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Mavonduri Trilogy #1
Mathion
In an ancient time long lost to legend, a race of men known as the Wolven inhabited the land of Ánovén. To the north lay the land of Kânavad, home to a brutal, savage race we know today as Werewolves.
At the age of seven, the Wolven prince Mathion encountered a dying White Wolf, and received two gifts that would forever change not only his life, but the course of history itself. Centuries later, with a White Wolf at his side, Mathion gathers together a small band of warriors, consisting of both friends and family. Their mission: help the city of Kihar east of the river defend itself against an advancing army of werewolves.
Along the way, Mathion learns of a secret that he has carried with him all his life, and a power that can change the tide of a war that has raged between the Wolven and the Werewolves for over twenty thousand years. Little does he know that his enemy is well aware of this secret. And they will do anything to obtain the final piece of a puzzle that, if completed, could condemn the world to eternal darkness.
When someone close to him is captured alive by the enemy, Mathion attempts the impossible: to venture into the enemy's homeland itself, and infiltrate the Black City, the stronghold of Lord Azgharáth, the oldest and strongest of the werewolves. With this choice, events are set in motion that will hurtle these lands toward a final confrontation, and an epic journey is begun that will change everyone's lives forever.
At the age of seven, the Wolven prince Mathion encountered a dying White Wolf, and received two gifts that would forever change not only his life, but the course of history itself. Centuries later, with a White Wolf at his side, Mathion gathers together a small band of warriors, consisting of both friends and family. Their mission: help the city of Kihar east of the river defend itself against an advancing army of werewolves.
Along the way, Mathion learns of a secret that he has carried with him all his life, and a power that can change the tide of a war that has raged between the Wolven and the Werewolves for over twenty thousand years. Little does he know that his enemy is well aware of this secret. And they will do anything to obtain the final piece of a puzzle that, if completed, could condemn the world to eternal darkness.
When someone close to him is captured alive by the enemy, Mathion attempts the impossible: to venture into the enemy's homeland itself, and infiltrate the Black City, the stronghold of Lord Azgharáth, the oldest and strongest of the werewolves. With this choice, events are set in motion that will hurtle these lands toward a final confrontation, and an epic journey is begun that will change everyone's lives forever.
330 pages, Nook
First published October 14, 2010
3 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Shanley
3 books78 followersA longtime fan of science fiction, horror and fantasy, I have always dreamed of writing something that would impact people's lives and experiences, both literary and personal.
My biggest inspiration for my writing was and is The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as his entire Middle-earth legendarium.
I don't just limit myself to fantasy novels, though. I've also written a few screenplays and I'm an avid movie buff (to say the least).
MATHION, and the MAVONDURI TRILOGY as a whole has taken the better part of a decade to develop, and I hope that you enjoy the series as much as I enjoy writing it. The second book in the trilogy, THE LAST ASCENSION: BOOK TWO OF THE MAVONDURI TRILOGY, is currently forming itself and hopefully should be out soon. Anyway, check out the Mavonduri Trilogy Official Blog, subscribe to my YouTube channel (TheMavonduriTrilogy) and my Twitter (@Mavonduri) for the latest updates and general rambling from me!!
Thanks everyone,
Jeff
My biggest inspiration for my writing was and is The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as his entire Middle-earth legendarium.
I don't just limit myself to fantasy novels, though. I've also written a few screenplays and I'm an avid movie buff (to say the least).
MATHION, and the MAVONDURI TRILOGY as a whole has taken the better part of a decade to develop, and I hope that you enjoy the series as much as I enjoy writing it. The second book in the trilogy, THE LAST ASCENSION: BOOK TWO OF THE MAVONDURI TRILOGY, is currently forming itself and hopefully should be out soon. Anyway, check out the Mavonduri Trilogy Official Blog, subscribe to my YouTube channel (TheMavonduriTrilogy) and my Twitter (@Mavonduri) for the latest updates and general rambling from me!!
Thanks everyone,
Jeff
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 26, 2011
After reading this book I had a real heart v.s head moment. There was a big part of me that wanted to give this book a higher review but ultimately I could not ignore its flaws.
The mythology of this book is superb, clearly the writer has taken enough time to flawlessly mold every peice of the mythology that tells of Kanin (werewolves) and Wolven (werewolf hunters). The mythology of the Kanin is perhaps one of the best retellings of a well known icon (werewolf) that I have ever read and for the mythology alone this book is worth a read.
However once you get past the awesome mythology everything else in this book comes off as pretty stock standard or merely out of place. The story is very predicatable one that most fantasy readers would have heard before. There is no great twists or revelations that encourage you to continue reading onwards. Not only that but there never really is a sense of urgency or compassion that you feel as the characters really just seem to be going through the motions of a predictable tale. For example when the Wolven are attempting to get the nations of men on board to lay siege to the werewolf capital it comes off as almost subdued. The Elders don't wanna lay siege to the city but seem just too easily convinced. One moment they seem dead against it and then it's like they just shrug their shoulders and say "Okay". Just to clarify they don't actually just say okay, but that is just how the overall scene felt.
The characters are also another problem because pretty much all of them are forgettable. The bad guys (Kanin) are the typical dark evil monsters and the good guys are the standard good hearted warriors. There just wasn't enough developement of any of the characters to make them individual enough to be remembered. I understand that this book is the first in a trilogy but judging by the title "Mathion" also the name of the main character a lot more time should have been set aside to really establish why the reader should care about him. Instead he falls in line with the rest of the cast as someone we have seen far too many times to care about.
Elekan, a wolf that is suppose to be the last in a bloodline of "Legendary white wolves" is perhaps the only character that goes against the typical convention of epic fantasy. The problem with this however is it goes against it the wrong way. Elekan should come off as what he is claimed to be, a legendary white wolf something that people should greatly fear and respect. However this isn't really the case. Elekan comes off more as the faithful sidekick to Mathion a kind of character that just doesn't really fit in with the dark undertone of the story. The author tries to make Elekan fit into the story by having him kill werewolves (rather quite gruesomely). But when I was reading these acts I just really couldn't buy it. I found myself remembering the times when he was patted like a common pet and people were making fun of him. Elekan never carried the level of awe that he really should have.
The author in the first couple of pages of this book explains that he wanted to write a lord of the rings styled story but add something new by retelling the werewolf legend in a way he has never seen before. I will give credit where credit is due and as I said at the beginning of this review the kanin mythology is great. However the overall problem with this book has to do with the author trying to make this a story like lord of the rings. I don't want to knock him for trying to emulate his favorite author as there is quite a number of great authors out there that has done the same. But overall the problem is the author has tried simply too hard to emulate Tolkien to the point that in many ways he has sacrificed crucial elements of telling his own unique story.
As I said in the beginning I really wanted to give this book a better rating which shows just how much potential this story really had. Hopefully the second book in the trilogy irons out a lot of the flaws that I have mentioned.
The mythology of this book is superb, clearly the writer has taken enough time to flawlessly mold every peice of the mythology that tells of Kanin (werewolves) and Wolven (werewolf hunters). The mythology of the Kanin is perhaps one of the best retellings of a well known icon (werewolf) that I have ever read and for the mythology alone this book is worth a read.
However once you get past the awesome mythology everything else in this book comes off as pretty stock standard or merely out of place. The story is very predicatable one that most fantasy readers would have heard before. There is no great twists or revelations that encourage you to continue reading onwards. Not only that but there never really is a sense of urgency or compassion that you feel as the characters really just seem to be going through the motions of a predictable tale. For example when the Wolven are attempting to get the nations of men on board to lay siege to the werewolf capital it comes off as almost subdued. The Elders don't wanna lay siege to the city but seem just too easily convinced. One moment they seem dead against it and then it's like they just shrug their shoulders and say "Okay". Just to clarify they don't actually just say okay, but that is just how the overall scene felt.
The characters are also another problem because pretty much all of them are forgettable. The bad guys (Kanin) are the typical dark evil monsters and the good guys are the standard good hearted warriors. There just wasn't enough developement of any of the characters to make them individual enough to be remembered. I understand that this book is the first in a trilogy but judging by the title "Mathion" also the name of the main character a lot more time should have been set aside to really establish why the reader should care about him. Instead he falls in line with the rest of the cast as someone we have seen far too many times to care about.
Elekan, a wolf that is suppose to be the last in a bloodline of "Legendary white wolves" is perhaps the only character that goes against the typical convention of epic fantasy. The problem with this however is it goes against it the wrong way. Elekan should come off as what he is claimed to be, a legendary white wolf something that people should greatly fear and respect. However this isn't really the case. Elekan comes off more as the faithful sidekick to Mathion a kind of character that just doesn't really fit in with the dark undertone of the story. The author tries to make Elekan fit into the story by having him kill werewolves (rather quite gruesomely). But when I was reading these acts I just really couldn't buy it. I found myself remembering the times when he was patted like a common pet and people were making fun of him. Elekan never carried the level of awe that he really should have.
The author in the first couple of pages of this book explains that he wanted to write a lord of the rings styled story but add something new by retelling the werewolf legend in a way he has never seen before. I will give credit where credit is due and as I said at the beginning of this review the kanin mythology is great. However the overall problem with this book has to do with the author trying to make this a story like lord of the rings. I don't want to knock him for trying to emulate his favorite author as there is quite a number of great authors out there that has done the same. But overall the problem is the author has tried simply too hard to emulate Tolkien to the point that in many ways he has sacrificed crucial elements of telling his own unique story.
As I said in the beginning I really wanted to give this book a better rating which shows just how much potential this story really had. Hopefully the second book in the trilogy irons out a lot of the flaws that I have mentioned.
July 7, 2011
This is by far the greatest e-book that I have ever read! I know it's a pretty bold statement so I thought instead of simply rehashing the story of Mathion I would try to my best to justify this statement.
In this day and age many readers such as me find ourselves looking back to the past, to the classics asking and wondering why can’t modern day authors tell stories like the great authors of the past? When we do come across an author who has tried to write a more traditional story or classic story too often it comes off as generic and pretty forgettable. Mathion however has that old styled feel to it but at the same time stays fresh and interesting in a number of ways. The following are 6 reasons why Mathion is a 5 star book!
The first has to do with bringing in the Werewolf in a way that as far as I know no author has ever done. This is an accomplishment in itself because let’s face it the werewolf today has become as generic as zombies and Nazis.
The second concerns mythology of a fantasy story, a lot of authors have so much mythology to tell that they fill their books with pages and pages of it causing the story to slow right down and more often than not stop completely as the mythology is explained. Mathion never forces this kind of situation onto the reader allowing you to enjoy the story at a perfect place while the mythology is effortlessly explained.
The third has to do with the characters of the story. This is linked to the mythology as well considering usually characters are simply used to explain the mythology rather than being individuals that the reader can get behind. Mathion is driven by its characters rather than anything else allowing the reader to really get invested in what is taking place.
The forth is the length of the novel. In an age of convenience a lot of readers are weary of reading a really long book. Many find it too daunting and such stories soon become a task in place of an enjoyment to finish reading. But at the same time people do not want an epic fantasy novel that well isn’t epic. There are plenty of stories that end abruptly and do not fill complete. At roughly 130,000 words Mathion is the perfect length. Not too long so you feel daunted by reading it but not too short so you don’t feel satisfied when you have finished.
The fifth reason: For most trilogies the first book often works simply as a set up for the next two in the series. The flaws with this however are that the first book often doesn’t satisfy the way it really should it leaves the reader feeling empty and at times annoyed. Also the ending of the first book in a trilogy often makes it just a little too obvious where the story is headed. Not only does Mathion as a book on its own satisfy but its ending gives you no hint whatsoever as to where the story is heading and that is something that really does get you hooked to read the next instalment.
The sixth reason is really a combination of all the other reasons I have given. When a writer does try to do something different they often rely on that fact alone forgetting all other aspects of the story. Mathion does not rely on this fact at all creating a story that you will remember long after you have finished reading it.
In this day and age many readers such as me find ourselves looking back to the past, to the classics asking and wondering why can’t modern day authors tell stories like the great authors of the past? When we do come across an author who has tried to write a more traditional story or classic story too often it comes off as generic and pretty forgettable. Mathion however has that old styled feel to it but at the same time stays fresh and interesting in a number of ways. The following are 6 reasons why Mathion is a 5 star book!
The first has to do with bringing in the Werewolf in a way that as far as I know no author has ever done. This is an accomplishment in itself because let’s face it the werewolf today has become as generic as zombies and Nazis.
The second concerns mythology of a fantasy story, a lot of authors have so much mythology to tell that they fill their books with pages and pages of it causing the story to slow right down and more often than not stop completely as the mythology is explained. Mathion never forces this kind of situation onto the reader allowing you to enjoy the story at a perfect place while the mythology is effortlessly explained.
The third has to do with the characters of the story. This is linked to the mythology as well considering usually characters are simply used to explain the mythology rather than being individuals that the reader can get behind. Mathion is driven by its characters rather than anything else allowing the reader to really get invested in what is taking place.
The forth is the length of the novel. In an age of convenience a lot of readers are weary of reading a really long book. Many find it too daunting and such stories soon become a task in place of an enjoyment to finish reading. But at the same time people do not want an epic fantasy novel that well isn’t epic. There are plenty of stories that end abruptly and do not fill complete. At roughly 130,000 words Mathion is the perfect length. Not too long so you feel daunted by reading it but not too short so you don’t feel satisfied when you have finished.
The fifth reason: For most trilogies the first book often works simply as a set up for the next two in the series. The flaws with this however are that the first book often doesn’t satisfy the way it really should it leaves the reader feeling empty and at times annoyed. Also the ending of the first book in a trilogy often makes it just a little too obvious where the story is headed. Not only does Mathion as a book on its own satisfy but its ending gives you no hint whatsoever as to where the story is heading and that is something that really does get you hooked to read the next instalment.
The sixth reason is really a combination of all the other reasons I have given. When a writer does try to do something different they often rely on that fact alone forgetting all other aspects of the story. Mathion does not rely on this fact at all creating a story that you will remember long after you have finished reading it.
January 13, 2012
Mathion is the story of the Wolven prince as he and his people struggle against the forces of the werewolf king and battle for control of the landscape. When Mathion's brother in law is kidnapped by the werewolves Mathion and his companions embark on a dangerous journey, determined to get their friend back at any cost.
I got myself a copy of this after reading How Gods Bleed Shane Porteous's highly original werewolf tale left me eager for another werewolf and warrior story. Not to mention the fact that Shane Porteous mentions this book as his main inspiration for How Gods Bleed.
Now that I have read it I can understand why Shane Porteous was so impressed and influenced by Mathion. There is so much to like in this story. First and foremost has to be its true depth. Everybody and everything has a history in the story. This made everything much more credible while I was reading it.
I have read other reviews of this book and many state that it is "Lord of the Rings" but with werewolves. While there is some truth to that I feel it gives the misconception that this is a knockoff novel. Mathion truly has an identity of its own.
It is a traditional read, but certainly not a boring one. The characters are perfect in that they are well formed enough for the reader to get invested in them but each still contained just enough mystery to keep them interesting.
As for the story itself it is very interesting in that it is typical fantasy affair but at the same time is not the typical first book of a trilogy. The ending is left with a great cliff hanger, but doesn't make it painfully obvious where the story is heading.
I think the best way to describe how much I enjoyed this story is this. The history of this world is so vast and interesting, that I am disappointed only three books are going to be in the series. I would love the chance to explore more of this interesting history.
If the first book is anything to go on, the Mavonduri trilogy is shaping up to be a great read and a fantastic series.
September 18, 2011
WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS
This was a very interesting read, one that ultimately was very difficult to rate because there seemed just as many cons as pros.
The pros are this story actually gives werewolves a detailed and involved history, something that they have never really had before, which is surprisingly considering the millions and millions of stories that have been told about them. There is a lot of depth and history in this book, something that a lot of modern day fantasies tend to lack. The passion of the author can really be felt while reading this story and that is something which a lot of authors today lack (or at the least seem to)
The cons have to do with pacing problems, with parts feeling over described and others under described. There is a lack of character developement and growth which makes it difficult for the reader to attach themselves to the character. The story itself is also very predictable with no ground breaking elements to set it apart from all the other traditional stories out there. Also the ending of this book does a lot of damage to the overall trilogy. Mathion the main character duels against AZGHARÁTH the werewolf king and survives. The problem with this is the main character has already faced the villian of the piece who had been built up as secondary only to the gods in terms of power. The author may very well have shot themselves in the foot by doing this because there is no greater threat than AZGHARÁTH. The bad guy has proven not to be all powerful, so his presence has been greatly diminished for the next books in the series.
Most of these problems are forgiveable however and overall Mathion is a highly entertaining read. Taking into consideration that this is the debut release of an independent author and it more than deserves four stars.
This was a very interesting read, one that ultimately was very difficult to rate because there seemed just as many cons as pros.
The pros are this story actually gives werewolves a detailed and involved history, something that they have never really had before, which is surprisingly considering the millions and millions of stories that have been told about them. There is a lot of depth and history in this book, something that a lot of modern day fantasies tend to lack. The passion of the author can really be felt while reading this story and that is something which a lot of authors today lack (or at the least seem to)
The cons have to do with pacing problems, with parts feeling over described and others under described. There is a lack of character developement and growth which makes it difficult for the reader to attach themselves to the character. The story itself is also very predictable with no ground breaking elements to set it apart from all the other traditional stories out there. Also the ending of this book does a lot of damage to the overall trilogy. Mathion the main character duels against AZGHARÁTH the werewolf king and survives. The problem with this is the main character has already faced the villian of the piece who had been built up as secondary only to the gods in terms of power. The author may very well have shot themselves in the foot by doing this because there is no greater threat than AZGHARÁTH. The bad guy has proven not to be all powerful, so his presence has been greatly diminished for the next books in the series.
Most of these problems are forgiveable however and overall Mathion is a highly entertaining read. Taking into consideration that this is the debut release of an independent author and it more than deserves four stars.
April 16, 2012
Sometimes you will come across a book with an such a great and yet simple idea and you find yourself asking why someone hasn’t done this before. Mathion is such a book. Out of all the werewolf stories out there, none of them have given the werewolf, such a detailed history, literally spanning thousands and thousands of years.
That is what I loved about this book, the sense of genuine depth. It reminded me of the fantasy books I used to read as a kid. The kind of book that felt like you weren’t suspending belief but rather reading about an actual world.
In this day and age where most new authors are writing urban fantasy or trying to turn the genre on its head, Mathion goes back to the more traditional way of storytelling. It stands out by bringing the werewolf into the High fantasy genre. It is kind of strange this book feels different in the modern area by being more traditional.
The story itself is very traditional, but I don’t see anything wrong with that. Not every book has to reinvent the wheel. There is nothing wrong with the wheel, especially when it is as well crafted and polished as Mathion is.
This is a story of Good and Evil and I liked the fact I could rely on Mathion to be that rock, I didn’t have to worry about him betraying his kind and giving in to the dark side. The werewolf king is pure evil, and again I liked the fact I knew who he was and what he was about immediately.
Old-school fantasy story telling at its finest.
That is what I loved about this book, the sense of genuine depth. It reminded me of the fantasy books I used to read as a kid. The kind of book that felt like you weren’t suspending belief but rather reading about an actual world.
In this day and age where most new authors are writing urban fantasy or trying to turn the genre on its head, Mathion goes back to the more traditional way of storytelling. It stands out by bringing the werewolf into the High fantasy genre. It is kind of strange this book feels different in the modern area by being more traditional.
The story itself is very traditional, but I don’t see anything wrong with that. Not every book has to reinvent the wheel. There is nothing wrong with the wheel, especially when it is as well crafted and polished as Mathion is.
This is a story of Good and Evil and I liked the fact I could rely on Mathion to be that rock, I didn’t have to worry about him betraying his kind and giving in to the dark side. The werewolf king is pure evil, and again I liked the fact I knew who he was and what he was about immediately.
Old-school fantasy story telling at its finest.
August 18, 2011
It's rather quite strange just how refreshing this book feels in this day and age, because at its heart Mathion is very tradional in its story telling. I suppose it has to do with so many authors these days preferring to go down the alternative route.
The biggest praise I can give this book is its genuine depth, not an illusion of depth. In the introduction the author explains that he has been working on Mathion for a decade and it really does show in his story telling. Every city, every person, every nation in this book has its own well crafted history. Nothing feels simply made up on the spot,this has the feel of a historical novel such as Romance of the three kingdoms in spite of the fact all of it is completely made up.
The characters of Mathion are fresh and yet familiar, everything you expect from them can be found within the pages of this story, but at the same time the characters don't come off as stale. Mathion in particular is a great character and works well as the embodiment of what a main character of epic fantasy should be.
While I wouldn't want an entire bookshelf worth of "werewolf epics", this book really is something special and is without a doubt the best independent book that I have read.
The biggest praise I can give this book is its genuine depth, not an illusion of depth. In the introduction the author explains that he has been working on Mathion for a decade and it really does show in his story telling. Every city, every person, every nation in this book has its own well crafted history. Nothing feels simply made up on the spot,this has the feel of a historical novel such as Romance of the three kingdoms in spite of the fact all of it is completely made up.
The characters of Mathion are fresh and yet familiar, everything you expect from them can be found within the pages of this story, but at the same time the characters don't come off as stale. Mathion in particular is a great character and works well as the embodiment of what a main character of epic fantasy should be.
While I wouldn't want an entire bookshelf worth of "werewolf epics", this book really is something special and is without a doubt the best independent book that I have read.
January 13, 2012
Retrospect is an important thing and because of it I changed my rating of this book. If you read my original review then you know I read this because I enjoyed How Gods Bleedso much. I have never been a big fan of tradtional fantasy, which I think played a huge part in why I liked Shane Porteous' book so much.
Both Shane Porteous and Jeff Shanley stated in the introductions of their books that this was a traditional story. I knew that or rather should have known that before I read this book. I judged Mathion far too harshly because it wasn't what I wanted it to be instead of taking it for what it is. I feel almost a little embarrassed by my immaturity and I would just like to apologize to Jeff Shanley for judging his book incorrectly.
My new rating comes from comparing this book to the handful of tradtional fantasy stories that I have read. I also took into consideration that this is an independent release. This is a cut above a lot of what is out there in terms of independent releases and I feel confident traditional readers will enjoy this book tremendously.
Both Shane Porteous and Jeff Shanley stated in the introductions of their books that this was a traditional story. I knew that or rather should have known that before I read this book. I judged Mathion far too harshly because it wasn't what I wanted it to be instead of taking it for what it is. I feel almost a little embarrassed by my immaturity and I would just like to apologize to Jeff Shanley for judging his book incorrectly.
My new rating comes from comparing this book to the handful of tradtional fantasy stories that I have read. I also took into consideration that this is an independent release. This is a cut above a lot of what is out there in terms of independent releases and I feel confident traditional readers will enjoy this book tremendously.
May 2, 2011
Without a doubt this book is done in homage to the lord of the rings with very recognizable themes. It is a traditional story but done from a new direction introducing the werewolf in a way I have never seen before. The greatest strength of Mathion is that it is a far more character driven story than many fantasy books that I have read. In place of caring only about the mythology of Mathion (which is very enjoyable on it's own) you care more about the characters and the reasons behind their actions.
In my opinion the only thing that really holds Mathion back has to do with the werewolf characters in the book. While many of the good guys have their own back stories and are unique to one another the werewolves (which as you may have guessed) are the bad guys, are very one dimensional and give little inspiration to the reader as to why you should fear them.
However as a whole Mathion is a very good read with a fresh yet familiar plot and characters.
In my opinion the only thing that really holds Mathion back has to do with the werewolf characters in the book. While many of the good guys have their own back stories and are unique to one another the werewolves (which as you may have guessed) are the bad guys, are very one dimensional and give little inspiration to the reader as to why you should fear them.
However as a whole Mathion is a very good read with a fresh yet familiar plot and characters.
August 28, 2012
I just finished reading this, I read three quarters of Mathion in a single sitting, that shows just how interesting of a book this really is. This is a traditional fantasy story with werewolves effectively thrown in the mix. This book however is not a traditional first book in a fantasy trilogy. The ending is very satisfying and deosn't make it obvious where the story is heading. After reading this I almost felt like I was taking a long breath along with the protagonists who had been through so much. There is genuine depth in this book with a history so interesting that 100 novels could easily be written from it. I can't wait to see where the story goes in the sequel.
Congrats to the author on writing such a fine book!
Congrats to the author on writing such a fine book!
May 6, 2011
Finally a book where the werewolves are not the pets of vampires or stupid overgrown muts. The werewolves of Mathion serve no one and unlike certain othe werewolves they are not shy around girls and have no problem with ripping apart anything that stands in their way!
The best way to describe Mathion is lord of the rings with werewolves,
need I say more?
The best way to describe Mathion is lord of the rings with werewolves,
need I say more?
August 9, 2016
The advent of ebooks has seen the number of self-published authors rise significantly over the past few years. Author's like Amanda Hocking, Michael J. Sullivan and Moses Siregar have all come from the self-published ranks and their success gives confidence to readers like myself that the next hidden gem might also come from the same place. So when I read and became intrigued by blurb for Mathion by Jeff Shanley, I was ready to give another self-published author the opportunity to make a real impression. Unfortunately for Shanley, Mathion is not the next hidden gem, falling well short of my expectations by delivering a story that had a lot of promise but failed in it's execution.
This story documents the war between the Wolven and the Werewolves, two very similar races that are fighting for domination in a violent world. Mathion, a young Wolven prince and the central character of this story, has put together a small force of specialist Wolven warriors in an attempt to defend their lands from the Werewolf invasion. When his brother-in-law is captured and taken deep into Werewolf territory, Mathion decides to mount a rescue mission, inadvertently setting in motion a number of events that finally bring this war of attrition to a head. This is a story with a lot of potential but just lacking something to set it apart from everything else. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. It has the traditional triad of protagonist, antagonist, and relationship character. It doesn't have any glaring plot holes. It is a solid story with some tight plotting. That is normally ok when the author is trying to be adventurous in other areas such as world building or characterisation, but with that lack of risk taking in those other areas the story became the focal point, and for me it just didn't do enough to separate itself from a very large crowd.
While Shanley may not have taken any big risks in worldbuilding, it certainly wasn't from a lack of effort. The world of the Mavonduri has been painstakingly constructed almost to the extent of what underpants every character was wearing every day for the course of 1000+ years. Shanley has gone to a huge amount of effort defining history, culture, back stories, back stories to the back stories, a brand new language and new alphabet - it is the accumulation of ten years spent world building and the amount of work here is phenomenal. Shanley has also slightly redefined the origin story of the werewolf, mixing some classical genesis with a few of his own ideas for a very interesting take on the werewolf mythos. But that is about as adventurous as it gets for Shanley's world building, because other than that there isn't much of interest to talk about despite the hundreds of years of history being provided to us. It was just dying out for a cataclysm, a singularity, an event that completely redefined the world they lived in. All the work has been done building the world, show me how it will react when I drop a meteor the size of the moon on it.
The characters in this story follow a similar fate to the plot and worldbuilding in that they just didn't do enough to separate themselves from a large crowd. Mathion is your typical hero, he is royal, a natural leader, heroic, and selfless to fault. He is a well rounded character with his own motivations and he only wants to do what is best for his people. The problem for me is that I have seen this typical hero so many times in so many stories since I started reading fantasy almost fifteen years ago. The bigger problem for me is that the support cast are very close to being carbon copies of Mathion, they all speak with the same voice they all share the same motivations and they all share the same qualities. Even the villains are very similar to Mathion, and while they have some evil motivations that involve world domination / destruction, they too speak with the same voice and share the same qualities as Mathion. The poor characterisation here really lets down all the work that was done by Shanley in building an incredibly detailed world and a solid story to exist in it.
The last thing I will comment on here is the writing, an area that needs a significant amount of improvement if I am to read anything else by Shanley. The writing in this story did not allow me to immerse myself in the story, I was constantly being pulled out by the multitude of very complex yet very similar names and places that littered the world. Every character name rhymed and sounded the same, so when coupled with all the characters having the same voice I really had trouble figuring out who was who and what they were doing. For every page of plot progression, there would be at least two pages worth of history lessons, sometimes to explain what happened in the plot, sometimes because an unfamiliar name was mentioned in the plot. It stopped me from getting into a good rhythm with my reading and resulted in me rereading a lot of pages and skipping even more.
Mathion is a novel with an interesting premise that could have been a great book if Shanley had executed his technical skills with a bit more precision and taken a few risks with his story telling, world building and characterisation. He has obviously gone to a huge amount of effort in creating this world, and there is enough potential in there for Shanley to tell some really good stories. But at the moment this book and Shanley's writing doesn't stand up to the classics or the plethora of new fantasy authors that have come on the scene in the last few years.
This story documents the war between the Wolven and the Werewolves, two very similar races that are fighting for domination in a violent world. Mathion, a young Wolven prince and the central character of this story, has put together a small force of specialist Wolven warriors in an attempt to defend their lands from the Werewolf invasion. When his brother-in-law is captured and taken deep into Werewolf territory, Mathion decides to mount a rescue mission, inadvertently setting in motion a number of events that finally bring this war of attrition to a head. This is a story with a lot of potential but just lacking something to set it apart from everything else. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. It has the traditional triad of protagonist, antagonist, and relationship character. It doesn't have any glaring plot holes. It is a solid story with some tight plotting. That is normally ok when the author is trying to be adventurous in other areas such as world building or characterisation, but with that lack of risk taking in those other areas the story became the focal point, and for me it just didn't do enough to separate itself from a very large crowd.
While Shanley may not have taken any big risks in worldbuilding, it certainly wasn't from a lack of effort. The world of the Mavonduri has been painstakingly constructed almost to the extent of what underpants every character was wearing every day for the course of 1000+ years. Shanley has gone to a huge amount of effort defining history, culture, back stories, back stories to the back stories, a brand new language and new alphabet - it is the accumulation of ten years spent world building and the amount of work here is phenomenal. Shanley has also slightly redefined the origin story of the werewolf, mixing some classical genesis with a few of his own ideas for a very interesting take on the werewolf mythos. But that is about as adventurous as it gets for Shanley's world building, because other than that there isn't much of interest to talk about despite the hundreds of years of history being provided to us. It was just dying out for a cataclysm, a singularity, an event that completely redefined the world they lived in. All the work has been done building the world, show me how it will react when I drop a meteor the size of the moon on it.
The characters in this story follow a similar fate to the plot and worldbuilding in that they just didn't do enough to separate themselves from a large crowd. Mathion is your typical hero, he is royal, a natural leader, heroic, and selfless to fault. He is a well rounded character with his own motivations and he only wants to do what is best for his people. The problem for me is that I have seen this typical hero so many times in so many stories since I started reading fantasy almost fifteen years ago. The bigger problem for me is that the support cast are very close to being carbon copies of Mathion, they all speak with the same voice they all share the same motivations and they all share the same qualities. Even the villains are very similar to Mathion, and while they have some evil motivations that involve world domination / destruction, they too speak with the same voice and share the same qualities as Mathion. The poor characterisation here really lets down all the work that was done by Shanley in building an incredibly detailed world and a solid story to exist in it.
The last thing I will comment on here is the writing, an area that needs a significant amount of improvement if I am to read anything else by Shanley. The writing in this story did not allow me to immerse myself in the story, I was constantly being pulled out by the multitude of very complex yet very similar names and places that littered the world. Every character name rhymed and sounded the same, so when coupled with all the characters having the same voice I really had trouble figuring out who was who and what they were doing. For every page of plot progression, there would be at least two pages worth of history lessons, sometimes to explain what happened in the plot, sometimes because an unfamiliar name was mentioned in the plot. It stopped me from getting into a good rhythm with my reading and resulted in me rereading a lot of pages and skipping even more.
Mathion is a novel with an interesting premise that could have been a great book if Shanley had executed his technical skills with a bit more precision and taken a few risks with his story telling, world building and characterisation. He has obviously gone to a huge amount of effort in creating this world, and there is enough potential in there for Shanley to tell some really good stories. But at the moment this book and Shanley's writing doesn't stand up to the classics or the plethora of new fantasy authors that have come on the scene in the last few years.
September 5, 2011
I just finished reading this book like quite literally ten minutes ago and while I don't normally write reviews there is a couple of comments I just really want to make about this book.
First off, my review is actually three and a half stars but goodreads wouldn't let me add the half star and this book while good is not a 4 star story and here's why.
Now I know it isn't really fair to compare a first time writer with Tolkien but in this case the first thing Jeff Shanley the author of this book writes is that Lord of the Rings was his biggest influence, so while I was reading this I could not help but make comparisons and admittedly this played a part in my rating.
Jeff Shanley has done something that as far as I know no one has ever done and that is write a vast history for the werewolf, filled with different races, kingdoms, mythology etc. It is a truly great an interesting history so for that I salute Jeff Shanley for giving this icon a history any werewolf fan can be proud of. It is truly rare to find an independent author who has taken what surely must have been years and years of time and effort to truly create his own world and again I salute you for doing so unlike so many other authors who blantantedly rush through their stories and create the stock standard.
And that is where this book got really frustrating for me, for all the effort Jeff Shanley has put into his story, it still comes off as a very stock standard affair his werewolves ultimately are little more than a replacement for orcs and demons, they come off as shallow, superficial and in many ways forgettable. There was such a history to draw from and yet the author didn't do anything new or exciting with them.
The Wolven which are a race of werewolf hunters suffer more because their history simply isn't interesting, there isn't anything really to seperate them from all the other "monster hunter" races that have been invented over the years. They bring nothing new to the table whatsoever and are just plain uninspiring, I never really found a reason to get behind them.
On the same vain another problem that arises is the band of Hereos, since they are all Wolven or normal men they each possess the same kind of weapons and skills, making the battle scenes boring and repetitive. The Author did state that he wanted to keep things simpilified by concentrating on three races, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have had different types of weapons and different skills used by different cultures. With the Lord of the Rings, the group of hereos was so interesting because they came from different lands and different cultures, allowing them to fight differently and ultilize their unique skills. It also allowed them to develope as characters which is a serious problem in this book, because the ensemble cast is forgotten pretty much as soon as they are read about.
As I sit here writing this I cannot recall any of their names and in a story such as this it is absolutely vital to have a strong support cast, which unfornately this didn't.
The story is also so generic, I understand that the author was trying to write a more traditional story, but there is more than enough "traditional" stories out there. I mean I am a huge fan of Lord of the Rings as well but that doesn't mean I want a shelf full of books that are 99percent similiar to it. Besides classics are classics they should be enjoyed but not replicated in my opinion, books should move forward not look back.
This had such a beatuiful and brilliant canvas from which a story could have been written instead Mathion ultimately is just another Lord of the Rings wannabe. I think the author should scrap the whole Wolven coming of age story and focus on the werewolves. Write a story about them for with your mythology, no doubt it would be an instant classic.
First off, my review is actually three and a half stars but goodreads wouldn't let me add the half star and this book while good is not a 4 star story and here's why.
Now I know it isn't really fair to compare a first time writer with Tolkien but in this case the first thing Jeff Shanley the author of this book writes is that Lord of the Rings was his biggest influence, so while I was reading this I could not help but make comparisons and admittedly this played a part in my rating.
Jeff Shanley has done something that as far as I know no one has ever done and that is write a vast history for the werewolf, filled with different races, kingdoms, mythology etc. It is a truly great an interesting history so for that I salute Jeff Shanley for giving this icon a history any werewolf fan can be proud of. It is truly rare to find an independent author who has taken what surely must have been years and years of time and effort to truly create his own world and again I salute you for doing so unlike so many other authors who blantantedly rush through their stories and create the stock standard.
And that is where this book got really frustrating for me, for all the effort Jeff Shanley has put into his story, it still comes off as a very stock standard affair his werewolves ultimately are little more than a replacement for orcs and demons, they come off as shallow, superficial and in many ways forgettable. There was such a history to draw from and yet the author didn't do anything new or exciting with them.
The Wolven which are a race of werewolf hunters suffer more because their history simply isn't interesting, there isn't anything really to seperate them from all the other "monster hunter" races that have been invented over the years. They bring nothing new to the table whatsoever and are just plain uninspiring, I never really found a reason to get behind them.
On the same vain another problem that arises is the band of Hereos, since they are all Wolven or normal men they each possess the same kind of weapons and skills, making the battle scenes boring and repetitive. The Author did state that he wanted to keep things simpilified by concentrating on three races, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have had different types of weapons and different skills used by different cultures. With the Lord of the Rings, the group of hereos was so interesting because they came from different lands and different cultures, allowing them to fight differently and ultilize their unique skills. It also allowed them to develope as characters which is a serious problem in this book, because the ensemble cast is forgotten pretty much as soon as they are read about.
As I sit here writing this I cannot recall any of their names and in a story such as this it is absolutely vital to have a strong support cast, which unfornately this didn't.
The story is also so generic, I understand that the author was trying to write a more traditional story, but there is more than enough "traditional" stories out there. I mean I am a huge fan of Lord of the Rings as well but that doesn't mean I want a shelf full of books that are 99percent similiar to it. Besides classics are classics they should be enjoyed but not replicated in my opinion, books should move forward not look back.
This had such a beatuiful and brilliant canvas from which a story could have been written instead Mathion ultimately is just another Lord of the Rings wannabe. I think the author should scrap the whole Wolven coming of age story and focus on the werewolves. Write a story about them for with your mythology, no doubt it would be an instant classic.
September 19, 2012
As is usually the case with Epic Fantasy stories, Mathion is about a conflict between two warring nations. The Wolven (a race of powerful men) and the Werewolves. Mathion, our protagonist is a Prince of the Wolven and he, along with his companion Elekan (a white wolf) fights against the Werewolf in a seemingly endless war. At the head of the Werewolves is a dark overlord that seeks revenge – but Mathion has a secret that could change the course of the war and so he must lead his people to battle.
A simple set up and one that we’ve probably seen before in many other Fantasy stories, but sometimes simple is the best way forward. In actual fact, this back story kinda reminds me a little of Norse Mythology (in particular, Thor versus Fenris). It’s also a nice change having Werewolves as the main villain rather than the usual Orcs, Undead or Demon type armies that are common in this type of genre.
One thing I did notice was how much attention had been put into the world that Mathion is set in. In fact, we get a whole appendix at the end detailing the history of the world – including the various cultures, calendar and even the languages. The language in particular is something that I was impressed with, it is sorta like Germanic/Celtic, which is right up my street. There is even a pronunciation guide at the beginning to let you know how to say certain words (similar to what J.R.R. Tolkien did with his world) and this helped make it feel like a real language. It was nicely detailed and I did felt this was one of the best parts of the book.
Now this is a fairly long book. Those who are used to reading books of 200-300 pages long may be a little put off by the amount of pages (and indeed the book is a little wordy), but I actually didn’t think this book was that long – especially since the plot does move at a good pace and there is a good balance of story and action. The fight scenes are exciting to read and the final battle was especially thrilling.
One problem I did have was with the characters – I did get lost with their names occasionally and sometimes forgot who they were. I wasn’t entirely sure they stood out enough and felt more like generic archetypes. I’m not saying they were badly written, I just wanted a little more characterisation with them so that I could truly connect to them emotionally. And I did feel like the book was written fairly humourless and took itself a bit too seriously. I would have preferred it if the book had a bit more comedy in it to balance the story.
That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the story, I did. However, I do feel that this is a book that is more suited for those who like traditional Fantasy (and there are plenty out there who do) and those who like their stories with a modern edge may be put off by it. Still, if you’re a sucker for “old school” type Fantasy then you should check this out.
A simple set up and one that we’ve probably seen before in many other Fantasy stories, but sometimes simple is the best way forward. In actual fact, this back story kinda reminds me a little of Norse Mythology (in particular, Thor versus Fenris). It’s also a nice change having Werewolves as the main villain rather than the usual Orcs, Undead or Demon type armies that are common in this type of genre.
One thing I did notice was how much attention had been put into the world that Mathion is set in. In fact, we get a whole appendix at the end detailing the history of the world – including the various cultures, calendar and even the languages. The language in particular is something that I was impressed with, it is sorta like Germanic/Celtic, which is right up my street. There is even a pronunciation guide at the beginning to let you know how to say certain words (similar to what J.R.R. Tolkien did with his world) and this helped make it feel like a real language. It was nicely detailed and I did felt this was one of the best parts of the book.
Now this is a fairly long book. Those who are used to reading books of 200-300 pages long may be a little put off by the amount of pages (and indeed the book is a little wordy), but I actually didn’t think this book was that long – especially since the plot does move at a good pace and there is a good balance of story and action. The fight scenes are exciting to read and the final battle was especially thrilling.
One problem I did have was with the characters – I did get lost with their names occasionally and sometimes forgot who they were. I wasn’t entirely sure they stood out enough and felt more like generic archetypes. I’m not saying they were badly written, I just wanted a little more characterisation with them so that I could truly connect to them emotionally. And I did feel like the book was written fairly humourless and took itself a bit too seriously. I would have preferred it if the book had a bit more comedy in it to balance the story.
That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the story, I did. However, I do feel that this is a book that is more suited for those who like traditional Fantasy (and there are plenty out there who do) and those who like their stories with a modern edge may be put off by it. Still, if you’re a sucker for “old school” type Fantasy then you should check this out.
October 14, 2011
This is a book that I both genuinely like and am frustrated by. Because I would really want to end this review on a positive note I am going to talk about its flaws first.
The really big flaw with this book is there is little to no character development. It comes off as a kind of coming of age story yet you could take the main character from early on and place him at the end and very little would be different.
Several problems in the book are just too easily solved, Mathion the main character possesses a wolfstone. It is an item that basically allows him to annihilate werewolf armies in a blink of an eye. The problem with this is, using the stone is of no consequence, it doesn’t drain energy from him or anything like that. This makes every battle anti-climatic and drawn out for no reason. The Wolven and men will be fighting the werewolves and when they are on the brink of defeat Mathion suddenly remembers he has the power to defeat the enemy single handily. This concept was extremely frustrating and just didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Another example of Mathion forgetting his abilities is when he is captured by the enemy in the black city. He is restrained for quite some time and then suddenly remembers he can summon a sword and daggers (an ability he has had for several centuries) it was just totally unbelievable that he would forget he possessed such powers.
Now for something that is both a positive and a negative. Mathion has genuine depth to its world and its history is both rich and exciting, yet very little of it is explored and none of it is done so in great detail. This really left me unsatisfied as the story continuously moved on in places where I wanted time to hear more about the origins of both the werewolves and the wolven. There was literally tens of thousands of years that I wanted to explore, yet I couldn’t and that left me a little annoyed.
Now allow me to write about the positives of this book. Out of the millions and millions of werewolf stories out there I have never read any quite like this one. Very few others can claim that they have done something original but this author can say it proudly. It is really strange to think about, as far as I know no one has ever written such a rich and deep history for the werewolf.
Is this a very traditional story? Yes but what sets it apart for me compared to so many traditional stories is that it isn’t forgettable. There are small touches the author as put in place that really added a touch of remembrance to this story, such as an unforseen ending. This is the mark of a very talented but inexperienced writer. This book does have its flaws but overall this is a good read and I will be getting myself the sequel.
The really big flaw with this book is there is little to no character development. It comes off as a kind of coming of age story yet you could take the main character from early on and place him at the end and very little would be different.
Several problems in the book are just too easily solved, Mathion the main character possesses a wolfstone. It is an item that basically allows him to annihilate werewolf armies in a blink of an eye. The problem with this is, using the stone is of no consequence, it doesn’t drain energy from him or anything like that. This makes every battle anti-climatic and drawn out for no reason. The Wolven and men will be fighting the werewolves and when they are on the brink of defeat Mathion suddenly remembers he has the power to defeat the enemy single handily. This concept was extremely frustrating and just didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Another example of Mathion forgetting his abilities is when he is captured by the enemy in the black city. He is restrained for quite some time and then suddenly remembers he can summon a sword and daggers (an ability he has had for several centuries) it was just totally unbelievable that he would forget he possessed such powers.
Now for something that is both a positive and a negative. Mathion has genuine depth to its world and its history is both rich and exciting, yet very little of it is explored and none of it is done so in great detail. This really left me unsatisfied as the story continuously moved on in places where I wanted time to hear more about the origins of both the werewolves and the wolven. There was literally tens of thousands of years that I wanted to explore, yet I couldn’t and that left me a little annoyed.
Now allow me to write about the positives of this book. Out of the millions and millions of werewolf stories out there I have never read any quite like this one. Very few others can claim that they have done something original but this author can say it proudly. It is really strange to think about, as far as I know no one has ever written such a rich and deep history for the werewolf.
Is this a very traditional story? Yes but what sets it apart for me compared to so many traditional stories is that it isn’t forgettable. There are small touches the author as put in place that really added a touch of remembrance to this story, such as an unforseen ending. This is the mark of a very talented but inexperienced writer. This book does have its flaws but overall this is a good read and I will be getting myself the sequel.
August 12, 2011
Okay the first thing I need to state is I can appreciate this novel, I understand that it is a very traditional epic story. But I just never really found it that enjoyable. The author is a talented enough writer and I understood what was happening and why it was happening but I could never really get behind any of the characters.
There are quite a number of positives such as the mythology and the sheer scope of the Mavonduri world. I also really like it when authors do something different with well known icons, in this case the werewolf. While werewolves in fantasy is hardly a new concept nor is having them as warriors I simply cannot think of another book where they have such a rich detailed history as Mathion. The author has gone to great lengths to quite literally write a new mythology for the werewolf from the ground up. The mythology is both well executed and enjoyable but there is just one thing that I could not get over. For all the originality of the Mavonduri werewolves, for all the changes that the author has thought about they still come off as stereotypical. The werewolf king (whose name escapes me) is exactly what you expect him to be a mad man in the body of a monster. He should be terrifying but instead he comes off as a typical villian in fantasy, I just never felt like I should fear him or that he was this all powerful ruler.
In all genres especially fantasy the villian is just as important as the hero (if not more so) the evil must seem infinitely more powerful than the good but in Mathion it just wasn't so. I know it might seem strange that I am putting so much on having a bad villian but because I just couldn't accept him as a truly powerful villian it tainted the rest of the tale. Things that should have drawn you into the story just felt really superficial.
Also the other aspect that really holds this book back is for a tale involving shape shifting monsters and legendary talking wolves it just isn't dark enough to get immersed within the world. Werewolf stories regardless of everything else should be dark and this just really isn't. It kind f falls between epic fantasy and Dark Fantasy but has failed to really satisfy either genre completely.
For all the slack I am giving Mathion it is NOT a terrible novel by any means and I can certainly understand while other readers have given it 5 star reviews. But just for me personally this is a story that could have been terrific but is weighed down by the two major flaws that I have mentioned.
There are quite a number of positives such as the mythology and the sheer scope of the Mavonduri world. I also really like it when authors do something different with well known icons, in this case the werewolf. While werewolves in fantasy is hardly a new concept nor is having them as warriors I simply cannot think of another book where they have such a rich detailed history as Mathion. The author has gone to great lengths to quite literally write a new mythology for the werewolf from the ground up. The mythology is both well executed and enjoyable but there is just one thing that I could not get over. For all the originality of the Mavonduri werewolves, for all the changes that the author has thought about they still come off as stereotypical. The werewolf king (whose name escapes me) is exactly what you expect him to be a mad man in the body of a monster. He should be terrifying but instead he comes off as a typical villian in fantasy, I just never felt like I should fear him or that he was this all powerful ruler.
In all genres especially fantasy the villian is just as important as the hero (if not more so) the evil must seem infinitely more powerful than the good but in Mathion it just wasn't so. I know it might seem strange that I am putting so much on having a bad villian but because I just couldn't accept him as a truly powerful villian it tainted the rest of the tale. Things that should have drawn you into the story just felt really superficial.
Also the other aspect that really holds this book back is for a tale involving shape shifting monsters and legendary talking wolves it just isn't dark enough to get immersed within the world. Werewolf stories regardless of everything else should be dark and this just really isn't. It kind f falls between epic fantasy and Dark Fantasy but has failed to really satisfy either genre completely.
For all the slack I am giving Mathion it is NOT a terrible novel by any means and I can certainly understand while other readers have given it 5 star reviews. But just for me personally this is a story that could have been terrific but is weighed down by the two major flaws that I have mentioned.
Read
March 18, 2012I have always felt that a book should be judged by what it is, not what someone wants it to be. Because I am breaking that rule, I will not rate this book.
Mathion had the potential to do something the werewolf has long since deserved. That is to bring it into the lime light. To take it out of being on the lowest part of the food chain, where it is nothing more than a pet or a slave of vampires or demons. Just about every single fantasy book involving werewolves have them as minor antagonists or just minor characters in general. Even when an author does try to give them a history, it is over vague or overly simple.
In Mathion they have a rich and complicated history, one of genuine depth. This is the reason why I wanted to read this book so much, to see the werewolf finally get what it deserves. Instead the book focuses on Mathion, prince of the Wolven. Though this aspect was well handled and there is genuine depth, it has all been done before. The entire time I wanted to know more about the werewolf history (which is touched upon, but not in any real depth.) I never got a chance to do that and it left me frustrated.
This is not a terrible read by any means and it was honestly great to read an independent book with genuine depth. But this should have finally given a reader a chance to search a vast history for the werewolf. Instead it comes off as yet another Lord of the Rings tribute, something that has been written far too many times. Ultimately this book was such a wasted opportunity to do something tremendous.
Mathion had the potential to do something the werewolf has long since deserved. That is to bring it into the lime light. To take it out of being on the lowest part of the food chain, where it is nothing more than a pet or a slave of vampires or demons. Just about every single fantasy book involving werewolves have them as minor antagonists or just minor characters in general. Even when an author does try to give them a history, it is over vague or overly simple.
In Mathion they have a rich and complicated history, one of genuine depth. This is the reason why I wanted to read this book so much, to see the werewolf finally get what it deserves. Instead the book focuses on Mathion, prince of the Wolven. Though this aspect was well handled and there is genuine depth, it has all been done before. The entire time I wanted to know more about the werewolf history (which is touched upon, but not in any real depth.) I never got a chance to do that and it left me frustrated.
This is not a terrible read by any means and it was honestly great to read an independent book with genuine depth. But this should have finally given a reader a chance to search a vast history for the werewolf. Instead it comes off as yet another Lord of the Rings tribute, something that has been written far too many times. Ultimately this book was such a wasted opportunity to do something tremendous.
December 17, 2013
This is very much the traditional epic fantasy tale with clear good and bad sides and characters set in a breath-taking world of its own dramatic contrasts. While the story follows the traditional path with our hero finding a valuable power at a young age and not being able to use it to its full potential until battling evil in his young adult years, it is refreshing to have a story that the author has put so much thought, effort and research into. Shanley has created a world and cast of characters that has the potential to offer hundreds of stories to its readers. And yes while this first novel has a lot of background and history, this is vital for adding context to what will come (of which the finale to this one gives away very little). Shanley's is a superb writer and this is one series that has certainly re-awakened my faith in the fantasy writer (particularly given current trends...). Can't wait to revisit Mavonduri in the future!
January 21, 2012
I was expecting this to be a much darker story, the idea of a kingdom of werewolves caught my interest instantly. But this is more of a traditional fantasy story with werewolves in it, not a dark horror story. That certainly isn't a bad thing and it was good to see someone do something different with the werewolf.
I found this a little difficult to rate because I am not a huge high fantasy fan. I certainly don't hate those kind of stories there just normally not really my thing. But this novel is very well crafted and written. It feels a little more old school than a lot of newer fantasy out there and possess genuine depth in its vast world.
Strongly recommend to fans of high quality fantasy!
I found this a little difficult to rate because I am not a huge high fantasy fan. I certainly don't hate those kind of stories there just normally not really my thing. But this novel is very well crafted and written. It feels a little more old school than a lot of newer fantasy out there and possess genuine depth in its vast world.
Strongly recommend to fans of high quality fantasy!
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