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

I found reading What’s in a Name? to be a surprising, dark, and not-too-short fantasy short-story that packs a punch.

An intrepid company of elves led by Commander Vondrall must venture towards the volcanic Thunderer peak, where a dragon lies, to make good the King’s wedding commitment to his blushing bride. There are riches, treasure, and secrets there, but what exactly are they after? Armed with a dragon scale and a spell, they fancy their chances, but a rival company of men is similarly equipped and is covetously intent on securing the treasure. For Vondrall and his elves, the quest will not be as easy or simple as he foolishly assumes.

Good descriptive imagery that brought the action to life, especially in the dragon’s lair, but equally with the dark monstrous elements that surface later. It was juicy and chilling darkness that really shows the author’s strength in this area, and had me transfixed. I liked the way a set of old ideas was reshaped into something that read new as well: a dragon cursed by his own name by an ancient elven warrior. I would compare it to Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Beowulf.

Criticism: the pacing in the first half was a touch too fast for me and it was difficult to decipher which group was doing what and for what reason, and even who the main elven character was. Upon reaching the dragon’s lair, it redeemed itself and showed some exceptionable writing.

(The Sword of Idis – Book 2)


‘After all this time, all she wanted was revenge’. Awaken is an epic fantasy adventure, with a traditional fantasy magical realm and urban human realm, set in a post-apocalyptic world after the Pulse, a weapon used in a past war which caused catastrophe and revealed the magical realm. Awaken mainly focuses on the point-of-view of half-breed Esa as she comes to terms with how she feels about Thomas when he left her to her fate after the Battle of the Realms, which was when the Council (of Elves?) took Esa and then let her go. The reader is deliberately kept in the dark about what exactly happened, and discovering the truth was one of the intriguing mysteries for the characters around Esa.

Esa has to contend with her risen status as somebody of consequence, but still struggles to receive the respect she by no means expects. The elves are superior, arrogant, and disdainful of “inferior” races. They think they can act in the best interests of all, and are happy to use any means to achieve their goals. However, for Esa, fighting off Thomas and the strong feelings she has for him is as much of a challenge as her relations with elves. It’s easy to see how Esa has matured in the second book. She’s strong enough to cast Thomas aside to protect her feelings. All she needs is to stop letting her falls get the better of her willpower, and to be careful her growing independence doesn’t alienate her friends.

At only 10% through, I could see terrific flowing writing and interesting character dynamics, such as when Rootu wished to find juicy bugs and show them at inappropriate times like at dinner, which made me laugh out loud a few times. Indeed, Rootu’s inappropriate behaviour was his one discernible flaw, though I found it funny most of the time. Rootu was the most captivating character for me, being the adorable insect-catching Spinner. Apart from the dark humour he brought, as a companion he is Esa’s most pleasant constant, willing to sacrifice himself for her happiness even though he is sad and lonely himself.

The first fight scene at 20% through was brief, well described visually, and exciting. I soon came to the conclusion that Awaken had quality writing. HJ Daly has a focus and control over her characters, more so than in the first book Pulse. The reader is brought clearly and progressively into the world at the right pace that made it easy to comprehend. When situations were repeated, like when all the characters looked at Esa, they were perceived differently: ‘pity parted starting again’, which made the same things appear new and interesting. I became completely invested in the characters’ lives, so much so that I found myself cross when they weren’t able to find happiness. Impossibly, the writing turned up a notch in the last 10%, and the scenes flowed visually and cinematically at very exciting pace and I read much more than I intended to. It was a reminder that the author can spin an immersive fight when she wants to, and at this point I found myself needing to know how Awaken would end.

Criticism: Sometimes the point-of-view switches felt too sudden and produced a jarring effect, and the scene breaks marking the passage of time or events might have been clearer. Also, I got confused who exactly Marcus was; a character from the first book?

Awaken was a vast improvement, well put-together, and with emotionally driven characters that brought out humour, sadness, conflict, and pain. I was brought into the story through the characters’ differences, and their adventures never bored me. Yes, prepared to be stunned with this sequel.

‘Fathering a son on a female troll held captive in his dungeons, Imric exchanged the nonhuman babe for the true son of Orm the Jutlander. Thus, while Valgard the Changeling was raised as Orm’s son in the Lands of Men, the true son of the Jutlander, Skafloc, was reared to manhood in the twilight fields and whispering woods of timeless and shadowy Faerie…’

Though an epic fantasy reminiscent of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Poul Anderson did not borrow from Tolkien; The Broken Sword was published in the same year as The Fellowship of the Ring in 1954. Expect the usual elves, trolls, and goblins, but this time with a changeling twist. The infant son of Orm of Jutland has been substituted with the half-breed Valgard, son of elf-earl Imric and a female troll prisoner. Imric is behind all of it, but his motivations aren’t clear. Perhaps he wanted a human because they are stronger than elves and unlike them can withstand iron.

As they grow older, while the human Skafloc grows proficient in the magics, songs, and skills of faerie under his foster father Imric, Valgard grows up within Orm’s household in England and is despised for his moody countenance. Dogs bark at his passage. Valgard’s anger grows and he excels at the Viking raids. It is apparent there is a division between him and his family but it’s not until he is ensnared and tricked by a beautiful young witch that he takes a path of bloodshed and murder. Fuelled by his strength and hatred of his division he does what the witch advises: to head towards Trollheim to win the favour of Troll King Illrede, for Valgard has learnt he is of Troll and Elf, not human, blood.

What follows is an epic battle for the elf homelands. In the Troll versus Elf conflict Valgard comes face-to-face with Skafloc, who bears the likeness. The fated ‘brothers’ pit their skills afainst one another, and it’s Skafloc’s faerie skills against Valgard’s ‘berserkergang’. Their fates are destined to clash time and again, and are entwined with the future of faerie and the Lands of Men. Also in the midst of this is a tragic forbidden love story between a survivor of Orm’s household, the sorrowful Freda, and Skafloc. Their love is made all the more perilous when the Elf woman Leea yearns for Skafloc’s love.

My only criticism is that while the stakes and the characters were introduced well, much of how they came to the conclusion was mired in endless descriptions and irrelevant sub-characters.

What an epic read! It is certainly a contrasting read with Lord of the Rings, but is quicker, more tragic, and violent. I’d call this a classic. If you like Lord of the Rings, read it now! The mystery ‘the broken sword’ itself represents to me a broken or stray soul; a theme that resonates with Valgard (most obviously), but also Skafloc and the elf women.