If you're looking for a fast-paced, action-packed swords and sorcery fantasy novel you could do an awful lot worse than this. It has pretty much everyIf you're looking for a fast-paced, action-packed swords and sorcery fantasy novel you could do an awful lot worse than this. It has pretty much everything you'd expect from such a book, but still lacks in certain ways.
I found there was far too much dialogue and it tired me. Then the battle scenes and fighting: very quick and fun to read, but similarly tiring in their length. Everything was just a little too lengthy and drawn out.
It has a simplistic plot, but the world is intriguing, despite the characters being a little flat. It's pretty decent for a shot of action if that's what you need, and don't really mind less-than-desirable development in most areas....more
This is Arthurian legend mixed with Middle Earth, executed rather poorly. It is a slog to get through: it wants to be epic like Lord of the Rings, butThis is Arthurian legend mixed with Middle Earth, executed rather poorly. It is a slog to get through: it wants to be epic like Lord of the Rings, but be quick and punchy like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It is instead full of hyperbole and odd turn of phrase, with lashings of stunted conversation.
The main problem is that the protagonist is an overpowered seemingly unkillable man with a big sword and pretend humble nature. He is the best, he wants to be the best, he knows really he is the best. There is no mystery here. He shall prevail and get the girl. What else?...more
At first it was quaint, most enjoyable, but pages and pages of this flowery purpose becomes unbearable after a while. There were a lot of intriguing pAt first it was quaint, most enjoyable, but pages and pages of this flowery purpose becomes unbearable after a while. There were a lot of intriguing points and the story seemed interesting, but the author could not quite explain them all fluently or keep their threads in check, meaning it became quite the convoluted mess by the end....more
The final book in the First Law trilogy, Joe Abercrombie's rather spectacular debut. Last Arguement of Kings sees all the threads of deceit and dastarThe final book in the First Law trilogy, Joe Abercrombie's rather spectacular debut. Last Arguement of Kings sees all the threads of deceit and dastardly plots come together, with twists and turns thrown in, alongside some rather Machiavellian outlooks on life and a more-than-satisfactory dash of that grimdarkness this series is so well-known for.
A lot of trilogys-or duology, or series-have those annoying "here's what happened in the previous couple of books in a nutshell" kind of beginnings, but with Last Arguement of Kings we are thrown in so nicely in to the fray there is little time to think. If you've made it this far, you've developed quite a soft spot for any of the characters: whether that's the formidable mage Bayaz, the despicably lovable Logan Ninefingers or the ridiculously sublime Glokta, all of whom are still as pathetically vile and awful as they have been in the previous books, and yet that makes us love them all the more.
The P.O.V switches wonderfully between all the characters as their threads finally twist together in surprising and not-so surprising ways. Some receive happy endings, some not quite happy ones, some... well, as happy as they probably deserve. Although happy is never the word to use where Abercrombie is concerned, it is a certain grimdark kind of happy.
The striking characters of this book and the series are Logen and Glokta. One is a maniacal killer-a berserker of that high fantasy trope-who believes in his heart of hearts that he isn't actually evil, just possibly misunderstood, and I would agree with him. He's redeemable as we view the world through his eyes and see that everyone else is as evil as he is, just probably not as obvious as he is.
And the other? can I ever express my adoration for Glokta? Unlikely. He is despicable and crippled and hideous: his heart is blacker than his manner, he attacks those just as the Gurkish attacked him, and yet I love him utterly. His demeanour is comendable: he could have given up after what happened to him like so many do. Perhaps his life choices could have been a little better, but I can always see those little sparks of hope and redemption that I'm sure aren't actually there.
Without thrm, these books would just be your average High Fantasy books: standardly political, sometimes clichéd but often nicely twisted, wars, swords, bastards. Abercrombie took all the tropes and shoved them deep in to his writing, but added his own spice to them.
I've never read anyone who can write fighting scenes well, and I can't say I enjoy them immensely. Maybe it's a boy thing, but I tend to skip over them. Afterwards you always find out who died and who didn't and you've missed nothing, but Abercrombie still seems to find a way to make them almost readable that I don't discount them entirely. They feature good action, obvious action, but always that little twist and cliffhanger.
The ending? What ending?
Okay, so there is an ending... of sorts. I suppose this is where "no happy endings" comes along and plops itself firmly in front of you, obstructing your view from the sinking sun on the horizon. The wars are won, the politics sorted out (as much as it ever can be) and the characters all settle in to the rest of their lives. But there are little things that make you think... What will happen next? And still, Abercrombie leaves those little cliffhangers, quite literally.
