This review refers to the whole Long Price Quartet series, by Daniel Abraham (A Shadow in Summer; A Betrayal in Winter; An Autumn War; The Price of Spring).

I had not read any epic fantasy by this author before, and I am very favorably impressed. They are really well-written. The world building and character development is impressive and the whole series is crafted very carefully, so that each book tells a complete story but each of them builds on the previous ones to tell an epic story that encompasses the whole lifetime of the main characters and the fall and renewal of great nations.

I found the magic system quite original. Magicians, although they are actually called poets, perform complex rituals to summon and bind andats, which are the personification of concepts and ideas. For example, a poet who successfully bound the andat Water-Moving-Down could gain control over the flow of rivers, and over rain. The problem is that being bound goes against the andats' nature. They hate being bound and apply all their effort and talent to fight the poet and get free. Also, each time an andat is bound it becomes much more difficult to bind it again, so by the time the story starts, the poets of the Khaiem find it extremely difficult to replace a lost andat.

On the negative side, sometimes the writer seems to force events and the motivation and power of the andat to get the story to where he wants it to be. It's a minor flaw in a wonderful work, though.

The story is complex and bittersweet, without dark lords and without the characters being divided into good and bad sides. Not all readers will enjoy it, since some will find them slow and lacking in action, but those who appreciate the thoughtful style and the character and plot development are in for a wonderful journey. To give you an idea, if you like Robin Hobb's or Guy Gavriel Kay's style you will probably like this.

For more information, you should read what Jo Walton says about them:

http://www.tor.com/2011/04/19/fantasy-for-grown-ups-daniel-abrahams-long-price-q... ( )

This book really built on the foundation of the previous books. I really liked how the unexpected side effect of saving the Empire in the previous book became the crucial problem to solve in this book, and how the two main protagonists both want to solve this problem, but in different ways -- neither is completely right, neither is completely wrong, and I found both sympathetic at times. The magic system in this series is wonderfully different and the dangers of wielding this power ultimately drives everything that happens. I liked the cast of characters and liked how even their short-sighted, bad decisions seemed totally appropriate based on their personality and knowledge at the time (rather than forced to drive the plot as in some stories). I liked how the author thought about and described the economic and social consequences of 20 years of the curse from the 3rd book. I really liked following the stories of the protagonists from their early youth to their great old age and how the world and their experiences ended up shaping them. Overall I thought this was a fantastic series. ( )

Wonderful. This series never lost steam or fell into predictability. Abraham didn't ever need to resort to long, boring expository to explain his world; instead, he created a culture the reader sinks into without realizing it, peopled with characters so complex and flawed you can't help but empathize with them. ( )

With a wistful sigh, I come to the end of the Long Price Quartet. Bittersweet, in turns intense and moving, I find that no more words can suffice than: I'm so glad I read these books. ( )

That this was Abraham's first long work is impressive -- a big story, that of a life of one extraordinary man and the people around him -- extraordinary for his lack of interest in power, but his willingness to step up to the plate, every time recognizing (reluctantly) that somehow, as hard as it is for him to believe, he is more fit to lead than anyone else. The question remains: What to do about these andat? These creations of metaphor and idea made manifest? Are they truly too dangerous to use? This last book is a tour de force as the Khaiem and the Galts hunt down a rogue poet and try to save not just the empire, but the whole world. Unlikely that I will read this a third time, so I am a little bereft, once again.***** ( )