Ebook Free The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr
Book lovers, when you require an extra book to read, locate guide The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr below. Never fret not to locate what you require. Is the The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr your needed book now? That's true; you are actually a great viewers. This is an excellent book The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr that comes from terrific writer to share with you. The book The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr offers the best encounter and lesson to take, not only take, but additionally find out.
The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr
Ebook Free The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr
The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr. The industrialized modern technology, nowadays support every little thing the human demands. It consists of the daily tasks, works, workplace, enjoyment, and a lot more. Among them is the fantastic internet connection as well as computer system. This condition will certainly ease you to assist one of your hobbies, checking out habit. So, do you have willing to read this publication The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr now?
As one of the window to open up the new world, this The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr supplies its amazing writing from the writer. Released in one of the preferred authors, this book The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr turneds into one of one of the most desired publications lately. Really, the book will not matter if that The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr is a best seller or otherwise. Every book will certainly still give finest sources to obtain the visitor all finest.
Nevertheless, some people will certainly seek for the best vendor book to check out as the first recommendation. This is why; this The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr is presented to fulfil your requirement. Some people like reading this publication The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr due to this popular publication, however some love this due to favourite writer. Or, lots of likewise like reading this publication The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr considering that they really need to read this publication. It can be the one that truly like reading.
In getting this The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr, you could not still pass walking or riding your electric motors to the book stores. Get the queuing, under the rain or very hot light, as well as still search for the unidentified book to be in that publication store. By visiting this page, you can just search for the The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr as well as you can discover it. So now, this moment is for you to go for the download web link and also acquisition The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr as your personal soft file book. You can read this book The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr in soft documents only and wait as your own. So, you do not need to fast put guide The Legend Of Broken, By Caleb Carr into your bag everywhere.
“A sprawling fantasy saga . . . Caleb Carr boldly goes where he’s never gone before.”—USA Today
Legend meets history in this mesmerizing novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Caleb Carr. Demonstrating the rich storytelling, skillful plotting, and depth of research he showcased in The Alienist, Carr has written a wildly imaginative, genre-bending saga that redefines the boundaries of literature.
Some years ago, a remarkable manuscript long rumored to exist was discovered: The Legend of Broken. It tells of a prosperous fortress city where order reigns at the point of a sword—even as scheming factions secretly vie for control of the surrounding kingdom. Meanwhile, outside the city’s granite walls, an industrious tribe of exiles known as the Bane forages for sustenance in the wilds of Davon Wood.
At every turn, the lives of Broken’s defenders and its would-be destroyers intertwine: Sixt Arnem, the widely respected and honorable head of the kingdom’s powerful army, grapples with his conscience and newfound responsibilities amid rumors of impending war. Lord Baster-kin, master of the Merchants’ Council, struggles to maintain the magnificence of his kingdom even as he pursues vainglorious dreams of power. And Keera, a gifted female tracker of the Bane tribe, embarks on a perilous journey to save her people, enlisting the aid of the notorious and brilliant philosopher Caliphestros. Together, they hope to exact a ruinous revenge on Broken, ushering in a day of reckoning when the mighty walls will be breached forever in a triumph of science over superstition.
Breathtakingly profound and compulsively readable, Caleb Carr’s long-awaited new book is an action-packed, multicharacter epic of a medieval clash of cultures—in which new gods collide with old, science defies all expectation, and virtue comes in many guises. Brimming with adventure and narrative invention, The Legend of Broken is an exhilarating and enthralling masterwork.
Praise for The Legend of Broken
“An excellent and old-fashioned entertainment . . . The Legend of Broken seamlessly blends epic adventure with serious research and asks questions that men and women grappled with in the Dark Ages and still do today.”—The Washington Post
“[A] colossal effort . . . a fantasy epic . . . meant as an allegory, a cautionary tale for our precarious times. To make his points, Carr has summoned a dream team of soldiers, wizards, and tiny forest folk.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Carr keeps the action hurtling along with a steady diet of gruesome murders and political betrayals. And he clearly wants modern readers to see something of their own world in the political corruption and greed that ultimately doom Broken.”—The Boston Globe
From the Hardcover edition.
- Sales Rank: #390419 in Books
- Published on: 2013-07-09
- Released on: 2013-07-09
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x 1.50" w x 5.20" l, 1.17 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 752 pages
Review
“An excellent and old-fashioned entertainment . . . The Legend of Broken seamlessly blends epic adventure with serious research and asks questions that men and women grappled with in the Dark Ages and still do today.”—The Washington Post
“A sprawling fantasy saga . . . Caleb Carr boldly goes where he’s never gone before.”—USA Today
“Carr keeps the action hurtling along with a steady diet of gruesome murders and political betrayals. And he clearly wants modern readers to see something of their own world in the political corruption and greed that ultimately doom Broken.”—The Boston Globe
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Caleb Carr is the critically acclaimed author of The Alienist, The Angel of Darkness, The Lessons of Terror, Killing Time, The Devil Soldier, and The Italian Secretary. He has taught military history at Bard College, and worked extensively in film, television, and the theater. His military and political writings have appeared in numerous magazines and periodicals, among them The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in upstate New York.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
My pitted skull sees once more, and my bleached
jaws crack to tell the secrets of Broken . . .
And so these words have at last risen from the ground in which I will inter them, defying Fate as my homeland of Bro ken never can. The city’s great granite walls will remain shattered, until they again become the shapeless raw stone from which they were fashioned. Do not pretend, scholars unborn, that you know of my kingdom; it is as windblown and forgotten as my own bones. My purpose now is to tell how this tragedy came to pass.
Do you wonder at my saying “tragedy”? How can I say anything else, when I know full well that historians of your day will be unable to state with conviction whether Broken ever existed at all, despite its magnificent accomplishments? When I know that its enemies, as well as some of its most loyal citizens—to say nothing of Nature itself—shall work as hard as they evidently have done to dismantle the great city’s magnificent form? And that I, from whose mind that magnificence sprang, still deem the destruction just . . .
Above all, consider this, before going on: You are embarked on a journey in which every cruelty, every unnatural urge, and every savagery known to men plays a part; yet there is compassion here, too, and also courage, although it is one of the peculiarities of the tale that each of these qualities appears when it is least expected. And so: let strength
of heart guide you through each period of confusion to the next point of hope, keeping despair from your soul and allowing you to learn from this history in a manner that my descendants—that I—never could.
Yes, I became utterly lost . . . Do I remain so? My own family whispers that I am mad, just as they did when I first spoke of recording these events with the sole purpose of burying the finished text deep in the Earth. Yet if I am mad, it is because of these visions of Broken’s fate: visions that began unbidden long ago and have never departed, regardless of how desperately I have begged more than one Deity for peace, and no matter what intoxicating potions I have consumed. They weight me down, body and spirit, like a stone-filled sack about the neck, dragging me under the surface of my Moonlit lake, down to those depths that teem with so many other bodies . . .
I see all of them, even those that I never truthfully saw in life. They ought to have faded: it has been more than the span of most men’s lives since I returned from the wars to the south† and the apparitions began, and it has been half again as long since I came back from my voyage to the monks across the Seksent Straits,‡ who revealed to me the meaning of my visions, that I might record all that I know to be true, against the day when someone, when you, would stumble upon my work, and determine if the mind that had created it yet deserves to be called mad.
But there will be time enough for all such deliberations, while there is precious little, now, to explain what you must know about my kingdom before our journey can begin. Yet the monks under whom I studied warned against plain recitation; and so—imagine this:
We tumble together out of the eternal heavens, where all ages are as one and we may meet as fellow travelers, toward the more constrainèd Earth, which is, at the moment of our approach, in an era earlier than your own, yet later than mine. Passing through the mists that envelop a range of mountains more impressive than lofty, more deadly than majestic, we soon come to the highest branches of a perilous expanse of forest. The variety of trees seems nearly impossible, and the whole forms a thick green roof over the wilderness below; a roof that we, in our magical flight, shall penetrate with dreamlike ease, eventually settling on a thick lower limb of one obliging oak. From our perch we are afforded an excellent view of the woodland floor, lush and seemingly gentle; but its wide carpets of moss frequently conceal deadly bogs, and its stands of enormous ferns and thick brambles are capable of cutting and poisoning the toughest human flesh. Even beauty, here, is deadly: for many of the delicate flowers that emerge from the mosses or cling to the trees and rocks offer fragrant elixirs fatal to the greedy. Yet those same extracts, in the hands of the less rapacious, can be made to cure sickness, and ease pain.
