Style: Still very good. Seemed to lack a little compared to the first book. Very hard to live up to the Warded man however.

[purple_kathryn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There's quite a bit of rape & sexual abuse in it, which, while not overly explicit, it's rather off putting

[ck31-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was so excited to continue the story of the painted man, but got disappointed, since it started in Krasian and talked about the build up to when the spear was stolen. Up to then I would have only given it 1 star. I understand that it is important to the story, but I just didn't like the Krasian way and it took me away from the story. While I got a better understanding on the background of Jadir, I still didn't like it much.
It was not until the second half of the book when the painted man, Leesha and Rojer came back that it got exciting. Not to sure yet how I feel about Renna part in the story.
The second half was so much better. At least 4 stars. So keep reading it's worth wile. All in all an average 3 stars and definitely gonna read the next one.

[arhoads29 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this second installment of the Demon Cycle you get more of Jardir's background. How he came to believe himself to be the Deliverer and the influence of his powerful and influential wife. You will get more information on how he and Arlen became friends and just what life in Krasian is like. Every night the chosen men, Sharum, battle demons in an arena they have made. They do not believe in hiding indoors - that is for women and children. Jardir crown himself, with the help of the spear that he stole from Arlen, the Shar'Dama Ka or deliverer and set out across the lands to gather troops and conquer lands in the name of his Daylight War. There is a new breed of demon never before seen and both Arlen (the warded man) and Jardir will be push to their limits to overcome its influence. Full of action from beginning to end The Desert Spear is a must, especially is you have read The Warded Man.

[karlstar_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The 2nd book of this series has some of the same problems as the first. We don't know any more about the demon/Corelings/elementals or why there is an endless war. The main characters are now pretty much set - Arlen, Lessa, Rojer and Jardir. Unfortunately, this book spends way too much time giving us Jardir's background and then his version of events from the first book. I realize that if he is going to be a major character he needed the same background as the others, but it felt too much like a part of the plot I already knew. I also really don't care for the Krasian's society and their approach to just about everything. The whole subject of the wards is still confusing also, apparently there are wards that will do just about anything and all it takes is knowledge of the ward to apply them. Even with all of those issues, I still enjoyed the book, its a good story. The characters are well made and relate to each other in many interesting ways, though I really wish he hadn't chosen to go the love triangle route. Still a good book and a fun read.

[ralphd00d-325171 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book in The Demon War trilogy by Brett. The story continues the stories of Rojer, Leesha, and Arlen, as well as does a more in-depth background on Jardir, leader of the Krasians. I read through this one just as fast as the first one, trying to anticipate what would happen. I enjoyed how the story filled in some background that previously had been missed, which I felt added to the overall story. I don't know if that was the author's intent, but it worked fine. Continuing on!!

[me3chan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book and a worthy sequel. One star away from perfect because it lacked to produce some of that rush the first book did when read.

[sonicquack · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Desert Spear starts like a new novel, not the middle part of a trilogy. The first quarter follows the rise of Ahmann Jardir as he inexorably climbs the ranks within the tribes of Krasia. The Desert Spear, once having established this story arc, follows both Jardir and Arlen, the Painted Man, as their destinies collide. This produces a clever new direction for the plot as humans vie for power and territory whilst continuing to war against the demons after sunset. The first third is hard going, especially since the characters from the first book are entirely absent. However once the action swings back to include Arlen and his colleagues the pace and interest is back to that from the first novel. It's still dark and unforgiving at times, however it's Brett's narrative style and tone that makes this compulsive reading.

[piersanti-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fantastic book. If the author had only skipped unnecessary descriptions and written as cleanly as Brandon Sanderson, I'd have given it five stars for sure.

[morgangmac · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite, but a good, solid science fantasy read. In a post-apocalyptic earth-like world, demons roam the earth at night, preying on humans. Humans can only defend themselves with wards written in wood or stone or in the earth. Most people live either in small, spread out towns or in one of the few large, well-defended cities, but everyone lives in fear. One boy sets out to defy his father but finds himself defying demons with the lost are of tattooing. A young girl develops her talent as ab herb-gatherer and discovers her own lost arts of warding. Another young boy finds survival with his musical talent. The three plots intertwine to make for a compelling read.

[Mindy Ngo · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Very different from "The Warded Man". The storyline has loads more of unseenly characters with rape and degredation. Pretty much depressing until the 2nd part of the book where we come back to our beloved characters from our previous book. Skip this entire part and go to the second one. You won't miss much, but rather restore your believe in humanity. I despise this section.

[griffin22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I took a while to get into this one, as a lot of the first half consists of flashbacks about Jadir’s youth, whereas I wanted to get on with the now (and Arlen). And the bits about Renna were very distressing and distasteful. But then it got exciting, with things I didn’t remember from the first time I read it several years ago, and I finished the last third quickly.

[Shyam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really great action - felt like a RPG game ??

[csdaley-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved The Warded Man and his part of this book still kicked ass. I however did not like the other story line. I appreciated that he tried to do something different but it just didn't float my boat. I am hoping the next one bounces back for me.

[lvbookmark · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good read. Looking forward to more.

[msaucier818 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a solid sequel to The Warded Man - both books I really enjoyed. This book is a bit of a surprise as it opens by going back in time and telling some of the story of the world through the eyes of what was a secondary character in they first book. There is even a good section of it that covers the same part of the story, but through the eyes of Jardir rather than of Arlen, the hero of the first book. The rest of the book alternates between a handful of major characters and moves the story along.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first one. The world-building was one of my favorite parts of the first book, and this second book is more character driven. That is not a criticism really, more of an observation. I did enjoy this book, and am looking forward to what the author said will be three more in the series.

[kat_woman38 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The second book in the Demon Cycle series, Arlen Bales has grown to a man and become a Messenger, a man who braves the naked night to bring packages and messages from town to town. He meets Ahmann Jardir of Krasia, and becomes friends with him, despite the vast differences in their cultures and beliefs. Eventually, Arlen's travels bring him to Cutter's Hollow, and he meets Leesha Paper and Rojer Inn. Together, their story will keep you on the edge of your seat!

[phoenixfire0215 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In many ways, this second book is quite different from the first book. It spends a lot of time exploring the backstory of Jardir, which is nice to know about since it explains his actions in the first book. It also builds some nice depth to his character and Abban's, but the exploring is done without clear indication markers of the fact that we're going back into the past. The first time this happens, the reader spends a few moments going "What just happened?" which is not a good thing.