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Legends of the Red Sun #1
Nacht über Villjamur
Unter einer sterbenden roten Sonne harrt Villjamur, die Hauptstadt eines einstmals mächtigen Reiches, der heranrückenden Eiszeit. Ströme von Flüchtlingen sammeln sich vor den Toren und drohen, die ganze Stadt zu überfluten. Da ereignet sich eine furchtbare Tragödie, und die älteste Tochter des Kaisers, Jamur Rika, gelangt auf den Thron. Gleichzeitig ruft der grausame Mord an einem Ratsherrn Inspektor Rumex Jeryd auf den Plan. Im Laufe seiner Ermittlungen deckt Jeryd eine geheime Verschwörung auf, die nicht nur das Leben der Königin, sondern die Zukunft von ganz Villjamur bedroht ...
510 pages, Broschiert
First published May 22, 2009
57 people are currently reading
4372 people want to read
About the author
Mark Charan Newton
16 books250 followersMark Charan Newton was born in 1981, and holds a degree in Environmental Science. After working in bookselling, he moved into editorial positions at imprints covering film and media tie-in fiction, and later, science fiction and fantasy. He currently lives and works in Nottingham. His major label debut is Nights of Villjamur, which is published by Tor UK (Pan Macmillan) and Bantam Spectra (Random House).
"Newton combines strange and vivid creations with very real and pressing concerns with estimable commitment and passion." — China Miéville on City of Ruin.
"This is fantasy with vast scope and ambition... a complex, eldritch vision" — The Guardian on Nights of Villjamur.
"Newton combines strange and vivid creations with very real and pressing concerns with estimable commitment and passion." — China Miéville on City of Ruin.
"This is fantasy with vast scope and ambition... a complex, eldritch vision" — The Guardian on Nights of Villjamur.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
September 27, 2011
EH? EH! it took a while for my feelings of annoyance and disdain to really flourish. unlike the last travesty of a novel that i gave up on, there was at first some intriguing world-building that kept my attention. and so i made excuses for the incredible weaknesses apparent on the first couple pages. first and foremost, the author seems to suffer from an advanced case of Steven Erikson-itis: his ability to write dialogue and interesting characters falls far, far, faaaaar short of his potentially fertile imagination. seriously, the dialogue is a joke. when characters aren't uttering the most corny and eye-rolling of phrases, they sound just like any twenty- or thirtysomething person living in a first world nation on the planet earth in the milky way galaxy. the trite dialogue and characterization also served to lessen any potential strangeness or alienness of the world depicted. unfortunately, the inadequate writing extends beyond dialogue and characterization: it is amateur hour on almost every level. the nonhuman races were at first okay, nothing special but nothing particularly awful...until the introduction of the "banshee" race. wtf? stupid beyond belief. and then the world-building that initially intrigued me proved to be completely derivative of so many things, from A Song of Ice and Fire to Perdido Street Station to Malazan itself (which, despite its inadequacies around dialogue and characterization, is a far superior effort). so finally i had to take a step back and question why i was even continuing to read this one. i lasted until page 152; i'm not going to live forever and there are other books out there! this book cost me $16 and i feel that someone, somewhere, owes me some money.
October 7, 2011
A slow experience. I loved the concept of the oncoming ice age forcing a political revolution.
Unfortunately, the book starts with the usual disjointed narrative, hopping from person, place and time, which drives me up the wall. My most frequent review complaint: why must everyone write the deconstructionist novel? I'm convinced that it's a writing shortcut--it's so much easier to keep doing brief sketches from each viewpoint rather than strive for a cohesive whole. And it's a lazy-ass way to develop suspense when the characters are acting against each other. However, we mostly stick with four or five or six main characters: Randur, the dandy and dancer; Tuya the artist; Investigator Rumex Jeryd, a runnel; Brynd the captain of the elite Night Guard; the cultist Duncan; the high Councilor Urtica; the princesses Rika and Eir... okay, now that I think about it, we get to see inside everyone's head. Too bad. It's a whole mish-mash of people, both protagonist and antagonist, and unfortunately, a lot of them sound like the neighbor down the street pretending to be different people at the office when he's telling a story. I enjoyed following some of the storylines, but think the details in each could have been bulked and individualized by not switching narratives so often. Doing so created a sort of homogeneousness of narrative voice and vocabulary.
There were some creative moments--a lot of the underlying ideas were interesting, even if they lacked structure to make a cohesive whole. The setting and the concept of the ice age is fascinating. The races are kind of interesting to me. The cultist concept and Duncan's preoccupation with death is an interesting set-up.
I do have to note that this book involved some of the most awkward sex scenes that I've read in a long time (edited snarky comment here). I'd rather Newton just left it out, as it gave very little insight into the character(s) or setting--or even vicarious enjoyment.
Nonetheless, something about the coming ice age is fascinating to me--could be my preoccupation with post-apocalypse novels, so I'll likely get the next book from the library to see how it develops. Or maybe I'm just OCD and I want to see what happens because I can't quite guess how this mess well end up. Well, actually, I can. Eir will be crowned after a long and bloody revolution that pits soldiers/commoners/runnels against the old nobility. Some cultist device will be used. A couple characters will be killed.
Unfortunately, the book starts with the usual disjointed narrative, hopping from person, place and time, which drives me up the wall. My most frequent review complaint: why must everyone write the deconstructionist novel? I'm convinced that it's a writing shortcut--it's so much easier to keep doing brief sketches from each viewpoint rather than strive for a cohesive whole. And it's a lazy-ass way to develop suspense when the characters are acting against each other. However, we mostly stick with four or five or six main characters: Randur, the dandy and dancer; Tuya the artist; Investigator Rumex Jeryd, a runnel; Brynd the captain of the elite Night Guard; the cultist Duncan; the high Councilor Urtica; the princesses Rika and Eir... okay, now that I think about it, we get to see inside everyone's head. Too bad. It's a whole mish-mash of people, both protagonist and antagonist, and unfortunately, a lot of them sound like the neighbor down the street pretending to be different people at the office when he's telling a story. I enjoyed following some of the storylines, but think the details in each could have been bulked and individualized by not switching narratives so often. Doing so created a sort of homogeneousness of narrative voice and vocabulary.
There were some creative moments--a lot of the underlying ideas were interesting, even if they lacked structure to make a cohesive whole. The setting and the concept of the ice age is fascinating. The races are kind of interesting to me. The cultist concept and Duncan's preoccupation with death is an interesting set-up.
I do have to note that this book involved some of the most awkward sex scenes that I've read in a long time (edited snarky comment here). I'd rather Newton just left it out, as it gave very little insight into the character(s) or setting--or even vicarious enjoyment.
Nonetheless, something about the coming ice age is fascinating to me--could be my preoccupation with post-apocalypse novels, so I'll likely get the next book from the library to see how it develops. Or maybe I'm just OCD and I want to see what happens because I can't quite guess how this mess well end up. Well, actually, I can. Eir will be crowned after a long and bloody revolution that pits soldiers/commoners/runnels against the old nobility. Some cultist device will be used. A couple characters will be killed.
August 18, 2011
I tried, but failed. I made it through a little over 4 of 14 cd's (I calculated it to about 100 to 120 or so pages) and it just wasn't working for me.
I guess, and maybe it's because I'm getting older or because I have a one-year-old and all I read every day is Goodnight Moon or Thomas the Train, but I'm just tired of books being completely focused on sex. I read fantasy because I like fantasy elements like medieval times, swords, adventure, different races and lots more.
I don't read romance.
I don't have anything against it, it's just not for me. But, and this is a big but, I purposefully read fantasy and not romance.
If such elements pop up every now and then (ASoIaF for instance isn't even that bad for me, but it's been a while), that's fine with me...but everything can't be about the sex, especially explicit sex. Not only does it not do it for me as a reader, but I really don't feel it moves the story forward much. When an author does this, I can't get it out of my head that the author is deprived (not depraved, sex is healthy, I'm a fan) in some way and all they can do is fantasize about situations they got from some porn flick...and I really don't need or want to hear about them.
I feel bad because I know I'm wrong at least 99% of the time, it's just there, in my head, I can't get it out when I read these scenes.
I know, I'm weird. Maybe I have crazy issues from some childhood tragedy that I've repressed.
Otherwise, the world Newton has created is amazing. The characters are real and he's obviously an amazing writer. The audio is also completely well done. I can completely understand why everyone loves this series. Newton deserves all the praise he's received and it's my own issues that have prevented my enjoyment. I just think I'm over what I've talked about above.
