You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Ok, so the premise was super intriguing and there were some good moments, but overall this was too grimdark, nasty and violent for me. The villain reminded me of Dune-- it wasn't enough for the author to make him a mass-murdering psychopath, in order for us readers to truly comprehend how Capital E Evil he is, he has to also be a rapist and a pedophile. And we have to read passages narrated from this sicko's perspective? No thank u.
Plus other torture scene stuff that I frankly had to skim/skip.
I read fantasy for escapism not for wallowing in the worst of humanity. Guess I can't relate to the humans obsessed with violent entertainment who populate the Earth in this bookverse.
Plus other torture scene stuff that I frankly had to skim/skip.
I read fantasy for escapism not for wallowing in the worst of humanity. Guess I can't relate to the humans obsessed with violent entertainment who populate the Earth in this bookverse.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounds awesome and right up my alley. I read about a quarter of it and just lost interest. I expected some serious badassery based on some of the reviews, but absolutely nothing happened to keep me interested and I didn't connect with any of the characters.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So there's this very popular actor, - Hari Michaelson - alright? He plays Caine, a fully-fledged badass who kicks all sorts of arse in a fantasy world. Only Ankhana isn't actually a fictitious world, it really exists in a parallel dimension. So, whenever people watch one of Caine's movies, they're watching stuff that's happening for real.
Now Caine... picture a cross between Harry Callahan, Dutch off Predator, John McClane and Conan. That's the sort of badass Caine is. Actually, everybody's a mean sumbitch in Ankhana: Berne (ah, Berne! Best villain evah!), Ma’elKoth, Majesty... even Pallas Rill, Caine's wife, who needs to be saved.
One more thing, I have a major pet peeve: present tense. Whenever I stumble upon a book that's written in present tense, I'll put it down and move on to something else. Well, a considerable chunk of "Heroes Die" is written in present tense. But I'll tell you what? It didn't bother me one bit. Put it this way, it's as if Caine had a gopro strapped on his temple to show us what's going on.
Testosterone, people. Plenty of it.
Five stars.
Now Caine... picture a cross between Harry Callahan, Dutch off Predator, John McClane and Conan. That's the sort of badass Caine is. Actually, everybody's a mean sumbitch in Ankhana: Berne (ah, Berne! Best villain evah!), Ma’elKoth, Majesty... even Pallas Rill, Caine's wife, who needs to be saved.
One more thing, I have a major pet peeve: present tense. Whenever I stumble upon a book that's written in present tense, I'll put it down and move on to something else. Well, a considerable chunk of "Heroes Die" is written in present tense. But I'll tell you what? It didn't bother me one bit. Put it this way, it's as if Caine had a gopro strapped on his temple to show us what's going on.
Testosterone, people. Plenty of it.
Five stars.
At first I thought the unique "set up" of the book would keep pulling me out of enjoying the story. It's like a magician show you're watching while knowing a lot of the tricks already and how they work. Diverting? A little, yes. Still, some tricks are simple, but very effective and they kind of don't age. I'm glad there is such a strong focus on the characters because that's what drew me in the most and it turns out you can enjoy the hell out of a story even with seeing things coming.
The character development was great, but also a bit too much, from a "yeah, whatever" attitude to a "Now listen to my mastermind plan with a thousand twists" kind of oratory.
The character development was great, but also a bit too much, from a "yeah, whatever" attitude to a "Now listen to my mastermind plan with a thousand twists" kind of oratory.
One of the most interesting worlds Ive ever read about. Action packed throughout. One of my favorite reads this this year.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I ended up buying this book completely at random. I had no idea what it was about, zero, I even thought it was a fantasy book.
Many things turned me off at first: the book was too small, the pages too dense, the font-size was bad. The author doesn't care about you understanding everything that goes on, he will throw terms at you that you have never seen hoping that you catch up at some point (which I can respect, not every book has to explain everything). When I realised the book was SF I almost wanted to give up but I said I'll give it 100 pages.
I have seen reviews suggesting that the book is too long and that it could be 100 pages less. I disagree, the book is perfect in length. Hari or Caine has an incredible journey from start to finish and even tho I felt that at some points the book was slouching, they didnt last long.
Excellent action, great plot, amazing "final battle"
Many things turned me off at first: the book was too small, the pages too dense, the font-size was bad. The author doesn't care about you understanding everything that goes on, he will throw terms at you that you have never seen hoping that you catch up at some point (which I can respect, not every book has to explain everything). When I realised the book was SF I almost wanted to give up but I said I'll give it 100 pages.
I have seen reviews suggesting that the book is too long and that it could be 100 pages less. I disagree, the book is perfect in length. Hari or Caine has an incredible journey from start to finish and even tho I felt that at some points the book was slouching, they didnt last long.
Excellent action, great plot, amazing "final battle"
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes