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A review by kartiknarayanan
False Idols by Jon Hollins
4.0
Whew! What an ending.
Sorry. Let's back up a bit.
Fool's Gold, the first one in the series, was an excellent book with great humour which somehow made standard fantasy tropes interesting again. Let me reiterate - humour. But, False Idols does not rely on humour to carry it. It instead focuses on character development, a far better story and world building. So, False Idols is literally three steps forward and one step back.
Does it work? Yes, it does. The main characters - all of them - have moments where they are challenged, question their world view and then move forward. The story has twists and turn and, though a mite predictable, is still fresh. We see a lot more of the world. In fact, barring a single chapter, nothing happens in Kondorra. We see more Dragons. We see Gods (did I mention I am a sucker for any book that involves Gods or Mythology?). And the action is great. Especially the climax. Which brings me to the beginning of the review. The ending is going to blow your mind (at least a little).
So, in conclusion, while I am bit sad that the balls-crazy humour is no longer so strong in False Idols, it is still one of the best and 'funnest' books around.
Sorry. Let's back up a bit.
Fool's Gold, the first one in the series, was an excellent book with great humour which somehow made standard fantasy tropes interesting again. Let me reiterate - humour. But, False Idols does not rely on humour to carry it. It instead focuses on character development, a far better story and world building. So, False Idols is literally three steps forward and one step back.
Does it work? Yes, it does. The main characters - all of them - have moments where they are challenged, question their world view and then move forward. The story has twists and turn and, though a mite predictable, is still fresh. We see a lot more of the world. In fact, barring a single chapter, nothing happens in Kondorra. We see more Dragons. We see Gods (did I mention I am a sucker for any book that involves Gods or Mythology?). And the action is great. Especially the climax. Which brings me to the beginning of the review. The ending is going to blow your mind (at least a little).
So, in conclusion, while I am bit sad that the balls-crazy humour is no longer so strong in False Idols, it is still one of the best and 'funnest' books around.