The Jackal Of Nar (Tyrants & Kings) (Paperback)

The author's strengths are his depictions of battles, descriptive detail, and political intrigue. While others have arguably done it better--George R.R. Martin comes to mind--Marco's efforts here are far more than just credible. And comparison to Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series is both apt and inevitable. The medieval-based military and political world in this book is also grim, and those readers that quailed at Martin's depiction will likely blanch equally here. Many of the secondary characters tend at times to upstage the leads, with particularly lavish and effective attention paid to the villain Count Renato Biagio. But even he has his sympathetic moments, and herein lies one of the books strengths: an general avoidance of typecasting, an attempt to render many of the characters in a manner that makes their actions understandable and believable, regardless of the baseness of their motivations or the evil that results.

It is perhaps because of the strength of treatment of many of the secondary characters that Richius' flaws of characterization stand out. I attribute this to a weakness in the author's ability to breath emotional depth into many of the main character's scenes that demand it. In particular the rape and subsequent regret that follows seems weak and unconvincing, and the relationship between Sabrina and Richius, while somewhat examined from the former's perspective, seems superficially rendered from Richius' point of view, with his response to his wife and other events at times hardly sympathetic. Because of this, and similar attenuated emotional responses on the part of the hero, I believe his choice of action in many episodes comes across as hollow and unconvincing, leading to many of the previous reviewers' criticisms of his portrayal being on occasion inexplicable and unconvincing. Further, the author touches upon issues of feminism, racism, and the inevitable false justifications of the brutality of war without ever exploring them to their full potential, which, in my opinion, is a missed opportunity, and could have done much to elevate this novel above the ordinary.

Nonetheless, this is a first novel that is very strongly rendered. The solitary description by J.V. Jones that this is a "military fantasy" is unfortunate, as it sets up expectations not entirely represented by the text. True, military matters dominate much of the story, and represent some of its strongest moments. But this is as much a tale about a character coming to grips with his own identity in a world determined to destroy him through his choice to go his own way, as well as the shifting nature of truth and morality. At times these currents of the novel become muddied or are not fully realized, yet the effort deserves to be applauded, and in terms of the overall storyline, succeeds. Based upon the strengths of this work, John Marco appears to have a bright future before him, and I look forward to the tales he has yet to tell. With that expectation, I have already sought out the sequel, and would recommend this work to any looking for more than the common book of spells and over-blown heroes.

The author's strengths are his depictions of battles, descriptive detail, and political intrigue. While others have arguably done it better--George R.R. Martin comes to mind--Marco's efforts here are far more than just credible. And comparison to Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series is both apt and inevitable. The medieval-based military and political world in this book is also grim, and those readers that quailed at Martin's depiction will likely blanch equally here. Many of the secondary characters tend at times to upstage the leads, with particularly lavish and effective attention paid to the villain Count Renato Biagio. But even he has his sympathetic moments, and herein lies one of the books strengths: an general avoidance of typecasting, an attempt to render many of the characters in a manner that makes their actions understandable and believable, regardless of the baseness of their motivations or the evil that results.

It is perhaps because of the strength of treatment of many of the secondary characters that Richius' flaws of characterization stand out. I attribute this to a weakness in the author's ability to breath emotional depth into many of the main character's scenes that demand it. In particular the rape and subsequent regret that follows seems weak and unconvincing, and the relationship between Sabrina and Richius, while somewhat examined from the former's perspective, seems superficially rendered from Richius' point of view, with his response to his wife and other events at times hardly sympathetic. Because of this, and similar attenuated emotional responses on the part of the hero, I believe his choice of action in many episodes comes across as hollow and unconvincing, leading to many of the previous reviewers' criticisms of his portrayal being on occasion inexplicable and unconvincing. Further, the author touches upon issues of feminism, racism, and the inevitable false justifications of the brutality of war without ever exploring them to their full potential, which, in my opinion, is a missed opportunity, and could have done much to elevate this novel above the ordinary.

Nonetheless, this is a first novel that is very strongly rendered. The solitary description by J.V. Jones that this is a "military fantasy" is unfortunate, as it sets up expectations not entirely represented by the text. True, military matters dominate much of the story, and represent some of its strongest moments. But this is as much a tale about a character coming to grips with his own identity in a world determined to destroy him through his choice to go his own way, as well as the shifting nature of truth and morality. At times these currents of the novel become muddied or are not fully realized, yet the effort deserves to be applauded, and in terms of the overall storyline, succeeds. Based upon the strengths of this work, John Marco appears to have a bright future before him, and I look forward to the tales he has yet to tell. With that expectation, I have already sought out the sequel, and would recommend this work to any looking for more than the common book of spells and over-blown heroes.

Now, perhaps it's just me. Perhaps it's because I'm not a romantic, indeed, I'm all bitter and cynical and pessimistic, I freely admit it. Having said that, I do allow that there are people who have fallen in love at first sight and lived happily ever after. It just seems silly, though, when it happens four times in one book, with devastating consequences for everyone except the main couple. And what's more, neither of them seem to give care.

Oh, Richius and Dyana (and Sabine and Dinadin and Tharn) all talk about doing this and that, but ultimately only two of them aren't selfish and do for the good of their respective countries. Not that Richius and Dyana are self-righteous, but they are willing to let others suffer for their own happiness. And quite frankly I was never satisfied with their love. I still don't get what they saw in one another, or mabye I'm too much of a realist.

The rest of the book is quite good, which I found irritating, because Richius and Dyana's relationship taints everything. No character (save Dyana) is completely black or white, and the other relationships in the book are portrayed quite believably. The war is suitably gory, the magic of the "pagans" not as straightforward as one might suspect, and the scenery pretty.

Ultimately I think Erikson's Gardens of the Moon is the better book (they share certain things), but Marco is fairly good as well. I have to agree with the other reviewer that some of the characters, Richius in particular, are quite immature, and I wouldn't have minded that so much had even a little bit of self-awareness come into the picture.

I wish I could give The Jackal of Nar four stars, but Richius and Dyana's relationship really ruined the book for me. Ymmv.