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A review by ashsalt
The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth
3.0
My reactions to this book progressed from "That sounds rather odd, but let's try it anyway" through "Wow this is pretty good" and on to "That's it? Seriously?" The plot arc is more of a flat line. Time of death: about two-thirds in. The narrator's unreliability is intriguing at first but ultimately annoying because it leads to nothing meaningful, only a stale sort-of secret from his past. The "shadow language" meant to render Old English comprehensible for the average reader is compelling at first but later on just a slog, something slowing me down when I wanted to be done with the novel already.
That sounds pretty harsh for a three-star review, I suppose. There is a lot to like here. At its best moments, THE WAKE is an intriguing mix of familiar things. Equal parts Braveheart and [b:The Mists of Avalon|402045|The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1)|Marion Zimmer Bradley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388857089s/402045.jpg|806813] with a generous amount of [b:Beowulf|52357|Beowulf|Unknown|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327878125s/52357.jpg|189503], a sprinkling of the video game Skyrim, and a fascinating reading experience that rivals [b:A Clockwork Orange|227463|A Clockwork Orange|Anthony Burgess|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348339306s/227463.jpg|23596]. It's a heady mixture for a while, but then it fizzles. Three stars though for the good parts even if I was disappointed in the end.
That sounds pretty harsh for a three-star review, I suppose. There is a lot to like here. At its best moments, THE WAKE is an intriguing mix of familiar things. Equal parts Braveheart and [b:The Mists of Avalon|402045|The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1)|Marion Zimmer Bradley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388857089s/402045.jpg|806813] with a generous amount of [b:Beowulf|52357|Beowulf|Unknown|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327878125s/52357.jpg|189503], a sprinkling of the video game Skyrim, and a fascinating reading experience that rivals [b:A Clockwork Orange|227463|A Clockwork Orange|Anthony Burgess|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348339306s/227463.jpg|23596]. It's a heady mixture for a while, but then it fizzles. Three stars though for the good parts even if I was disappointed in the end.