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bhawisha's review against another edition
It just wasn't for me but I might give it another try later
shanemaher's review against another edition
4.0
I normally despise Grimdark fantasy, but Karpashyn's take makes me second guess myself. He creates such a vivid, yet expansive world that I felt I understood despite the fact that I've seen so little of it. Also the classic fantasy tropes he uses are given new life, truly a wonder.
jnyama's review against another edition
4.0
Children of Fire, the first in an epic fantasy series by Drew Karpyshyn, shows a promising beginning to a fairly ambitious tale.
While fans of Bioware video games are familiar with Karpyshyn from "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" and the Mass Effect series, this story seems much more reminiscent of Bioware's Dragon Age universe, with an overruling religious order that stigmatizes those born with "the gift" of magic. Those unhappy enough to be blessed/cursed with it are taken away from their families and more or less locked up while taught to control it. In Dragon Age, mages are feared because their ability to tap into the magical Fade leaves them vulnerable to possession by demons; in Children of Fire, wizards are feared by the Order because their ability to tap into the Chaos leaves them a possible conduit for demons there to escape into the common plane of existence. There is also similar inter-species political strife and, of course, the occasional dragon.
The weakness of the book involves the large amounts of exposition required to set up this whole world and its complicated mythology involving ancient imprisoned Gods, twisted and evil from eons of banishment, and a fading magical barrier called the Legacy. The sequential nature of the tale is evident in that the book ends somewhat abruptly, while all its characters are still mid-quest--so people requiring a rounded ending from each book they read may be a little disappointed.
Ultimately however, although the components of the tale may not be new, the story is put together in a fairly compelling fashion, with characters that are interesting and which have clear and often opposing motivations. I'll certainly be looking forward to the next installment.
While fans of Bioware video games are familiar with Karpyshyn from "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" and the Mass Effect series, this story seems much more reminiscent of Bioware's Dragon Age universe, with an overruling religious order that stigmatizes those born with "the gift" of magic. Those unhappy enough to be blessed/cursed with it are taken away from their families and more or less locked up while taught to control it. In Dragon Age, mages are feared because their ability to tap into the magical Fade leaves them vulnerable to possession by demons; in Children of Fire, wizards are feared by the Order because their ability to tap into the Chaos leaves them a possible conduit for demons there to escape into the common plane of existence. There is also similar inter-species political strife and, of course, the occasional dragon.
The weakness of the book involves the large amounts of exposition required to set up this whole world and its complicated mythology involving ancient imprisoned Gods, twisted and evil from eons of banishment, and a fading magical barrier called the Legacy. The sequential nature of the tale is evident in that the book ends somewhat abruptly, while all its characters are still mid-quest--so people requiring a rounded ending from each book they read may be a little disappointed.
Ultimately however, although the components of the tale may not be new, the story is put together in a fairly compelling fashion, with characters that are interesting and which have clear and often opposing motivations. I'll certainly be looking forward to the next installment.
aadaenyaa's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good premise, and surprisingly intricate. It wasn't all good, but the good far outweighs the bad.
nightxade's review against another edition
4.0
Four unique children are born under a portent omen, each touched by Chaos in some way. Initially, the story moves through the lives of all four, leaping through time as they grow and deal with varied situations that shape them towards their destiny. Their paths cross in various ways until they reach adulthood and then dark forces are unleashed...
I've played the Bioware games Karpyshyn has been heavily involved in as a writer and I have read one of his Star Wars books, as well as his Mass Effect books. With those, I found that his writing was not as strong as the ideas and characters behind it and concluded that Karpyshyn works best when his ideas and characters can be visually brought to life. Perhaps he'd do a better job with the comic book stories.
However, Children of Fire is Karpyshyn's first novel of his own creation, and I'm always curious to see what a creator can do when freed from the constraints of an established franchise. So far, I'm very pleased. I don't feel this book is a strong entry into the epic fantasy genre, however, it has a lot of potential.
Actually, considering how I feel about epic fantasy classics like Eye of the World, Children of Fire is very good. The characters are strong, unique and memorable, and there's little time wasted on too much exposition. I was worried at first, with the format of travelling through the children's lives as they aged, but Karpyshyn did a good job of telling only what was needed at each given point in their lives.
There are some typical fantasy tropes used, such as talismans, chosen ones, dark lords, fellowships and seemingly evil ruling bodies. I liked the latter two items though, because they did not quite follow the conventional 'rules.' When the four children cross paths, their interaction is not predictable, and the Order, who seeks out people who wield Chaos magic, does so for a good reason.
I did enjoy the magical aspect of the story. There is a lot of lore behind it and varying opinions on those with magical abilities, but I liked that Karpyshyn doesn't use the magic as a crutch to easily get his characters out of situations. In fact, the moments when magic is used serves to advance the plot and develop the characters themselves.
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The BiblioSanctum
I've played the Bioware games Karpyshyn has been heavily involved in as a writer and I have read one of his Star Wars books, as well as his Mass Effect books. With those, I found that his writing was not as strong as the ideas and characters behind it and concluded that Karpyshyn works best when his ideas and characters can be visually brought to life. Perhaps he'd do a better job with the comic book stories.
However, Children of Fire is Karpyshyn's first novel of his own creation, and I'm always curious to see what a creator can do when freed from the constraints of an established franchise. So far, I'm very pleased. I don't feel this book is a strong entry into the epic fantasy genre, however, it has a lot of potential.
Actually, considering how I feel about epic fantasy classics like Eye of the World, Children of Fire is very good. The characters are strong, unique and memorable, and there's little time wasted on too much exposition. I was worried at first, with the format of travelling through the children's lives as they aged, but Karpyshyn did a good job of telling only what was needed at each given point in their lives.
There are some typical fantasy tropes used, such as talismans, chosen ones, dark lords, fellowships and seemingly evil ruling bodies. I liked the latter two items though, because they did not quite follow the conventional 'rules.' When the four children cross paths, their interaction is not predictable, and the Order, who seeks out people who wield Chaos magic, does so for a good reason.
I did enjoy the magical aspect of the story. There is a lot of lore behind it and varying opinions on those with magical abilities, but I liked that Karpyshyn doesn't use the magic as a crutch to easily get his characters out of situations. In fact, the moments when magic is used serves to advance the plot and develop the characters themselves.
See more reviews at
The BiblioSanctum
worldenderbebe's review against another edition
3.0
I won a free ARC from a goodreads giveaway. Children of Fire is a decent book. It has some engaging parts but it has flaws. The story starts pretty slow and the time just skips sporadically. One chapter follows a character then it will jump years following another character. It flows poorly and leaves one wondering why.
I didn't really feel for any of the characters, mostly because there's a lot of little things going in it and it gets bogged down, there's no way to grasp a connection with them.
I originally thought the story was going to be more about good vs evil but everyone seems to be morally gray which doesn't make the best story. I liked the concept of the magic in the book. There are some good parts in the story I enjoyed Scythe when she was younger but she became sooooo irritatingly redundant and whiny. And only makes angry poop faces. I felt so much of the story was repetitive. Like Norr the 7 Ft 400 lb easterner that we must be reminded over and over again. And gray orbs. And scarred heads. And the naked minion.
If you really like fantasy books maybe you can look past these parts and like the book. I think the story would be better in film without being bogged down with repetitive lines and filler story this book has. It's a mediocre book with some interesting moments. There isn't much in terms if excitement it mostly sets up for the next books so maybe book two will be better.
I didn't really feel for any of the characters, mostly because there's a lot of little things going in it and it gets bogged down, there's no way to grasp a connection with them.
I originally thought the story was going to be more about good vs evil but everyone seems to be morally gray which doesn't make the best story. I liked the concept of the magic in the book. There are some good parts in the story I enjoyed Scythe when she was younger but she became sooooo irritatingly redundant and whiny. And only makes angry poop faces. I felt so much of the story was repetitive. Like Norr the 7 Ft 400 lb easterner that we must be reminded over and over again. And gray orbs. And scarred heads. And the naked minion.
If you really like fantasy books maybe you can look past these parts and like the book. I think the story would be better in film without being bogged down with repetitive lines and filler story this book has. It's a mediocre book with some interesting moments. There isn't much in terms if excitement it mostly sets up for the next books so maybe book two will be better.
ithinktfiam's review against another edition
3.0
Ok for what it is: the setup for the series. In a world where they have a devil/daemon story with a bad guy stuck in a not all that disguised hell, he tries to escape by forcing the birth of his savior. Four different kids born share components of his ancient power. They each grow up in troubled lives and the book is just the setup to that. Too many characters are a bit to standard, including "kung fu monk", differently named elves driven by hubris, religious nuts, and more. Still, it's not bad, just not above average. I'll check out the next in the series.
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
More like 2.5 stars. It was mildly interesting and I liked some of the characters, but it wasn't anything that got me overexcited. More complete review to come.
Full review:
Being the rabid fan of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect that I am, I was intrigued by the idea of reading Karpyshyn's book and seeing what sort of world he constructed when able to run free in his own playground. While I liked some aspects of the book, it didn't stand out for me and disappointed me in some respects. Some spoilers to follow.
One of the things I found most disappointing was how ambivalent I felt about some characters. In general, I think characterization is a weak point of this novel. The Pontiff in particular was a source of irritation for me. I didn't like a lot of what he did and wanted to hate him, but I couldn't work up enough emotion. He would have worked better as a character had I understood his convictions more, but I never crossed that bridge. Rexol is another character who let me down, for many of the same reasons. He was more like a character from an after school special than like a fully-fleshed character from a fantasy novel. I think a major reason why I failed to connect with so many of the characters is because there's a certain distance in this book, as if I was observing rather than actively engaged in the story.
Aside from the lukewarm characterization, my lack of engagement in the story was due to two other factors that often yanked me out of the story's flow: the leaps in time and the use of multiple character points of view. Some of the points of view were just plain superfluous. There is one in particular that irked me, a short passage told by an injured character in a small tone for no purpose other than to let us know one of the main characters is being hunted by a Chaos monster--something we've already been told. There was no need whatsoever for the reiteration. The leaps in time are also distracting, and there were chunks of text I thought could have been axed in favor of streamlining the story and focusing more on the ultimate conflict. I didn't really see the point in rehashing every single birth, and for a stretch I felt like I was reading a twisted version of What to Expect When You're Expecting or something.
There were some things about the book I did enjoy. The world borrows--sometimes heavily--from other works, some of which Karpyshyn contributed to. The whole dynamic between the Order and wizards felt a little too close to Dragon Age for comfort. Still, I liked that the world was a new one, and I really liked that rather than using standard fantasy character types, there are some races of Karpyshyn's own creation. The Danaan were interesting, a good commentary on what happens when a culture becomes obsessed with signs and portents at the expense of progress. I'd like to learn more about them. I don't have anything against elves and dwarves and halflings, but it was nice to read a fantasy novel that didn't include them.
Another strong point of the novel was Scythe, though she does waffle a bit. Still, she's different from most female characters in fantasy novels, and though I wouldn't say gender equity had been achieved in Karpyshyn's world, I did enjoy the presence of such a strong, pigheaded female warrior, and I like characters who are more anti-hero than hero. However, I have to add a caveat because I did feel like Scythe's character vacillated quite a bit in the end. She threatens to go, then she stays. This wouldn't be a problem if I felt like she was following some inner logic, but I didn't. In fact, the text explicitly states that she doesn't understand why she's doing what she's doing but she does it anyway. Sure, such moments of irrationality are possible, but they don't feel in keeping with her character, even given the extra incentive of Norr.
Norr is another character who's interesting because he breaks convention. The first time the reader glimpses him in the book, it seems as if he'll fit certain tropes, but then he proceeds to flip those tropes on their heads. This earned a nod of approval from me. I enjoy it when characters act in ways opposite what I expect, and I thought Norr was just a good character anyway.
Lastly, I also very much enjoyed Vaaler. In a lot of ways he's a classic outcast character, but I felt like there were real depths to him. He has every right to turn his back on his people, but he refuses to be defeated and tries to find his place in his world. I think some of the assumptions he draws about why he is, in fact, the right leader for his people are right on the money, and I see a lot of potential for good character development in future installments.
There's a big, full world here with its own mythos, but I think it takes too long for the plot to really get going, and this left me feeling mildly interest at best. There were sections that grabbed me and compelled me to continue reading, but for the most part this book felt like a big setup, one that wasn't interesting enough on its own to get me excited. Instead, I have the impression that future installments will improve, because this book brings the reader up to the speed necessary in order to really get to the good stuff.
Full review:
Being the rabid fan of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect that I am, I was intrigued by the idea of reading Karpyshyn's book and seeing what sort of world he constructed when able to run free in his own playground. While I liked some aspects of the book, it didn't stand out for me and disappointed me in some respects. Some spoilers to follow.
One of the things I found most disappointing was how ambivalent I felt about some characters. In general, I think characterization is a weak point of this novel. The Pontiff in particular was a source of irritation for me. I didn't like a lot of what he did and wanted to hate him, but I couldn't work up enough emotion. He would have worked better as a character had I understood his convictions more, but I never crossed that bridge. Rexol is another character who let me down, for many of the same reasons. He was more like a character from an after school special than like a fully-fleshed character from a fantasy novel. I think a major reason why I failed to connect with so many of the characters is because there's a certain distance in this book, as if I was observing rather than actively engaged in the story.
Aside from the lukewarm characterization, my lack of engagement in the story was due to two other factors that often yanked me out of the story's flow: the leaps in time and the use of multiple character points of view. Some of the points of view were just plain superfluous. There is one in particular that irked me, a short passage told by an injured character in a small tone for no purpose other than to let us know one of the main characters is being hunted by a Chaos monster--something we've already been told. There was no need whatsoever for the reiteration. The leaps in time are also distracting, and there were chunks of text I thought could have been axed in favor of streamlining the story and focusing more on the ultimate conflict. I didn't really see the point in rehashing every single birth, and for a stretch I felt like I was reading a twisted version of What to Expect When You're Expecting or something.
There were some things about the book I did enjoy. The world borrows--sometimes heavily--from other works, some of which Karpyshyn contributed to. The whole dynamic between the Order and wizards felt a little too close to Dragon Age for comfort. Still, I liked that the world was a new one, and I really liked that rather than using standard fantasy character types, there are some races of Karpyshyn's own creation. The Danaan were interesting, a good commentary on what happens when a culture becomes obsessed with signs and portents at the expense of progress. I'd like to learn more about them. I don't have anything against elves and dwarves and halflings, but it was nice to read a fantasy novel that didn't include them.
Another strong point of the novel was Scythe, though she does waffle a bit. Still, she's different from most female characters in fantasy novels, and though I wouldn't say gender equity had been achieved in Karpyshyn's world, I did enjoy the presence of such a strong, pigheaded female warrior, and I like characters who are more anti-hero than hero. However, I have to add a caveat because I did feel like Scythe's character vacillated quite a bit in the end. She threatens to go, then she stays. This wouldn't be a problem if I felt like she was following some inner logic, but I didn't. In fact, the text explicitly states that she doesn't understand why she's doing what she's doing but she does it anyway. Sure, such moments of irrationality are possible, but they don't feel in keeping with her character, even given the extra incentive of Norr.
Norr is another character who's interesting because he breaks convention. The first time the reader glimpses him in the book, it seems as if he'll fit certain tropes, but then he proceeds to flip those tropes on their heads. This earned a nod of approval from me. I enjoy it when characters act in ways opposite what I expect, and I thought Norr was just a good character anyway.
