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The Books of the Elements #2
Out of the Waters
The second novel of The Books of the Elements.
The wealthy Governor Saxa, of the great city of Carce, has generously and lavishly subsidized a theatrical/religious event. During this elaborate staging of Hercules founding a city on the shores of Lusitania, strange and dark magic turns the panoply into a chilling event. The sky darkens and the waves crash in the flooded arena. A great creature rises from the a huge, tentacled horror on snake legs. It devastates the city, much to the delight of the crowd. A few in the audience, although not Saxa, understand that this was not mere stagecraft, but something much darker and more dangerous. If all signs are being read right, this illusion could signify a dreadful intrusion of supernatural powers into the real world. Saxa’s son, Varus, has been the conduit for such an event once before.
This new novel in David Drake’s chronicles of Carce, The Books of the Elements, is as powerful and elaborate as that fantastic theatrical event, a major fantasy for this year.
The wealthy Governor Saxa, of the great city of Carce, has generously and lavishly subsidized a theatrical/religious event. During this elaborate staging of Hercules founding a city on the shores of Lusitania, strange and dark magic turns the panoply into a chilling event. The sky darkens and the waves crash in the flooded arena. A great creature rises from the a huge, tentacled horror on snake legs. It devastates the city, much to the delight of the crowd. A few in the audience, although not Saxa, understand that this was not mere stagecraft, but something much darker and more dangerous. If all signs are being read right, this illusion could signify a dreadful intrusion of supernatural powers into the real world. Saxa’s son, Varus, has been the conduit for such an event once before.
This new novel in David Drake’s chronicles of Carce, The Books of the Elements, is as powerful and elaborate as that fantastic theatrical event, a major fantasy for this year.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published July 19, 2011
6 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
David Drake
310 books889 followersDavid Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 22, 2020
David Drake's science fiction tends to be very fast-paced and slam-bangedy adventurous, but his fantasy novels tend to be much slower paced and densely-layered with rich details and more subtle craftsmanship. This is the second volume of his Elements quartet, and Varas, his buddy Corylus, his step-mother Hedia, and his sister Alphena have to save Carce (Drake's version of ancient Rome) and the rest of the world, too, of course, once again. The four set off on separate adventures that meet in the tumultuous and exciting finale. The story itself is quite engaging, but his depiction of life in the ancient world is terrifically drawn and quite fascinating. It's not Hammer or Leary, but is a very good read in its own right.
June 15, 2021
Its always a wonder to me when who I though was a good author produces such a bad book. Most of the space in these pages is devoted to the description of a sort of Roman styled patriarchal society overridden by a sexually based matriarchal overtone immersed in an apparently very large severely cowed slave population which everyone is allowed and even encouraged to stamp on. What's left is mostly a mumbo 'yumbo' jumbo of magic giving chase to mythical characters intermixed with Dr. Moreau’s creations without coherent direction. The constant switching of point-of-view does little to retain audience attention either. Even in the midst of plot resolution it is almost impossible to find the threads of the plot - although, I think there is one there. This is frighteningly typical of many modern authors it seems, where they try for so much and actually achieve so little.
A great deal of space is devvote
A great deal of space is devvote
July 15, 2017
Pros: great characters, several interconnected stories
Cons: slow
During the mime of Hercules commissioned by Senator Saxa to commemorate his becoming Consul, the special effects suddenly become much better. While the Senator and many in the audience believe the vision they’re seeing is manufactured, Saxa’s children, Varus and Alphena, his third wife Hedia, and Varus’s friend Corylus know it’s a real representation of danger facing their city of Carce.
This is the second Book of the Elements novel, taking place only a short time after the events of book one. While it’s not necessary to have read the first book - enough background is given to bring you up to speed - it is worth it.
Once again I loved the characters and how they interact in this not quite historical Roman empire. Hedia is unable to use her sexuality and poise to advantage when when naked and capture by enemies who don’t care about her rank, but that doesn’t stop her. Her determination is admirable, as is her ability to manipulate those around her. Alphena’s story showed more personal growth, which was great to see. She’s learning that her unbridled anger and petulance aren’t as powerful as Hedia’s weapons, and so tries to emulate her stepmother. Varus shows some growth as well, becoming more self-aware as his powers grow.
Several of the characters again find themselves in alternate worlds, a device that arranges for them to be at the right place at the right time.
I enjoyed the various storylines that formed the plot, and how each principle character played an important role in the ending. I did find the story quite slow though, especially the opening which involved a fair amount of exposition.
The ending surprised me a bit in terms of how unsympathetic the principles were to the Atlantean’s plight. But we’re shown so little of them, and what we see is negative, which I guess is meant to excuse the violence.
As with the first book the historical setting is great with some wonderful protagonists. While the story is slow, it has a satisfying ending.
Cons: slow
During the mime of Hercules commissioned by Senator Saxa to commemorate his becoming Consul, the special effects suddenly become much better. While the Senator and many in the audience believe the vision they’re seeing is manufactured, Saxa’s children, Varus and Alphena, his third wife Hedia, and Varus’s friend Corylus know it’s a real representation of danger facing their city of Carce.
This is the second Book of the Elements novel, taking place only a short time after the events of book one. While it’s not necessary to have read the first book - enough background is given to bring you up to speed - it is worth it.
