The Scorched Earth (The Chaos Born) Paperback – August 19, 2014

The Scorched Earth, the second book in Drew Karpyshyn's Chaos Born trilogy, picks up where Book1 left off. Generations ago, the Gods sacrificed themselves to trap the evil Daemron behind a barrier called the Legacy, but now, the Legacy is crumbling. Now, four mortals touched by Chaos -- the force from which all magic in this world is derived -- race to fulfill their collective destiny and keep Daemron from returning and unleashing his hordes of monsters upon the world. One problem: they aren't certain what that destiny is, only that it involves the three Talismans that Daemron once used to make himself immortal. Namely, the Ring, the Crown, and the Sword.These four were born through a ritual Daemron enacted to set forces in motion that would someday free him, and each embodies an element of himself from back when he was a mortal hero: king, warrior, prophet, and wizard.Keegan, a young wizard with amazing power but a frail body, appears to have the clearest destiny. Guided by a fanatical monk whose visions spurred him to rebel against his own order, he's believed to be the Burning Savior, the one who will prevent Daemron's rise. Though he's successfully obtained the Ring, he finds that he can't control it... and in trying to, he unleashed a flood of dark magic upon the Danaan people. He's easily one of my favorite characters in the series -- earnest and well-meaning, though also flawed, vulnerable, and under enormous pressure.Vaaler used to be the crown prince of the Danaan... until he chose to help Keegan, a longtime friend, steal the Ring from his mother, whose family had owned it for generations. Though Vaaler believes in Keegan's destiny and believes his actions will ultimately save the world, his people believe him to be a traitor, especially given the devastating consequences of Keegan's actions. Now in exile, Vaaler knows only that he must help Keegan save the world--even if it means fighting his own people. Yet his natural leadership skills bring him new allies, and though he no longer has a land, he is still very much a king. I loved reading about his internal conflict and turmoil as he's torn between his people and his broader mission. He's also grounded and wise beyond his years -- a much needed role in this chaotic world.Accompanying them is Scythe, the warrior. A fierce and somewhat amoral fighter who previously cared only about survival, she's only helping Keegan because her lover, the noble-hearted Norr, believes in the young wizard, who once used magic to save Norr's life. The fact that she doesn't believe like the others is part of what makes her such an intriguing character to read about. Her quick temper and temperamental nature make her somewhat unpredictable. Plus, I love her cocky attitude... she's my personal favorite :-)On the other side of the world is Cassandra, the prophet. Raised by warrior monks to defend the world against Daemron and the dark magic of Chaos, she now finds herself running from the very order she once served. She has the Crown, which the Order had guarded for generations, and the order will do anything to get it back. While she believes she's meant to have the Crown and use it to save the world, the Order sees her as a traitor and begin a horrifying Inquisition in order to flush her out. Not only that, but her old master, the dark wizard Rexol, has found a way to penetrate her mind, and so she regularly wrestles with having his voice in her head.We're also introduced to Shalana, a leader among the barbarian tribes (and a member of Norr's former tribe). She's a powerful presence who very quickly makes her mark on the saga (and she's also this book's cover girl).All the various forces at play, each with different motivations and tactics, make this a difficult book to sum up. Reading these plots is like watching a giant game of chess... well, a version with at least four or five players. Yet, despite the complexities, it's not a hard story to follow. Each character has such a clear point of view that it's easy to see what they want and why they're doing what they're doing. The minions of Daemron are following his orders to guide the Children of Fire on a path that will lead them to set him free. The Danaan people pursue their wayward prince in order to reclaim a national treasure and punish the one who wreaked havoc upon one of their towns. The fanatical Order sees any and all magic, which draws from Chaos, as a threat, and, in their zealous efforts to save the world from evil, end up terrorizing the very world they're supposed to save.The questions of right and wrong become plenty muddled as opposing forces, each believing themselves to be in the right, clash over the fate of the world. Other than those who follow Daemron, it's hardly ever clear who's good and who's evil. These moral complexities, coupled with the intricate, intertwining plot, are part of what make this book so riveting. After eye-guzzling most of the first book in a day, I dove straight into this one and spent every spare moment eye-guzzling it as well.The feel and pacing of The Scorched Earth is different from Children of Fire because while Book 1 covered 20-odd years, Book 2 takes place over the course of a few months. The pacing isn't as break-neck as in the first one; this time, the story takes its time in depicting the rich cultural fabric of the world. And yet it never felt slow either, with all its battles, chases, fights with demons, and tense diplomacy. Also, this is dark, dark fantasy... not for the faint of heart, with its demonic rituals and the devastating horrors of war. I'm usually pretty squeamish, but I really liked the darkness in this book because it gave the story a visceral feel. It ends on something of a cliffhanger, and I'm just glad I had the third book nearby so I wouldn't have to wait to find out what happens next...

