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bethtabler's review against another edition
5.0
John Bierce's The Wrack is an exciting and unique take on a fantasy novel. You don't read many fantasy novels that take on the plague as a plot point. Science Fiction, sure. Urban fantasy, occasionally. But not a pure fantasy novel. That is why this novel was such a treat to read for me. When I started reading it for the tour, I almost had to put it down. I have avoided apocalyptic/disease type novels, if you will forgive me, like the plague. They are usually too much with the state of the world. We live in a time with an actual epidemic, and sometimes I don't need the fantasy I read to reflect on real life.
I am glad I kept reading, though, because The Wrack is a fantastic fantasy book that might be one of my favorites thus far this year.
The plot is the spread of a mysterious illness, called The Wrack, a plague that lays waste to the people and kingdoms. It spares few, and leaves screams and wailing in its wake. It is a terrifying concept, to look in the face of the plague, and flail and grasp for answers while it decimates poets and paupers alike. That feeling of abject desperation was almost anxiety-inducing.
It is brilliant writing on the part of John Bierce.
Stylistically The Wrack reminds me of World War Z, written by Max Brooks. World War Z was a collection of vignettes of different societies and cultures, and that dealt with zombies. The Wrack has a similar feel, with Bierce touching on many different areas of the kingdom, rich and poor alike, and showing how they react. Maybe it is because of the short length of the story, or the shortness of individual chapters, but I did not connect much with the characters. It all became awash in the multitudes of suffering people. Even in that, the actual characters are a supporting cast. The real star of the story is the plague, The Wrack.
The world-building was also one of the main stars of the story. As you can tell, this isn't character building or character-heavy. If The Wrack is the star of the story, I think the main supporting character is the cities and kingdoms that Bierce describes. He created an extraordinarily rich landscape full of very different cultures. All of which play a pivotal role in how groups or individuals react to something like a plague. The magic system is also unique. Seers, magic users, use different polished stones, set in their eye sockets to see and read another plane of energy. When seers look at people about to suffer The Wrack, they get a buildup of wavy lines in their liver. It seems very esoteric to describe, but Bierce did this well. It was a unique magic system, one I would love to read much more about it.
I want to talk a bit about the timing of a book like this. I know with everything going on, it has got to be hard working on a story for years and releasing it only to have the world as a whole take a terrifying dive. I almost had to put it down initially because the feelings I felt, terror, despair, and the overwhelming urge to hide are what these characters are feeling in similar circumstances. It was a hard thing to read. So this book might not be one for all readers, right now. If you can't take reading something dark with a plague angle to it right now, that is very understandable. But put this book on your TBR for better times, because this is a great story that is well done, even if it had some tiny issues. It is engaging, thought-provoking, and imaginative. I hope that in better times, this book gets all the love it should.
I am looking forward to checking out more of Bierce's work.
I am glad I kept reading, though, because The Wrack is a fantastic fantasy book that might be one of my favorites thus far this year.
The plot is the spread of a mysterious illness, called The Wrack, a plague that lays waste to the people and kingdoms. It spares few, and leaves screams and wailing in its wake. It is a terrifying concept, to look in the face of the plague, and flail and grasp for answers while it decimates poets and paupers alike. That feeling of abject desperation was almost anxiety-inducing.
It is brilliant writing on the part of John Bierce.
Stylistically The Wrack reminds me of World War Z, written by Max Brooks. World War Z was a collection of vignettes of different societies and cultures, and that dealt with zombies. The Wrack has a similar feel, with Bierce touching on many different areas of the kingdom, rich and poor alike, and showing how they react. Maybe it is because of the short length of the story, or the shortness of individual chapters, but I did not connect much with the characters. It all became awash in the multitudes of suffering people. Even in that, the actual characters are a supporting cast. The real star of the story is the plague, The Wrack.
The world-building was also one of the main stars of the story. As you can tell, this isn't character building or character-heavy. If The Wrack is the star of the story, I think the main supporting character is the cities and kingdoms that Bierce describes. He created an extraordinarily rich landscape full of very different cultures. All of which play a pivotal role in how groups or individuals react to something like a plague. The magic system is also unique. Seers, magic users, use different polished stones, set in their eye sockets to see and read another plane of energy. When seers look at people about to suffer The Wrack, they get a buildup of wavy lines in their liver. It seems very esoteric to describe, but Bierce did this well. It was a unique magic system, one I would love to read much more about it.
I want to talk a bit about the timing of a book like this. I know with everything going on, it has got to be hard working on a story for years and releasing it only to have the world as a whole take a terrifying dive. I almost had to put it down initially because the feelings I felt, terror, despair, and the overwhelming urge to hide are what these characters are feeling in similar circumstances. It was a hard thing to read. So this book might not be one for all readers, right now. If you can't take reading something dark with a plague angle to it right now, that is very understandable. But put this book on your TBR for better times, because this is a great story that is well done, even if it had some tiny issues. It is engaging, thought-provoking, and imaginative. I hope that in better times, this book gets all the love it should.
