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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
When I first looked at this book, I wasn't expecting much in the way of actual story. I thought it would be more of an episodic nature with the Vagrant travelling about the war-torn world he is in and we'd be treated to short stories or snippets of stories wherever he went. At first it did appear like things would be this way, however, very quickly I was happily surprised by the arrival of something like a plot (beyond the titular character travelling from point A to point B as the blurb suggests). Though subtle and more or less in the background, it's definitely there, it's definitely surprising and it kept things interesting all the way through
However, this isn't really a plot driven book, what makes this story is the characters and the setting. Let's start with setting. It's dark, it's twisted and it's so utterly vast. The way everything is described, from the land to the varying cities, makes it all feel so much bigger than it necessarily is. It feels like a proper world, with so much more to it than we were seeing. This does only really apply to the Blasted Lands, I felt that once they were far enough north, the story definitely focussed far more on the characters and the plot than on the world they were in (even the Shining City this has all been building up to was given only a few sentences of description here and there).
Next, the characters, by far the best thing about this story.
At the time of starting this book, I had literally just finished my first playthrough of Transistor. So upon immediately finding ANOTHER story about a mute and their vocal sword, I was definitely, if unintentionally, comparing the two. Luckily I was not disappointed. The Vagrant is completely different to Red, even the way in which their swords vocalise or are connected to their wielder. I couldn't say if one was better than the other because they share no similarities beyond that basic premise and an odd melancholy sadness that clings to both characters. Even without a voice, the Vagrant's personality is distinctive and unique to him, flashbacks fill out his character and, rather cleverly, the author only informs us of his speaking in them rather than actually show it (Tell don't show CAN be effective sometimes). Without giving too much away, this makes a certain scene towards the end far more powerful.
The Baby is... well... a baby. This fact is not escapable especially as she is literally referred to as nothing else BUT 'the baby' for a good chunk of the book. She's not even named within the Vagrant's thoughts. Like many people, the thought of having to suffer with an infantile character for an entire story is off-putting. Usually they are either too pathetic (realistic yes, but this is a story, 'realism' isn't always desirable. There's a reason toilet breaks aren't often mentioned), too advanced (ie, understands danger, understands everything said to it, is basically a miniature adult with poor communication skills) or unbearably cutesy. This baby however manages to be a mix of all three without overdoing it, usually. There are odd moments where you would like to drop kick it somewhere but they are few and far between. Also she gets more advanced as the story progresses (justified within the story itself) and she leads to some cute comic relief.
One of the jokes in the anime community is that the main characters are so obviously distinct from the extras (usually thanks to lurid hair colours), I knew that Harm was important the moment he was singled out as having unique eyes.
Harm signifies many things within the story. For one thing, we finally have a main character who can talk, the Vagrant getting character development of a kind and learning to trust people, and me realising that the 'friendless and alone' part of the blurb was bull (though I guess the baby kind of already proved that). He's a very interesting character in that, unlike the Vagrant, he appears to have almost no morals, quite happily robbing someone of everything they have in order to survive. It's the 'almost' bit that sets him apart from the other lowlives and draws him towards the Vagrant. A spark of some goodness in him that slowly grows as the story progresses and changes him into a far better person. The friendship between the Vagrant and him is incredibly touching, incredibly sweet and one of the best things in the story (I know some people will view them as being 'more than friends' what with the amount of cuddling for warmth, arm touching and significant eye contact but if I can persuade myself I made it through a book without having a romance shoved down my throat, I will happily take it).
The Hammer is best defined in her relationship with the other characters, most obviously Harm. This is due to the fact that her character is very simple. Not necessarily bad or one dimensional but in the same kind of simple as the Hulk or Lennie from Of Mice and Men. She's strong, she's big, she's got a basic mindset and isn't all that good at multitasking or doing things gently. Like many characters, she's driven by some form of pain (though in her case very VERY literal pain) which the Vagrant's arrival in her life manages to somewhat relieve. She's endearing in her simpleness and her strength.
Now, we come on to the BEST character without a single doubt in my mind. Yes, of course, I am talking about the goat. Like the baby, many people have mixed feelings about the inclusion of an animal character. Will they talk, won't they talk, will they be unbearably useless, won't they. It's a can of worms not many wish to open. This beautiful, angry ball of furry fury, surpasses all expectations. She goes above and beyond the call of goatly duty. She's a mean, hairy machine and will try to either eat or head butt you or something you love.
Yeah, that's pretty much her in a nutshell and it's brilliant.
The supporting cast is made up of very distinctive, very memorable characters from Ezze to Tough Call to Axler to Genner. I guess I should probably make a criticism about there being fewer female sympathetic characters but to be perfectly honest, it doesn't really matter that much. We're treated to a wide array of very different women and girls and that's more than most things I've read give us.
The villains are unique and varied, inhuman and oddly more human, some alien and twisted, some lost and afraid.
In the spirit of fair play, it is only right that I highlight some of the actual flaws within this book. There are a few though there is definitely more good than bad. My biggest problem with the story was that it definitely felt like an experiment in 'how much uncomfortable intimacy is too much uncomfortable intimacy'. If this was a way of highlighting how alien the enemy is, then, Mr Newman, you definitely succeeded. I mean, 'essence touching' is strange enough as it is but having to imagine two demoniacally inhuman people frenching as a means of communication? Not really my cup of tea.
One of the other issues revolves around the death of a main character. I won't say who (don't worry, it wasn't the goat) but I felt that their friends' reactions were very... dismissive. The way in which they died was cruel and I would have understood if it was a case of 'move now, mourn later' but they are never mentioned again after that. Not even in passing. It feels like both the characters and the story has forgotten them and I would have liked even just a small mention at the end.
My thoughts on the use of present tense are fairly neutral as my brain often shifted it to past tense automatically so I didn't really notice it until someone pointed it out.
The negatives this story could offer are, like with many things, down to personal preference. There isn't really anything 'inherently' wrong with the story.
It was one hell of a read and definitely something I would recommend.
However, this isn't really a plot driven book, what makes this story is the characters and the setting. Let's start with setting. It's dark, it's twisted and it's so utterly vast. The way everything is described, from the land to the varying cities, makes it all feel so much bigger than it necessarily is. It feels like a proper world, with so much more to it than we were seeing. This does only really apply to the Blasted Lands, I felt that once they were far enough north, the story definitely focussed far more on the characters and the plot than on the world they were in (even the Shining City this has all been building up to was given only a few sentences of description here and there).
Next, the characters, by far the best thing about this story.
At the time of starting this book, I had literally just finished my first playthrough of Transistor. So upon immediately finding ANOTHER story about a mute and their vocal sword, I was definitely, if unintentionally, comparing the two. Luckily I was not disappointed. The Vagrant is completely different to Red, even the way in which their swords vocalise or are connected to their wielder. I couldn't say if one was better than the other because they share no similarities beyond that basic premise and an odd melancholy sadness that clings to both characters. Even without a voice, the Vagrant's personality is distinctive and unique to him, flashbacks fill out his character and, rather cleverly, the author only informs us of his speaking in them rather than actually show it (Tell don't show CAN be effective sometimes). Without giving too much away, this makes a certain scene towards the end far more powerful.
The Baby is... well... a baby. This fact is not escapable especially as she is literally referred to as nothing else BUT 'the baby' for a good chunk of the book. She's not even named within the Vagrant's thoughts. Like many people, the thought of having to suffer with an infantile character for an entire story is off-putting. Usually they are either too pathetic (realistic yes, but this is a story, 'realism' isn't always desirable. There's a reason toilet breaks aren't often mentioned), too advanced (ie, understands danger, understands everything said to it, is basically a miniature adult with poor communication skills) or unbearably cutesy. This baby however manages to be a mix of all three without overdoing it, usually. There are odd moments where you would like to drop kick it somewhere but they are few and far between. Also she gets more advanced as the story progresses (justified within the story itself) and she leads to some cute comic relief.
One of the jokes in the anime community is that the main characters are so obviously distinct from the extras (usually thanks to lurid hair colours), I knew that Harm was important the moment he was singled out as having unique eyes.
Harm signifies many things within the story. For one thing, we finally have a main character who can talk, the Vagrant getting character development of a kind and learning to trust people, and me realising that the 'friendless and alone' part of the blurb was bull (though I guess the baby kind of already proved that). He's a very interesting character in that, unlike the Vagrant, he appears to have almost no morals, quite happily robbing someone of everything they have in order to survive. It's the 'almost' bit that sets him apart from the other lowlives and draws him towards the Vagrant. A spark of some goodness in him that slowly grows as the story progresses and changes him into a far better person. The friendship between the Vagrant and him is incredibly touching, incredibly sweet and one of the best things in the story (I know some people will view them as being 'more than friends' what with the amount of cuddling for warmth, arm touching and significant eye contact but if I can persuade myself I made it through a book without having a romance shoved down my throat, I will happily take it).
The Hammer is best defined in her relationship with the other characters, most obviously Harm. This is due to the fact that her character is very simple. Not necessarily bad or one dimensional but in the same kind of simple as the Hulk or Lennie from Of Mice and Men. She's strong, she's big, she's got a basic mindset and isn't all that good at multitasking or doing things gently. Like many characters, she's driven by some form of pain (though in her case very VERY literal pain) which the Vagrant's arrival in her life manages to somewhat relieve. She's endearing in her simpleness and her strength.
