The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame Trilogy 1): British Fantasy Award Winner 2018

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars“Show me a people who don’t have a bloody history.”Wow. What a start to a series.The majestic city of Ebora was once a wonder of the world, but when an enemy species, the Jure'lia, attacked, it left the city and its inhabitants shells of their former selves. Tormalin is from Ebora, but he is desperate to leave so that he doesn’t have to see the place and people he loves fade away. He hooks up with archiver Vintage and together they go off to try to learn more about the Jure'lia.Along the way they meet a Fell-Witch who has escaped her prison and is now on the run. What none of them realizes is that a new Rain may be upon them and that means the Jure'lia may be back.This is such a hard book to describe because it’s many different genres in one. It is a fantasy first, but it also combines elements of horror, sci-fi, and mystery. The world that Williams has crafted is so interesting. There are so many parts of the world we get to see due to the characters being in different places. The Jure'lia themselves seem straight out of a horror novel and their habits and the way they take over communities, while terrifying, was also extremely interesting and innovative.We first meet Hestillion and Tor as they are younger. Through them we learn about this illness called the flux and how it is killing Eborans. While Tor decides to leave, Hestillion stays and through her perspective, we see how badly the flux is affecting the once majestic city and its inhabitants. Hestillion is a character we don’t get to know much on a personal level, though I see that changing for the sequel. However, she is determined to save her people and that is by saving a tree named Ygseril, who is kind of a life line for Eborans. A lot of her story centers around this task that she has taken on.As for Tor, he has teamed up with Vintage and he likes this a lot better because he gets to drink and be around his women. I really liked Tor. He brings a good bit of fun and humor to the story. When Noon joins the duo, her dynamic with Tor was amazing. They don’t like each other at first and that is mainly due to the history of their two people. As the story progresses, they begrudgingly begin to respect each other.Speaking of Noon, I really think she is the character we get to know the most. She is a fell-witch, which means she can take life energy from anything with a life source and use it to create this powerful fire called winnowfire. I loved this element of the story that Williams created. It was so interesting to slowly learn more about the fell-witches and their history and there is still so much we don’t know. Noon was a great character to choose to do this because she was very easy to root for. There is still so much we don’t know about the Winnowry, the place Noon is trying to escape though.“Any institution that claims to keep women locked up for their own good should be watched very close, in my opinion.”I can’t forget to talk about Vintage. She feels older than both Tor (she’s not) and Noon. She almost feels like a mother figure to them. She is a go-getter and she is so determined on her quest of learning more about the Jure'lia. There are these sections from Vintage’s journals before each chapter that helps build the world and I actually enjoyed reading all of them. Vintage is also on this mission in the hopes of finding someone very special to her. I really feel like she balanced out Tor and Noon, which was a nice touch.This was a story that I was engaged with the entire time while reading. The writing is so easy to get into and it flowed really well. I also think Williams did a great job with the multiple POVs, which is not always easy to do. I was equally invested in them all. I also felt that the pacing was pretty good. It does start off a little slow, but in no way would I say it was boring. The ending was especially paced well. It didn’t feel like Williams was rushing to get the ending out.Speaking of the ending, I absolutely loved the way this ended. It didn’t exactly end in a cliffhanger, but it ended in a way that makes me so excited and anxious to pick up the sequel. There were some really cool elements introduced, including some new creatures. Did I forget to mention that there are huge bats that can be ridden? They are amazing!I could go on and on with how much I loved this. I’ll just end it with, if you haven’t picked this up yet and you’re looking for a unique, Adult Fantasy, I’d get to it honestly.“So much of Sarn is poisoned, twisted and strange, thanks to the influence of the Jure’lia. I want to find out why, Fell-Noon, and to stop it, if I can.”

I had to force myself to skim through the first 25% of the book to find out why this was the British Fantasy Award Winner 2018. The Ninth Rain was pretty good after the first 25%.I have now finished the Winnowing Flame Trilogy. Overall, the trilogy probably ranks between 3 out of 5 stars for me because magically speaking, there were definite methods that the Sarn fighters could have defeated the alien Queen sooner. I feel like the Author created some random method in the 3rd book to destroy the alien Queen and it was very unsatisfying.

No hyperbole - this is one of the best fantasy/science fiction books I've read. I say both genres because this book has a unique blending of the two that works really well here. The book is the well-deserved winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel.There's a fine mix of distinctive characters and races. At the core are the Eborans, a warrior race who have fought in eight previous wars against alien invaders, the Jure'lia. They are also feared by humans because in the last war, the Eighth Rain, their tree-god died. They were sustained by the sap of the tree but turned to human blood. Then they've been stricken with the scarlet flux, a deadly disease that is slowly aging and wiping out the Eboran race.Tormalin the Oathless left Ebora and ended up working for archeologist Vintage De Grazon as she explores the wreckage left by the Jure'lia. She needs a bodyguard as these wrecks are invested with parasite spirits (RAFO). Meanwhile, fell-witches are born to humans, women who manifest winnow fire. These women are imprisoned in the Winnowry and Fell Noon has been there for ten years, taken as a child, and longs to escape. These are the three primary characters but they all have fascinating backgrounds and I loved how they grew as the book goes on. I can't wait to see what happens to them in the next book in the series.The secondary characters are interesting also. There are some very unique and complex people in the book. Tor's sister is definitely morally gray and will bear watching.What we learn about the Jure'lia world is also fascinating. As I said earlier in this review, I can't think of a fantasy book (maybe some of Mark Lawrence's books set in Abeth) that so successfully combines fantasy and science fiction. There are also some horror elements incorporated into the story. It's a melange of genres that work together to create an excellent world and people.I'm diving right into the next book in the series. These are books that should be recommended more, so read them now!

