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The Cycle of Arawn #1
The White Tree
Secrets don't like to stay hidden. In the kingdom of Mallon, all knowledge of the death god Arawn has been brutally quashed--but a teen named Dante has just found the dark god's holiest book.
Within days, Dante's attacked in the streets. Not by the city guard. By Arawn's own servants, long-hidden. Two things save his life: a big-mouthed bodyguard named Blays, and his own growing skill with the nether, the shadowy power that fuels the world.
But the attacks on Dante are just the first stirs of a larger threat. In the far north, Arawn's followers are rallied by a priestess named Samarand. Mallon is burning. To save their homeland, Dante and Blays will have to travel to a half-ruined city and assassinate the woman driving her people to war.
Within days, Dante's attacked in the streets. Not by the city guard. By Arawn's own servants, long-hidden. Two things save his life: a big-mouthed bodyguard named Blays, and his own growing skill with the nether, the shadowy power that fuels the world.
But the attacks on Dante are just the first stirs of a larger threat. In the far north, Arawn's followers are rallied by a priestess named Samarand. Mallon is burning. To save their homeland, Dante and Blays will have to travel to a half-ruined city and assassinate the woman driving her people to war.
428 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2011
325 people are currently reading
3582 people want to read
About the author
Edward W. Robertson
73 books1,236 followersEd is the author of the post-apocalyptic Breakers series and the epic fantasy series The Cycle of Arawn. A former New Yorker and Idaho-guy, he currently lives in the LA area. His short fiction has appeared in a whole bunch of magazines and anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews
May 2, 2016
This book was OK... maybe slightly below average. The prose were excellent and it was well written however I didn't feel much of a connection with any of the characters. There seems to be a plethora of authors who are excellent writers but also mediocre novelist.
It takes a little something extra for an excellent writer to be a good novelist. I think it might be empathy or some such icky nonsense, but whatever it is this book lacks it.
The best novels are the ones in which the reader losses itself in the story, forget that it is separate from the characters. Throughout this book I always felt like an outsider. It was kind of like being told a story as opposed to reading a novel.
Besides that the story was really cool despite an ill conceived magic system. The absolute best part of the book is the relationship between the two boys. One is a wannabe wizard and the other a wannabe warrior. They are constantly sniping and poking jabs at each other. As an alleged male, I can tell you that this IS how boys interact and that seemed interesting and fresh to me. There are a lot of books that don't show this relationship between male friends.
I don't know if I would really recommend this book. It is a little unfulfilling however I normally don't care for the first book in any series (with a few outstanding exceptions of course). But I will read book two and report back.
Recommendation: Undecided.
It takes a little something extra for an excellent writer to be a good novelist. I think it might be empathy or some such icky nonsense, but whatever it is this book lacks it.
The best novels are the ones in which the reader losses itself in the story, forget that it is separate from the characters. Throughout this book I always felt like an outsider. It was kind of like being told a story as opposed to reading a novel.
Besides that the story was really cool despite an ill conceived magic system. The absolute best part of the book is the relationship between the two boys. One is a wannabe wizard and the other a wannabe warrior. They are constantly sniping and poking jabs at each other. As an alleged male, I can tell you that this IS how boys interact and that seemed interesting and fresh to me. There are a lot of books that don't show this relationship between male friends.
I don't know if I would really recommend this book. It is a little unfulfilling however I normally don't care for the first book in any series (with a few outstanding exceptions of course). But I will read book two and report back.
Recommendation: Undecided.
June 8, 2023
*** 3.25 ***
July 18, 2012
PROS: I really enjoyed the two main characters, despite the rather "cookie cutter" personalities. They amused me, and I felt their friendship. Clever when it came to the magical aspects of the story (utilizing the nether,re-animation, etc.).
CONS: ONE active female characters, and she was "evil" and targeted for assassination by "the good guys"; writing is adequate, but author tries TOO hard for witty, clever repartee, and uses out-of-place modern phrases ("haul ass" - REALLY?); lots of blood and guts and detailed fight scenes (ugh - but the author was most likely targeting a young male audience).
CONS: ONE active female characters, and she was "evil" and targeted for assassination by "the good guys"; writing is adequate, but author tries TOO hard for witty, clever repartee, and uses out-of-place modern phrases ("haul ass" - REALLY?); lots of blood and guts and detailed fight scenes (ugh - but the author was most likely targeting a young male audience).
July 27, 2013
What I liked:
the humor was done well- Robert, Cally etc
Blays- his loyalty and his sense of humor made him my favorite character
reading about how religious factions can affect both history and the future
What I did not like:
modern cuss words- as in many other books which have a "historic" feel to them, modern cuss words just don't fit!
more explanation was needed on how Dante could do what he did.
What made Samarand & her party fail wasn't expounded upon.
The book was a chunkster but I enjoyed the exploits of the two boys & how they carve their own niche in the world.
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October 23, 2016
I was thinking I would give this three stars, but once I started thinking about all the items I wanted to mention in the review, I realized it was more suited to a 2-star rating.
For the positive, it was sufficiently entertaining and I read most of it in basically one sitting on a lazy Saturday. The writing was quite readable and the humor was amusing. I even laughed out loud once or twice.
For the negative, well...the humor was way overdone at times. All the characters are snarky and sarcastic and far too amused with themselves. There are also a ton of anachronisms that really pulled me out of the story--modern slang, words which wouldn't have any etymology in this world, and a character who casually tosses out that their birthday is February 12. I know it's fantasy, but c'mon, at least make an effort. I hoped that I was reading a clever telling of a tale where the main character turned out to be the villain, but alas, he was just a hypocritical asswipe hero. Most of the relationships felt entirely unearned--how invested are we supposed to be in a "friendship" that lasted all of one chapter? Oh and apparently this world has no women at all, except for the one random one who is eeeevil because of course she is. The world also felt incredibly shallow. The characters traveled huge distances without experiencing any of it (except via whinging, which they do a lot). Okay, I get it, if your two main characters are 16-year-old boys, sullen and immature is to be expected, but it was too much and always played so straight.
I dunno. It was entertaining, but it felt like an early draft of a book in dire need of a good developmental editor.
For the positive, it was sufficiently entertaining and I read most of it in basically one sitting on a lazy Saturday. The writing was quite readable and the humor was amusing. I even laughed out loud once or twice.
For the negative, well...the humor was way overdone at times. All the characters are snarky and sarcastic and far too amused with themselves. There are also a ton of anachronisms that really pulled me out of the story--modern slang, words which wouldn't have any etymology in this world, and a character who casually tosses out that their birthday is February 12. I know it's fantasy, but c'mon, at least make an effort. I hoped that I was reading a clever telling of a tale where the main character turned out to be the villain, but alas, he was just a hypocritical asswipe hero. Most of the relationships felt entirely unearned--how invested are we supposed to be in a "friendship" that lasted all of one chapter? Oh and apparently this world has no women at all, except for the one random one who is eeeevil because of course she is. The world also felt incredibly shallow. The characters traveled huge distances without experiencing any of it (except via whinging, which they do a lot). Okay, I get it, if your two main characters are 16-year-old boys, sullen and immature is to be expected, but it was too much and always played so straight.
I dunno. It was entertaining, but it felt like an early draft of a book in dire need of a good developmental editor.
June 22, 2012
Two teenagers--a budding magic user with more power than he's completely capable of handling and a kid with more swash than buckle--battle their way into the north to stop a war devastating their home country, neither sure they're making the right choices along the way. It's a nicely-handled coming of age story with plenty of action. Recommended.
September 4, 2017
Pros:
- The writing is ok.
- Pacing is ok.
Cons:
- It is easy to forget which character is speaking. They all have more or less the same personality
- 75% of the way through the book, the motivation for the main characters is still not there. Why are they on this quest? The main character has the book and seems to be getting magic powers from it. Why not find a hole to hide in until the geopolitical situation calms down. It doesn't seem to have much to do with the main characters anyway.
- Battle scenes replace excitement with gratuitous gore.
- I don't believe the main characters like each other. Every line of dialog is endless in-fighting. Why does Blays stay with Dante? He has absolutely no investment in the book or the plot.
- There don't seem to be any rules to the magic system. It is whatever it needs to be to get Dante out of a pinch.
- The writing is ok.
- Pacing is ok.
Cons:
- It is easy to forget which character is speaking. They all have more or less the same personality
- 75% of the way through the book, the motivation for the main characters is still not there. Why are they on this quest? The main character has the book and seems to be getting magic powers from it. Why not find a hole to hide in until the geopolitical situation calms down. It doesn't seem to have much to do with the main characters anyway.
- Battle scenes replace excitement with gratuitous gore.
- I don't believe the main characters like each other. Every line of dialog is endless in-fighting. Why does Blays stay with Dante? He has absolutely no investment in the book or the plot.
- There don't seem to be any rules to the magic system. It is whatever it needs to be to get Dante out of a pinch.
August 10, 2017
Good premise, Bad execution. Half way through the book & still i can't care about anything or anyone.
February 8, 2015
I wanted to like this book more than I did. It’s clear the author can write, and write well, he’s come up with an intriguing concept for a story and he’s invested a lot into quality. In short: a young protagonist covertly observes a practitioner of strange, dark arts that the prevailing religion condemns as evil, coming from Arawn, the god of death. Adherents to Arawn’s faith having supposedly been destroyed in prior wars. But how much is true and how much is just the winner’s propaganda and the self-serving lies of the rulers?
