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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Meh. I would move on to Book 2 in hopes of getting some sense of closure but really, a book about waging war in order to be king...not my cup of tea.
If I had read this book 30 years ago, it might have been amazing…the narrative voice was fun, first person who doesn’t remember anything but plays along and slowly figures things out along with the reader. But, after the first part of the book it’s all telling and not showing, time and place have no meaning or pace, I’m not sure why we as the reader even care about what’s going on. It feels like I met a dude on a long flight and he wanted to tell me about this time that he fought in a war with his family.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I picked this up as a teenager and devoured it. I LOVED it. It was so eclectic and moody and cool. It has one of my favorite tropes (amnesiac protagonist) and I was absolutely fascinated by the cards and the part where Corwin walked The Pattern and remembers his past . It certainly was formative for me.
That said, as an adult, it doesn't quite hold up the same way. I think this is a great book for quirky 15 year olds who are more likely to focus on intriguing, novel details than how the larger work draws together. It's definitely a product of its time, both culturally and genre-wise. Its characters are a bit one-note, and its female characters particularly suffer from underdevelopment. There may be other out-dated, cringe-inducing aspects to it that I don't recall off the top of my head, since it's been a minute since I read it last. I do recall that It mashes up sci-fi and fantasy ambitiously, though not always gracefully. Nevertheless, it will always have a special place in my heart.
That said, as an adult, it doesn't quite hold up the same way. I think this is a great book for quirky 15 year olds who are more likely to focus on intriguing, novel details than how the larger work draws together. It's definitely a product of its time, both culturally and genre-wise. Its characters are a bit one-note, and its female characters particularly suffer from underdevelopment. There may be other out-dated, cringe-inducing aspects to it that I don't recall off the top of my head, since it's been a minute since I read it last. I do recall that It mashes up sci-fi and fantasy ambitiously, though not always gracefully. Nevertheless, it will always have a special place in my heart.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's weird to rate the book after only what it seems like an introduction. But I have to keep in mind when it was written. It was ok, it feels like I'm only just learning about the world and magic system, still don't care about the characters. It seems like this would be much longer and written in more detail today, I'm feeling like I'm reading only draft of the novel. I'm continuing series nonetheless.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Blah blah special boys are special. Blah blah. Thanks, I'm good.
Boring. I don't like old fantasy novels but I told a friend I would try reading this series because he speaks so highly of the roleplaying game based off of it. I couldn't even get halfway through this book it was so boring; it was my cure for insomnia.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes