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vesvius's review
4.0
I finished my first readthrough of Immortal a few hours ago and have been trying to figure out the right words to describe it since.
Before we go any further, let me just say that if your question is 'should I read this book?', the answer is yes. It's well written, the characters are a lot of fun, the plot is engaging, and it sets up a quality hook for book 3. Immortal is most certainly worth your time.
But unfortunately, it falls into the unfortunate position of having to be compared to Mastermind. I might be biased, but I adored Mastermind. It was one of my favorite books that I read last year. Compared to those lofty standards, Immortal just doesn't really hold up, and it took me a while to figure out why.
The thing about Mastermind was that, beyond the core plot and the main character's vendetta, it was a lot of *fun*. We got to see life through the eyes of a character on their way up in this zany game. He got into a fight with a sewer lizard. He robbed a bank. We got see how everything worked. There were just a whole bunch of scenes of Despot playing the game. And there's nothing really in Immortal except the opening scene that really has that same feel.
I guess what I'm trying to say was that in Mastermind, it felt like Despot was having fun, and so I had fun reading along with it. In Immortal, Despot has very little fun to speak of. It's all moral quandaries, interactions with powers beyond measure, and labyrinthine planning. Considering that one of the major themes in Immortal is 'Why is Despot still playing?', I'm guessing it was intentional, but it feels like the book suffered from it.
There are a few other niggling complaints, mostly focused on the strong supporting cast feeling like they're barely in the book for most of it, but they're all minor flaws. All in all, if you enjoyed Mastermind, you'll enjoy Immortal. I just hope that Book 3 has a bit more of that spark in it.
Before we go any further, let me just say that if your question is 'should I read this book?', the answer is yes. It's well written, the characters are a lot of fun, the plot is engaging, and it sets up a quality hook for book 3. Immortal is most certainly worth your time.
But unfortunately, it falls into the unfortunate position of having to be compared to Mastermind. I might be biased, but I adored Mastermind. It was one of my favorite books that I read last year. Compared to those lofty standards, Immortal just doesn't really hold up, and it took me a while to figure out why.
The thing about Mastermind was that, beyond the core plot and the main character's vendetta, it was a lot of *fun*. We got to see life through the eyes of a character on their way up in this zany game. He got into a fight with a sewer lizard. He robbed a bank. We got see how everything worked. There were just a whole bunch of scenes of Despot playing the game. And there's nothing really in Immortal except the opening scene that really has that same feel.
I guess what I'm trying to say was that in Mastermind, it felt like Despot was having fun, and so I had fun reading along with it. In Immortal, Despot has very little fun to speak of. It's all moral quandaries, interactions with powers beyond measure, and labyrinthine planning. Considering that one of the major themes in Immortal is 'Why is Despot still playing?', I'm guessing it was intentional, but it feels like the book suffered from it.
There are a few other niggling complaints, mostly focused on the strong supporting cast feeling like they're barely in the book for most of it, but they're all minor flaws. All in all, if you enjoyed Mastermind, you'll enjoy Immortal. I just hope that Book 3 has a bit more of that spark in it.
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