Yet what of man, in this place? It was once believed that humans could not survive, here; for we have entered Davon Wood,†† the great forest that the people of Old Broken said was made by all the gods to imprison the worst of demons, in order that they might know the loneliness and suffering that they inflicted upon those creatures that they tormented. The Wood has always provided an impenetrable southern and western frontier for Broken, one whose dangers have been plain even to the wild marauders† that first appeared out of the morning sun generations ago, and that yet ravage neighboring domains. Only a few of these invaders have even attempted to traverse the Wood’s unmeasured expanse, and of that small number even fewer have reemerged, scarred and crazed, to declare the undertaking not only impossible but damned. The citizens of Broken were once content to view the Wood from the safety of the banks of the thundering river called the Cat’s Paw, which provides a perilous break between the wilderness and the richness of Broken’s best farming dales to the north and the east. Yes, once my people were content, with this limitation as with so many;‡ but that was before—
Lo! They arrive ere I can speak their name—look quickly. There—and there! The blur of fur and hide, the glint of furtive eyes, the whole fluid: between, under, and over tree trunks and limbs, around and through nettle bushes and vine tangles. What are they? Look again; try to determine for yourself. Swift? Impossibly swift—they find pathways through the Wood that other animals cannot see, still less negotiate, and they navigate those courses with an agility that makes even the tree rodents stare in envy—
They begin to slow; and perhaps you note that the “hides” of these quick beings are in reality animal skins stitched into garments. Yet not even in Davon Wood do beasts go clothed. Could they perhaps be those cursed demons about which the people of Old Broken told such fearful tales? Certainly, these small ones are damned, in their own way, but as to their being demons—examine their faces more closely. Beneath the soil and sweat, do you not take note of human skin? And so . . .
Men.
Neither forest beasts, nor dwarves, nor elves. And not human children, either. Watch a moment more: you must realize that, while these travelers are unusually small for fully grown humans, they are not too small.†† It is something else that disturbs you. Certainly, it is not their agile, even entertaining, movements, for these are as marvelous as any troop of tumblers; no, it is something more obscure that leads to the conviction that they are somehow—wrong . . .
Forgive me if I say that your judgment is not complete. They are not “wrong” of themselves, these little humans. The wrong you sense is the result of the grievous manner in which they have been wronged.
But wronged by whom? In one sense, by myself, in that I gave life to my descendants; but far more by the new “god” of my people, Kafra,† and more still by those people themselves, who despise this small race more than any vermin. Do I confuse you? Good! In this mood, you will raise your eyes up to the heavens and appeal for relief; but you will encounter, instead, only more marvelous sights. First, the sacred Moon,‡ deity of Old Broken, although discarded within my lifetime for that newer and more obliging god; then, lit by the Moon’s sacred radiance, a great range of mountains miles to the south of the peaks that we passed on our journey here, a range known in Broken simply as the Tombs. Further north and east, the shimmering band that you see cutting across the enviable farmlands that are shielded by the mountains (lands that are the kingdom’s chief source of wealth) is the Meloderna River, the teat at which those rich fields suckle, and the kinder sister of the rocky Cat’s Paw.
And in the center of this noble landscape, protected as some royal child by Nature’s powerful guards, stands the lone mountain that is the kingdom’s heart. As torturously forested on its lower slopes as is Davon Wood, yet as barren and deadly as the Tombs above (if more temperate), this is Broken, a summit so frightening that, legend has it, the single great river that burst out of the surrounding mountains at the beginning of time split into many at the mere sight of it. Great and imposing as the mountain is, the greatest sight we shall witness is atop it: the walled wonder—bejeweled, from this distance, by flickering torches—that is both the proverbial heart and the sinful loins of the kingdom. Miraculously carved out of the solid, nearly seamless stone that is the stuff of the mountain’s summit, the city was once the favorite of the Moon, but incurred that Sacred Body’s wrath when it embraced the false god Kafra:
Broken . . .
Yes, we shall go there. But we have not finished with the Wood, yet. For this tale begins with those scurrying little humans below us. Never forget that word: for it is the one supreme fact of this entire history. Those soil-crusted, furtive beings that spark such curiosity in you are human. The people of Broken allowed themselves to forget as much, for centuries; and on tempestuous Moonlit nights below the windswept peak of the terrible mountain, you may yet hear the wail of their condemnèd souls, as they bemoan their most grievous error . . .
Most helpful customer reviews
64 of 71 people found the following review helpful.
High hopes but disappointed
By Brian
Caleb Carr is one of my favorite authors and I've anxiously looked for his next release. The premise behind Legend of Broken caught my attention. For all the rambling, disjointed storytelling of George Martin (and all the copycat fiction it's spawned) that has caught fire recently, I hoped Carr's tale would show what really could be done with the fantasy/historical genre in its modern iteration.
