Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a start!, 25 April 2002
By A Customer
I'd placed my order for this novel before I read the review by buckelwal so you might understand my anxiety about having potentially wasting a few of my hard earned pounds. After a few pages, I knew I shouldn't have worried.Fair enough, some of the writing is a little rough at times but this book is a great read. For me, the cliches were deliberately played and used to perfection, leaving the reader comfortable with the world and able to enjoy a truly exciting story. The characters' banter is wonderful at times, really evoking old friends talking, the action is stunning and the plot, while it's not the most original, just drags you in because it's so tightly run. And The Raven? I know they're described as mercenaries but they are more like a special forces unit, going into places, sorting things out and getting the hell out again. If anything, this has taught me not to pay any attention to any reviews. If I had, I might have missed this. So I must give that advice to everyone. And that means ignore this review. So why did I write it? errr... Oh, just read the book and make your own mind up!
|
|
|
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marmite, 13 April 2004
An impressive first novel that shows none of the uncertainty of style or plot fall-backs often see in a Fantasy debut. Barclay's breathlessly fast-pace, action-heavy style is not for everyone it seems, but once I got used to it I found the book to be well written and tightly plotted.I have to admit when I started reading the book I did wonder if the Raven (the mercinary group at the centre of this story) would be completely wiped out before I'd finished a third of the pages, seemingly central characters fall like leaves in the beginning of the novel. Once the casualty list settles down however the story really gets going and from then on it doesn't stop. The pace is unrelentingly intense, I felt honestly exhausted after finishing this book, so much so that although I was very keen on starting 'Noonshade' (the next in the first 'Raven' trilogy which ends with 'Nightchild' ) I decided on reading another book in-between just to let me relax! Barclay achieves a truly epic storytelling in a relatively slim book (if you are used to the door wedge sized behemoths that fantasy trilogies are usually comprised of) how he does this is part of why some don't like his work. Whereas many authors spend hundreds of pages setting-up their fantasy worlds and building up their characters, Barclay uses the standards of the genre to avoid repeating what others have written. He doesn't explain the existence of Elves - they're just there, the legendary reputation and skill of the Raven is not allowed to be built up before they suffer loss. The author seems to say, 'you've read this before, I'm not going to repeat it here', which wouldn't work for everyone but he certainly pulls it off. All this lets Barclay concentrate on what he's really interested in, the Raven and the plot. Don't be put off expecting graphic description of violence and bloodshed. Those things certainly have their place in the book, but they are not a central feature in the story. Barclay's style allows him to describe dramatic conflicts both on a large and small scale without either getting bogged down or shying away from the action, a skill which many genre writers might learn from. Some have accused this of being 'dumbed-down' fantasy, I would instead say it's a simply in a different style, and shows an excellent quality of writting within it. My own genre favourites are such as J.V.Jones, Guy Gaveriel Kay and Julliet Marillier and I'm comfortable in comparing this book to these fantastic novelists work. A greater recommendation, I can not give.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Restored my faith in Fantasy, 15 Sep 2007
......after many years of reading sci-fi & fantasy, I abruptly tired of the "purple rain falling on the orange grass" or "I can't be the heir to the Sword of Garglebad, I'm just a stable-boy" and stopped looking at these genres for many years (Iain M Banks excepted).
I decided to give escapism another go recently, and after a completely false start with the execrable "Orcs" book (if ever a good idea went to waste...), I, purely by accident (first trip to a library for years), stumbled across these - sad to say, decided by not much more than "interesting cover!?".
I write this review now having read all 6 and although as many reviewers have said, they get better (characterisation, plot, pacing, etc) book by book, the fact of the matter is, I wouldn't have even read book 2 if this was poor.
What I loved about this book (series) :
- you're dropped straight in (figure out man! no screeds of exposition)
- the goodies ain't invincible (does Barclay get kicked out of the club for this - innocents & major characters die!!!)
- ooh-ya, ah-ya battles expertly described, putting you into the maelstrom (think start of saving private ryan, er, with swords)
- excellent humour (reminiscent of IM Banks IMHO)
- the people are real (they wind each other up, get upset, tired, have hopes etc)
- elves are in it, but forget the namby-pamby poetry and chiffon - these guys are psycho ninja killing machines! (later book to be fair)
Really - buy, beg, borrow, steal these - they are rip-roaring reads - but there is an intellectual & emotional maturity that is very satisfying indeed.
.......and no purple rain.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by James Barclay
by James Barclay
by James Barclay
by James Barclay
by James Barclay
