A review by shanellewrites
Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell

1.0

I feel bad saying this, but this book is a complete mess, from its structure down to its line editing. The first inciting event does not occur until 200 pages in. Guys. The book is 350 pages. So the thing that starts the main action of the book is well over halfway through, after 200 pages of set up. The inciting event then gets resolved in less than 50 pages with ridiculous ease and no real tension or obstacles at all. There is then a follow-up complication that gets introduced...which is then just as quickly and easily resolved with little to no tension or obstacles...again. The last 30 pages are then devoted to a painful summary of a performance of a Midsummer Night's Dream.
Those problems with structure would be bad and painful enough if they were the only problems, but there is clumsy writing everywhere and many cringeworthy line editing issues. I have heard amazing things about Bernard Cornwell, so I don't want to discount him, but I really hope his other books are better than this one.