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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Vyborna kniha, ktora pokracuje tam kde posledna skoncila. Pokracuje viacmenej v rovnakom style, ale je vidiet ze autor uz ma nieco viac za sebou a bez problemov dokaze utiahnut pomerne zlozitu (na pomery 500 stranovych fantasy anyway) zapletku.
Hned zkraja poviem, ze kniha je lepsia ako ta predosla, coz odraza aj hodnotenie. A dodam, ze sucastne so zvysenim poctu stranok sa zvysilo aj mnozstvo nasilia. Rozumieme, ja nie som nijak utlocitny, vsetky tie srandicky co tam Jorg stvara mi nejak nevadia, ale bola jedna scena pri ktorej sa to dokonca aj mne citalo len velmi tazko. Vobec nezavidim prekladatelovi a editorovi, co tu scenu pravdepodobne museli rozpitvavat do detailov. V pripade ze budem tuto knihu citat znova, tuto scenu jednoducho preskocim - raz mi stacilo.
Povazujte sa za varovanych - ak mate psov, velku predstavivost a nedostatocnu otrlost voci vsetkym a vsetkemu, tak to snad ani necitajte.
Inak kniha je vyborna, odporucam ludom co sa im pacil prvy diel, slubujem ze tento je lepsi. Pribehovo sa odohrava v dvoch liniach, jedna je zhruba 3 mesiace po skonceni jednotky a venuje sa hlavne Jorgovmu cestovaniu po svete, druha sa odohrava o 4 roky neskor, kedy Jorgov hrad oblieha 20 tisicova armada princa zo Sipova, pricom Jorg ma k dispozicii necelu tisicku vojakov. Finale je samozrejme epicke, ale trosicku deus ex machina writingu pred ktorym som varoval minule je tam opat citit.
Hned zkraja poviem, ze kniha je lepsia ako ta predosla, coz odraza aj hodnotenie. A dodam, ze sucastne so zvysenim poctu stranok sa zvysilo aj mnozstvo nasilia. Rozumieme, ja nie som nijak utlocitny, vsetky tie srandicky co tam Jorg stvara mi nejak nevadia, ale bola jedna scena pri ktorej sa to dokonca aj mne citalo len velmi tazko. Vobec nezavidim prekladatelovi a editorovi, co tu scenu pravdepodobne museli rozpitvavat do detailov. V pripade ze budem tuto knihu citat znova, tuto scenu jednoducho preskocim - raz mi stacilo.
Povazujte sa za varovanych - ak mate psov, velku predstavivost a nedostatocnu otrlost voci vsetkym a vsetkemu, tak to snad ani necitajte.
Inak kniha je vyborna, odporucam ludom co sa im pacil prvy diel, slubujem ze tento je lepsi. Pribehovo sa odohrava v dvoch liniach, jedna je zhruba 3 mesiace po skonceni jednotky a venuje sa hlavne Jorgovmu cestovaniu po svete, druha sa odohrava o 4 roky neskor, kedy Jorgov hrad oblieha 20 tisicova armada princa zo Sipova, pricom Jorg ma k dispozicii necelu tisicku vojakov. Finale je samozrejme epicke, ale trosicku deus ex machina writingu pred ktorym som varoval minule je tam opat citit.
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Marky Mark strikes again. Not you Wahlberg, outta here with your nonsense.
I recently read a wonderful little blog post by Mark Lawrence where he succinctly summed up my thoughts on "good writing" and the many facets we readers look for in books, whether subconsciously or not.
Beautiful prose, strong page-turny storytelling, a unique narrative voice, strong themes, vivid descriptions, perhaps a tone or a setting that is simply to your taste, or even a blending of your favourite "genre" elements.
King of Thorns had everything that tickles my pickle. With the best prose I've read from Mark Lawrence yet. I'm going to paste some quotes in here to make this review seem more important.
"Sometimes I wished I could cut away old memories and let the wind take them. If a sharp knife could pare away the weakness of those days, I would slice until nothing but the hard lessons remained."
Much like I said when I read Prince of Thorns - another great little book - I don't quite understand some of the discourse around these books. Well, I understand it, but I just don't get it, y'know?
I understand not liking a main character, absolutely, and the book not being to your taste. But Jorg is not a one-note edgelord psychopath written by a moody teenager... He's quite a fascinating and complex piece of shit written by a super talented author at the top of his game. And I loved reading about his journey. It takes some real skill to subtly show a character like this maturing and maybe growing a conscience as he ages. I'm not sure what it says about me, but I think I like the character. PoT feels like an intentional depiction of a horrible little prick, just being who he is. This book very intentionally (or so it feels) expands on who this person is and why. And whether he is justified or not in some of his actions, you're forced to examine your own reaction to him. But even though you can't condone most of what he does, there are still things that anyone can relate to, just about life, trauma and abuse.
