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nh64's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bethanharcourt's review
4.0
I really thought that the end events of this book would be the end events of the whole book. The fact that it wasn't makes me very excited to finish this series and see where this could possibly go next. It was also nice to catch up with some characters and get to know them a little bit more.
bea's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
If you liked The Many-Coloured Land, then chances are you'll like this too. Following on directly from where the first book leaves off, The Golden Torc takes us south and into the intrigue-ridden court of Muriah. Allegiances and factions of all shapes and sizes vie for supremacy and, ultimately, glory as The Grand Combat sacred to the Tanu and Firvulag battle-religion fast approaches.
I adore the premise of this series and I love the direction that is taken in this instalment. The politics of the world are expanded upon with a huge cast of characters plotting and scheming amid a rapidly evolving backdrop. This is where this book really shines and excels compared to the first book. The world-building continues to be excellent and we get a much deeper look at Tanu history and culture. The interaction between all the races in this book is fascinating and despite the varied motivations and stances of different characters and factions influenced by differences in culture, history, both collective and personal, it is surprisingly easy to follow where everyone stands and how their positions evolve.
Much like the first book, however, I found that the characters are one-dimensional and generally speaking lack depth and room for growth. There are exceptions, however these characters seemed to get less time than I think they deserved. I also found that most pivotal and climactic moments felt hollow and failed to live up to the build-up to them, so while I enjoy the overall story beats, the execution of them leaves you feeling a little short-changed. Further to that, most action scenes are a slog to read and there are plenty of examples of needlessly obtuse passages describing metafunctions and the like which just seem to bog the story down and kill any momentum that had been generated by political intrigue.
Despite my criticisms though, I find a lot to like about this series so far. It's fun and pulpy, at times absurd and eye-raising, and it never feels too heavy despite some grim scenes. The overall story is intriguing, the world-building intricate and the end of this novel leaves me excited for more.
I adore the premise of this series and I love the direction that is taken in this instalment. The politics of the world are expanded upon with a huge cast of characters plotting and scheming amid a rapidly evolving backdrop. This is where this book really shines and excels compared to the first book. The world-building continues to be excellent and we get a much deeper look at Tanu history and culture. The interaction between all the races in this book is fascinating and despite the varied motivations and stances of different characters and factions influenced by differences in culture, history, both collective and personal, it is surprisingly easy to follow where everyone stands and how their positions evolve.
Much like the first book, however, I found that the characters are one-dimensional and generally speaking lack depth and room for growth. There are exceptions, however these characters seemed to get less time than I think they deserved. I also found that most pivotal and climactic moments felt hollow and failed to live up to the build-up to them, so while I enjoy the overall story beats, the execution of them leaves you feeling a little short-changed. Further to that, most action scenes are a slog to read and there are plenty of examples of needlessly obtuse passages describing metafunctions and the like which just seem to bog the story down and kill any momentum that had been generated by political intrigue.
Despite my criticisms though, I find a lot to like about this series so far. It's fun and pulpy, at times absurd and eye-raising, and it never feels too heavy despite some grim scenes. The overall story is intriguing, the world-building intricate and the end of this novel leaves me excited for more.
vintonole's review
4.0
I first heard the plot of this book described during lunch in the cafeteria of my high school. I'm very happy to finally have read it for myself. It does not disappoint, although knowing what was going to happen probably dulled the shock of the ending a bit. In any case, really like how the author wove the fantastical elements of the story together with scientific speculation on possibly actual geologic events. I'm looking forward to the next two books in the series to see how this saga plays out.
mgeake's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jvan's review against another edition
2.0
As with the previous book, my memory made this seem better than it is. 2.5 stars for this one; it's a more focused book and more enjoyable for that. But Stein continues to be toxic as hell, making his wife break down and then against her will shutting off her mental powers, because she might use them to talk to people other than him. This after he screws everything up repeatedly by being unable to keep quiet about anything ever, and also by committing outrageous crimes. Somehow everyone values him enough to work to keep him alive, for reasons I cannot begin to fathom. Fortunately, he essentially will not reappear after the end of this book when (somehow) his wife is happy with him. Other issues that I never paid much attention to: the tidal wave at the end is too vastly improbable given the circumstances; why didn't the folks there at the end just fly away, as many of them could; how could the Tanu and the Firvulag survive their annual slaughter which in this book kills several thousand humans (the mainstay of the Tanu side) and plenty of Firvulag and some Tanu. Even recognizing that it was an exceptional year in that regard, the regular games would be full of deaths, too. The rather small numbers of population they have and the frightfully slow reproductive rate of the Tanu would eliminate the species pretty quickly, especially once you add in the Hunts taking their toll on the Firvulag by the hundreds collectively.
satashan's review
3.0
Even though it's Julian May, I had a hard time getting into this second book. It picked up after the middle though a d I enjoyed the last half a lot more!
ottopivnr's review against another edition
5.0
So much good world building, with attention to the mythical detail that made it so clever. One series I always enjoy re-reading. RIP Julian May
missmultitasking's review against another edition
4.0
Me ha gustado menos que el anterior, pero era de esperar cuando no hay el elemento sorpresa.
Esta vez se ha centrado más en acción fantástica típica y menos en la amalgama de consecuencias temporales, mucho más interesantes que no la típica super batalla de final de libro.
No me acaba de gustar lo que hace con ciertos personajes, especialmente lo de volver inútiles a unos mientras otros se vuelven super poderosisisimos de las maneras más incómodas. Y a ver si para el 3o ya abandona a los cansinos de Stein y Sukey, que no le interesan a nadie, coñe.
Esta vez se ha centrado más en acción fantástica típica y menos en la amalgama de consecuencias temporales, mucho más interesantes que no la típica super batalla de final de libro.
No me acaba de gustar lo que hace con ciertos personajes, especialmente lo de volver inútiles a unos mientras otros se vuelven super poderosisisimos de las maneras más incómodas. Y a ver si para el 3o ya abandona a los cansinos de Stein y Sukey, que no le interesan a nadie, coñe.
internpepper's review against another edition
4.0
I thought that this was improved from the first book - the plot and setting is still awesome and now we have more focus on characters and political intrigue.