Protagonist finds a book of Arawn’s scripture and resolves to read it and dare to attempt and master these alien arts. Adventure ensues. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Read and find out.
Again, a good concept and some instances of great writing. Particularly the incorporation of different religions and sects of religions in a complex way. I wanted to rate it higher.
However, some parts simply didn’t ring true to me. The protagonist’s means of financing himself for one. The presence of libraries open to the public in a medieval world for another. And the interaction between the protagonist and his friend/guard just didn’t ring true to me. On the plus side, many of the philosophical ruminations and political maneuvering were great fun.
The first book is free and I recommend downloading and giving it a try. I also see he’s got a science fiction series collected and available for ninety nine cents. I plan on giving that a look later, and possibly glancing back at the other two volumes of this series.
Protagonist finds a book of Arawn’s scripture and resolves to read it and dare to attempt and master these alien arts. Adventure ensues. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Read and find out.
Again, a good concept and some instances of great writing. Particularly the incorporation of different religions and sects of religions in a complex way. I wanted to rate it higher.
However, some parts simply didn’t ring true to me. The protagonist’s means of financing himself for one. The presence of libraries open to the public in a medieval world for another. And the interaction between the protagonist and his friend/guard just didn’t ring true to me. On the plus side, many of the philosophical ruminations and political maneuvering were great fun.
The first book is free and I recommend downloading and giving it a try. I also see he’s got a science fiction series collected and available for ninety nine cents. I plan on giving that a look later, and possibly glancing back at the other two volumes of this series.
January 2, 2015
I received an electronic copy of this book as part of the EPIC: Fourteen Books Of Fantasy boxed set in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't like this book. Not because it was poorly written, but because I really don't care for long drawn out battles and politicking and mysterious quests that don't go anywhere. Or, for that matter, people who senselessly kill others and then moralize about it. Also, the author for some unknown reason made several anachronistic references, one to the Olympics, one to the tale of the tortoise and the hare and one to staking vampires. I find it hard to believe in a world of fantasy that's supposed to be completely removed from ours when it has references to ours.
The main character is well fleshed out. I didn't *like* him, but he's certainly vivid enough. I also didn't care for the dark powers and messing with corpses that's a part of the book.
I liked the few bits of religion that weren't centered on raising the dead and was impressed by the whole section about Barden, the tree made of bone. The book also happens to be a book in its own right, not needing the rest of its series to be self-sufficient.
If you're inclined toward fiction with darker things and killing, then this might be the book for you. It's just not the book for me.
I didn't like this book. Not because it was poorly written, but because I really don't care for long drawn out battles and politicking and mysterious quests that don't go anywhere. Or, for that matter, people who senselessly kill others and then moralize about it. Also, the author for some unknown reason made several anachronistic references, one to the Olympics, one to the tale of the tortoise and the hare and one to staking vampires. I find it hard to believe in a world of fantasy that's supposed to be completely removed from ours when it has references to ours.
The main character is well fleshed out. I didn't *like* him, but he's certainly vivid enough. I also didn't care for the dark powers and messing with corpses that's a part of the book.
I liked the few bits of religion that weren't centered on raising the dead and was impressed by the whole section about Barden, the tree made of bone. The book also happens to be a book in its own right, not needing the rest of its series to be self-sufficient.
If you're inclined toward fiction with darker things and killing, then this might be the book for you. It's just not the book for me.
January 23, 2018
3 Stars for Story, 4 Stars for Narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds
Mini-Review:
Overall, I like the duo, Dante & Blaze. A pair of mismatched boys that form a strong bond by shared adventures. The world is a haze and it doesn't have the same kind of emotional or visual impact as Robertson's Breakers series.
I found the story to have many sluggish parts that lasted for great stretches of time. Too much detail on trivial action bits and mental thought processes, but not a whole lot is actually happening. Still, I like the idea at the core of the story. The way Dante was caught up by a singular moment and driven to make the strange ability his own.
I'm committed to the trilogy cause I got the whole thing. =D
I hope the tone of the story will change as the characters grow. It would help if I did not have to keep reminding myself that I am reading about young men thrust too fast into the roles of men.
Mini-Review:
Overall, I like the duo, Dante & Blaze. A pair of mismatched boys that form a strong bond by shared adventures. The world is a haze and it doesn't have the same kind of emotional or visual impact as Robertson's Breakers series.
I found the story to have many sluggish parts that lasted for great stretches of time. Too much detail on trivial action bits and mental thought processes, but not a whole lot is actually happening. Still, I like the idea at the core of the story. The way Dante was caught up by a singular moment and driven to make the strange ability his own.
