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kevspointofview's review
adventurous
dark
funny
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
5.0
happenstance's review
4.0
This was a random sales-table grab, and I had no idea what to expect when I cracked open the cover. After all, it's always a 50-50 gamble in those cases, isn't it?
However, this was a very pleasant success. Fairly typical fantasy fare, filled with archetypes and an underdog tale of ravening armies and mayhem, but so well done that it doesn't matter if this is a familiar path to tread. Ford's characters are alive, vibrant, and interesting, and the story itself is well-written and character-driven - my favourite kind.
I actually found myself impressed with the diversity of his cast, and the plot moved along at a fairly rapid clip. I did get occasionally annoyed that every chapter brought around a new perspective (split up between 5 main characters) when I was already enjoying the perspective at hand, but I also loved the way they all ended up winding together throughout the story; it was very well done.
However, this was a very pleasant success. Fairly typical fantasy fare, filled with archetypes and an underdog tale of ravening armies and mayhem, but so well done that it doesn't matter if this is a familiar path to tread. Ford's characters are alive, vibrant, and interesting, and the story itself is well-written and character-driven - my favourite kind.
I actually found myself impressed with the diversity of his cast, and the plot moved along at a fairly rapid clip. I did get occasionally annoyed that every chapter brought around a new perspective (split up between 5 main characters) when I was already enjoying the perspective at hand, but I also loved the way they all ended up winding together throughout the story; it was very well done.
bookdancing's review
5.0
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Herald_of_the_Storm_by_Richard_Ford
devilstatedan's review
5.0
All centred on one particular city under siege and the fight for survival against the odds. All the key ingredients are present in this fantasy series; An empire with a young, untried, and vulnerable leader. A street-rat thief who dreams of something more to life. An old battle-weary veteran with nothing left to lose. A warrior priestess with a fixed moral compass. A young man studying the magick arts, and a legendary foe pressing ever closer to inevitable bloody conflict. The characters are deep and flawed, the world building is top class, and the quest starts and ends on our doorstep. Great grimdark fantasy if you're a fan of Joe Abercrombie or George R.R. Martin.
pers's review
1.0
I hate abandoning books, but honestly, any author who introduces a new character every half dozen pages gives me the impression that he's bored and lacks focus - and guess what, I lost focus too!
tomlloyd's review
4.0
A bloody romp through a criminal underworld and a story that uses a deceptive simplicity to bring the characters to the fore. After a slightly off-putting start where the first eight chapters introduce a new POV character the story settles down and begins to weave the various tales of Steelhaven's population as the threat of a ravening horde draws closer.
Tales of cutpurses and assassins aren't really my thing, I'd have preferred to have a few of the POVs out with the army, but Ford instils a good amount of humanity into each. I realise one of the things that bugged me about the switches early on was that he'd built each one pretty well in their first chapter then jumped away from them. The plots interweave naturally and there's a good balance to it all, so while I never got a huge sense of where the main drive of the series is, I enjoyed the ride greatly and expect things will crank up a notch in the next book, most likely to more of a wider-scale epic style that's even more my bag.
Tales of cutpurses and assassins aren't really my thing, I'd have preferred to have a few of the POVs out with the army, but Ford instils a good amount of humanity into each. I realise one of the things that bugged me about the switches early on was that he'd built each one pretty well in their first chapter then jumped away from them. The plots interweave naturally and there's a good balance to it all, so while I never got a huge sense of where the main drive of the series is, I enjoyed the ride greatly and expect things will crank up a notch in the next book, most likely to more of a wider-scale epic style that's even more my bag.
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