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stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
Oh goodness, but this book did take me ages to finish! Hard to imagine that happening to any story containing any beloved character from the most awesome [b:Crown Duel|21060|Crown Duel (Crown & Court #1-2)|Sherwood Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309213505s/21060.jpg|4398231]. Alas, Vidanric's years-long education at Marloven Hess was not as easy for me to read as Meliara's adventures and character growth. The truth of the matter is that very little happens in this book beyond the typical growth experienced by a young man at an academy. If you're the kind who appreciates and can be extremely patient with long, character-driven books, then you may like A STRANGER TO COMMAND's careful attention to all the aspects of change undergone by a young man on the cusp of adult responsibility.
Unfortunately, A STRANGER TO COMMAND's writing style felt a bit like fan-fiction to me. The point of view jumps between characters for the convenience of explaining relationship tension, and I felt it was unsuccessful in contributing to the quality of the story. Readers' attention spans will vary depending on your interest in military or tactical information, and yet I suspect that anyone who really has had military or command experience might find Vidanric's challenges in ASTC rather...idealized.
Ultimately, I think the biggest thing I got out of this book was that [b:Crown Duel|21060|Crown Duel (Crown & Court #1-2)|Sherwood Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309213505s/21060.jpg|4398231] is only a small part of a much larger fantasy world that Sherwood Smith has envisioned. I'm not sure I understood or liked Vidanric more than I already did after slogging through the biography of his adolescent education. I'd recommend A STRANGER TO COMMAND to Sherwood Smith fans who also appreciate in-depth character studies and don't mind the light plot. Crown Duel fans who adored Mel and the romance, though, might be a bit surprised at the different writing style Smith employs in this book.
Unfortunately, A STRANGER TO COMMAND's writing style felt a bit like fan-fiction to me. The point of view jumps between characters for the convenience of explaining relationship tension, and I felt it was unsuccessful in contributing to the quality of the story. Readers' attention spans will vary depending on your interest in military or tactical information, and yet I suspect that anyone who really has had military or command experience might find Vidanric's challenges in ASTC rather...idealized.
Ultimately, I think the biggest thing I got out of this book was that [b:Crown Duel|21060|Crown Duel (Crown & Court #1-2)|Sherwood Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309213505s/21060.jpg|4398231] is only a small part of a much larger fantasy world that Sherwood Smith has envisioned. I'm not sure I understood or liked Vidanric more than I already did after slogging through the biography of his adolescent education. I'd recommend A STRANGER TO COMMAND to Sherwood Smith fans who also appreciate in-depth character studies and don't mind the light plot. Crown Duel fans who adored Mel and the romance, though, might be a bit surprised at the different writing style Smith employs in this book.
pumpkinmomma's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
michellehenriereads's review
4.0
3.5 Stars
A Stranger To Command is one of the best "training a young person in the art of fighting" books I have ever read. Shevraeth is completely out of his element and makes many mistakes and doesn't excel beyond his classmates. Even though he has a natural talent for knife throwing, he works excessively hard to gain competence in other skills such as sword, horseback riding, command and understanding the strangers he lives among.
At times A Stranger To Command is a....
To read the full review go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
A Stranger To Command is one of the best "training a young person in the art of fighting" books I have ever read. Shevraeth is completely out of his element and makes many mistakes and doesn't excel beyond his classmates. Even though he has a natural talent for knife throwing, he works excessively hard to gain competence in other skills such as sword, horseback riding, command and understanding the strangers he lives among.
At times A Stranger To Command is a....
To read the full review go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
aniero's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Extremely up my very specific alley.
misscellanea's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it! Crown Duel has been one of my favorite books for years so I was really excited to finally read Shevraeth's back story. I was a little apprehensive at first, because really how exciting can a book about a boy going off to learn how to be a soldier be? Ummm pretty frikkin exciting! I read this on Kindle so I'm not sure exactly how long it is page wise, but not long enough if you ask me. I want more details. And now more than ever I want to see Crown Duel from his point of view.
waclements7's review
5.0
I really enjoyed reading about the early life of Vidranic, as he spent time in the academy in Marloven-Hess. I don't want to put in any spoilers, but I really liked the double entendre on the title: he's both a stranger in a foreign land in an academy where the customs and _everything_ are completely strange to him, and he's also completely foreign to the idea of command, which is gradually built up in him as he realizes what might be necessary from him in the future. I love the interactions between him and Senrid. The secondary characters are wonderful, and this book started me thinking about how fantastic Sherwood Smith is at world-building. I just accepted it without really thinking about it in her other books that I've read, because she does it so well that I've just accepted everything effortlessly. But as I've read more, all books set in different parts of the same continent, I've started thinking about it more, and having this book set in Marloven-Hess, for the most part, really made me realize what a master she is at it. It's made me start to re-evaluate the way I approach the concept of world-building in a way I never really have before, even after hearing and reading authors talk about it constantly. Here, just seeing the difference and reading how Vidranic and the Marlovens had so much to overcome and still quite didn't understand each other all the time was really skillfully done, and made me think back to the settings of the other books of hers I've read with a greater appreciated for the differences of the countries they're set in. They're all mentioned in passing, so familiar names come up, but it's taken me this long, and reading a bunch at once, for it to click that they're on the same map. I know that might sound silly, I feel silly it took me so long to notice. I think it's a better lesson than being told how to do something, though; actually reading it being used so proficiently is really helpful.
