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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Interesting characters and plot, horribly long winded writing.
One of my favourite books when I was younger. The worldbuilding is amazing.
Imagine living in a world, where pirates are called vinegaroons because the colored seas smell like vinegar. Imagine living in a world that’s inhabited by monsters, where every day can become a fight for survival. And now, imagine the hero of the story in this world has a girl’s name, is lame at stick –fighting and making knots but good with letters and math. Meet Rossamünd Bookchild, who is, like all the other book children, a foundling.
Now, I could mope why all the good heroes grow up parent-less, but I don’t. In fact, the book was so addicting that I hardly had time to mope at all. It’s not the best ebook though, due to the 120 pages of glossary at the end, that the reader might need to fully understand this strange new world in which Rossamünd lives. But even without reading them, I found the story very enjoyable.
It is listed among the steampunk books, but since the ships of traders and vinegaroons are not moved by engines but by giant bred muscles that have to be fed, I assume this belongs to the rare sub-genre of biopunk? I’m not sure. What I’m sure of is that I found this story awesome as hell, even though Rossamünd is a bit stupid every now and then, willing to trust some people too early, but he was raised in a foundlingery after all, and the kids didn’t get out much so it’s excusable.
The first book of the Monster Blood Tattoo novels is mainly an adventure story about a boy who just wants to get from one place to the other so he can start his career as a lamp lighter, but who gets lost along the way. And a dangerous way it is. So, the readers learn more about Rossamund's world as Rossamünd learns more about his world and finds out that it’s not quite as he expected it to be.
The smart reader will recognize some subtle hints that rise speculations… so I’ve got something to do until I start with the second book. (Already bought it.)
But what really got me hooked was the Alchemy (the Körnchenflecter is quite close to the real deal), the names and the pictures. Lovely drawn images of the people and monsters that Rossamünd meets during his journey (my favorites being the postman Fouracres, Europe and Freckle)! And the names, well, usually I’m a bit picky when it comes to fancy names, but here I rather liked it because some seemed dutch, some seemed German (the name for a special kind of monster was Kraulschwimmen, which made me laugh so hard), and well, odd names for an odd world, right?
Another thing that’s really nice and very steampunk is this – you don’t get power for nothing. Among the society of the world there is a special group of people called lahzars, able to fight with electricity (fulgars) or your mind (the wits). They’re mighty monster-hunters, or "teratologists", but in order to get that super nice superhero abilities you need to find a surgeon who cuts you open and puts some weird organs inside your body. Which means that you need to drink a few nasty concoctions every day to keep your guts from going sour and still live with the risk of having dangerous spasms… honestly, this is so cool.
I guess this is now the right time to confess that I’m a sedorner. A monster-lover. For those who have not yet read the book; it’s the worst insult, given to those who show sympathy for the monsters, but liking some of these guys is… inevitable.
And Rossamünd, though he seems not much at the beginning of the book, is a nice little guy with a heart too kind who has yet to find his strength, and he’s a bit strange which makes me like him even more. I will definitely read books two and three.
Now, I could mope why all the good heroes grow up parent-less, but I don’t. In fact, the book was so addicting that I hardly had time to mope at all. It’s not the best ebook though, due to the 120 pages of glossary at the end, that the reader might need to fully understand this strange new world in which Rossamünd lives. But even without reading them, I found the story very enjoyable.
It is listed among the steampunk books, but since the ships of traders and vinegaroons are not moved by engines but by giant bred muscles that have to be fed, I assume this belongs to the rare sub-genre of biopunk? I’m not sure. What I’m sure of is that I found this story awesome as hell, even though Rossamünd is a bit stupid every now and then, willing to trust some people too early, but he was raised in a foundlingery after all, and the kids didn’t get out much so it’s excusable.
The first book of the Monster Blood Tattoo novels is mainly an adventure story about a boy who just wants to get from one place to the other so he can start his career as a lamp lighter, but who gets lost along the way. And a dangerous way it is. So, the readers learn more about Rossamund's world as Rossamünd learns more about his world and finds out that it’s not quite as he expected it to be.
The smart reader will recognize some subtle hints that rise speculations… so I’ve got something to do until I start with the second book. (Already bought it.)
But what really got me hooked was the Alchemy (the Körnchenflecter is quite close to the real deal), the names and the pictures. Lovely drawn images of the people and monsters that Rossamünd meets during his journey (my favorites being the postman Fouracres, Europe and Freckle)! And the names, well, usually I’m a bit picky when it comes to fancy names, but here I rather liked it because some seemed dutch, some seemed German (the name for a special kind of monster was Kraulschwimmen, which made me laugh so hard), and well, odd names for an odd world, right?
Another thing that’s really nice and very steampunk is this – you don’t get power for nothing. Among the society of the world there is a special group of people called lahzars, able to fight with electricity (fulgars) or your mind (the wits). They’re mighty monster-hunters, or "teratologists", but in order to get that super nice superhero abilities you need to find a surgeon who cuts you open and puts some weird organs inside your body. Which means that you need to drink a few nasty concoctions every day to keep your guts from going sour and still live with the risk of having dangerous spasms… honestly, this is so cool.
I guess this is now the right time to confess that I’m a sedorner. A monster-lover. For those who have not yet read the book; it’s the worst insult, given to those who show sympathy for the monsters, but liking some of these guys is… inevitable.
And Rossamünd, though he seems not much at the beginning of the book, is a nice little guy with a heart too kind who has yet to find his strength, and he’s a bit strange which makes me like him even more. I will definitely read books two and three.
This book is phenomenal. The writing is deep and perhaps ridiculously detailed. The characters are fresh and fascinating. And most interestingly, at the center of the series, the lore is extraordinarily detailed. The creation of this fictional world was a massive undertaking, and its author had began to create far before he ever started writing about it through the eyes of the protagonist, the young boy Rossamund, in a cohesive story. Rossamund grows up in an orphanage, with no real known parents. He is bullied and made fun of for his love of reading and lack of athletic ability. These are all typical themes in books and such a summary would appear to set up for a dull cookie-cutter coming of age fantasy Harry Potter repeat. But this is not the case. Rossamund's tale weaves and spins through drastic and fascinating cultures and places, and he meets a variety of bizarre people along the way. This book is very steampunk. If this is a genre of interest for you, I would highly suggest it. Much of the battle is this book is based on odd chemicals. There are ships run by animal organs.
Not only is Cornish a talented writer, but also an illustrator. This book is filled with sketches of characters and places, all of which greatly enhance the experience and add to the oddity and uniqueness of the book. At the back of the book is a massive appendix, for Cornish's own made-up terms, jobs, and weapons, a massive amount of information, the likes of which I haven't seen since the appendices of The Lord of the Rings.
Not only is Cornish a talented writer, but also an illustrator. This book is filled with sketches of characters and places, all of which greatly enhance the experience and add to the oddity and uniqueness of the book. At the back of the book is a massive appendix, for Cornish's own made-up terms, jobs, and weapons, a massive amount of information, the likes of which I haven't seen since the appendices of The Lord of the Rings.
Great ideas, and a great world, the first book is the great start to a trilogy. The whole series flags a little after the first book. Not far, but it just feels like it's missing something, and I can't figure out what. I'm definitely enjoying it, though.
Consumed as an audiobook. Humphrey Bower's narration was fantastic. I think this is one of those rare examples where the narrator enhances the book and would strongly recommend that everyone seek out the audiobook version.
Rossamund - a boy - has an unfortunate name. When he is recruited to be a lamplighter, he begins an adventure in reaching the lamplighters facility. Full of adventure and magic this was a fun audio book.
A fun YA book with great worldbuilding. I'll probably want the next two in the series. I was surprised to find it ended with over a hundred pages left...apparently all of it was an in-depth index!
Although it took some time for the plot to get rolling once it did, my goodness! I was hooked! There's something very interesting going on in the Half Continent and I can't wait to follow Rossamund in finding out what!