Scan barcode
A review by stephbookshine
Neanderthal King by Matt Ward
3.0
*I received a free DRC of this book, with thanks to the author. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
I am not sure I would really call this historical fiction, as it imagines a world in which neanderthals and ‘sapiens’ co-exist in a similar power relationship to that of blacks and whites in the days of apartheid, racial segregation, slavery and colonialism. I read it as more of an alternate reality/’Trousers of Time‘ style fantasy.
It was a little difficult to get to grips with the story at times, as part of the world-building technique here involved the renaming of familiar things, like ‘whinnie’ for horse. None of the terms were particularly obscure, but they did occasionally interrupt the smooth flow of the narrative as I had to pause to let my brain translate some of the terms used for very everyday objects.
There were also times I found the main plotline became a little repetitive as Maralek is sold into slavery, escapes, hides and fights, only to be sold into slavery again, escape… There are some interesting and engaging side characters along his journey, but I would advise not to get too attached to anyone in the story, as the most historically realistic aspect of the story is that things are not going to end well for the Neanderthal race!
My favourite aspect of the novel was Maralek’s character, as the author has avoided all of the ‘long-lost heir’ fantasy tropes by making his main character contradictory and realistically inept. He veers between noble and empathetic, if a bit dim, and casually bloodthirsty; his plans rarely work; his skills remain erratic and underdeveloped, and he is dogged by persistent bad luck. I really loved this, as the fantasy main characters who suddenly become skilled at everything they turn their hand to, without training or experience, are incredibly unrealistic and quite annoying to read. I think it’s great that we got a main character whose abilities more authentically reflect his upbringing and (lack of) opportunities in life – I really found myself rooting for him to succeed against the odds.
This feels like a really great story concept, with some good action and character development, that just needed a little more work on some of the pacing and world-building.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2022/12/08/catch-up-quickies-32/
I am not sure I would really call this historical fiction, as it imagines a world in which neanderthals and ‘sapiens’ co-exist in a similar power relationship to that of blacks and whites in the days of apartheid, racial segregation, slavery and colonialism. I read it as more of an alternate reality/’Trousers of Time‘ style fantasy.
It was a little difficult to get to grips with the story at times, as part of the world-building technique here involved the renaming of familiar things, like ‘whinnie’ for horse. None of the terms were particularly obscure, but they did occasionally interrupt the smooth flow of the narrative as I had to pause to let my brain translate some of the terms used for very everyday objects.
There were also times I found the main plotline became a little repetitive as Maralek is sold into slavery, escapes, hides and fights, only to be sold into slavery again, escape… There are some interesting and engaging side characters along his journey, but I would advise not to get too attached to anyone in the story, as the most historically realistic aspect of the story is that things are not going to end well for the Neanderthal race!
My favourite aspect of the novel was Maralek’s character, as the author has avoided all of the ‘long-lost heir’ fantasy tropes by making his main character contradictory and realistically inept. He veers between noble and empathetic, if a bit dim, and casually bloodthirsty; his plans rarely work; his skills remain erratic and underdeveloped, and he is dogged by persistent bad luck. I really loved this, as the fantasy main characters who suddenly become skilled at everything they turn their hand to, without training or experience, are incredibly unrealistic and quite annoying to read. I think it’s great that we got a main character whose abilities more authentically reflect his upbringing and (lack of) opportunities in life – I really found myself rooting for him to succeed against the odds.
This feels like a really great story concept, with some good action and character development, that just needed a little more work on some of the pacing and world-building.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2022/12/08/catch-up-quickies-32/