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kitvaria_sarene's review
5.0
I have waited quite a long time to finally read this awesome debut, as I didn't want to buy the kindle version.
So, when I finally got the book, I delved right in and had a really hard time putting it down again!
I absolutely loved this story. The interesting plot and the pacing held me caught up in the story all the way through. The different POVs provide variety and let us see more of the world.
I clicked quickly with the main characters and was quite afraid for them in dangerous situations. Ashman actually knows that you will be far more engaged in the story, if some important characters die along the way, so you can't feel too safe. That worked perfect on me. I was completely freaked out at one point in the story, about how he could do that to me.
I especially loved how different the characters were. There is not only the scheme of "good guy/hero" and "bad guy/villain". Instead characters can change over time, or have both sides within them.
He played on my emotions perfectly and had me holding my breath, squinting at the book with only one eye, cheering loudly (when someone was brutally mutilated -very deservedly) and sigh in relief at other parts.
In the second half it gets quite brutal and bloody in some parts, so it isn't for the faint of heart or squeamish readers ;)
Yes, it had some flaws, but nothing major that would have spoiled my enjoyment.
Sometimes I felt it a bit unrealistic, under what conditions people could fight on, and on. But as the fight scenes were written very well and especially the weapons very realistically described, I can overlook that few moments easily.
Overall It was an incredible debut, that could easily have been published by one of the big publishing houses. I couldn't put it down amd was sucked completely into the story - so it gets a wholehearted recommendation from me! Definitely worth the money and the time spend - I can't wait for the next one!
So, when I finally got the book, I delved right in and had a really hard time putting it down again!
I absolutely loved this story. The interesting plot and the pacing held me caught up in the story all the way through. The different POVs provide variety and let us see more of the world.
I clicked quickly with the main characters and was quite afraid for them in dangerous situations. Ashman actually knows that you will be far more engaged in the story, if some important characters die along the way, so you can't feel too safe. That worked perfect on me. I was completely freaked out at one point in the story, about how he could do that to me.
I especially loved how different the characters were. There is not only the scheme of "good guy/hero" and "bad guy/villain". Instead characters can change over time, or have both sides within them.
He played on my emotions perfectly and had me holding my breath, squinting at the book with only one eye, cheering loudly (when someone was brutally mutilated -very deservedly) and sigh in relief at other parts.
In the second half it gets quite brutal and bloody in some parts, so it isn't for the faint of heart or squeamish readers ;)
Yes, it had some flaws, but nothing major that would have spoiled my enjoyment.
Sometimes I felt it a bit unrealistic, under what conditions people could fight on, and on. But as the fight scenes were written very well and especially the weapons very realistically described, I can overlook that few moments easily.
Overall It was an incredible debut, that could easily have been published by one of the big publishing houses. I couldn't put it down amd was sucked completely into the story - so it gets a wholehearted recommendation from me! Definitely worth the money and the time spend - I can't wait for the next one!
grmatthews's review
4.0
You know how it is, you set out to do the right thing, to make a difference, to improve the lives of people and it all goes mammary glands upwards. In the world that J P Ashman has created, that is exactly what happens. The consequences of this selfless, helpful act serves drag in all the races of the world into a crisis.
Black Cross is a “medieval Europe society” based Fantasy novel where the human race is beginning to experiment with black powder. Against this backdrop, the author brings in the typical fantasy races; elves and dwarves, but the most evil of all remain the humans. It is the human race that has created and given power to a tyrannical church and its inquisition, created a religion based on the denial of freedom, a hate of magic, and a need to be controlling.
Opposing them are the Clerics and Wizards in their tower. The clerics are healers, of no particular religion, more those whose magical skills relate to healing and whose scientific knowledge, of anatomy, of herbs and medicines, allow them to treat the sick. The wizards are the wielders of destructive power, searchers and researchers of knowledge.
One of my favourite devices in this story is the bookworm. A magical worm that searches through books, looking for the knowledge requested by the wizard and then transmits it to the caster. It works very much like search engine for the web, a google worm. It was charmingly written and provided a nod to the modern world, and widening of the magical repertoire of the people. The wizards here wield magic, that’s what they do, there are no complicated rules and structures. Cast a spell, get tired – it is simple, it works and doesn’t distract from the story.
There are two main plotlines to track through the book.
In the first we follow Falchion, a man named for the sword he carries, as he carries out his orders and unwittingly sets going a chain of events that will lead to many deaths. He is a military man, a fighter, a warrior, and through his eyes we travel the world beyond the main city. I liked him. He is a good man, staying true to his beliefs and trying to do his best. He is surrounded by friends, who have their own personalities, and that camaraderie is a strong point.
In the second, we follow two mysterious policemen / detectives, who are trying to solve a crime. Their investigation leads deeper into the underworld of the city. Both these men have their own past and powers, they are surrounded by others who seem to have abilities beyond the normal range – a very Special Special Branch of the police force, if you will permit. There is also, along this track, an assassin’s point of view, a young girl and an abused prostitutes. That you can feel for all these characters is a mark of good writing.
The story is well handled and there are, thankfully, no info-dumps (I don’t like info-dumps). To be critical, I think the first third of the book is a little slow before takes off and starts moving at a fair ol’ clip. There are a few typo’s and strange sentences, but not many and I know it has been re-edited since so there are probably even fewer (or even none) by now and anyway they didn’t drag me out of the story or interrupt the flow. My last criticism is points-of-view, sometimes these changed mid-chapter and were well handled, but sometimes mid-paragraph which jarred a little. Minor points, not even at the level of grumble.
However, if you want to read a traditional fantasy story with characters you can care about, a story that develops the world and hints at a greater threat, where a central theme is the State versus the Church, then this could well be for you. Oh, and BBFC fashion, this book contains scenes of sexual nature, torture and strong language.
