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eaili's review against another edition
2.0
Storywise ok, but got really annoyed at the tone of the main PoV character. The language was also quite "clumsy", which might be due to the translation. The Audible narration by Michael Page made the book thrice better though.
tasharobinson's review against another edition
2.0
There are some interesting ideas in this fantasy franchise-starter, first of a lengthy French series—primarily, the overplot about a generations-old mystery, where representatives of many countries were summoned by a strange envoy to a remote island, where something mysterious happened, killing some of the representatives and marking the others for life. The story follows some of their descendants, who are trusted with part of the secret of what happened on the island; when assassins start eliminating all the heirs, a few band together for survival. It's a compelling idea, but the execution is stilted and feels like an RPG videogame, complete with a set of characters that amount to fantasy cliches: the ranger, the barbarian, the rogue, the mage, and worst of all, the useless girl who needs rescuing a lot. There's no strong central character, and the POV shifts from paragraph to paragraph in an amateurish way. There are a lot of piled-up adverbs and mid-sentence explanations of how the characters feel about what they're saying: "'We should go left,' she abruptly said jokingly, wondering whether the others thought she knew more than she was saying. She didn't." That kind of thing. Maybe it's the translation, but the language and the storytelling both seem excessively blunt. And the central romance is pretty tedious: There's a naive young guy pining for Rescue Object Girl, but he's too meek to speak up about it, and keeps giving up on her if she looks at him crossly or smiles at someone else. Rescue Object Girl, meanwhile, is a thinly characterized, sheltered complainer who's perpetually angry about another character's sexist stereotypes, but keeps living up to them by responding to them with ineffectual tantrums and pouting. And the ending is so abrupt that it doesn't feel like a cliffhanger, so much as like someone forgot to tack on the final three chapters. Interesting enough while I was reading it and waiting to see how it developed, but by the end, I wondered why I'd stuck with it.
lark_spur's review
3.0
So this is the first book in a planned series, so the ending was a little... unsatisfying. But I enjoyed the characters and it is a nice, light, entertaining audiobook. The character development and world-building were enough to keep me interested and there was plenty of action. I plan to listen to more of the series.
ljstrain28's review against another edition
I was intrigued by the beginning, but lost interest when the characters started interacting. It felt flat to me. Also, the author and I seemed to be at cross purposes, he wanted to focus on Yan and I wanted nothing to do with him. Others may have a different experience. good luck!
silea's review against another edition
3.0
Easy to read but easy to put down. I'm not sure i'd continue on to book 2 except that i already have it in hand.
tosca2005's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
laphenix's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning of an exciting adventure with strong characters and unexpected heroes.
old_tim's review against another edition
2.0
My curiosity was raised when I read that Grimbert’s Ji series was a bestseller in France. My experience with French SFF has been limited to some comics and archaic Arthurian texts, so I wanted to see what Grimbert had to offer. Unfortunately, Six Heirs doesn’t offer anything that can’t be easily found here in America.
The setup is good, and out of the ordinary. Several generations earlier, a stranger traveled to all the various kingdoms & requested that they each send a representative to the small island of Ji on a particular day. When the day arrives, the assembled representatives go off with the stranger, & seemingly disappear. Eventually a small group of surviving representatives return, but refuse to discuss where they went or what happened. Their descendants create a tradition of gathering every few years to honor the memory of their ancestors, and to celebrate the extended family that they have become. In the present day, on the eve of one such gathering, a murderous cult begins assassinating the titular Heirs of Ji. As they try to avoid the assassins, the small group of survivors gathers together to attempt to determine exactly what is going on.
Despite the premise, the execution of Six Heirs comes off as something that you feel like you’ve read before. This is in part due to the reliance of well-worn tropes in the story and characterizations. The setting is solidly faux European, with many small feudal states that don’t really feel differentiated. The characters themselves fall into near cliché. We have the mage (Corenn), the barbarian (Bowbaq), the rogue (Rey), the warrior (Grigan), and the young people (Leti & Yan, who do double duty as the romance subplot). None of this is particularly well differentiated from piles of cookie cutter fantasy that you have probably read.
Concerning the prose itself, I was underwhelmed. It is workmanlike and functional, but nothing more. That may or may not be a function of the translation. If anything it reminded me of the numerous Tolkien clones published in the 1970s.
