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The Questing Road
An exciting new fantasy in the tradition of Andre Norton’s Witch World Lyn McConchie, the coauthor of The Duke’s Ballad and Silver May Tarnish , returns with The Questing Road , a new fantasy that captures the spirit of her successful collaborations with Andre Norton. Searching for a stolen foal, several farming folk inadvertently cross through a gateway into a different world. Not long after, the lord and lady of a nearby keep begin a trip to find the sire of the lady’s empathic cat. They too traverse a gate unwittingly and find themselves in the same strange world. On the other side of the gate the two groups meet and discover that the world they have entered is in great danger. The foal has been stolen to be sacrificed as part of a scheme to loose a horde of demons upon the world. Somehow the cat and the foal are the keys to the possible salvation of this world, which may prove a home to them and their owners…or their doom.
- GenresFantasy
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 3, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 3, 2010
New Zealand author Lyn McConchie has written several novels with Andre Norton in that author’s WITCH WORLD and BEAST MASTER universes, so I was surprised that The Questing Road, though officially McConchie’s first solo fantasy novel, actually reads much like a debut novel. While there are a few moments of charm and sparkle, the characters are so flat, and the writing so uneven, that I would have easily believed this to be someone’s first attempt at a novel.
The story starts with two separate groups of travelers who, unwittingly, step through a portal into a different world. The first group was attempting to rescue a captured tariling (a young “felinoid” or cat-shaped sentient); the second just wandered into the portal while out on a stroll, nominally to search for their cat’s sire.
My very first inkling that The Questing Road wouldn’t work for me came when neither group really seemed to panic, or even worry overmuch, at suddenly finding themselves in an alternate dimension (despite the fact that, later in the novel, we learn that such portals are extremely rare). Aside from worrying whether the local food is edible, they basically just shrug and decide to get on with business, even when a bit later they are visited by a goddess and granted the power to understand the local language. This gift handily allows them to sneak up on some travelers’ camps to listen in on their conversations and so find out about the new land’s history and layout. See how easy it can be to survive in an alternate dimension?
Eventually the two groups meet up and decide to work together with a couple of local traders, especially when it becomes clear that the captured tariling may be used as a sacrifice to summon the kalthi, horrible monsters from yet another dimension but tied into the land’s history...
The main issues with The Questing Road are both the quantity and quality of the characters. In terms of quantity — well, there are a lot of them. In the first few chapters we meet the captured tariling’s parents (who confusingly don’t make another appearance later on), then the first group of travelers (a couple and their niece), the second group (another couple, one of their family members, their master-of-arms, and two servants), the two traders, and two slavers (plus two of their staff members). That’s well over 15 people, which in itself wouldn’t be a problem (it’s actually low compared to some epic fantasies), except that here they’re being introduced too quickly and without sufficient detail to make them real and recognizable to the reader. They all have some dialog, and after a few chapters you’ll remember who’s who without having to page back and refresh your memory, but unfortunately none of them ever attain the level of detail you’d expect of main characters, and instead they all appear as flat as side-characters throughout the novel.
Another distraction is the quality of the writing, which is filled with run-on sentences and generally choppy prose. The dialog is occasionally entertaining, but often feels bland and uninspired, as if the (already one-dimensional) characters are just going through the motions. There are frequent p.o.v. shifts, not just from chapter to chapter (which is perfectly fine) but also within the same chapter, e.g. you may be reading about one of the traveling groups setting up camp and then suddenly, almost in mid-sentence, switch to the perspective of the bandits who are preparing an attack on the camp (explaining their tactics), then back to the travelers who have noticed the impending attack and are preparing defences. As a result, all the tension is sucked from the scene, because the reader knows more or less everything that’s about to happen. Another scene has one of the couples worrying that they should have left their younger niece at home because of the dangerous circumstances, then switches abruptly to the niece realizing she’d have to watch out for the older folks. These clumsy shifts in perspective spell out everything for the reader and give The Questing Road a cartoon-like style.
On the positive side, the history and political set-up of the land, while not entirely original, is interesting and more sophisticated than you’d expect, based on the rest of the novel. The story is told at an easy-going pace, and despite a few slow-downs there aren’t many boring moments. And finally, this review would be remiss if it didn’t point out the striking cover illustration by Dan Dos Santos, which is sure to catch some eyes in the bookstore.
In general though, I couldn’t get over The Questing Road’s weaknesses and had trouble staying motivated enough to finish the novel. When the ending turned out to be as uninspired as the rest of the novel, I found myself wishing I’d given up earlier.
(This review was published on 8/3/2010 on the Fantasy Literature website - www.fantasyliterature.com)
The story starts with two separate groups of travelers who, unwittingly, step through a portal into a different world. The first group was attempting to rescue a captured tariling (a young “felinoid” or cat-shaped sentient); the second just wandered into the portal while out on a stroll, nominally to search for their cat’s sire.
My very first inkling that The Questing Road wouldn’t work for me came when neither group really seemed to panic, or even worry overmuch, at suddenly finding themselves in an alternate dimension (despite the fact that, later in the novel, we learn that such portals are extremely rare). Aside from worrying whether the local food is edible, they basically just shrug and decide to get on with business, even when a bit later they are visited by a goddess and granted the power to understand the local language. This gift handily allows them to sneak up on some travelers’ camps to listen in on their conversations and so find out about the new land’s history and layout. See how easy it can be to survive in an alternate dimension?
Eventually the two groups meet up and decide to work together with a couple of local traders, especially when it becomes clear that the captured tariling may be used as a sacrifice to summon the kalthi, horrible monsters from yet another dimension but tied into the land’s history...
The main issues with The Questing Road are both the quantity and quality of the characters. In terms of quantity — well, there are a lot of them. In the first few chapters we meet the captured tariling’s parents (who confusingly don’t make another appearance later on), then the first group of travelers (a couple and their niece), the second group (another couple, one of their family members, their master-of-arms, and two servants), the two traders, and two slavers (plus two of their staff members). That’s well over 15 people, which in itself wouldn’t be a problem (it’s actually low compared to some epic fantasies), except that here they’re being introduced too quickly and without sufficient detail to make them real and recognizable to the reader. They all have some dialog, and after a few chapters you’ll remember who’s who without having to page back and refresh your memory, but unfortunately none of them ever attain the level of detail you’d expect of main characters, and instead they all appear as flat as side-characters throughout the novel.
Another distraction is the quality of the writing, which is filled with run-on sentences and generally choppy prose. The dialog is occasionally entertaining, but often feels bland and uninspired, as if the (already one-dimensional) characters are just going through the motions. There are frequent p.o.v. shifts, not just from chapter to chapter (which is perfectly fine) but also within the same chapter, e.g. you may be reading about one of the traveling groups setting up camp and then suddenly, almost in mid-sentence, switch to the perspective of the bandits who are preparing an attack on the camp (explaining their tactics), then back to the travelers who have noticed the impending attack and are preparing defences. As a result, all the tension is sucked from the scene, because the reader knows more or less everything that’s about to happen. Another scene has one of the couples worrying that they should have left their younger niece at home because of the dangerous circumstances, then switches abruptly to the niece realizing she’d have to watch out for the older folks. These clumsy shifts in perspective spell out everything for the reader and give The Questing Road a cartoon-like style.
On the positive side, the history and political set-up of the land, while not entirely original, is interesting and more sophisticated than you’d expect, based on the rest of the novel. The story is told at an easy-going pace, and despite a few slow-downs there aren’t many boring moments. And finally, this review would be remiss if it didn’t point out the striking cover illustration by Dan Dos Santos, which is sure to catch some eyes in the bookstore.
In general though, I couldn’t get over The Questing Road’s weaknesses and had trouble staying motivated enough to finish the novel. When the ending turned out to be as uninspired as the rest of the novel, I found myself wishing I’d given up earlier.
(This review was published on 8/3/2010 on the Fantasy Literature website - www.fantasyliterature.com)
September 6, 2010
Ok, I really didn't completely read this book. I quit because IT'S SO BAD. It reads like a first-time author, not someone who's co-authored several books with someone like Andre Norton.
It starts out confusing, with uneven world-building, odd characterization, and breaking every good rule of setting up a fantasy novel.
It starts out confusing, with uneven world-building, odd characterization, and breaking every good rule of setting up a fantasy novel.
April 16, 2011
Bleeeegh, I would not advise this book. It was plodding, disjointed, and I had to force myself to finish it because I am stubborn. I had next to no emotional feelings for any of the characters. Even the giant cat and human lesbian lovers. That should have been great!
June 15, 2011
In The Questing Road, Lyn McConchie draws on her great experience of working with Andre Norton to create a world that transcends the usual boundaries. It is what I call a "gate" novel, in that two groups of travelers find themselves crossing into a different, alien world, and learning to survive there.
One group is there to rescue a tariling, an unusual creature with special abilities. The other travelers, Sirado and Eilish, join Yorros and Kyrryl and their warrior niece, Ashara, in looking for the tariling cub. Finding it, however, isn't easy and their journey is fraught with difficult magic as well as unexpected alien creatures. This book tells the story of their adventures together.
What delights me in this novel is the detailed groundwork that I hope is setting the stage for a sequel. While I'm not enamored of the "goddess" who gives Sirado and Eilish the power of the world's language (I often find that gods and goddesses in science fiction and fantasy are more what I would call superheroes rather than supernatural beings), it does create a workable link between the two sets of companions. This also means that the story doesn't have to be dragged out through prolonged scenes where they get to know each other. In other words, it doesn't get bogged down with unrealistic situations that sometimes riddle many other books, used more often as "information dumps" than to tell the story. Instead, this novel is about discovering this new world, and the commitment Yorros and Kyrryl feel towards the tariling cub.
This is a fast-paced novel, with interesting characters and the right kind of action to intrigue many a reader. Ms. McConchie brings her own unique point of view to this book, thinking "outside of the box," as she often does, and creating a new and vital world that is her own.
