Hymn
The Final Volume of the Psalms of Isaak
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4.8 • 9 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In the epic conclusion to the acclaimed Psalms of Isaak series, the battle for the Named Lands reaches a devastating climax as powerful forces clash and dark secrets are revealed.
Ken Scholes completes his five-book epic that began with his acclaimed first novel Lamentation. The struggle for control of The Named Lands has captivated readers as they have learned, alongside the characters, the true nature of the world called Lasthome.
Believing that his son is dead, Rudolfo has pretended to join with the triumphant Y'zirite forces—but his plan is to destroy them all with a poison that is targeted only to the enemy. In Y'Zir, Rudolfo's wife Jin Li Tam is fighting a war with her own father which will bring that Empire to ruin. And on the Moon, Neb, revealed as one of the Younger Gods, takes the power of the Last Home Temple for his own.
The Psalms of Isaak
#1 Lamentation
#2 Canticle
#3 Antiphon
#4 Requiem
#5 Hymn
Blending steampunk, high fantasy, and post-apocalyptic elements, Hymn is a gripping tale of faith, war, and the complexities of human nature. Scholes weaves together gypsy scouts, scholar priests, ancient magic, and futuristic technology in this fast-paced and action-packed epic that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Scholes's conclusion to his complex Psalms of Isaak fantasy quintet amply rewards his fans. The series is set on a future Earth populated by humans, dragons, and androidlike mechoservitors, including Isaak, whose role in the destruction of a great library kicked off the saga. This book picks up from the conclusion of Requiem (2013), continuing the war between the two major factions, the religious zealots of the Y'Zirite Empire and the Androfrancine Order of the Named Lands. As in the best epics, the grand conflicts are humanized by individual tragedies, and here Scholes dwells on the sorrow and rage of Androfrancine leader Lord Rudolfo, whose son, Jakob, was abducted and believed to have been murdered by Rudolfo's father-in-law, Vlad Li Tam. The quest for revenge is just one of many story lines, and the series' ambitious scope can make compression of a character's backstory border on the parodic ("he'd buried a city, fallen in love, joined the Foresters, been captured in the Churning Wastes by Y'Zirites and discovered that his adopted father wasn't dead after all... and that his real father was actually a Younger God"). Newcomers will be struck by Scholes's talent but lost in his tangled story; returning readers who have eagerly waited for this series to conclude will be thrilled.
Customer Reviews
Feels clipped short
It was a good book but throughout and especially at the end it feels clipped short. Even in the few best scenes where the story is most bittersweet they feel rushed and towards the end it feels both short and the writing style less mature. The other books felt like they had a more complex writing style that drew out the anguish.
I do like how the story feels closed while leaving room for new stories to be added.