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gotoboston 's review for:
The Coward
by Stephen Aryan
The last book I read was deeply disappointing. This one was a lot of fun. Not super unique. Very classic adventure story. What I did find really compelling is how this author wrote the after-effects of being a savior or "hero". That in essence, all these great heroes were just people with all their varied flaws and realities. And nothing is pretty about war.
Kell is a fascinatingly complex character. He calls himself a coward to some extent, but also acknowledges he's just a tired survivor who didn't want to be dragged into anymore quests. When he gets dragged kicking and screaming into this new one, you can emphasis a great deal with his reluctance. He fought the great evil, lived to tell the tale and just wanted peace.
So, yes, I loved that aspect of the story. It made this book compellingly difference then most other fantasy adventure stories which usually gloss over the emotional aspect. I'm also curious if this author was a soldier or interviewed soldiers, because the characters' battle weariness is very reminiscent of the studies and first hand documentaries I've seen or read showing the experiences of soldiers who've come home from war.
The only thing I would add is, for a published book by a publisher, this book could have used another editor. I found several glaring errors that a copyeditor should have picked up. Nothing debilitatingly dramatic to effect my enjoyment of the story, but notable since this to my knowledge isn't self published.
But, anyways, I look forward to the sequel to this duology.
Kell is a fascinatingly complex character. He calls himself a coward to some extent, but also acknowledges he's just a tired survivor who didn't want to be dragged into anymore quests. When he gets dragged kicking and screaming into this new one, you can emphasis a great deal with his reluctance. He fought the great evil, lived to tell the tale and just wanted peace.
So, yes, I loved that aspect of the story. It made this book compellingly difference then most other fantasy adventure stories which usually gloss over the emotional aspect. I'm also curious if this author was a soldier or interviewed soldiers, because the characters' battle weariness is very reminiscent of the studies and first hand documentaries I've seen or read showing the experiences of soldiers who've come home from war.
The only thing I would add is, for a published book by a publisher, this book could have used another editor. I found several glaring errors that a copyeditor should have picked up. Nothing debilitatingly dramatic to effect my enjoyment of the story, but notable since this to my knowledge isn't self published.
But, anyways, I look forward to the sequel to this duology.