One group is there to rescue a tariling, an unusual creature with special abilities. The other travelers, Sirado and Eilish, join Yorros and Kyrryl and their warrior niece, Ashara, in looking for the tariling cub. Finding it, however, isn't easy and their journey is fraught with difficult magic as well as unexpected alien creatures. This book tells the story of their adventures together.
What delights me in this novel is the detailed groundwork that I hope is setting the stage for a sequel. While I'm not enamored of the "goddess" who gives Sirado and Eilish the power of the world's language (I often find that gods and goddesses in science fiction and fantasy are more what I would call superheroes rather than supernatural beings), it does create a workable link between the two sets of companions. This also means that the story doesn't have to be dragged out through prolonged scenes where they get to know each other. In other words, it doesn't get bogged down with unrealistic situations that sometimes riddle many other books, used more often as "information dumps" than to tell the story. Instead, this novel is about discovering this new world, and the commitment Yorros and Kyrryl feel towards the tariling cub.
This is a fast-paced novel, with interesting characters and the right kind of action to intrigue many a reader. Ms. McConchie brings her own unique point of view to this book, thinking "outside of the box," as she often does, and creating a new and vital world that is her own.
December 25, 2015
I had to struggle to finish this book. I liked the world the author made and I liked the basic story. My issue with the book and why I only gave it two stars is twofold. She had to many characters to keep track off and she had weird names to go along with that. The names were very hard to keep in your head and identify any with the back stories she tried to give them. I gave up after awhile and started thinking of them as group A, group B and so forth.
The other problem is she spent a lot of time telling you instead of showing you the action. She spent way to much time have people traveling and talking. Editing some of that out of the story might have helped.
This is the first book I have read with this author,because of the world building I would be willing to give her another chance.
The other problem is she spent a lot of time telling you instead of showing you the action. She spent way to much time have people traveling and talking. Editing some of that out of the story might have helped.
This is the first book I have read with this author,because of the world building I would be willing to give her another chance.
Read
January 15, 2013 It never hooked me. I could only read it some now and then, and more out of a hope that it would break through that first quarter dullness of explaining all the characters. By page 136 I can't anymore. The detail is far too tedious, rather than enriching. I have slogged through a few bad books lately, and I just have exhausted my patience to slog through to wherever "the great adventure" part starts.
The cover art is lovely, yet I find no credit for the artist. As an illustrator myself, wth? That cover sold the book to me, so can they their name in there too. The editors name is in there, and they should have spotted the problem.
The cover art is lovely, yet I find no credit for the artist. As an illustrator myself, wth? That cover sold the book to me, so can they their name in there too. The editors name is in there, and they should have spotted the problem.
June 2, 2012
Set in the tradition of Andre Norton, but without that Author's supreme ability to ensorcell her audience with the written word. There were too many characters going in all directions, which made keeping track of who was where difficult.
There were several places within the book where the person under discussion did not match the action, which tended to add confusion instead of clarity.
It was a very interesting story though, and the overall theme is universal - protect the young and helpless, and for the courageous adventurers, also protect the world/kingdom.
There were several places within the book where the person under discussion did not match the action, which tended to add confusion instead of clarity.
It was a very interesting story though, and the overall theme is universal - protect the young and helpless, and for the courageous adventurers, also protect the world/kingdom.
July 13, 2014
Confusing plotlines, WAY too many characters. I only finished this book because it was the only one in my beach bag and I didn't feel like making the half hour round trip walk to get another one from my room. Its not a bad story, but the sheer number of stories that the author is trying to weave into one great over arching plot is hard to follow. There are also like 25 characters you are supposed to keep track of in their different dozen odd missions. Throw in a little divine intervention and psychic cat things and poof, you have this story.
December 15, 2016
Lyn must be a cat-lover. :-)
October 15, 2010
I really liked this book, but it left me a little confused as to who it was about in many places, and changed POV so often, my head was spinning. I would like to read more in this world that Miss McConchie has created.
September 16, 2017
I tried to do this, I really did. But I made it less than ten pages before strange grammar and wall-o-exposition barred me from penetrating further.
Disappointing, because intelligent nonhuman species are relevant to my interests.
Disappointing, because intelligent nonhuman species are relevant to my interests.
Read
April 25, 2011Could not get into this book even after 70 pgs into it.
March 5, 2012
too many characters and the initial chapter seems to have gone lost only to be recalled by the last two.
July 28, 2012
Looks as if this book polarizes people's opinions. But I read it, love it, ended up buying two copies, one in hardcover to save, new paperback to read and re-read. Do hope there's a sequel.
August 20, 2012
I just couldn't get into this one; too much info-dumping right up front and not enough characterization.
August 23, 2013
The writing was a little annoying to read, as people would think things, then say them. Too redundant for me. but the story was interesting.
June 21, 2015
I really tried on this one and made it halfway through, but there was way too many flat, uninteresting characters that I couldn't (and didn't care to) track.
October 25, 2016
Not a fan. Prose is not to my liking, character introduction rushed, not clear. Avoid.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews