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mellhay's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
I found it interesting how the characters on the journey to kill Greatshadow have their lives intertwined with this adventure. We learn a great deal about them and face dangers as we journey, and I didn't realize that we were still working to get to the dragon. I didn't feel as though the book needed to skip ahead or anything. I truly enjoyed the story from the view point we got it.
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
I found it interesting how the characters on the journey to kill Greatshadow have their lives intertwined with this adventure. We learn a great deal about them and face dangers as we journey, and I didn't realize that we were still working to get to the dragon. I didn't feel as though the book needed to skip ahead or anything. I truly enjoyed the story from the view point we got it.
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
kaitlind911's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
faileskye's review against another edition
4.0
Well, what can I say? First, seriously, don’t judge this book by its cover and the long and short of it is that I’m absolutely going to be continuing this series.
This is fantasy as it should be: A surreal world with primal and all powerful magic, an adventure to take down a foe against all odds, and unpredictability to the nines. Furthermore, the two main protagonists are a lot of fun and I found myself rooting for them all along the way. Which in this day and age of dark fantasies, is saying a lot.
I strongly recommend this book to fans of sword and sorcery fantasy.
This is fantasy as it should be: A surreal world with primal and all powerful magic, an adventure to take down a foe against all odds, and unpredictability to the nines. Furthermore, the two main protagonists are a lot of fun and I found myself rooting for them all along the way. Which in this day and age of dark fantasies, is saying a lot.
I strongly recommend this book to fans of sword and sorcery fantasy.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
Greatshadow, the first book of The Dragon Apocalypse by James Maxey, reminds me in so may ways of the TSR quest-driven novels I cut my fantasy teeth on so many years ago. More specifically, it reminds of Forgotten Realms adventures by the likes of R.A. Salvatore, Ed Greenwood, Troy Denning, and Douglas Niles. Before anybody takes that the wrong way, let me assure you that's absolutely not a criticism or a complaint - I have fond memories of those adventures, and Maxey rekindled that same kind of wide-eyed enjoyment.
The writing is fresh, the characters intriguing, the action frantic, and the story line deeper than you might originally suspect. I must admit, it took a while to get used to having a ghost narrate the novel, but there's purpose to Stagger's narrative role that goes far beyond mere novelty. He's a coward and a scoundrel, a greedy, drunken adventurer with questionable ethics, but one who is loyal and sincere where it counts. I definitely warmed up to him over the course of the novel, and I quite liked the way Maxey gave his story closure towards the end.
Infidel, his magically endowed, super powered partner in crime seemed a little thin at first. She reminded me too much of the characters at the heart of the Runelords saga, a series where the novelty wore thin long before the final pages of the first book. Fortunately, Maxey has an entertaining backstory for her that is slowly unveiled over the course of the novel, slowly adding layers of humanity to her impervious exterior. Of course, it helps that she's entirely aware of her role as a sex-object within the genre, something she takes great joy in subverting. There's a scene where Infidel explains to Aurora, high priestess and frost giantess extraordinaire, just how deep her superhuman strength runs, and why she could never doom a man to the throes of orgasm, that will leave you laughing and crossing your legs at the same time.
Where Maxey breaks away from the style of those Forgotten Realms adventures of 20+ years ago and cements his place alongside his genre contemporaries is in his sheer unpredictability. This is one of those novels where nobody is safe, where good and evil are not absolutes, and where truth and lies are simply a matter of perspective. For such a small band of adventurers, a lot of main characters die along the way, and not all of them in the grand, heroic fashion you might expect. There's an element of realism here - or, as much as there can be within a swords & sorcery tale - that acknowledges the fact that things don't always work out simply because we want them to.
One final note on this book, I thoroughly enjoyed Maxey's take on religion. The Church of the Book is an interesting concept, both a satiric parody of organized religion and an almost logical mythological construct. The idea of a Book that contains the complete story of the universe, but which cannot be read except by the arrival of long-anticipated Omega Reader, is brilliant in its absurdity. Similarly, the duelling magics of Father Ver and the Deceiver is both ridiculous and inspired, with the magical outcome of their respective 'truths' and 'lies' dependant solely upon the belief of those around them.
It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of enjoying a good, old-fashioned, straight-up quest adventure, complete with magical artifacts, inhuman races, and truly epic dragons. He amused me, entertained me, and amazed me on several occasions. Much to Maxey's credit, he maintained both my interest and my smiles the whole way through, more than ensuring I'll be back to discover what happens with Hush.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
The writing is fresh, the characters intriguing, the action frantic, and the story line deeper than you might originally suspect. I must admit, it took a while to get used to having a ghost narrate the novel, but there's purpose to Stagger's narrative role that goes far beyond mere novelty. He's a coward and a scoundrel, a greedy, drunken adventurer with questionable ethics, but one who is loyal and sincere where it counts. I definitely warmed up to him over the course of the novel, and I quite liked the way Maxey gave his story closure towards the end.
