Souldancer (Soul Cycle Book 2)

Last night I finished reading Souldancer by Campbell Award nominee Brian Niemeier. Souldancer is book two of "The Soul Cycle," and the sequel to his debut novel Nethereal.I'll be honest, this was not the sequel I was expecting. There's a large time gap between the two books that caught me off guard in the beginning. Furthermore, the story spends significant time with characters that simply aren't in Nethereal. But the two stories are connected, and in a very strong way. I give Mr. Niemeier strong props for weaving the tales together in the way that he does. I can say that it's not an easy task - but to say much more than that would be to spoil rather important parts of the story.The world here continues to be something new, unique, and different, rather than just a new spin on the same old generic "space universe" that we see so often in space operas. This installment explores even more of that world, and brings us far more of its history. The new characters are a real joy, especially Xander and Astlin. Meanwhile, the returning characters are even more interesting in this incarnation. Most interesting is the way the finale of Nethereal has repercussions that underlie every page of this novel, from beginning to end.To put it bluntly, this novel is the rare sequel that manages to surpass its predecessor. I give it 5 stars out of 5, and I highly encourage reading it. There's a reason Mr. Niemeier received his Campbell nomination, after all.

Book 2 of the Soul Cycle improved on the first. As we progress with the Soul Wheel steersman (or spirit guide), we're led with the main characters through several more levels of Hell. The conflicts with lords of the different planes get more convoluted and intense, as the ships, people, and the souls and powers get distorted and mutilated by Shaiel itself. The end goals are not clear, except that they must escape from the underworld and return to what appears normal space. In a final desperate move, Xander and his lady seek a route out, but it leads through the peril of the ninth circle: Shaiel's lair and fortress. Here, several awesome truths are revealed to them, and a set of grand and terrible choices that involve their salvation, and a path for saving all other souls.The book is written on a very grand scale, with a lot of related and competing factions, including Life, Death, demons, technos, and some very alien entities. I took my time reading, so this could soak in. Like Dune, the grand scale involves elaborate attention to detail. Those details are important. The final couple chapters will hit unexpectedly, like ramming a Void-runner into a neutron star, with terror, suspense, and beauty. Evil/Good, Life/Death, are not exactly what they portray themselves as, and a much greater Entity makes Himself known in a still, small voice.This is not an easy book to read, but is satisfying. It will take time to keep factions and characters straight. Take your time reading, work with the flow, and enjoy the journey.

Nethereal reminded me of Dune for a generation that had grown up on D&D and anime: same sense of being in the middle of a deep story with rich history, same almost maddening vagueness when it came to backstory, same epic this-is-where-the-crazy-all-started setup. And, like Dune, it worked wonderfully!Souldancer is nothing like that.Oh sure, it's set 20 years after, has a few of the same characters and references to others, and is still maddeningly (delightfully) vague about the socio-religious layout, but it's a smaller, much more personal story. Nethereal had the same concept: a man seeking to avenge his father and his people set against an all controlling edifice, but that kind of story almost has to be epic if it's not to be a failure. Souldancer is quieter: a love story, almost unconventional except in the persons of the lovers and the currents set in motion in Nethereal that drag them along in their wake. It is a much more accessible story, I think, despite how much I enjoyed its predecessor.Two things I want to specifically mention: visualizations and exposition. Mr. Niemeier's visualizations are wonderfully fleshed out and vivid. I compare this series to Dune because both Herbert and Niemeier described worlds of technology so advanced as to be indistinguishable from magic, but so seemingly ancient that it was not just commonplace, but accepted and even a little dated. Herbert introduced artillery as his great secret weapon, commonplace to us but almost wholly unknown to the Dune universe, while he describes force shields, space flight, and everything else as utterly commonplace. Niemeier has that same mystique, but he does not fall into the trap that ensnared Herbert: he doesn't feel the need to explain what is commonplace to the reader.Which brings me to exposition. Dune created a rich, ancient world almost completely by implication. Herbert subsequently spoiled it (in my opinion), by trying to make too much explicit in the subsequent books, losing the sense of mystery he had so carefully cultivated. Brian Niemeier avoids this trap by letting the commonplace remain commonplace unless a character would realistically discuss such a thing. By introducing characters who are out of their element, he can exposit as the story requires, which is an old trick but one that is too often abused by authors who are desperate to show off how cool their created universe really is. Mr. Niemeier chose to be more subtle, for which I thank him.Finally, this book was awarded a Dragon for Horror. Full disclosure, I voted for it and think it deserved to win, but this is not the horror of Stephen King: there is no need to abuse, maim, and kill beloved characters just to jerk the reader's emotional chain. Which isn't to say that doesn't happen (and Brian, if you kill off Teg in Secret Kings, I will be VERY unhappy), but it always feels like it serves more of a purpose than mood-setting. No, the horror is like that of Iain Banks, without the late Mr. Banks need to be over the top.So, if you are a fan of Herbert and Banks, I highly recommend this book. You don't have to start with Nethereal, but it certainly helps and I would recommend it regardless.

Nethereal, the first Soul Cycle book, is phenomenal; Souldancer may be even better. It masterfully builds on what went before, but this time the focus is tighter (though the stakes are arguably even higher). New facets of the universe are introduced, and new factions; there are twists and turns aplenty; but at its heart it is a deeply personal, profoundly moving story of a small band of misfits caught up in events much larger than themselves, and coming to terms with their own struggles along the way.Also, there are space werewolves. Space werewolves! Seriously, what are you waiting for?!

Picks up 20 years after the first one. If you liked the first one then you will like it. Don't read if you haven't read the first one as it raises the weirdness level to 11. It took me awhile to get in to the story but was worth it.

good book

An excellent book. I heard of Brian through the recommendation of another and that recommendation was well made. I look forward to is other books.