I guess, and maybe it's because I'm getting older or because I have a one-year-old and all I read every day is Goodnight Moon or Thomas the Train, but I'm just tired of books being completely focused on sex. I read fantasy because I like fantasy elements like medieval times, swords, adventure, different races and lots more.
I don't read romance.
I don't have anything against it, it's just not for me. But, and this is a big but, I purposefully read fantasy and not romance.
If such elements pop up every now and then (ASoIaF for instance isn't even that bad for me, but it's been a while), that's fine with me...but everything can't be about the sex, especially explicit sex. Not only does it not do it for me as a reader, but I really don't feel it moves the story forward much. When an author does this, I can't get it out of my head that the author is deprived (not depraved, sex is healthy, I'm a fan) in some way and all they can do is fantasize about situations they got from some porn flick...and I really don't need or want to hear about them.
I feel bad because I know I'm wrong at least 99% of the time, it's just there, in my head, I can't get it out when I read these scenes.
I know, I'm weird. Maybe I have crazy issues from some childhood tragedy that I've repressed.
Otherwise, the world Newton has created is amazing. The characters are real and he's obviously an amazing writer. The audio is also completely well done. I can completely understand why everyone loves this series. Newton deserves all the praise he's received and it's my own issues that have prevented my enjoyment. I just think I'm over what I've talked about above.
January 2, 2010
4.5 to 5.0 stars. A superb debut novel and an excellent beginning to what may be a great new series. This is a gritty, noir like fantasy set in a "dying earth" setting and filled with great characters and an interesting plot. The world-building elements, many of which are only hinted at in this first book, are what set this book above the lesser works in the genre. A very good book. Highly recommended!!
June 21, 2017
(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com)
So if you buy a book solely because the cover is beautiful, or because the title is intriguing, then you accept the risk that the book might be not so good. But when you buy a book because you've seen it mentioned all over the place and because the plot sounds like ten different kinds of awesome, then you're your expectations might be somewhat higher. And yet, sometimes, the spur of the moment book will be fantastic and the anticipated one, well, let's turn our attention to Nights of Villjamur.
A city scrambling to prepare for a fast approaching ice age, masses of desperate refugees pushing at its walls, is left leaderless when the emperor commits suicide. Someone, or something, is killing of important council members, and a dark cult is making a grab for power. Zombie like creatures are shambling around the countryside and a war is brewing. Seriously, all that stuff happens in this book. All that stuff and then some. A plot like that, you might say its a bit too ambitious, maybe a bit too much action and excitement for one average sized book. But you almost certainly wouldn't look at that and say it sounds boring.
I went into Nights of Villjamur expected to be challenged, and challenged I was. But it wasn't because the plot was so complex, the prose so twistedly weird, no, the challenge was to finish the damn thing. A challenge I failed.
The problem, well, one of the problems, is that Mark Charan Newton is all tell and no show. I can't think of one examples in the three quarters of the book I made it through where Newton actually shows something. It's all, 'Bob walked down the stairs, he was tired and also a little hungry. He passed John, who he didn't like because four years ago he cheated at a game of poker.' Obviously that's not a dirct quote, but seriously you could open it to any page and find a quote not much better.
This telling over showing is particularly evident when we look the character Brynd. He's commander of the elite night guard, an albino, and a closeted homosexual. Everyone mistrusts him because he's an albino. I know this not because we ever actually see anyone mistrusting him, but because he, you guessed it, tells us. Or other characters will think, 'here come Brynd, I don't trust him because of his freaky white skin.' Another book I read recently had a character who, like Brynd, was an outcast because of their genetics. I'm referring to Jant Shira, from the excellent Castle trilogy. Throughout this books we see other characters too unnerved to meet Jant's eyes, obviously highly uncomfortable in his presence. He obviously makes people nervous. No one ever acts like Brynd bothers them, they just tell us he does.
Or there's an evil council member dude who wants to take control of the city, and to do that he wants to start a war. So he goes to the head armorer and says, 'tell everyone this arrow was made in our enemy nation.' And the armorer is all like 'uh, no.' And then the councilor says, 'do it or
I'll beat the living shit out of you.' No, really, he's that subtle. And then later he thinks about how he's got to go do some more clever manipulating. Ah, excuse me? Straight up threats do not a master manipulator make...
The characters lack any real depth, and there's definitely no mystery to them. How can there be when they tell us everything? The telling is even worse when it's done in dialogue. 'How do you feel about your boss?' Asks character a. 'I used to like him but now I don't because he didn't promote me.' Who actually talks like that? It also feels like the characters interact only on a most superficial level. The emperor, for example, beat his wife and possibly also murdered her. And yet Brynd, his most trusted adviser, seems to have no opinion about it. Newton also has a some little writing quirks that he repeats a lot, most annoyingly in the dialogue of different characters, which makes them sound very similar. (Also, at one point some random character suddenly realises that he's never liked communal toilets. How do you suddenly realise something you've always known?)
Mostly I'm just really disappointed. This book had such crazy amounts of potential, and I felt like the character of Brynd in particular could have been pretty amazing. Could have been, would have been, but ultimately wasn't. Maybe the next books in this serious are better, but as I couldn't even finish this one I don't know if I'll ever find out.
So if you buy a book solely because the cover is beautiful, or because the title is intriguing, then you accept the risk that the book might be not so good. But when you buy a book because you've seen it mentioned all over the place and because the plot sounds like ten different kinds of awesome, then you're your expectations might be somewhat higher. And yet, sometimes, the spur of the moment book will be fantastic and the anticipated one, well, let's turn our attention to Nights of Villjamur.
A city scrambling to prepare for a fast approaching ice age, masses of desperate refugees pushing at its walls, is left leaderless when the emperor commits suicide. Someone, or something, is killing of important council members, and a dark cult is making a grab for power. Zombie like creatures are shambling around the countryside and a war is brewing. Seriously, all that stuff happens in this book. All that stuff and then some. A plot like that, you might say its a bit too ambitious, maybe a bit too much action and excitement for one average sized book. But you almost certainly wouldn't look at that and say it sounds boring.
I went into Nights of Villjamur expected to be challenged, and challenged I was. But it wasn't because the plot was so complex, the prose so twistedly weird, no, the challenge was to finish the damn thing. A challenge I failed.
The problem, well, one of the problems, is that Mark Charan Newton is all tell and no show. I can't think of one examples in the three quarters of the book I made it through where Newton actually shows something. It's all, 'Bob walked down the stairs, he was tired and also a little hungry. He passed John, who he didn't like because four years ago he cheated at a game of poker.' Obviously that's not a dirct quote, but seriously you could open it to any page and find a quote not much better.
This telling over showing is particularly evident when we look the character Brynd. He's commander of the elite night guard, an albino, and a closeted homosexual. Everyone mistrusts him because he's an albino. I know this not because we ever actually see anyone mistrusting him, but because he, you guessed it, tells us. Or other characters will think, 'here come Brynd, I don't trust him because of his freaky white skin.' Another book I read recently had a character who, like Brynd, was an outcast because of their genetics. I'm referring to Jant Shira, from the excellent Castle trilogy. Throughout this books we see other characters too unnerved to meet Jant's eyes, obviously highly uncomfortable in his presence. He obviously makes people nervous. No one ever acts like Brynd bothers them, they just tell us he does.
Or there's an evil council member dude who wants to take control of the city, and to do that he wants to start a war. So he goes to the head armorer and says, 'tell everyone this arrow was made in our enemy nation.' And the armorer is all like 'uh, no.' And then the councilor says, 'do it or
I'll beat the living shit out of you.' No, really, he's that subtle. And then later he thinks about how he's got to go do some more clever manipulating. Ah, excuse me? Straight up threats do not a master manipulator make...
The characters lack any real depth, and there's definitely no mystery to them. How can there be when they tell us everything? The telling is even worse when it's done in dialogue. 'How do you feel about your boss?' Asks character a. 'I used to like him but now I don't because he didn't promote me.' Who actually talks like that? It also feels like the characters interact only on a most superficial level. The emperor, for example, beat his wife and possibly also murdered her. And yet Brynd, his most trusted adviser, seems to have no opinion about it. Newton also has a some little writing quirks that he repeats a lot, most annoyingly in the dialogue of different characters, which makes them sound very similar. (Also, at one point some random character suddenly realises that he's never liked communal toilets. How do you suddenly realise something you've always known?)
