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kavreb's review against another edition
4.0
While it may start with another heist just like its predecessor, The Death of the Necromancer hasn't just changed the characters and dates but in parts the genre itself.
While it stays similarly close to fantasy, and much of the novel is concerned with mysteries and thrills (and some of them are truly splendid, the high point the hunt in the prison maze, but pretty much everything keeping one on the edge of one’s seat once the story got going proper), the scope is quite a bit smaller than in The Elements of Fire, with the previous novel’s concerns of the royals replaced with a gang of thieves (though some of them quite wealthy and close to people close to royals). And while much of The Elements of Fire was spent in an impressive struggle between large forces, The Death of the Necromancer follows its appealing characters down alleyways and backhalls of suburban manors as they work to figure out why the hell any of this is happening. Their opponent is appropriately powerful, but the feeling is different, especially once you find out Ile-Rien has, amongst other things, upgraded from oil to gas and one-shooters to six-shooters. The Elements of Fire was also a far darker book, with few characters surviving until the end, while here only a few do not (the deadliness which I think added to the first book's specific tone, but is not missed here).
I enjoyed the previous novel more than seems to be right by the apparent consensus, and I was quickly made nostalgic for its characters and court intrigue and its emphasis on action with weapons with limited power; but this book didn't take long to find its appeal, and it have a few things over the previous one, like a bit tighter plotting and side-characters that have more personality than what you can sum up in a shallow paragraph (and, seeing the way this series is going, it's too bad we'll never meet any of them again).
The casual queerness of a few characters and no damsels in distress this time around was also more than appealing.
However, the book does unravel a bit by the end as Wells attempts to satisfactorily tidy up all the threads while keeping up the thrills, but it's difficult to be that thrilled when so much breath is spent on turning potentiality into certainty and the characters are just half-going through the motions of a grand finale. Even the final chapter seems to mimic the one in the previous book (though again showing the difference in genre - while it was an exciting action scene that took care of the pesky lingering problem in the previous book, it's intrigue and sly subterfuge that deals a finishing blow in this one).
And Wells does start relying more than is fair share on magic to solve problems (the eternal problem in books dealing in magic), though again to her credit the way she limits the power of her most powerful sorcerer throughout the book is a stroke of genius.
But never minding the complaints about the culmination, on the strength of most of the book alone this is a fine reading and Martha Wells a writer that I regret I almost never made the acquaintance with. Thank you again, Murderbot, and I'm sure to keep thanking you as I keep working my way through the delightful backlog of your impressive creator.
While it stays similarly close to fantasy, and much of the novel is concerned with mysteries and thrills (and some of them are truly splendid, the high point the hunt in the prison maze, but pretty much everything keeping one on the edge of one’s seat once the story got going proper), the scope is quite a bit smaller than in The Elements of Fire, with the previous novel’s concerns of the royals replaced with a gang of thieves (though some of them quite wealthy and close to people close to royals). And while much of The Elements of Fire was spent in an impressive struggle between large forces, The Death of the Necromancer follows its appealing characters down alleyways and backhalls of suburban manors as they work to figure out why the hell any of this is happening. Their opponent is appropriately powerful, but the feeling is different, especially once you find out Ile-Rien has, amongst other things, upgraded from oil to gas and one-shooters to six-shooters. The Elements of Fire was also a far darker book, with few characters surviving until the end, while here only a few do not (the deadliness which I think added to the first book's specific tone, but is not missed here).
I enjoyed the previous novel more than seems to be right by the apparent consensus, and I was quickly made nostalgic for its characters and court intrigue and its emphasis on action with weapons with limited power; but this book didn't take long to find its appeal, and it have a few things over the previous one, like a bit tighter plotting and side-characters that have more personality than what you can sum up in a shallow paragraph (and, seeing the way this series is going, it's too bad we'll never meet any of them again).
The casual queerness of a few characters and no damsels in distress this time around was also more than appealing.
However, the book does unravel a bit by the end as Wells attempts to satisfactorily tidy up all the threads while keeping up the thrills, but it's difficult to be that thrilled when so much breath is spent on turning potentiality into certainty and the characters are just half-going through the motions of a grand finale. Even the final chapter seems to mimic the one in the previous book (though again showing the difference in genre - while it was an exciting action scene that took care of the pesky lingering problem in the previous book, it's intrigue and sly subterfuge that deals a finishing blow in this one).
And Wells does start relying more than is fair share on magic to solve problems (the eternal problem in books dealing in magic), though again to her credit the way she limits the power of her most powerful sorcerer throughout the book is a stroke of genius.
But never minding the complaints about the culmination, on the strength of most of the book alone this is a fine reading and Martha Wells a writer that I regret I almost never made the acquaintance with. Thank you again, Murderbot, and I'm sure to keep thanking you as I keep working my way through the delightful backlog of your impressive creator.
auros1956's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mel024's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
syrinth's review against another edition
3.0
Borrowed this from the library on a whim. I loved the characters and the world that was created, it was very compelling and left me wanting to know more, which was frustrating as there was no more on these characters that I'm aware of.
I love the fact that one of the characters was gay but it was not made a big deal of, one of the only times I've ever seen that.
I love the fact that one of the characters was gay but it was not made a big deal of, one of the only times I've ever seen that.
vblovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
While I really enjoyed this book, the creative magic, the characters and the plot, I would be lying if I didn't say I felt every one of the books 544 pages. I'm not sure why but although all the elements were there and I enjoyed the journey it still felt like a bit of a plod. I would have expected, with the level of interest I had in all the elements that it would pull me right through but I had to push my way to the end.
arthaghen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? No
5.0
nymyet's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
sundancer_srb's review against another edition
4.0
A story of revenge, addiction, love and murder, it is chucked full of detail and intrigue. I started the Ile-Rien world with the Fall of Ile-Rien books then went back to the first published books. I love how each of the books in this universe are different. All though it's not my favorite in this universe, it is still a solid worth while book with a great ending.
whatthedickinson's review against another edition
4.0
The tone and setting of this book was like mix of Locke Lamora, Sherlock Holmes, and Dracula! Lots of gaslight sconces, dramatic capers, and carriage rides. Wells’ writing and characters really shone and drove the story on, I don’t think I would have cared about the plot if I weren’t so invested in the characters. Very funny as well, that reminds me I have to go reread All Systems Red- another one of hers that is just spot on hilarious. This one is technically in a series but as others have said is perfect as a stand-alone!
elfduchess's review against another edition
DNF - PG 98
Why?
Because I don't like it. Honestly, I'm not enjoying it at all. That is, partially my own fault for not noticing the 'mystery' tag and being so incredibly feed up with poorly written mysteries as the secondary genre in several books I've read lately.
This one, so far, hasn't had in terribly leaps of logic, but… I feel nothing beyond annoyance while reading. I find the main characters bland and personality-less, the mystery is very verbose - or maybe that's just the writing style because there's an awful lot of words for saying as little as it does. And the writing style is complicated, I can't picture things, flashbacks are not clearly delineated, and people are so randomly mentioned I often have to go 'who's that?' and still not know. Names are just thrown around willy-nilly and …
I'm starting to wonder about Wells being one of my favorite authors because for how much I love her Raksura series, really liked her Fall of Ile-Rien series… I've not been having good luck since. I might come back to this one when I'm a little less feed up with mysteries being added to books by authors with no experience writing them, but for now, I'm done.
Why?
Because I don't like it. Honestly, I'm not enjoying it at all. That is, partially my own fault for not noticing the 'mystery' tag and being so incredibly feed up with poorly written mysteries as the secondary genre in several books I've read lately.
This one, so far, hasn't had in terribly leaps of logic, but… I feel nothing beyond annoyance while reading. I find the main characters bland and personality-less, the mystery is very verbose - or maybe that's just the writing style because there's an awful lot of words for saying as little as it does. And the writing style is complicated, I can't picture things, flashbacks are not clearly delineated, and people are so randomly mentioned I often have to go 'who's that?' and still not know. Names are just thrown around willy-nilly and …
I'm starting to wonder about Wells being one of my favorite authors because for how much I love her Raksura series, really liked her Fall of Ile-Rien series… I've not been having good luck since. I might come back to this one when I'm a little less feed up with mysteries being added to books by authors with no experience writing them, but for now, I'm done.