I'm committed to the trilogy cause I got the whole thing. =D
I hope the tone of the story will change as the characters grow. It would help if I did not have to keep reminding myself that I am reading about young men thrust too fast into the roles of men.
September 27, 2020
Yet another Kindle freebie I picked up and never got around to reading. This one managed to spent a whole seven years on my TBR. Quite well written, but the plot couldn't keep my attention and the characters were fairly flat and not overly likable. I assume the bickering between Dante and Blays was intended to be funny, but I mostly found those two teenage idiots rather annoying.
January 18, 2024
This was an enjoyable book despite a far to big number of anachronistic expressions. Dante Gallant is an incredibly arrogant and self assured 16 year old urchin. Hell bent on learning and controlling magic. To this purpose he steals a book from a heretical monastery, and his problems only are beginning there.
September 1, 2015
Dante and Blaze are two seventeen year olds about to change the world. A coming of age first book of a trilogy of magic, high adventure, life and death struggles wrapped up in a thrilling package. Don't stop at one go for all three! I also am enjoying the audio version at the same time.
December 1, 2015
I am on the fence with this series. I either will grow to like it or hate it. Well on to the second book.
gave-up
June 17, 2016DNF. 12 hours in and I realized I couldn't rouse myself to care anymore.
September 28, 2023
A surprisingly enjoyable, if sometimes rushed, buddy fantasy epic.
There's something to be said for the "sink or swim" approach to a book's introduction of its main plot. Usually, fantasy epics do the long, slow, reveal where you might not know the main villain/plot until book 3. Another approach is to drop you right into the middle of things and make you figure it out.
That's the approach Robertson takes with the first book of his "Cycle of Arawn" trilogy, "The White Tree." Here, a teenage boy named Dante almost immediately finds himself in a dilapidated temple holding an ancient book.
The book is a sort of historical/biblical text about the ancient death god Arawn. Other people desperately want this book. Dante spends a lot of time reading this book. Dante eventually meets another young man named Blays and the two form a plot-convenient friendship as they decide to try to save the land from Arawn's head priestess, Samarand, who is preparing for war. This is a bad thing, I suppose.
The back and forth between Blays and Dante is the most enjoyable element of the book and is consistently written well. The other major plot elements leave a little to be desired because, as mentioned, Robertson just kind of dumps his characters into scenarios with little room for natural growth. This is particularly evident in their decision to try to stop/assassinate Samarand. While an obvious choice for an epic fantasy protagonist, it's NOT an obvious choice for a 15-year-old boy like Dante -- despite his bourgeoning magical powers.
Eventually, the pair make it into the main Arawnite city and Samarand's stronghold with plot-armor ease, and we learn that Dante finding the book was all part of some weird recruitment for magic users. Despite being "the villain," neither Samarand nor any of her acolytes come across as particularly cruel or evil. Yes, they worship a death god, but strangely, they still banter and converse in fairly sympathetic rhythms.
This tonal inconsistency has the effect of limiting the emotional pull of the book, but then again, I'm not sure pathos was the goal here. It's magic, battles, and banter. Good enough.
There's something to be said for the "sink or swim" approach to a book's introduction of its main plot. Usually, fantasy epics do the long, slow, reveal where you might not know the main villain/plot until book 3. Another approach is to drop you right into the middle of things and make you figure it out.
That's the approach Robertson takes with the first book of his "Cycle of Arawn" trilogy, "The White Tree." Here, a teenage boy named Dante almost immediately finds himself in a dilapidated temple holding an ancient book.
The book is a sort of historical/biblical text about the ancient death god Arawn. Other people desperately want this book. Dante spends a lot of time reading this book. Dante eventually meets another young man named Blays and the two form a plot-convenient friendship as they decide to try to save the land from Arawn's head priestess, Samarand, who is preparing for war. This is a bad thing, I suppose.
The back and forth between Blays and Dante is the most enjoyable element of the book and is consistently written well. The other major plot elements leave a little to be desired because, as mentioned, Robertson just kind of dumps his characters into scenarios with little room for natural growth. This is particularly evident in their decision to try to stop/assassinate Samarand. While an obvious choice for an epic fantasy protagonist, it's NOT an obvious choice for a 15-year-old boy like Dante -- despite his bourgeoning magical powers.
Eventually, the pair make it into the main Arawnite city and Samarand's stronghold with plot-armor ease, and we learn that Dante finding the book was all part of some weird recruitment for magic users. Despite being "the villain," neither Samarand nor any of her acolytes come across as particularly cruel or evil. Yes, they worship a death god, but strangely, they still banter and converse in fairly sympathetic rhythms.
This tonal inconsistency has the effect of limiting the emotional pull of the book, but then again, I'm not sure pathos was the goal here. It's magic, battles, and banter. Good enough.
May 8, 2023
2.5 stars. Here are my criticisms. The first two thirds of this book (and even parts of the final third) were painfully slow. The pacing was off and it was riddled with plot holes and/or just difficult to follow. The magic system was overly convenient and doesn’t seem to be governed by any kind of rules. The dialogue was primarily made up of immature bickering that didn’t move the plot or any of the relationships forward. There was literally one female character in the entire book and there were some sexist undertones.
However, I really liked the storyline once they reached Narashtovik, and I loved the very, very end. Some aspects of the magic system were fascinating and have a lot of potential (e.g., reanimation). Also, despite my criticisms, I am still curious how the story will continue, so I will probably continue reading the trilogy.
However, I really liked the storyline once they reached Narashtovik, and I loved the very, very end. Some aspects of the magic system were fascinating and have a lot of potential (e.g., reanimation). Also, despite my criticisms, I am still curious how the story will continue, so I will probably continue reading the trilogy.
November 1, 2021
This book was a lot of fun to read and the pages just seemed to fly by, just like the hands of the clock when reading. I could really picture what was going on in the book, which means the descriptions were just right. The plot was well used and comfortable, yet suspenseful. Now that I am well into the second book, I can see where things were set up well in the first book to make the transition very fluid for the reader. Only about 1000 more pages to go in the series.
April 27, 2020
I liked the bones of this story, but there were a lot of aspects that just didn't gel well with me. I really liked the authors writing style, and bits of this really stuck with me, so I've skipped the last two in this series and moved onto the next series where the main character is a little older. Hopefully, this means he's a little more mature and more to my tastes. I've read that you can start with the Cycle of Galand without having read this one at all, so we'll see if that's true.
March 28, 2025
I found this book to be deeply disturbing. All the characters commit crimes quite casually, and are not punished. They achieve magical ability, and appear to accept no responsibility for their actions.
They are deeply religious, but have no ethical compass.
And yet I have two more volumes on one audiobook to complete this series!
They are deeply religious, but have no ethical compass.
And yet I have two more volumes on one audiobook to complete this series!
September 3, 2024
It has a body, but it lacks a soul.
March 23, 2021
Uninteresting characters with unexplained motives. Generic feel. Was looking forward to this series and the next but not for me.
January 2, 2016
I love the beginning of this book and how quickly I was drawn into it. Swords, armor, magic, quests, danger; it's all parts of a book I can get into very easily.
I have never read an Edward Robertson book before, and I have to say I do like his style of writing very much. The structure of his writing is well thought out, and at no point did I have to re-read to understand what was going on. There were some words that I used the built-in dictionary on my kindle paperwhite for, but not in excess to make this an unenjoyable read; there were just enough to make the writing intelligible and interesting.
The plot, even though at some points slow-paced, was gripping enough to make this book hard to put down. I think the first few pages of this book pull you into the story right away. It immediately gives you an idea of the world, the time period, the mood, the character, and hints to the plot of the story to come. I was pulled in right from the beginning.
It was easy for me to become emotionally attached to the main characters, and even a few whom make only brief appearances. I also felt a dislike for anyone standing in the path of Dante. Some of the characters, I think, are bittersweet. I feel like these emotions are critical in how good a book is to me; probably for anyone in that matter.
I very much enjoyed this book, and hope to soon finish the series!
March 5, 2018
I inadvertently read the second series prior to picking up this, the first book in the first series. Overall, I think that's a good thing since I do not think I would have gone beyond the first book if it had been my initial introduction to Mr. Robertson's work. The White Tree gives us our first taste of Dante and Blays, well before they have grown to be the heroes they are to become. Being the first book, it's clear that Mr. Robertson has not fully fleshed out the characters in his own mind. They're not consistent morally, and the dialogue is not as refined or glib as later works. Even the world building isn't as refined as in the later books, and world building is generally Mr. Robertson's strongest skill (in addition to his hilarious dialogue).
It is not necessary to read the first series in order to understand and enjoy the second series, so in that sense I hesitate to recommend starting with this book for fear you'll not continue with the later books. By book two of the Cycle of Arawn, I felt Mr. Roberston had fully hammered out his characters and fully developed his world, so if you can hang in there, go ahead and start with 'The White Tree' knowing that the inconsistencies and shortcomings of the characters will be worked out by the time you start 'The Great Rift'.
