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cavalary's reviews
276 reviews
Henry Halifax and the Tutori's Cloak by Atlas Swift, Atlas Swift
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I seem to have picked this up for free at some point, and the fact that it aims to push an ideology on a younger audience makes it the sort of book that probably needs to be free. So, while, unlike what I assume to be the tremendous majority of people, I consider the message as a positive and support it for the most part, even including the depicted methods, my age puts me well outside of that target audience… Not that the, if I may use the term, quite mature level of brutality from the first chapter doesn’t make me have some doubts about that, as do a handful of more complicated words used later, but when the rest of the book features what I’d tend to call cartoon violence, along with something of a fairy tale setting on that extraordinarily advanced ship that otherwise seems like a Green dream, I’ll assume that those are slips.
Then again, some things may make sense at the end, and I must say that I didn’t see that coming, but rather than feeling that things are falling into place, that plot twist made the whole thing feel pointless instead… And it also makes it hard to comment without risking to spoil anything, so I’ll move on to other matters and say that I didn’t like that everything was presented by an apparently omniscient narrator who seemed to even keep spelling out what each character was thinking, even though everything except that first chapter is from Henry’s point of view. But worse is the conflict between the seriousness of the matter and the immaturity of the presentation and of the characters, that target audience only going so far as an excuse. And Barnaby was way too infuriating for any excuse, as was the hazing. And, as a small matter, I wondered what was with those specified and emphasized weights. Not that a few other numbers weren’t also overly specific and emphasized, but those seemed to stick out the most.
Then again, some things may make sense at the end, and I must say that I didn’t see that coming, but rather than feeling that things are falling into place, that plot twist made the whole thing feel pointless instead… And it also makes it hard to comment without risking to spoil anything, so I’ll move on to other matters and say that I didn’t like that everything was presented by an apparently omniscient narrator who seemed to even keep spelling out what each character was thinking, even though everything except that first chapter is from Henry’s point of view. But worse is the conflict between the seriousness of the matter and the immaturity of the presentation and of the characters, that target audience only going so far as an excuse. And Barnaby was way too infuriating for any excuse, as was the hazing. And, as a small matter, I wondered what was with those specified and emphasized weights. Not that a few other numbers weren’t also overly specific and emphasized, but those seemed to stick out the most.
The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It’s clear from the prologue that The Lost Metal is Wayne’s book, but even so it may be hard to believe just how much, the impact and the extent of his development, or more exactly of what is revealed about his character. And that’s far from the only aspect, the other characters also developing, revealing further complexity and allowing the reader to understand more, about them, about people and society in general, maybe even about themselves. And that’s because Sanderson yet again proves and imparts at least some of his deep understanding of people and society, the hows and the whys, in particular when it comes to being broken, pushing through and sometimes, with the right conditions and support, maybe even recovering, at least to some extent. There are some memorable action scenes as well, at least one making me emotional in the way that epic battles with the fate of the world on the table tend to do despite the lack of an army, at least on one side, plus revelations that expand on Scadrial and the Cosmere as a whole, but it was the characters that made the profound impact.
So this isn’t “light” Sanderson anymore… Yet plenty of times it’s held back by still trying all too hard to be. And I’m not just referring to the fact that it remains far from The Stormlight Archive in terms of worldbuilding and depth, that new information mostly being in the form snippets and hints of what’s to come, but mainly to all the attempts at humor and shallowness, once again from Wayne in particular, which do make sense up to a point, but eventually feel increasingly forced and out of place. And then there’s this advancement to a modern setting that so far made me say that I don’t intend to read the next cycle of the series… But at this point I’m thinking that, despite fearing that I’ll regret changing my mind, considering how much I can’t stand modern settings, it’ll be rather hard to stick to that decision.
The Emerald Gate by Matt Heppe
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I’ll say right away that The Emerald Gate is the best book in the series, so it’s something of a pity that it marks its end. There’s worldbuilding, there’s character development, there’s thrilling action, there are multiple viewpoints presenting events taking place simultaneously in different areas, even in different worlds, there are developments and explanations about the magic system… I also made a mental note about the realism of presenting an army stretched over a long distance while on the march from the viewpoint of a character who’s not at the lead, but far more important was the one made about some of the hard choices faced by some characters, and in particular about those who are on the side of good but nevertheless realize that the ends do justify the means and do whatever’s required for victory, no matter the costs, the brutality or the moral dilemmas. And I also found a certain element of the ending particularly pleasing.
