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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
This was so nearly a 5 star read. The last quarter (ish?) of the book wasn’t really my thing, I LOVED that the main character never talked, the goat was PERFECT and honestly I adored every character and thought they were all really well developed. I loved all the things which happened in the book to a point, but I had 0 interest in the main storyline/goal in the story. Overall a really good and worthwhile read, the writing was superb
I loved this book. The Story was really interesting and kept me engrossed.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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:
Complicated
The Vagrant is a dystopian story about a man, a baby, and a goat and the people they meet along the way. It is very well written but at times it is hard to follow. There are moving moments, funny moments and action.
I won this book through a giveaway.
I won this book through a giveaway.
I was looking forward to this book so much but it just did not delivery. I like the premise, I like the main characters, and I like the beginning of the book. But after the beginning it starts going down hill. It's just missing something. And I am disappointed. I'm glad it wasn't a cliffhanger ending.
A new favourite.
A mute man, a baby and a goat, that was all I had to hear about this book to pick it up. This is one that, I think, slips under the radar somewhat. People take one look at the synopsis and think that a mute protagonist isn’t going to make the reader care about him, his mission or the world he lives in.
How can you enjoy a character so much when he doesn’t speak? How can you learn his motive and his emotions. It shouldn’t work, but my goodness it does work, it works in such a beautifully unique and abstract way. The Vagrant doesn’t utter a single word, his means of communication are much more subtle. A look, an expression, his actions. His story starts eight years prior and is told through intermittent flashback chapters. Normally, time jumps are a real annoyance for me. I find they interrupt the flow of the story and break the pace. In the Vagrant however they are essential. They tell the story that the Vagrant himself can’t tell. Giving the reader a glimpse into what drives this badass hero forward. They start eight years ago and slowly come to the where the story began. The Vagrant as a protagonist has become one of my favourites. He does whatever is necessary to succeed in his mission to get the baby to the north. But he has compassion and makes sacrifices along the way. He saves those he can and protects those that need help. True heroic qualities in a man that is a complete badass with his own mysterious singing sword.
The world was built up slowly which I appreciated as I find a sci-fi/dystopian worlds hard to grasp, especially if the book starts out with an info dump. Which thankfully this one didn’t. The world itself felt to me a lot like a mix of the video games ‘Fallout’ and ‘Dark Souls’. (Two of my favourites by the way.)
It’s bleak, miserable and full of terrors and mutations. Beautifully written and very believable.
I would like to give a huge mention to the cast of side characters that made this book even more impressive. Whilst one of the deaths in this book didn’t make sense and left me feeling quite sad, the other characters and their stories were a welcome distraction. One of my favourites was the Goat. The damn stubborn Goat. Vital for the baby’s survival, there is no doubt her role is important. I was sure that it was going to get eaten very early on in the book, since reading though, I now know that goats are quite resilient.
I both read the paperback and listened to the audiobook at the same time to read this. Something I have been doing to help me with books I find more challenging, for personal reasons.
I would highly recommend the audiobook, Jot Davies narrates it and does a spectacular job. All the characters are distinct and well recognisable. The voice is also well suited to the story.
I’m so happy I picked up this book and it has now found a comfy place on my favourites shelf. Now I’m going to spend the rest of my day off playing Fallout.
A mute man, a baby and a goat, that was all I had to hear about this book to pick it up. This is one that, I think, slips under the radar somewhat. People take one look at the synopsis and think that a mute protagonist isn’t going to make the reader care about him, his mission or the world he lives in.
How can you enjoy a character so much when he doesn’t speak? How can you learn his motive and his emotions. It shouldn’t work, but my goodness it does work, it works in such a beautifully unique and abstract way. The Vagrant doesn’t utter a single word, his means of communication are much more subtle. A look, an expression, his actions. His story starts eight years prior and is told through intermittent flashback chapters. Normally, time jumps are a real annoyance for me. I find they interrupt the flow of the story and break the pace. In the Vagrant however they are essential. They tell the story that the Vagrant himself can’t tell. Giving the reader a glimpse into what drives this badass hero forward. They start eight years ago and slowly come to the where the story began. The Vagrant as a protagonist has become one of my favourites. He does whatever is necessary to succeed in his mission to get the baby to the north. But he has compassion and makes sacrifices along the way. He saves those he can and protects those that need help. True heroic qualities in a man that is a complete badass with his own mysterious singing sword.
