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A review by flyingleaps
Changes by Mercedes Lackey
2.0
The temptation to read Mags as Skif’s lesser half continues in this third book in the Collegium Chronicles.
I say lesser, because Mags lacks the charm and sense of humor that made Skif so likeable in the first place. This isn’t to say that Mags isn’t likeable, it’s just that you have to peel back the layers of angst and emotional superiority (he came an obscene level of poverty, but the constant reminders that he had it worse than the worst any other Trainee has experienced is annoying) to get to his likeable personality.
Also maddening is the dialect in which Lackey has chosen to write her main character. "Tis like mebbe when 'e was s'posed t'be hangin' 'bout th' others, but whatever made th' furst mad sent 'im mad too." It’s infuriating, and sends the reader skimming every time a surplus of apostrophes appears. What makes it worse is that this isn’t consistent. Sometimes his grammar (spoken AND thought) follows this rule, and others it’s perfectly normal speech.
We continue to chase loose ends from the first novel (particularly about his parents) and the second (the origin of the assassins), but seem to get no closer to any answers. It feels increasingly like Lackey is taking a whack at the Harry Potter of Valdemar books, complete with Kirball in place of Quidditch.
I will say that the characters’ interactions this time around were truer to form than the second half of Intrigues. I also appreciated that because they’re all getting a bit older, their interactions are reflecting this.
However, of the three so far in the Chronicles, this is the most slapped-together installment yet. The grammar is atrocious, as are the spelling errors—EVEN IN CHARACTER NAMES. Typos that could have been solved with a simple run of spellcheck. Ugh.
Between the overwhelming amount of work left undone by her editor and the continuing feeling that Misty is milking this storyline for more than it’s worth, I remain undecided about finishing the last two installments of the Chronicles and finding out who the hell Mags actually is (and, incidentally, why I’ve cared for five books). Enough is more than enough, and with some (any?) editing, they should’ve called this one at three.
I say lesser, because Mags lacks the charm and sense of humor that made Skif so likeable in the first place. This isn’t to say that Mags isn’t likeable, it’s just that you have to peel back the layers of angst and emotional superiority (he came an obscene level of poverty, but the constant reminders that he had it worse than the worst any other Trainee has experienced is annoying) to get to his likeable personality.
Also maddening is the dialect in which Lackey has chosen to write her main character. "Tis like mebbe when 'e was s'posed t'be hangin' 'bout th' others, but whatever made th' furst mad sent 'im mad too." It’s infuriating, and sends the reader skimming every time a surplus of apostrophes appears. What makes it worse is that this isn’t consistent. Sometimes his grammar (spoken AND thought) follows this rule, and others it’s perfectly normal speech.
We continue to chase loose ends from the first novel (particularly about his parents) and the second (the origin of the assassins), but seem to get no closer to any answers. It feels increasingly like Lackey is taking a whack at the Harry Potter of Valdemar books, complete with Kirball in place of Quidditch.
I will say that the characters’ interactions this time around were truer to form than the second half of Intrigues. I also appreciated that because they’re all getting a bit older, their interactions are reflecting this.
However, of the three so far in the Chronicles, this is the most slapped-together installment yet. The grammar is atrocious, as are the spelling errors—EVEN IN CHARACTER NAMES. Typos that could have been solved with a simple run of spellcheck. Ugh.
Between the overwhelming amount of work left undone by her editor and the continuing feeling that Misty is milking this storyline for more than it’s worth, I remain undecided about finishing the last two installments of the Chronicles and finding out who the hell Mags actually is (and, incidentally, why I’ve cared for five books). Enough is more than enough, and with some (any?) editing, they should’ve called this one at three.