Mostly I'm just really disappointed. This book had such crazy amounts of potential, and I felt like the character of Brynd in particular could have been pretty amazing. Could have been, would have been, but ultimately wasn't. Maybe the next books in this serious are better, but as I couldn't even finish this one I don't know if I'll ever find out.
August 23, 2010
I was really looking forward to this book because of the many good reviews and comparison to China Mieville and Joe Abercrombie's books. But this book is nothing like their books. This book was totally unremarkable. The characters were dull and unbelievable, the story long, boring and drawn-out and the fantasy world not very interesting. I've no idea what the people who gave this a good review were reading but it couldn't have been this book. I can't be bothered to comment further on this book except to say avoid it. One star.
July 23, 2014
Superb book - epic fantasy debut of Mark Newton who has published one small press sf novel The Reef before.
Under the Red Sun, the long-awaited Freeze is coming and presumed to last for some decades at least and the Villjamur archipelago Empire centered on its capital with the same name is preparing.
The corrupt ruling Council led by Chancellor Urtica wants to keep the population as low as possible so tens of thousands of refugees from neighboring island-provinces are allowed to starve in tent cities in front of the city walls.
Mad Emperor Johynn is convinced that everyone wants to get him, so he finds solace in drink, while his heir the elder daughter Rika left Villamjur in disgust and fear taking refuge in a monastic order, and the younger daughter Eir is the only one keeping Johynn company
Brynd is the albino commander of the elite Night Guard and hence of the whole Villamjur military - though under the Council orders - and he finds himself on one too many supposedly safe missions that turn deadly
Jeryd is a rumel - a longer lived but considerably fewer in numbers hominid race coexisting with humanity and forming the higher ranks of the judiciary and the Inquisition of Villjamur; as a high ranking Investigator he is in charge of some strange murders that may lead to dark deeds in high places
Dartun is a powerful magician - "cultist" - godhi of the order of the Equinox, the second powerful magical order of Villjamur after the order of Dawnir, who believed himself immortal, only to discover that death is waiting for him soon, so he is desperately hatching plans to "regain" his immortality; if Villjamur or the whole world are harmed in the process it does not really matter
Jurra is a Dawnir - the only known member of the ancient all powerful and very long lived race that is credited in legends with amazing magic and technology - however it was found wandering without memory many centuries ago and since then he is sort of an official archivist, Palace librarian and historical researcher of the city
Randur is a handsome islander from Folke, master of the arts of dance, sword and seduction; though not really his name, he uses an opportunity of a job in the Palace for the real, now dead of some misadventure Randur, to come to Villjamur and find a way to extend his mother's life. When his path crosses Dartun's, he just needs an immense sum of money since Dartun knows how to resurrect the dead/prolong life. Since Randur's job is to be Eir dance/sword teacher, he gets many opportunities at "consoling" older noblewomen in exchange for jewelry easy to appropriate after the "consoling" is done
Tuya is an artist with a mark on her face and she practices a form of the oldest trade for a living, though she has some other interesting talents too.
Tryst is the human aide of Jeryd, usually loyal but recently feeling a bit peeved since he was passed for promotion on grounds of race - humans as short-lived do not make good senior Investigators
*** is the Magus of the underground Ovinist order which is spreading its tentacles through Villjamur and has particular ideas about how the Empire will survive and even thrive in the Ice-age to come
And there are Garudas - bird-soldiers that guard Villjamur from the air, reanimated corpses, magic of various kinds, the City itself.
Extraordinarily inventive and with lyrical prose, I intend to re-read it at least once immediately; it climbed to the top of my favorite fantasies of 09 so far. The only complaint is that I have to wait a while for the next installment...
The beginning of a planned four volume series, Nights of Villjamur ends with all main threads in full development, though not on a cliffhanger.
Under the Red Sun, the long-awaited Freeze is coming and presumed to last for some decades at least and the Villjamur archipelago Empire centered on its capital with the same name is preparing.
The corrupt ruling Council led by Chancellor Urtica wants to keep the population as low as possible so tens of thousands of refugees from neighboring island-provinces are allowed to starve in tent cities in front of the city walls.
Mad Emperor Johynn is convinced that everyone wants to get him, so he finds solace in drink, while his heir the elder daughter Rika left Villamjur in disgust and fear taking refuge in a monastic order, and the younger daughter Eir is the only one keeping Johynn company
Brynd is the albino commander of the elite Night Guard and hence of the whole Villamjur military - though under the Council orders - and he finds himself on one too many supposedly safe missions that turn deadly
Jeryd is a rumel - a longer lived but considerably fewer in numbers hominid race coexisting with humanity and forming the higher ranks of the judiciary and the Inquisition of Villjamur; as a high ranking Investigator he is in charge of some strange murders that may lead to dark deeds in high places
Dartun is a powerful magician - "cultist" - godhi of the order of the Equinox, the second powerful magical order of Villjamur after the order of Dawnir, who believed himself immortal, only to discover that death is waiting for him soon, so he is desperately hatching plans to "regain" his immortality; if Villjamur or the whole world are harmed in the process it does not really matter
Jurra is a Dawnir - the only known member of the ancient all powerful and very long lived race that is credited in legends with amazing magic and technology - however it was found wandering without memory many centuries ago and since then he is sort of an official archivist, Palace librarian and historical researcher of the city
Randur is a handsome islander from Folke, master of the arts of dance, sword and seduction; though not really his name, he uses an opportunity of a job in the Palace for the real, now dead of some misadventure Randur, to come to Villjamur and find a way to extend his mother's life. When his path crosses Dartun's, he just needs an immense sum of money since Dartun knows how to resurrect the dead/prolong life. Since Randur's job is to be Eir dance/sword teacher, he gets many opportunities at "consoling" older noblewomen in exchange for jewelry easy to appropriate after the "consoling" is done
Tuya is an artist with a mark on her face and she practices a form of the oldest trade for a living, though she has some other interesting talents too.
Tryst is the human aide of Jeryd, usually loyal but recently feeling a bit peeved since he was passed for promotion on grounds of race - humans as short-lived do not make good senior Investigators
*** is the Magus of the underground Ovinist order which is spreading its tentacles through Villjamur and has particular ideas about how the Empire will survive and even thrive in the Ice-age to come
And there are Garudas - bird-soldiers that guard Villjamur from the air, reanimated corpses, magic of various kinds, the City itself.
Extraordinarily inventive and with lyrical prose, I intend to re-read it at least once immediately; it climbed to the top of my favorite fantasies of 09 so far. The only complaint is that I have to wait a while for the next installment...
The beginning of a planned four volume series, Nights of Villjamur ends with all main threads in full development, though not on a cliffhanger.
January 3, 2015
Dear God. Where do I even start?
Once upon a time I read the back of a book in Chapters. It looked like a fantastic book. It had all the elements that I enjoy in a good read. It looked political and unique and widely drawn, divorced from the medieval warfare trappings that fantasy has been struggling against for a century. It had character archetypes I loved, a dark and mysterious city to explore, unique and wondrous creatures, ice and snow. Surely, all the elements were here to be the best book I've ever read.
Having finished it, I can honestly say that my initial impression was more than correct. This book DID have every single element of a book I might put on my top ten. Only one thing stood in the way of this auspicious fate, and that thing is named Mark Charan Newton.
THINGS THAT MARK CHARAN NEWTON DID TO MAKE SURE I ENJOYED NIGHTS OF VILLJAMUR AS LITTLE AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE:
A) STOP TELLING ME WHAT'S GOING ON.
This guy is only very casually aquainted with the idea of "show don't tell." The character of Brynd Lathraea is a fantastic example of this. Brynd is albino. This is a big part of his character because people are uncomfortable around him because of it. He's unable to have normal relationships because his albinoism affects them all.
Except not. Because at no point does any character in this novel (and there are a LOT of characters in this novel) treat Brynd even slightly differently because of his colouring. Despite this, characters keep TELLING us, the reader, that they care, even as they clearly do not care at all. Brynd also keeps telling us all about how sad and horrible it is to be an albino. Constantly. Without end. Every other page in a Brynd POV bit, he's reminding us that he's an albino. And what's really, really telling about this is that almost every single time, I go "oh, yeah." Newton tells me every page that Brynd is albino. And I still forget.
Just ONE damn character exhibiting body language to show that he finds Brynd discomforting would have gone so far. I'd see some effects of his colouring and that would cause me to conceptualize it as a real part of his character instead of just a weird piece of trivia that keeps coming up and affecting nothing at all.