I really don't understand all the positive reviews. The writing in this book is juvenile and the adult characters have the emotionality of adolescents. While the basic building blocks of the story could be interesting, the poor storytelling and the weak writing prevent it from being so. The whole thing is just a typical example of your average, underwhelming fantasy.

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.

I love Jen Williams and this is the fourth of her books that I've read, following the Copper Cat trilogy which I enjoyed immensely. I find her writing so warm and a real pleasure. Anyone who enjoyed the Copper Cat books will enjoy this, I'm sure, and right from the start there was enough to distract me from the absence of Wydrin, Sebastian and Lord Frith. A few scenes reminded me of them. The three main characters here, in the few chapters they spend together, have a dynamic not too dissimilar to the Copper Cat characters. Fans will feel at home.For those who haven't read the Copper Cat books, this is still a good place to start as it's the first in another series, set in what could be a different world. The Ninth Rain is high fantasy but with down to earth elements. Relationships play a major part in Jen's stories which help to ground us in contrast to the fantastical events. There's trauma and the characters are changed by one event after another, perhaps even more so than the earlier books. I didn't find the second half as interesting and there's a bit of a lull following a major event halfway through, but the ending more than made up for it. I'm a bit worried though that the story could be described as an 'idiot plot' where progress depends on mistakes, but I think it just steers clear. One last thing, with each book Jen has more swearing creeping in, which in this book I think is bordering on gratuitous. Be careful, Jen! I don't mind it for flavour but I think there were a few Fs too many in this one! I also found the change in font size for the chapter introductions slightly annoying.A highly recommended adventure with real tension, believable characters in incredible fantasy situations. I'll be reading it again and can't wait for the next book.

Having overdosed on fantasy and sci-fi in my teens and early twenties, I have only in the last few years begun to come back to it, and then only very selectively. I bought this on a whim, and it took a while to rise to the top of the to-be-read pile, and then became my gym-book for reading on the static cycle etc. A gym book has to enthrall me enough to take my mind of the pain and this did it very nicely, although it did take me a while to get fully into it. Part of that is the story is structured so that the three main characters have their own story until they finally meet and begin working together, so the change of narrative can throw you out a bit. There's also a lot of history of the world the book is set in, that is doled out in dribs and drabs and some of which you have to wait for explanations for; this could for some readers be a problem but I really enjoyed being fed what I needed piecemeal, and getting more in depth details much later.The tale is populated with fantastic, well-rounded characters rather than the stock villains and heroes of some of the fantasy novels that ended up putting me off the entire genre. The main characters are increasingly likable and very human, even the non-human. Some of the scenery has begun appearing in my dreams, always a sign that a book has got under my skin, and I plan to get the next book in the series as soon as finance allows.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Jen Williams' first trilogy, The Copper Cat, I came to this book fairly sure it was going to be an enjoyable read, and I'm pleased to say I was right about that. This is one hell of a book, and a more than excellent start to a trilogy. Unlike The Copper Cat, which consisted of three more-or-less standalone novels, this is very definitely the first in an ongoing storyline.The characters are well written, with each having their own easily identifiable voice. Even the secondary characters feel fully formed, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of all of them in the next two books.For me The Ninth Rain felt noticeably darker than the previous trilogy, though some of this darkness is hidden behind a Ghibli-esque facade, with definite shades of Miyazaki's work creeping in with the descriptions of the parasite spirits (Princess Mononoke) and the Winnowry (Spirited Away).Definitely one for people who like their fantasy on the darker side, though it still has the tongue-in-cheek edge and fast-talking, sassy characters that seem to be fast becoming Jen Williams' trademark. A solid five stars and straight into my Favourites list.

I dove into The Ninth Rain 90% excitement and 10% apprehension. The Copper Cat trilogy had well and truly blown my expectations out of the water and there was a little apprehension that this wasn’t going to live up to expectation or be what I hoped it would be. The reality was I had nothing to worry about, Jen WIlliams truly lived up to her spot in my favourite authors banner.Set in a whole new world we meet new characters who will eventually come together to investigate the Jure’lia, an invading force who have consistently tried to take over the world with absolutely no mercy. The Eboran’s and their war beasts have always saved the day in the past but now the Eboran’s are dying and people are dreaming about a new invasion.Lady Vincenza ‘Vintage’ de Grazon is our illustrious leader, she is obsessed with the Jure’lia and wants to learn all she can about them and the ships that have been left from the last invasion, The Eighth Reign, she has hired Tormalin, an Eboran, as her hired sword. Tormalin was desperate to escape the sickness and find women and wine possibly not in that order!Joining them by complete happenstance is Noon, a Fell-witch. Noon escapes from the Winnowry a place where fell-witches are kept, apparently for their safety but everything that was written about this place reminded me of the asylum’s of old. It made me feel cold and bitter. This was not a place you would want to be, or would send someone you cared for. Fell-witches pull their power from life forces, then they create fire. This is such an awesome idea, I was really taken with this idea for a witch that was so different to the witch-norm. Thumbs up Jen Williams!The dynamics between these three travellers is so different, they aren’t friends, or comrades as you would normally expect. Vintage is their employer, Tormalin and Noon hate it each other on first sight. It puts such an interesting dynamic in place for watching how things will develop, how will they work together when danger encroaches on them?Jen Williams writing is addictive, you want the book to keep going, to not stop, as I neared the end I was willing it to just keep going, which of course it didn’t! This is beautifully written, the world building is exquisite and detailed, the characters are superb with so many secondary characters that I adored and couldn’t even begin to go through for fear this review will turn into a book!Waiting for book two in this new series is going to be a beautiful kind of torture.A huge thanks to Jen Williams and Headline for the eARC of this book in return for my honest review.