I am looking forward to checking out more of Bierce's work.
burnet's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review against another edition
4.0
The Wrack gives us the topical insight of a plague that wreaks havoc throughout a fantasy world. I’m a bit of a freak in a way that I have enjoyed reading about plagues/pandemics whilst living through one. The format that it was told in was refreshing and thought provoking. Multiple POV’s that give us a snapshot of lives, some are cut short and some last several chapters. The plague pays no attention to stature, race or social class. It takes no prisoners, but it will cause insurmountable amount of pain and will take your last breath if your guard is down.
The Wrack gave me something that I didn’t realise I was looking for during this given time. A fantasy novel that is rooted in its epidemiological plight. So far, my reading career hasn’t had its path crossed with something quite as intricate and just plain fascinating as this story. This is a narrative that won’t grant you rest and relaxation. It keeps your brain ticking over, questioning aspects of the disease and the ultimate end game for many of the characters. It’s a fast-paced journey that resonates during our darkest days.
The only thing I did find slightly frustrating was the lack of follow up. Often, I felt like the lack of information and clarification of what happened to characters just left me wanting more. My brain was conjuring up scenarios and outcomes and I just greedily needed that conclusion. Although I found this frustrating it absolutely doesn’t take away my love for the story and just how Bierce masterfully brings each character to life in such a condensed format. I loved the uniqueness and it felt like swimming against the current – it was inevitable and as sure as the sun rising.
There is one thing that The Wrack does incredibly well – emotion. It is bursting at the seams with emotion. We get differing aspects and thoughts on how the The Wrack affects each character, the pain and anguish. It felt like a lot of little stories in amongst the bigger picture. Many of the chapters were memorable for me and brought another layer to the overall story. It was so incredibly written from a characterisation standpoint that I went from moments of joy, sadness to laughter. It had a well-developed magic system that had my love for fantasy kept at a constant level.
Thanks to Storytellers on Tour for my spot on the blog tour.
The Wrack gave me something that I didn’t realise I was looking for during this given time. A fantasy novel that is rooted in its epidemiological plight. So far, my reading career hasn’t had its path crossed with something quite as intricate and just plain fascinating as this story. This is a narrative that won’t grant you rest and relaxation. It keeps your brain ticking over, questioning aspects of the disease and the ultimate end game for many of the characters. It’s a fast-paced journey that resonates during our darkest days.
The only thing I did find slightly frustrating was the lack of follow up. Often, I felt like the lack of information and clarification of what happened to characters just left me wanting more. My brain was conjuring up scenarios and outcomes and I just greedily needed that conclusion. Although I found this frustrating it absolutely doesn’t take away my love for the story and just how Bierce masterfully brings each character to life in such a condensed format. I loved the uniqueness and it felt like swimming against the current – it was inevitable and as sure as the sun rising.
There is one thing that The Wrack does incredibly well – emotion. It is bursting at the seams with emotion. We get differing aspects and thoughts on how the The Wrack affects each character, the pain and anguish. It felt like a lot of little stories in amongst the bigger picture. Many of the chapters were memorable for me and brought another layer to the overall story. It was so incredibly written from a characterisation standpoint that I went from moments of joy, sadness to laughter. It had a well-developed magic system that had my love for fantasy kept at a constant level.
Thanks to Storytellers on Tour for my spot on the blog tour.
fjordic's review
It started well but kept dragging out. I couldn't stay focused on it and just kept hoping it would end.
melkarth's review against another edition
4.0
Narración del paso de una pandemia sobre un continente fantástico, con su magia y todo.
Pese a que los fragmentos/capítulos van saltando de personajes y que muy pocos de ellos repiten, el progreso de la enfermedad y la narración de como la van resistiendo es muy fácil de seguir.
Algunos de esos fragmentos dejan muy mal cuerpo, la verdad.
Pese a que los fragmentos/capítulos van saltando de personajes y que muy pocos de ellos repiten, el progreso de la enfermedad y la narración de como la van resistiendo es muy fácil de seguir.
Algunos de esos fragmentos dejan muy mal cuerpo, la verdad.
riffmonkey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.25
This book was different than I had expected. I felt myself unable to keep up with the characters, them being seemingly unconnected and so many different names and people. However, I realised I didn't need to. This is a sort of collection of stories or anthologies about one event, with all different perspectives and experiences which delighted me.
As usual, the religious aspects hit me the hardest. The Radhan and their need to see the land, the carving and recording of the names who had died of The Wrack is what made me cry. Magnificent writing and a hopeful end.
As usual, the religious aspects hit me the hardest. The Radhan and their need to see the land, the carving and recording of the names who had died of The Wrack is what made me cry. Magnificent writing and a hopeful end.
jolteon0's review
3.0
I really liked mage errant, and I thought that the magic system in this book was great, but I didn't like all the jumping around that the book's perspective did, and wasn't really satisfied at the end.
33ninja33's review
5.0
Great job! Excited for more!
The lore of this multiverse is exciting, and the plot twists in this were definitely interesting- I'm very picky about genre- usually only interested in high fantasy, but multiverse intrigue mixed with a history of this world had me hooked!
Looking forward to other worlds added in besides the two we have!
The lore of this multiverse is exciting, and the plot twists in this were definitely interesting- I'm very picky about genre- usually only interested in high fantasy, but multiverse intrigue mixed with a history of this world had me hooked!
Looking forward to other worlds added in besides the two we have!