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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Coward had promise. Then I started reading it. The world building is extremely heavy handed, and it’s shown through the entire book. There are fragments abound, and honestly? The writing style itself is just annoying to read. There is no character development, which is odd because that’s the whole premise of the book. You can tell that it’s supposed to be there, but instead of building on the characters, it’s focused instead on the weird heavy handed world building. The characters themselves are unlikable, and come off almost as side characters; there’s no emotional attachment.
There is an attempt at dealing with politics, but like much of the attempts, it fails. Horribly. Not only is the political climate of the world ignored, but the vague side plots of politics don’t make sense. The politics are written by someone who doesn’t care for the small details and subtleties. It’s as if they were told to have politics, and then just shoved them in without care. Again, the politics are very heavy handed.
One of the subplots is religion, and true to the rest of the book, it’s dealt with with a very heavy hand. It’s very obviously Christianity under a different name.
The one character I liked died. Rude.
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"The Coward" by Stephen Aryan is the first book in the "Quest for Heroes" series, where we meet Kell Kressia, celebrated former hero and present-day farmer. When after ten years of peace, his king calls upon him to defeat a new threat, Kell decides that he has done enough and it's time to disappear.
General Impressions
Other than the beautiful cover, what initially drew me into this story was the subversion of the hero quest trope: ten years after Kell accomplished the heroic feat he is still crushed under the weight of PTSD and the knowledge of the things he saw and lived through: the death of his companions, the hardships of the journey and after returning the complete detachment he feels from everyone around him.
Although I was very much excited by the synopsis, I started this book prepared to DNF it at the first sign of sexism or racism white men like to cover their fictional universes, particularly fantasy with. Well, I'm happy I picked it up because I ended up reading one of the most diverse and gender-balanced adult fantasies in a while. The political and religious arc were really well written but the cultural and architectural aspects were where Stephen truly shined. I was impressed enough with the magical aspect as well and fell in love with his original animals and other sentient species.
The characters themselves were also another of the high points in this story: there were all kinds of powerful and weak, heroes and villains that did not fell into the boring middle ages white-only worlds I tired of seeing presented as a novelty years ago. Stephen gave us feminine guys that were as good with a knife as with a musical instrument, women that loved their physical strength, men that were not lesser or resented needing or asking for help...There were characters from different places with different costume and races and a believable reaction to those differences without endorsing discrimination.
Something else I really was a fan of was the way the author respected Kell by not forcing him to be something he was not and have a romantic interest he was not prepared for out of anywhere. These characters felt real: they were able to change but that change came from within not because he wanted them to fit in a certain mold.
Conclusions
"The Coward" gives us conflicted heroes and villains in a rich world I can't get enough of, after reading that first chapter of the sequel at the very end. This was absolutely lovely and a gift for any lovers of fantasy.
Thank you to Angry Robots for sending me this book.
General Impressions
Other than the beautiful cover, what initially drew me into this story was the subversion of the hero quest trope: ten years after Kell accomplished the heroic feat he is still crushed under the weight of PTSD and the knowledge of the things he saw and lived through: the death of his companions, the hardships of the journey and after returning the complete detachment he feels from everyone around him.
Although I was very much excited by the synopsis, I started this book prepared to DNF it at the first sign of sexism or racism white men like to cover their fictional universes, particularly fantasy with. Well, I'm happy I picked it up because I ended up reading one of the most diverse and gender-balanced adult fantasies in a while. The political and religious arc were really well written but the cultural and architectural aspects were where Stephen truly shined. I was impressed enough with the magical aspect as well and fell in love with his original animals and other sentient species.
The characters themselves were also another of the high points in this story: there were all kinds of powerful and weak, heroes and villains that did not fell into the boring middle ages white-only worlds I tired of seeing presented as a novelty years ago. Stephen gave us feminine guys that were as good with a knife as with a musical instrument, women that loved their physical strength, men that were not lesser or resented needing or asking for help...There were characters from different places with different costume and races and a believable reaction to those differences without endorsing discrimination.
Something else I really was a fan of was the way the author respected Kell by not forcing him to be something he was not and have a romantic interest he was not prepared for out of anywhere. These characters felt real: they were able to change but that change came from within not because he wanted them to fit in a certain mold.
Conclusions
"The Coward" gives us conflicted heroes and villains in a rich world I can't get enough of, after reading that first chapter of the sequel at the very end. This was absolutely lovely and a gift for any lovers of fantasy.
Thank you to Angry Robots for sending me this book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
Once I finished reading the first chapter of this book I honestly thought it has the feel of a modern classic. It has a heavy tale type fantasy feel that does not disappoint. The book overall has many subtle twists that aren't necessarily the first guess but incredibly helpful as to developing the characters. I was very satisfied with the end but seeing as it was a confirmed duology I'm excited to see how certain plot points will play out in the second and what the finale will bring exactly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Copy received from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I found the concept for The Coward to be very interesting. I love the play on the hero’s story, not just with Kell but with all of the characters he originally travelled with. The stories and songs portray them as heroes but it’s never as simple as that. Kell is lauded as a hero for saving the Five Kingdoms but, in reality, the quest was hard on him and has left him a broken shell of a man who doesn’t want to repeat his story of heroism.
I really liked Kell. The opening of the story kind of sums up his character perfectly, an unlucky man covered in muck (not muck but if I use the actual word, Amazon won’t publish my review). I found him to be an interesting and complicated character. He was an idealist and literally followed a band of heroes to achieve his dream of what being a hero was but the quest pretty much destroyed him. Now, he believes himself cursed and doomed to spend the rest of his life alone and then he is called upon to return to the place of his nightmares because the bad thing has returned.
Nothing in the story goes quite how you would expect. You do expect a deconstruction of the hero trope but then even that is turned on its head somewhat. The secondary characters are cool, there’s Gerren, a teenager who is Kell as who he was before the quest, believing in heroes and grand quests and he makes a nice contrast to Kell. I also really liked Bronwyn, a warrior who has defeated everything she has faced and is looking for the ultimate challenge. And then there’s Reverend Mother Britak, who spends the novel scheming and I do love a bit of scheming.
The Coward works well as a story in its own right but also as a set up for the rest of the series. It does feel somewhat like a prelude to what’s to come and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next after finishing the books. The story is compelling and well paced and the characters are interesting and I very much enjoyed Kell’s story.
I found the concept for The Coward to be very interesting. I love the play on the hero’s story, not just with Kell but with all of the characters he originally travelled with. The stories and songs portray them as heroes but it’s never as simple as that. Kell is lauded as a hero for saving the Five Kingdoms but, in reality, the quest was hard on him and has left him a broken shell of a man who doesn’t want to repeat his story of heroism.
I really liked Kell. The opening of the story kind of sums up his character perfectly, an unlucky man covered in muck (not muck but if I use the actual word, Amazon won’t publish my review). I found him to be an interesting and complicated character. He was an idealist and literally followed a band of heroes to achieve his dream of what being a hero was but the quest pretty much destroyed him. Now, he believes himself cursed and doomed to spend the rest of his life alone and then he is called upon to return to the place of his nightmares because the bad thing has returned.
Nothing in the story goes quite how you would expect. You do expect a deconstruction of the hero trope but then even that is turned on its head somewhat. The secondary characters are cool, there’s Gerren, a teenager who is Kell as who he was before the quest, believing in heroes and grand quests and he makes a nice contrast to Kell. I also really liked Bronwyn, a warrior who has defeated everything she has faced and is looking for the ultimate challenge. And then there’s Reverend Mother Britak, who spends the novel scheming and I do love a bit of scheming.
The Coward works well as a story in its own right but also as a set up for the rest of the series. It does feel somewhat like a prelude to what’s to come and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next after finishing the books. The story is compelling and well paced and the characters are interesting and I very much enjoyed Kell’s story.
adventurous
medium-paced
Aryan, Stephen. The Coward. Quest for Heroes No. 1. Angry Robot, 2021.
As a teenager, Kell Kressia joined a band of self-styled heroes to journey to the north to defeat the Ice Witch who was threatening the world’s climate. He returned victorious as the only survivor of his band. Now, he is an unhappy farmer but a local hero with a growing reputation because a bard has written a successful epic about him. His sword hangs on the wall of the local pub, and tourists pester him for war stories. They do not want to hear the unheroic truth, and he does not want to tell it. He feels himself to be a coward with a duty to protect the undeserved reputations of those who died. He suffers from a combination of what we would now call posttraumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt. His unhappy life changes for the worse when the king tells him to gather a band of volunteer warriors and journey again to fight evil in the north. To make matters even worse, a local religious leader sees his reputation as a threat and hires assassins to dog his steps. The Coward is a well-told sword and sandal quest epic enlivened by a strong central character. Four stars.
As a teenager, Kell Kressia joined a band of self-styled heroes to journey to the north to defeat the Ice Witch who was threatening the world’s climate. He returned victorious as the only survivor of his band. Now, he is an unhappy farmer but a local hero with a growing reputation because a bard has written a successful epic about him. His sword hangs on the wall of the local pub, and tourists pester him for war stories. They do not want to hear the unheroic truth, and he does not want to tell it. He feels himself to be a coward with a duty to protect the undeserved reputations of those who died. He suffers from a combination of what we would now call posttraumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt. His unhappy life changes for the worse when the king tells him to gather a band of volunteer warriors and journey again to fight evil in the north. To make matters even worse, a local religious leader sees his reputation as a threat and hires assassins to dog his steps. The Coward is a well-told sword and sandal quest epic enlivened by a strong central character. Four stars.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
PTSD focus is overwritten. The cultures are interesting but not given much page-time during the adventure. The religious nut and her quest to kill the protag is the best through line of the book, especially with the ending.
Won't be picking up the next.
Won't be picking up the next.
Any time I start a book for a blog tour I’m always a bit wary even if I choose to be part of the blog tour and thought it was going to be the right book for me.
It’s a sort of state-of-mind that help me to read the book without high expectations and appreciate it.
It happened also with this book even if I joined the blog tour after having read some parts and had high expectations.
I’ve been reading fantasy for decades and I remember when fantasy was a hero starting a quest and a happy-ever-after at the end of the book/series.
Then I discovered Gemmell and his characters, their internal struggle and their mental wounds. I loved those stories and loved those heroes.
When I began this story I felt like when I was reading Gemmell: a hero that struggle with his fame, a man who was broken and doesn’t want to go back to be a hero.
This is just the start as this story is a quest, characters struggling to understand what they want and who they are but it’s also a great story that transcend any possibility of comparing to previous series as there’s plenty going and the author did an excellent job in creating his own mythology and his own type of heroes.
It’s a slow burning story that introduce the reader to a very complex world where climate is changing and there’s the possibility that a powerful supernatural foe is acting again.
There’s a quest to overcome the foe but there’s also plenty of politics that involves kings and religion.
I loved this world and loved the characters.
Kell is a great character. His character is realistic, likeable and you cannot help appreciating his maturity, realism and the empathy toward his comrades in this quest.
The character development is excellent and all the characters are well thought and interesting.
The world building is fascinating, complex and rich of details. You get to know different people, customs and a lot of historical background.
One note about the title: there’s plenty of discussions about what being brave or a coward means. It’s up to you to discover about it.
As said before I’m always a bit wary at the beginning of the book but after the first chapters I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading. This is one of those case when you feel a bit lost at end of the book because you have to go back to reality after having traveller to a fantastic world.
This is the first book I read by Stephen Aryan and won’t surely be the last as he’s a talented storyteller and delivered a gripping and highly entertaining story.
This is the first in a series and there’s a sort of cliffhanger at the end of the book that makes me wish I was able to read the next book soon.
I strongly recommend it if you want to read a well written and fascinating fantasy story.
Many thanks to Angry Robots for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It’s a sort of state-of-mind that help me to read the book without high expectations and appreciate it.
It happened also with this book even if I joined the blog tour after having read some parts and had high expectations.
I’ve been reading fantasy for decades and I remember when fantasy was a hero starting a quest and a happy-ever-after at the end of the book/series.
Then I discovered Gemmell and his characters, their internal struggle and their mental wounds. I loved those stories and loved those heroes.
When I began this story I felt like when I was reading Gemmell: a hero that struggle with his fame, a man who was broken and doesn’t want to go back to be a hero.
This is just the start as this story is a quest, characters struggling to understand what they want and who they are but it’s also a great story that transcend any possibility of comparing to previous series as there’s plenty going and the author did an excellent job in creating his own mythology and his own type of heroes.
It’s a slow burning story that introduce the reader to a very complex world where climate is changing and there’s the possibility that a powerful supernatural foe is acting again.
There’s a quest to overcome the foe but there’s also plenty of politics that involves kings and religion.
I loved this world and loved the characters.
Kell is a great character. His character is realistic, likeable and you cannot help appreciating his maturity, realism and the empathy toward his comrades in this quest.
The character development is excellent and all the characters are well thought and interesting.
The world building is fascinating, complex and rich of details. You get to know different people, customs and a lot of historical background.
One note about the title: there’s plenty of discussions about what being brave or a coward means. It’s up to you to discover about it.
As said before I’m always a bit wary at the beginning of the book but after the first chapters I was hooked and couldn’t stop reading. This is one of those case when you feel a bit lost at end of the book because you have to go back to reality after having traveller to a fantastic world.
This is the first book I read by Stephen Aryan and won’t surely be the last as he’s a talented storyteller and delivered a gripping and highly entertaining story.
This is the first in a series and there’s a sort of cliffhanger at the end of the book that makes me wish I was able to read the next book soon.
I strongly recommend it if you want to read a well written and fascinating fantasy story.
Many thanks to Angry Robots for this ARC, all opinions are mine