The Orc King / R.A. Salvatore

The Orc King

category: fantasy, author:

R.A. Salvatore

book 1 of Transitions, in the Forgotten Realms
original copyright 2007

read in January 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 7 out of 10: well worth reading

As I started reading I thought, Good grief! Who are all these characters?!

If I understand the chronology of the Forgotten Realms books, The Orc King begins with a flash-forward. Just to show that yes, there will be an orc king. Then we jump almost back. Then back again.

Followed by a lot of activity by people who are well known -- if you have already read every other book of the Forgotten Realms...

Plenty of well-established characters. At least I could remember Drizzt, from a book I read a few years ago. Most of the others, I did not know.

You can tell that all of these characters are continuing characters. They suffer guilt from the earlier deaths of friends. Or they are dead but still an essential part of the story. Or they apparently were dead but are now alive...

All too complicated for me!

And surprisingly little action involving the eponymous orc king!

As I read the first few chapters, I was worried.

And then it all improved.

I'm used to not recognising characters as I read a book. If there are too many characters, I only remember the main ones, and only if the author does a good job of making them memorable. Salvatore does a good job of making his characters memorable.

Okay, it's "memorable" as in "cartoonish", "exaggerated", "extreme"... Which is all part of the dungeons & dragons fantasy adventure!

I began to know the key characters. And accepted that others will come and go as they please. If they do anything really important then, perhaps, I will remember them on their next appearance.

So there are characters coming and going, talking, fighting, exploring. Having extreme adventures. But...

It all ties together!

Well, okay, except for the character who takes his adopted child back to the child's real mother. As far as I can tell, his sub-plot is there so that he will be placed for his own -- independent -- adventures in a later book.

There is a lot of fighting. Bloody, extreme fighting.

There is also a moral dilemma.

Yes, a moral dilemma. And this dilemma lifts the book above its game-play simplicity.

Some of the orcs... well, one of the orcs... is hoping to establish a long-lasting peace for his people. Can he be trusted? Can he convince his people?

More importantly, can the non-orcs set aside their orc-hatred long enough to give peace a chance? After all, orcs have been killing non-orcs for many a long book. The Orc King itself includes orcs killing several good friends of the heroes.

The good guy characters have to decide. Should they accept the risks associated with a possible peace with the orcs? Or should they continue their long-standing approach of, the only good orc is a dead orc...

It is this moral dilemma which lifts the book above the ordinary.

The Orc King is one book in a long series of adventures. Can this book break the standard of who is "good" and who is "bad"?

This is more than just a grand fantasy adventure.

It is, also... a grand fantasy adventure.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Storm Born / Richelle Mead

Storm Born

category: fantasy, porn, author:

Richelle Mead

original copyright 2008

read in January 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 4 out of 10: bad but could be read

It's funny, really. I read this book and quite enjoyed it. Left it a day or so. And decided that it was really not a very good book.

I enjoyed it -- but it is not a very good book?! Why not? First, check the labels at the foot of this review...

It is "cat:fantasy". Okay, witches, fairies, shamans, Earth and fairy-land. Fantasy. It is also "cat:porn"... It could have been "cat:romance" -- but it is closer to porn.

The heroine is beautiful. The heroes are handsome. There are lots of significant looks and lots of heavy breathing. There is also lots of heavy sex.

So I read -- and enjoy -- books with lots of heavy sex. So I quite enjoyed reading this book. Even so, the sex was... well... not right. Not right for a romance, that is.

No matter how tough, how sassy, the romantic heroine, they do like to have an even tougher hero. But -- in my opinion -- a strong preference for rough sex and bondage is going beyond romance. And into porn.

The heroine is, of course, torn between two strong, handsome men. That's almost essential in a romance... or in any book with a "love interest". Having sex with both the men, though... weakens the romantic appeal. Where's the conflict of the romantic triangle, when she simply sleeps with both of them?!

By chapter four, the first hero had proven his worth by giving extremely good sex. Half a book later, the heroine was still resisting the second hero. Until she decided that it was a good idea to exchange sex for favours.

Prostitute with heart of gold is an old cliche. Heroine with heart of prostitute is less common. And less likable.

From there -- from "6/10 read to pass the time" -- the book rapidly degenerated to "4/10 bad but could be read". As the heroine slipped from sassy-and-strong to slutty-and-uninspired, she lost my sympathy. And the book lost its appeal.

Then there is the final risk-all-for-her-lover scene...

The heroine followed her (first) lover's spirit to hell, to bring him back to life. On the way, she faced a series of challenges.

Except that they were not really challenges...

There's the army, set to invade. The heroine is against the idea of invasion. So what does she do? She simply says, Okay all, let's go invade...

There's her father, who raped her mother. He says, now I'll have you, too. So what does she do? What clever stratagem does our heroine use to get by this threat of rape by father? Oh, okay, have me, she says...

These are not challenges. These are situations that the heroine does not like. And all she does, is to go along with every nasty action. No moral indignation. No attempt to find an alternative solution. Just, do the bad thing.

At best, this is a "morally ambiguous" heroine.

At worst, it's a novel which ignores conflict and conflict resolution, to set up a series of violent action scenes to loosely link the somewhat violent porn.

Good sex. Bad story.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

What the Night Knows / Dean Koontz

What the Night Knows

category: horror, author:

Dean Koontz

original copyright 2010

read in January 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

The cover of this book has Dean Koontz in big letters. So far so good. Koontz is good -- and well known.

Then there's the title: what the night knows. No argument there. A readable size font. The title does need to be on the cover.

Then, in smaller font, "[A NOVEL]".

"A novel" ? What else would it be ?!

Actually... as I read the book... that's a good question.

No, seriously, it really is a novel. No doubt about that. But what else is this book ?

Night is a positive and inspirational message... An argument for niceness, and its ability to overcome evil.

Unfortunately the message is slathered on like sweet icing on a fancy decorated cake. Far too heavy. Far too sweet.

Then there are the characters...

Have you ever met children so cute ? So sweet ? So controlled ? So unbearably stupid !

Most of their problems are due to their upbringing. Always knock -- and wait -- before entering... Always do as your parents tell you... Study hard so that you will have a great future career... Believe in magic -- but only in white magic.

Not that that's all bad.

But when it comes to the crunch -- these kids survive only because sweetness and light will always resist the horrors of the night. No, not "resist"... The kids survive because their sweetness and innocence is an automatic protection against evil.

Perhaps natural evil just has a natural fear of the artificiality of saccharine.

Oh well.

I do not like these children. The parents are similarly over-sweet. But it's not enough to make me put down the book.

At times I thought that Koontz was writing for children, a moralistic fable. But the violence is a bit strong for children. I think. Then again, the violence is mostly less (or less graphic) when it happens than when it is anticipated.

And finally... everyone is saved by the deus ex machina. Really ! Koontz actually calls it a Machina ex Deo but that's what he means: God pops out of the machine to save the good guys.

The book is easy to read. Somewhat exciting. Just a bit embarrassing.

Unless, of course, you like a good moral fable.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Vicious Circle / Linda Robertson

Vicious Circle

category: romance, fantasy, author:

Linda Robertson

original copyright 2009

read in January 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

The library has this book as "horror, romance"... Horror ? Nooo...

Sure, the characters are supernatural: werewolves (sorry, waerwolves), witches and vampires, with mention of various other supernatural beings. But "horror" ? No way !

This book is romance.

With supernatural.

Like Twilight: it's just too nice to be "horror".

I don't like to compare books; each book should be judged alone -- according to my Pissweakly standards. But the thought is too strong to ignore: Vicious Circle is a cross between Twilight and a Dresden Files novel. The romance of Twilight but for an older (female) reader. A simpler version of the right-all-wrongs Dresden hero... Simpler, cleaner and prettier !

I scored Circle as six out of ten but really, it's worth a seven, well worth reading. Except that this is my opinion. I enjoyed the read but would have liked something a bit... stronger... ?

There's action and romance. Magic and potential mayhem. Great fun but just a little bit light -- for my liking. Supernatural-lite. I do like a happy ending. But before that, I prefer a bit more bite from my werewolf.

That said, I would happily read any more books with these characters... Even "Nana" became bearable (not quite likable) as the book progressed.

An enjoyable book. Even more enjoyable for readers who like more teeth but less bite in their fantasy romances.

The author's first novel ? An excellent effort !

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic / Terry Pratchett

The Colour of Magic & The Light Fantastic
(graphic novels)

category: fantasy, humour, author:

Terry Pratchett

illustrated by Steven Ross

book 1 & 2 of Discworld
original copyright 1991/92

read in December 2011 & January 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

This is a "graphic novel" -- a comic book -- version of two Discworld books. I've reviewed The Colour of Magic as a text novel. And I've read the text original of The Light Fantastic, before I began these reviews.

How does the graphic compare to the text?

Poorly.

The story of Colour suffers from what I shall now name as, the Rincewind effect: a loser, with the entire world out to get him. This effect detracts from the humour. It makes it hard to enjoy reading, when you know that there will not be a happy ending for the hero... That's my view... I'm a softie.

Fantastic seems to almost be going the same way... but it is not!

In my review of Magic, a reader posted a comment:

=Tamar May 25, 2011 09:03 AM
Don't ignore The Light Fantastic.
Rincewind develops significantly in that book, #2 in the series, immediately after The Colour of Magic.

And Tamar is absolutely correct ! Thank you !

For a while, in Fantastic, Rincewind looks as though he is going to finish a poor last. Yet he is able to beat the odds. Not only that -- Rincewind takes positive steps, and succeeds!

What a pleasure to read :-) And, having read the comic version, I now remember reading the text original. And having the same pang of pleasure, as the hero tries -- and wins.

So my rating for The Light Fantastic would be, 08: really quite good.

Except that this is the graphic version.

The graphic novel has captured a lot of the original humour and excitement. A lot has also been lost. If you have trouble following a Pratchett novel -- the graphic version is even more confusing.

Discworld books tend to have a lot of threads of action. Apparently unrelated. Finally, in the last few pages, they all come together.

These graphic versions have a more unified plot. But with holes. Holes due largely to the constraints of space and the graphic format. Within these constraints, the adaptation works well.

As a coherent story, I prefer the text novels.

And the illustrations are disappointing...

Complex, fun, detailed... Just too realistic.

The human characters are human. Okay, that sounds fine. But I somehow expect them to be more than human. I can't explain it better than that. And I certainly could not draw it myself! But I find that the realism of the characters somehow does not fit with the fuzzy images in my own mind.

And then there's Twoflower, the tourist.

Look, in the books he's clearly Chinese. Or, at least, the Discworld equivalent.

Big glasses do not make Chinese.

Is the illustrator trying to be politically correct? Or am I missing something...

Twoflower-the-standard-Caucasian-but-with-glasses-and-a-big-hat... just does not work. It's more of the too-real-to-be-true illustration in the book.

Ah well.

It was worth seeing how Discworld translates to a graphic novel. Last week I enjoyed Going Postal translated to a tv movie. (Sorry, the link is to a review of the book, not the movie.)

The movie worked. The graphic novel... well... read the book.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index

Debatable Space / Philip Palmer

Debatable Space

category: science fiction, author:

Philip Palmer

original copyright 2008

read in Jan 2012

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10: read to pass the time

Imagination. Action. Breadth. Motivation. Justification. Tedium.

Tedium!?

It was a struggle to finish this book.

There is a grand scale to this galactic adventure. Backstory provides an understanding of the main characters. But it just goes on and on... and on.

All very well to provide a history of a key character. To explain her reasons for being as she is, for doing as she did. Yet it becomes a major block to the development of the main story.

Okay, perhaps the author wants us to see the future history of human expansion into the galaxy. The technology of planetary settlement and control is clever, worth writing about. The life story of Lena is just too much.

Other characters provide insights into the technology and the cruelty of the Earth-galactic dictator. They provide their insights in simple stories of a couple of pages each... While Lena gets half the book to explain her own part on the plot.

And it is very difficult to like her.

Yawn...

Not that it isn't interesting!

Just overdone, overblown, too long, and tedious...

Then there's the plot itself: complex, clever, annoyingly multi-climactic.

Is that a word? "Multi-climactic"?

What I mean is: The story reaches a crescendo... The heroes win the big battle / conquer the key planet / succeed in their ultimate goal... Only to find that there is another battle / planet / goal to now be reached.

It becomes a standard formula: Oh look, we've won :-) Wait, the baddies have an unexpected trick, we've lost after all :-( It's okay, I expected this, here's the real battle / planet / goal which will now become our target...

The hero, apparently, planned everything in advance. Each plot climax is essential, either as a step on the way or as a step which must be attempted rather than going straight to the really difficult task... All very clever. I just wish that there were some hints in advance...

As it is, the story is very episodic. A series of separate stories, where each story must be more exciting than the last. As though the author reached the end of the book then decided, oh dear, this is still too short, what shall I write about now...

On the other hand -- each story is exciting. Imaginative. Over the top. Action-packed.

It's a fine flow of action-packed space opera.

It just suffers from too much history of civilisation.

Like the war that the story covers, I guess: episodes of life-threatening action, interspersed with long periods of mind-numbing tedium.

---

Extra note:

I did appreciate the development and explanation of the character of Lena, the female lead character. It is well done. It gives a good insight into her drives, her motives. It just slows down the story.

This book is a story of war, violence and revenge in the distant future. It is also a story which analyses the character of a woman who is born mousey and who fights her way to power.

One or the other...

Having both stories in the one book means that one is interfering with the other. Whichever story you like -- the other story gets in the way.

..o0o..

These reviews are provided by Agamedes Consulting. For an independent and thoughtful review of your processes, problems or documents, email nickleth at gmail dot com.

PissWeakly: the Index