The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy 1)

The Ninth Rain is a solid start for The Winnowing Flame Trilogy.The world building in particular shines in this book. Uncovering new information and new questions about it is a joy.Vintage's letter and journal entries worked well to deliver lore, especially because her voice was charismatic and a pleasure to read.While the setting was my favorite aspect of the book, I also liked the characters. I can't wait to see how they grow and discover more about the Jure'lia.

The shipping was fast and the book wasn’t damaged one bit!I hope I’ll like the book :)

Fast-paced, well-described characters, an incredible story, fantastic environment. I loved it. I loved the main characters and also the secondary ones, I totally hated the villains. One of the best fantasy novels I ever read (and I read a lot).

This was so good! Love all the characters and different POVs. The world is super unique and the story is compelling. It’s amazing to see how the different characters stories get entangled. Despite the obvious dangers this is super funny and quirky, a truly wonderful piece of high fantasy!

Wenn ich Fantasy-Autor_innen bespreche, berichte ich oft, dass ihre Karrieren maßgeblich von bestimmten Einflüssen geprägt wurden. Namen wie Tolkien fallen in hübscher Regelmäßigkeit, ebenso wie diverse Rollenspiele, vor allem natürlich Dungeons & Dragons. Jen Williams hingegen verdankt ihren Eintritt in die literarische Fantasy einem Videospiel. „Dragon Age“ von EA erneuerte ihre Liebe für das Genre und inspirierte sie, es als schriftstellerische Heimat in Betracht zu ziehen.Ihren Durchbruch feierte sie mit der Sword & Sorcery – Trilogie „Copper Cat“. Mit ihrer zweiten Trilogie „The Winnowing Flame“ und deren Auftakt „The Ninth Rain“ wagt sie sich noch tiefer in das Genre und erobert die epische Fantasy.Einst galten die edlen Eborianer_innen als Beschützer_innen der Menschheit. Generation um Generation bewahrten sie die Bevölkerung von Sarn vor der Invasion der Jure’lia, des Wurmvolks. In acht Kriegen wehrten sie ihre Angriffe gemeinsam mit den Kriegsbestien ab, die ihnen ihr Baumgott Ygersil schenkte. Doch nach der letzten Schlacht verschwanden die Jure’lia und Ygersil begann zu sterben.Viele Jahre später erträgt es Tormalin der Eidlose nicht länger, sein Volk dahinsiechen zu sehen. Er verlässt Ebora und schließt sich Lady Vincenza „Vintage“ de Grazon an, die in der irreversibel vergifteten Wildnis von Sarn die Überreste der Jure’lia erforscht. Dort begegnen sie der jungen Flammenhexe Noon, deren Kräfte ihnen kurz darauf das Leben retten. Sie sind auf ein Geheimnis gestoßen, das Ebora heilen könnte. Sie müssen so schnell wie möglich in Tors Heimat reisen – denn die Jure’lia sind noch nicht besiegt …Was für ein Glück, dass Jen Williams Begeisterung für Fantasy-Videospiele empfindet. Andernfalls wäre uns eine großartige Genre-Autorin entgangen. Sie ist ein hervorragendes Beispiel dafür, dass die High Fantasy von weiblichen Stimmen enorm profitiert. „The Ninth Rain“ ist ein sensationeller Trilogieauftakt voller kreativer, origineller Ideen. Er ist frisch, neu und anders als alles, was ich bisher kennenlernen durfte, vor allem hinsichtlich des Worldbuildings.Angriffe einer feindlichen Spezies sind in der High Fantasy keine Seltenheit – Angriffe einer außerirdischen Spezies hingegen schon. Jahrhundertelang wurden Sarn und Ebora periodisch von den Jure’lia attackiert. Im Gegensatz zu dem, was die umgangssprachliche Bezeichnung „Wurmvolk“ vermuten lässt, gruben sie sich jedoch nicht aus dem Boden. Sie kamen von oben. Die Jure’lia stammen nicht vom selben Planeten.Demnach betreten wir in „The Ninth Rain“ eine Fantasy-Welt, die ein Science-Fiction-Problem hat: Eine drohende Alien-Invasion. Genau genommen ist „The Winnowing Flame“ daher ein Hybrid beider Genres. Ich liebe es, wenn sich Autor_innen diese Freiheit gestatten, weil es altbekannte Archetypen um aufregende Dynamiken und Konflikte erweitert. Konventionellen Motiven einen neuen Twist zu verleihen, scheint allerdings Williams‘ Spezialität zu sein.Über die drei Hauptcharaktere Vintage, Tor und Noon erfahren Leser_innen beiläufig, dass die Historie von Sarn und Ebora hochgradig kompliziert und spannungsgeladen ist. Obwohl die elbenhaften Eborianer_innen die Menschheit wieder und wieder vor den Jure’lia retteten, ist die Beziehung der Völker in der Gegenwart von „The Ninth Rain“ alles andere als harmonisch.Williams erläutert früh, warum sich das Verhältnis beinahe irreparabel verschlechterte – glaubt mir, diese Facette der Geschichte räumt jeden Zweifel aus, dass Ebora nicht von stereotypen Elben bevölkert wird. Ich fand dieses Detail äußerst faszinierend und konnte dadurch sehr schnell eine intensive Bindung zu Tor aufbauen, dessen tragische Biografie untrennbar mit dem Niedergang seiner Heimat verknüpft ist.Er verbirgt seinen Schmerz hinter Nonchalance und offensiver Oberflächlichkeit, doch da Jen Williams in der personalen Erzählperspektive sehr nah an ihren Figuren bleibt, durchschaute ich seine Maskerade. Ich denke, dass auch Vintage – offiziell seine Arbeitgeberin, inoffiziell seine engste Freundin – sie als solche erkennt. Sie ist zu klug, um sich täuschen und an der Nase herumführen zu lassen.Ich feiere Vintage. Frauen wie sie treten in High Fantasy – Geschichten noch immer zu selten in zentralen Positionen auf: Unabhängige, ehrgeizige, selbstbewusste Frauen jenseits der 40. Daher bin ich Jen Williams dankbar für ihre Konzeption und dafür, dass sie Vintage nicht auf ihre Rolle als Forscherin reduziert. Sie ist weder verschüchtert noch weltfremd. Als erfolgreiche Unternehmerin mit einem rentablen Weingut kann sie sich das auch nicht erlauben.Ebenso starke Sympathie empfand ich für die junge Flammenhexe Noon. Ich glaube, dass sie für den weiteren Handlungsverlauf entscheidend sein wird, denn das magische grüne Feuer, das sie erzeugen kann, wird „winnowfire“ genannt – die Brücke zum Titel der Trilogie „The Winnowing Flame“ ist fix gebaut.Ich fand „The Ninth Rain” spektakulär. Ich hätte gern fünf Sterne vergeben, musste aber einsehen, dass es für die Höchstwertung (noch) nicht reichte. Trotz mitreißender Actionspitzen braucht dieser erste Band eine ganze Weile, bis er in die Gänge kommt. Das sorgfältige Worldbuilding, das mich später befähigte, eigenständig Zusammenhänge herzustellen und Mutmaßungen zu formulieren, frisst zu Beginn eine Menge Zeit. Es dauerte, bis ich in der Handlung ankam – auch, wenn es das letztendlich wert war.Jen Williams lässt die weibliche High Fantasy strahlen. Mir gefällt, dass sie als Schriftstellerin einen überzeugenden Trilogieauftakt abliefert, aber es freut mich besonders, dass „The Ninth Rain“ nicht ausgesprochen feminin ist. Für mich ist es ein Zeichen des Fortschritts, dass eine Autorin in der High Fantasy erfolgreich sein kann, ohne ihre Weiblichkeit demonstrativ zur Schau zu tragen. Williams schreibt keine „Fantasy für Frauen“. Sie schreibt Fantasy, Punkt. Und das macht sie verdammt gut.