swissmunicipal's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as Crown Duel (I think Smith struggles with endings in general), but definitely an enjoyable read. It's fun to get some more insight into Vidanric's character.
rahellarad's review against another edition
5.0
Yes, yes, yes! Perfect, perfect, perfect. Sherwood Smith, you’ve done it again. We’re going two for two on books that feel like Sherwood Smith looked directly into my brain while I was asleep and plucked out my ideal book, fully formed. Another smashing success of fantasy world building, characterisation, perfect wit and humour, and insane attention to detail that had my ADHD brain absolutely pinging. It’s like she knows that I am absolutely feral for the fantasy genre but written in this specific style and world type, especially when the book isn’t trying to pass off rampant misogyny as just ‘part of the genre’ - an author who respects women, is in turn respected by me.
I have to start with Smith’s style of writing in the third person, which ordinarily wouldn’t be anything to crow about, but the way she does it where the viewpoint switches seamlessly between characters is just magical. Each switch is done without needing to give the new character an entire dedicated chapter, and never has them outstay their usefulness as the speaker, so we never had to slog through any trivialities that came from not having enough to say. Not once did I feel that the viewpoint of a character other than Shevraeth was unnecessary, and that’s a skill, because I love to bitch and moan about pointless view changes. Everyone’s characterisations and interactions were also spectacular, I have absolutely no faults for character or personality - even the characters I loved to hate were well rounded and had complex reasoning behind their actions, instead of just being written off as "they’re nasty and that’s that".
When I say there was attention to detail, I mean it. Smith’s world building is immaculate, and gives insights into not only how Remalnan and Marloven languages are taught, but also how their vowel sounds sit in the mouth, how street signs in Marloven Hess are positioned and designed, and how the horses in one region differ from another in both physical proportions, colour, and manner. I was living for it. I felt like I could smell the sage of Fenis’ hair, feel the blackweave of the senior’s belts, or hear the sound of the heeled, square-toed Marloven riding boot on the cobbles outside the barracks. It was absolutely insane to be reading but feel completely transported, and went so far towards really shoehorning me as a reader directly into the world. It was wonderful. Even the region-specific slang was beautifully woven into the story at a pace where the reader feels its’ newness at the same time as Shevraeth does, and learns to accept and parse it alongside him.
Yet again, I could talk about the content of and my opinions on this book for hours, but I will spare you all and leave it at this: 5 stars, and nobody will be able to stop me from coming back for more.
I have to start with Smith’s style of writing in the third person, which ordinarily wouldn’t be anything to crow about, but the way she does it where the viewpoint switches seamlessly between characters is just magical. Each switch is done without needing to give the new character an entire dedicated chapter, and never has them outstay their usefulness as the speaker, so we never had to slog through any trivialities that came from not having enough to say. Not once did I feel that the viewpoint of a character other than Shevraeth was unnecessary, and that’s a skill, because I love to bitch and moan about pointless view changes. Everyone’s characterisations and interactions were also spectacular, I have absolutely no faults for character or personality - even the characters I loved to hate were well rounded and had complex reasoning behind their actions, instead of just being written off as "they’re nasty and that’s that".
When I say there was attention to detail, I mean it. Smith’s world building is immaculate, and gives insights into not only how Remalnan and Marloven languages are taught, but also how their vowel sounds sit in the mouth, how street signs in Marloven Hess are positioned and designed, and how the horses in one region differ from another in both physical proportions, colour, and manner. I was living for it. I felt like I could smell the sage of Fenis’ hair, feel the blackweave of the senior’s belts, or hear the sound of the heeled, square-toed Marloven riding boot on the cobbles outside the barracks. It was absolutely insane to be reading but feel completely transported, and went so far towards really shoehorning me as a reader directly into the world. It was wonderful. Even the region-specific slang was beautifully woven into the story at a pace where the reader feels its’ newness at the same time as Shevraeth does, and learns to accept and parse it alongside him.
Yet again, I could talk about the content of and my opinions on this book for hours, but I will spare you all and leave it at this: 5 stars, and nobody will be able to stop me from coming back for more.
ford0218's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hannahgram's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0