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A review by adelaidemetzger_robotprophet
The Final Warden by Thomas Cardin
5.0
Well, if I hadn’t written a review to explain how awesome this story is the 8 pages of annotations and highlights on my Nook Simple Touch should give you an idea. These characters and concepts are—awesome!!
It was a slow start for me when I started reading this but I’m gunna say that that wasn’t my fault because it was the end of the semester with finals and graduations and family members visiting. But when I was finally able to sit down and put just a bit of my concentration on this book, I couldn’t put it down. That’s a book review cliché, but I really mean it. Thomas Cardin’s writing is fluid and captivating with a style that hones the fantasy atmosphere with his great artistry and it’s done with just the right texture. What I mean by that is the fantasy genre today is expected to be a big thick book made up of 400+ pages and written in such a thick style it takes great concentration and even translation to read it as if one was trying to learn a new language (it dates back to the fantasy icon Tolkien, but we won’t blame him because he was awesome anyway). Cardin doesn’t do that. It’s a quick, understandable read but it’s crafted with a delicate and satisfying style.
The other reviews for this first in a trilogy complimented greatly on “character value,” and “character development,” and they’re absolutely right—100 times so. But I didn’t hear a lot about what made these characters important to the reader and that was THE EMOTION! God, I haven’t read a (sci-fi/fantasy) book that made me this emotional since Star Wars: Republic Commando (and it didn’t hit me as hard as Republic Commando, but it had emotional scenes worthy of Karen Traviss’ praise). Traviss’ ‘Commando books made me want to throw my Nook at the wall, but Cardin’s book made me want to clutch my Nook to my chest so tight that it would break out of its two-year warranty all the while reenacting each heart bleeding moment with as much luster as Jimmy Stuart in every single one of his movies (but we all know no matter how hard we try, we can never be as good as Jimmy was). I’m working on my first film degree, so I can’t help it when heavy moments like these in the story inspire me to see it as a film. Trust me, with the right actors and passion, this would be THE next blockbuster franchise (think Michael Fassbender’s superb performance in Prometheus but in a fantasy epic style like LOTR’s only on a smaller scale with more emotional characters). I’m just saying, that’s how good it is.
Besides the great emotional quality that plugs you into the characters as if they were your own children, the concept of each character having an ability unique to themselves was really cool; things like super speed, control over the weather, and telepathy worked well because X-Men powers haven’t been done before in a setting like this.Also, the whole a-darkness-has-taken-hold-of-me-and-all-I-can-do-is-watch thing totally flips my interest up the scale a couple notches. Great kicker with the main character being the murderous assassin this whole time and yet his spirit is pure. Love it. And did I mention the emotion when you got that unbreakable, to-the-death friendship in the mix. Makes my mouth water.
Usually I’d say something like, “So, definitely give this one a chance,” “You’ll like. I know I did,” or “Bring it on (author’s name),” but all that needs to be said is, “Buy it. Read it. Now.” You’ll thank me.
(MU-VEE! MU-VEE! MU-VEE!)
It was a slow start for me when I started reading this but I’m gunna say that that wasn’t my fault because it was the end of the semester with finals and graduations and family members visiting. But when I was finally able to sit down and put just a bit of my concentration on this book, I couldn’t put it down. That’s a book review cliché, but I really mean it. Thomas Cardin’s writing is fluid and captivating with a style that hones the fantasy atmosphere with his great artistry and it’s done with just the right texture. What I mean by that is the fantasy genre today is expected to be a big thick book made up of 400+ pages and written in such a thick style it takes great concentration and even translation to read it as if one was trying to learn a new language (it dates back to the fantasy icon Tolkien, but we won’t blame him because he was awesome anyway). Cardin doesn’t do that. It’s a quick, understandable read but it’s crafted with a delicate and satisfying style.
The other reviews for this first in a trilogy complimented greatly on “character value,” and “character development,” and they’re absolutely right—100 times so. But I didn’t hear a lot about what made these characters important to the reader and that was THE EMOTION! God, I haven’t read a (sci-fi/fantasy) book that made me this emotional since Star Wars: Republic Commando (and it didn’t hit me as hard as Republic Commando, but it had emotional scenes worthy of Karen Traviss’ praise). Traviss’ ‘Commando books made me want to throw my Nook at the wall, but Cardin’s book made me want to clutch my Nook to my chest so tight that it would break out of its two-year warranty all the while reenacting each heart bleeding moment with as much luster as Jimmy Stuart in every single one of his movies (but we all know no matter how hard we try, we can never be as good as Jimmy was). I’m working on my first film degree, so I can’t help it when heavy moments like these in the story inspire me to see it as a film. Trust me, with the right actors and passion, this would be THE next blockbuster franchise (think Michael Fassbender’s superb performance in Prometheus but in a fantasy epic style like LOTR’s only on a smaller scale with more emotional characters). I’m just saying, that’s how good it is.
Besides the great emotional quality that plugs you into the characters as if they were your own children, the concept of each character having an ability unique to themselves was really cool; things like super speed, control over the weather, and telepathy worked well because X-Men powers haven’t been done before in a setting like this.
Usually I’d say something like, “So, definitely give this one a chance,” “You’ll like. I know I did,” or “Bring it on (author’s name),” but all that needs to be said is, “Buy it. Read it. Now.” You’ll thank me.
(MU-VEE! MU-VEE! MU-VEE!)