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northern_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jameseckman's review against another edition
3.0
A light, fun read about a street kid who doesn't want to rule.
gracecrandall's review against another edition
5.0
Allow me to rant about my new favorite book.
Actually, it seems like every book is my new favorite these days. This is entirely the fault of the books themselves; they insist on being epic--and this story did not break that trend, though it succeeded in breaking quite a few others.
The Unwilling Warlord begins by introducing us to the somewhat self-interested, vaguely roguish character of Sterren, who plies his trade of professional gambler ably enough to make a comfortable living, but quietly enough to avoid the eye of the law.
So, when a ragtag group of forbidding-looking foreigners shows up asking for him, Sterren is not overly keen on learning their intentions. As it turns out, however, they only intend to restore him to a long-lost ancestral inheritance, which would be good news--save for the fact that this inheritance is the position of Warlord (read: General) in a faraway kingdom about to go to war, and Sterren must either accept command of the kingdom's armies or die.
The story seems to start off a little slow, which isn't entirely a bad thing. It's not boring, but the first half of the book is dedicated to world-building and situation-setting, all of which is capitalized on (quite fantastically) in the second half. there's also a lot of growth going on for Sterren, who begins the story thinking almost exclusively about himself and ends it by thinking of everyone but himself. I really loved the way this change was executed--in quiet, unassuming stages that are barely noticable and entirely devoid of angst.
the perspective of the book also changes rather dramatically somewhere around the mid-way point. at first, the main worry of the story is about Sterren's responsibility, as Warlord, of defeating the kingdom's enemies. these enemies, however, are not the true danger, and the second half of the book revolves around an entirely different conflict. this is generally something they warn you against in Writer Land, but for the purposes of this story I thought it worked rather well--the main themes, questions of power and corruption, loyalty and self-interest, remained the same throughout the story, and the change of antagonist merely served to give them a new perspective.
And while this was a very deep story, there was also an enchanted cockroach who harassed the enemy by singing an annoying sea chanty for hours on end, an event which I will hold as the crowning achievement of literary ridiculousness until some challenger comes to cast it down.
Actually, it seems like every book is my new favorite these days. This is entirely the fault of the books themselves; they insist on being epic--and this story did not break that trend, though it succeeded in breaking quite a few others.
The Unwilling Warlord begins by introducing us to the somewhat self-interested, vaguely roguish character of Sterren, who plies his trade of professional gambler ably enough to make a comfortable living, but quietly enough to avoid the eye of the law.
So, when a ragtag group of forbidding-looking foreigners shows up asking for him, Sterren is not overly keen on learning their intentions. As it turns out, however, they only intend to restore him to a long-lost ancestral inheritance, which would be good news--save for the fact that this inheritance is the position of Warlord (read: General) in a faraway kingdom about to go to war, and Sterren must either accept command of the kingdom's armies or die.
The story seems to start off a little slow, which isn't entirely a bad thing. It's not boring, but the first half of the book is dedicated to world-building and situation-setting, all of which is capitalized on (quite fantastically) in the second half. there's also a lot of growth going on for Sterren, who begins the story thinking almost exclusively about himself and ends it by thinking of everyone but himself. I really loved the way this change was executed--in quiet, unassuming stages that are barely noticable and entirely devoid of angst.
the perspective of the book also changes rather dramatically somewhere around the mid-way point. at first, the main worry of the story is about Sterren's responsibility, as Warlord, of defeating the kingdom's enemies. these enemies, however, are not the true danger, and the second half of the book revolves around an entirely different conflict. this is generally something they warn you against in Writer Land, but for the purposes of this story I thought it worked rather well--the main themes, questions of power and corruption, loyalty and self-interest, remained the same throughout the story, and the change of antagonist merely served to give them a new perspective.
And while this was a very deep story, there was also an enchanted cockroach who harassed the enemy by singing an annoying sea chanty for hours on end, an event which I will hold as the crowning achievement of literary ridiculousness until some challenger comes to cast it down.