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blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
When I read this book I kept thinking that this book will get a conclusion, cool. And it did. Everything ended all nicely, but then, oh yes then there was that one loose thread and I realized that this is a series. But is felt like a different sort of series since it did have an ending. No cliffie at all (sort of.)
The story also felt kind of old school, and I love old school fantasy. A prince flees as an evil sorcerer kills everyone he holds dear. On his trip north he meets more princes and together they will fight this evil. D’Zan who we meet first is the hero on the run, a scared prince who grows. I liked him, because who would not be a bit scared? Then we got lots more and I will not name them all, since this is a many POV book. We got the two princes from Udur, I think this was my fav characters and kingdom. It is made up from giants and men and these princes are both. A very fascinating history. Their sister also plays a roll, and their elder brother he is not nice at all. Then we got their cousin and lastly 2 twin princes from the south. One a scholar and one a warrior. Together these princes forms bounds with each other and fight the coming battle. Then we got something called the Old Breed, I will not spoil anything. An evil witch from the south, a mysterious maiden a prince meets and I will leave it there. It might seem like a lot, but it is all connected and many of these spend most of the time together. A do like a good cast and the author is not very nice, he will make them suffer.
The story is rich in history and its setting. There is a good mythology behind it all and good questions to be asked. These people do not know it all after all.
Conclusion:
A nice beginning to a series, but by the excerpt at the back I still do not know if the people around in this book will be around in the next one. It will be interesting to see.
The story also felt kind of old school, and I love old school fantasy. A prince flees as an evil sorcerer kills everyone he holds dear. On his trip north he meets more princes and together they will fight this evil. D’Zan who we meet first is the hero on the run, a scared prince who grows. I liked him, because who would not be a bit scared? Then we got lots more and I will not name them all, since this is a many POV book. We got the two princes from Udur, I think this was my fav characters and kingdom. It is made up from giants and men and these princes are both. A very fascinating history. Their sister also plays a roll, and their elder brother he is not nice at all. Then we got their cousin and lastly 2 twin princes from the south. One a scholar and one a warrior. Together these princes forms bounds with each other and fight the coming battle. Then we got something called the Old Breed, I will not spoil anything. An evil witch from the south, a mysterious maiden a prince meets and I will leave it there. It might seem like a lot, but it is all connected and many of these spend most of the time together. A do like a good cast and the author is not very nice, he will make them suffer.
The story is rich in history and its setting. There is a good mythology behind it all and good questions to be asked. These people do not know it all after all.
Conclusion:
A nice beginning to a series, but by the excerpt at the back I still do not know if the people around in this book will be around in the next one. It will be interesting to see.
rodterez07's review against another edition
3.0
This novel was very uneven, but ultimately worth the read. Unlike other fantasy series which seem more like historical fiction with just a sprinkling of supernatural elements, Seven Princes is reminiscent of classic sword-and-sorcery yarns with an emphasis on the sorcery.
Ironically, this is both the book's greatest strength and weakness. For me, it was refreshing for the fantastical elements of a fantasy to take center stage. It's one of the main reasons I read the genre - pure escapism. While series like Game of Thrones excel at capturing human drama and intrigue, at times those novels seem too dry and academic.
Sometimes I want an epic fantasy that is the equivalent to a summer action movie.
This is what you get with this book. While the action and plotting move at a very fast clip, what does suffer is characterization. You get the standard genre tropes including: dastardly villains, mighty heroes, noble kings, a spunky princess, a mysterious sorcerer, etc. The characters are just a cut above being completely two-dimensional.
However, just when you think the plot is standard by-the-numbers fantasy, the author throws in some excellent twists you don't see coming. There are enough of those twists, and episodes of real human drama, that keep this novel from being considered completely pedestrian.
All in all, I recommend the book for light summer reading. If you need a break from fantasy novels heavy with byzantine plots shared among a sea of characters, Seven Princes will be a nice, if not substantial, diversion.
Ironically, this is both the book's greatest strength and weakness. For me, it was refreshing for the fantastical elements of a fantasy to take center stage. It's one of the main reasons I read the genre - pure escapism. While series like Game of Thrones excel at capturing human drama and intrigue, at times those novels seem too dry and academic.
Sometimes I want an epic fantasy that is the equivalent to a summer action movie.
This is what you get with this book. While the action and plotting move at a very fast clip, what does suffer is characterization. You get the standard genre tropes including: dastardly villains, mighty heroes, noble kings, a spunky princess, a mysterious sorcerer, etc. The characters are just a cut above being completely two-dimensional.
However, just when you think the plot is standard by-the-numbers fantasy, the author throws in some excellent twists you don't see coming. There are enough of those twists, and episodes of real human drama, that keep this novel from being considered completely pedestrian.
All in all, I recommend the book for light summer reading. If you need a break from fantasy novels heavy with byzantine plots shared among a sea of characters, Seven Princes will be a nice, if not substantial, diversion.
thistlechaser's review against another edition
1.0
It's a bad sign for a book when I'm more interested in correcting a book's grammar than I am in the story. The first page had a grammar issue big enough that I had to read a line multiple times to figure out what the author meant, and the same issue was repeated on the next page. The story seemed very stereotypical fantasy -- nothing original. Characters were "types" instead of people (typical evil sorcerer, etc). Abandoned.
corrompido's review against another edition
1.0
Really poor writing, boring story, poorly developed characters... I gave up halfway through and don't regret it.
rodterez07's review against another edition
3.0
This novel was very uneven, but ultimately worth the read. Unlike other fantasy series which seem more like historical fiction with just a sprinkling of supernatural elements, Seven Princes is reminiscent of classic sword-and-sorcery yarns with an emphasis on the sorcery.
Ironically, this is both the book's greatest strength and weakness. For me, it was refreshing for the fantastical elements of a fantasy to take center stage. It's one of the main reasons I read the genre - pure escapism. While series like Game of Thrones excel at capturing human drama and intrigue, at times those novels seem too dry and academic.
Sometimes I want an epic fantasy that is the equivalent to a summer action movie.
This is what you get with this book. While the action and plotting move at a very fast clip, what does suffer is characterization. You get the standard genre tropes including: dastardly villains, mighty heroes, noble kings, a spunky princess, a mysterious sorcerer, etc. The characters are just a cut above being completely two-dimensional.
However, just when you think the plot is standard by-the-numbers fantasy, the author throws in some excellent twists you don't see coming. There are enough of those twists, and episodes of real human drama, that keep this novel from being considered completely pedestrian.
All in all, I recommend the book for light summer reading. If you need a break from fantasy novels heavy with byzantine plots shared among a sea of characters, Seven Princes will be a nice, if not substantial, diversion.
Ironically, this is both the book's greatest strength and weakness. For me, it was refreshing for the fantastical elements of a fantasy to take center stage. It's one of the main reasons I read the genre - pure escapism. While series like Game of Thrones excel at capturing human drama and intrigue, at times those novels seem too dry and academic.
Sometimes I want an epic fantasy that is the equivalent to a summer action movie.
This is what you get with this book. While the action and plotting move at a very fast clip, what does suffer is characterization. You get the standard genre tropes including: dastardly villains, mighty heroes, noble kings, a spunky princess, a mysterious sorcerer, etc. The characters are just a cut above being completely two-dimensional.
However, just when you think the plot is standard by-the-numbers fantasy, the author throws in some excellent twists you don't see coming. There are enough of those twists, and episodes of real human drama, that keep this novel from being considered completely pedestrian.
All in all, I recommend the book for light summer reading. If you need a break from fantasy novels heavy with byzantine plots shared among a sea of characters, Seven Princes will be a nice, if not substantial, diversion.
markyon's review against another edition
2.0
The cover gives the promise of Heroic Fantasy, of which I’m quite a fan. On hearing a brief synopsis, Seven Princes to me sounded like a fresh take on the genre, so I was quite excited when I got a copy for review.
And having read it... well, it’s not.
The plot is basically The Magnificent Seven (or Battle Beyond the Stars, if you prefer), but using Princes instead of cowboys. Prince D’zan’s father, King Trimesqua, is slain by an army of the undead resurrected by Elhathym, a mysterious stranger who claims he has come back to reclaim the court of Yaskatha.
The only survivors of the massacre, D’zan and his bodyguard Olthalcus escape and try to enlist support and so reclaim the village/kingdom. He enlists six other cowboys/Princes to his cause. The duo travel to New Udurum to seek help from The Princes of Uurz – Tyro, the natural leader, and Lyrilan, the scholar - who pledge their support.
Travelling to seek help from the Giant King Vod, they find that the King has abdicated, leaving the Kingdom in charge of his Queen, Shaira, with the help of their sons Fangodrel, Tadarus and Vireon, and daughter Sharadza. Lastly, Andoses, heir to the throne of Shar Dni, makes up the seventh. Together they go, in order to defeat the evil sorcerer and get D’zan back to where he rightfully belongs. Sharadza goes off to learn sorcery and be a witch in order to help.
Meanwhile Elathym has made alliances of his own, with Empress Ianthe of Khyrei. Ianthe attempts to assassinate D’zan but ends up killing Olthacus. This is the beginning of a high body count. “It’s about blood”, the publicity declares, and of that there’s plenty, with lots of woundings, stabbings, limb removals and all manner of blood-spattering antics.
OK. With such an (admittedly short) summary, there’s nothing sounding wrong with that plot. Throw in some Giants, lethal mummies from the dead, heaps of betrayal, assassinations, dark magic, some fast fighting scenes, and it should be a cracking read.
But...
I really wanted to like this one. Sadly, in the end I was disappointed, but in my opinion it’s not as bad as some would have it. The pace is a little uneven, but it moves along at a fair clip. It’s solidly written, but, in the end, commits the sin of being quite interchangeable with other Fantasy books out there.
The characters were stereotypically heroic and all had motives for doing what they do, but, crucially, garnered no sympathy from me as a reader. Consequently, after a hundred or so pages, I was strangely unmoved by what was going on, despite it being clear that ‘things’ were being set up to happen. Whilst there’s enough here to keep the pages turning, there were times when I was just doing that without really wanting to keep reading.
Halfway through the book, I did find that I was struggling to maintain interest. I could see where it was going and that things were happening, but it became a book I was finding difficult to pick up. By the closing stages it was a case of finishing it because I was near the end rather than reading it to see what happens.
If you’re new to the genre you’ll probably like it, but for me it repeated old tropes without really bringing anything new to the table. It’s entertaining, but without being engaging, for me at least.
Whilst I hoped for something new to appear, to raise the game and make the book worth sticking with, in the end it just didn’t happen and I just felt I’d read it all before. A book to admire rather than love, and thus a missed opportunity.
And having read it... well, it’s not.
The plot is basically The Magnificent Seven (or Battle Beyond the Stars, if you prefer), but using Princes instead of cowboys. Prince D’zan’s father, King Trimesqua, is slain by an army of the undead resurrected by Elhathym, a mysterious stranger who claims he has come back to reclaim the court of Yaskatha.
The only survivors of the massacre, D’zan and his bodyguard Olthalcus escape and try to enlist support and so reclaim the village/kingdom. He enlists six other cowboys/Princes to his cause. The duo travel to New Udurum to seek help from The Princes of Uurz – Tyro, the natural leader, and Lyrilan, the scholar - who pledge their support.
Travelling to seek help from the Giant King Vod, they find that the King has abdicated, leaving the Kingdom in charge of his Queen, Shaira, with the help of their sons Fangodrel, Tadarus and Vireon, and daughter Sharadza. Lastly, Andoses, heir to the throne of Shar Dni, makes up the seventh. Together they go, in order to defeat the evil sorcerer and get D’zan back to where he rightfully belongs. Sharadza goes off to learn sorcery and be a witch in order to help.
Meanwhile Elathym has made alliances of his own, with Empress Ianthe of Khyrei. Ianthe attempts to assassinate D’zan but ends up killing Olthacus. This is the beginning of a high body count. “It’s about blood”, the publicity declares, and of that there’s plenty, with lots of woundings, stabbings, limb removals and all manner of blood-spattering antics.
OK. With such an (admittedly short) summary, there’s nothing sounding wrong with that plot. Throw in some Giants, lethal mummies from the dead, heaps of betrayal, assassinations, dark magic, some fast fighting scenes, and it should be a cracking read.
But...
I really wanted to like this one. Sadly, in the end I was disappointed, but in my opinion it’s not as bad as some would have it. The pace is a little uneven, but it moves along at a fair clip. It’s solidly written, but, in the end, commits the sin of being quite interchangeable with other Fantasy books out there.
The characters were stereotypically heroic and all had motives for doing what they do, but, crucially, garnered no sympathy from me as a reader. Consequently, after a hundred or so pages, I was strangely unmoved by what was going on, despite it being clear that ‘things’ were being set up to happen. Whilst there’s enough here to keep the pages turning, there were times when I was just doing that without really wanting to keep reading.
Halfway through the book, I did find that I was struggling to maintain interest. I could see where it was going and that things were happening, but it became a book I was finding difficult to pick up. By the closing stages it was a case of finishing it because I was near the end rather than reading it to see what happens.
If you’re new to the genre you’ll probably like it, but for me it repeated old tropes without really bringing anything new to the table. It’s entertaining, but without being engaging, for me at least.
Whilst I hoped for something new to appear, to raise the game and make the book worth sticking with, in the end it just didn’t happen and I just felt I’d read it all before. A book to admire rather than love, and thus a missed opportunity.
jasonoffer's review against another edition
1.0
So what went wrong with this book in my opinion. Sadly for me it went back to the old days of fantasy, all powerful beings (making humans pretty redundant in the scheme of things), magic having no limitations, good vs evil with a clear defining line between the two, characters surviving against the odds.
I just found the book to lack substance because of the above, especially the characters, the story jumped from one major event to the next without too much of an inbetween. By the end I just did not really care I just wanted to get it over with (hence many skipped pages).
I just found the book to lack substance because of the above, especially the characters, the story jumped from one major event to the next without too much of an inbetween. By the end I just did not really care I just wanted to get it over with (hence many skipped pages).
cupiscent's review
Harks back to an earlier time, when magic didn't need to make any sort of sense, the age of legends could be within a generation, and women were either princesses or wenches. Or maybe evil sexy sorceresses. Or maybe shape-changing non-talking animal spirits who make perfect life companions. It doesn't get any better.
It's a valid literary choice, I suppose, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Or that I won't make disparaging remarks about those who make it.
I was going to read the whole thing as an exercise in a completely different style of fantasy - one that ignores all the advances the genre has made since Howard - but at page 186 I admitted I was having far too little fun to wade through the other two-thirds of it.
It's a valid literary choice, I suppose, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Or that I won't make disparaging remarks about those who make it.
I was going to read the whole thing as an exercise in a completely different style of fantasy - one that ignores all the advances the genre has made since Howard - but at page 186 I admitted I was having far too little fun to wade through the other two-thirds of it.
al_knave's review against another edition
1.0
The sentences are certainly well constructed. Unfortunately, the narrative generated as a result is not.