Now, we come on to the BEST character without a single doubt in my mind. Yes, of course, I am talking about the goat. Like the baby, many people have mixed feelings about the inclusion of an animal character. Will they talk, won't they talk, will they be unbearably useless, won't they. It's a can of worms not many wish to open. This beautiful, angry ball of furry fury, surpasses all expectations. She goes above and beyond the call of goatly duty. She's a mean, hairy machine and will try to either eat or head butt you or something you love.
Yeah, that's pretty much her in a nutshell and it's brilliant.
The supporting cast is made up of very distinctive, very memorable characters from Ezze to Tough Call to Axler to Genner. I guess I should probably make a criticism about there being fewer female sympathetic characters but to be perfectly honest, it doesn't really matter that much. We're treated to a wide array of very different women and girls and that's more than most things I've read give us.
The villains are unique and varied, inhuman and oddly more human, some alien and twisted, some lost and afraid.
In the spirit of fair play, it is only right that I highlight some of the actual flaws within this book. There are a few though there is definitely more good than bad. My biggest problem with the story was that it definitely felt like an experiment in 'how much uncomfortable intimacy is too much uncomfortable intimacy'. If this was a way of highlighting how alien the enemy is, then, Mr Newman, you definitely succeeded. I mean, 'essence touching' is strange enough as it is but having to imagine two demoniacally inhuman people frenching as a means of communication? Not really my cup of tea.
One of the other issues revolves around the death of a main character. I won't say who (don't worry, it wasn't the goat) but I felt that their friends' reactions were very... dismissive. The way in which they died was cruel and I would have understood if it was a case of 'move now, mourn later' but they are never mentioned again after that. Not even in passing. It feels like both the characters and the story has forgotten them and I would have liked even just a small mention at the end.
My thoughts on the use of present tense are fairly neutral as my brain often shifted it to past tense automatically so I didn't really notice it until someone pointed it out.
The negatives this story could offer are, like with many things, down to personal preference. There isn't really anything 'inherently' wrong with the story.
It was one hell of a read and definitely something I would recommend.
the 4-star rating would probably change in the future as i'm still mulling over some scenes at the end, letting them dwell in my mind in case i get a new understanding or meaning from them...
the ending was definitely a meaningful one and i want to write a review and an in-depth reading journal entry for all my other thoughts.
the ending was definitely a meaningful one and i want to write a review and an in-depth reading journal entry for all my other thoughts.
Have you ever thought to yourself 'gee, I could really go for a dystopian-fantasy-horror novel right now'?
Then look no further friends!
I'm not going to rave about this, I don't need to. The main characters are a mute, a goat, a baby and a sword. A sword that sings. And is its own entity. That's all you need to know. The rest, monsters, witty banter, adventure, it's all just icing on the cake.
Then look no further friends!
I'm not going to rave about this, I don't need to. The main characters are a mute, a goat, a baby and a sword. A sword that sings. And is its own entity. That's all you need to know. The rest, monsters, witty banter, adventure, it's all just icing on the cake.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An interesting fantasy world, nicely crafted with an outstanding hero.
Really great read. Consice, powerful writing with a very interesting world. I look forward to the next one.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The good: poetic, melancholic, original background, very dark, solid world-building, interesting interaction between the antagonists. Very good start (first 25%), extremely good ending (last 25%).
The bad: somewhat simplistic, somewhat YA, over-ambiguous at times, over-Christian (forgive thy enemy... even when it is a bad idea), sluggish, even boring middle (50%), underdeveloped main character, too easily to defeat archenemies.
Liked the goat, though.
Enjoyed enough to read the sequel, but only moderately looking forward to it.
The bad: somewhat simplistic, somewhat YA, over-ambiguous at times, over-Christian (forgive thy enemy... even when it is a bad idea), sluggish, even boring middle (50%), underdeveloped main character, too easily to defeat archenemies.
Liked the goat, though.
Enjoyed enough to read the sequel, but only moderately looking forward to it.
Wanted to love it...aspired to love it...encouraged myself to love it....but in the end, I just liked it. This is such a cool book in theory. The setting is right up my alley - a post-apocalyptic land where demons roam looking to feed on the innocent, a cool back-history, amazing secondary characters etc. What I ultimately couldn't get past was the fact that the main character had zero lines of dialogue. At first it was kind of unique and original and then when I continued to read it became a bit annoying, which then became distracted indifference. I just didn't care anymore. Which is quite a shame because this story could have been so much more. Maybe the second book will grab me more than this one did but I'm not rushing to crack that one open in the near future. Some people may enjoy this type of book, but it is not my style unfortunately. Three stars simply for the incredible world-building and of course - THE DEMONS.