The world was built up slowly which I appreciated as I find a sci-fi/dystopian worlds hard to grasp, especially if the book starts out with an info dump. Which thankfully this one didn’t. The world itself felt to me a lot like a mix of the video games ‘Fallout’ and ‘Dark Souls’. (Two of my favourites by the way.)
It’s bleak, miserable and full of terrors and mutations. Beautifully written and very believable.
I would like to give a huge mention to the cast of side characters that made this book even more impressive. Whilst one of the deaths in this book didn’t make sense and left me feeling quite sad, the other characters and their stories were a welcome distraction. One of my favourites was the Goat. The damn stubborn Goat. Vital for the baby’s survival, there is no doubt her role is important. I was sure that it was going to get eaten very early on in the book, since reading though, I now know that goats are quite resilient.
I both read the paperback and listened to the audiobook at the same time to read this. Something I have been doing to help me with books I find more challenging, for personal reasons.
I would highly recommend the audiobook, Jot Davies narrates it and does a spectacular job. All the characters are distinct and well recognisable. The voice is also well suited to the story.
I’m so happy I picked up this book and it has now found a comfy place on my favourites shelf. Now I’m going to spend the rest of my day off playing Fallout.
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The Vagrant was an ambitious book, original and thoughtful, though I wouldn’t say it totally triumphed. The Vagrant himself is sword wielding mute headed for the last safe haven for humans as demons continue to integrate and take over the population. Personally, I think that would be incredibly difficult to write a mute as a main character successfully. From a writer’s perspective, I commend Newman. I don’t think I could’ve done a better job of it at all. From a female reader’s perspective, however, it was difficult for me. I had a hard time connecting with the character because not only does he not speak, but the writing gives us little insight to his thoughts either.
Furthermore, Newman’s writing is not full of unnecessary embellishments. It was short and crispy. While most of the time I would consider this a strength in the writing, since our character is mute and conversation is sparse, the limited amount of details did not give me a good picture of what was going on and made way for unclear world building. It took me a while to understand what was going on and where the story was going.
Overall, I simply did not feel connected. It’s not that the writing or story were bad, but they didn’t move me in anyway. It didn’t sweep me up or make me feel as though I was there. I felt like the author may have bit off more than he could chew for a debut novel. The concepts however are original. I can see other readers loving this book. For instance, I would definitely recommend this book to my younger brother, who I think would like it immensely.
I also think Newman has a bright career ahead of him as an author. I enjoyed the writing style in general, and I would be interested in reading a different series or book of Newman’s in the future.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review
The Vagrant was an ambitious book, original and thoughtful, though I wouldn’t say it totally triumphed. The Vagrant himself is sword wielding mute headed for the last safe haven for humans as demons continue to integrate and take over the population. Personally, I think that would be incredibly difficult to write a mute as a main character successfully. From a writer’s perspective, I commend Newman. I don’t think I could’ve done a better job of it at all. From a female reader’s perspective, however, it was difficult for me. I had a hard time connecting with the character because not only does he not speak, but the writing gives us little insight to his thoughts either.
Furthermore, Newman’s writing is not full of unnecessary embellishments. It was short and crispy. While most of the time I would consider this a strength in the writing, since our character is mute and conversation is sparse, the limited amount of details did not give me a good picture of what was going on and made way for unclear world building. It took me a while to understand what was going on and where the story was going.
Overall, I simply did not feel connected. It’s not that the writing or story were bad, but they didn’t move me in anyway. It didn’t sweep me up or make me feel as though I was there. I felt like the author may have bit off more than he could chew for a debut novel. The concepts however are original. I can see other readers loving this book. For instance, I would definitely recommend this book to my younger brother, who I think would like it immensely.
I also think Newman has a bright career ahead of him as an author. I enjoyed the writing style in general, and I would be interested in reading a different series or book of Newman’s in the future.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review
[3.5]
The post-apocalyptic, infernal demon-infested environment of this book sold me. Felt like The Road but with demons and sprawling lore. I am a complete sucker for fantastical journeys where the main character is fraught with constant differing encounters at each step of the way. The main trouble I had with this book and the reason I didn't rate it higher even though it is a great exemplar of my favourite genre, is that this book is incredibly confusing. The lore and history felt incredibly hard to follow and more like glimpses than actual exposition. Also the characters were very hard to connect with, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's the journey and the landscape that takes the trophy in this novel.
