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A review by twilliamson
The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I've been craving a good swords-and-sorcery epic for a while, and The Lost War was mostly just the ticket. Heavily influenced by pen-and-paper roleplaying games and drawing on Scottish culture for world-building elements, the novel presents an action-packed adventure featuring an interesting ensemble cast representing different tabletop tropes. The book moves pretty quickly and contains at least one major conceit I've not seen in a lot of fantasy fiction, all of which makes for a pretty enjoyable read.
Nevertheless, the book began to feel fairly fractured after the first few chapters. While the last thirty pages or so dump a lot of exposition that tidies up some of the fractured nature of the narrative, it's clear that the book was heavily inspired by episodic tabletop gaming, and as such loses some coherence and consistency throughout the book. Every couple of chapters feels like a clear table-break, giving the story more and more of a serial adventure consistency than a novelistic one.
Mileage is going to vary on how much that affects enjoyment of the book. For me, I think reading the book as a serial adventure probably would improve a lot of my estimation of it. But read as a whole, the book loses some of its compulsion, a little too bogged down with needing story to happen to keep things moving; this is not a rich, character-driven fantasy. It is, on the contrary, a very plot-driven story, where characters must adapt to what the story demands they do instead of the plot being driven by character decisions and action.
It's been a while since I've read something truly plot-driven, and while I think it works the best in fantasy, I can't help shake the feeling that The Lost War is missing a vital component that would make it withstand the test of time. It is a fabulous adaptation of a tabletop game, and I actually think it serves as a phenomenal campaign guide book to memorable tabletop storytelling. As a novel itself, though, it lacks the hallmarks of a strong epic tale; the purpose, for me, in reading an epic at all is to get connected to characters and invest in their outcomes.
The Lost War is strong enough that I will definitely be reading the sequel, and I definitely think it's worth reading if you're craving that D&D-style adventure. It is inarguably the best of its kind that I've read, but it still has room for improvement--which I hope the sequel can deliver.
Nevertheless, the book began to feel fairly fractured after the first few chapters. While the last thirty pages or so dump a lot of exposition that tidies up some of the fractured nature of the narrative, it's clear that the book was heavily inspired by episodic tabletop gaming, and as such loses some coherence and consistency throughout the book. Every couple of chapters feels like a clear table-break, giving the story more and more of a serial adventure consistency than a novelistic one.
Mileage is going to vary on how much that affects enjoyment of the book. For me, I think reading the book as a serial adventure probably would improve a lot of my estimation of it. But read as a whole, the book loses some of its compulsion, a little too bogged down with needing story to happen to keep things moving; this is not a rich, character-driven fantasy. It is, on the contrary, a very plot-driven story, where characters must adapt to what the story demands they do instead of the plot being driven by character decisions and action.
It's been a while since I've read something truly plot-driven, and while I think it works the best in fantasy, I can't help shake the feeling that The Lost War is missing a vital component that would make it withstand the test of time. It is a fabulous adaptation of a tabletop game, and I actually think it serves as a phenomenal campaign guide book to memorable tabletop storytelling. As a novel itself, though, it lacks the hallmarks of a strong epic tale; the purpose, for me, in reading an epic at all is to get connected to characters and invest in their outcomes.
The Lost War is strong enough that I will definitely be reading the sequel, and I definitely think it's worth reading if you're craving that D&D-style adventure. It is inarguably the best of its kind that I've read, but it still has room for improvement--which I hope the sequel can deliver.