Lastly, I also very much enjoyed Vaaler. In a lot of ways he's a classic outcast character, but I felt like there were real depths to him. He has every right to turn his back on his people, but he refuses to be defeated and tries to find his place in his world. I think some of the assumptions he draws about why he is, in fact, the right leader for his people are right on the money, and I see a lot of potential for good character development in future installments.
There's a big, full world here with its own mythos, but I think it takes too long for the plot to really get going, and this left me feeling mildly interest at best. There were sections that grabbed me and compelled me to continue reading, but for the most part this book felt like a big setup, one that wasn't interesting enough on its own to get me excited. Instead, I have the impression that future installments will improve, because this book brings the reader up to the speed necessary in order to really get to the good stuff.
astraia_sun's review against another edition
3.0
The rating on this book went back and forth. I didn't much care for the pacing at the beginning. I wanted to spend more time on each character, to discover their lives and see more than the brief chapter glimpses before we switched and ages several years. What we saw was very interesting to me.
Once the book caught up to itself, I was enjoying it very much, though some of the interesting character bits we saw kind of got pushed aside in favor of the plot. okay, I can deal with that. Until it all fell apart due to one character.
Furthermore, the scene where Keegan very randomly turns himself into a giant to lay waste to Tokyo -I mean the Ferlhame- confused me so much I stopped reading to ask myself if that really happened. It did.
I'm not sure I want to continue. I may just to see what happens to Cassandra as I loved her storyline. I'd rate it at 2 stars but I did like the world building.
Once the book caught up to itself, I was enjoying it very much, though some of the interesting character bits we saw kind of got pushed aside in favor of the plot. okay, I can deal with that. Until it all fell apart due to one character.
Spoiler
Scythe started off incredibly interesting to me, but literally everything that happened in the end of the book was entirely her fault due to her OUTRAGEOUS selfishness. Bored of a provincial life where her boyfriend can finally be happy and not be a victim of racism, she decides to steal from a couple of travelers and forces said boyfriend to cover for her, which In turn practically destroys their town. A town she absolutely despises, which she tells us over and over. but then she wants revenge?! When it was her fault in the first place and she doesn't even LIKE the place?! Really, it felt like this was the author trying to figure out how to fit her with the traveling party to round out the tank, monk, wizard, and rogue class.Furthermore, the scene where Keegan very randomly turns himself into a giant to lay waste to Tokyo -I mean the Ferlhame- confused me so much I stopped reading to ask myself if that really happened. It did.
I'm not sure I want to continue. I may just to see what happens to Cassandra as I loved her storyline. I'd rate it at 2 stars but I did like the world building.
dubsington's review against another edition
3.0
By the time I got to around the 3/4 mark of this book, I realized there wasn't going to be an ending. That is probably my biggest gripe with this read; in no way is a stand alone novel. I'll be eager when the second book comes out, but to have such a lack of finish with this novel was off-putting.
The book follows four main characters and gives us lots of background on each. This is an excellent way to bring us into the fold with each character and I found worked well to have me rooting for four different heroes.
The world is well realized with a number of different regions and races, but i found the magic/otherworldly elements of the book confusing at best, especially when the author is trying to explain the different beliefs that separate the various sects within the world. This issue is magnified when so much of the plot is hinged on this otherworldly magic and its history.
I really wanted to give this book at least a 4 star, because of the characters and the writing. Maybe the next novel, if it in fact does reach some manner of conclusion will get it.
The book follows four main characters and gives us lots of background on each. This is an excellent way to bring us into the fold with each character and I found worked well to have me rooting for four different heroes.
The world is well realized with a number of different regions and races, but i found the magic/otherworldly elements of the book confusing at best, especially when the author is trying to explain the different beliefs that separate the various sects within the world. This issue is magnified when so much of the plot is hinged on this otherworldly magic and its history.
I really wanted to give this book at least a 4 star, because of the characters and the writing. Maybe the next novel, if it in fact does reach some manner of conclusion will get it.