It is not necessary to read the first series in order to understand and enjoy the second series, so in that sense I hesitate to recommend starting with this book for fear you'll not continue with the later books. By book two of the Cycle of Arawn, I felt Mr. Roberston had fully hammered out his characters and fully developed his world, so if you can hang in there, go ahead and start with 'The White Tree' knowing that the inconsistencies and shortcomings of the characters will be worked out by the time you start 'The Great Rift'.
May 1, 2019
I read this as part of a compilation called "Epic - 14 Books of Fantasy" (probably no longer available). These compilations often have early versions without corrections so I cannot comment about grammar or spelling. With that disclaimer out of the way, I'll break this review into three parts: Good, Bad, & Ugly (I know that's a cliche but it works here). Starting with the Ugly because that's the shortest part.
*UGLY* (Neither good nor bad but you ought to know).
✓Since the book is about two 16 year old boys and has a lot of references to people disregarding them as too young or just kids, it might be easy to assume this is a "Young Adult" story. It most definitely is not. The level of blood and gore is greater than any other fantasy book I've ever read (I read a lot and fantasy is my preferred genre). Also near the beginning there are some sexual scenes (more on that later). None of that bothers me, but it's not for kids.
✓The magic system feels like it ought to be a good one. It's not overly original but just different enough to not be cliche. Unfortunately it also isn't described well. There is a sense that he could literally do anything at all with magic, but there's also some vague references that there could be consequences, and neither option is explored
✓And I had to look this up so I'll pass it on. "Queue" apparently has an (archaic) meaning as a type of hairstyle with a single long braid down the back. It's used this way several times without explanation, so, now you know.
*GOOD* (the parts I liked)
✓It was refreshing for me to read an author who seems to have either taken a class or at least read a book about how to write novels. The plotting was well developed with successes and setbacks and a decent variety of experiences. The ending resolved everything completely and left you feeling satisfied. The cast of characters seemed to include all the necessary archetypes (although not well developed, but enough examples of every type).
Unfortunately that's all that was good about it. The book fits all the theoretically needed pieces but still falls short. It's as though someone programmed an AI to write a perfect novel. It follows all the rules but still has no soul.
*The BAD*
Lots of things to complain about, that's why this comes last.
✓Anachronisms: So many places where they refer to some modern thing that shouldn't be in this world, or a modern slang expression, or quoting Shakespeare (twice). I had to keep repeating to myself, "suspension of disbelief, just let it go" over and over. It does get tiring after a while.
✓Slow: I had to reread many passages because it was difficult to understand what was going on or how the description applied. It took me almost twice as long to read as it should have because of this.
✓Mary-Sue: The main character's grasp of magic and learning of a new language both come so fast and easily that it's hardly believable. Several times the other characters refer to it directly, but there's never any reason given and we are left to assume that the MC is just better than anybody else. A "Mary Sue" character refers to when everything comes too easily and there are no real challenges. Real protagonists have flaws that they must overcome. Those that don't end up feeling cartoonish.
✓Worldbuilding: This could maybe go under 'ugly' since there's some good and some bad, but more bad in my opinion. There are plenty of references to other places, enough to give a sense that there's a whole world there and not just a few actors on a stage. But there's not enough attention given to the stage itself. The small details are never given. There just isn't enough detail to ever make it feel real.
✓Treatment of Women: This one I didn't even notice until I was almost through the book, but once I did I couldn't let it go. The only female character in the book with a speaking part is the villain.
**MINOR SPOILER** says "Look what you made me do" as he does it. That's a red flag in itself for me, but then he continues with "you could have been so useful to me if you only had known your place". I'm not sure I could think of a more misogynistic line if I tried. This made me think back and realize just how many references to a "son of a whore" there were throughout the book. And the only other women in the book are the waitresses in the early chapter. They never speak (in the book) so they are hardly real characters, but they are there. And apparently in this world it's part of a waitress' normal job to allow the patrons to fondle, grope, and occasionally have sex (in public) with them. Yes, this is actually described in the book. Rather explicitly in fact. So, basically, there's an absolutely abominable message here concerning the treatment of women. I'm not exactly sure what that message is, but I'm not comfortable with it.
✓Time Confusion: The book took a long time to read and covered a lot of events, so it felt as though years had passed, or at least one year. They traveled 1000 miles on horseback plus a fair distance on foot, he spends a lot of time reading and studying the book, other legends, religious background stories, and even learning a new language. And after all that we find out it's only been a few weeks (maybe a couple months?) since the start of the book. I don't know.... It just felt jarring to me.
✓Characters: All the characters in the book have the same personality. They all talk exactly the same and are mostly interchangeable.
Overall, I'd still say that the writing does show promise, and the story has some merit to it, but I still wish I hadn't read it. And I would certainly NOT recommend it to anyone else.
*UGLY* (Neither good nor bad but you ought to know).
✓Since the book is about two 16 year old boys and has a lot of references to people disregarding them as too young or just kids, it might be easy to assume this is a "Young Adult" story. It most definitely is not. The level of blood and gore is greater than any other fantasy book I've ever read (I read a lot and fantasy is my preferred genre). Also near the beginning there are some sexual scenes (more on that later). None of that bothers me, but it's not for kids.
✓The magic system feels like it ought to be a good one. It's not overly original but just different enough to not be cliche. Unfortunately it also isn't described well. There is a sense that he could literally do anything at all with magic, but there's also some vague references that there could be consequences, and neither option is explored
✓And I had to look this up so I'll pass it on. "Queue" apparently has an (archaic) meaning as a type of hairstyle with a single long braid down the back. It's used this way several times without explanation, so, now you know.
*GOOD* (the parts I liked)
✓It was refreshing for me to read an author who seems to have either taken a class or at least read a book about how to write novels. The plotting was well developed with successes and setbacks and a decent variety of experiences. The ending resolved everything completely and left you feeling satisfied. The cast of characters seemed to include all the necessary archetypes (although not well developed, but enough examples of every type).
Unfortunately that's all that was good about it. The book fits all the theoretically needed pieces but still falls short. It's as though someone programmed an AI to write a perfect novel. It follows all the rules but still has no soul.
*The BAD*
Lots of things to complain about, that's why this comes last.
✓Anachronisms: So many places where they refer to some modern thing that shouldn't be in this world, or a modern slang expression, or quoting Shakespeare (twice). I had to keep repeating to myself, "suspension of disbelief, just let it go" over and over. It does get tiring after a while.
✓Slow: I had to reread many passages because it was difficult to understand what was going on or how the description applied. It took me almost twice as long to read as it should have because of this.
✓Mary-Sue: The main character's grasp of magic and learning of a new language both come so fast and easily that it's hardly believable. Several times the other characters refer to it directly, but there's never any reason given and we are left to assume that the MC is just better than anybody else. A "Mary Sue" character refers to when everything comes too easily and there are no real challenges. Real protagonists have flaws that they must overcome. Those that don't end up feeling cartoonish.
✓Worldbuilding: This could maybe go under 'ugly' since there's some good and some bad, but more bad in my opinion. There are plenty of references to other places, enough to give a sense that there's a whole world there and not just a few actors on a stage. But there's not enough attention given to the stage itself. The small details are never given. There just isn't enough detail to ever make it feel real.
✓Treatment of Women: This one I didn't even notice until I was almost through the book, but once I did I couldn't let it go. The only female character in the book with a speaking part is the villain.
**MINOR SPOILER** says "Look what you made me do" as he does it. That's a red flag in itself for me, but then he continues with "you could have been so useful to me if you only had known your place". I'm not sure I could think of a more misogynistic line if I tried. This made me think back and realize just how many references to a "son of a whore" there were throughout the book. And the only other women in the book are the waitresses in the early chapter. They never speak (in the book) so they are hardly real characters, but they are there. And apparently in this world it's part of a waitress' normal job to allow the patrons to fondle, grope, and occasionally have sex (in public) with them. Yes, this is actually described in the book. Rather explicitly in fact. So, basically, there's an absolutely abominable message here concerning the treatment of women. I'm not exactly sure what that message is, but I'm not comfortable with it.
✓Time Confusion: The book took a long time to read and covered a lot of events, so it felt as though years had passed, or at least one year. They traveled 1000 miles on horseback plus a fair distance on foot, he spends a lot of time reading and studying the book, other legends, religious background stories, and even learning a new language. And after all that we find out it's only been a few weeks (maybe a couple months?) since the start of the book. I don't know.... It just felt jarring to me.
✓Characters: All the characters in the book have the same personality. They all talk exactly the same and are mostly interchangeable.
Overall, I'd still say that the writing does show promise, and the story has some merit to it, but I still wish I hadn't read it. And I would certainly NOT recommend it to anyone else.
July 12, 2024
I feel like this guy was born to write books for me.
The plot in and of itself is nothing special but boy oh boy these characters!!!! And the dialogue!
I think I’ve laughed more reading this book than any other since Good Omens.
The plot in and of itself is nothing special but boy oh boy these characters!!!! And the dialogue!
I think I’ve laughed more reading this book than any other since Good Omens.
January 21, 2023
Like many others have said, the banter, relationship, and whatnot between Dante and blays is by far the best part of the book. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why the plot and everything else is so bland and forgettable, but while thinking about it just now, I realized it might be because there's no overarching, long term goal, arc, or throughline. Well, not really. There kind of is for book 1, in just staying alive and then traveling to the dead city, and book 2 has a bit more of one with freeing those people. But still... Unless Dante and blays are interacting, there's a good chance I'm barely paying attention or totally zoned.
I tried too. I re listened to the beginning (before they meet) like three times before I said screw it, accepted I might only absorb a portion of the plot, introspections, and whatnot, and haven't been overwhelmingly confused, lost, or anything through the second book (maybe because the plot points are mostly predictable and introspections are more or less non-existent, in that, things happen and the two will joke about it before, during, and after, but nothing ever changes them or...I don't know, I'm tired of trying to pinpoint the flaws).
I read/listen to a lot of books and rarely zone out as often as I do with this series, perhaps because I'd usually just stop reading it. However the author writes enough interesting bits in addition to Dante/blays that I've kept reading. I mean, the greatest source of tension yet (BY FAR) is anything that could possibly separate our two protagonists.
Honestly, the author could accept what he excels at and what he doesn't, and double down on it. I know Dante and blays need things to do send reasons to interact, grow, and make fun of each other, but... Yeah. Maybe that's what happens in cycle of galand?
Ramble: off.
I tried too. I re listened to the beginning (before they meet) like three times before I said screw it, accepted I might only absorb a portion of the plot, introspections, and whatnot, and haven't been overwhelmingly confused, lost, or anything through the second book (maybe because the plot points are mostly predictable and introspections are more or less non-existent, in that, things happen and the two will joke about it before, during, and after, but nothing ever changes them or...I don't know, I'm tired of trying to pinpoint the flaws).
I read/listen to a lot of books and rarely zone out as often as I do with this series, perhaps because I'd usually just stop reading it. However the author writes enough interesting bits in addition to Dante/blays that I've kept reading. I mean, the greatest source of tension yet (BY FAR) is anything that could possibly separate our two protagonists.
Honestly, the author could accept what he excels at and what he doesn't, and double down on it. I know Dante and blays need things to do send reasons to interact, grow, and make fun of each other, but... Yeah. Maybe that's what happens in cycle of galand?
Ramble: off.
November 27, 2017
For the first half of the book I found myself constantly asking what the characters motivations are and never getting an answer. If you can learn to just accept that there is no real reason behind the character's actions and stop looking for one, it does turn into an enjoyable read. The book touches upon some interesting topics, such as how history is written by the victor, how religious/historical texts can accumulate errors and changes by being hand copied over thousands of years, and how different groups can end up with contradictory descriptions of the same events, but never explores them in any depth. It all contributes to a feeling of shallowness where nothing is really examined in depth. The other major downside was a complete lack of diverse characters. Not only is there only one female character in the entire book, but all the characters speak with similar voices. Combined with the shallow approach to character building it leaves a sense that all the characters are interchangeable and the death of a character does not have the intended emotional impact.
Overall it was a flawed, but humorous, book with snarky dialogue and if you're looking for a light read where you don't have to think too much I would recommend it.
Overall it was a flawed, but humorous, book with snarky dialogue and if you're looking for a light read where you don't have to think too much I would recommend it.
August 7, 2018
So, this is a bit weird. I downloaded a sample of the trilogy eons ago (because it was a cheap three book bundle on Kindle which meant a longer sample), failed to get interested in it, forgot it, refound it by accident, and this time did get hooked.
It's sort of hard to know what to say. I liked it, but it's not easy for me to pinpoint exactly why. The story and the writing are competent, and the dialogue is clever without being too clever.
It usually comes down to characters with me, so that had a good big hand. The characters are believable. It's hard to pin down Dante as an exact archetype, which is a good thing, I think. He's a kid who chases a(n admittedly weird) dream and proves to have a natural talent, but he also clearly gets in way over his head, makes poor decisions, struggles and is just somehow very human. The lessons he gets taught struck a chord with me, because... well, ultimately they're a lot about how the world is complicated and unfair and you end up faking your way through messes most of the time. As far as I'm concerned that is exactly how growing up works.
Also I just ended up in love with Blays. Sorry.
It's sort of hard to know what to say. I liked it, but it's not easy for me to pinpoint exactly why. The story and the writing are competent, and the dialogue is clever without being too clever.
It usually comes down to characters with me, so that had a good big hand. The characters are believable. It's hard to pin down Dante as an exact archetype, which is a good thing, I think. He's a kid who chases a(n admittedly weird) dream and proves to have a natural talent, but he also clearly gets in way over his head, makes poor decisions, struggles and is just somehow very human. The lessons he gets taught struck a chord with me, because... well, ultimately they're a lot about how the world is complicated and unfair and you end up faking your way through messes most of the time. As far as I'm concerned that is exactly how growing up works.
Also I just ended up in love with Blays. Sorry.
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