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the_morrigan8's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.5
lucardus's review against another edition
4.0
Der einzige Grund, warum ich keine 5 Sterne gebe, ist der, dass ich George R. R. Martin als Maßstab ansetze. Und bei A Song of Ice and Fire ist bei mir als Leser deutlich mehr Herzschmerz zu spüren, wenn eine Figur leidet oder stirbt. Liu lässt die Götter mitspielen, und auf diesem großen Spielfeld ist der Leser immer einen Schritt zu weit entfernt von den Protagonisten, um hier leidenschaftlich deren Werdegang zu verfolgen.
Aber das ist Kritik auf hohem Niveau. Ein sehr beachtlicher Roman-Erstling, episch, voller Einfälle und geistreicher Momente im Spiel der Macht. Ich bin gespannt, ob Liu im 2. Band die persönliche Ebene zur Bühne erhebt und die große Sicht der Dinge etwas zurücksteht.
In jedem Fall eine sehr empfehlenswerte Lektüre für Freunde historischer Romane und epischer Fantasy, die sehr sparsam mit dem fantastischen Element umgeht.
Aber das ist Kritik auf hohem Niveau. Ein sehr beachtlicher Roman-Erstling, episch, voller Einfälle und geistreicher Momente im Spiel der Macht. Ich bin gespannt, ob Liu im 2. Band die persönliche Ebene zur Bühne erhebt und die große Sicht der Dinge etwas zurücksteht.
In jedem Fall eine sehr empfehlenswerte Lektüre für Freunde historischer Romane und epischer Fantasy, die sehr sparsam mit dem fantastischen Element umgeht.
bsparks2112's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.0
I was really impressed by this - I knew I was a fan of Liu's short-form writing, so I was excited to finally get around to his take on epic fantasy, and it did not disappoint me. Possibly the most impressive thing here is his deep and vivid worldbuilding, which envisions the full history and mythology of the islands of Dara with the granularity of a real historical document. The feel of thousands of years of incident and culture is evident in Liu's writing, which is thought-out and detailed enough to inform events and character decisions very convincingly. Speaking of the characters, I also thought he excelled on this front, populating this world with unique and colorful individuals who are by turns loveable and impressively ruthless, and sometimes both at different points in the narrative. The story takes some impressive twists and turns, covering years of life and history for its protagonists and depicting epochal shifts in Dara with clarity and emotional weight. There were points where I was almost taken aback with how quickly Liu blows past major incidents that would have been the totality of some writers' narrative but are covered in just a few pages here. Some of the characterizations and dialogue do tend to fall into fantasy cliche from time to time, likely as a result of Liu's brisk pacing. But overall this was quite satisfying, and does tell a compelling story all on its own while also working as an effective series-starter; I'm thrilled to dive into the second book to see how he follows up on this one.
210's review against another edition
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
4.0
hawker998's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
belle2022's review against another edition
4.0
What a fantastic debut. I’m now a huge fan of the author. This book in particular follows a mirage of characters all based in different parts of the ‘world’. The book is heavy on the politics and war side of things, with many characters being introduced and then killed off. It’s a fantasy novel which includes quite a few topics such as warfare, relationships, power struggles, gender roles, right and wrong and more.
We follow a few characters but two main characters. Kani Garu and Mata Zyndu. These two characters quickly became favourites of mine. Kani never failed to make me laugh but there were times where what he did could have been questioned. Mata just felt sad to me. With such a strong legacy left behind that he felt he had to fill, he really did what he thought he needed to. I thought he bond between him and his uncle was beautiful before it was ruined. Maybe he lost himself along the way. He was also quite questionable with some of the things he said and did.
They both treaded the line between right and wrong, but I couldn’t help but root for them. They have such a changing relationship throughout the book and by the end I was just left reeling.
Dara seems to have influenced or inspired by Chinese history. I’m sure if I knew more about it I would have been able to see more similarities. The complexity of the plot and certain small things here and there could honestly have felt completely real. Especially with the power struggles that truly do not stop until the end.
The writing I think flowed so well and while I got the hang of the jargon and culture, it felt even easier to read. Some the scenes are heart wrenching and there are even funny beautiful moments. Having interventions from the “Gods” throughout the book I thought was excellent. While entertaining but through provoking. I hope they also turn up in the next book. I also hope we see more female characters in this next book too. Where the first book has left off I think we probably will.
I know this book might not be for everyone, I had no expectations when going in. But I was truly pleasantly surprised. The second book seems to have done even better, so I’m excited to see where this goes!!
We follow a few characters but two main characters. Kani Garu and Mata Zyndu. These two characters quickly became favourites of mine. Kani never failed to make me laugh but there were times where what he did could have been questioned. Mata just felt sad to me. With such a strong legacy left behind that he felt he had to fill, he really did what he thought he needed to. I thought he bond between him and his uncle was beautiful before it was ruined. Maybe he lost himself along the way. He was also quite questionable with some of the things he said and did.
They both treaded the line between right and wrong, but I couldn’t help but root for them. They have such a changing relationship throughout the book and by the end I was just left reeling.
Dara seems to have influenced or inspired by Chinese history. I’m sure if I knew more about it I would have been able to see more similarities. The complexity of the plot and certain small things here and there could honestly have felt completely real. Especially with the power struggles that truly do not stop until the end.
The writing I think flowed so well and while I got the hang of the jargon and culture, it felt even easier to read. Some the scenes are heart wrenching and there are even funny beautiful moments. Having interventions from the “Gods” throughout the book I thought was excellent. While entertaining but through provoking. I hope they also turn up in the next book. I also hope we see more female characters in this next book too. Where the first book has left off I think we probably will.
I know this book might not be for everyone, I had no expectations when going in. But I was truly pleasantly surprised. The second book seems to have done even better, so I’m excited to see where this goes!!
themillonthefloss's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lyriclorelei's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
The world in this is very rich and full, which did mean that it took me a sec to get locked in to everything.
kendylldrilling's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I initially struggled with the prose here, and I wanted the plot to be a little bit more concentrated in certain areas, but I was fully invested around the 70% mark. The world building is fresh, interesting, and surprising in places, and I look forward to seeing it expand in the following books, as well as (hopefully) getting a deeper look into some of my favorite characters.
“Sometimes it can be both too late to curse the gods and too early to thank men.”