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lfsalden's review against another edition
3.0
Good writing, intricate, new ideas on magic and vassalage and dedication - I really do love that! I listened to it on audiobook and my only let-down is... it suffers from the Dan Brown thing - everything seems to be the very greatest, swiftest, most powerful,... nothing really to build up to afterwards. It could be the melodramatic voice of the reader. Then again, stories about slightly daydreamish people who tend sheep don't turn into novels. Eh, Maybe the problem is me.
blockonthenewkid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Compelling magic system and worldbuilding. Unfortunately character voices were not distinct enough and left parts of the story a bit flat, but more than made up for with the moral questions and the fantastic finale.
tsolron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
From about halfway through the book to chapter 59 I felt it was more of a 3.0 star book, but the last 5% or so was much better. The world felt interesting throughout, but I didn't like all the characters. The conclusion to the story improved my opinions towards some of those characters and I felt like the magic / world was expanded upon in a satisfactory way. I'm mixed on if I'll continue the series, but by the end a decent book.
rose_celeste's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
spejamchr's review against another edition
I couldn't get into it. I couldn't suspend my disbelief for things like stealing "glamour" and "voice" from others to become irresponsible. And I couldn't take it seriously when the main character used micro-expressions and slight voice modulations to suss out significant meaning in a random encounter. And the clearly-written-by-a-dude descriptions of women annoyed me.
aleccjohnston's review against another edition
4.0
This is a difficult book to review. Not because I have nothing to say, but exactly the opposite.
I have so many thoughts about The Sum of All Men, and not nearly enough skill with words to do it justice.
I couldn’t say exactly why this resonated with me so thoroughly, but I spent so much of my time reading this book taking notes and thinking about it. If that isn’t the mark of something pretty special, then I don’t know what is.
The magic system is what drew me in, first and foremost. I knew nothing about the story and only the basic idea of what the system even entailed, and I was still so intrigued that the book immediately went on my TBR.
A person may grant an Endowment to someone else. They sacrifice their Brawn, Stamina, Wit, Glamour, or another quality, and give it to another. This leaves them a Dedicate, now lacking that quality, while he or she who was granted the endowment now has the Brawn, Stamina, etc., of two people.
I don’t believe I have seen a magic system that feels so HEAVY. Not in the sense that there is a physical weight to it, but in the sense that the ramifications of magic in the world and its people have such a visceral and weighty feel to them. This world is built around its magic. The politics, culture, war tactics. Everything functions with Endowments at its center.
Just one example can be seen when focusing solely on The Dedicates. Dedicates, in many kingdoms, are respected as those who have sacrificed for their leaders(who are usually the ones who are granted the Endowments). In other kingdoms, people are blackmailed into granting Endowments, and not seen as anything more than fodder.
As I said, I knew nothing about the story going into it. I didn’t know what to expect from it. I had no preconceptions about what the pages would hold for me. That being said, I was still surprised to discover that there is a complexity and depth to the themes in here that is both awe inspiring and deeply saddening. One man may have the strength of 10 men(all of whom are now bedridden, unable to summon the strength even to move). However, if that man then gives his Wit to another for some reason, his Endowments are now wasted. He is naught but a child, albeit one with the strength of 10 other men. So now those 10 who sacrificed their brawn are still bedridden, and their sacrifice amounts to nothing as the man to whom they entrusted their strength cannot make use of it.
This is just one example of the sadness present in this world.
I don’t see anyone speaking of this book, and I think that’s a shame. It really is something special, and I’m excited to read more.
I have so many thoughts about The Sum of All Men, and not nearly enough skill with words to do it justice.
I couldn’t say exactly why this resonated with me so thoroughly, but I spent so much of my time reading this book taking notes and thinking about it. If that isn’t the mark of something pretty special, then I don’t know what is.
The magic system is what drew me in, first and foremost. I knew nothing about the story and only the basic idea of what the system even entailed, and I was still so intrigued that the book immediately went on my TBR.
A person may grant an Endowment to someone else. They sacrifice their Brawn, Stamina, Wit, Glamour, or another quality, and give it to another. This leaves them a Dedicate, now lacking that quality, while he or she who was granted the endowment now has the Brawn, Stamina, etc., of two people.
I don’t believe I have seen a magic system that feels so HEAVY. Not in the sense that there is a physical weight to it, but in the sense that the ramifications of magic in the world and its people have such a visceral and weighty feel to them. This world is built around its magic. The politics, culture, war tactics. Everything functions with Endowments at its center.
Just one example can be seen when focusing solely on The Dedicates. Dedicates, in many kingdoms, are respected as those who have sacrificed for their leaders(who are usually the ones who are granted the Endowments). In other kingdoms, people are blackmailed into granting Endowments, and not seen as anything more than fodder.
As I said, I knew nothing about the story going into it. I didn’t know what to expect from it. I had no preconceptions about what the pages would hold for me. That being said, I was still surprised to discover that there is a complexity and depth to the themes in here that is both awe inspiring and deeply saddening. One man may have the strength of 10 men(all of whom are now bedridden, unable to summon the strength even to move). However, if that man then gives his Wit to another for some reason, his Endowments are now wasted. He is naught but a child, albeit one with the strength of 10 other men. So now those 10 who sacrificed their brawn are still bedridden, and their sacrifice amounts to nothing as the man to whom they entrusted their strength cannot make use of it.
This is just one example of the sadness present in this world.
I don’t see anyone speaking of this book, and I think that’s a shame. It really is something special, and I’m excited to read more.
billymac1962's review against another edition
DNFing at 19%
I'm having troubles with the pacing of this, the stilted prose, and frankly, pretty flat characters.
It's a shame because the concept of the runelords gathering attributes donated by commoners is really fascinating. So much to explore with this.
Unfortunately I can't get past the issues I'm having and this is a very long book/series so I'm done.
I'm having troubles with the pacing of this, the stilted prose, and frankly, pretty flat characters.
It's a shame because the concept of the runelords gathering attributes donated by commoners is really fascinating. So much to explore with this.
Unfortunately I can't get past the issues I'm having and this is a very long book/series so I'm done.
chriscoman's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
danielv64's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent Grand Fantasy with an unique magic system that needs to account for physics, well worth the read at 613 pages.
stephenmeansme's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting worldbuilding - Feudalism Is Magic! - and pretty good narration, but there were enough spots where I noticed the writing was a bit weird, mostly repetitive, and I usually don't notice that sort of thing with audiobooks. Also I felt like the best high-magic weird stuff was saved for the very very end.
3.5 stars rounded down.
3.5 stars rounded down.