I enjoyed it. 4/5*
Black Cross is a “medieval Europe society” based Fantasy novel where the human race is beginning to experiment with black powder. Against this backdrop, the author brings in the typical fantasy races; elves and dwarves, but the most evil of all remain the humans. It is the human race that has created and given power to a tyrannical church and its inquisition, created a religion based on the denial of freedom, a hate of magic, and a need to be controlling.
Opposing them are the Clerics and Wizards in their tower. The clerics are healers, of no particular religion, more those whose magical skills relate to healing and whose scientific knowledge, of anatomy, of herbs and medicines, allow them to treat the sick. The wizards are the wielders of destructive power, searchers and researchers of knowledge.
One of my favourite devices in this story is the bookworm. A magical worm that searches through books, looking for the knowledge requested by the wizard and then transmits it to the caster. It works very much like search engine for the web, a google worm. It was charmingly written and provided a nod to the modern world, and widening of the magical repertoire of the people. The wizards here wield magic, that’s what they do, there are no complicated rules and structures. Cast a spell, get tired – it is simple, it works and doesn’t distract from the story.
There are two main plotlines to track through the book.
In the first we follow Falchion, a man named for the sword he carries, as he carries out his orders and unwittingly sets going a chain of events that will lead to many deaths. He is a military man, a fighter, a warrior, and through his eyes we travel the world beyond the main city. I liked him. He is a good man, staying true to his beliefs and trying to do his best. He is surrounded by friends, who have their own personalities, and that camaraderie is a strong point.
In the second, we follow two mysterious policemen / detectives, who are trying to solve a crime. Their investigation leads deeper into the underworld of the city. Both these men have their own past and powers, they are surrounded by others who seem to have abilities beyond the normal range – a very Special Special Branch of the police force, if you will permit. There is also, along this track, an assassin’s point of view, a young girl and an abused prostitutes. That you can feel for all these characters is a mark of good writing.
The story is well handled and there are, thankfully, no info-dumps (I don’t like info-dumps). To be critical, I think the first third of the book is a little slow before takes off and starts moving at a fair ol’ clip. There are a few typo’s and strange sentences, but not many and I know it has been re-edited since so there are probably even fewer (or even none) by now and anyway they didn’t drag me out of the story or interrupt the flow. My last criticism is points-of-view, sometimes these changed mid-chapter and were well handled, but sometimes mid-paragraph which jarred a little. Minor points, not even at the level of grumble.
However, if you want to read a traditional fantasy story with characters you can care about, a story that develops the world and hints at a greater threat, where a central theme is the State versus the Church, then this could well be for you. Oh, and BBFC fashion, this book contains scenes of sexual nature, torture and strong language.
I enjoyed it. 4/5*
kartiknarayanan's review
4.0
Black Cross is a great debut novel by J.P. Ashman as other reviewers have mentioned. It is epic and complicated with dashes of humour, heroism and villainy thrown in for good measure. There are a number of story threads and characters as befits its genre.
The setting starts with a world similar to medieval Europe and then elements of D&D are thrown in midway through the book. I could also see some similarities between Terry Pratchett's The Watch series and the guard in this book. Most of the characters are memorable - the detectives and the assassin (no names to prevent spoilers) were my favourites.
Is it great? Unfortunately, the answer is no. But the potential is there for it to become so. The biggest gripe I have, is its uneven pacing. It took me a while and a couple of starts to get into the story. But, once it started, the pacing kept improving until it was break-neck towards the end. A secondary (but minor) one is the verbosity. I feel that this story would have been tighter with better and merciless editing. Be warned, there is a character whose circumstances will make you cringe.
Overall, I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the next instalment in the series.
If you liked this review, you can find more like it on my blog Digital Amrit
The setting starts with a world similar to medieval Europe and then elements of D&D are thrown in midway through the book. I could also see some similarities between Terry Pratchett's The Watch series and the guard in this book. Most of the characters are memorable - the detectives and the assassin (no names to prevent spoilers) were my favourites.
Is it great? Unfortunately, the answer is no. But the potential is there for it to become so. The biggest gripe I have, is its uneven pacing. It took me a while and a couple of starts to get into the story. But, once it started, the pacing kept improving until it was break-neck towards the end. A secondary (but minor) one is the verbosity. I feel that this story would have been tighter with better and merciless editing. Be warned, there is a character whose circumstances will make you cringe.
Overall, I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the next instalment in the series.
If you liked this review, you can find more like it on my blog Digital Amrit
jamesnotlatimer's review
4.0
Packed full of action and memorable characters, with some interesting twists and turns in a many-threaded plot, and a refreshing number of people trying to do the right thing (even if it doesn't always turn out right). While the author doesn't hesitate to describe the gruesome, there are moments of wonder and beauty here as well, which a lot of modern fantasy ignores. My edition was still a bit rough around the edges, but that didn't detract from the experience, and even some of my concerns with worldbuilding were addressed in the plot (basically, there's fairly good reason they have armour circa 1400 but some elements of society and technology that arrived about 200 years later in our history).
Recommend this kitchen-sink of a fantasy if you are looking for a break-neck adventure with knights, guardsmen, wizards, clerics, elves, witch hunters, prostitutes, inquisitors, goblins, assassins, succubi, disease, ships, sewers, mysteries, revenge, dungeons...and a very special dog.
Recommend this kitchen-sink of a fantasy if you are looking for a break-neck adventure with knights, guardsmen, wizards, clerics, elves, witch hunters, prostitutes, inquisitors, goblins, assassins, succubi, disease, ships, sewers, mysteries, revenge, dungeons...and a very special dog.
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