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A review by markyon
Hope and Red by Jon Skovron
4.0
It is one of the maxims of reading generally that readers often like ‘comfort reading’ – I’ve done it myself, where a good immersion into a book when you know the characters, recognise the setting and pretty much know what’s going to happen is seen as a boon.
Hope and Red is a book which, even on first reading, is like that. It may not be particularly original (especially for those of us who have been reading Fantasy for a while), but it is done very well.
To the plot then. Our story focuses on two likeable young people from very different backgrounds. Bleak Hope (aka ‘Hope’) is a young orphaned girl who, contrary to traditional belief, has been brought up under the mentorship of all-male Vinchen monks. Now out in the wider world of New Laven, Hope seeks vengeance on those who murdered her mentor Hurlo and the biomancer that killed her parents and their village.
On this journey, about halfway through the novel, Hope meets Rixidenteron (aka ‘Red’ due to his red eyes from his mother’s coral stone addiction during pregnancy). Another orphan, the rapscallion Red (think Han Solo in a Fantasy setting) has been raised by the formidable Sadie the Goat in a seedy world of cutthroat gangsters and prostitution ironically named Paradise Circle. When the two encounter each other, Red is immediately smitten by this tough but chaste young blonde, though her reaction to Red is initially distaste.
Together, they… well, you probably can work out the story from this point. There’s pirates, taverns, evil magic, bad guys you can dislike and likable protagonists you will get to love. There’s a fair bit of nasty icky stuff, inventive swearing and a smattering of sex, but we’re not really into Joe Abercrombie territory.
Their similar yet different backgrounds lead to much confusion and mistaken motives, but ultimately things work out pretty much as you’d hope for.
This was a good immersive read. As characters, Hope and Red are easily recognisable, which means that you don’t have to worry too much about their motives and actions. Their reasons are just and true, their emotions understandable and there’s only the occasional coincidence or leap of logic. It’s a revenge tale, a romance and a story of coming of age by two characters with difficult upbringings. At times this can become a little wearing – Hope is often seemingly unbeatable in a fight, which, although shown in inventive ways, makes the outcome at times a little predictable – but the author does well to make sure that she has weaknesses, she makes mistakes and her dilemmas are well considered.
The supporting characters – mainly friends and family of Red – are nicely done too, each different and bringing much needed different perspectives to the tale. An element of invented slang – posh folk are ‘lacies’, young men are ‘toms’, young girls are ‘molly’s’ and things that are crazy are ‘slippy’, for example – helps to also add a certain complexity, though not too much, to draw you away from the main plot. (There’s also a rather amusing glossary of terms at the back of the book written by one of the characters to explain these.)
The world settings of the novel give us glimpses of the variety of places in New Laven, from the dodgy docks and dangerous oceans to the seedy pits of the Circle and the refined, yet sterile environment of Keystown, it is clear that New Laven is bigger than as it first appears. The bigger political picture, the role of the Emperor and his Imperial forces around the world, are developed occasionally along the way but are clearly destined to unfold in a later novel.
The ending is however more of a cliff hanger than a proper conclusion of sorts, but this is the trend these days. Nevertheless, there’s enough closure to feel that the reader’s time hasn’t been wasted, and it does leave some intriguing developments in the plot to be developed in later books.
In summary, Hope and Red is a great fantasy romp, with a tale that you’ll enjoy, even when you know how it’ll go. As the first part of a series it does well what the first book should do, introducing us to people we care about and places we’d like to more of. The characterisation’s good, the setting’s appropriate and the story moves along at an admirable pace.
If it was one of your first Fantasy reads I can see it becoming a firm favourite, whereas us older readers can enjoy the energy and the old-school enthusiasm therein. Good fun.
Hope and Red is a book which, even on first reading, is like that. It may not be particularly original (especially for those of us who have been reading Fantasy for a while), but it is done very well.
To the plot then. Our story focuses on two likeable young people from very different backgrounds. Bleak Hope (aka ‘Hope’) is a young orphaned girl who, contrary to traditional belief, has been brought up under the mentorship of all-male Vinchen monks. Now out in the wider world of New Laven, Hope seeks vengeance on those who murdered her mentor Hurlo and the biomancer that killed her parents and their village.
On this journey, about halfway through the novel, Hope meets Rixidenteron (aka ‘Red’ due to his red eyes from his mother’s coral stone addiction during pregnancy). Another orphan, the rapscallion Red (think Han Solo in a Fantasy setting) has been raised by the formidable Sadie the Goat in a seedy world of cutthroat gangsters and prostitution ironically named Paradise Circle. When the two encounter each other, Red is immediately smitten by this tough but chaste young blonde, though her reaction to Red is initially distaste.
Together, they… well, you probably can work out the story from this point. There’s pirates, taverns, evil magic, bad guys you can dislike and likable protagonists you will get to love. There’s a fair bit of nasty icky stuff, inventive swearing and a smattering of sex, but we’re not really into Joe Abercrombie territory.
Their similar yet different backgrounds lead to much confusion and mistaken motives, but ultimately things work out pretty much as you’d hope for.
This was a good immersive read. As characters, Hope and Red are easily recognisable, which means that you don’t have to worry too much about their motives and actions. Their reasons are just and true, their emotions understandable and there’s only the occasional coincidence or leap of logic. It’s a revenge tale, a romance and a story of coming of age by two characters with difficult upbringings. At times this can become a little wearing – Hope is often seemingly unbeatable in a fight, which, although shown in inventive ways, makes the outcome at times a little predictable – but the author does well to make sure that she has weaknesses, she makes mistakes and her dilemmas are well considered.
The supporting characters – mainly friends and family of Red – are nicely done too, each different and bringing much needed different perspectives to the tale. An element of invented slang – posh folk are ‘lacies’, young men are ‘toms’, young girls are ‘molly’s’ and things that are crazy are ‘slippy’, for example – helps to also add a certain complexity, though not too much, to draw you away from the main plot. (There’s also a rather amusing glossary of terms at the back of the book written by one of the characters to explain these.)
The world settings of the novel give us glimpses of the variety of places in New Laven, from the dodgy docks and dangerous oceans to the seedy pits of the Circle and the refined, yet sterile environment of Keystown, it is clear that New Laven is bigger than as it first appears. The bigger political picture, the role of the Emperor and his Imperial forces around the world, are developed occasionally along the way but are clearly destined to unfold in a later novel.
The ending is however more of a cliff hanger than a proper conclusion of sorts, but this is the trend these days. Nevertheless, there’s enough closure to feel that the reader’s time hasn’t been wasted, and it does leave some intriguing developments in the plot to be developed in later books.
In summary, Hope and Red is a great fantasy romp, with a tale that you’ll enjoy, even when you know how it’ll go. As the first part of a series it does well what the first book should do, introducing us to people we care about and places we’d like to more of. The characterisation’s good, the setting’s appropriate and the story moves along at an admirable pace.
If it was one of your first Fantasy reads I can see it becoming a firm favourite, whereas us older readers can enjoy the energy and the old-school enthusiasm therein. Good fun.