Messenger Arlen before he became the tattooed badass The Warded Man! a journey through the wilderness! demons seeping out of the ground to attack! magic wards creating protective circles! bandits! betrayal! a fight to the death! a lonely young lady, pregnant and brave! a rock demon! a snow demon! thundersticks! competent and unassuming prose, a lived-in world, an enjoyable protagonist. good fun.now I love making love all night long, who doesn't, but sometimes I'm in the mood for a quickie. this swiftly paced novella satisfied me. not much else to report. The Painted Man and The Desert Spear are among my favourite books ever written. Not only is the story absolutely brilliant, but Peter V. Brett's writing is just simply 'readable'. This is something Peter can do that I think other people lack in the genre right now...The description is there, but it's not rammed down your throat. You don't have to know how many blades of grass there are to get a feeling of the area. What is more important and what is Brett's finest skill is that he can describe and give the readers a feeling of atmosphere. Brett's world is terrifying and as a reader you really, really feel that. Demon's have reduced mankind to essentially only being able to live during the day... because at night... Demons arrive... and they want blood.So, what is 'Brayan's Gold'? 'Brayan's Gold' is a special edition book released by Peter V. Brett that is actually based at some time during the middle of 'The Painted Man'. Arlen is an apprentice messenger and is actually taking one of his first jobs. He is to take an extremely important and extremely delicate delivery to a mine within a mountain whilst at the same time avoiding any bandits or thieves that may be waiting to steal from him, kill him or even a combination of the two.Now... this doesn't sound like a short story does it? Well... that is why this book as much as 'The Painted Man' and 'Desert Spear' prove Peter's worth as a writer... not many people can write a good short story... yet, Peter V. Brett does.I can tell you that there is a lot of content squeezed into this little book. Not only are there beautiful, beautiful images by 'Lauren K. Cannon' that intertwine with the story, but there is a legitimately good read here. In less that 85 pages of actual text, Brett takes you back to Arlen's past and further shapes his story. You will find out a little bit more about his motivations and choices that lead him to becoming what he has become by the middle to end of 'Desert Spear' and generally you will have had a good adventure.Certainly an important read and for me... the image of Arlen pre-warded really made it. Seeing Brett's accepted version of Arlen's face as a fan is a huge moment. How many characters ever get given a face? Not many. Fans of the Demon Cycle... DO NOT MISS IT!
What do You think about L'or De Brayan (2011)?
Great addition to the two books in the series that Peter v Brett has already writen.
—aprilpanaggio
Great little read 112 pages love the illustrations
—kris