I have to mention the goat. I liked the goat. She was awesome.
The post-apocalyptic, infernal demon-infested environment of this book sold me. Felt like The Road but with demons and sprawling lore. I am a complete sucker for fantastical journeys where the main character is fraught with constant differing encounters at each step of the way. The main trouble I had with this book and the reason I didn't rate it higher even though it is a great exemplar of my favourite genre, is that this book is incredibly confusing. The lore and history felt incredibly hard to follow and more like glimpses than actual exposition. Also the characters were very hard to connect with, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's the journey and the landscape that takes the trophy in this novel.
I have to mention the goat. I liked the goat. She was awesome.
The original review can be found on my blog here
My initial thoughts on The Vagrant were "for a book with little dialogue it's sure telling one hell of a story," this was about 4% into the book where we meet The Vagrant himself and his journey to The Shining City begins.
Our main characters oddly enough are a mute, a baby and a goat; and of the three my favourite is probably the goat - she steals the show in every scene that she's in. Every. Single. One.
There's a couple of secondary characters who become integral to the story, one of these being Harm - a young man caught hanging with rebels against The Usurper and the Uncivil in one of the cities that the Vagrant passes through - Verdigris.
There's split timelines in this book - present day set in a post apocalyptic wasteland with creatures you can only imagine - and eight years ago where The Usurper first comes into being and where our story of how the world became this wasteland with weird necromantic creatures with twisted physiques begins in truth.
The Vagrant's journey is to get the sword he carries to the Shining City, to The Seven, and his journey is fraught with danger, intrigue and The Hammer that Walks. The sword is special in ways you can only dream of and it once belonged to Gamma of The Seven - now deceased to an extent.
Frankly, for a debut novel this was a stunning piece of work with such a story to tell regardless of the distinct lack of dialogue - normally I find this difficult to handle but Peter Newman's writing is so on point you don't need the dialogue to know what The Vagrant is thinking. You don't need to see it to imagine the despair on his face when certain things happen.
I think, if The Vagrant spoke in this book, it would detract from the overall descriptive nature of Newman's story and the relationships built between The Vagrant and Vesper (the baby), The Vagrant and Harm and The Vagrant and the goat.
Overall, a highly recommended novel and I'm off to read The Malice. The Seven the stunning conclusion to The Vagrant trilogy was released on April 20th.
My initial thoughts on The Vagrant were "for a book with little dialogue it's sure telling one hell of a story," this was about 4% into the book where we meet The Vagrant himself and his journey to The Shining City begins.
Our main characters oddly enough are a mute, a baby and a goat; and of the three my favourite is probably the goat - she steals the show in every scene that she's in. Every. Single. One.
There's a couple of secondary characters who become integral to the story, one of these being Harm - a young man caught hanging with rebels against The Usurper and the Uncivil in one of the cities that the Vagrant passes through - Verdigris.
There's split timelines in this book - present day set in a post apocalyptic wasteland with creatures you can only imagine - and eight years ago where The Usurper first comes into being and where our story of how the world became this wasteland with weird necromantic creatures with twisted physiques begins in truth.
The Vagrant's journey is to get the sword he carries to the Shining City, to The Seven, and his journey is fraught with danger, intrigue and The Hammer that Walks. The sword is special in ways you can only dream of and it once belonged to Gamma of The Seven - now deceased to an extent.
Frankly, for a debut novel this was a stunning piece of work with such a story to tell regardless of the distinct lack of dialogue - normally I find this difficult to handle but Peter Newman's writing is so on point you don't need the dialogue to know what The Vagrant is thinking. You don't need to see it to imagine the despair on his face when certain things happen.
I think, if The Vagrant spoke in this book, it would detract from the overall descriptive nature of Newman's story and the relationships built between The Vagrant and Vesper (the baby), The Vagrant and Harm and The Vagrant and the goat.
Overall, a highly recommended novel and I'm off to read The Malice. The Seven the stunning conclusion to The Vagrant trilogy was released on April 20th.