Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "dark"

Freshmen is the first book in new urban fantasy series The Felix Chronicles, which combines magic and mystery with American teen culture and modern devices such as phones and tablets. Evil “sourcerers” called Drestianites typically hunt and “test” teenagers for magical ability. If they pass then the teenagers will join them, and if they don’t they’ll be brutally killed. However, there is hope for mankind in the form of the Belus, the one whose special purpose resembles unity and a defence against the cynical ideology of the Drestianites. RT Lowe provides an invaluable background to his magical world early and told in a letter within Freshmen, which reminded me a bit about how the Knights Templar were defeated and hunted down and also because this conflict is linked to the present through family name.

RT Lowe has an exceptional professional writing ability to craft characters, backgrounds, and environments, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the author has been writing for a long time. He delivers captivating dialogue between Felix and his peers, which made for exciting chapters. Reading it was a guilty pleasure because I wouldn’t usually be interested in the subject matter of teenagers and their social lives. Freshmen is well-presented with a good book cover and blurb, flawless interior formatting, editing, and proofreading. RT Lowe and Freshmen certainly leave a great impression on prospective readers. Freshmen improves from CH.45/P346 (70%), at a point where I became much more immersed in the plot and the action and the final fifty pages (10%) did make for an enthralling conclusion.

Criticism: My main criticism was the often uncomfortable similarities between Freshmen and the Harry Potter series. When the main characters were introduced, each had likenesses. Felix was like Harry in that he lost his parents, is innocent, and tries to lock his grief away. Felix’s distorted nightmares, which he believed were real to some extent, and his subsequent actions seemed to make him secretly crave attention-seeking and some form of celebrity attention. From p168 (34%) Felix develops a set of experiences that are unique to him. Allison strongly reminded me of Hermione Granger. The Groundskeeper, whose demeanour reminded me of Filch, uses knowledge of Felix’s parents as an excuse to invite him into a magical world fought between Sourcerers and Drestianties; the latter who wish to enslave non-Sourcerers (muggles?). Secret rooms acted like doorways into more mysterious truths or dimensions.

Sometimes the description was a bit lengthy, taking up two whole pages at a time. New characters, scenes and situations kept arising but the existing ones developed at a tedious speed, and distracted from the progression of the novel with what I saw as pointless antics. From Ch.45/p346 (70%) the Felix/Faceman plot overlaps and becomes the main plot at a late but vital stage. Most of the Faceman chapters are put into context at this stage and the broken sub-plots resemble something coherent and “whole”. There wasn’t much build up regarding the threat posed by the Drestianites besides the Faceman, and this seemed an inadequate explanation for the action-filled encounters in the last fifty pages (10%).

Overall, Freshmen was a great read with exceptional writing, captivating dialogue, and quality presentation. It was easy to get lost into the magical world, and I would strongly recommend it to teenagers, young adults, and fans of the urban fantasy genre because I think they will be impressed.

“Your letter is paramount, Falnir Aasberg”. “Elsillore will remember our ancient ties”. “And do not falter”.

The Messenger is a dark epic fantasy adventure that centres on Falnir Aasberg’s duty as messenger to deliver a message to secure support. The Nameless have breached the wall at Thune, spreading horror and evil wherever they go, revelling in the torture and suffering of innocent human families. They have spilled across the southern reaches, escaping past the guards of Rangers to kill indiscriminately across the plains. Atrocity, distrust, and violence will greet Falnir as he, often accompanied by Rangers, must make his way past the habits of his enemies for the survival of the Seven Kingdoms.

Falnir’s deep regret and guilt at having devastated his marriage with infidelity comes back to haunt him when his wilful wife Annas is adamant that she will accompany him to deliver his message, as an act of retribution. Concerned for his wife’s welfare across the Nehme Plains, Falnir will need more than Rangers to see him through to Elsillore: seeing death, bandits, and encountering the Nameless’ feline monsters (fios). It soon becomes clear Falnir is not a paragon of virtue, indeed he despises those (Rangers or Maidens) who see themselves as such. As a result, he does not appear to be a reliable choice for the survival of the kingdoms, but one thing I did notice was his instinct for survival, considering immoral choices and running away when he knew the odds were not in his favour.

The second part of the adventure was probably the most vivid and exhilarating, and that is when we are introduced to charismatic axe-wielding ranger leader Rado, who is of impressive width strength. Falnir saw something of a role model in Rado and his fellow rangers, and for a time it allowed him to protect people, love a woman, forget tormenting thoughts, and fight against evil in its purest form. You won’t be disappointed with the action in this part of the story, I assure you! There is another chase at the end, which made me read far more than I thought I could of this epic. I should probably, ahem, mention that The Messenger is not for the faint-hearted, having its share of the grim, gruesome, horrible, and quite disturbing.