B) NOBODY REACTS TO ANYTHING LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING.
So Brynd and his fellow Night Guardsmen find an undead guy standing around in the woods. They're like oh hey, check it out. That guy is dead. He's just standing there arms akimbo being dead. That's too bad. Oh well. And then they march on and literally forget it happened until it becomes relevant later.
Then later, Brynd and his troop are straight up assaulted by a frenzied group of undead. One of their number is found decapitated. They need to hack the undead up into tiny little pieces and then burn them to stop the onslaught. And everyone sort of reacts to this all like, aw man. That's weird. Wasn't that sort of weird? Shame buddy died. Yeah, that sucks. Man, it was weird when those undead tried to murder us and we had to chop them up. Indeed. Rather. Okay, night. See you in the morning.
These are not isolated events. Everyone either fails to react at all to major events, or they react in the most bizarrely arbitrary ways that are clearly neccessary to advance the plot, but I'm sitting here scratching my head going WHO THE HELL WOULD EVER DO THAT? Which brings me to ...
C) WHO THE HELL TALKS LIKE THAT?
Every single person in this book shares a voice. I would hazard a guess that this voice is also shared by Mark Charan Newton. I guarantee you that if you took any line of dialogue from this book that didn't say something like "My name is Randur Estevu, I'm a creepy misogynist and my mom is sick," you wouldn't be able to tell who said it. The only character with any voice at all was Apium, and it's because he swore slightly more than everybody else. Jeryd talked like Brynd who talked like Eir who talked like Tuya.
Moreover, it's not just the way they talk, it's the things they SAY. There's no feeling of conversation, of the natural flow from one line to the next. All dialogue is STRICLY PROFESSIONAL, getting right to the point of whatever is going on. "Do you like your boss?" "I used to like him, but then he didn't promote me, so now I don't like him anymore." Are you serious?
D) WORST VILLAIN EVER
If Snidely Whiplash spent even more time twirling his mustache smugly and even less time hatching any appreciably diabolical schemes, he might perhaps come close to the heights of terrible villainy that Councilor Urtica bravely aspired to. But it would be a tough call.
E) WEIRDLY BAD WRITING STYLE
I read slowly by intention. I do not skim. I'm capable of speed reading, but I prefer to sit back and enjoy every word, and let the sentences and paragraphs soak into my brain. I say this to inform my next statement: I had to reread sentences two and three times to figure out what was happening in them. Something about Newton's writing style just went out of its way to keep me at arm's length and obscure what was actually going on in the story. Half the time I wasn't aware of where the characters were, or what they were doing there, or where they were going next, or what they wanted to accomplish. The words were all there, but they were arranged in this arcane order that made it impossible to tell what was going on.
I've seen people criticizing Newton's vocabulary as being too robust. I heartily disagree. He clearly has a very round and well informed vocabulary, and I'll defend his more obscure word choices if need be. But there is no defense for the way he sticks those words in sentences to create an indescipherable mess.
I got the feeling that Newton knows how to turn a good phrase and has a head for imagery, but he's forcing his style way too hard and it feels unfinished and confusing.
F) F IS FOR FAILURE AT WRITING WOMEN AT ALL
And you know, I think I could have dealt with everything before this. I've enjoyed a lot of really bad books before, and like I said, Nights of Villjamur has all the elements neccessary for me to enjoy, even adore, a book. But where I pull back and emotionally divorce myself from a story is when there are so many markers of rampant misogyny.
Jeryd beats his wife, hides it from her after her memory loss, and we're supposed to feel like he's some sort of tragic hero. Randur takes sexual advantage of lonely old women and then robs them, justifies it as "getting trinkets from an older lover," and we're supposed to be like oh it's okay, they were mostly gold diggers anyway, they deserved this. The soft, feminine Rika is painted as hopelessly naive and ineffectual while the more handsome and tough Eir is competant and worthy of respect -- but only once a MAN teaches her all about how the REAL world words. The only man who doesn't condescend to women is Brynd, and he doesn't give a shit about them either way -- he's gay! Every single female character in this book with the exception of Papus exists to in some way support, grow, or be a prize for a male character. The women are props in the men's stories. Even the single exception, Papus, really seems to exist mostly to set Randur on his path and provide opposition to Dartun, but I'll give her a pass because it seems she has a role to play in future books (which I will not be reading.)
The most egregious case of this is the prostitute Tuya, who's introduced as quietly competant and intelligent. Despite her low station, she's gained power and control for herself. She chooses her own clients, she entertains men on the side on her own terms, and she loves to collect antiques with mysterious beauty and to paint. This character is in control of her sexuality, has agency and independence, and makes her own way in the world.
How does she end up? Beaten, drugged, taken advantage of, left to throw herself on a man's mercy and then die horrifically while in his care, knowing that she's lost all her dignity and independence.
Yeah.
BONUS) ELDRITCH HORRORS FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykWPya...
(Crab People)
Is this threatening to you?
No?
Yeah. Me neither.
--
In a way this book is almost art in how thoroughly it made me hate it despite how well the odds were stacked in its favour. The book that could be here is one of the best I ever read, one I recommended to every friend I had for the next ten years.
Sadly, instead of that book, I got Nights of Villjamur.
Once upon a time I read the back of a book in Chapters. It looked like a fantastic book. It had all the elements that I enjoy in a good read. It looked political and unique and widely drawn, divorced from the medieval warfare trappings that fantasy has been struggling against for a century. It had character archetypes I loved, a dark and mysterious city to explore, unique and wondrous creatures, ice and snow. Surely, all the elements were here to be the best book I've ever read.
Having finished it, I can honestly say that my initial impression was more than correct. This book DID have every single element of a book I might put on my top ten. Only one thing stood in the way of this auspicious fate, and that thing is named Mark Charan Newton.
THINGS THAT MARK CHARAN NEWTON DID TO MAKE SURE I ENJOYED NIGHTS OF VILLJAMUR AS LITTLE AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE:
A) STOP TELLING ME WHAT'S GOING ON.
This guy is only very casually aquainted with the idea of "show don't tell." The character of Brynd Lathraea is a fantastic example of this. Brynd is albino. This is a big part of his character because people are uncomfortable around him because of it. He's unable to have normal relationships because his albinoism affects them all.
Except not. Because at no point does any character in this novel (and there are a LOT of characters in this novel) treat Brynd even slightly differently because of his colouring. Despite this, characters keep TELLING us, the reader, that they care, even as they clearly do not care at all. Brynd also keeps telling us all about how sad and horrible it is to be an albino. Constantly. Without end. Every other page in a Brynd POV bit, he's reminding us that he's an albino. And what's really, really telling about this is that almost every single time, I go "oh, yeah." Newton tells me every page that Brynd is albino. And I still forget.
Just ONE damn character exhibiting body language to show that he finds Brynd discomforting would have gone so far. I'd see some effects of his colouring and that would cause me to conceptualize it as a real part of his character instead of just a weird piece of trivia that keeps coming up and affecting nothing at all.
B) NOBODY REACTS TO ANYTHING LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING.
So Brynd and his fellow Night Guardsmen find an undead guy standing around in the woods. They're like oh hey, check it out. That guy is dead. He's just standing there arms akimbo being dead. That's too bad. Oh well. And then they march on and literally forget it happened until it becomes relevant later.
Then later, Brynd and his troop are straight up assaulted by a frenzied group of undead. One of their number is found decapitated. They need to hack the undead up into tiny little pieces and then burn them to stop the onslaught. And everyone sort of reacts to this all like, aw man. That's weird. Wasn't that sort of weird? Shame buddy died. Yeah, that sucks. Man, it was weird when those undead tried to murder us and we had to chop them up. Indeed. Rather. Okay, night. See you in the morning.
These are not isolated events. Everyone either fails to react at all to major events, or they react in the most bizarrely arbitrary ways that are clearly neccessary to advance the plot, but I'm sitting here scratching my head going WHO THE HELL WOULD EVER DO THAT? Which brings me to ...
C) WHO THE HELL TALKS LIKE THAT?
Every single person in this book shares a voice. I would hazard a guess that this voice is also shared by Mark Charan Newton. I guarantee you that if you took any line of dialogue from this book that didn't say something like "My name is Randur Estevu, I'm a creepy misogynist and my mom is sick," you wouldn't be able to tell who said it. The only character with any voice at all was Apium, and it's because he swore slightly more than everybody else. Jeryd talked like Brynd who talked like Eir who talked like Tuya.
