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winterscape's review
2.0
At the back of the book, the author states that his goal was primarily to write an entertaining story. I think, in this, he succeeded. The writing style is accessible and easy to read, and the worldbuilding is unique and fun (war elephants, the Roman-esque gladiator pit trials). The theme of learned helplessness was also nicely done.
Unfortunately, the book loses itself in its attempt at a coming-of-age story steeped in an uncomfortable portrayal of masculinity and its characterisation of female characters, especially Princess Robyn.
Linus is a 13-year-old boy. Robyn is the same age, but a girl. Can you guess which character is described using the word "hysteria," despite both crying multiple times? Can you guess which is locked up while the other is allowed to lead grown men despite not having displayed the skills to do so? Which gender has barely any speaking roles, a few of them only described as "whores"? The chapter introducing Robyn is just called "Femininity" for no reason.
Over and over again, the book seems to equate wielding (undeserved) power and control with becoming a man. There are so many examples that I took to earmarking pages with quotes that bothered me.
"...that reliance on him to be a leader, to be a man, was what gave him strength..." (on Robyn following him in the dark, despite both of them not knowing where they're going AND him nearly ruining the plan minutes earlier)
"...the feeling of control, of power, of manhood, was beginning to falter."
"...pulling him to the ground with such strength as to utterly emasculate Linus."
There is also a scene in which Linus muses that the reason he's sad when Robyn is in danger is because he had assumed he'd get to marry her. What does she want? Who knows! We all know who gets the girl in the end.
In an otherwise fun and engaging story, this element really detracted from my reading experience. However, as someone who doesn't often read self-published books, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the storytelling, even if not some of the content, so I do feel more likely to read more self-published works.
Unfortunately, the book loses itself in its attempt at a coming-of-age story steeped in an uncomfortable portrayal of masculinity and its characterisation of female characters, especially Princess Robyn.
Linus is a 13-year-old boy. Robyn is the same age, but a girl. Can you guess which character is described using the word "hysteria," despite both crying multiple times? Can you guess which is locked up while the other is allowed to lead grown men despite not having displayed the skills to do so? Which gender has barely any speaking roles, a few of them only described as "whores"? The chapter introducing Robyn is just called "Femininity" for no reason.
Over and over again, the book seems to equate wielding (undeserved) power and control with becoming a man. There are so many examples that I took to earmarking pages with quotes that bothered me.
"...that reliance on him to be a leader, to be a man, was what gave him strength..." (on Robyn following him in the dark, despite both of them not knowing where they're going AND him nearly ruining the plan minutes earlier)
"...the feeling of control, of power, of manhood, was beginning to falter."
"...pulling him to the ground with such strength as to utterly emasculate Linus."
There is also a scene in which Linus muses that the reason he's sad when Robyn is in danger is because he had assumed he'd get to marry her. What does she want? Who knows! We all know who gets the girl in the end.
In an otherwise fun and engaging story, this element really detracted from my reading experience. However, as someone who doesn't often read self-published books, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the storytelling, even if not some of the content, so I do feel more likely to read more self-published works.
mc_j_ho's review
1.0
I picked this book up on a whim whilst perusing the fantasy section at Readings (a Melbourne book store) based primarily on the title, cover and blurb. What followed... was not pretty and frankly I am surprised at the positivity of the reviews posted thus far and feel I have to counter this.
Firstly, the pros. The setting was interesting and the elephants made for a somewhat unique fantasy element beyond the same tired old tropes... unfortunately there was not much more to like.
The cons were very many but I will be brief as I have wasted enough time on this book. To start the prose was dull and simple, this at least made for an easy read but did little to enrich the plot. This would have been a hard task at any rate as the plot was riddled with rapid turns of fortune, each more improbable than the last and predicated on a successively more unlikely deus ex machina. The characterisation was appallingly bad. The main character is utterly unlikeable in his constant petulance and utter lack of intelligence or foresight (leading to the requirement for him to be constantly bailed out at the expense of the plot). He seems to be constantly boiling over with (at times incongruous) emotion which makes it all the more unbelievable that for some reason many of the other characters seem to like him and even follow him. I found myself vainly hoping that he'd be killed off in the last pages. The other characters are either dull or riddled with inconsistencies excepting maybe Garresh. Lastly the ending is abrupt and vapid and just serves to reinforce the poor quality of the rest of the book.
The only way that I can comprehend that a book this bad managed to be published is that it seems to have been self-published and self-edited. A shame, as maybe with a bit of guidance from a professional editor and/or a more experienced author the promise of what is unique about the book, mainly the setting, could have actually been realised.
One star.
Firstly, the pros. The setting was interesting and the elephants made for a somewhat unique fantasy element beyond the same tired old tropes... unfortunately there was not much more to like.
The cons were very many but I will be brief as I have wasted enough time on this book. To start the prose was dull and simple, this at least made for an easy read but did little to enrich the plot. This would have been a hard task at any rate as the plot was riddled with rapid turns of fortune, each more improbable than the last and predicated on a successively more unlikely deus ex machina. The characterisation was appallingly bad. The main character is utterly unlikeable in his constant petulance and utter lack of intelligence or foresight (leading to the requirement for him to be constantly bailed out at the expense of the plot). He seems to be constantly boiling over with (at times incongruous) emotion which makes it all the more unbelievable that for some reason many of the other characters seem to like him and even follow him. I found myself vainly hoping that he'd be killed off in the last pages. The other characters are either dull or riddled with inconsistencies excepting maybe Garresh. Lastly the ending is abrupt and vapid and just serves to reinforce the poor quality of the rest of the book.
The only way that I can comprehend that a book this bad managed to be published is that it seems to have been self-published and self-edited. A shame, as maybe with a bit of guidance from a professional editor and/or a more experienced author the promise of what is unique about the book, mainly the setting, could have actually been realised.
One star.
jackalopejim's review
4.0
I got my copy of this story through one of Goodreads' First Reads Giveaways and would recommend it to anyone aged 12ish and older, though I think younger readers would appreciate it more.
The Liberation of Sundrian City was probably the best single-volume adventure book I've read in a long while, full of well-illustrated prose, heartfelt dialogue, and realistic character development. It feels like a fantasy story when it starts, but the reader slowly comes to realize that there's really no fantasy involved at all. This was a very interesting flow for the story to implement; it felt original and refreshing to someone like me who reads fantasy the most and tends to get bored of the typical fantasy story construct.
The whole way through, I was saying to myself "I see where this is going, I know what's gonna happen," and for the most part I did, but it was somehow still incredibly engaging all the while. Then, about halfway through, the author dropped the biggest plot twist. It totally blindsided me, and totally shouldn't have. Somehow he managed to take one of the most classic adventure story plot elements and make it feel totally new and astonishing.
I still don't know how he did it.
But if you're looking for an engrossing, brightly described, entertaining fantasy-but-not adventure with an endearing hero (who also happens to be a complete trooper, in the best-written way I've found in a while), then I highly recommend The Liberation of Sundrian City.
The Liberation of Sundrian City was probably the best single-volume adventure book I've read in a long while, full of well-illustrated prose, heartfelt dialogue, and realistic character development. It feels like a fantasy story when it starts, but the reader slowly comes to realize that there's really no fantasy involved at all. This was a very interesting flow for the story to implement; it felt original and refreshing to someone like me who reads fantasy the most and tends to get bored of the typical fantasy story construct.
The whole way through, I was saying to myself "I see where this is going, I know what's gonna happen," and for the most part I did, but it was somehow still incredibly engaging all the while. Then, about halfway through, the author dropped the biggest plot twist. It totally blindsided me, and totally shouldn't have. Somehow he managed to take one of the most classic adventure story plot elements and make it feel totally new and astonishing.
I still don't know how he did it.
But if you're looking for an engrossing, brightly described, entertaining fantasy-but-not adventure with an endearing hero (who also happens to be a complete trooper, in the best-written way I've found in a while), then I highly recommend The Liberation of Sundrian City.
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