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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
After a couple of down books in this series for me, this book brought back the five-star goodness.
The foreshadowing in one part was more than obvious for me, but I am not exactly the intended audience.
Otherwise, loved the further character development and the story.
The foreshadowing in one part was more than obvious for me, but I am not exactly the intended audience.
Otherwise, loved the further character development and the story.
Although perhaps not quite as full of awesome as the others in the series, this one is nonetheless fully enjoyable, and I read it in two sittings.
My biggest quibble is that Alyss's jealousy of Evanlyn seems so completely out of character. Isn't she supposed to be really good at reading people and social situations? That whole sub-plot has never rung true to me.
But more importantly, all of my favorite elements were there: the father/son relationship of Horace and the Emperor, the witty banter between characters, the battle strategies. It's another adventure in this world I love.
My biggest quibble is that Alyss's jealousy of Evanlyn seems so completely out of character. Isn't she supposed to be really good at reading people and social situations? That whole sub-plot has never rung true to me.
But more importantly, all of my favorite elements were there: the father/son relationship of Horace and the Emperor, the witty banter between characters, the battle strategies. It's another adventure in this world I love.
This book started on the wrong foot for me. In Toscana, when Will and Halt watched the display of Toscan military might, they witnessed a method of training in which all soldiers lined up tightly and threw javelins simultaneously at an angle specified by a commander. Additionally, one line of soldiers was protected by a front line of soldiers with shields. They were both impressed - Will even called it "brilliant" - but did they forget that that is the EXACT same method that Will used to train his team of unskilled archers in Skandia?!? Did the author completely forget that he already used that strategy in an earlier book!?
From then on, I think I was just waiting for the book to redeem itself, and maybe I was harder on it than I might have been otherwise. I was already wary when Alyss and Evanlyn had their "incident", in which they both acted immature and petty (though I think Evanlyn was much more of a brat). Of all the many characters in this book - all of whom were, like Mary Poppins, "practically perfect in every way" - it bothered me that the only two to be burdened with significant flaws were the two women. And to make matters worse, they were fighting over a man! Ugh. We can't just have two strong women characters without having to entangle them in a love triangle? Yes, perhaps the author was setting the groundwork for the meaningful reconciliation at the end, however, I think he could have gotten the jealousy across without having the women behave so childishly. Or better yet, couldn't he have contrived some other reason for them to be at odds, rather than make it about a man?
Which brings me to another major complaint: throughout the book, both Alyss and Evanlyn were called "girls", both by the narrative author and by other characters in the book. Evanlyn led a world-wide expedition, and Alyss was a full-fledged Courier - by any measure, they should have been called "women", especially because Will and Horace, who were the same age as Alyss, were never called "boys".
Since I seem to be listing the negatives first, I might as well mention my disappointment at the end. When Alyss and Evanlyn go off on their mission, I thought it was great! Here, the two women would prove - once again - their bravery and worth. And yet, I thought the whole bit about the two of them killing the "Terror" in the forrest was just over the top. Surely if such a massive beast attacked Alyss with all its weight behind it, at the very least Alyss's shield arm would have been broken!
Specific grievances aside, on the whole, I still liked this book. Much more so than previous books in the series, this installment featured an ensemble of characters, and if anyone was a "main character", I think it was Horace! My favorite! So I enjoyed seeing him on his own in Nihon-Ja, and developing his relationship with Shigeru the Emperor. I liked reading about Nihon-Ja as a fictional rendition of Japan, though I have to admit, I'm not sure who the tall, long- and red-haired Hasanu were supposed to be! Perhaps they were a return to the kind of fantasy that appeared in the first couple books.