That said, the first part of the book does seem better than what comes once the action explodes, with the first, and probably worst, major moment when terrible means are employed in order to reach the necessary ends. From that point, the action returns to the forefront, so the way the army’s advance is presented, however realistic, does seem rather odd, and I’d have preferred the skipped action scenes resulting from that choice to make way for more detailed worldbuilding and character development. And, as pretty much always, I’ll also point out all of the instances of hero’s luck as a negative aspect… And then there’s the ending as well, which once again stretches on far too long and is something of a fairy tale, starkly contrasting the bleak, brutal realism that’s the rule until then. Yes, I did find particularly appealing elements in it, and other readers may welcome just that contrast in general and feel that the characters deserved such closure, but even so, it should have at least been far more compressed, while other parts of the book should have been expanded.
That said, the first part of the book does seem better than what comes once the action explodes, with the first, and probably worst, major moment when terrible means are employed in order to reach the necessary ends. From that point, the action returns to the forefront, so the way the army’s advance is presented, however realistic, does seem rather odd, and I’d have preferred the skipped action scenes resulting from that choice to make way for more detailed worldbuilding and character development. And, as pretty much always, I’ll also point out all of the instances of hero’s luck as a negative aspect… And then there’s the ending as well, which once again stretches on far too long and is something of a fairy tale, starkly contrasting the bleak, brutal realism that’s the rule until then. Yes, I did find particularly appealing elements in it, and other readers may welcome just that contrast in general and feel that the characters deserved such closure, but even so, it should have at least been far more compressed, while other parts of the book should have been expanded.
The Dromost Gate by Matt Heppe
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
This time around, the author does put a synopsis in the beginning, which can help even though it’s rather roughly done. But the real and truly surprising difference is that the focus is now moved well away from the action, making way for the worldbuilding that was avoided in Shadow of the Knight, and also for a fair amount of character development. The action scenes that do exist remain thrilling, but there’s much more to this book, which may be enough to paint Belen in more detail than Salador was so far, and to make the characters seem at least somewhat more like actual people, beyond their skills as warriors or magic users. And I also appreciated that actual depictions of what I tend to call the typical human filth have been largely avoided enough to not mind the fact that it was done in a rather shallow manner that harms realism.
On the other hand, there are no such justifications for finding that same lack of depth when it comes to, well, pretty much everything. Belen is supposed to be so diverse, yet there are barely a few characters that can be seen as individuals, the rest being utterly generic, and the masses almost laughably so. And the contrast between hedonism and prudishness was emphasized far too much, and the same might be said, at least to some extent, about religious fervor, and quite clearly about Ayja’s ignorance when it comes to sexuality. Plus that, while there are better moments, I’d still say that too much is told rather than shown. This still leaves The Dromost Gate as the best book in the series so far, but it also raises the bar, the author seeming to finally try to make that switch from action packed heroic fantasy to actual epic fantasy that he backed away from in the previous book, but not quite managing to get there.
Shadow of the Knight by Matt Heppe
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
3.0
The beginning of this book was a pleasant surprise, seeming to mark a shift to epic fantasy, introducing new parts of the world, people, cultures, types of magic and even planes of existence. That didn’t last, however, and all too soon the action once again overshadowed any other elements, leaving the impression that the author got scared of widening the scope to such an extent. There is still more to Shadow of the Knight compared to the previous two books when it comes to worldbuilding, but those elements feel more like afterthoughts, squeezed, and sometimes forced, among the action.
On the other hand, other parts of that same beginning felt jarring due to the amount of time that passed since the end of Child of the Knight, and while that also allows for some character development, pretty much all of it took place during that period, “off camera”, little of it being present in the book itself and most characters being shallow, single-minded and fitting into a few clear archetypes. And the relentless action leaves little room for anything to feel like it actually has a lasting impact, whether on the characters or the reader, and that’s on top of how much all of the healing and the heaps of hero’s luck diminish the potential for long-term consequences, and I’d say also the suspense.
Overall, it’s still the action that makes the book a reasonably pleasant way to pass some time, but appearing to have so much more potential makes it even more disappointing that it wasn’t fulfilled. And I also noticed that the proofreading was worse for this book, which had more typos than the previous ones, and there was at least one place where something said in one chapter seemed to have been forgotten by the time it was repeated in the next. But that was in the final part, and the bigger problem with the final part, what comes after the battle, is that it’s really the beginning of the next part of the story, seeming particularly underwhelming after what should have been such momentous events.
Child of the Knight by Matt Heppe
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
3.0
There was a moment when I feared that this book would be as dominated by what I call typical human filth as the previous one, but that is not the case, the occasional moments when it rears its ugly head quickly giving way to action. And action is what Child of the Knight is all about, the characters, and the reader, hardly being allowed a moment’s rest, with the antagonists having every advantage and victory tending to take the form of an escape and a brief respite, usually at a great cost. And it should also be noted that the combat is presented well, the author displaying his familiarity with the techniques and equipment.
However, this is also the book’s problem, stringing together action scenes being pretty much all there is to it. There’s hardly any room for depth and very little worldbuilding or character development, the possible exception, if you’re feeling generous, being Kael and Maret. No bits of wisdom, no brilliant plans, no complex and possibly relatable characters; if something’s not an action scene, it’s only there because it’s required for one that will quickly follow. In addition, despite the hardships and all of the advantages held by the antagonists, or perhaps just because of that, all too often hero’s luck is the plot device that allows wrenching that questionable victory from the jaws of defeat. And while this does make for thrilling reading and a reasonably pleasant way to pass some time, after a while it gets to be too much and, despite being so fast-paced and much shorter than a proper fantasy book should be, the feeling that it’s overstaying its welcome may appear before reaching the end. Plus that I was obviously very bothered by the fact that it’s centered around babies and motherhood.
Eternal Knight by Matt Heppe
adventurous
fast-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
While not standing out in any way, the first five chapters are nice enough, catching my attention and keeping me reading and interested in the characters and events. But what truly matters is the last quarter or so of the book, when things change dramatically multiple times, the mess that I tend to call the typical human filth gives way to thrilling action, the fact that it’s hard to know who or what to believe can actually be a positive aspect as well, considering the valid points made by the various sides and the genuine intentions of the antagonists, and characters develop in ways that are largely positive. And, while it opens the way for the rest of the series, Eternal Knight also has an entirely serviceable conclusion on its own.
The problem, however, is pretty much everything between those first five chapters and that final quarter, which is dominated by that typical human filth, making for rather painful reading. And that’s not just because I’m all too aware of that filth in “reality” and would want to escape from it while reading fantasy, but because it’s also poor in concept. I learned that the book was edited down to less than half of the size of the original draft, forgetting that fantasy should carefully craft and present new worlds in detail, so it’s possible that there was more to it at first, but what’s left is a court, and a society, that’s little more than a caricature, roughly pushing something like the trope of the noble savage and savage nobles and some themes of privilege and discrimination without having any impact, without giving them meaning. And opportunities for action and explanations are either skipped entirely or so forced and amateurish that it’s hard to believe that they were written by the same person who wrote that last quarter of the book. And I’ll also note that, while I was initially surprised by the use of creatures from Romanian myths, I then realized that the author just liked to use the words for some creatures he imagined.
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
When the other characters tend to have such a hard time, and when it may even be said to be a good thing that it’s hard to keep track of the minor ones, considering what happens to plenty of them, the amount of hero’s luck that Paige has seems inexcusable. And when plenty of flashbacks do exist later, when they also break up the action and rhythm, it would have made more sense to use one to explain how it all began as well, letting her be imprisoned for some time instead of being captured just before an event that happens once per decade. And then you have the antagonists that seem to be such fools, allowing so much to happen right under their noses, and those final chapters, shrouded in the haze of Paige’s dimmed awareness, where so much is left unexplained, all the right things just happening to, well, happen. And all of the preparations for such an undertaking, which could and probably should have filled a book on their own, were largely skipped over, being summarized in a few pages.
That said, I’m tempted to consider Arcturus as the most important, and best, character. The fact that Paige takes so long to realize what he is and what he’s planning makes her a fool as well, but their interactions do have good moments, possibly the better ones for most of the book, and there is something to be said about how the bond between them develops. That and their powers would have been a great opportunity to display a deep understanding of people, and that’s not the case, but I’ll nevertheless say that, despite all of the above criticisms, this is not a bad book. It has some thrilling action scenes, most notably in the last two chapters, some characters are worth supporting and caring for, some even develop in a noticeable way, there are some good moments of interaction, and it depicts an unusual dystopian version of this world in a manner that didn’t drive me away… Which, in itself, is quite an accomplishment.
That said, I’m tempted to consider Arcturus as the most important, and best, character. The fact that Paige takes so long to realize what he is and what he’s planning makes her a fool as well, but their interactions do have good moments, possibly the better ones for most of the book, and there is something to be said about how the bond between them develops. That and their powers would have been a great opportunity to display a deep understanding of people, and that’s not the case, but I’ll nevertheless say that, despite all of the above criticisms, this is not a bad book. It has some thrilling action scenes, most notably in the last two chapters, some characters are worth supporting and caring for, some even develop in a noticeable way, there are some good moments of interaction, and it depicts an unusual dystopian version of this world in a manner that didn’t drive me away… Which, in itself, is quite an accomplishment.
Dacă Nietzsche ar fi fost un narval: Ce dezvăluie inteligența animalelor despre prostia omenească by Justin Gregg
challenging
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
[RO: (EN below)]
Desi prezinta diverse moduri in care alte specii demonstreaza un anume nivel de inteligenta, autorul nu incearca sa sustina ca vreuna din ele se poate compara cu oamenii din acest punct de vedere, doar argumentand ca ar trebui sa acceptam ca, intr-un fel oarecare, acestea poseda inteligenta si, notabil, constienta, si ca o inteligenta mai dezvoltata ar fi mai bine descrisa ca mai extinsa decat mai inalta. Insa, mai mult decat asta, cartea subliniaza cum oamenii isi folosesc gresit sau nu-si folosesc extraordinara lor inteligenta, realizand mult mai putin decat ceea ce ar fi adevaratul potential de a face bine si cauzand si justificand enorm de mult rau si suferinta lor insusi, celorlalti, si cu atat mai mult celorlalte specii si ecosistemului.
Totusi, desi sunt de acord ca speciile cel mai putin inteligente si complexe au cel mai mult succes din punct de vedere al simplei supravietuiri, reproducerii si obtinerii de placere in prezent, ca oamenii in general isi folosesc gresit inteligenta, si ca mai multa inteligenta este in general asociata cu probleme mai grave de sanatate mintala si tinde sa aiba mai putin de-a face cu succesul decat norocul chior, cu siguranta nu sunt de acord cu concluzia ca ne-ar fi mai bine cu mult mai putina. Adica, pietrele exista epoci intregi, bacteriile prospera; evolutia, si viata in general, n-are niciun sens daca nu trece dincolo de supravietuire, daca nu atinge un nivel la care sa poata sa analizeze si creeze, sa imbunatateasca conditia sa si a lumii. Insa autorul nu ofera solutii pentru problemele ridicate, chiar spunand la final ca n-a intentionat s-o faca... Si argumentand ca, pentru ca viata pe Pamant va fi pana la urma distrusa de Soare, singura masura obiectiva a succesului unei specii este maximizarea placerii in prezent, in timp ce eu vad asta ca dovada ca masura reala a succesului ar fi salvarea de la o asemenea soarta, ceea ce necesita o inteligenta mult mai dezvoltata si mai bine folosita. Si chiar si traducatorul acestei editii a adaugat note care, dincolo de clarificarile tipice, prezinta si exprima frustrare fata de folosirea incorecta a unor termeni de catre autor sau, de cateva ori, critica mai direct, subliniind greseli de logica sau argumentatie.
[EN:]
While pointing out various ways in which other species exhibit a certain level of intelligence, the author doesn't try to claim that any of them can compare to humans from this point of view, only arguing that we should accept that, in some way, they possess intelligence and, notably, consciousness, and that more developed intelligence would be better described as broader rather than higher. But, more than that, the book emphasizes how humans misuse or fail to use their extraordinary intelligence, realizing far less than what would be the true potential to do good and causing and justifying immense harm and suffering to themselves, each other, and even more so to the other species and the ecosystem.
However, while I agree that the least intelligent and least complex species have the most success in terms of mere survival, reproduction and obtaining pleasure in the present, that humans generally misuse their intelligence, and that greater intelligence is generally associated with worse mental health problems and tends to have less to do with success than plain luck, I definitely disagree with the conclusion that we'd be better off with far less of it. I mean, rocks exist for eons, bacteria thrive; evolution, and life in general, has no point if it doesn't go beyond survival, if it doesn't reach a level where it can analyze and create, improve its condition and that of the world. But the author offers no solutions to the raised problems, even stating at the end that he never intended to… And arguing that, because life on Earth will eventually be wiped out by the Sun, the only objective measure of a species' success is maximizing present pleasure, while I'd see it as proof that the true measure of success would be escaping such a fate, which requires far more developed and better used intelligence. And even this edition's translator added notes that, beyond the typical clarifications, also point out and express frustration with the author's incorrect use of certain terms or, on a couple of occasions, criticize more directly, pointing out flaws in the logic or arguments.
Desi prezinta diverse moduri in care alte specii demonstreaza un anume nivel de inteligenta, autorul nu incearca sa sustina ca vreuna din ele se poate compara cu oamenii din acest punct de vedere, doar argumentand ca ar trebui sa acceptam ca, intr-un fel oarecare, acestea poseda inteligenta si, notabil, constienta, si ca o inteligenta mai dezvoltata ar fi mai bine descrisa ca mai extinsa decat mai inalta. Insa, mai mult decat asta, cartea subliniaza cum oamenii isi folosesc gresit sau nu-si folosesc extraordinara lor inteligenta, realizand mult mai putin decat ceea ce ar fi adevaratul potential de a face bine si cauzand si justificand enorm de mult rau si suferinta lor insusi, celorlalti, si cu atat mai mult celorlalte specii si ecosistemului.
Totusi, desi sunt de acord ca speciile cel mai putin inteligente si complexe au cel mai mult succes din punct de vedere al simplei supravietuiri, reproducerii si obtinerii de placere in prezent, ca oamenii in general isi folosesc gresit inteligenta, si ca mai multa inteligenta este in general asociata cu probleme mai grave de sanatate mintala si tinde sa aiba mai putin de-a face cu succesul decat norocul chior, cu siguranta nu sunt de acord cu concluzia ca ne-ar fi mai bine cu mult mai putina. Adica, pietrele exista epoci intregi, bacteriile prospera; evolutia, si viata in general, n-are niciun sens daca nu trece dincolo de supravietuire, daca nu atinge un nivel la care sa poata sa analizeze si creeze, sa imbunatateasca conditia sa si a lumii. Insa autorul nu ofera solutii pentru problemele ridicate, chiar spunand la final ca n-a intentionat s-o faca... Si argumentand ca, pentru ca viata pe Pamant va fi pana la urma distrusa de Soare, singura masura obiectiva a succesului unei specii este maximizarea placerii in prezent, in timp ce eu vad asta ca dovada ca masura reala a succesului ar fi salvarea de la o asemenea soarta, ceea ce necesita o inteligenta mult mai dezvoltata si mai bine folosita. Si chiar si traducatorul acestei editii a adaugat note care, dincolo de clarificarile tipice, prezinta si exprima frustrare fata de folosirea incorecta a unor termeni de catre autor sau, de cateva ori, critica mai direct, subliniind greseli de logica sau argumentatie.
[EN:]
While pointing out various ways in which other species exhibit a certain level of intelligence, the author doesn't try to claim that any of them can compare to humans from this point of view, only arguing that we should accept that, in some way, they possess intelligence and, notably, consciousness, and that more developed intelligence would be better described as broader rather than higher. But, more than that, the book emphasizes how humans misuse or fail to use their extraordinary intelligence, realizing far less than what would be the true potential to do good and causing and justifying immense harm and suffering to themselves, each other, and even more so to the other species and the ecosystem.
However, while I agree that the least intelligent and least complex species have the most success in terms of mere survival, reproduction and obtaining pleasure in the present, that humans generally misuse their intelligence, and that greater intelligence is generally associated with worse mental health problems and tends to have less to do with success than plain luck, I definitely disagree with the conclusion that we'd be better off with far less of it. I mean, rocks exist for eons, bacteria thrive; evolution, and life in general, has no point if it doesn't go beyond survival, if it doesn't reach a level where it can analyze and create, improve its condition and that of the world. But the author offers no solutions to the raised problems, even stating at the end that he never intended to… And arguing that, because life on Earth will eventually be wiped out by the Sun, the only objective measure of a species' success is maximizing present pleasure, while I'd see it as proof that the true measure of success would be escaping such a fate, which requires far more developed and better used intelligence. And even this edition's translator added notes that, beyond the typical clarifications, also point out and express frustration with the author's incorrect use of certain terms or, on a couple of occasions, criticize more directly, pointing out flaws in the logic or arguments.
Împărăția ultimului cerb by Elena Druță
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
[RO: (EN below)]
Nu-s deloc dornic sa citesc in romana in general, iar fantasy-ul care-i chiar scris in romana e in mod special ceva ce pur si simplu nu pare sa mearga, sau cel putin experientele mele trecute, intr-adevar foarte putine, au aratat ca pur si simplu nu ma impac cu asta. Deci asteptarile mele de la aceasta carte erau scazute, dar a parut destul de promitatoare ca sa ma faca sa hotarasc sa-i dau o sansa, si trebuie sa spun ca faptul ca-i in romana chiar nu m-a deranjat, si tind sa cred ca timpii folositi probabil au in buna masura de-a face cu asta. Iar povestea se dezvolta intr-o maniera interesanta, incepand incet si bland, mult timp abia facandu-se aluzie la elementele fantasy, dar pana la urma crescand ritmul iar apoi practic explodand si extinzandu-se, cuprinzand din ce in ce mai mult si avansand in mod repetat in directii neasteptate.
Acestea fiind spuse, pare clar amatoriceasca. Nu stiu nici cum ceva cu atatea greseli a putut fi publicat o editura propriu-zisa, iar o problema anume e atat de ciudat de recurenta ca am tot crezut ca trebuie sa fie intentionat, insa n-am putut gasi nicio justificare pentru asta. Iar autoarea are probleme si cu gasirea numelor pentru locuri dar merge mai departe. Insa mai important decat asta e ca pare sa aiba o imaginatie buna si multe idei, dar nu si abilitatea de a pune multe din asta in cuvinte, rezultatul fiind lipsit de profunzimea si complexitatea necesara pentru epic fantasy, atat de multe ramanand nespuse si neexplicate, multe evenimente fiind pur si simplu aruncate catre cititor in timp ce explicatiile ocazionale sunt gramezi de informatie, astfel incat cu cat povestea se dezvolta mai mult, cu atat devine mai mult un basm decat fantasy propriu-zis. Si nici nu stiu ce sa comentez legat de "norocul eroilor", pentru ca majoritatea intamplarilor, bune si rele, pur si simplu li se intampla personajelor, Tan fiind probabil exceptia notabila, chiar actionand intr-un rol de erou. Bine, Tan si Lemongreen, bineinteles, dar asta intra complet la ce-i pur si simplu aruncat catre cititor, fara niciun fel de explicatii.
[EN:]
I’m not at all keen on reading in Romanian in general, and fantasy that’s actually written in Romanian in particular is something that just doesn’t seem to work, or at least my, admittedly very few, past experiences showed that I just can’t deal with it. So my expectations of this book were low, but it seemed promising enough to eventually make me decide to give it a chance, and I must say that the fact that it’s in Romanian actually didn’t bother me, and I'm tempted to think that the tenses used probably had plenty to do with that. And the story does develop in an interesting manner, starting slowly and tamely, the fantasy elements barely even being hinted at for a long time, but eventually picking up and then pretty much exploding and spreading out, encompassing more and more and repeatedly going in unexpected directions.
That said, it clearly feels amateurish. I also don’t know how can something with so many typos be published by an actual publisher, and a particular problem is so weirdly recurring that I kept thinking that it must be intentional, yet I could find no justification for it. And the author also has problems finding names for places but just rolls ahead. But more important than that is that she seems to have a good imagination and plenty of ideas, but not the ability to put much of it into words, the result lacking the depth and complexity required for epic fantasy, with so much that’s left unsaid and unexplained, many events just being thrown at the reader while the occasional explanations are information dumps, so the more the story develops, the more it turns into a fairy tale instead of proper fantasy. And I’m not even sure what to comment when it comes to hero’s luck, because most events, good and bad, simply happen to the characters, Tan probably being the one notable exception, actually acting in a hero’s role. Well, Tan and Lemongreen, of course, but that falls fully under what’s simply thrown at the reader, with no explanations whatsoever.
Nu-s deloc dornic sa citesc in romana in general, iar fantasy-ul care-i chiar scris in romana e in mod special ceva ce pur si simplu nu pare sa mearga, sau cel putin experientele mele trecute, intr-adevar foarte putine, au aratat ca pur si simplu nu ma impac cu asta. Deci asteptarile mele de la aceasta carte erau scazute, dar a parut destul de promitatoare ca sa ma faca sa hotarasc sa-i dau o sansa, si trebuie sa spun ca faptul ca-i in romana chiar nu m-a deranjat, si tind sa cred ca timpii folositi probabil au in buna masura de-a face cu asta. Iar povestea se dezvolta intr-o maniera interesanta, incepand incet si bland, mult timp abia facandu-se aluzie la elementele fantasy, dar pana la urma crescand ritmul iar apoi practic explodand si extinzandu-se, cuprinzand din ce in ce mai mult si avansand in mod repetat in directii neasteptate.
Acestea fiind spuse, pare clar amatoriceasca. Nu stiu nici cum ceva cu atatea greseli a putut fi publicat o editura propriu-zisa, iar o problema anume e atat de ciudat de recurenta ca am tot crezut ca trebuie sa fie intentionat, insa n-am putut gasi nicio justificare pentru asta. Iar autoarea are probleme si cu gasirea numelor pentru locuri dar merge mai departe. Insa mai important decat asta e ca pare sa aiba o imaginatie buna si multe idei, dar nu si abilitatea de a pune multe din asta in cuvinte, rezultatul fiind lipsit de profunzimea si complexitatea necesara pentru epic fantasy, atat de multe ramanand nespuse si neexplicate, multe evenimente fiind pur si simplu aruncate catre cititor in timp ce explicatiile ocazionale sunt gramezi de informatie, astfel incat cu cat povestea se dezvolta mai mult, cu atat devine mai mult un basm decat fantasy propriu-zis. Si nici nu stiu ce sa comentez legat de "norocul eroilor", pentru ca majoritatea intamplarilor, bune si rele, pur si simplu li se intampla personajelor, Tan fiind probabil exceptia notabila, chiar actionand intr-un rol de erou. Bine, Tan si Lemongreen, bineinteles, dar asta intra complet la ce-i pur si simplu aruncat catre cititor, fara niciun fel de explicatii.
[EN:]
I’m not at all keen on reading in Romanian in general, and fantasy that’s actually written in Romanian in particular is something that just doesn’t seem to work, or at least my, admittedly very few, past experiences showed that I just can’t deal with it. So my expectations of this book were low, but it seemed promising enough to eventually make me decide to give it a chance, and I must say that the fact that it’s in Romanian actually didn’t bother me, and I'm tempted to think that the tenses used probably had plenty to do with that. And the story does develop in an interesting manner, starting slowly and tamely, the fantasy elements barely even being hinted at for a long time, but eventually picking up and then pretty much exploding and spreading out, encompassing more and more and repeatedly going in unexpected directions.
That said, it clearly feels amateurish. I also don’t know how can something with so many typos be published by an actual publisher, and a particular problem is so weirdly recurring that I kept thinking that it must be intentional, yet I could find no justification for it. And the author also has problems finding names for places but just rolls ahead. But more important than that is that she seems to have a good imagination and plenty of ideas, but not the ability to put much of it into words, the result lacking the depth and complexity required for epic fantasy, with so much that’s left unsaid and unexplained, many events just being thrown at the reader while the occasional explanations are information dumps, so the more the story develops, the more it turns into a fairy tale instead of proper fantasy. And I’m not even sure what to comment when it comes to hero’s luck, because most events, good and bad, simply happen to the characters, Tan probably being the one notable exception, actually acting in a hero’s role. Well, Tan and Lemongreen, of course, but that falls fully under what’s simply thrown at the reader, with no explanations whatsoever.