Unfortunately, I couldn't finish the book on the first read. Dense storytelling (count how many times a character speaks and then the reader is forced to wade through a paragraph of explanation) interfered with the story. Too much telling, not enough showing. I put the book down after reading the first two pages - not a good sign - and had to try again several times before I found a narrative hook. I skipped ahead to pages where there was dialogue and action and enjoyed those scenes. I connected with the characters but wanted the backstory to get out of the way so I could experience the story. The energy of Alienist, Angel of Darkness, Killing Time, and Italian Secretary were missing. And the distraction of violating a basic writing rule of using "he/she said" became absurd. Characters chortle, scoff, whisper, grunt, moan, hiss, announce... Before you judge me a literary snob, trying saying any line of dialogue while you simultaneously grunt or chortle. It's comic.
I wanted so much to like this story - and I will eventually finish it - but it disappointed my high expectations. I respect the amount of time it took to create this novel and the depth of world building behind it. But in the end it just didn't come together.
After reading the afterword, I truly hope that Mr. Carr's physical and mental health are okay. He took an unwarranted amount of criticism after his publication of The Lessons of Terror. He is a gifted historian, writer, and storyteller. Whether or not he feels the disdain of his characters like Conan Doyle did, I think I speak for millions of fans when I hope that there is another return to turn-of-the-century New York and the incredible cast of characters that inhabited that world. Kreizler, Moore, Miss Howard, Cyrus, the Isaacson brothers... I hope we have not heard the last of them.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
Have to put it down
By smb8d
I find it unreadable. The sentences are long and tortuous; often, they're quite beautiful in their parallel clauses and use of subordinate clauses, but they're getting in the way of the story. It actually reads like it might come across better as an audiobook. None of the characters are interesting. As an ancient historian, I'm picking up on allusions to actual historical events and societies; it's a very intellectual book, but maybe too intellectual if pleasure reading is your goal.
UPDATE (3.2.13): I gave it a second chance before it was due at the library. The writing still irritated me, but the plot kicked in and held my interest around pp. 150-200. Upping my initial 2-star rating to a 3 in consequence. I guess I wold say, give it a chance, though it still isn't one of Carr's best.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
Mixed Feelings
By applewood
Previously unfamiliar with this author, but initially drawn to read this book by a glowing review in the Wall Street Journal, I ended up having a love/hate relationship with it right up till near the end when I mostly just felt impatience with the mixture of predictability and inconsistency which Caleb Carr brings to both his prose and story telling. In the end I felt it would make a fine if forgettable (mostly) PG rated Disney movie.
I will avoid making specific plot/character comments and so spoil the story, but I found the tale interesting enough to keep me reading, looking for historical connections and modern metaphors in an often laboriously scripted tale. It is long (651 pages, with an additional 80 pages of detailed notes, which I never felt inclined to consult), but fails to develop in a truly satisfying and engrossing way (as for instance, Tolkien's classics do).
In its favor it is a finely printed edition, thick but of small enough size to make it easy to hold and read. It also had potential to be an interesting story - a fascinating and blurry-lined mix of fact and fiction, history and fantasy. And this potential is what kept me engaged for much of it, despite it's obvious weakness.
For me the weaknesses were various ranging from inconsistent narrative voice and character development, to improbable scenes (for instance what was accomplished within limited time frames), and plot holes, overly wordy and dull dialogues, and ultimately, uncertain philosophical implications. At times the novel (and it's characters) was so sure of itself, even heavy handed in its message, and then almost in the next breath vague and inconclusive seeming. There were moments that pulled at my heart or engaged my intellect, but more often it just skimmed the surface.
It is hard to talk of the story without spoiling the details, but although I get the general theme of comparing the role of science vs religion in culture, I sometimes felt Carr was trying hard to fit the modern world into his allegory of Broken (a kingdom in Sixth Century Germany). This feeling was compounded by the use of apparently real 18th Century excerpts of correspondence between Edward Gibbon and Edmund Burke in reference to Gibbon's discovery of this ancient historical manuscript. This device eventually became hard to believe, and so became just another part of the fiction for me. Yet I sometimes got the distinct impression Carr was referring to the threat of theocratic power in America (Bush Jr's administration perhaps with its attendant torture chambers in Gitmo and elsewhere...). Or maybe just theocratic power in general, applicable to the Vatican and Fundamentalist Islam as much as Christianity.
So in the end I'm left feeling like it is a fun fantasy adventure novel that mixes meticulously researched, generally pluasible historical accuracy with sloppy and rushed details; a beguiling mix which I wanted to enjoy more than I did....
The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr PDF
The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr EPub
The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr Doc
The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr iBooks
The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr rtf
The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr Mobipocket
The Legend of Broken, by Caleb Carr Kindle
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar