I recently finished my audiobook of Bear Knight by James R. Hannibal. It’s the second book in the Lightraider series. I really enjoyed the first novel Wolf Soldier, and like a true sequel, Bear Knight sets up the trilogy. I’ve already started the third book, Lion Warrior.
When I sit down and think about Bear Knight, I realize I didn’t like it as much as the first novel in the series. It was still good. There was a lot of action, there were lessons in place, and scenes that got your mind pondering. The author introduces a different side of the setting and brings in the ingenuity of steampunk with the tinkerers in the story. The world is expanded upon and in my opinion, its a beautiful one. There’s also several talking bears and that’s a plus in my book.
One of the themes in the story is how the characters are trying to find their place in their order. Are they Navigators? Tinkerers? Members of the Vanguard or Rangers? You get to see what some of the characters are hoping for and then find out if they’re disappointed come the end of the book. One of the characters struggles to find her place. She knows where she wants to be, but to get there, she has to surpass the other trials as well and it’s a struggle. I feel a lot of us can relate to the pressure she feels to not fall behind the rest of her class. I found myself rooting for her.
I would recommend reading Bear Knight after Wolf Soldier. The only times I can recall that I didn’t care for the story were the times that romance was hinted, but I’ve never been one for romance in a story. Especially a story where war in the rise and the characters can’t afford to be distracted by crushes and infatuations.
If I get my hands on a physical copy of the Lightraider series, I will probably review how James R. Hannibal writes his fight scenes. There are a lot and yet, they’re easy to follow. Fight scenes are something I struggle with in writing, so I feel it would be good to study how James R. Hannibal fits them together.
If you liked reading Wolf Soldier, it’s worth it to continue on to Bear Knight.
I mean, who doesn’t like talking bears?
nikki diekemper 