Infidel, his magically endowed, super powered partner in crime seemed a little thin at first. She reminded me too much of the characters at the heart of the Runelords saga, a series where the novelty wore thin long before the final pages of the first book. Fortunately, Maxey has an entertaining backstory for her that is slowly unveiled over the course of the novel, slowly adding layers of humanity to her impervious exterior. Of course, it helps that she's entirely aware of her role as a sex-object within the genre, something she takes great joy in subverting. There's a scene where Infidel explains to Aurora, high priestess and frost giantess extraordinaire, just how deep her superhuman strength runs, and why she could never doom a man to the throes of orgasm, that will leave you laughing and crossing your legs at the same time.
Where Maxey breaks away from the style of those Forgotten Realms adventures of 20+ years ago and cements his place alongside his genre contemporaries is in his sheer unpredictability. This is one of those novels where nobody is safe, where good and evil are not absolutes, and where truth and lies are simply a matter of perspective. For such a small band of adventurers, a lot of main characters die along the way, and not all of them in the grand, heroic fashion you might expect. There's an element of realism here - or, as much as there can be within a swords & sorcery tale - that acknowledges the fact that things don't always work out simply because we want them to.
One final note on this book, I thoroughly enjoyed Maxey's take on religion. The Church of the Book is an interesting concept, both a satiric parody of organized religion and an almost logical mythological construct. The idea of a Book that contains the complete story of the universe, but which cannot be read except by the arrival of long-anticipated Omega Reader, is brilliant in its absurdity. Similarly, the duelling magics of Father Ver and the Deceiver is both ridiculous and inspired, with the magical outcome of their respective 'truths' and 'lies' dependant solely upon the belief of those around them.
It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of enjoying a good, old-fashioned, straight-up quest adventure, complete with magical artifacts, inhuman races, and truly epic dragons. He amused me, entertained me, and amazed me on several occasions. Much to Maxey's credit, he maintained both my interest and my smiles the whole way through, more than ensuring I'll be back to discover what happens with Hush.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
surfmonkey01's review against another edition
3.0
Slow in the first third, awesome in the middle, kinda fell apart at the end. And Stagger got a little voyeuristic for my tastes... Not sure if I'll be back for Book Two or not.
oswallt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
cluckingbell's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy for free through GoodReads’ First Reads.
It was a pretty fun read, and there was a lot that I admired about it. I appreciated that the descriptions of place and people were vivid without being florid. The author gave enough information that I could visualize a person, place, or thing while leaving enough room for interpretation that my imagination never got tripped up by unnecessary and trivial details. Personally, I think that makes for a much richer reading experience.
Maxey’s uncluttered writing style is also great for fights and physical comedy. Some of the latter was downright slapstick, which I’ve seen very few writers pull off. I mean, we’re talking about largely visual humor in a text-based medium—impressive. I guess in a lot of ways the physical humor was tied to character, so maybe that’s why it worked so well. Still, I kept thinking this would make a fun movie. It would take a big budget to do it right as live-action, but maybe we could do an animated version? With Nathan Fillion voicing Stagger, of course.
My reservations mostly stem from plot propulsion and emotional impact, which probably weren’t powerful enough to warrant a full four stars for me, at least as I normally gauge books. But . . . there was enough novelty and interest and fun that I found Greatshadow to be a pleasant surprise. I can open it to almost any page and find something I enjoyed. With that in mind, I'm going to go ahead and round up to four.
It was a pretty fun read, and there was a lot that I admired about it. I appreciated that the descriptions of place and people were vivid without being florid. The author gave enough information that I could visualize a person, place, or thing while leaving enough room for interpretation that my imagination never got tripped up by unnecessary and trivial details. Personally, I think that makes for a much richer reading experience.
Maxey’s uncluttered writing style is also great for fights and physical comedy. Some of the latter was downright slapstick, which I’ve seen very few writers pull off. I mean, we’re talking about largely visual humor in a text-based medium—impressive. I guess in a lot of ways the physical humor was tied to character
Spoiler
(such as when the somewhat prideful Tower, a man who flies around by gripping his “Gloryhammer,” faceplants into a wall in the false matter room—great way to take the 'shining hero' down a notch)My reservations mostly stem from plot propulsion and emotional impact, which probably weren’t powerful enough to warrant a full four stars for me, at least as I normally gauge books. But . . . there was enough novelty and interest and fun that I found Greatshadow to be a pleasant surprise. I can open it to almost any page and find something I enjoyed. With that in mind, I'm going to go ahead and round up to four.
amyjstar's review against another edition
4.0
I received this in a giveaway from goodreads, so decided to boost it up fairly high on my reading list. I'm so glad I did!
A thrilling read, it really got me sucked into the story. There's lots of action, gets you hooked from the first page.
I loved the majority of the characters (even the bad guys).
The narrator is a ghost, which I thought was fairly unusual, and made for an interesting point of view.
I can't wait for the sequel to come out.
A thrilling read, it really got me sucked into the story. There's lots of action, gets you hooked from the first page.
I loved the majority of the characters (even the bad guys).
The narrator is a ghost, which I thought was fairly unusual, and made for an interesting point of view.
I can't wait for the sequel to come out.