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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Incest, Misogyny
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
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
*review contains spoilers*
I really enjoyed the beginning, it's interesting to learn about the narrator as they are learning about themselves. You get the sense that he's not such a good guy and you slowly get introduced to the family as sort of demigods with family drama. That's fun.
What's not fun is most of what happens after he gets his memory back. It's like somehow he has less identity as a person. Before he was witty and sharp and cunning. And he seems to be a selfish rogue playing the line of good and bad and he doesn't even know which side he's on. But then it and he become very boring.
The description of the battles felt like someone reading aloud from a statistics book of the events rather than someone telling of the real trauma and emotions of what's happening with their own family. I mean even the author got bored of it at the end and resorted to "let me just cut it to you straight, they all died".
I also don't understand why we don't want Eric to be king? Maybe I missed something but Corwen doesn't seem that ethical either, he led thousands to die in battle knowing they would likely die. It was never clear to me why he hates Eric, only that he does.
The underwater kingdom was interesting, and the tarot card making guy. But by the end of the book I'm not sure I care enough about the main character. If you want to make him an antihero then please commit to the bit, I didn't buy it.
Over all it was ok but not great.
I really enjoyed the beginning, it's interesting to learn about the narrator as they are learning about themselves. You get the sense that he's not such a good guy and you slowly get introduced to the family as sort of demigods with family drama. That's fun.
What's not fun is most of what happens after he gets his memory back. It's like somehow he has less identity as a person. Before he was witty and sharp and cunning. And he seems to be a selfish rogue playing the line of good and bad and he doesn't even know which side he's on. But then it and he become very boring.
The description of the battles felt like someone reading aloud from a statistics book of the events rather than someone telling of the real trauma and emotions of what's happening with their own family. I mean even the author got bored of it at the end and resorted to "let me just cut it to you straight, they all died".
I also don't understand why we don't want Eric to be king? Maybe I missed something but Corwen doesn't seem that ethical either, he led thousands to die in battle knowing they would likely die. It was never clear to me why he hates Eric, only that he does.
The underwater kingdom was interesting, and the tarot card making guy. But by the end of the book I'm not sure I care enough about the main character. If you want to make him an antihero then please commit to the bit, I didn't buy it.
Over all it was ok but not great.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
How disappointing.
The first chapters were 4 stars awesome. I was hooked instantly and delightfully surprised. Seeing as this book was written in the 70's, I expected the usual LOTR fantasy style novel. Slow start, simple heroes, old-fashioned setting. Instead, I got a fast paced beginning with a modern unusual protagonist. At first, I enjoyed his aloof tone and the mystery.
However, as the mystery unraveled, really quickly I might add, the detached dialogue started getting on my nerves. The fast pace also bothered me. As a novella, I might understand why the author would rush, but this is fantasy epic spanning a number of books. The rushed confusing scenes dampened my interests. And I remained uninterested until the end of the book.
A number of things the characters did, didn't make sense to me. All of them. The characterization was terrible. Really bad. They did not seem like real people and their actions were not supported by any concrete motivations, it made the whole thing seem unrealistic and weak.
I have given it a 3 star due to the promising start. I still have hopes for this series. Will pick up the second book and make my final judgment then.
The first chapters were 4 stars awesome. I was hooked instantly and delightfully surprised. Seeing as this book was written in the 70's, I expected the usual LOTR fantasy style novel. Slow start, simple heroes, old-fashioned setting. Instead, I got a fast paced beginning with a modern unusual protagonist. At first, I enjoyed his aloof tone and the mystery.
However, as the mystery unraveled, really quickly I might add, the detached dialogue started getting on my nerves. The fast pace also bothered me. As a novella, I might understand why the author would rush, but this is fantasy epic spanning a number of books. The rushed confusing scenes dampened my interests. And I remained uninterested until the end of the book.
A number of things the characters did, didn't make sense to me. All of them. The characterization was terrible. Really bad. They did not seem like real people and their actions were not supported by any concrete motivations, it made the whole thing seem unrealistic and weak.
I have given it a 3 star due to the promising start. I still have hopes for this series. Will pick up the second book and make my final judgment then.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quite confusing and a lot of telling rather than showing, however, a strange, weird story from a master of fantasy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
adventurous
fast-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
Oh gee, I did not like this one very much. The premise and first 2-3 chapters were really interesting. A man wakes up with amnesia and has to learn/remember things on the fly because there are people out to get him. But the writing lacked depth. Everything just kind of <i>happened</i>, and so suddenly. I guess there is a real reason fantasy books should be long... Maybe the books get better as they go (this is the first in a series of 10 books), or maybe they should be read as a compendium, as I've seen sold in the past. I don't think I'll be continuing this series, however. I really did enjoy bits and pieces of this older fantasy, though. It definitely had an appealing retro feel to it.
This 1970 series debut is a bit of a ride, but I've definitely enjoyed it. Opening on an earthly amnesiac gives the story both grounding and a distinctive flavor, and the fantasy worldbuilding is interesting once it does start to trickle in. I especially like the magical system of traveling to parallel worlds by slowly adding and subtracting various elements to bring yourself gradually closer to your target reality. Plus the action feels like an old swashbuckling adventure like Zorro or Zenda, which makes for a delightful throwback.
On the downside: the plot to this first volume ends rather abruptly with little resolution, and the female characters are generally not developed very well (and at one point dismissed categorically as "bitches"). The book also seems to subscribe to the 'great man' theory of social change, in that the narrative is concerned with the actions of a few immortal generals and not the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who die in their service with no name or particular characterization.
Overall, however, the title holds up pretty well a half-century after publication, and I've had fun spotting the influences it likely wrought on the genre that followed. Since this one was so short, I'll have to push on to the sequels as well.
[I read and reviewed this title at a Patreon donor’s request. Want to nominate your own books for me to read and review (or otherwise support my writing)? Sign up for a small monthly donation today at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke!]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
On the downside: the plot to this first volume ends rather abruptly with little resolution, and the female characters are generally not developed very well (and at one point dismissed categorically as "bitches"). The book also seems to subscribe to the 'great man' theory of social change, in that the narrative is concerned with the actions of a few immortal generals and not the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who die in their service with no name or particular characterization.
Overall, however, the title holds up pretty well a half-century after publication, and I've had fun spotting the influences it likely wrought on the genre that followed. Since this one was so short, I'll have to push on to the sequels as well.
[I read and reviewed this title at a Patreon donor’s request. Want to nominate your own books for me to read and review (or otherwise support my writing)? Sign up for a small monthly donation today at https://patreon.com/lesserjoke!]
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter
Started off strong, quickly became another sci fi/fantasy book about brothers who make alliances and try to stab each other in the back. Couldn't finish