It’s also worth noting that Six Heirs does not really function as a standalone novel. By the end of the story, Grimbert gives us no resolution to any of the primary plot points or character arcs. In this regard, Six Heirs seems to be more of a multipage introduction to the series than an episode.
At its best, Six Heirs is a functional enough epic fantasy for a YA reader. Fans of Eddings, Brooks, etc may very likely be intrigued by the story of Ji. A reader looking for more sophisticated storytelling will be disappointed.
The setup is good, and out of the ordinary. Several generations earlier, a stranger traveled to all the various kingdoms & requested that they each send a representative to the small island of Ji on a particular day. When the day arrives, the assembled representatives go off with the stranger, & seemingly disappear. Eventually a small group of surviving representatives return, but refuse to discuss where they went or what happened. Their descendants create a tradition of gathering every few years to honor the memory of their ancestors, and to celebrate the extended family that they have become. In the present day, on the eve of one such gathering, a murderous cult begins assassinating the titular Heirs of Ji. As they try to avoid the assassins, the small group of survivors gathers together to attempt to determine exactly what is going on.
Despite the premise, the execution of Six Heirs comes off as something that you feel like you’ve read before. This is in part due to the reliance of well-worn tropes in the story and characterizations. The setting is solidly faux European, with many small feudal states that don’t really feel differentiated. The characters themselves fall into near cliché. We have the mage (Corenn), the barbarian (Bowbaq), the rogue (Rey), the warrior (Grigan), and the young people (Leti & Yan, who do double duty as the romance subplot). None of this is particularly well differentiated from piles of cookie cutter fantasy that you have probably read.
Concerning the prose itself, I was underwhelmed. It is workmanlike and functional, but nothing more. That may or may not be a function of the translation. If anything it reminded me of the numerous Tolkien clones published in the 1970s.
It’s also worth noting that Six Heirs does not really function as a standalone novel. By the end of the story, Grimbert gives us no resolution to any of the primary plot points or character arcs. In this regard, Six Heirs seems to be more of a multipage introduction to the series than an episode.
At its best, Six Heirs is a functional enough epic fantasy for a YA reader. Fans of Eddings, Brooks, etc may very likely be intrigued by the story of Ji. A reader looking for more sophisticated storytelling will be disappointed.
wolfpack75's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting start that ends without really telling you anything about the central mysteries. The secret of Ji was easy to figure out long before it was revealed, the second mystery of who is killing the heirs was barely addressed. Hopefully the story moves a bit more quickly in the subsequent books.
Of special note when reading the ebook it is difficult to look up Dekade, Deciday, Centiday, and Milliday in the glossary (which is in the back). Since the characters mention the various divisions a lot I thought it best to include them below. It is obvious that this is a time keeping system which is built on tens. However the specifics are as follows:
Dekade: 10 days: prime, dēs, terce, quart, quint, sixt, septime, octes, nones, & term
Centiday: 1/10 of a Deciday or ~14 minutes
Deciday: 1/10 of a Day or ~2 hrs 25 minutes
Milliday: 1/10 of a Centiday or ~1 min & 26 seconds
Overall, very much worth the read. Look forward to continuing the series.
Of special note when reading the ebook it is difficult to look up Dekade, Deciday, Centiday, and Milliday in the glossary (which is in the back). Since the characters mention the various divisions a lot I thought it best to include them below. It is obvious that this is a time keeping system which is built on tens. However the specifics are as follows:
Dekade: 10 days: prime, dēs, terce, quart, quint, sixt, septime, octes, nones, & term
Centiday: 1/10 of a Deciday or ~14 minutes
Deciday: 1/10 of a Day or ~2 hrs 25 minutes
Milliday: 1/10 of a Centiday or ~1 min & 26 seconds
Overall, very much worth the read. Look forward to continuing the series.
easolinas's review
3.0
Some of the best high fantasy worlds are the ones with a sense of scope -- you can feel that there are lands and cultures outside what you necessarily see.
And Pierre Grimbert constructs a pretty epic world in "The Secret of Ji: Six Heirs," constructing all sorts of different societies with wildly different cultures -- not to mention magical gifts like talking to animals in a REALISTIC way. But the well-developed fantasy world is somewhat hampered by clunky prose and a tendency to use too many "fantasy" words.
About a hundred and twenty years ago, emissaries were summoned from various lands -- a king, a sage, a duke, a soldier, a matriarch and others -- to the island of Ji. They vanished for two months, and when they returned, three were dead and the survivors were profoundly changed. Many years later the emissaries reunited, and since their deaths, their children and grandchildren have continued the get-togethers.
But as the latest get-together approaches, Züu assassins are killing off heirs of the Ji emissaries. The survivors -- including the slacker Reyan, villager Yan, his sweetheart Léti and Bowbaq from the frozen wastelands -- begin working to keep themselves and/or their relatives safe from the Züu. But as they come closer to the mysterious Secret of Ji, they also come closer to the fanatical cultists determined to kill them all.
A lot of the enjoyment of "The Secret of Ji: Six Heirs" comes from the world that Grimbert has sketched out -- frozen plains, a matriarchal democracy, shadowy cities full of dissolute wastrels. He pours so much densely-paceked detail into his fantasy world that at times it's necessary to stop and breathe. General tip: keep checking the glossary at the back of the book, just so you don't be totally confused about the calendar system, the major deities and even the animal life.
However, the writing tends to be rather clunky ("How could she not know that, she who had studied the history of Ith?"), although it's not clear whether the choppy portions are due to bad translation or if Grimbert just needs some tempering. He also has a tendency to use made-up words more often than he should ("centidays," "Union" instead of marriage, "dékades" instead of months).
Despite this problem, Grimbert does do an excellent job fleshing out his characters, and (in the case of Rey) changing them on a vital level. Much of the first third of the book is devoted to introducing the characters -- the naive young amazon, her shy smitten love interest, a wanderer who can talk to animals, and so on -- and by the time the adventure starts, they feel very well-developed.
"The Secret of Ji: Six Heirs" has some bumps in Pierre Grimbert's writing style, but the intense world-building and likable characters make this a solid high fantasy -- especially for those seeking something more than the usual Tolkien knockoffs.
And Pierre Grimbert constructs a pretty epic world in "The Secret of Ji: Six Heirs," constructing all sorts of different societies with wildly different cultures -- not to mention magical gifts like talking to animals in a REALISTIC way. But the well-developed fantasy world is somewhat hampered by clunky prose and a tendency to use too many "fantasy" words.
About a hundred and twenty years ago, emissaries were summoned from various lands -- a king, a sage, a duke, a soldier, a matriarch and others -- to the island of Ji. They vanished for two months, and when they returned, three were dead and the survivors were profoundly changed. Many years later the emissaries reunited, and since their deaths, their children and grandchildren have continued the get-togethers.
But as the latest get-together approaches, Züu assassins are killing off heirs of the Ji emissaries. The survivors -- including the slacker Reyan, villager Yan, his sweetheart Léti and Bowbaq from the frozen wastelands -- begin working to keep themselves and/or their relatives safe from the Züu. But as they come closer to the mysterious Secret of Ji, they also come closer to the fanatical cultists determined to kill them all.
A lot of the enjoyment of "The Secret of Ji: Six Heirs" comes from the world that Grimbert has sketched out -- frozen plains, a matriarchal democracy, shadowy cities full of dissolute wastrels. He pours so much densely-paceked detail into his fantasy world that at times it's necessary to stop and breathe. General tip: keep checking the glossary at the back of the book, just so you don't be totally confused about the calendar system, the major deities and even the animal life.
However, the writing tends to be rather clunky ("How could she not know that, she who had studied the history of Ith?"), although it's not clear whether the choppy portions are due to bad translation or if Grimbert just needs some tempering. He also has a tendency to use made-up words more often than he should ("centidays," "Union" instead of marriage, "dékades" instead of months).
Despite this problem, Grimbert does do an excellent job fleshing out his characters, and (in the case of Rey) changing them on a vital level. Much of the first third of the book is devoted to introducing the characters -- the naive young amazon, her shy smitten love interest, a wanderer who can talk to animals, and so on -- and by the time the adventure starts, they feel very well-developed.
"The Secret of Ji: Six Heirs" has some bumps in Pierre Grimbert's writing style, but the intense world-building and likable characters make this a solid high fantasy -- especially for those seeking something more than the usual Tolkien knockoffs.