I liked the grim medieval atmosphere, which was rich in detail, and this led me to conclude that the genre and setting were well-researched. I did sometimes enjoy the banter and interplay between Falnir and other such undesirables, which was foulmouthed, dirty, grim, and utterly filthy. I would say more than a few passages were very elegantly written, which combined with what I suspect was superb editing or proofreading, really gave The Messenger a literary quality. Third person point-of-view and tenses were used confidently and the ebook was remarkably clear to read. Falnir’s tribulations; combined as they were with heroism, suffering, monsters, friendship, and unconscionably deeds; made for a startlingly disturbing and revelatory read that really hit Falnir hard.

Criticism: There were some scenes that had too many place names or were otherwise riddled with overly descriptive passages of hills, woods, horses, and mountainsides. The detail was rich, but I suppose I can’t have it both ways. Some themes repeated a bit too often and noticeably, such as Falnir made to feel guilty for acts others could not prove, being sent with new groups of rangers, and waking up in a healing hut.

Falnir’s tribulations; combined as they were with heroism, suffering, monsters, friendship, and unconscionable deeds; made for a startlingly disturbing and revelatory read that really hit Falnir hard. The reader saw the full roster of good and evil, and in many guises. The Messenger is a terrific read, put simply. Every time it slowed down or dipped into description, it would rise yet again with confrontation, intriguing scenarios, and terrifying hunts. Were you impressed with the beginning of this read, and with all the blood, gore, and action? The setting changes, but at its core is Falnir and a journey that makes Bilbo Baggins’ seem quite trivial. The author has worked a grand piece of fiction here, and anybody looking to dip into some real dark fantasy that tests the body and mind of its character should look no further.

‘Endless carefree consumption, total comfort, all you can eat, and only at the low, low cost of your human soul and who believed in that anymore.’

In book three of Michael Shean’s dark cyberpunk series, he explores the paths we can take as humanity: to stick with the militaristic war-like foible of the human race or to use the superior technology of the alien Yathi to humanity’s advantage and risk losing a small part of ourselves.

Thomas Walken’s worse fears are realised when he wakes up as one of the Yathi. He doesn’t know his true purpose or what the Mother of Systems has planned for him. Walken must evolve, from a policeman to a spy operative, listening to external intelligence to make considered choices in the greater scheme of things. His new body has the potential to put him on an even keel with his alien enemies, if only he knew how to unlock his capabilities. ‘The magnetic fields around his hands, his arms, the elements that would flash-heat the trapped air into white-hot plasma. His alloy-laced bones, his diamond heart. The poreless white skin beneath his sensory absorptive coating, Nemea invulnerability rendered from flesh impregnated with nanomachines.’

The author keeps the best parts of character Bobbi’s point of view from Redeye (book two) and combines it with Walken’s ego: ‘I’m hoping to kick ass and save the day no matter what you do to me’. Bobbi is much stronger and confident in Gathering Ashes, bringing together a group of hackers and using reclaimed Yathi as assassins. Though I was more excited with Walken’s ‘no shits given’ exchanges with enemies, it was Bobbi’s personality and character that felt more real. The way she thought, acted, and interacted bore uncanny resemblance to somebody who might have lived in the real world.

Criticism: I couldn’t easily fault Gathering Ashes. The quotations marks were presented inconsistently. Author should maybe cut out some similes, which stuck out in the text next to the already excellent pace and tone of the writing. Ch.12 was exceptionally long. When did Tom see Scalli, did I miss that part? There is a gap in my memory there. Regarding the ‘mysterious horseshit’ perpetrated by god-like AI Cagliostro, I wanted more answers than conjecture to explain who he is and whether he really can be trusted. It’s clear more will be answered in the next book, but some things could have been wrapped up better.

The author has adapted his writing, adding brief backstories, more considered settings, and even crossed into the spy genre with infiltration missions, all of which were well balanced, at the correct length and written with superb quality. The story contained some of the most exciting action I’ve read in science fiction with the right level of urgency, a firm grip of technology, and an understanding of cause and effect. I liked the fact that Gathering Ashes was not a rushed third book, and the author took his time to reacquaint the reader with the setting and characters. The flow was perfect. What else can I say except that Gathering Ashes is a well-crafted sequel that I hugely enjoyed? Each book continues to get better.