From then on, I think I was just waiting for the book to redeem itself, and maybe I was harder on it than I might have been otherwise. I was already wary when Alyss and Evanlyn had their "incident", in which they both acted immature and petty (though I think Evanlyn was much more of a brat). Of all the many characters in this book - all of whom were, like Mary Poppins, "practically perfect in every way" - it bothered me that the only two to be burdened with significant flaws were the two women. And to make matters worse, they were fighting over a man! Ugh. We can't just have two strong women characters without having to entangle them in a love triangle? Yes, perhaps the author was setting the groundwork for the meaningful reconciliation at the end, however, I think he could have gotten the jealousy across without having the women behave so childishly. Or better yet, couldn't he have contrived some other reason for them to be at odds, rather than make it about a man?
Which brings me to another major complaint: throughout the book, both Alyss and Evanlyn were called "girls", both by the narrative author and by other characters in the book. Evanlyn led a world-wide expedition, and Alyss was a full-fledged Courier - by any measure, they should have been called "women", especially because Will and Horace, who were the same age as Alyss, were never called "boys".
Since I seem to be listing the negatives first, I might as well mention my disappointment at the end. When Alyss and Evanlyn go off on their mission, I thought it was great! Here, the two women would prove - once again - their bravery and worth. And yet, I thought the whole bit about the two of them killing the "Terror" in the forrest was just over the top. Surely if such a massive beast attacked Alyss with all its weight behind it, at the very least Alyss's shield arm would have been broken!
Specific grievances aside, on the whole, I still liked this book. Much more so than previous books in the series, this installment featured an ensemble of characters, and if anyone was a "main character", I think it was Horace! My favorite! So I enjoyed seeing him on his own in Nihon-Ja, and developing his relationship with Shigeru the Emperor. I liked reading about Nihon-Ja as a fictional rendition of Japan, though I have to admit, I'm not sure who the tall, long- and red-haired Hasanu were supposed to be! Perhaps they were a return to the kind of fantasy that appeared in the first couple books.
Okay, re-reading this book just solidified how much I love it. It picks up the unfortunate slack left by the eighth and ninth books. Don't get me wrong, the eighth and ninth books weren't bad exactly, they just weren't comparable to the first four books, or the seventh. But this book manages to end the series on a gloriously high note, and I'm super glad Flanagan was able to pull it off.
This book is one of the longest in the series, and I can see why. There's just so much going on. The plot has quite a bit of set-up before it really gets going, but I was never bored. And then the last half of the book is packed with planning and war and confrontation, and it's amazing. Flanagan has a knack for taking what might be boring (planning, preparations, etc) and making it awesome. In fact, that's where my complaint lies with the fifth-sixth arc and the eighth-ninth arc (my least favorites); he seemed to forget himself there, Flanagan, and the planning and preparations lost their interest. But, just like with the five other books in the series, Flanagan just poured his heart and intelligence into this war, and it showed. Everyone had their role, so everyone was important, so no one was extraneous. And that is the absolute best case scenario with this kind of novel.
The writing was superb, as usual. The culture, despite not being original at all, was still colorful and interesting. It gives perspective to the Araluens. And I've never minded the fact that Flanagan draws from real societies when writing his stories. Just because they were/are real, doesn't mean they aren't fantastic.
Also, Flanagan has a really odd sense of humor. Maybe it's because it's usually so innocent. Even his insults are innocent. I can't quite explain it. But I must admit, the conflict between Alyss and Evanlyn, and the way Flanagan represented it, was freaking hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing. I would have to put the book down and giggle to myself before I could start reading again. And that is definitely appreciated. On a more mature note, it helped humanize Alyss a little bit, and it made for a very interesting friendship between the two girls. It was basically a love triangle, but without the actual love triangle. It had all the jealousy and paranoia, without the drama. It was all in Alyss's head. I hate love triangles, so this was my chance to really enjoy one. I was quite tickled by the entire thing.
Anyway.
One aspect I felt bitter-sweet about was the character development. It was reserved for Alyss and Evanlyn, and maybe a little bit for Horace. I love all three of those characters, and I'm so glad the whole Alyss-Evanlyn thing was resolved. Horace got the spotlight, and it was nice to see him get a father figure of his own. It's just that...I'm a Will fan. So it's bitter-sweet because the focus was on those three characters, and....not Will. But that's just me. A Will fan.
I continue to be relieved that Flanagan went out with a bang. I still have to read the first book in his new series, but I'm sure that will be just as wonderful and intricate as this series. This series is, and shall forever be, one of my favorites.
(On a side note, I finally made the connection between this book and his other series. Unless I'm mistaken, weren't the new Skandian ships in this book designed by the protagonist in the other series? Clever, Flanagan. I give you props for that.)
This book is one of the longest in the series, and I can see why. There's just so much going on. The plot has quite a bit of set-up before it really gets going, but I was never bored. And then the last half of the book is packed with planning and war and confrontation, and it's amazing. Flanagan has a knack for taking what might be boring (planning, preparations, etc) and making it awesome. In fact, that's where my complaint lies with the fifth-sixth arc and the eighth-ninth arc (my least favorites); he seemed to forget himself there, Flanagan, and the planning and preparations lost their interest. But, just like with the five other books in the series, Flanagan just poured his heart and intelligence into this war, and it showed. Everyone had their role, so everyone was important, so no one was extraneous. And that is the absolute best case scenario with this kind of novel.
The writing was superb, as usual. The culture, despite not being original at all, was still colorful and interesting. It gives perspective to the Araluens. And I've never minded the fact that Flanagan draws from real societies when writing his stories. Just because they were/are real, doesn't mean they aren't fantastic.
Also, Flanagan has a really odd sense of humor. Maybe it's because it's usually so innocent. Even his insults are innocent. I can't quite explain it. But I must admit, the conflict between Alyss and Evanlyn, and the way Flanagan represented it, was freaking hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing. I would have to put the book down and giggle to myself before I could start reading again. And that is definitely appreciated. On a more mature note, it helped humanize Alyss a little bit, and it made for a very interesting friendship between the two girls. It was basically a love triangle, but without the actual love triangle. It had all the jealousy and paranoia, without the drama. It was all in Alyss's head. I hate love triangles, so this was my chance to really enjoy one. I was quite tickled by the entire thing.
Anyway.
One aspect I felt bitter-sweet about was the character development. It was reserved for Alyss and Evanlyn, and maybe a little bit for Horace. I love all three of those characters, and I'm so glad the whole Alyss-Evanlyn thing was resolved. Horace got the spotlight, and it was nice to see him get a father figure of his own. It's just that...I'm a Will fan. So it's bitter-sweet because the focus was on those three characters, and....not Will. But that's just me. A Will fan.
I continue to be relieved that Flanagan went out with a bang. I still have to read the first book in his new series, but I'm sure that will be just as wonderful and intricate as this series. This series is, and shall forever be, one of my favorites.
(On a side note, I finally made the connection between this book and his other series. Unless I'm mistaken, weren't the new Skandian ships in this book designed by the protagonist in the other series? Clever, Flanagan. I give you props for that.)
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Good story line but pretty predictable. Wish Will, Horace, Alyss and Evalyn were characterized as their age and not as teenagers. They acted like adults in books 5 and 6 but now they have degenerated in 8,9 and 10.
This one wasn't my favorite in the series. There seemed to be a lot of conveniences. When something needed to be done there was always someone with the skill and resources available. Everything was just so perfect. Still it was fun to read and explore a new land. Hopefully, the next one will be better.
This is it, this is the end. The rest of the books can be looked upon as mere sequels and prequels (not that they aren't good, they're just different). I had trouble finishing this book, because I did not want the adventures to end. Sure, it ends well and you know it will, but that doesn't mean you don't feel nervous whilst reading. I don't think I can express how utterly brilliant I think this series is and how much I absolutely love it. If you want to read something but aren't sure what, I'd highly recommend reading this series. It's not the hardest to read, but it's a damn pleasure.
I was a little disappointed from this conclusion to the series. I had hoped for more, although I'm not sure why. The rangers didn't really do anything that cool during this book, and neither did Horace.