Some poets spoke of red sunsets as things of sublime beauty, prefacing good fortune or romance, but they always seemed to be foretelling some bloodletting, murder, or tragedy writ large for all the world to see, and never more so than now.

Veil of the Deserters picks up exactly where Scourge of the Betrayer left off. And by that, I mean it starts right up following the end of Book One. It took me a bit to recall what all events had happened at the end of the first book, but pretty soon I was back into the story.

Once again we follow our bookish narrator Arki as he follows the Syldoon. While still a wimp, Arki is more active in this book as he's getting a little more used to his companions. The characters are wonderful and the dialogue (especially Mulldoos') is spectacular. We also get to meet a character even more intimidating, scheming, and bad-ass than Captain Killcoin. His sister. Salyards introduces us to her as well as a very awesome magic system.

Like with Book 1, expect some great action scenes. The world is very well done and what I really enjoy about it is that there is a grand sense of history and scale, but Salyards doesn't stop and puke out a bunch of history at you like many other authors do. Instead, he slowly reveals the world, building on it and allowing it to feel more natural.

Veil of the Deserters has more of an ending that Book 1 had, at least it felt more like an end. Scourge of the Betrayer just sort of stops, while this book closes with a promise that things are about to get a whole lot worse for our heroes. I'm looking forward to Book 3.

When I finished Veil of the Deserters, I declared loudly on Goodreads "Damn that was good!", going on to describe it as “one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a quite a while.” And after a few weeks to mull over my initial reaction, not only do I stand by those words but confidently anoint this book the best fantasy I’ve read this year. So let me explain why you should get on board this fanboy train and start loving Bloodsounder’s Arc too.

In book one Scourge of the Betrayer, Mr. Salyards introduces his readers to the young, scribe Arki, who accepts a commission to record the exploits of a group of foreign soldiers. He believes it will be a break from his dull life chronicling the exploits of self-aggrandizing merchants and petty noblemen, but he might not have known everything he was getting into, quickly finding himself neck deep in secret, political intrigue. Plus, his employer, Captain Braylar Killcoin, seems to be possessed by a cursed flail that bombards him with the stolen memories of those he slays in battle. (Not that Arki is complaining out loud about false advertising or anything.)

From this unique “embedded journalist” beginning, Scourge goes on to weave a textured, realistic, and complex tale of Arki trying to survive in this brutal world of war and intrigue. Quickly, he begins to become desensitized to the violence around him (though he isn’t comfortable with it) and is forced to acknowledge the brutal pragmatism of many of the heinous deeds Captain Braylar and his soldiers practice routinely. And through the simple process of not dying and not betraying his wary employers, he gradually is taken into the inner circle of the Syldoon warriors; something that finally allows him (and the readers of Scourge) to start to understand all the things going on in the story.

Now, I realize some readers were put off by book one due to the slow developing story. (Even Mr. Salyards has acknowledged in interviews that he understands this criticism of Scourge.) But where book one laid the foundation for Arki and Captain Killcoin’s tale, Veil of the Deserters unleashes it in its full glory.

The plot and character revelations come fast and furious in book two. We learn more about Captain Braylar and his mysterious flail; more about the personalities and history of the Syldoon warriors surrounding Arki; and more about the immediate schemes and the long term ones that have lead these elite warrior to spend years away from their northern home.

Deeper world building. Where there were merely a few brief glimpses of this interesting fantasy world in Scourge, here there is so much more revelations about its nations, their history, the mysterious Godveil, the world before the Deserter gods abandoned mankind, and Captain Braylar’s cursed flail’s role in it all. Each piece of lore fitting seamlessly with the next until a vibrant, living world slowly begins to grow before a reader’s eyes.

Realist battles continue – only they are bigger and more frequent. And when I say realistic that is what I mean. These are not Hollywood movie fights, where the hero kills twenty people without a scratch and without getting one hair out of place. Nope, Mr. Salyards carefully crafts well-thought-out and organic fights, where armor matters, numbers count, and the realities of brutal men hacking at one another with sharp edge instruments of death are not glossed over. Not to say that Veil of the Deserters is a gorefest, because Mr. Salyards doesn’t overdo the blood and guts, but rather that he shows the realities of war in a medieval-type setting. People die hideous deaths. Those that survive may be horribly wounded or maimed. And those that escape with their life are scarred by the experience of dealing death and find themselves grieving over their own dead.

Creepy magic users. In Scourge the magic was rather sparse throughout and spoken of in whispers by everyone, but in Veil the Memoridon make an early appearance and are major players in the whole book. And somehow, Mr. Salyards is able to reveal enough about the memory witches to make them understandable but not totally stripping them of their mystery and inherent creepiness.

Kickass female character. While this is a testosterone driven series, Captain Killcoin’s sister Soffjian is introduced and holds her own against all of the brutal Syldoon warriors – instilling instant fear in all but the strongest men. Plus, she is a Memoridan, which only makes her that much more interesting.

Syldoon political machinations. Oh, yeah, readers get to go back to the capital city of the Syldoon Empire, experiencing all the brutal scheming of the warrior elite of the world, and through this change of scenery, Mr. Salyards sets up book three of the series, which looks to be a great one.

So after hearing all the great things about Veil of the Deserters and Bloodsounder’s Arc, why are you still reading this review? Go buy book one, sit down for a nice, intense read, get the world and the characters in your mind, then plunge into Veil where the story catches fire. Look forward to talking to all of you after we read book three next year! (Next year, right, Mr. Salyards?)

The publisher and the author provided this book to me for free in return for an honest review. The review above was not paid for or influenced in any way by any person, entity or organization, but is my own personal opinions.

An Archivist, a rebellious captain and hiw men, Memoridons, and an arrogant Emperor. This is what it took to create a world full of advanture, one which would captivate you till the last page.
Like any novel though, this one has its flaws:a whiny narrator, which could have been avoided; and scenes were dragged or repeated, (but this could not be avoided as Arki's vision is not that perfect). Nevertheles, this novel does deserve 5 stars since it draws readers by the funny moments it contains as much as its painful, angry, and exciting moments.
The quality of writing is undeniable. I much enjoyed the author's style, and i can't wait to read the sequel of this adventure.

Veil of the Deserters is everything I was looking for in the highly anticipated follow-up to Scourge of the Betrayer. What Jeff Salyards has crafted here is a rare sequel that actually manages to outdo the first. The stakes here are bigger (and clearer), the world-building is taken to a whole new level, and the characters really come alive. Paced exceptionally well throughout, it also has the kind of killer climax that manages to completely satisfy, while still leaving the reader desperate for more.

In wrapping up my review of Scourge of the Betrayer, the opening book inBloodsounder's Arc, I said:

Well, you can forget what I said about reserving judgement, and stop waiting to know more. Salyards gives us answers aplenty here, lifts the veil on the larger story, and pulls everything together in a novel that feels complete in every way. With the introduction of his sister, Soffjian, we not only learn more about who Captain Braylar is, but we begin to understand where he comes from, and what it means to be Syldoon. Their shared back-story is revealed throughout the novel, a few pieces at a time, and proves to be as complex as it is tragic. Soffjian is an interesting character in her own right, but it's in her role alongside Skeelana in exposing the reader to the secrets of Memoridon magic where she really excels.

Arki really comes into his own here, stepping up as a man, a fighter, and as a force to be reckoned with in the army. He still has a tendency to stammer and draw out his explanations, but he also has learned to stand up for himself against Braylar and the rest of the Syldoon. He even begins to develop something of a tentative friendship with Vendurro, which adds a whole new angle to the story, particularly in revealing a more human side to the old soldier. Most importantly, though, we learn the Captain's true purpose in recruiting a scribe, and see him play a crucial role in the latter half of the book.

There are some moments of morbid, gallows style humor to the tale that play well against the darkness of Captain Braylar's affliction, with his addiction to Bloodsounder getting worse by the page. It's that addiction which leads to a well-intentioned act of disobedience by Vendurro, Hewspear, and Mulldoos, and that simple decision to heal the Captain that proves to have significant repercussions in the story's final act. There's also some softer moments throughout the story, with friendships and the tease of a relationship rounding out what we already know of the Syldoon.

It's with the revelations of Memoridon magic and overall world-building where Veil of the Deserters takes the biggest steps in escalating this second installment to a new level. We get to see more of the wider world, including Sunwrack - home to the Syldoon - and learn about the deeper politics involved not just between nations, but between Syldoon Towers. It's that world-building that brings about the biggest twists in the story, and which sets up a climax that delivers more than enough 'wow' to make up for the more subtle end to the first book. It's an entirely satisfying conclusion, one that pulls together all the key plot threads in the novel, and which provides a stunning cliffhanger - physically and emotionally - for the next book.

Not that the first book needs to be redeemed or anything of the sort, but Veil of the Deserters puts that story arc into a larger context, and opens up the larger tale that Salyards has set out to tell. Definitely one of the strongest middle installments I've read in a very long time, and just an overall fantastic read. Highly recommended, especially to those who (like myself) came away from the first book wanting something more.