Great Book but poor MP3 quality if you are buying the audio book. It comes on 1 CD (Yes CD) 560MB with MP3s @ 96kb/s Mono. This is INSANE! with live in 2015! I was ripping MP3 back in 2001 with higher quality MP3s!. For a voice you don't need Stereo I'll give them that, but 96kb/s is WAY to low and it sounds distorted sometimes. At least do 128kb/s guys... So If you can find the CD version of this, I would go with that and rip it all yourself. If this wasn't $10 I would have been a lot more pissed off. They could have easily done 2 CDs @ 196kb/s without a single problem.Also the CD looks its a off the shelve burned CD. That's a bummer too, I rather just get a straight digital download than have this crap in physical form.

The Scorched Earth carries forward the plot from the first novel but spirals it out into even more ambitious directions. Carefully weaving a series of storylines following would-be mages, seers and saviors, Drew Karpyshyn plunges readers through a sweeping range of emotions. There are moments of despair and tragedy, acts of love and loyalty, amazing feats of strength and cunning. All of these aspects build into a crescendo that leaves this novel soaring on high notes, and yet this is only the middle act.This book picks up with Daemron, the main villain of the series, as he deals with chaos in his realm. Elsewhere, Jerrod, Scythe, Norr, Vaaler and Keegan make there way across the Frozen Plains of the Far East with the hope of refuge. Deep in the mountains, Cassandra learns the history of the Old Gods from the ancient guardian. Then there’s Rianna, Queen of the Danaan, left in the ruins of her great city with a thirst for revenge. All of these characters are motivated by immediate goals, their stories juggling back and forth as fate turns against them and grants favor. Yet it is the villains, Daemron’s minions, that bring them together.Introduced in Children of Fire, Daemron sent a handful of his most trusted and capable minions to seek out the three talismans of the old gods. Raven, a female being with a bird’s head, claws and wings, pursues Cassandra and the crown. Orath, a bat like creature, seeks Keegan and the ring. The lesser minions play a smaller part in the story. Karpyshyn uses Orath to manipulate the Danaan queen and summon a monstrous creature known as the ogre. Raven, on the other hand, stirs up trouble among the tribes of the Far East. Together, they drive the story towards its torrential climax.I really liked the progression of the characters in this book. Scythe continues to be a likable character, one I can relate to. She gets sucked into this adventure because of her love for Norr. Where he goes, she goes, and the two balance each other out. Scythe is the paranoid one who isn’t hesitant to do the job. She’s strong willed and to the point. Norr, on the other hand, is trusting and self-deprecating. He underplays his skills and fame. He’s compassionate and considerate. Whereas Scythe is the tiny hurricane of destruction, Norr is the sleeping giant you don’t want to wake.One of my other favorite characters is Vaaler, the Danaan prince who is cursed with the inability to cast magic. Shunned by his own people, and motivated by his friendship with Keegan, he joins the others in their quest for the talismans. Along the way, his character arc plays a new role as they interact with the tribes of the Frozen Plains. He becomes an essential character, one whose unique abilities become invaluable. I really enjoyed his journey through this book.Cassandra doesn’t get a whole lot of attention in The Scorched Earth, so hopefully her character will come back to the forefront in the final novel. That leaves Keegan…a character who I initially liked but became disconnected to at the end of Children of Fire. His use of the ring transformed him into someone I couldn’t relate to. He became selfish, distant and undisciplined. Some of those traits recur in this story, yet he also has some decent moments. But overall, he’s still not a character I care about or enjoy. Things are happening to him, though, so there’s a possibility he might change enough in the third book for me to care about him again.If you’re a fan of fantasy and looking to try something new, this series continues to shine. Unlike some authors, Karpyshyn is knocking these out fast so you won’t have long to wait to read the whole trilogy. He writes deep, intriguing characters set in a strange world of unique magic. It’s a place where magic is dangerous but essential. Through this strange land and cast of characters, he weaves a deviously paced adventure that plays on readers’ emotions. By the end, you’ll be seriously worried about what’s going to happen and to who. It’s a frantic crescendo that bursts forth from massive battles for the fates of nations and the personal struggles of the main characters. That last stretch of the book is a beautiful piece of storytelling. Do yourself a favor and make sure you read that last quarter in one setting. It’s a blast.

after finishing the first book in this series I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. I am usually a slow casual reader; but I devoured this book. The writing was so well done and the visualization happened naturally (which seems to be lacking with most modern authors). I have recommended this series to multiple friends with teens and to adults as well.

Ifnyou liked the first you will like the second

I will say one thing about this. If you liked the first book (which I did), you will like the second one. The story moves at the same pace with the same characters (some new ones added of course). It also feels like it is building nicely towards something really big. Not sure how many books are planned but if it's a trilogy then this is a great middle book to bridge the gap.

interesting ideas. You need to read all 3 books to gain the benefit from it.