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peter_xxx's review against another edition
3.0
In this book Pathfinder Varian Jeggare, Radovan and their dog Arnisant travel to Tian xia to witness a mystical event, but due to all kinds off happenings, they all end up on one side of that event.
this story feels like a typical eastern movie with travelling heroes fighting against eachother to prove they are the best, with monktraining in a monastary, with all kinds of ghosts, kami, oni and other eastern legends.
The book is ok, but it isn't as gripping as the first pathfinder book Dave gross wrote. the story is to simillar and some of the tropes are a bit to familiar.
this story feels like a typical eastern movie with travelling heroes fighting against eachother to prove they are the best, with monktraining in a monastary, with all kinds of ghosts, kami, oni and other eastern legends.
The book is ok, but it isn't as gripping as the first pathfinder book Dave gross wrote. the story is to simillar and some of the tropes are a bit to familiar.
mparker546's review against another edition
3.0
I like these characters and author, but I the heavy Asian theme wasn't my thing. the story was still good, but I look forward to reading the next one, when the characters get back to the inner sea
eaterofworlds's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
kazmx's review
5.0
What a great story I just read. As expected akd keeping in with the tradition pf the previous book, our heroes are split apart by the action packed first chapter. Though at the moment I didn't though of Arnisant, the newest party member, as part of the heroes; the dog quickly became the most beloved narrators in the book. While Radovan and Varian established the story and set the bases for what the ending would convey into, the canine hero took part in the recruitment of an unlikely arrangement of army.
I liked the growth that Varian's character develops in the book. He was stripped of the nobility of his hometown and place at the very bottom of a monk order from halfway arround the world. The relationship he develops among his brothers and masters was the hook that kept me reading till the end of the book. Not only that but he transform his own perspective of himself and transcend into a wiser being.
One thin I disliked storywise was the Radovan tale. Though I have to admit it every chapter was entertaining, it only set up a story for one of the antagonists more than giving it depth. I was expecting a lot more from his character than what he delivered this time.
The book is very light to read and has a bit of everything that any avid fantasy reader would want in a novel. The action is there through out the whole book, there is mystery regarding one of the antagonist, the magic and fights are vivid enough thru the author's words, and most of all the plot is very entertaining.
I liked the growth that Varian's character develops in the book. He was stripped of the nobility of his hometown and place at the very bottom of a monk order from halfway arround the world. The relationship he develops among his brothers and masters was the hook that kept me reading till the end of the book. Not only that but he transform his own perspective of himself and transcend into a wiser being.
One thin I disliked storywise was the Radovan tale. Though I have to admit it every chapter was entertaining, it only set up a story for one of the antagonists more than giving it depth. I was expecting a lot more from his character than what he delivered this time.
The book is very light to read and has a bit of everything that any avid fantasy reader would want in a novel. The action is there through out the whole book, there is mystery regarding one of the antagonist, the magic and fights are vivid enough thru the author's words, and most of all the plot is very entertaining.
nitessine's review
3.0
(Originally posted at http://nitessine.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/review-master-of-devils/)
I got around to reading another Pathfinder novel. Dave Gross’s Master of Devils is a standalone sequel to Prince of Wolves, and like that novel ties in thematically with the Carrion Crown Adventure Path, so does this with the new Jade Regent Adventure Path, though the connections are a bit more tenuous. Whereas Carrion Crown and Prince of Wolves both take place in the same principality, Master of Devils and Jade Regent are only on the same continent of Tian Xia. Jade Regent heads into the Japan-inspired Minkai, while Master of Devils tells the story of Venture-Captain Varian Jeggare and his bodyguard Radovan as they try to survive the not-China of Quain.
The story goes much along the same lines as Prince of Wolves – Varian and Radovan get separated and each thinks the other is dead. Radovan wanders around the countryside at the behest of a sorcerer named Burning Cloud Devil, challenging local heroes to kung-fu duels, while Varian is confined to a monastery where he solves a mystery while being taught martial arts. There’s also a third viewpoint character, who was an interesting surprise, but perhaps insufficiently compelling as a character to support an entire branch of narrative on their own. Dave Gross has essentially written up a kung-fu film, and a lot of page count is dedicated to the characters beating each other up in the style of Shaw Brothers, Jackie Chan and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
I was not overly fond of this novel. Though Gross can write a catchy narrative, it still felt perhaps a hundred pages too long (clocking in at about 400 pages). Additionally, the novel only barely avoids the trope of white guys going to the foreign land to beat the locals at their own game, and I can feel the hot breath of Eddie Saïd at the back of my neck as I’m writing this. The orientalism is strong in this one. While there’s always the “it’s not really China” defence, it rings a bit hollow. At the same time, the setting fails to feel properly foreign or exotic even through the eyes of the outsider main characters. Ustalav was brought to life much more vividly.
The book was not bad, as such. For all the faults in the setting and the plot, Gross can still write good prose and his characters, especially Varian Jeggare, remained interesting. The story iteself was a bit of a disappointment, and I felt that Radovan’s later chapters could have used more characterization and less kung-fu. As it stands, they got repetitive and the reader was given insufficient insight into what was going on within the characters’ head.
So, light entertainment. Unfortunately not much in here for Game Masters, but if you’re going to run a game in the Quain area of Tian Xia, you can probably get some use out of it.
I got around to reading another Pathfinder novel. Dave Gross’s Master of Devils is a standalone sequel to Prince of Wolves, and like that novel ties in thematically with the Carrion Crown Adventure Path, so does this with the new Jade Regent Adventure Path, though the connections are a bit more tenuous. Whereas Carrion Crown and Prince of Wolves both take place in the same principality, Master of Devils and Jade Regent are only on the same continent of Tian Xia. Jade Regent heads into the Japan-inspired Minkai, while Master of Devils tells the story of Venture-Captain Varian Jeggare and his bodyguard Radovan as they try to survive the not-China of Quain.
The story goes much along the same lines as Prince of Wolves – Varian and Radovan get separated and each thinks the other is dead. Radovan wanders around the countryside at the behest of a sorcerer named Burning Cloud Devil, challenging local heroes to kung-fu duels, while Varian is confined to a monastery where he solves a mystery while being taught martial arts. There’s also a third viewpoint character, who was an interesting surprise, but perhaps insufficiently compelling as a character to support an entire branch of narrative on their own. Dave Gross has essentially written up a kung-fu film, and a lot of page count is dedicated to the characters beating each other up in the style of Shaw Brothers, Jackie Chan and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
I was not overly fond of this novel. Though Gross can write a catchy narrative, it still felt perhaps a hundred pages too long (clocking in at about 400 pages). Additionally, the novel only barely avoids the trope of white guys going to the foreign land to beat the locals at their own game, and I can feel the hot breath of Eddie Saïd at the back of my neck as I’m writing this. The orientalism is strong in this one. While there’s always the “it’s not really China” defence, it rings a bit hollow. At the same time, the setting fails to feel properly foreign or exotic even through the eyes of the outsider main characters. Ustalav was brought to life much more vividly.
The book was not bad, as such. For all the faults in the setting and the plot, Gross can still write good prose and his characters, especially Varian Jeggare, remained interesting. The story iteself was a bit of a disappointment, and I felt that Radovan’s later chapters could have used more characterization and less kung-fu. As it stands, they got repetitive and the reader was given insufficient insight into what was going on within the characters’ head.
So, light entertainment. Unfortunately not much in here for Game Masters, but if you’re going to run a game in the Quain area of Tian Xia, you can probably get some use out of it.
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