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Ross (3284 KP) rated Redemption's Blade: After the War in Books
Jun 15, 2018
Storyline is not engaging (2 more)
Reading the aftermath of events that you have no knowledge of
I'm still not 100% sure there wasn't an earlier book I'm meant to have read
A sequel to a book not written yet (that sounds more interesting)
*Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Over the last few months I have been lucky to read three new Tchaikovsky books. As this was the first fantasy book of those three (the other two being war sci-fi) I had fingers crossed for a return to the heights of the Shadows of the Apt series. I was sadly disappointed.
The scope of this book is truly epic in every sense. The world we are thrown into has a diverse range of beings, species, cities, religions and beliefs and a rich history. The events follow on from the end of a tyrannical reign of the Kinslayer, a power-mad demi-god who tried to break the spirit of those races he didn't just wipe out. We see the Kinslayer-slayer Celestaine's attempts to do good in the aftermath of this war, and try to make one species whole again. This aim leads her on a journey across the world where we are introduced to a range of new peoples and places. The journey goes on from place to place, the company increasing all the while.
I have real respect for Tchaikovsky trying to do something new - tell the story that follows on from a somewhat typical fantasy tale. Sadly for me, the story that went before sounds so much more interesting and engaging - the besting of a truly despicable being. This story is instead something of an empty, largely pointless journey. The ending leads us to believe someone had been luring people with the promise of magical items, to come to him and ultimately their doom - however, the trail leading to him was not exactly clear and the chances of anyone following it would be minimal (let alone someone following it at exactly the right pace to witness certain key events!). The world-building is epic and yet completely forgettable. I found myself forgetting who people were, why they were doing things and I completely missed one major reveal in the final chapters, only to re-read and find that there pretty much was no reveal.
I am a fan of Tchaikovsky's writing style but for me this book was a struggle to get through. I had no feelings towards any of the characters and couldn't remember or care where they had been or why, or what had happened. Not a worthwhile investment of my time.
Over the last few months I have been lucky to read three new Tchaikovsky books. As this was the first fantasy book of those three (the other two being war sci-fi) I had fingers crossed for a return to the heights of the Shadows of the Apt series. I was sadly disappointed.
The scope of this book is truly epic in every sense. The world we are thrown into has a diverse range of beings, species, cities, religions and beliefs and a rich history. The events follow on from the end of a tyrannical reign of the Kinslayer, a power-mad demi-god who tried to break the spirit of those races he didn't just wipe out. We see the Kinslayer-slayer Celestaine's attempts to do good in the aftermath of this war, and try to make one species whole again. This aim leads her on a journey across the world where we are introduced to a range of new peoples and places. The journey goes on from place to place, the company increasing all the while.
I have real respect for Tchaikovsky trying to do something new - tell the story that follows on from a somewhat typical fantasy tale. Sadly for me, the story that went before sounds so much more interesting and engaging - the besting of a truly despicable being. This story is instead something of an empty, largely pointless journey. The ending leads us to believe someone had been luring people with the promise of magical items, to come to him and ultimately their doom - however, the trail leading to him was not exactly clear and the chances of anyone following it would be minimal (let alone someone following it at exactly the right pace to witness certain key events!). The world-building is epic and yet completely forgettable. I found myself forgetting who people were, why they were doing things and I completely missed one major reveal in the final chapters, only to re-read and find that there pretty much was no reveal.
I am a fan of Tchaikovsky's writing style but for me this book was a struggle to get through. I had no feelings towards any of the characters and couldn't remember or care where they had been or why, or what had happened. Not a worthwhile investment of my time.
Merissa (13956 KP) rated Will (The Books of the Five #2) in Books
Apr 12, 2023
You know when you read the first book in a series, fall in love with it, and presume that the next book won't be anywhere near as good... just because?! That's how I felt when I started Will. I had loved Eleanor and devoured every word. There was no way that Will could be that good, could it? OMG, yes it could be that good and even better. This book completely surpassed my expectations and took me on a poignant, raw and intense journey alongside the main character.
This lady is simply amazing as an author because she will make you dislike a character intensely and yet, within a few phrases, you will feel sorry for or like the same character. There is so much detail in her writing that you are left in no doubt as to the surroundings, expressions or feelings.
Now, it was a while ago that I read Eleanor so a few things were lost to me when I started but I quickly picked up again and proceeded to thoroughly enjoy this story. Because of the time delay though, it was unclear to me just what the problem was with Will. I was almost hoping that it wasn't simply his age because every time he said about being old, I winced as I am older than he is! This story actually hit me hard when all the secrets are revealed and I was sobbing big, ugly tears. I just can't tell you how good this story is, to have it affect me in that way.
One thing I will add though is that if you visit the author's website - http://www.mydren.com/ - you will find information about Eleanor and Will plus loads of other interesting snippets so you quickly come up to speed.
S.F. Burgess has put the Epic back into Fantasy. This book is worth every moment of your time and I can't imagine it being any shorter. Every word is needed and used with great effect.
One warning I will give and it's the same reason I have put Dark down as one of the genres - this book deals with some dark subjects, torture being one of them, and there is violence. None of this is gratuitous though and is definitely needed to make the story a better one.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all Epic Fantasy fans out there who like a darker tale. If you want all glitter and rainbows then maybe you should try something else. For me personally, I will be waiting with bated breath for the release of Amelia, book 3. I really can't wait!!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 30, 2016
This lady is simply amazing as an author because she will make you dislike a character intensely and yet, within a few phrases, you will feel sorry for or like the same character. There is so much detail in her writing that you are left in no doubt as to the surroundings, expressions or feelings.
Now, it was a while ago that I read Eleanor so a few things were lost to me when I started but I quickly picked up again and proceeded to thoroughly enjoy this story. Because of the time delay though, it was unclear to me just what the problem was with Will. I was almost hoping that it wasn't simply his age because every time he said about being old, I winced as I am older than he is! This story actually hit me hard when all the secrets are revealed and I was sobbing big, ugly tears. I just can't tell you how good this story is, to have it affect me in that way.
One thing I will add though is that if you visit the author's website - http://www.mydren.com/ - you will find information about Eleanor and Will plus loads of other interesting snippets so you quickly come up to speed.
S.F. Burgess has put the Epic back into Fantasy. This book is worth every moment of your time and I can't imagine it being any shorter. Every word is needed and used with great effect.
One warning I will give and it's the same reason I have put Dark down as one of the genres - this book deals with some dark subjects, torture being one of them, and there is violence. None of this is gratuitous though and is definitely needed to make the story a better one.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all Epic Fantasy fans out there who like a darker tale. If you want all glitter and rainbows then maybe you should try something else. For me personally, I will be waiting with bated breath for the release of Amelia, book 3. I really can't wait!!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 30, 2016
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Grim Company in Books
Nov 14, 2019
The Grim Company aims to deliver a swords and sorcery tail in the epic mould while being gritty, grimy and dirty in detail. And to a very large extent it suceeds, managing to tell a tale of war between city states from the point of view of some of the characters cauught up in it.
One thing that is always hard to do when starting out on a new story is to get used to the characters. The author must balance the need to ensure that enough time is spent to flesh out each character as they are introduced without overwhelming the reader and Scull is adept at this, the first few chapters detailing some of the misadventures, goals and dreams of the main characters.
And what characters they are. Cole is a young hero with a magical blade, who's destiny is to free the city of Dorminia from the tyrant Salazar, while at the same time being a real catch for any pretty girls. Or so he sees himself. To everyone else he is vain, boastful and arrogant. Jerek is a barbarian who has the market cornered in foul language, pithy insults and scowling at everything. Also good is Barandas, head of the elite guard of the city who is just trying to do his job.
The obvious author to compare Scull to is Joe Abercrombie, and the comparison is a fair one although (in this book) Scull doesn't quite manage to create the depth and range in Abercrombie's characters and situations. So although they aren't really classic fantasy archetypes, they are still close and don't subvert them. What Scull does bring is a little less cynicism than Abercrombie. Here it is worth fighting for what you believe is right, and honour still has value. This gives it a rather refreshing feeling.
The book also has strength in being the first of a series so it doesn't have to be a stand alone story and can leave enough threads for the next book to pick up. This allows the end, after a frenetic climactic battle, to relax into telling the aftermath rather than spending too much time trying to tie up all the loose ends.
Overall a good book for the fantasy lover. Not as grim or dark as 'grimdark' but still with enough spit and sawdust to add an underbelly to the reliable fantasy concepts it should appeal to a wide audience.
Rated: Strong language, bloody violence and some sexual references throughout
One thing that is always hard to do when starting out on a new story is to get used to the characters. The author must balance the need to ensure that enough time is spent to flesh out each character as they are introduced without overwhelming the reader and Scull is adept at this, the first few chapters detailing some of the misadventures, goals and dreams of the main characters.
And what characters they are. Cole is a young hero with a magical blade, who's destiny is to free the city of Dorminia from the tyrant Salazar, while at the same time being a real catch for any pretty girls. Or so he sees himself. To everyone else he is vain, boastful and arrogant. Jerek is a barbarian who has the market cornered in foul language, pithy insults and scowling at everything. Also good is Barandas, head of the elite guard of the city who is just trying to do his job.
The obvious author to compare Scull to is Joe Abercrombie, and the comparison is a fair one although (in this book) Scull doesn't quite manage to create the depth and range in Abercrombie's characters and situations. So although they aren't really classic fantasy archetypes, they are still close and don't subvert them. What Scull does bring is a little less cynicism than Abercrombie. Here it is worth fighting for what you believe is right, and honour still has value. This gives it a rather refreshing feeling.
The book also has strength in being the first of a series so it doesn't have to be a stand alone story and can leave enough threads for the next book to pick up. This allows the end, after a frenetic climactic battle, to relax into telling the aftermath rather than spending too much time trying to tie up all the loose ends.
Overall a good book for the fantasy lover. Not as grim or dark as 'grimdark' but still with enough spit and sawdust to add an underbelly to the reliable fantasy concepts it should appeal to a wide audience.
Rated: Strong language, bloody violence and some sexual references throughout
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) in Movies
Dec 13, 2017
Has the feel of original series (2 more)
BB8
Hans Solo and Princess/ Genral Leia are back
Star wars for a new generation
The force awaken opens up star wars for a whole new generation whilst the original trilogy had the world enraputed with this epic adventure series and revolutionized the way we see Sci Fi, Fantasy today Phathom menace, attack of the clones and revenge of the sith, didnt quiet capture the sprirt of the original trilogy. However Force awakens come out swinging.
Not only do we see our old favorites of Han solo Cewbacca Princess now General Leia the new characters leave a force of there own you cant help but admire Rey strength and determination. Fall in love with little BB-8. Finn ability to feel even though hes a storm trooper bring up a whole new level of meaning to established characters from the series.
Ive always like the dark side more than the light as my friendtell me i only ever like assholes so obviously Darth Vader is my favorite star wars character however Kylo Ren is no Darth Vader. However much he may wish to be and although the ending cements his darkness between Vader and Kylo there no choice who i think is the better villian so this film get a 9/10 rather than 10/10
Not only do we see our old favorites of Han solo Cewbacca Princess now General Leia the new characters leave a force of there own you cant help but admire Rey strength and determination. Fall in love with little BB-8. Finn ability to feel even though hes a storm trooper bring up a whole new level of meaning to established characters from the series.
Ive always like the dark side more than the light as my friendtell me i only ever like assholes so obviously Darth Vader is my favorite star wars character however Kylo Ren is no Darth Vader. However much he may wish to be and although the ending cements his darkness between Vader and Kylo there no choice who i think is the better villian so this film get a 9/10 rather than 10/10
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