Perhaps they are a little disappointing, not quite the closure you wanted. But hey, that's life. You gotta be realistic....more
I skived off work to read this. Okay, so I'm my own boss and I can afford a day off since I work every day, ten hours every day, but still. Skived offI skived off work to read this. Okay, so I'm my own boss and I can afford a day off since I work every day, ten hours every day, but still. Skived off, ya hear?
I was a little hesitant to keep this at five stars to begin with, straight after I finished it and was basking in the afterglow but also cursing myself for not having done anything productive that day (except some admin, ugh) but I will keep it at five stars. It gave me a feeling which is my criteria for giving a book five stars. It's not always the same feeling and sometimes it is as simple as being the only book to ever make me cry. In this case, the feeling was I do not want to put this book down all of my deadlines be damned. I love that feeling: that's why I read.
Before They Are Hanged is the second book of the First Law Trilogy, and we are still following the same characters but their threads have weaved together nicely and the plot is beginning to thicken. I must confess I didn't recall half as much as what happened, but there were unusual memories that bubbled to the surface every now and then and I kept on guessing where we were heading.
We are also passed between main characters really nicely: sometimes it is one chapter, sometimes it's two, but I never feel lost. Each character has their own way, their style and that really entices me. I am still in love with Sand dan Glokta and know I shouldn't be. We are starting to see each character discover their redeeming features: Luthar is becoming less of an arsehole, Ferro a little less cold, Quai a little less pathetic, Glokta a little less torturer. I like that last one less than the others, because my darling torturer is perfect the way he is, hobbling and tapping about scaring everyone, but we can't have everything.
The political intrigue and the magical undertones are bubbling away nicely, sometimes in the background, sometimes in full view. There are clues being dropped everywhere and I find that exceptional. That is a mystery murder kind of plot device and yet it fits in perfectly here. I still cannot tell where this is going, despite having read it before. Maybe that says more than I can see, but 9 years is a long time and I could not tell you what I had for breakfast two days ago.
And, I would like to express my gratitude and offer my applause to Joe for removing the superfluous exclaimation marks from some characters dialogue. That was the main reason the first book irked me and he has amended it very well here: still, some characters use them too much, but that fits their personality. Maybe there are still a little too many as well, but it is so much better than before that it appeases me.
About the grimdarkness? I don't really see it. It's grim, yes. People are dying and swearing and I would say it is more realistic in some ways than a lot of battle books, but I thought that was life. To see the hope you do need to look carefully with a magnifying glass maybe, but it's there. I see nothing more than a cleverly constructed, well-written High Fantasy novel; with some clichés but also some nice twists; some darkness and some light relief; some detestable characters yet whom have hearts just as the rest of us. The serial killer brakes for the ducklings crossing the road....more
A collection of nineteen short stories all with one common thread: dragons.
It is a veritable feast of all the different dragon mythologies around theA collection of nineteen short stories all with one common thread: dragons.
It is a veritable feast of all the different dragon mythologies around the world, from Oriental Asian to Mayan, passing through England and Europe to the reddened deserts of Native America. We delve in to Arthurian Legend and rise out of Norse Mythology without the clank of a gear change and it feels a smooth process.
It is a nice, decent collection of differing lengths and vastly differing storytelling prowess.
Below are short reviews for each story, the standout being the one by a certain Ms. Le Guin. Having never read any before, this was an excellent and exciting find and one that has whetted my appetite for more-and more soon and now.
Whilst that was the best, the rest were fairly poor to middling, but each had its own little gem tucked away between the words. Some had plot lines that spark the imagination whilst others had new ways of looking at old tales.
A decent collection if you find this type of thing of interest.
'Age' by Tanith Lee, 2 Stars: The weird comma sentences don't flow too well but the imagery is delightful. Unfortunately, the personification of the dragon is not something I can get behind and can't believe that it is the dragon's thoughts prevailing.
'Tin Lizzies' by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, 3 Stars: A (relatively) contemporary story of dragons, which is something I have never come across. Written really well and the pace of the story was solid, with good suspense throughout.
The characters were uninteresting to me in the main, however, and the setting could have been explored more, especially the Native Indian people, site and lore. Fairly standard American, then.
'Ulf the Wyrm' by Lois Tilton, 3 Stars: A nice intro with Norse Mythology being the protagonist, dragging little Ulf the servant along with it. A pretty standard tale with quick pace and a nice story. Just long enough to pique my interest for more Norse Mythology.
'Short Straws' by Kevin J. Anderson, 1 Star: A first-person narrative following a band of mercenaries sent to tackle a dragon in exchange for the hand of a princess. I found the narrators voice rather boring and slightly annoying, but the twist in the "do this for my daughter's hand in marriage" was wholly welcome.
Or that is what I thought at first. The annoying narrator continued and with jerky self-flattery stumbled to the end of his story. Not one I enjoyed.
'Pleasantly Pink' by Mike Resnick and Nicholas A. DiChario, 1 Star: A man uses the mystical pink mist of a dragon to make a killing in the restaurant trade, but one should never trust a dragon, awake or asleep...
I... Eh. The imagination and originality was nice at first, but it turned in to some really weird contemporary crap that I can't quite wrap my head around. Pretty awful in truth.
'The Rule of Names' by Ursula K. Le Guin, 5 Stars: Actually my very first Le Guin piece of writing I've ever read. And it was spectacular.
I am no fan of short stories, despite reading them a lot recently. I don't have a lot of time to get in to a big, fat, juicy high fantasy trilogy as much these days, so short stories work really well when I want to complete a story but not take weeks about it.
This was just fantastic. Well written, nicely paced, good characters, great dialogue, decent plot and fun ending. I need to read more Le Guin very soon.
'Sirinita's Dragon' by Lawrence Watt-Evans, 2 Stars: A young girl hatches a dragon in the city from an egg her father brings home and ponders his fate: set him loose or let her parents kill him for the gold his blood will fetch.
Written reasonably well, but lacklustre in all other respects. Quite a nice twist, and would make a good further-developed story exploring the city and world (which possibly already exists?), but really nothing note-worthy.
'Dream Reader' by Jane Yolen, 2 Stars: A short take on the Arthurian Legend of the beginnings of the wizard Merlin.
Written well but I didn't enjoy it. I'm not well-versed enough in Arthurian Legend to comment on the "accuracy" but I found it a little too boring and lacking. I also wasn't a fan of the magic being lessened to parlour tricks and street magic.
'The Dragon on the Bookshelf' by Harlan Ellison and Robert Silverberg, 1 Stars: A contemporary story of a small dragon's love for a human that threatens to bring forth the destruction of the world...
It was written decently well but it did not hold me at all. Rather boring, some imagination but not of interest to me. Contemporary dragon stories are difficult to get right and the ideas in this short story weren't conveyed well.
'The Shedding and the Song' by Ian Hunter, 3 Stars: A decent yarn where the twist to the "kill the dragon, marry the Princess" tale is told by the dragon itself.
Written well with some good humour, but not quite riveting enough for anything higher. The dragon was a little annoying, as most dragons seem to be when given a voice. Much better to have them simply burning things alive.
'The Old, Old Story' by Andrew Lane, 4 Stars: Very well-written story of superstition and religion mixed with mythology in a fairly contemporary setting as a priest is asked to look in on a young boy thought to be possessed.
Enjoyable from the beginning and not at all predictable. The contemporary of these stories (or near as damn it) are generally poor and don't mix well with the fantasy elements that the authors attempt to weave in, but this one was done really well.
'The Mandelbrot Dragon' by Mary A. Turzillo, 1 Star: An attempt to really modernise the myth of the dragon by placing it within a computer, but unfortunately it was a poor attempt at something different. Mercifully short, however.
'Dragonlord's Justice' by Joanne Bertin, 2 Stars: Two stars given for how well-written it is, but really it is a 1 star, run-of-the-mill, clichéd, boring fantasy story full of standard tropes, boorish men, women being raped and gaudy lessons being learnt.
Once upon a time I would have loved this, but fantasy is fiction and I realise now that it need not reflect how our world was once upon a time, even if it is based on it for the most part.
'Grandfather's Briefcase' by Gerald Perkins, 1 Star: Boring contemporary story with an irritating narrator and everything else besides. Nothing else to say.
'Mordred and the Dragon' by Phyllis Ann Karr, 1 Star: A second Arthurian inspired tale, this time concerning Mordred and Lancelot and the ubiquitous dragon.
Again, I am not well-versed in Arthurian Legend to truly rate this, but I found it boring and lacklustre. Written fairly well but there was no characterisation or development and, though I know it is a short story, if you read a very good short story you get those things plus more.
'Falcon and Dragon' by Josepha Sherman, 1 Star: Just awful, unfortunately. A standard fantasy trope that was trying slightly too hard about a young shape-shifting Prince who must rescue someone from the clutches of a dragon.
Not written terribly, but the narrator was annoying and spoke unrealistically, with flat characters and an altogether too boring and simple plot.
Perhaps I am expecting too much from a short story, but I am constantly reminded of the few short stories that have been 5-star reads and this falls far short.
'When the Summons Came from Camelot' by Cynthia Ward, 3 Stars: Another Arthurian Legend tale, though this time we have lesser-known (or completely unknown?) characters with a nice twist to the tale.
Written nicely, with good pacing and a decent plot. Not thoroughly developed characters but enough to show them as different people not just Things That Say Stuff. Sometimes a little too brash but on the whole and enjoyable addition to the Arthurian Mythology.
'Serpent Feather' by Gordon R. Menzies, 2 Stars: A longer tale concerning Mayan Mythology (History?) and the mighty Quetzalcoatl.
Written well, though sometimes a little boring. I find it fascinating that even in a short story an author can write something boring. But it was a nice change from the usual fantasy tropes and gave another side to the mythology of dragons, even if this one is mostly just a snake.
'Dragon's Fin Soup' by S.P. Somtow, 2 Stars: A final dip in to Oriental Mythology about another restaurant taking liberties over a dragon for money.
This one was written well, though I didn't like the voice of the narrator or the characters much. The dragon was quite a joy and it was enjoyable to learn a little more of Asian Dragon Mythology....more
Incredibly long-winded and convoluted with terrible dialogue taking up 93% of all the book. Could have been a decent plot about vampires breeding theiIncredibly long-winded and convoluted with terrible dialogue taking up 93% of all the book. Could have been a decent plot about vampires breeding their own kind with humans to create hybrid babies, but I really, really have no idea how vampires get erections and that fact troubles me constantly. I imagine some kind of scaffolding, perhaps......more
An incredibly frustrating read because it was written really well and had grammar and punctuation in all the right places but was let down by being a An incredibly frustrating read because it was written really well and had grammar and punctuation in all the right places but was let down by being a stupid YA paranormal romance piece of shit with twee yanks falling in love with every single boy-with ~emerald~ eyes-she meets and cliché goth witches hovering about the place.
It was nice to see the traditional idea of fairies though, not the silly Shakespearean tiny things. Only plus....more
A few years ago I re-read the Old Kingdom trilogy after forgetting almost all of it from my younger years. I was mildly disappointed to say the least,A few years ago I re-read the Old Kingdom trilogy after forgetting almost all of it from my younger years. I was mildly disappointed to say the least, but presumably that was merely from growing up. Clariel, the prequel to that trilogy came and went without so much of a ripple and that world seemed too far away for me to care any more.
Goldenhand takes place almost directly after the Old Kingdom ends, once again following Lirael and her family. When you first pick this up you feel the familiarity of the Charter Magic and, unlike in Clariel, it does not leave you.
There seemed an atmosphere I did not remember in the original trilogy in this book. It is quick-paced and allows you to delve deeply in to this world very well, bringing the memories of the other tales back with it. It is an odd feeling, particularly if you have pretty much dismissed a series because you have outgrown it.
Goldenhand in a way follows Clariel more, even if it is set some 600 years after. The first half of the novel is rich with Charter Magic and Free Magic, and builds the world that we knew so well before up and up. It seemed wonderful to be back there again, in a place that was terribly foggy from passing years and growing-up. We meet the characters we loved in the original trilogy, and even meet the ones we possibly despised. But the atmosphere of magic was there, as was the familiarity of it all.
However, as the book moved along and the romance between Lirael and Nick-whilst not unwelcome-felt forced and overly done. It felt clumsy and, quite frankly, childish. Lirael and Nick may be young, but the ridiculous manner of their romance was too much. It plunged this magical book in to the realms of cheesy YA and that was a very unfortunate thing to happen.
And yet, having said that, if you remove the clumsy romance and the fairly dreary way in which the book seemed to peter out, we have a very lovely wholly encompassing ending that I feel is the most fitting to this whole series. We see what happens when Lirael returns to the Clayr and their glacier and we feel the magic once again. It's a nice ending, but not too strong. Perhaps it is one (or two) books too many.
I feel, rightly or wrongly so, that the Old Kingdom trilogy would be much better if Nix wrote it now. With his years of experience in life as well as in writing, it would be the series that you can see the potential of it being. Of course, that is neither here nor there, and it is what it is. Some things are just better left where they are....more
Another book with relatively good imagination but pathetically bad execution.
Weredragons as an idea isn't wholly unique, but is a great starting pointAnother book with relatively good imagination but pathetically bad execution.
Weredragons as an idea isn't wholly unique, but is a great starting point. The rest, however, fails to support it at all. There is over-dramatic hyperbole and the characters are far over the top without layers. The dialogue, like in most books I've read lately, was pitiful.
My main gripe was the actual dragons. From the way it was described, it seems as if these Weredragons are not much bigger than the people they transform from. If that's so, it's really no surprise they lost a war.
Clichés and the rest. Unfortunate that the idea of Weredragons couldn't be imagined fully....more
One can easily see why "Lovecraftian" is a thing from this, and why only people who are true devotees can really write anything in-depth about his stuOne can easily see why "Lovecraftian" is a thing from this, and why only people who are true devotees can really write anything in-depth about his stuff.
His writing style is utterly sublime. I got vagaries of Fitzgerald-in terms of writing style and their ability to put every single word to good use, with no spare sentences put adrift on the page-but unlike F. Scott, the story was as riveting as the prose. You can feel the tension seeping from the page as you read on.
It's hard to say much else without delving in to the whole Lovecraftian or even just the Cthulhu Mythos, and I certainly am not qualified to do so. This was the beginning of all of that and it's the best place to start. There are certain annoyances that I think are commonly Lovecraftian. The first person adventurer; the lost-and-found-again manuscripts; the horrors that cannot be (conveniently) conveyed in any written language known to us. But when you have writing as good as this, and a wonderful sense of imagination, those are little annoyances that can be ignored or at least put aside for a while.
It is not horror in the strictest sense, nor is it part of the gothic scene that sprung up in the mid-to-late Victorian period, but it certainly contains elements of all that. It is mostly a combination of the dread of human existence in regards to the vastness of the universe and the inability for humans to comprehend such vastness, mixed with a dash of weird and a very large dollop of that thing that makes you look at a car crash when you drive past, even though you shouldn't really. Some kind of intrigue; the necessity to know....more
We come to the end of the Witcher series, and I say thank Belzebub for that. It is difficult to say why This review can be found on Amaranthine Reads.
We come to the end of the Witcher series, and I say thank Belzebub for that. It is difficult to say why I kept reading to the very (very) bitter end, since the series was getting increasingly worse by every page. I suppose the time I had invested and a small spark of hope that the end may have been worth it all...
The Lady of the Lake is the final book and it brings the whole saga to an end, with Ciri finding herself in another world having gone through the Tower of Swallows and trying to get back, to find Geralt and somehow end the war that has been ravaging her home.
Oh, where to start. If you're wondering whether to read this series, or possible whether to continue reading this series, I will say now that you should not. There have been no improvements since the first few books, and the changes that were made to alleviate those disappointments were far too late and not particularly well done. I'll say now there may be slight spoilers here, but I won't hide the review.
We begin with Ciri, who is in "the land of the elves", which is spin-doctoring for our world. Ciri is in our world, being spoken to by Galahad and being forced to make love to Oberon (named Auberon here). This is not as far-fetched as the book gets, though it comes close. To make the plot go here is just insane: where did this come from? There has been no mention of our world, no subtle plot device to prepare us for this event and absolutely no indication that this would even be possible. There was never a mention of "other worlds" and to have Ciri just suddenly be able to do such a thing is terrible storytelling.
Ciri is also still the same pathetic, cantankerous, spoilt character she has always been. I see nothing special about her-except this ridiculous ability-and she hasn't changed during the course of this series. The other characters are also just as flat and two-dimensional as they've always been. It seems as if the plot moves along without them: as if even if they weren't there, what was happening would still be happening. They don't seem to influence much at all.
There's little else to say. The dialogue has not improved, the characters-as I said-have no improved and their reasonings and thought-processes are as dull as ever. There are still no women who get along with other women, they all wish to sleep with Geralt or kill any other woman who desires the same and the fact that we are supposed to believe that Geralt and Yennifer's "love" is true and wonderful is ridiculous considering that in The Last Wish (spoiler in the title, by the way) Geralt wishes for Yennifer's love. He wishes it in to existence. Their love is based on a pathetic genie wish made during the short story collection that came before this series, and therefore renders their feelings and motives null and void.
The ending was also exceeding disappointing and quite frankly pointless. There is also a moment where some characters actually ride off in to the sunset, as if that isn't the most clichéd thing that has ever existed as a plot device. I'm so unhappy with myself for letting me read the entire series, but I suppose I was just hoping and being annoyingly optimistic. And it is quite an easy read, once you get beyond every single man being obsessed with sex and rape. I hope some men who read this are actually offended by that, because if men aren't annoyed that the media think they're obsessed with sex and need tits and legs just to watch or interact with something, then there's no hope at all....more
The Witcher series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski continues, with the Child Surprise Ciri travellingThis review can be found on Amaranthine Reads.
The Witcher series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski continues, with the Child Surprise Ciri travelling around with a bunch of thieves and bandits called the Rats, whilst Geralt, sorcerers and the Emperor send out people to find her.
This series has plummeted to the very depths of tedium. Every book has melded in to one and it's difficult for me to remember this particular one, though I do recall my consternation at the random change of narrative style. Geralt is still not doing any Witchering, there is still monumental bitching between all the female characters and the dialogue is still pitiful.
I complained during a review of an earlier book in this series that we rarely had other points of view during the narration, which seemed to slow down the entire thing. This book rectifies that, but in such a way that it may as well have not happened. We have around five POVs during any given chapter, which confuses things incredibly and don't actually improve the plot or pace of the action. We also, for some reason, begin to get excerpts from Dandelion's little memoirs, which add nothing to the plot except a general feel that perhaps this is something Sapkowski should maybe try out because it's cool, yo.
The plot is also the same as it was in the previous three books. This series, a five book series discounting the first two short story collections, is definitely two books too long and probably four books too long. Everything seems to take around two chapters to tell. A journey that could be told in one sentence ends up taking approximately half the book and we are left wondering why. Nothing particularly exciting happens during these journeys, except meeting new characters that add nothing to the story because the characters we already know are weak and two dimensional. Their interaction is always so false and incredibly immature.
Speaking of the characters, the protagonists known as Geralt and Ciri have become cantankerous and pathetic. They whinge and moan and act like little children not getting their own way. And yet no-one minds because one is a part of a prophecy and the other characters are all in love with the other. It is as if nothing can touch them-which is apparently the case since they elude capture, maiming and death numerous times through no reason other than they must to keep the story going.
There is also far, far, far too many mentions of genitals. I have never read a book that is so obsessed with genitals and sex. I'm sure HBO would love to turn this in to a TV series-and a successful one at that-due to the sheer amount of tits and sex. Someone is either aiming to stab someone else in the penis or a man is wanting to shove his penis in a woman's vagina. This is basically all that happens, with some killing in between.
And there is still endless bitching between the female characters. I'm not sure there is a single woman who have anything nice to say about another woman, except Ciri but she's basically just a child anyway. And all women love all children. It's a fact.
I don't know why I felt the need to finish this series. There is one book to go after this and whilst I found this particular instalment as boring as any book can be, I find I've invested so much I need to know. Belzebub knows I will be disappointed: I can feel it with this book as the plot meanders, the characters flatten out even more and the dialogue improves by a hair's breadth. It is my own fault for wasting my own time....more
An apprentice wizard awakes from a spell gone wrong and remembers nothing about himself: who he is, where he has come from, nor indeed, that he is a wAn apprentice wizard awakes from a spell gone wrong and remembers nothing about himself: who he is, where he has come from, nor indeed, that he is a wizard at all.
We follow Angus the wizard on a pretty much day-by-day account of his journey through a dangerous and run-of-the-mill fantasy land.
The amnesia is interesting to begin with and learning through Angus' eyes is fun at the start, but the blow-by-blow account of every little thing he does and every single footstep he makes is incredibly tedious.
A tremendous amount of editing is needed to quicken the pace and keep up the suspense as we learn more about Angus. There is also a lot of repetition that adds nothing but blockage.
Written competently enough but more editing is needed, and quite a lot of it at that....more
We come to book three of the Witcher series, or book five if you're counting the first two collections oThis review can be found on Amaranthine Reads.
We come to book three of the Witcher series, or book five if you're counting the first two collections of short stories. Whichever way you want to look at it, Baptism of Fire is the same dull book as it would be in any order.
The series continues with Geralt the Witcher searching the land for the Child Surprise, Ciri. The war rages on around them and it seems every faction is on the look out for Ciri, too. But Geralt is injured and the sorcerers are in disarray, whilst the enemy approaches ever closer...
Let's first of all take a little look at the title of the series: Witcher. One would hope that this meant that the book would be about Geralt, who is THE Witcher, and of course, it is about him. In a roundabout way. But unfortunately, it is about him in the sense that today is about you. There's barely any Witcher-ing going on (a Witcher being someone who is paid to kill monsters) and the only Witcher-y things that happen are the countless pirouettes that occur during a sword fight.
Taking the characters as a whole, they're all still similar, juvenile and can't speak for toffee. Their dialogue has stopped being all about whores and sluts, and yet it is still the speak of simpletons. We get endless conversations that should be propelling the plot along but ends up being mindless drivel. The characters themselves don't notice this, nor do they seemingly notice anything else that's happening around them. When we focus on a certain character, the rest of the world just stops: or so it seems.
I feel I can't comment on the writing, not only because it's a translation (though I know a translation can only work with what it's given) but because I think the version I read was a fan-generated ebook of terrible writing and horrible grammar. Having said that, you cannot make good what was already poor to begin with-or indeed, you can't polish a turd.
Going back to the plot, it is dry and underdone. We only really have one plot thread running throughout, and that is Ciri. Whilst we are now getting POV from many different characters and we are encountering the different races and peoples that inhabit this Witcher world, we are still not getting much in the way of plot. There are minor conspiracies dashed about, but ultimately all it boils down to is Geralt's need to find Ciri. And even once we know that, we don't even know why. There are countless times when we are told of prophecies and plans, but nothing substantial stands out. It's mostly conjecture and it's as if the author didn't necessarily have much of a plot in mind from the beginning anyway.
My main consternation for this series, however, is the true lack of originality and imagination. We have here just a generic, every-day kind of fantasy novel. Which you could say is fine, because if fantasy is what you like, then this'll be right up your street if you're not looking for anything challenging or something that is truly breath-taking and different.
But when you consider what Sapkowski wrote in The Last Wish you'd be easily forgiven for hoping that these books might be better. The Last Wish intertwined fairytale re-tellings with political intrigue and we had a great and original character in Geralt the Witcher. But with these books we have none of that. We simply have flat storytelling, pointless plots and some very lacking characters....more
I am odds with this series. The Last Wish is a million miles away from what these have become, which is just generic fantasy that is badly written (orI am odds with this series. The Last Wish is a million miles away from what these have become, which is just generic fantasy that is badly written (or translated). In The Last Wish we have good battles with monsters, re-tellings of our own fairytales and interesting characters. In this series, which is made up of what are supposed to be full-length books, we have absolutely none of that and it's very disappointing.
The dialogue is the worst thing of all. There is an abysmal attempt at humour, and an attempt to make the characters-I suppose-"normal", or at least, not speaking in thees and thous. However, it goes too far and all the characters speak the same, swear the same, call every woman a slut the same and are just dull and ridiculous both. I don't know if it's the translation, the transcription or the original author, but a translator can only do so much with what they're given.
Beyond the dialogue, everything is is pretty much just generic fantasy with battles, swords, magic and men calling all females sluts or bitches. There is a small attempt to make interesting female characters, but just giving them magical powers doesn't do that. All the female characters are at odds with each other, bitching about them behind their backs, wanting their men, talking about men, doing nothing but bitching or talking about men. There is a wonderful opportunity here to make excellent female characters with power, working together, being helpful to each other, being friends, being wonderful. But no. They just bitch or get their tits out. It's getting old.
Of course, there is another female character who does none of these. Ciri. The most important character of all, (view spoiler)[ and yet because she wields a sword, doesn't wear make-up and acts a little male, she's obviously a lesbian, because that's the only explanation. (hide spoiler)]
There is also little or no need for Geralt to be in these books. It's supposedly about a Witcher, but I don't recall there being much Witchering going on. Geralt fights with around two monsters and gets paid for none of them. Instead, he kills humans and gets told off for doing so. There are elements of trying to philosophise about the Witcher profession and killing monsters in general, but it is lost in the deluge of mediocre writing.
However, to give the book a little credit, we do have a better omniscient narration here. We see the story through many different eyes and not just main characters, which is one of the best things about reading fantasy. We travel to different lands, as well, and experience them with the characters, so with these things this series has come on leaps and bounds because the last book was absolutely dire with those things. So hey-ho, can't have everything, can we? That'd be silly. That'd be a good, worthwhile book and apparently those don't exist....more
Considering how well-written and quick-paced the short story prequel collection The Last Wish by AndrzejThis review can be found on Amaranthine Reads.
Considering how well-written and quick-paced the short story prequel collection The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski was, this was ridiculously disappointing and underwhelming. We have the same characters as was to be found in The Last Wish, and we had their personalities expanded and explored further, but we had none of the excitement or fantasy that was found there.
Blood of Elves is very slow and very closed-off. We spend far too much time in one place alone, and we follow conversations at a snail's pace to the point where what they're saying is no longer important but pointless chit-chat. It takes over half the book for us to leave Geralt and Ciri, who have taken up most of the book doing pretty much nothing in one place. The narrator is supposed to be omniscient, but it feels more like first-person narrative with just one or two dips elsewhere to move the rather vague plot along.
It's such a huge disappointment because the inclusion of our own folklore and fairytales in The Last Wish was a very good idea and following Geralt as he went about the countryside tackling monsters and demons (which is the job of the Witcher) was exciting, refreshing and kept the stories moving along. In Blood of Elves we meet one monster and little else.
It is mostly full of political intrigue, none of which is that interesting, nor does it deviate from the generic fantasy trope of races warring with races, crossing borders and sacking cities. But even then, with the generic fantasy tropes, we barely even get in to them because the characters are too busy having inane conversations whilst, presumably, just standing about being targets.
There was, however, a better set of female characters in this, though it was a bit too James Bond-esque how they all seemingly dropped their knickers are the mere sight of Geralt of Rivia. If one can get past this obvious High Fantasy trope and author-projection, we see some female characters that are developed beyond their breasts, but only just.
It's a relatively fun fantasy day-out. A quick read, won't challenge you much and will give you a good dose of non-YA fantasy goodness if that's what you're looking for (it's why I gravitated toward it) but it is by no means anything brilliant or ground-breaking. I will, however, finish the series, maybe pick up the other short story collection I haven't gotten around to and possibly play the game that was inspired by it.
(It's worth pointing out that this book is the first of a series, despite GoodReads naming it the third. This book is the first full-length novel and makes up the series of full length books, with two anthologies of short stories taking up 1st and 2nd in the series.)...more
The Hobbit is one of the greatest books ever written and is one of my absolute favourites. Pop up books are what they are. There's no substance here aThe Hobbit is one of the greatest books ever written and is one of my absolute favourites. Pop up books are what they are. There's no substance here as you get with a book, but the illustrations and the pop up elements just make it a huge amount of fun. I'd say there's not much need to slide out the narration at either side, either, since the pictures tell your everything you need to know. I'll say that, though The Hobbit is a favourite, and the illustrations are lovely, and obviously the child in me is infinitely delighted with this, it lacked just a bit of the magic you get from the actual books due to Tolkien's storytelling prowess and imagination and that's why I couldn't bring myself to give it the top marks.
An absolute stunner of a book. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this book is purely full of illustrations and snippets of info about Middle Earth aAn absolute stunner of a book. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this book is purely full of illustrations and snippets of info about Middle Earth and the greater land of Arda, but it is so much more.
Tolkien created a whole Cosmology and dedicated the myths to his beloved England, which includes the creation of a flat world and the subsequent rounding of this world in to an Earth-like world, which, after the events found in his novels, did indeed turn in to Earth as we know.
This book chronicles all of this creation myth, one to rival Norse, Greek and other ancient creation myths with striking similarities that turn it in to something that feels as if they are myths from the beginning of time. It is fluidly written, with divine illustrations and so much information Tolkien would have been proud to see others enjoying his Cosmology as much as he wanted them to. It's easy to forget that Tolkien wanted us to have his ideas and thoughts and use them as our own. Middle Earth is a place for us all to explore, and this book helps us to do that.
Of course I haven't read it cover to cover. Which idiot would? Okay, maybe a lot of people would, but I did not. However, it is a wonderful, wonderfulOf course I haven't read it cover to cover. Which idiot would? Okay, maybe a lot of people would, but I did not. However, it is a wonderful, wonderful book and, despite what many people think, is as close to Tolkien truth as possible to get.
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