Reviews

The Erstwhile by Brian Catling

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sohxpie's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

Thankfully, this was much better than the first book in the trilogy. I'd argue that at times it felt like it should have in fact been the first book. There was so much more explanatory world building in this novel, there was so much more context. We actually found out about the origins of the Vorrh and the local town. Something that was barely touched upon in the previous novel which is pretty strange when you consider that the town is such a huge part of the story. I think as a whole, the first novel had more descriptive world building when this novel has more context and explanations. In my opinion, this should be the other way around, I found myself so much more invested in this book compared to the first. There was much more focus on the story this time around, I found the number of weird, out of place segments had definitely decreased, they didn't disappear completely but I found the reading experience much more bearable. I have found myself very invested in Ghertrude's story, I will mainly be reading the third novel to see how her story plays out. I like how the reader learns everything at the same time as Ghertrude, it adds tension to her story. I'm still not convinced by this trilogy, I'm definitely not enjoying it but there is a certain level of intrigue that is keeping me going.

casp801's review against another edition

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4.0

Hector and Nicholas were so fun. I still don't know what's going on. wtf are we supposed to do without Ishmael I was sort of under the impression he was a major player here.

gerren's review

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

3.0

thebreadloaf's review

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adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

grayjay's review against another edition

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3.0

The Erstwhile feels more coherent than the Vorrh—fewer inconsequential subplots to be brushed aside like stray hairs.
It also feels more like a remake than a sequel. Much of the plot is moved from colonial Africa to Europe, previously starring characters are placed in the background, and the mythology feels more succinct.
Professor Schumann meets one of the Erstwhile (Angels?) in Essenvaldt and travels to London to meet more. Ishmael goes on another quest into the Vorrh.