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raechel's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The second entry in a series usually isn't good, and this is no exception.
We continue the "you can copy my homework just change some stuff" story of the Maztica trilogy, where a lot of it is just waiting around for Erix's vision to happen. There are so many characters and each chapter jumps characters several times, it's hard to get a real feel for each scene or to understand the timeline. From Erix's POV the city will be destroyed in a few days, but then we have a runaway jaguar knight who finds a settlement, learns their ways, teaches them his ways, goes on a vision quest, and comes back to the city... all in three days? It's confusing.
Not a lot happens in this story other than people trying to kill other people, and a lot of mentions/attempts of sexual assault. We see the conquistador stand-ins swarm a woman, and one of the secondary characters is obsessed with assaulting Erix--and another character is happy to help arrange it. Why? What is appeal to add this type of stuff into your stories?
The whole subplot with the albino drow is very problematic and also just doesn't make sense. She tricks a group of men into thinking she's one of those good, light-skinned elves... when in realty she's actually one of those evil dark-skinned ones. Also, these drow have been isolated on this continent for who knows how long. So how did Darien get to the Sword Coast or wherever to start all of this? And why, if they can just leave when they want to? And why isn't this drow civilization matriarchial? I thought that was their thing in there old books.
I'm not looking forward to the conclusion of this series, it's not good and I do not have high hopes.
We continue the "you can copy my homework just change some stuff" story of the Maztica trilogy, where a lot of it is just waiting around for Erix's vision to happen. There are so many characters and each chapter jumps characters several times, it's hard to get a real feel for each scene or to understand the timeline. From Erix's POV the city will be destroyed in a few days, but then we have a runaway jaguar knight who finds a settlement, learns their ways, teaches them his ways, goes on a vision quest, and comes back to the city... all in three days? It's confusing.
Not a lot happens in this story other than people trying to kill other people, and a lot of mentions/attempts of sexual assault. We see the conquistador stand-ins swarm a woman, and one of the secondary characters is obsessed with assaulting Erix--and another character is happy to help arrange it. Why? What is appeal to add this type of stuff into your stories?
The whole subplot with the albino drow is very problematic and also just doesn't make sense. She tricks a group of men into thinking she's one of those good, light-skinned elves... when in realty she's actually one of those evil dark-skinned ones. Also, these drow have been isolated on this continent for who knows how long. So how did Darien get to the Sword Coast or wherever to start all of this? And why, if they can just leave when they want to? And why isn't this drow civilization matriarchial? I thought that was their thing in there old books.
I'm not looking forward to the conclusion of this series, it's not good and I do not have high hopes.
mw2k's review
4.0
More good fun. I think Niles has hit his straps as a novelist with this series after the very ponderous and occasionally silly Moonshae trilogy. What works the best is the story-telling. It moves, and it's catchy, and for the majority of one's reading experience, that's all that matters.
For sure, the characterisations are nothing noteworthy (they rarely are in these novels) and the setting has been lifted straight out of Meso-American history. Niles still has issues conveying romance in the written word - you get the idea he's a little awkward with the whole rosy thing, especially with his tentative tiptoes on the subject of love triangles.
All up however, I'm happily surprised with this series, especially after slogging through some Forgotten Realms dross to get to them.
For sure, the characterisations are nothing noteworthy (they rarely are in these novels) and the setting has been lifted straight out of Meso-American history. Niles still has issues conveying romance in the written word - you get the idea he's a little awkward with the whole rosy thing, especially with his tentative tiptoes on the subject of love triangles.
All up however, I'm happily surprised with this series, especially after slogging through some Forgotten Realms dross to get to them.
ipacho's review
3.0
The story should have ended here. It is a nice try to blend mesoamerican history with fantasy, though the main characters a very poorly done.
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