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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-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:
Yes
adventurous
medium-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
Shallow, forgettable and dull.
The characters and world felt paper thin, using many archetypes and plot points which felt predictable and unoriginal.
The main plot's felt uninspired and meandering with very little of consequence happeing until the last quarter of the book where we would get sudden lore drops. Which then felt inconsequential due to the late stage in the book, and the fact that at this stage the author had failed to make me care about most of the characters or intricacies of his world.
The B plots, of politics and religion felt like someones first attempt at a "morally-grey" world, and who probably loved Game of Thrones. The author stuck to frequently seen before plots where rivalling kingdoms and factions were trying to screw each other over and organised religion = bad. But the tiny amounts we got were way too little to actually build any intrigue, and felt like they were shoe-horned in because "thats what fantasy books should do". It felt jarring to be reading plots that even the author felt unintrested in due to their sporadic and surface level inclusion in the book.
Ultimately it feels like this book is a first draft that needed some heavy editing, or the ideas of someone who had the broad strokes for a world and story but lost interest in filling out the finer details that can actually add nuance and interest to a world, and make the characters original and compelling.
I think the author would be better suited to running a game of D&D rather than attempting to write more fantasy novels.
If I hadn't been reading this for a book club I would have DNF'd it, there are so many better fantasy novels out there for both people familiar with the genre and for people who are starting to dip their toes in. Don't waste your time or money.
The characters and world felt paper thin, using many archetypes and plot points which felt predictable and unoriginal.
The main plot's felt uninspired and meandering with very little of consequence happeing until the last quarter of the book where we would get sudden lore drops. Which then felt inconsequential due to the late stage in the book, and the fact that at this stage the author had failed to make me care about most of the characters or intricacies of his world.
The B plots, of politics and religion felt like someones first attempt at a "morally-grey" world, and who probably loved Game of Thrones. The author stuck to frequently seen before plots where rivalling kingdoms and factions were trying to screw each other over and organised religion = bad. But the tiny amounts we got were way too little to actually build any intrigue, and felt like they were shoe-horned in because "thats what fantasy books should do". It felt jarring to be reading plots that even the author felt unintrested in due to their sporadic and surface level inclusion in the book.
Ultimately it feels like this book is a first draft that needed some heavy editing, or the ideas of someone who had the broad strokes for a world and story but lost interest in filling out the finer details that can actually add nuance and interest to a world, and make the characters original and compelling.
I think the author would be better suited to running a game of D&D rather than attempting to write more fantasy novels.
If I hadn't been reading this for a book club I would have DNF'd it, there are so many better fantasy novels out there for both people familiar with the genre and for people who are starting to dip their toes in. Don't waste your time or money.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A terrifically woven narrative that takes place in a living and breathing world. Aryan deviates from Tolkien fantasy and the end result is a very original feeling setting.
The Coward follows Kell, a not-really-a-hero, as his past catches up with him. Ten years ago, Kell tagged along with a group of legendary heroes as they traveled to defeat an evil Lich. Despite not being seen as a hero himself, Kell alone returned. Since then, he has lived a quiet life, avoiding the songs and stories that have grown up around his “great deeds”…until he is forced to confront a truth he’s hidden from everyone; he is a coward.
If you haven’t read the book blurb, don’t. It makes the book sound like a humorous tale and, while I loved the book, it is most definitely not comedic fantasy. Instead, it is a deep and nuanced examination of human nature, that just happens to have fantasy elements added.
As Kell travels north to confront whatever has taken up residence in the original lair of the Ice Lich, he goes as a man condemned. He knows that it is only through a vast amount of luck that he survived the first time and that he won’t survive a second. There is a switch from the moment he intends to run and the moment he realizes that he’ll never be free from what happened ten years ago. His decision to confront the unknown evil reflects his decision to confront the horrible memories that he’s tried hard to push down. His character has one of- if not the- most realistic and respectful depictions of PTSD I’ve seen in a fantasy novel. I felt for him, and was fascinated by him in equal measure.
He was joined by a varied cast of characters, some of which I definitely liked more than others, but all of which added something unique and special to the plot. There were two characters in particular that really stood out to me: Willow and Gerren.
Willow was not human and was often viewed with a sense of distrust or even open dislike. What I loved about Willow, though, is that she would lay down her life for another without hesitation, despite knowing that most wouldn’t do the same for her. The way she saw things was different and very thought-provoking.
Gerren was basically the person Kell was ten years ago, before Kell was broken by what he experienced. Gerren was idealistic, naïve, and had found himself sucked in by visions of glory, completely ignoring the truth when Kell tried to tell him. His story arc and his development from moonstruck youth to a more mature adult was wonderfully written and incredibly interesting.
These characters grown and evolve against a brilliantly created and executed fantasy backdrop, traveling toward an inevitability that will test them physically, but also emotionally. The final bit of the book had me on the edge of my seat.
Author Stephen Aryan crafted an incredible book in The Coward, one that provides an excellent view both of what the fantasy genre can be, and the complicated yet beautiful morass of life.
Read this one.
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2021/12/13/the-coward-by-stephen-aryan/
If you haven’t read the book blurb, don’t. It makes the book sound like a humorous tale and, while I loved the book, it is most definitely not comedic fantasy. Instead, it is a deep and nuanced examination of human nature, that just happens to have fantasy elements added.
As Kell travels north to confront whatever has taken up residence in the original lair of the Ice Lich, he goes as a man condemned. He knows that it is only through a vast amount of luck that he survived the first time and that he won’t survive a second. There is a switch from the moment he intends to run and the moment he realizes that he’ll never be free from what happened ten years ago. His decision to confront the unknown evil reflects his decision to confront the horrible memories that he’s tried hard to push down. His character has one of- if not the- most realistic and respectful depictions of PTSD I’ve seen in a fantasy novel. I felt for him, and was fascinated by him in equal measure.
He was joined by a varied cast of characters, some of which I definitely liked more than others, but all of which added something unique and special to the plot. There were two characters in particular that really stood out to me: Willow and Gerren.
Willow was not human and was often viewed with a sense of distrust or even open dislike. What I loved about Willow, though, is that she would lay down her life for another without hesitation, despite knowing that most wouldn’t do the same for her. The way she saw things was different and very thought-provoking.
Gerren was basically the person Kell was ten years ago, before Kell was broken by what he experienced. Gerren was idealistic, naïve, and had found himself sucked in by visions of glory, completely ignoring the truth when Kell tried to tell him. His story arc and his development from moonstruck youth to a more mature adult was wonderfully written and incredibly interesting.
These characters grown and evolve against a brilliantly created and executed fantasy backdrop, traveling toward an inevitability that will test them physically, but also emotionally. The final bit of the book had me on the edge of my seat.
Author Stephen Aryan crafted an incredible book in The Coward, one that provides an excellent view both of what the fantasy genre can be, and the complicated yet beautiful morass of life.
Read this one.
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2021/12/13/the-coward-by-stephen-aryan/
While there are some really interesting things about this book, nothing about it actually gripped me. The writing also feels very unedited, almost as if I’m reading a late draft rather than the final version. I could see myself going back and trying this one again, but for now it’s just not doing it for me.
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes