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A review by willrefuge
Montego by Brian McClellan
3.0
6.5 / 10 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/03/19/montego-by-brian-mcclellan-review/
Montego al’Bou is new to the capital, twelve years old but with a frame any man grown would be jealous of. A peasant from the hinterlands, he has come to fulfill his grandmother’s dying wish—that he might be fostered by one of the influential noble families and become a successful, educated man. Montego has his own dreams, however. He dreams of following in his grandmother’s footsteps; of being a famed cudgelist and forging his own path.
Either way, Ossa is the place to do it.
Unfortunately, the capital is not what Montego imagined. The greatest sin is to be born without money—while being born a peasant is a close second—something the nobles are quick to remind him of. Still, fostered by the Grappo family, he’s fresh on his way to a good education and dutiful employment, if that’s what he wishes. Yet he fails to feel any sense of belonging in his new home.
Head of the noble family, severe Adriana Grappo is distant and busy, so much so that he rarely sees her. Her son, Demir, is younger than Montego, though he acts so much more than his ten years would suggest. While he is expected to study and progress, cudgeling isn’t something Montego is prohibited from, and he quickly seeks it out. But without money or status it’s going to be hard to make a name for himself. Luckily, he isn’t alone.
—
Serving as an introduction to the Glass Immortals’ series, Montego is a bit lackluster. It starts off with a bang—an orphan, abandoned in the capital, set to be fostered and brought up but possessed of dreams of his own and… yeah, an at-odds blurb. The pace quickly drops away to nothing, with the first half of the novella dedicated to setting up the conclusion, and (I assume) filling in the backstory of Montego from In the Shadow of Lightning.
Serving as a way to gain additional insight into the Glass Immortals’ series, you know, get a little background, read between the lines, flesh out the characters a little more before diving back into Book #2 (whenever it’s released)—I mean, I assume this is the way to go. But as I haven’t finished Book #1 proper, I can’t say for certain.
This novella took its sweet time getting going, though once it did I was well-invested with the outcome. Unfortunately, given its length, that outcome was over all too quickly.
Still, Montego provides an interesting plot, and interesting setting, and a decently entertaining story. As a novella, it’s a little short on substance and details, but still a quick read to bridge the gap between one book and the next. Plus, it’ll provide backstory on Demir and Montego, Kizzie and Adriana. I’d mostly recommend it for returning fans of the series, however, if you’re a fan of the author that hasn’t read his newest novel, it does serve as an adequate introduction.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/03/19/montego-by-brian-mcclellan-review/
Montego al’Bou is new to the capital, twelve years old but with a frame any man grown would be jealous of. A peasant from the hinterlands, he has come to fulfill his grandmother’s dying wish—that he might be fostered by one of the influential noble families and become a successful, educated man. Montego has his own dreams, however. He dreams of following in his grandmother’s footsteps; of being a famed cudgelist and forging his own path.
Either way, Ossa is the place to do it.
Unfortunately, the capital is not what Montego imagined. The greatest sin is to be born without money—while being born a peasant is a close second—something the nobles are quick to remind him of. Still, fostered by the Grappo family, he’s fresh on his way to a good education and dutiful employment, if that’s what he wishes. Yet he fails to feel any sense of belonging in his new home.
Head of the noble family, severe Adriana Grappo is distant and busy, so much so that he rarely sees her. Her son, Demir, is younger than Montego, though he acts so much more than his ten years would suggest. While he is expected to study and progress, cudgeling isn’t something Montego is prohibited from, and he quickly seeks it out. But without money or status it’s going to be hard to make a name for himself. Luckily, he isn’t alone.
—
Serving as an introduction to the Glass Immortals’ series, Montego is a bit lackluster. It starts off with a bang—an orphan, abandoned in the capital, set to be fostered and brought up but possessed of dreams of his own and… yeah, an at-odds blurb. The pace quickly drops away to nothing, with the first half of the novella dedicated to setting up the conclusion, and (I assume) filling in the backstory of Montego from In the Shadow of Lightning.
Serving as a way to gain additional insight into the Glass Immortals’ series, you know, get a little background, read between the lines, flesh out the characters a little more before diving back into Book #2 (whenever it’s released)—I mean, I assume this is the way to go. But as I haven’t finished Book #1 proper, I can’t say for certain.
This novella took its sweet time getting going, though once it did I was well-invested with the outcome. Unfortunately, given its length, that outcome was over all too quickly.
Still, Montego provides an interesting plot, and interesting setting, and a decently entertaining story. As a novella, it’s a little short on substance and details, but still a quick read to bridge the gap between one book and the next. Plus, it’ll provide backstory on Demir and Montego, Kizzie and Adriana. I’d mostly recommend it for returning fans of the series, however, if you’re a fan of the author that hasn’t read his newest novel, it does serve as an adequate introduction.