Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Wow. That was a pretty great book. Perfectly balanced it seems, just the right amount of everything. At a certain point I was afraid it would be too much war and fighting, but it wasn't. Quite a world that has been built here, I'm eager to read the next book!
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Let us list the female characters in this novel:
1. The hero's saintly love interest.
That's it.
Oh, and we hear mention of the prostitutes that give the soldiers STDs.
1. The hero's saintly love interest.
That's it.
Oh, and we hear mention of the prostitutes that give the soldiers STDs.
I read this book because many people compared the author to Sanderson and Rothfuss, my two favourite authors. Having read it, I have to say that the only similarity with the Rothfuss books is the framing device of a story being told. That is similar, yes, but the reason I loved the Rothfuss-Books so much wasn't the framing. It wasn't even the story, which isn't that original. It was the language that really got me, and this book is in no way similar to that. So, in my eyes, the comparasions with Sanderson and Rothfuss hurt the book, as they raised my expectations.
That being said, if you forced me at gunpoint to find comparasions with other books, I'd say it reminded me most of the Assassins Apprentice series, although it isn't quite as bleak. But I don't really need to find any comparasions, as this book stands quite well on its own.
It has a good story. It has decent worldbuilding (again, not on the level of a Sanderson, but competent). It has a bit too many typos for my taste (I read the eBook, so it may be that I accidentally purchased an earlier version and that it has been improved with a later edition, but my version had a LOT of missing commata and incorrect spaces, something that bugs me more than it should and breaks my immersion for some reason. I hate my brain for being that anal about it, but I can't do anything about it).
There were parts that made me laugh. There were parts that actually managed to make me sad, which is more than I can say of some other, supposedly triple-A books. I definitely did not regret reading the book, I will follow the series and the author, and I recommend this book. But please stop comparing it to Sanderson and Rothfuss. :)
UPDATED after Re-read 08/16: After reading this book again, I liked it even more. I'm upping the rating to 5 stars, and would definitely recommend it. Don't go in expecting a Rothfuss, it's different in many ways, but this book doesn't require any comparisons - it stands very well on its own.
That being said, if you forced me at gunpoint to find comparasions with other books, I'd say it reminded me most of the Assassins Apprentice series, although it isn't quite as bleak. But I don't really need to find any comparasions, as this book stands quite well on its own.
It has a good story. It has decent worldbuilding (again, not on the level of a Sanderson, but competent). It has a bit too many typos for my taste (I read the eBook, so it may be that I accidentally purchased an earlier version and that it has been improved with a later edition, but my version had a LOT of missing commata and incorrect spaces, something that bugs me more than it should and breaks my immersion for some reason. I hate my brain for being that anal about it, but I can't do anything about it).
There were parts that made me laugh. There were parts that actually managed to make me sad, which is more than I can say of some other, supposedly triple-A books. I definitely did not regret reading the book, I will follow the series and the author, and I recommend this book. But please stop comparing it to Sanderson and Rothfuss. :)
UPDATED after Re-read 08/16: After reading this book again, I liked it even more. I'm upping the rating to 5 stars, and would definitely recommend it. Don't go in expecting a Rothfuss, it's different in many ways, but this book doesn't require any comparisons - it stands very well on its own.
Sooo good. Build up of story was great, world building and characterization was on point. Anthony Ryan has a nice way of easing you into things and not overhelming you with an insane amount of detail. This book is a treasure.
UPDATE 2/11/15
I just finished a re-read of this and I think I enjoyed more than the first time. I'll give it an extra 1/2 star for a total of 4.5 .
Very well written book.
Pros:
-Story structure was unique and captivating.
-Characterization was great.
-World-building was superb.
-Awesome plot-twists.
Cons:
-Too many names/characters/lands to keep straight.
I found it on my goodreads recommendation and after reading its blurb added it right away to my to-read shelf. Had it there for almost six months and finally started the year 2014 with this FANTASTIC book.
Story starts with 10 year old Vaelin Al Sorna, son of Battle Lord of the Unified realm, left at the gate of Sixth Order by his father to train under the Order. Years of training and tests make Vaelin a famous warrior who is feared and respected by all. But as the story proceeds certain circumstances made Vaelin to ask a favor from King Janus, a selfish, deceitful and a greedy man. As it turns out King Janus had his own proposition for Vaelin to follow in return of his favor and Vaelin’s life was never same again.
Vaelin’s relationship with his fellow Brothers at the Sixth Order has been beautifully described. I loved the their stories that the Brothers had share with him at one or another point of their friendship. There are female characters too but there was little of them as compared the male counterparts. Hope there'll be more of them in the next book.
Plot is full of scheming, mystery and secrets. There is also magic but it never overshadowed the story and I didn’t spend hours marveling upon it (like I did with[b:Mistborn: The Final Empire|68428|Mistborn The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401139098s/68428.jpg|66322] and doing now for [b:The Black Prism|7165300|The Black Prism (Lightbringer, #1)|Brent Weeks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327921884s/7165300.jpg|7534979]). Magic has just the right and subtle touch the on lives of people.
Pace of the book is electrifying. Definitely a long book (and a compellingly page turner) but it was so captivating that I felt sad when I finished it. I wanted to know more about Vaelin and of course there is a second book coming this July but it seem too far away now.
Highly recommended!!
Story starts with 10 year old Vaelin Al Sorna, son of Battle Lord of the Unified realm, left at the gate of Sixth Order by his father to train under the Order. Years of training and tests make Vaelin a famous warrior who is feared and respected by all. But as the story proceeds certain circumstances made Vaelin to ask a favor from King Janus, a selfish, deceitful and a greedy man. As it turns out King Janus had his own proposition for Vaelin to follow in return of his favor and Vaelin’s life was never same again.
Vaelin’s relationship with his fellow Brothers at the Sixth Order has been beautifully described. I loved the their stories that the Brothers had share with him at one or another point of their friendship. There are female characters too but there was little of them as compared the male counterparts. Hope there'll be more of them in the next book.
Plot is full of scheming, mystery and secrets. There is also magic but it never overshadowed the story and I didn’t spend hours marveling upon it (like I did with[b:Mistborn: The Final Empire|68428|Mistborn The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401139098s/68428.jpg|66322] and doing now for [b:The Black Prism|7165300|The Black Prism (Lightbringer, #1)|Brent Weeks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327921884s/7165300.jpg|7534979]). Magic has just the right and subtle touch the on lives of people.
Pace of the book is electrifying. Definitely a long book (and a compellingly page turner) but it was so captivating that I felt sad when I finished it. I wanted to know more about Vaelin and of course there is a second book coming this July but it seem too far away now.
Highly recommended!!
I couldn't put this book down, even after fixing my e-reader to continue reading a different book. In a sense this book has a similar style to Patrick Rothfuss' King Killer Chronicle. I loved how the characters personalities grew from young boys into young men. There were some things that were pretty obvious as to how they were going to happen, and yet I didn't see that ending. Definitely a little sad that the next book won't be out until at least summer of next year, but I guess this means I can re-read this amazing book when it does come out!