Scan barcode
willrefuge's review
3.0
6.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/03/19/montego-by-brian-mcclellan-review/
Montego al’Bou is new to the capital, twelve years old but with a frame any man grown would be jealous of. A peasant from the hinterlands, he has come to fulfill his grandmother’s dying wish—that he might be fostered by one of the influential noble families and become a successful, educated man. Montego has his own dreams, however. He dreams of following in his grandmother’s footsteps; of being a famed cudgelist and forging his own path.
Either way, Ossa is the place to do it.
Unfortunately, the capital is not what Montego imagined. The greatest sin is to be born without money—while being born a peasant is a close second—something the nobles are quick to remind him of. Still, fostered by the Grappo family, he’s fresh on his way to a good education and dutiful employment, if that’s what he wishes. Yet he fails to feel any sense of belonging in his new home.
Head of the noble family, severe Adriana Grappo is distant and busy, so much so that he rarely sees her. Her son, Demir, is younger than Montego, though he acts so much more than his ten years would suggest. While he is expected to study and progress, cudgeling isn’t something Montego is prohibited from, and he quickly seeks it out. But without money or status it’s going to be hard to make a name for himself. Luckily, he isn’t alone.
—
Serving as an introduction to the Glass Immortals’ series, Montego is a bit lackluster. It starts off with a bang—an orphan, abandoned in the capital, set to be fostered and brought up but possessed of dreams of his own and… yeah, an at-odds blurb. The pace quickly drops away to nothing, with the first half of the novella dedicated to setting up the conclusion, and (I assume) filling in the backstory of Montego from In the Shadow of Lightning.
Serving as a way to gain additional insight into the Glass Immortals’ series, you know, get a little background, read between the lines, flesh out the characters a little more before diving back into Book #2 (whenever it’s released)—I mean, I assume this is the way to go. But as I haven’t finished Book #1 proper, I can’t say for certain.
This novella took its sweet time getting going, though once it did I was well-invested with the outcome. Unfortunately, given its length, that outcome was over all too quickly.
Still, Montego provides an interesting plot, and interesting setting, and a decently entertaining story. As a novella, it’s a little short on substance and details, but still a quick read to bridge the gap between one book and the next. Plus, it’ll provide backstory on Demir and Montego, Kizzie and Adriana. I’d mostly recommend it for returning fans of the series, however, if you’re a fan of the author that hasn’t read his newest novel, it does serve as an adequate introduction.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/03/19/montego-by-brian-mcclellan-review/
Montego al’Bou is new to the capital, twelve years old but with a frame any man grown would be jealous of. A peasant from the hinterlands, he has come to fulfill his grandmother’s dying wish—that he might be fostered by one of the influential noble families and become a successful, educated man. Montego has his own dreams, however. He dreams of following in his grandmother’s footsteps; of being a famed cudgelist and forging his own path.
Either way, Ossa is the place to do it.
Unfortunately, the capital is not what Montego imagined. The greatest sin is to be born without money—while being born a peasant is a close second—something the nobles are quick to remind him of. Still, fostered by the Grappo family, he’s fresh on his way to a good education and dutiful employment, if that’s what he wishes. Yet he fails to feel any sense of belonging in his new home.
Head of the noble family, severe Adriana Grappo is distant and busy, so much so that he rarely sees her. Her son, Demir, is younger than Montego, though he acts so much more than his ten years would suggest. While he is expected to study and progress, cudgeling isn’t something Montego is prohibited from, and he quickly seeks it out. But without money or status it’s going to be hard to make a name for himself. Luckily, he isn’t alone.
—
Serving as an introduction to the Glass Immortals’ series, Montego is a bit lackluster. It starts off with a bang—an orphan, abandoned in the capital, set to be fostered and brought up but possessed of dreams of his own and… yeah, an at-odds blurb. The pace quickly drops away to nothing, with the first half of the novella dedicated to setting up the conclusion, and (I assume) filling in the backstory of Montego from In the Shadow of Lightning.
Serving as a way to gain additional insight into the Glass Immortals’ series, you know, get a little background, read between the lines, flesh out the characters a little more before diving back into Book #2 (whenever it’s released)—I mean, I assume this is the way to go. But as I haven’t finished Book #1 proper, I can’t say for certain.
This novella took its sweet time getting going, though once it did I was well-invested with the outcome. Unfortunately, given its length, that outcome was over all too quickly.
Still, Montego provides an interesting plot, and interesting setting, and a decently entertaining story. As a novella, it’s a little short on substance and details, but still a quick read to bridge the gap between one book and the next. Plus, it’ll provide backstory on Demir and Montego, Kizzie and Adriana. I’d mostly recommend it for returning fans of the series, however, if you’re a fan of the author that hasn’t read his newest novel, it does serve as an adequate introduction.
madmooney's review
5.0
[b:Montego: A Glass Immortals Novella|123177240|Montego A Glass Immortals Novella (Glass Immortals)|Brian McClellan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678115871l/123177240._SY75_.jpg|144477673] is a book that could have easily be written outside of the Glass Immortals fantasy universe. The story could easily transposed to any time period in this world, it is a very human story.
That said, the title will be a treat to anyone who wants more insight into the friendship between Montego, Izzie and Demir, nineteen years prior to the events of betrayal and exile in [b:In the Shadow of Lightning|58724872|In the Shadow of Lightning (Glass Immortals, #1)|Brian McClellan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637678811l/58724872._SY75_.jpg|73949595].
That said, the title will be a treat to anyone who wants more insight into the friendship between Montego, Izzie and Demir, nineteen years prior to the events of betrayal and exile in [b:In the Shadow of Lightning|58724872|In the Shadow of Lightning (Glass Immortals, #1)|Brian McClellan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637678811l/58724872._SY75_.jpg|73949595].
sepptb's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
dboyd22's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
cwebb's review
4.0
Got an eARC, and was immediately drawn back in to the Glass Immortals world.
The story never gets boring, but also not overly complicated so neither are there too many people or too many details that you'd have to know from #1. So it can be a good starting point for new readers, or a nice pickup for readers of the previous book
The story never gets boring, but also not overly complicated so neither are there too many people or too many details that you'd have to know from #1. So it can be a good starting point for new readers, or a nice pickup for readers of the previous book
jaredwsaltz's review
4.0
Brian McClellan writes really enjoyable novellas. He's really good at providing snapshots of characters and stories that wouldn't fit into the tighter narrative that is required for a novel and the main story, but you wish you knew. This is such a story. Set as a prequel of sorts to his new series, the Glass Immortals, this short story tells how Baby Montego came to be a member of the House and gives us just a bit of his background--just the ticket after his excellent showing and cliffhanger note at the end of the first Glass Immortals volume!
As a novella, there's only so much that can happen. But this did what I like to see in short stories set in the middle of a broader world--expanding our view of what is possible for characters and setting while looking at someone we wish we had more time with in the main series. If you like the Glass Immortals, you'd like this.
(I got this as part of a Kickstarter!)
As a novella, there's only so much that can happen. But this did what I like to see in short stories set in the middle of a broader world--expanding our view of what is possible for characters and setting while looking at someone we wish we had more time with in the main series. If you like the Glass Immortals, you'd like this.
(I got this as part of a Kickstarter!)
odcosta's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Perfect fix while waiting for the sequel to In the Shadow of Lightning
coreysees's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lukeh_g's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kolby_durocher's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5