Underlord

Will Wight’s Underlord is amazingly fantastic. I absolutely loved this book. Somehow Wight manages to pack plenty of action, lots of plot points, and some stellar character development into what is actually a relatively short book. The Cradle series is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite fantasy series. If you aren’t reading it yet, I don’t know what else I can say to convince you—but I’m going to try.

Way back in the first book of the series, Unsouled, I felt like Lindon was interesting, but the side characters were a little flat, lacking depth and strong characterization. I can’t imagine uttering that criticism about Underlord. Wight has crafted a tantalizing cast of characters that really shines. He’s definitely playing the long game here, letting us get to know characters bit by bit over the course of multiple books and that results in some big emotional payoffs in this novel. I try hard to avoid spoilers, but we learn significant things about each of the main characters in this novel. Yet none of the things we learn feel like an ending. Wight has really done a great job of making each reveal or bit of growth feel natural, like it’s leading to something more. If you enjoy strong characters in your fantasy, you definitely need to check out this novel. Of course, the characters aren’t the only thing that shines here. Wight also continues to reveal bits about his magic system, taking his characters and us to the next level of power. What’s so impressive is that he does this in a way that feels natural, not forced, and in a way that really feels like the characters we’ve come to know and love are growing. The plot of this one is also engaging from page one, feels like it has a good amount of payoff that we get in this novel, but also several intriguing strings are left dangling. Underlord is magnificent in nearly every way.

There isn’t a great deal for me to critique here. If anything, I felt like a few scenes could have had greater impact if they had been just slightly longer and given just a hint more depth. I’d argue that’s true for the entire novel at some level. In particular, there’s a character it looks like we’ll see a good deal more of in the next book that I felt like wasn’t given enough page time in this one to make us fully care about her. It’s also possible I just want more of Wight’s amazing world and characters, however, so I have to be careful with this critique.

In the end, Underlord is a phenomenal read that takes all the promise of the series, ups the ante, gives us some great payoffs, and sets the stage for what is sure to be another action-packed installment. If martial arts inspired fantasy is your thing, then you need to be reading the Cradle series. Underlord is just the latest installment in a truly exceptional series, and Wight shows no signs of faltering in his telling of this story.

4.75/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing