The Black Prism

Title : The Black Prism (Lightbringer #1)

Author : Brent Weeks

Number of Page : 735

Publisher : Orbit

Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live.

When Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart.

Review:
Actually, I have a doubt about reading this series. Some reviewers say that this series is quite misogynistic. It doesn't help when the blurb written at the back says that Guile is the most powerful man in the world. Come on. I don't want to read about Gary Stu where every characters in the book adore and love him. 

And then I read this book. 

Apparently, whatever expectations I had before were all wrong. Being the most powerful man in the world didn't make Guile the most likable person. Everyone around him tried to control and spy on him. The big secret he had... damn, it was so interesting. Not about the bastard son. I meant the secret under the basement. So eerie and so blue. Haha... I kept waiting when other characters would realize about it. 

I had to say the concept of light magic was confusing at first. I thought it would be like bending the light and striking the opponents. But, the light was just a color that could be shaped into solid product called luxin. Every colors had different characteristics. Need something strong, fixed, and stable? Use blue. Need some tricks to fool your foes? Use superviolet. It was so cool. In my opinion, the magic system was almost on par with Mistborn metallurgy. 

My favorite character is Corvan Danavis. I always like mentor and best friend character like this. He was so loyal to Guile and I cried a little when they finally met after so many years. Corvan was also a mentor for Kip, Guile's bastard son. By the way, Kip was an unusual character. Loser, fat and pervert. I don't like reading his narration. It made me feel uncomfortable whenever he was thinking and commenting about certain female body parts. However, he was probably the best and the most real portrayal of male teenagers. No censorship. 

 There were two (three) more main characters. The third one I would not mention (spoiler). The other two were Karris and Olivia. Karris had quite a past with Guile's family years years ago. It was very sad, actually. But, I don't have any attachments toward her. Whereas Olivia... she was Corvan's only daughter. She was just a so-so character until she chose different route at the end. I believe she would play a major role later. 

So many questions. So many mysteries. I feel attached to the world already. The ending was literally time bomb. I like it. 

4/5