There are so many things to love about the book. Essentially, I would describe it as "Shannara meets Indiana Jones meets Lord of the Rings". Williams’ writing style is sophisticated and profoundly atmospheric. Most of the chapters begin with an extract from a journal or extracts from private letters - this might sound tedious, but they are perfectly crafted and either satisfy questions one has from previous chapters or pose new mysteries that are elaborated on in the chapters themselves. The world of Ninth Rain is complex - however, explaining it upfront would be utterly boring. So, by an almost "lexical" approach, we as readers can piece by piece puzzle together the history of Ebora, the Jure’lia, the Winnowry and Ygseril.The world building is top-notch. It has a grand scale, and though one can easily recognize motifs from fantasy literature, it is truly unique and stands out. The cities and countries are each full of their own culture, history and traditions.The characters are wonderfully crafted, each with their own distinct voice and personality, their conflicts and their goals all are rooted deeply in their background.

Complicated story which takes a while to get Into and not so likeable characters but One reads on...and is Desperate to only how Things will develop. Three oddballs go on a mission and learn about themselves, each others and The world They live in. Plenty of magic and action

I had some initial troubles to get into it, it has two epic fantasy type of prologues, but it made the rest of the book very much worth it. I loved it and read it in any free minute. Really innovative stuff here, epic fantasy mixed with some other genre highlights.

Awesome book & great characters!A must read as Fantasy Fan in my opinion!The author is able to create new things even so much stuff is already know in past Fantasy books!Still new characters & new ideas written in a great Story!Thor is such a funny & great character!I think we will hopefully ready a lot more from this fantastic author!!!

The Good: A trinity of truly memorable PoV characters, an enemy host that isn’t just another orc variant, a fresh take on a ‘big bad’, and a plot that pulls the rug from beneath you when you think you’ve found your feet.The Bad: I. Have. Nothing. Bad. To. Say. About. This. Book. Deal with it. (Except for the fact this is a Jen Williams book without Wydrin the Copper Cat and I now want more Copper Cat books. Damn it!)The Ugly Truth: The Ninth Rain is one of my FAVOURITE epic fantasies. It feels familiar in so many ways – like putting on your favourite hoodie, or trainers, but at the same time it feels different, it feels new and exciting. It takes all the old favourite conventions and tropes, and changes them, for the better. This is epic fantasy. This is how it should be done.Review: ‘They don’t make them like they used to’. These words go hand in hand with a tendency for people to proclaim that ‘XYZ book’ is the next Tolkien, Le Guin, Howard, Stoker etc. This is especially true with anything considered a ‘Classic’. I’m not overly keen on this type of association, firstly because I like to think that every story is different, and secondly because a book has an author’s name on it so why add other names to it when it’s not their book? Which is why I find myself reticent to say that ‘the Ninth Rain is the 21st century Lord of the Rings’, which, in my honest opinion, it is.And it’s not.It’s MORE than that.To better understand why I think this, let me explain a little about the book.Every few hundred years the Jure’lia (aka Worm People) attempt to invade and conquer the world of Sarn, but they are driven back by the immortal Eborans, and their mighty warbeasts, which are grown on the branches of their tree god Ygseril. Following the last invasion, Ygseril began to wither, and as his presence faded, so too did his power, and the Eborans themselves. The Eborans succumbed to a disease known as the crimson flux, and despite all attempts to stave it off, including drinking human blood, the once noble and mighty immortal race has began to die off.And so begins our tale…What comes next is told by three distinct PoV characters – Lady Vincenza ‘Vintage’ De Grazon, explorer, architect, and wine connoisseur who has made it her mission to uncover the secrets of the Jure’lia; Tormalin the Oathless, an Eboran who has turned his back on his dying people so that he might live what little life he has left before death claims his once immortal being; and Fell Noon, a fell witch with the ability to drain life force and use it to wield winnowfire, which is as every bit as awesome as it sounds.I would be hard pressed to choose a favourite amongst these three, though I think Vintage creeps ahead by a margin. She’s unlike any character I have ever read. In a way she reminds me of the twitter threads I’ve seen claiming ‘what’s the most bizarre hero/ine you’d like to read?’ only for someone to pull out the ‘granny with knitting needles’ card. She isn’t this whatsoever, but the reason she reminds me of this thread is because Vintage is entirely plausible, real, and oh so damned amazing I bet writers who read the Ninth Rain end up pulling their hair out asking themselves ‘why didn’t I think of a character like this?’Whilst a lot of the plot might seem like standard epic fantasy – a big bad, a world ending threat that our plucky band of heroes must overcome, swords and sorcery but with more bang and book (pagecount) for your buck – it isn’t standard. It’s EPIC. As in EPIC fantasy (yes, full caps. Again, deal with it).At first, what might seem like a slow burn is Williams’ setting the stage. Dimming the lights, pouring you a nice glass of Vintage’s best wine, lighting a candle with winnowfire, and having Tormalin provide a turndown service worthy of Ebora (where I have to add they have been known to study the art of the hubba hubba). Once you’re settled in and relaxed, she whips the rug out from underneath you, bundles you into it, cracks you over the head with the bottle of wine, sets you on fire with the candle, and then turns you out on your ass in the cold where you realise The Ninth Rain ISN’T going to turn out how you thought it was going to.It turns out better.Yes, I will admit that I saw some of the plot coming, but this is intentional, because when the real twists come, boy oh boy, do they come out swinging. This starts steady, building to a page turner, but before you know it, you’ll have burned through the final third of the book and find yourself screaming: ‘What? You can’t leave me like this? Wiiillllllliiiams!’The Ninth Rain has also got elements of Indiana Jones, and for me at least, a gender-swap of the original Star Wars trio of Luke/Leia/Han (this is my own personal comparison and would be genuinely interested to hear if anyone else has similar notions). To me the Ninth Rain also has a much deeper message on growing old, love and life and loss, and the treatment of women, all of which are ever increasingly important to consider in today’s modern world.To me, this book is all of those things – all of those comparisons. To me ‘the Ninth Rain is the 21st century Lord of the Rings’.And it isn’t.There is only one thing quite like it. And that is itself.This is The Ninth Rain.

Flawless writing, lots of mysteries that are resolved artfully bit by bit, and constant suspense on varying levels make this book stand out for me. The world building is imaginative and brings some new twists to the genre, and the main characters are well developed and fleshed out. Of course the finely woven plot doesn't end at the end of the book, but although cliffhanger endings normally annoy me, here I am happy in the knowledge that there will be more to come. I will buy part 2 right now.

I don't understand what all the hype is about. The story is more plodding than The Wheel of Time before Sanderson saved it. By 51% nothing significant has happened.The character development is non-existent and even though the characters have a personality, they are mere caricatures.The writing's good but completely wasted on an utterly boring story.The world is interesting but the exposition is heavy handed.For anyone who expects a high octane epic fantasy will be disappointed. It's a dreary story filled with bland characters in a world that could have potential.

I came into this book fresh off the copper cat trilogy, expecting more dark and violent fantasy shenanigans.What I good was a visceral experience, dripping with atmosphere and intrigue. Each and every character is a true individual, flawed and driven in their own ways, and you can love them as much as you hate them.The overarching threat in the story has a real alien feeling to them, and sounds genuinely terrifying and it was an interesting new take on science fiction in a dark fantasy setting.Especially loved having a middle aged scientifically minded woman at the forefront, interesting and thoughtful and always a delight to read about.Five stars, can't wait for the sequel.