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quillathe_23's review against another edition
4.0
Slow start, faster towards the end. Still enjoyed it.
juliaff91's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
First half is a bit slow due to world building. Second half was full of twists and turns! I really enjoyed this and the last 25% of this book really had me on the edge of my seat!
kennethtcox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
christopher_dilts's review
3.0
Once again, I am punishing myself by trying to read these books of fantasy D&D pulp from my childhood. Why do I keep doing this?
It was definitely better than the last few of these books that I've read, which might be why I finished the novel so quickly. Then again I haven't really found any decent fantasy books that I've wanted to get into lately, and I do want to find a good fantasy story to enjoy. I don't think I'll be reading the other two books in this series, despite the fact that it helps pad my Goodreads Challenge. Enough, I say!
Overall, the story was moderately exciting and the characters mostly weren't completely cringe. And yet, and yet... a priest with a dart crossbow and a dwarf who dreams of being a druid and only yelling, "Oo Oi" as his main dialogue, really?
This would probably be an exciting action story for a teenage reader, which was perhaps its target audience anyways. I should stop setting myself such high expectations for D&D novels, which feel more like Black Library for Games Workshop, just another way to sell the more probably profitable merchandise such as the game books and models.
It was definitely better than the last few of these books that I've read, which might be why I finished the novel so quickly. Then again I haven't really found any decent fantasy books that I've wanted to get into lately, and I do want to find a good fantasy story to enjoy. I don't think I'll be reading the other two books in this series, despite the fact that it helps pad my Goodreads Challenge. Enough, I say!
Overall, the story was moderately exciting and the characters mostly weren't completely cringe. And yet, and yet... a priest with a dart crossbow and a dwarf who dreams of being a druid and only yelling, "Oo Oi" as his main dialogue, really?
This would probably be an exciting action story for a teenage reader, which was perhaps its target audience anyways. I should stop setting myself such high expectations for D&D novels, which feel more like Black Library for Games Workshop, just another way to sell the more probably profitable merchandise such as the game books and models.
beorn_101's review against another edition
3.0
This book is one that I loved in High School, Salvatore's writing is fast paced and often has angsty characters that really appealed to me as a teen. I distinctly remember loving the Cleric Quintet, because while they still had many features of Salvatore's writing, they were Drittz free, which was big!
Recently I reread Canticle, I wanted to see if it held up. Overall, for game fiction, I think it is enjoyable. It is unusual to have a protagonist be a Cleric, so this was a refreshing change of pace. Cadderly isn't an all powerful character, he is naïve, seemingly can't really cast spells, and despite being brilliant, gets himself into trouble frequently. It works well for the book, creating fun moments that don't always rely on our hero slicing and dicing his way through.
The supporting cast of characters is interesting, with my particular favorites being the dwarf brothers Ivan and Pikel, who have some pretty solid slap stick humor moments.
The villain and his plot is solid, if not really anything to special, but the scheming Imp is a solid feature.
All that said, the writing here is pretty rough a times. This feels very much so like game fiction, characters (other then maybe Cadderly) don't really have any personal growth, enemies have pretty minimal perceivable motivations and all feel a little mustache twirly. The descriptions are serviceable, but nothing special.
This book is in the vein of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Conan the Barbarian, fast action, some great moments, and a lot of fun, but really not a great movie (even if I rewatch it often). Canticle is that, quick fun and shallow, but enjoyable moments, but at it's core this isn't an amazing book. If you are expecting Brandon Sanderson, probably best to avoid, but if you don't mind a quick and enjoyable read, worth giving a try.
Recently I reread Canticle, I wanted to see if it held up. Overall, for game fiction, I think it is enjoyable. It is unusual to have a protagonist be a Cleric, so this was a refreshing change of pace. Cadderly isn't an all powerful character, he is naïve, seemingly can't really cast spells, and despite being brilliant, gets himself into trouble frequently. It works well for the book, creating fun moments that don't always rely on our hero slicing and dicing his way through.
The supporting cast of characters is interesting, with my particular favorites being the dwarf brothers Ivan and Pikel, who have some pretty solid slap stick humor moments.
The villain and his plot is solid, if not really anything to special, but the scheming Imp is a solid feature.
All that said, the writing here is pretty rough a times. This feels very much so like game fiction, characters (other then maybe Cadderly) don't really have any personal growth, enemies have pretty minimal perceivable motivations and all feel a little mustache twirly. The descriptions are serviceable, but nothing special.
This book is in the vein of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Conan the Barbarian, fast action, some great moments, and a lot of fun, but really not a great movie (even if I rewatch it often). Canticle is that, quick fun and shallow, but enjoyable moments, but at it's core this isn't an amazing book. If you are expecting Brandon Sanderson, probably best to avoid, but if you don't mind a quick and enjoyable read, worth giving a try.
emiann2023's review against another edition
4.0
Cadderly is an interesting character, and this was a decent read, but it was slow.
zav3nd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It starts pretty slow, starts to pick up about halfway through. Then turns into a lot of runaround. It's alright and has it's moments.
Seems to fit in after siege of darkness, but 4 more books before getting back to Drizzt might be too much.
Seems to fit in after siege of darkness, but 4 more books before getting back to Drizzt might be too much.
tamzy6's review against another edition
3.0
I'm new to Salvatore and this book is a fairly pleasant read, along with very well written battle scenes. The pace picked up considerably towards the end, leading to a climactic battle in the catacombs. As what a few of his fans have noticed, his writing style for The Cleric Quintet is a lot more YA than his usual works (but I'll discover that for myself in due time).
jay_sy's review against another edition
3.0
I found Canticle to be a fairly entertaining read, though it seems to be geared towards a younger audience. The setting in the library was fairly interesting, with glimpses into the different kinds of people and religion in the region, and the characters were mostly likeable though the comic relief dwarves were a little too much for me. On top of that, because of certain things that happened later in the story, the stakes tended to feel very low.
It was otherwise a quick read, and might be enjoyed by younger people looking to get into fantasy or with an interest in D&D.
It was otherwise a quick read, and might be enjoyed by younger people looking to get into fantasy or with an interest in D&D.