Daub Creative Creative itibaren Karpunin, Volgogradskaya oblast', Rusia, 403876 itibaren Karpunin, Volgogradskaya oblast', Rusia, 403876

This is my second read through of this book. When I happened upon it originally, I went straight out and bought the second book, as is usually my habit. But I didn't read it until I had the third, because I'd already learned my lesson once before to never throw myself into a series unless I knew it was finished. Lucky thing I waited, because the third and final book took 8 years to arrive. So, I'm re-reading the first, and it's testimony to how good this is that I only took about 6 days to do it. Intricate and almost science fictiony in its world-building, The Chosen is basically your dramatic coming of age story, set in a complex, barbaric fantasy world where men who are like angels rule over and enslave all others through a combination of wealth, terror and tradition. Pinto's writing is lyrical, his his vision vaguely unsettling. He's a little like George Martin on the bad drugs - amazing and frightening and brilliant. The first book ends on a massive cliffhanger, and I'm not sure if the focus is going to switch from the Machiavellian politics of the Masters to the budding same-sex romance between the main character of the first book and what is likely to be a major character of the second, but either way, considering the cliffhanger ending, you might want to have book 2 immediately at hand.