Once again I loved the characters and how they interact in this not quite historical Roman empire. Hedia is unable to use her sexuality and poise to advantage when when naked and capture by enemies who don’t care about her rank, but that doesn’t stop her. Her determination is admirable, as is her ability to manipulate those around her. Alphena’s story showed more personal growth, which was great to see. She’s learning that her unbridled anger and petulance aren’t as powerful as Hedia’s weapons, and so tries to emulate her stepmother. Varus shows some growth as well, becoming more self-aware as his powers grow.
Several of the characters again find themselves in alternate worlds, a device that arranges for them to be at the right place at the right time.
I enjoyed the various storylines that formed the plot, and how each principle character played an important role in the ending. I did find the story quite slow though, especially the opening which involved a fair amount of exposition.
The ending surprised me a bit in terms of how unsympathetic the principles were to the Atlantean’s plight. But we’re shown so little of them, and what we see is negative, which I guess is meant to excuse the violence.
As with the first book the historical setting is great with some wonderful protagonists. While the story is slow, it has a satisfying ending.
July 20, 2016
I like David Drake books in general. I like Out of the Waters very much. Drake has found a winning formula for the writing of his fantasy and sci-fi works. That he uses ancient history and military history as the inspiration for many of his works doesn't hurt either. He tells readers in his introduction that this is a fictional world, with a fictional empire and city in the place of Rome, rich in magic- but a world that shared much of the history of ancient Rome and the rest of the planet Earth. This gives the reader an anchor in history that causes frequent "Ah-ha!" moments- "I remember that place/person/story/myth from that show I saw on NatGeo/Discovery/PBS/Knowledge"- that causes the excitement levels to be raised even higher. We know that this story did not take place in our time-space continuum, but one so like our own that it may has well have been ours. Out of the Waters is a hard book to put down.
Drake has achieved the balance needed in a book that was written as both a stand alone and as the second book of a series. Many series books aren't able to read out of order without some sort of confusion on the part of the reader, or the book is so filled with material repeated from the earlier book(s) as to bore series readers. In Out of the Waters this didn't happen. There was enough background given for the characters to be real- reminders for those who have read the first book- Legions of Fire. As a reader who frequently reads a newly found series out of order having books that can be read with as much excitement as the books of this series evoke is a good find. A goodread.
If this is the first book of the series that the reader has come across my advice is to grab it. You will enjoy the ride that David Drake and his heroes, Corylus, Varus, Alpheana, and Hedia, will take you on, and you will find yourself seeking out The Legions of Fire and Monsters of the Earth- and hoping that a fourth book will be forthcoming soon!
Drake has achieved the balance needed in a book that was written as both a stand alone and as the second book of a series. Many series books aren't able to read out of order without some sort of confusion on the part of the reader, or the book is so filled with material repeated from the earlier book(s) as to bore series readers. In Out of the Waters this didn't happen. There was enough background given for the characters to be real- reminders for those who have read the first book- Legions of Fire. As a reader who frequently reads a newly found series out of order having books that can be read with as much excitement as the books of this series evoke is a good find. A goodread.
If this is the first book of the series that the reader has come across my advice is to grab it. You will enjoy the ride that David Drake and his heroes, Corylus, Varus, Alpheana, and Hedia, will take you on, and you will find yourself seeking out The Legions of Fire and Monsters of the Earth- and hoping that a fourth book will be forthcoming soon!
October 5, 2011
I have to qualify this review but coming clean. I'm a huge fan of David Drake's work and have been for quite some time. I could not finish this latest book. I recalled that I had similar problems with the first book of the series, but thought I'd give it another shot. The writing seemed to be stifled and meandering -- random dream sequences which may be visions, conjurations, spells, curses or coincidence. The characters were interesting but constrained. The main character is a brilliantly smart guy - we get it. We're told that fact by almost every other character. His best friend is a brave soldier and handsome. Again, we don't have to be informed of that fact in every chapter. I felt guilty for not enjoying this book as I did so many of his other works. The amount of passion, effort and detail which went into this work is obvious. I respect that. But in my opinion, the story itself gets lost and buried under the wealth of other details.
May 18, 2011
Another installment in a series that has boring magic but great characters and world building - at least our real world though here the supernatural part is also more interesting than in the first volume; the usual touches from the author showing his sense of history and understanding of the Roman world coupled with characters I care about and I am still in the series despite yawning widely at the supernatural happenings
August 7, 2011
This could have been quite a good fantasy novel but it's padded out with really tedious and boring details of life in Ancient "Rome". So, unless you're a die-hard fan of Drake, don't bother. Read Hammer's Slammers or better still, Killer which is my favourite Drake book.
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August 31, 2011
There are very, very few books that I pick up that don't have a single character I like. This one is one of them. Not one of the characters were intriguing enough for me to care for them and want to know what happened to them next. The only reason I finished the book was to see the technology of Atlantis (and even that disappointed).
December 30, 2012
I love the world of Carce and his overall stories with a good mix of mythologies. I'm having serious issues with his dialogues and characters - I repeatedly put down the book in frustration because of a jarring character description/internal monologue but the overall story and action once it starts and concentrate on it makes me pick it up again.
October 5, 2015
It's better then a 2 for the Roman culture. The rest of the story was iffy. and the constant switches from one character to the next was to fast, never got going with any scene before the story went to some other POV.
May 26, 2016
Wow! this book had several characters, and they had many twisting plots, but they were all awesome! Had a very hard time putting the book down, finished it late last night... and all I can say is WOW! again.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews