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Ross (3284 KP) rated Legacy of Ash in Books

Dec 21, 2020

Legacy of Ash

Matthew Ward | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Epic but too lengthy

A very ambitious debut novel, epic in scope, cast of characters and plot. However, I found myself struggling to pick it up too often.
The book takes place in an empire with far-from-happy constituent parts and angry neighbours. The heirs of the traitorous Southweald "phoenix" are held captive as figureheads warning off any thoughts of rebellion. Meanwhile, a cliched corrupt council tries to keep the empire safe from impending invasion.
The book is filled with interesting magical creatures and abilities, with a demon, witches, crow-themed goth assassins and ancient spirits. These were at the fore nowhere near often enough, treated as curses and cast aside in favour of political plotting and old fashioned battle.
The first third of the book was awesome: learning about the richness of the world, its history, politics and magic. It really was set up to be an epic story of political intrigue, deception, plotting and underhand nastiness.
Sadly, this all lead to a battle sequence that lasted far too long. It was really like Joe Abercrombie had taken one of the First Law books and shoved The Heroes into the middle of it. I really struggled to get past this long, fairly boring conflict.
The second half of the book then calms down and focuses once again before taking a massive left-turn and changing to something very different.
As with many books of this size, the cast was massive and a number of characters not distinct enough to remember by name. And so many had such promising abilities to offer but were largely absent when they would have been so useful. It was like having a superstar in an amateur dramatic society and leaving them out of most of the script. Having said that, I once saw a pantomime with David Van Day in the cast and it was in everyone's best interests that he was largely absent.
The book finished well, but it was an 800-page book that read like a 1200-page one, taking me 5 weeks to read.

Kudos

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Sing, Unburied, Sing in Books

Oct 3, 2017

Sing, Unburied, Sing

Jesmyn Ward | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.5

(6 Ratings)

Book Rating

A Toni Morrison novel updated for modern times

This is no doubt a modern day version of reading a Toni Morrison novel. From the magical realism aspect to social issues affecting African Americans, this novel is both haunting and almost poetic.

The story follows a family on their way to a prison, in which the children's white father is due to be released. The teenage boy and his three year old sister are mostly dependent on one another as well as their grandparents Pop and Mam. The mother Leonie is absent, and rather aloof in their upbringing, forcing her son, Jojo to bring up his kid sister. In between are disturbing stories featured in flashbacks and ghostly apparitions, The novel explores interracial relationships, police brutality and even post traumatic stress disorder to a degree.

While it can seem haphazard, going back and forth in time, and random narratives appearing throughout, it leaves the reader with a sense of unease and despair at the violent nature of society. A truly intriguing read.

Kudos

David McK (3932 KP) rated Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7) in Books

Jan 28, 2019 (Updated May 10, 2020)

<2020 update>

Sue the Zombie T-Rex :-)

That is all.

<2016 update>

This is the Zombie-themed one, that ends with Sue the Tyrannosaur and also (I think) has the first appearance of Waldo Butters as one of the main players. In this, Thomas is also now lodging with Harry, who has now found out his relationship to the former, with Thomas trying to change his lifestyle. Karen Murphy is also absent for most of the novel, off on holiday with Kincaid.

<2011 notes below>

Magic - it can get a guy killed

Book number 7 in Jim Butchers Harry Dresden series, this is one where I think it is highly advisable to have read the previous entries first, as it ties several plot lines from those earlier novels into the events of this one.

Having said that: this is, as always, a good read, but maybe not the best in the series so far (which, to use an over-coined term, seems to be getting progressively 'darker' in tone)