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bytorsnow's review
5.0
5 Lesser Keys out of 5
This series continues to rank among my all time favourites. The writing is spectacular as always, the pace is breathless, and the plot twists had me literally shaking my head (in a good way!).
You may want to read the previous five installments before this one, as I did - though I think this one might stand pretty well on its own too.
I've been reading Robert McCammon since the 80's, though there was a gap in the 90's where I didn't have as much free time on my hands...as it turned out, McCammon didn't release any new fiction around that same period. When I did come back to him, Speaks the Nightbird had just been released, introducing readers to Matthew Corbett - and I've been hooked ever since. His narrative is immersive: I feel that I'm in 18th century England or "the colonies". The cast of characters is unforgettable, such that I consistently look forward to what they might be doing in upcoming releases. And somehow McCammon keeps things from becoming predictable, even through six books in the series.
I've read series by other authors, where by the end I was reading just in case it returned to earlier form, or met the potential of earlier entries for example. I'm kind of OCD that way. Thankfully, Robert McCammon remains at the top of his game, and I thoroughly enjoyed Freedom of the Mask.
This series continues to rank among my all time favourites. The writing is spectacular as always, the pace is breathless, and the plot twists had me literally shaking my head (in a good way!).
You may want to read the previous five installments before this one, as I did - though I think this one might stand pretty well on its own too.
I've been reading Robert McCammon since the 80's, though there was a gap in the 90's where I didn't have as much free time on my hands...as it turned out, McCammon didn't release any new fiction around that same period. When I did come back to him, Speaks the Nightbird had just been released, introducing readers to Matthew Corbett - and I've been hooked ever since. His narrative is immersive: I feel that I'm in 18th century England or "the colonies". The cast of characters is unforgettable, such that I consistently look forward to what they might be doing in upcoming releases. And somehow McCammon keeps things from becoming predictable, even through six books in the series.
I've read series by other authors, where by the end I was reading just in case it returned to earlier form, or met the potential of earlier entries for example. I'm kind of OCD that way. Thankfully, Robert McCammon remains at the top of his game, and I thoroughly enjoyed Freedom of the Mask.
veronica87's review
4.0
Freedom of the Mask is the sixth book in the Matthew Corbett series. It’s a historical fiction series with a serious flair for intrigue and adventure. Since book two the long arc of the story has involved Professor Fell, a godfather of extreme notoriety in the criminal underworld whose many-armed reach stretches into all sorts of criminal activity. If there is a vice in existence somewhere, Professor Fell probably has a hand in it somehow. Each book has grown Professor Fell’s influence over Matthew’s life. For his part, Matthew has been well aware of this tightening noose and the realization of this danger to him and anyone around him is what led him to intentionally burn his bridge to romantic happiness with Berry Grigsby in book four. That, in turn, led him straight into his misadventure in the swamps of North Carolina in the last book which, of course, landed Matthew aboard a ship on its way to London (and potentially Professor Fell’s lap) … which is exactly where we find him at the start of this installment.
Whereas the last book felt like a segue, not touching at all on the long arc until the cliffhanger-ish ending, this book drops Matthew straight into the thick of things. I have to say, and this may sound a bit mean, but I rather like Matthew a lot better now that life has beat up on him a little. His traumas have tempered him, made him wiser and more mature than his 24 years, and far less self-righteous. London will present its own challenges for Matthew and he doesn’t have an easy time of it but he encounters some interesting people along the way. It’s a frustrating time for Matthew because at no time is he ever really in control of his own fate. Other forces and circumstances keep propelling him in directions he doesn’t want to go so, like a leaf in a river, he drifts in a current not of his own making.
In the meantime, we have Hudson Greathouse and Berry Grigsby who have realized that Matthew is MIA – never having returned to New York after what should have been an easy, one-night’s worth of work in North Carolina – and have set out in search of him. I was pleased to get some POV time with both Greathouse and Berry and wish that we could get more of the both of them in these books as I feel that they both round out Matthew’s character nicely.
The latter third of the book really ups the stakes for our characters and sets a deadline past which salvation for one will become impossible. Professor Fell has once again shown the evil and ruthlessness of which he’s capable but, with the fate of one he loves hanging in the balance, Matthew may find that a deal with the devil may be the only way out. This still isn’t a perfect series. This book once again had a couple of the villainous characters spill personal information to Matthew for no believable reason. But at least Matthew didn’t find himself being the victim of drugged or otherwise non-consensual sex in this one so that’s a plus! Hopefully there won't be any more of that nonsense moving forward.
This book was published back in 2016 so there’s been quite a gap between it and the seventh book which, according to the author’s recent announcement, is due to be published in early 2019 by Cemetary Dance Books. I’m glad I’m just now reading this book so my wait won’t be too long. I’ve been listening to the audiobooks for this series so I’ll be waiting for #7 on that format. The narrator does an excellent job differentiating all the voices and manages not to make the female voices sound silly.
Whereas the last book felt like a segue, not touching at all on the long arc until the cliffhanger-ish ending, this book drops Matthew straight into the thick of things. I have to say, and this may sound a bit mean, but I rather like Matthew a lot better now that life has beat up on him a little. His traumas have tempered him, made him wiser and more mature than his 24 years, and far less self-righteous. London will present its own challenges for Matthew and he doesn’t have an easy time of it but he encounters some interesting people along the way. It’s a frustrating time for Matthew because at no time is he ever really in control of his own fate. Other forces and circumstances keep propelling him in directions he doesn’t want to go so, like a leaf in a river, he drifts in a current not of his own making.
In the meantime, we have Hudson Greathouse and Berry Grigsby who have realized that Matthew is MIA – never having returned to New York after what should have been an easy, one-night’s worth of work in North Carolina – and have set out in search of him. I was pleased to get some POV time with both Greathouse and Berry and wish that we could get more of the both of them in these books as I feel that they both round out Matthew’s character nicely.
The latter third of the book really ups the stakes for our characters and sets a deadline past which salvation for one will become impossible. Professor Fell has once again shown the evil and ruthlessness of which he’s capable but, with the fate of one he loves hanging in the balance, Matthew may find that a deal with the devil may be the only way out. This still isn’t a perfect series. This book once again had a couple of the villainous characters spill personal information to Matthew for no believable reason. But at least Matthew didn’t find himself being the victim of drugged or otherwise non-consensual sex in this one so that’s a plus! Hopefully there won't be any more of that nonsense moving forward.
This book was published back in 2016 so there’s been quite a gap between it and the seventh book which, according to the author’s recent announcement, is due to be published in early 2019 by Cemetary Dance Books. I’m glad I’m just now reading this book so my wait won’t be too long. I’ve been listening to the audiobooks for this series so I’ll be waiting for #7 on that format. The narrator does an excellent job differentiating all the voices and manages not to make the female voices sound silly.
charshorrorcorner's review
5.0
Freedom of the Mask defies any pat descriptions. Yes, it's the 6th entry in Robert McCammon's historical fiction series, but it's also an action, adventure mystery as well.
London in 1703 is one filthy place. In addition to all of the nasty problems due to overcrowding, there are gangs competing against each other for territory, and a new type of addicting alcohol available that's turning many people into shadows of their former selves. Matthew Corbett finds himself there after an incident which occurred at sea, and then he finds himself locked up in the infamous Newgate Prison.
Berry Grigsby teams up with the indomitable Hudson Greathouse to find Matthew and bring him back home to the small city, (as compared to London), of New York. It is always great to "see" these two whenever they appear. Berry is the sweetest girl ever and Hudson is a formidable but great man, and a true friend.
That's all I can say about the plot other than that Freedom of the Mask took some very dark turns and there were a few scenes that were quite disturbing. When one has a mask on, they have the ability to do things in secret. Whether they be good or bad things the reader has to decide for themselves-but that's the freedom referred to in the title.
I'm always excited for a new McCammon book because they never let me down. This one was no exception: amnesia, battles at sea, swordfights, crazy carriage rides, and outrageously evil villains!. Freedom of the Mask is a lot of things, as I mentioned at the start of this review, but for me it was 100% pure FUN.
Highly recommended to fans of historical mysteries and action adventure tales!
You can buy your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Mask-Robert-McCammon/dp/1596067756?ie=UTF8&keywords=freedom%20of%20the%20mask&qid=1464438254&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
*I received a free e-ARC of this book via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. This is it. *
London in 1703 is one filthy place. In addition to all of the nasty problems due to overcrowding, there are gangs competing against each other for territory, and a new type of addicting alcohol available that's turning many people into shadows of their former selves. Matthew Corbett finds himself there after an incident which occurred at sea, and then he finds himself locked up in the infamous Newgate Prison.
Berry Grigsby teams up with the indomitable Hudson Greathouse to find Matthew and bring him back home to the small city, (as compared to London), of New York. It is always great to "see" these two whenever they appear. Berry is the sweetest girl ever and Hudson is a formidable but great man, and a true friend.
That's all I can say about the plot other than that Freedom of the Mask took some very dark turns and there were a few scenes that were quite disturbing. When one has a mask on, they have the ability to do things in secret. Whether they be good or bad things the reader has to decide for themselves-but that's the freedom referred to in the title.
I'm always excited for a new McCammon book because they never let me down. This one was no exception: amnesia, battles at sea, swordfights, crazy carriage rides, and outrageously evil villains!. Freedom of the Mask is a lot of things, as I mentioned at the start of this review, but for me it was 100% pure FUN.
Highly recommended to fans of historical mysteries and action adventure tales!
You can buy your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Mask-Robert-McCammon/dp/1596067756?ie=UTF8&keywords=freedom%20of%20the%20mask&qid=1464438254&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
*I received a free e-ARC of this book via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. This is it. *
nigellicus's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Matthew Corbett has amnesia, as most heroes in series of historical swashbuckling potboilers have to get at some point or another. But that's just the start of the ever-increasing series of complications, setbacks, disasters and peculiar happenstances that beset our hero. After a farught sea voyage, he is whisked to London and plunged into Newgate Prison, while a deadly masked avenger, a dangerous new drink, and a somwewhat scurrilous broadsheet plague the city. At the back of it all lie the tentacled tentacles of Dr Fell with an even more dangerous rival stalking his machinations, as it were. Fun stuff, Mccammon has mastered this sort of deadly serious melodramatic nonsense and delivers it with no small measure of skill and an imagination tempered on the fiery forge of eighties paperback horror.
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