There aren't many fantasy stories that are this intensely character-driven (another descriptive often thrown around incorrectly to certain SFF books) so maybe the lack of focus on plot is something that's outside of the comfort zone of fantasy readers. I'd urge people to try other genres, even other mediums, and you'll find equally disturbing characters everywhere with not many people taking umbrage with those authors/creators. Read any Scandinavian noir or a Karin Slaughter book and you'll find yourself crawling out of your own skin with disgust. I just don't think Jorg is quite as shocking as some of these other things... Anywho... Back to the book.
"That terrible two-edged sword called experience, cutting away at the cruel child I was, carving out whatever man might be yet to come. I promised a better one. Though I have been known to lie."
I loved everything. I loved the mood that Lawrence sets. The dark fantasy, gothic horror atmosphere blended with an intriguing unraveling mystery, a fractured weaving timeline and a little splash of sci-fi sprinkled on top really hit the mark for me as a reader. Not to mention this gritty, oppressive tone is just exactly my brand of whiskey. I can't read it all the time, but if I had to write a fantasy, it'd be something like this. As an aspiring writer, the highest praise I can give anything is "fuck, I wish I'd written this." It's also important to note that the book can be pretty fucking hilarious! I laughed my ass so many times, the delivery and "comedic timing" in the writing was just perfect sometimes. A kinship between the UK and us Irish folk is black humour in the face of doom. (I'm also half Spanish, specifically Galician, so I appreciated the matter of fact ironic humour too)
"The way I’d put it,” said Makin, “is that Rike can’t make an omelet without wading thigh deep in the blood of chickens and wearing their entrails as a necklace."
Please bear with me as I whip out the university words, but I loved the juxtaposition of stunning, evocative prose amidst some of the ugliest scenes. It's really something when you read a line that is both beautiful and fucking twisted at the same time.
"Memory is all we are. Moments and feelings, captured in amber, strung on filaments of reason. Take a man’s memories and you take all of him. Chip away a memory at a time and you destroy him as surely as if you hammered nail after nail through his skull."
And some of the themes at play are really thought-provoking and subtly examined across a very deliberate pacing. Jorg's wrestling with his own suppressed empathy was really fascinating, as was the examination of nature vs nurture. Jorg being confronted by Makin, Katherine or even his grandmother in some really brilliant scenes were some of my favourite moments.
"'I was consumed by me, by what I wanted. Nothing else mattered. Not my life, not anyone's life. All of it was a price worth paying. All of it was worth staking on long odds just for the chance to win.'
Makin snorted. 'That's a place everyone visits on their way from child to man. You just went native'"
Lawrence presents us with uncomfortable questions like the nature of evil. Are people really just monsters, psychopaths, sociopaths any time they do something horrendous? Usually no, they might just be people like any of us. The circumstances can be more complex than we care to consider most of the time. So I understand not "enjoying" these books in that sense. But I absolutely loved it. I love when authors can really challenge me, make me uncomfortable, ask me questions and push the boundaries of my empathy.
There's a difference between liking a person, understanding a person and empathising with that person.
"All of us fractured, awkward collages of experience wrapped tight to present a defensible face to the world. And what makes us human is that sometimes we snap."
One of the best fantasy books I've ever read, maybe one of the best books! If it were marketed as a straight up post-apocalyptic horror, I'm sure the discourse around it would be much different.
If you happen to read this Mr. Lawrence, thanks very much! I found a lot of inspiration here for my own writing.
I recently read a wonderful little blog post by Mark Lawrence where he succinctly summed up my thoughts on "good writing" and the many facets we readers look for in books, whether subconsciously or not.
Beautiful prose, strong page-turny storytelling, a unique narrative voice, strong themes, vivid descriptions, perhaps a tone or a setting that is simply to your taste, or even a blending of your favourite "genre" elements.
King of Thorns had everything that tickles my pickle. With the best prose I've read from Mark Lawrence yet. I'm going to paste some quotes in here to make this review seem more important.
"Sometimes I wished I could cut away old memories and let the wind take them. If a sharp knife could pare away the weakness of those days, I would slice until nothing but the hard lessons remained."
Much like I said when I read Prince of Thorns - another great little book - I don't quite understand some of the discourse around these books. Well, I understand it, but I just don't get it, y'know?
I understand not liking a main character, absolutely, and the book not being to your taste. But Jorg is not a one-note edgelord psychopath written by a moody teenager... He's quite a fascinating and complex piece of shit written by a super talented author at the top of his game. And I loved reading about his journey. It takes some real skill to subtly show a character like this maturing and maybe growing a conscience as he ages. I'm not sure what it says about me, but I think I like the character. PoT feels like an intentional depiction of a horrible little prick, just being who he is. This book very intentionally (or so it feels) expands on who this person is and why. And whether he is justified or not in some of his actions, you're forced to examine your own reaction to him. But even though you can't condone most of what he does, there are still things that anyone can relate to, just about life, trauma and abuse.
There aren't many fantasy stories that are this intensely character-driven (another descriptive often thrown around incorrectly to certain SFF books) so maybe the lack of focus on plot is something that's outside of the comfort zone of fantasy readers. I'd urge people to try other genres, even other mediums, and you'll find equally disturbing characters everywhere with not many people taking umbrage with those authors/creators. Read any Scandinavian noir or a Karin Slaughter book and you'll find yourself crawling out of your own skin with disgust. I just don't think Jorg is quite as shocking as some of these other things... Anywho... Back to the book.
"That terrible two-edged sword called experience, cutting away at the cruel child I was, carving out whatever man might be yet to come. I promised a better one. Though I have been known to lie."
I loved everything. I loved the mood that Lawrence sets. The dark fantasy, gothic horror atmosphere blended with an intriguing unraveling mystery, a fractured weaving timeline and a little splash of sci-fi sprinkled on top really hit the mark for me as a reader. Not to mention this gritty, oppressive tone is just exactly my brand of whiskey. I can't read it all the time, but if I had to write a fantasy, it'd be something like this. As an aspiring writer, the highest praise I can give anything is "fuck, I wish I'd written this." It's also important to note that the book can be pretty fucking hilarious! I laughed my ass so many times, the delivery and "comedic timing" in the writing was just perfect sometimes. A kinship between the UK and us Irish folk is black humour in the face of doom. (I'm also half Spanish, specifically Galician, so I appreciated the matter of fact ironic humour too)
"The way I’d put it,” said Makin, “is that Rike can’t make an omelet without wading thigh deep in the blood of chickens and wearing their entrails as a necklace."
Please bear with me as I whip out the university words, but I loved the juxtaposition of stunning, evocative prose amidst some of the ugliest scenes. It's really something when you read a line that is both beautiful and fucking twisted at the same time.
"Memory is all we are. Moments and feelings, captured in amber, strung on filaments of reason. Take a man’s memories and you take all of him. Chip away a memory at a time and you destroy him as surely as if you hammered nail after nail through his skull."
And some of the themes at play are really thought-provoking and subtly examined across a very deliberate pacing. Jorg's wrestling with his own suppressed empathy was really fascinating, as was the examination of nature vs nurture. Jorg being confronted by Makin, Katherine or even his grandmother in some really brilliant scenes were some of my favourite moments.
"'I was consumed by me, by what I wanted. Nothing else mattered. Not my life, not anyone's life. All of it was a price worth paying. All of it was worth staking on long odds just for the chance to win.'
Makin snorted. 'That's a place everyone visits on their way from child to man. You just went native'"
Lawrence presents us with uncomfortable questions like the nature of evil. Are people really just monsters, psychopaths, sociopaths any time they do something horrendous? Usually no, they might just be people like any of us. The circumstances can be more complex than we care to consider most of the time. So I understand not "enjoying" these books in that sense. But I absolutely loved it. I love when authors can really challenge me, make me uncomfortable, ask me questions and push the boundaries of my empathy.
There's a difference between liking a person, understanding a person and empathising with that person.
"All of us fractured, awkward collages of experience wrapped tight to present a defensible face to the world. And what makes us human is that sometimes we snap."
One of the best fantasy books I've ever read, maybe one of the best books! If it were marketed as a straight up post-apocalyptic horror, I'm sure the discourse around it would be much different.
If you happen to read this Mr. Lawrence, thanks very much! I found a lot of inspiration here for my own writing.
More violence by Mr. Lawrence and his protagonist, Jorg. But he does manage to keep things interesting in spite of the rather predictable story arc. But I guess it is the details that matter and here the detail are, as I say, interesting. I just wish I was as smart (though not as violent) as Jorg. Next up, the Emperor......
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love the cleverness of this world. It blends science and magic, that leaves you confused and curious to know more without trying to explain every detail of the magic!
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced