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A review by nvblue
Relics - The Edge by Tim Lebbon
2.0
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Related Book Reviews:
Relics (Relics #1)
The Folded Land (Relics #2)
In a bit of an unconventional twist, I would like to start this review out with a quote from a different novel, as I feel it captures my thoughts on this book excellently.
-Walter Moers, The City of Dreaming Books (link to my review)
While there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with books intended for mass consumption, there is something wrong with creating rubbish. Rubbish that’s not just in ‘poor taste’ but is objectively rubbish. The entire Relics series consistently went downhill after the first 2/3rds or so of the first book. Relics itself was a pretty decent novel with an interesting concept: what happens when a black market trade in the remains of mythological creatures discovers that the creatures still exist? Relics was a fusion of crime, urban fantasy and horror. In the second book of the trilogy, The Folded Lands, Lebbon switches exclusively to the urban fantasy genre, abandoning the interesting ideas in the series and becoming a poorly written and trope filled book. Sadly this trajectory continued unabated in The Edge. Above all, I feel like this was a low effort book, I don’t think Lebbon or the publisher/editor really cared about it.
Plot: 1.5 out of 5
Setting/Worldbuilding: 1 out of 5
Characters: 1 out of 5
Writing Style 2 out of 5
Personal Enjoyment: 1 out of 5
I really couldn’t get into this at all, I just wanted the book to be done. I couldn’t care less if everyone died, or if an atrocity was committed, or who it happened too.
There is absolutely no character development whatsoever in either The Folded Lands or The Edge. The characters remain entirely static, with an excessive number of paragraphs dedicated to rehashing their characteristics using slightly different terminology.
Lebbon attempts to create a love triangle between Angela, Vince, and the nymph Lilou. Love triangles are generally disgusting in and of themselves, but this imaginary triangle was even worse, and to top it off, it didn’t really impact the plot (vomits internally).
In the end I am just really disappointed, Relics, while not high quality literature by any means, was quite entertaining. Lebbon is a good writer, and several of his other books look very interesting, but neither The Folded Lands nor The Edge was worth reading.
Related Book Reviews:
Relics (Relics #1)
The Folded Land (Relics #2)
In a bit of an unconventional twist, I would like to start this review out with a quote from a different novel, as I feel it captures my thoughts on this book excellently.
The problem is this: in order to make money - lots of money - we don’t need flawless literary masterpieces. What we need is mediocre rubbish, trash suitable for mass consumption. More and more, bigger and bigger blockbusters of less and less significance. What counts is the paper we sell, not the words that are printed on it.
-Walter Moers, The City of Dreaming Books (link to my review)
While there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with books intended for mass consumption, there is something wrong with creating rubbish. Rubbish that’s not just in ‘poor taste’ but is objectively rubbish. The entire Relics series consistently went downhill after the first 2/3rds or so of the first book. Relics itself was a pretty decent novel with an interesting concept: what happens when a black market trade in the remains of mythological creatures discovers that the creatures still exist? Relics was a fusion of crime, urban fantasy and horror. In the second book of the trilogy, The Folded Lands, Lebbon switches exclusively to the urban fantasy genre, abandoning the interesting ideas in the series and becoming a poorly written and trope filled book. Sadly this trajectory continued unabated in The Edge. Above all, I feel like this was a low effort book, I don’t think Lebbon or the publisher/editor really cared about it.
Plot: 1.5 out of 5
Setting/Worldbuilding: 1 out of 5
Characters: 1 out of 5
Writing Style 2 out of 5
Personal Enjoyment: 1 out of 5
I really couldn’t get into this at all, I just wanted the book to be done. I couldn’t care less if everyone died, or if an atrocity was committed, or who it happened too.
Spoiler
Lilou’s gruesome demise caused not a single emotion in me. My only though was ‘phew, now we can move on’. Sadly this hope was not realized.There is absolutely no character development whatsoever in either The Folded Lands or The Edge. The characters remain entirely static, with an excessive number of paragraphs dedicated to rehashing their characteristics using slightly different terminology.
Lebbon attempts to create a love triangle between Angela, Vince, and the nymph Lilou. Love triangles are generally disgusting in and of themselves, but this imaginary triangle was even worse, and to top it off, it didn’t really impact the plot (vomits internally).
In the end I am just really disappointed, Relics, while not high quality literature by any means, was quite entertaining. Lebbon is a good writer, and several of his other books look very interesting, but neither The Folded Lands nor The Edge was worth reading.