Moreover, it's not just the way they talk, it's the things they SAY. There's no feeling of conversation, of the natural flow from one line to the next. All dialogue is STRICLY PROFESSIONAL, getting right to the point of whatever is going on. "Do you like your boss?" "I used to like him, but then he didn't promote me, so now I don't like him anymore." Are you serious?
D) WORST VILLAIN EVER
If Snidely Whiplash spent even more time twirling his mustache smugly and even less time hatching any appreciably diabolical schemes, he might perhaps come close to the heights of terrible villainy that Councilor Urtica bravely aspired to. But it would be a tough call.
E) WEIRDLY BAD WRITING STYLE
I read slowly by intention. I do not skim. I'm capable of speed reading, but I prefer to sit back and enjoy every word, and let the sentences and paragraphs soak into my brain. I say this to inform my next statement: I had to reread sentences two and three times to figure out what was happening in them. Something about Newton's writing style just went out of its way to keep me at arm's length and obscure what was actually going on in the story. Half the time I wasn't aware of where the characters were, or what they were doing there, or where they were going next, or what they wanted to accomplish. The words were all there, but they were arranged in this arcane order that made it impossible to tell what was going on.
I've seen people criticizing Newton's vocabulary as being too robust. I heartily disagree. He clearly has a very round and well informed vocabulary, and I'll defend his more obscure word choices if need be. But there is no defense for the way he sticks those words in sentences to create an indescipherable mess.
I got the feeling that Newton knows how to turn a good phrase and has a head for imagery, but he's forcing his style way too hard and it feels unfinished and confusing.
F) F IS FOR FAILURE AT WRITING WOMEN AT ALL
And you know, I think I could have dealt with everything before this. I've enjoyed a lot of really bad books before, and like I said, Nights of Villjamur has all the elements neccessary for me to enjoy, even adore, a book. But where I pull back and emotionally divorce myself from a story is when there are so many markers of rampant misogyny.
Jeryd beats his wife, hides it from her after her memory loss, and we're supposed to feel like he's some sort of tragic hero. Randur takes sexual advantage of lonely old women and then robs them, justifies it as "getting trinkets from an older lover," and we're supposed to be like oh it's okay, they were mostly gold diggers anyway, they deserved this. The soft, feminine Rika is painted as hopelessly naive and ineffectual while the more handsome and tough Eir is competant and worthy of respect -- but only once a MAN teaches her all about how the REAL world words. The only man who doesn't condescend to women is Brynd, and he doesn't give a shit about them either way -- he's gay! Every single female character in this book with the exception of Papus exists to in some way support, grow, or be a prize for a male character. The women are props in the men's stories. Even the single exception, Papus, really seems to exist mostly to set Randur on his path and provide opposition to Dartun, but I'll give her a pass because it seems she has a role to play in future books (which I will not be reading.)
The most egregious case of this is the prostitute Tuya, who's introduced as quietly competant and intelligent. Despite her low station, she's gained power and control for herself. She chooses her own clients, she entertains men on the side on her own terms, and she loves to collect antiques with mysterious beauty and to paint. This character is in control of her sexuality, has agency and independence, and makes her own way in the world.
How does she end up? Beaten, drugged, taken advantage of, left to throw herself on a man's mercy and then die horrifically while in his care, knowing that she's lost all her dignity and independence.
Yeah.
BONUS) ELDRITCH HORRORS FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykWPya...
(Crab People)
Is this threatening to you?
No?
Yeah. Me neither.
--
In a way this book is almost art in how thoroughly it made me hate it despite how well the odds were stacked in its favour. The book that could be here is one of the best I ever read, one I recommended to every friend I had for the next ten years.
Sadly, instead of that book, I got Nights of Villjamur.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2009
Imagine a book that reads like Joe Abercrombie, set in a Jack Vance-like Dying Earth and written with characters the equal of Moorcock and Mieville. Too good to be true? This book might just meet your expectations.
The novel is mainly set in Villjamur, an enormous city, set on a world where the weak red sun heralds the coming of a decades-long Ice Age.
Amidst such a widescreen vista there is a pleasing range of memorable characters. Brynd Lathraea, an albino commander of the Emperor’s elite Night Guard, is a hero of this tale. Ambiguous in attitude and sexuality, his mettle is tested when Emperor Johynn commits suicide and he is set the task of maintaining order in a rapidly changing world and retrieving the Emperor’s heir, the eldest daughter Jamur Rika.
As a counterbalance, the main villain of the book is Chancellor Urtica, who has designs upon the Empire, not to mention a desire to instigate a war with the northern Varltung race in order to enhance his own political standing. His connections with the outlawed Cultists (practitioner of the black arts) lead to a furtherment of his career and war between the rival mage groups in Villjamur.
Between them are Errol Flynn-like rogue Randur Estevu, whose relationship with Princess Eir (the younger sister of Rika) evolves through the book. All of these have complications which read sensibly and logically throughout the book.
Other characters also further widen the novel’s viewpoint, though Mark sensibly concentrates on a few characters in depth rather than attempt epic battles and broad catalogues of people. That’s not to say there aren’t battles and well-written fight scenes, and written well at that, but the emphasis here is on the characters. Of all the book’s strengths, for me it is the range of memorable characters and the places travelled that are the pinnacle.
Similarly, the city is clearly outlined, bringing to my mind images of Viriconium and Lankhmar. The urban setting for all these characters is unveiled through a murder plot, the deaths of a number of the city’s Councillors. Leading the investigation is the ramel (an alien-type race) Investigator Jeryd, who in typical noir-fashion has personal problems which seem to be almost as complex as the case in progress. His relationship with his work-partner, Tryst, is difficult, as Tryst was recently passed over in promotion, whilst his marriage to Marysa seems to be on the rocks.
Often, in larger tales, a reader can lose track of characters, places and events. This didn’t happen for me here. There are instead impressive actions, dark alleyways and soaring towers, places of grandeur and power, scary monsters, eldritch magic and alien races that are in enough variety to keep the reader engaged. For some writers such a variety can be quite a struggle to maintain, juggling all these elements, but I was pleased that Mark, for such a relatively new writer, was able to do so with skill and élan.
In fact, NoV is a great book, which takes old tropes and re-imagines them into something new and memorable. It is an assured tale written with style, intelligence and skill, written inside a fantastically set premise and brilliantly focused novel that shows all the strengths of the genre and relatively few of the weaknesses.
The main disappointment for me was the fact that when I finished the book I wanted to read further (the book is the first in a proposed series.) Though the book finishes at an acceptable place, the book does have that feeling at the end that there are many unresolved events set in motion that will be examined in future novels.
In summary, though, very highly recommended. Definitely my favourite fantasy of the year so far, in what is a very good year for the genre. This will be a ‘best of the year’ novel, unless I’m much mistaken.
The novel is mainly set in Villjamur, an enormous city, set on a world where the weak red sun heralds the coming of a decades-long Ice Age.
Amidst such a widescreen vista there is a pleasing range of memorable characters. Brynd Lathraea, an albino commander of the Emperor’s elite Night Guard, is a hero of this tale. Ambiguous in attitude and sexuality, his mettle is tested when Emperor Johynn commits suicide and he is set the task of maintaining order in a rapidly changing world and retrieving the Emperor’s heir, the eldest daughter Jamur Rika.
As a counterbalance, the main villain of the book is Chancellor Urtica, who has designs upon the Empire, not to mention a desire to instigate a war with the northern Varltung race in order to enhance his own political standing. His connections with the outlawed Cultists (practitioner of the black arts) lead to a furtherment of his career and war between the rival mage groups in Villjamur.
Between them are Errol Flynn-like rogue Randur Estevu, whose relationship with Princess Eir (the younger sister of Rika) evolves through the book. All of these have complications which read sensibly and logically throughout the book.
Other characters also further widen the novel’s viewpoint, though Mark sensibly concentrates on a few characters in depth rather than attempt epic battles and broad catalogues of people. That’s not to say there aren’t battles and well-written fight scenes, and written well at that, but the emphasis here is on the characters. Of all the book’s strengths, for me it is the range of memorable characters and the places travelled that are the pinnacle.
Similarly, the city is clearly outlined, bringing to my mind images of Viriconium and Lankhmar. The urban setting for all these characters is unveiled through a murder plot, the deaths of a number of the city’s Councillors. Leading the investigation is the ramel (an alien-type race) Investigator Jeryd, who in typical noir-fashion has personal problems which seem to be almost as complex as the case in progress. His relationship with his work-partner, Tryst, is difficult, as Tryst was recently passed over in promotion, whilst his marriage to Marysa seems to be on the rocks.
Often, in larger tales, a reader can lose track of characters, places and events. This didn’t happen for me here. There are instead impressive actions, dark alleyways and soaring towers, places of grandeur and power, scary monsters, eldritch magic and alien races that are in enough variety to keep the reader engaged. For some writers such a variety can be quite a struggle to maintain, juggling all these elements, but I was pleased that Mark, for such a relatively new writer, was able to do so with skill and élan.
In fact, NoV is a great book, which takes old tropes and re-imagines them into something new and memorable. It is an assured tale written with style, intelligence and skill, written inside a fantastically set premise and brilliantly focused novel that shows all the strengths of the genre and relatively few of the weaknesses.
The main disappointment for me was the fact that when I finished the book I wanted to read further (the book is the first in a proposed series.) Though the book finishes at an acceptable place, the book does have that feeling at the end that there are many unresolved events set in motion that will be examined in future novels.
In summary, though, very highly recommended. Definitely my favourite fantasy of the year so far, in what is a very good year for the genre. This will be a ‘best of the year’ novel, unless I’m much mistaken.
May 3, 2012
Yeah, ditched it at page 166. Reasons, from the ones that caused most aggravation to the ones that are actually serious problems:
- Words used wrong. As in "mortification" at finding more stairs at the end of a long climb. (Look, I find my personal level of fitness embarrassing too, but that's not what he meant.)
- General uncomfortable language use. Scott Lynch once mentioned something about wanting to feel like the author really chose their words with care, but this was like feeling that he was sifting through a dictionary going, "Ooh, that one sounds so much better than what I had before, let's use it." It made clunky sentences because I had to process multiple uncommon words, but was also a problem because sometimes it made things ambiguous or unclear, and problematic in a book where he was also making words up completely. (Which is obviously not a sin in fantasy, but when you're not sure whether he's just using the word weirdly because it's a Thing or because he's Being Creative, it doesn't aid the story.)
- Telling. Whoa nelly, the telling. Classic telling, of the "look, there's a 'because' separating a character action from an explanation of that action" variety. There was a stepped-back-from-realist-narrative vibe about the book that I was prepared to go with, and thus wear a little telling, but it just got too much, and wasn't facilitating any really interesting cohesion of concepts.
- Where is this story even going? I was a third of the way through it without any real sense of a big and interesting story. There was a murder mystery (more like a police procedural without any particulars of the procedure) and a guy trying to sleep with anything in a skirt (...) and a military man running errands and getting attacked (for reasons that presumably go beyond the "need an action scene!"). There was an ice age coming. That might have been interesting, but no one really seemed that involved with it.
- Not a single character I cared about. Good lord, were these some macho unlikeable characters, from the grumpy old bastard cop to the self-doubting military hero to the remarkably uncharismatic womaniser. The prostitute with the magical art was a little interesting, but in isolation that just gave me a yen to re-read The Etched City.
So why have I given it two stars? The world. Everything, from the looming (if slightly inexplicable) ice-age, through the techno-magical system, to the human-like races, and especially the Viking-without-the-kitsch setting, was really interesting. That felt fresh.
Shame about the rest.
- Words used wrong. As in "mortification" at finding more stairs at the end of a long climb. (Look, I find my personal level of fitness embarrassing too, but that's not what he meant.)
- General uncomfortable language use. Scott Lynch once mentioned something about wanting to feel like the author really chose their words with care, but this was like feeling that he was sifting through a dictionary going, "Ooh, that one sounds so much better than what I had before, let's use it." It made clunky sentences because I had to process multiple uncommon words, but was also a problem because sometimes it made things ambiguous or unclear, and problematic in a book where he was also making words up completely. (Which is obviously not a sin in fantasy, but when you're not sure whether he's just using the word weirdly because it's a Thing or because he's Being Creative, it doesn't aid the story.)
- Telling. Whoa nelly, the telling. Classic telling, of the "look, there's a 'because' separating a character action from an explanation of that action" variety. There was a stepped-back-from-realist-narrative vibe about the book that I was prepared to go with, and thus wear a little telling, but it just got too much, and wasn't facilitating any really interesting cohesion of concepts.
- Where is this story even going? I was a third of the way through it without any real sense of a big and interesting story. There was a murder mystery (more like a police procedural without any particulars of the procedure) and a guy trying to sleep with anything in a skirt (...) and a military man running errands and getting attacked (for reasons that presumably go beyond the "need an action scene!"). There was an ice age coming. That might have been interesting, but no one really seemed that involved with it.
- Not a single character I cared about. Good lord, were these some macho unlikeable characters, from the grumpy old bastard cop to the self-doubting military hero to the remarkably uncharismatic womaniser. The prostitute with the magical art was a little interesting, but in isolation that just gave me a yen to re-read The Etched City.
So why have I given it two stars? The world. Everything, from the looming (if slightly inexplicable) ice-age, through the techno-magical system, to the human-like races, and especially the Viking-without-the-kitsch setting, was really interesting. That felt fresh.
Shame about the rest.
June 5, 2014
When I purchase a novel, we make a pact. I'm willing to suspend disbelief and come on your journey as long as you show competency in the art of writing.
I found this book unreadable. In it's current state it shouldn't even be offered for sale. I feel really sorry for the author to have been so let down in editorial standards by his publisher. There is a blatant failing in basic grammar to the point where that's all I saw. Every few lines I'd be abruptly jarred by clanging syntax. There's misuse of commas, passive writing, dangling modifiers, odd paragraph breaks and sentences that simply don't make sense.
[quote]Like a hunter, Brynd stalked wide so as to keep outside of his target's range of vision, drew the dagger from inside his boot.[/quote]
What?
[quote]As a commander of the Night Guard he had sailed to the shore recently, following the Emperor's useless orders.[/quote]
huh?
[quote]If only he'd brought Nelum along, a man who could generate plots in his head with simplicity, but Nelum was back in Villjamur, because Brynd hadn't thought he'd need him.[/quote]
It's hard to stay in the story when all you want to do is hurl the book across the room.
I found this book unreadable. In it's current state it shouldn't even be offered for sale. I feel really sorry for the author to have been so let down in editorial standards by his publisher. There is a blatant failing in basic grammar to the point where that's all I saw. Every few lines I'd be abruptly jarred by clanging syntax. There's misuse of commas, passive writing, dangling modifiers, odd paragraph breaks and sentences that simply don't make sense.
[quote]Like a hunter, Brynd stalked wide so as to keep outside of his target's range of vision, drew the dagger from inside his boot.[/quote]
What?
[quote]As a commander of the Night Guard he had sailed to the shore recently, following the Emperor's useless orders.[/quote]
huh?
[quote]If only he'd brought Nelum along, a man who could generate plots in his head with simplicity, but Nelum was back in Villjamur, because Brynd hadn't thought he'd need him.[/quote]
It's hard to stay in the story when all you want to do is hurl the book across the room.
March 25, 2014
Right, I checked out the ratings on this before I started it, saw it was getting 3 and 4 stars more than 5 stars.
can see why this is happening, its a first book but written very well without the common mistake new authors do like waffle on about descriptions.
The author keeps the suspense going with the characters backgrounds and the cities.
The author has created a good thriller/mystery/fantasy which I hope he continues in the later books in this series.
fresh ideas keep it interesting not going to say what so I dont spoil it.
Typical epic fantasy with enough twists to make it fresh and interesting.
can see why this is happening, its a first book but written very well without the common mistake new authors do like waffle on about descriptions.
The author keeps the suspense going with the characters backgrounds and the cities.
The author has created a good thriller/mystery/fantasy which I hope he continues in the later books in this series.
fresh ideas keep it interesting not going to say what so I dont spoil it.
Typical epic fantasy with enough twists to make it fresh and interesting.
March 10, 2016
In the eye of an approaching ice age, everybody faces the end of the world as they know it differently. In some it will bring out the worst, but others step up to be better versions of themselves.
To be honest, plot and characters don't really offer something I haven't read before. The plot is pretty straight forward, some elements being clearly a setup for later books.
Those parts are quite intriguing and I'll definately will go back to the Jamur Empire to find out what happens next.
This book has some more interesting characters, like the old Inquisition investigator Jeryd, who is tasked to solve a mysterious murder of a coucilman or Dartun, an ageing cultist afraid to die.
I really liked to read about them.
On the other hand, characters like Randur, the clever womanizer, who effortlessly does everything right or Brynd, the commander of the Night Guard, whose character seems as pale as his albino skin, weren't really that great to read about.
Nonetheless I give 4 stars, due to the great atmosphere in the book. You can really feel the cold emerging. The ice age is creeping upon you. And while it does you're huddled in the confined spaces of the great city Villjamur.
This city is maybe the beste "character" of the novel. From beautiful Balmacara to the shady inns of Caveside Villjamur is a pleasure to dwell in. Garudas circling the skies, Banshees' howls announcing deaths and dancing golems help the inhabitants to forget the cold.
Therefore I can recommend "Nights of Villjamur" to anyone, who's looking for an atmospheric read with some great characters.
To be honest, plot and characters don't really offer something I haven't read before. The plot is pretty straight forward, some elements being clearly a setup for later books.
Those parts are quite intriguing and I'll definately will go back to the Jamur Empire to find out what happens next.
This book has some more interesting characters, like the old Inquisition investigator Jeryd, who is tasked to solve a mysterious murder of a coucilman or Dartun, an ageing cultist afraid to die.
I really liked to read about them.
On the other hand, characters like Randur, the clever womanizer, who effortlessly does everything right or Brynd, the commander of the Night Guard, whose character seems as pale as his albino skin, weren't really that great to read about.
Nonetheless I give 4 stars, due to the great atmosphere in the book. You can really feel the cold emerging. The ice age is creeping upon you. And while it does you're huddled in the confined spaces of the great city Villjamur.
This city is maybe the beste "character" of the novel. From beautiful Balmacara to the shady inns of Caveside Villjamur is a pleasure to dwell in. Garudas circling the skies, Banshees' howls announcing deaths and dancing golems help the inhabitants to forget the cold.
Therefore I can recommend "Nights of Villjamur" to anyone, who's looking for an atmospheric read with some great characters.
January 29, 2011
4.5 Stars...There is a lot to like in this dark fantasy. First the world building is superb and truly set this up to be a great series. Not since I read China Mieville and his city New Crozubon have I been so into the world building. Villjamur is very similar in scope, in beauty, in horror, and in the style of New Crozubon. Newton blends and bends magic with technology, and cult religions into a fascinating art form. This book is filled with dark magic, prostitution, artwork that comes to life, thousands of mysterious deaths, cool monster like creatures, and of course some undead to top things off. This novel reads like a first and the ending really is nothing more than the beginning of the second novel. My only real complaint is there are long periods of little action that seem to slow the pace down a bit too much. Overall, I really liked it and look forward to reading more about Villjamur.
June 8, 2009
If you want to read reviews then check out following post where you get links to 13 reviews.
My impression:
You see my rating - five stars - which means I really liked it.
It is a superb read and I wonder how the story will continue in the next book.
From my point of view the star of the book is the town VILLJAMUR.
Mark Charan Newton did a great job to make the town alive. You breathe the history of VILLJAMUR. But there are also some characters to identify with.
My impression:
You see my rating - five stars - which means I really liked it.
It is a superb read and I wonder how the story will continue in the next book.
From my point of view the star of the book is the town VILLJAMUR.
Mark Charan Newton did a great job to make the town alive. You breathe the history of VILLJAMUR. But there are also some characters to identify with.
January 4, 2010
I wrote this, so you should probably disregard how good I think it is. :)
December 24, 2009
There have been many fantasy novels written over the years which are set in a city which is meant to be more than just a place for the plot to happen, but is meant to be an integral part of the story itself. The latest attempt at a great city is the titular Villjamur in “Nights of Villjamur”, the first book in Mark Charan Newton’s “Legends of the Red Sun” series. Villjamur is an ancient city, built on the ruin of a long-lost civilisation and the capital of an Empire stretching across the Boreal Archipelago, a wintry chain of islands where life away from the cities is harsh and about to get much harsher as the islands prepare for the onset of what they believe will be a decades-long Ice Age. As the weather worsens, the rulers of Villjamur stockpile resources and food to sustain them during the long winter whilst outside the walls a growing number of refugees are setting up camp, hoping to be let into the city that fears to admit them, believing that resources are insufficient to feed everyone.
There isn’t a single central plot-thread in the book, instead there are multiple characters all with their own plots and motivations which occasionally overlap with one another and it’s difficult to really say which plot should be considered the main one. One plot thread focuses on Inquisitor Jeryd, a member of the non-human Rumel race who share the city with humans who despite his non-human origins is in every other respect a traditional fictional detective, trying to solve the grisly and seemingly supernatural murder of a city councilman while dealing with his overly-ambitious aide, a conspiracy involving a banned underground religion and his unhappy love-life as he tries to win back his estranged wife. Another plot thread is centred around the seemingly carefree Randar Estevu, a young man from a remote tribe recently arrived in the city to work as the Emperor’s daughter’s dancing tutor who is secretly indulging in some seduction of wealthy widows and a bit of simple theft in an attempt to raise the money needed to pay for a cultist’s magical cure for his mother’s illness. The third major plot thread focuses on Brynd, the commander of the Night Guard, the Emperor’s elite bodyguard who are ambushed by a mysterious enemy during a mission to obtain some vital resources who also has to deal with the ambitious Chancellor Urtica’s war-mongering and investigating the mysterious disappearances of large numbers of people on one of the Empire’s outer islands. The final major plot features the rivalry between two of the city’s most powerful groups of cultists, cultists being the only people who know how to use the seemingly magical technology left behind by ancient civilisations.
One consequence of having so many plot threads is that they can seem a bit disconnected from each other. For example, the Cultist plotline only has fairly loose connections to the rest of the story and by the end of the book has very little directly to do with Villjamur itself. Presumably, the plotlines will be better integrated in later books, since this is the first volume in a four-book series.
Nights of Villjamur is Newton’s second novel, and at times that inexperience can be apparent. It is an ambitious work with a complex story, some impressive world-building and Newton’s writing seems to aspire to be higher quality than that of most fantasy authors. He is only partially successful in that ambition, most of the time the quality of the prose is fairly high but it can also seem a bit clunky on occasion, particularly with some awkward exposition early in the book. The dialogue is often a particular weak point, attempts at dramatic speeches often end up seeming a bit trite (for one example, the underwhelming scene where the Chancellor tries to rally the council to declare war on a rival nation) and attempts at everyday conversation sometimes don’t seem to flow naturally or convincingly. Another area where the book falls slightly short of its lofty aims is in the depiction of Villjamur itself. The world-building is intriguing and mostly described efficiently without excessive exposition after the initial introduction to the world. However, the descriptions of Villjamur itself are never quite as evocative as they should be and although the characters frequently remark on what a unique and awe-inspiring place the city is, the actual portrayal of the city fails to make it truly memorable.
Characterisation overall is reasonably good, with a varied group of characters all of whom have believable motivations and distinct personalities. However, some of them don’t really get enough time to properly develop, even fairly important characters like the cultist leader Papus, the artist Tuya or the Emperor’s heir Rika largely remain enigmas throughout the book and some of the characters who do get a bit more time spent on them can seem a bit bland – Jeryd is a likeable character but the honest-but-troubled detective is more than a little bit clichéd and despite being non-human he never feels in the slightest bit alien. Probably the weakest bit of characterisation is the main villain, who ends up being a bit of an over-the-top caricature of a greedy and ambitious politician.
The book is well-paced, getting quickly to the heart of the story without too much introduction and Newton does pack a lot of plot development into its 440 pages. Several of the plot threads are genuinely intriguing and compelling, the book building to a satisfying climax which provides a reasonable amount of resolution to some plot threads while leaving plenty of material for the sequels to explore. The world-building also hints at much greater depth to be revealed in later books, the world Newton describes is interesting and it has some fairly novel elements such as the stresses placed on the civilisation by the problems of the coming Ice Age, problems without any apparent easy solution.
In summary, this is an example of a book that could have been great but has to settle for merely being good. The world is interesting and the plot intriguing and overall it is an entertaining read, but I feel that it might have been a better book if Newton had a few more years experience writing since the occasionally uneven prose and dialogue are flaws that many debut novels (or second novels, in this case) have. Hopefully the later books in the series will build upon the promising foundations of this novel.
There isn’t a single central plot-thread in the book, instead there are multiple characters all with their own plots and motivations which occasionally overlap with one another and it’s difficult to really say which plot should be considered the main one. One plot thread focuses on Inquisitor Jeryd, a member of the non-human Rumel race who share the city with humans who despite his non-human origins is in every other respect a traditional fictional detective, trying to solve the grisly and seemingly supernatural murder of a city councilman while dealing with his overly-ambitious aide, a conspiracy involving a banned underground religion and his unhappy love-life as he tries to win back his estranged wife. Another plot thread is centred around the seemingly carefree Randar Estevu, a young man from a remote tribe recently arrived in the city to work as the Emperor’s daughter’s dancing tutor who is secretly indulging in some seduction of wealthy widows and a bit of simple theft in an attempt to raise the money needed to pay for a cultist’s magical cure for his mother’s illness. The third major plot thread focuses on Brynd, the commander of the Night Guard, the Emperor’s elite bodyguard who are ambushed by a mysterious enemy during a mission to obtain some vital resources who also has to deal with the ambitious Chancellor Urtica’s war-mongering and investigating the mysterious disappearances of large numbers of people on one of the Empire’s outer islands. The final major plot features the rivalry between two of the city’s most powerful groups of cultists, cultists being the only people who know how to use the seemingly magical technology left behind by ancient civilisations.
One consequence of having so many plot threads is that they can seem a bit disconnected from each other. For example, the Cultist plotline only has fairly loose connections to the rest of the story and by the end of the book has very little directly to do with Villjamur itself. Presumably, the plotlines will be better integrated in later books, since this is the first volume in a four-book series.
Nights of Villjamur is Newton’s second novel, and at times that inexperience can be apparent. It is an ambitious work with a complex story, some impressive world-building and Newton’s writing seems to aspire to be higher quality than that of most fantasy authors. He is only partially successful in that ambition, most of the time the quality of the prose is fairly high but it can also seem a bit clunky on occasion, particularly with some awkward exposition early in the book. The dialogue is often a particular weak point, attempts at dramatic speeches often end up seeming a bit trite (for one example, the underwhelming scene where the Chancellor tries to rally the council to declare war on a rival nation) and attempts at everyday conversation sometimes don’t seem to flow naturally or convincingly. Another area where the book falls slightly short of its lofty aims is in the depiction of Villjamur itself. The world-building is intriguing and mostly described efficiently without excessive exposition after the initial introduction to the world. However, the descriptions of Villjamur itself are never quite as evocative as they should be and although the characters frequently remark on what a unique and awe-inspiring place the city is, the actual portrayal of the city fails to make it truly memorable.
Characterisation overall is reasonably good, with a varied group of characters all of whom have believable motivations and distinct personalities. However, some of them don’t really get enough time to properly develop, even fairly important characters like the cultist leader Papus, the artist Tuya or the Emperor’s heir Rika largely remain enigmas throughout the book and some of the characters who do get a bit more time spent on them can seem a bit bland – Jeryd is a likeable character but the honest-but-troubled detective is more than a little bit clichéd and despite being non-human he never feels in the slightest bit alien. Probably the weakest bit of characterisation is the main villain, who ends up being a bit of an over-the-top caricature of a greedy and ambitious politician.
The book is well-paced, getting quickly to the heart of the story without too much introduction and Newton does pack a lot of plot development into its 440 pages. Several of the plot threads are genuinely intriguing and compelling, the book building to a satisfying climax which provides a reasonable amount of resolution to some plot threads while leaving plenty of material for the sequels to explore. The world-building also hints at much greater depth to be revealed in later books, the world Newton describes is interesting and it has some fairly novel elements such as the stresses placed on the civilisation by the problems of the coming Ice Age, problems without any apparent easy solution.
In summary, this is an example of a book that could have been great but has to settle for merely being good. The world is interesting and the plot intriguing and overall it is an entertaining read, but I feel that it might have been a better book if Newton had a few more years experience writing since the occasionally uneven prose and dialogue are flaws that many debut novels (or second novels, in this case) have. Hopefully the later books in the series will build upon the promising foundations of this novel.
November 15, 2011
If you didn’t live through the Golden Age of Speculative Fiction (I didn’t) and haven’t gone back and read some of the fantastic 1930’s-1950’s novels (I have), you are certainly missing out. Today, Fantasy Novels and Science Fiction novels tend to be more character based than they were back then. Back in this ‘Golden Era’ the novels tended to be focused on the setting. The locations within these novels really seemed to live and breathe – they left you with that ‘oh, I wish I could visit there!’ type feeling. In modern fantasy / sci-fi though, we seem to focus more on characters. What seems to have happened is that we’ve kind of accepted that ‘medieval’ type setting and authors have enjoyed being able to create their stories within that kind of world. Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Painted Man, think of those worlds. Although they all have different rules and such – they feel quite similar.
Well, there are critics who really, really hate this aspect of fantasy. They actually play on it a bit, saying that ‘fantasy is all the same’ and try to overemphasise these kinds of similarities. What I’d like to do though is invite a critic to try and do that to the book well will be reviewing today, this is: Mark Charan Newton’s book: ‘The Nights of Villjamur’. I challenge them to do this because there is next to nothing within this novel that isn’t unique or at least rare within our genre.
An Ice Age is coming (OK, so that reminds us of another Fantasy Novel – but that’s one of the last things that will be familiar) and the ancient city of Villjamur is getting ready to shut its gates and wait it out. The well populated Islands that surround Villjamur are in a state of panic and realise that there is no way that they can survive the cold when it hits. They flee to Villjamur in hope of refuge, but their city is already full and they cannot take any more people within their walls.
Already, I hope you’re intrigued, but I really struggle to do these early events justice. The build up of fear in the early chapters and the beautiful descriptions of a unique city that is full of unfamiliar creatures, races, architecture and cults is phenomenal. Not even a quarter-way through the book you will feel as though you have visited this amazing world and that it is completely new. I think this is quite unique in modern fantasy as I have said and a reason so many fans have gotten behind Mark’s work.
Essentially the novel draws you in with a sense of uncertainty. You want to see how things are resolved and what will happen to this world, which seems to be in a state of panic. This feeling of panic and uncertainty is pressed all the more when the Emperor kills himself and leaves Villjamur without a male heir. Instead, they have to call upon his daughter who is off in a far away land following rituals completely foreign to Villjamur.
Once the scene is set the characters begin to take shape. It is hard to identify the protagonist, because there are three characters who could argue that title; Commander ‘Brynd’, Investigator ‘Jeryd’ or Island Boy ‘Randur’. Each has their own interesting storyline that until the very end of the novel are fairly independent of each other and this is a technique that works very, very well.
Jeryd is investigating the murder of a high profile politician. The investigation takes him down into the darker side of the city. He speaks with a number of shady characters, races and creatures along his journey, perhaps my favourite are: ‘The Banshees’. They wonder around, minding their business until someone is killed. Instantly they are compelled to scream out and dash towards the location that the individual is killed. It’s quite eerie having them described to you for one, but even more eerie is when the characters describe hearing them and you are left wondering who has died. Of course Jeryd’s investigation into the murder takes you down a number of unexpected routes and you will find out that things are far more complicated than just your typical murder.
Randur seems to have arrived in the city with some kind of task in mind. I will state now – Randur is the coolest character there has ever been within the Fantasy genre. He is attractive, he is lean, athletic, women fall over him (not in a cheesy-traditional sense), he is loveable, he isn’t a goody-two shoes – dammit, he is just cool! His story progresses from a kind of illegal immigrant exploring the city through to a young man who is within touching distance of political events. This begins when he starts to teach the new empress’s sister (Eir) how to dance and use a sword. You can see where this is leading, but the dynamics of their relationship (high born and low born) and great and the fact that Randur lives life so close to the edge, whilst she has been sheltered away makes for some fantastic dialogue between the two.
Finally, we have Brynd. We begin the novel by seeing much of the action through his eyes. He is the commander of ‘The Night Watch’; a group of soldiers who have enhanced abilities. He investigates some of the strange events that are occurring on the surrounding islands. His story starts off as a way to show us as readers what is going on outside Villjamur, but his role does grow and the ending for this character certainly sets up us for a promising second novel (which is already out by the way!).
So, I’ve tried to tell you about the novel without spoiling things – quite a difficult challenge… so sorry if I’ve failed or left you a bit perplexed! What you need to know about this novel is that some of the very best elements of fantasy come together in this single novel and I would argue that it is one of the finest examples of ‘fantasy literature’ out there today. You have exciting, intelligent plots, an unusual world, a unique usage of technology, a range of species that are fairly irregular in fantasy as well as some new ones that are completely unheard of and finally, Mark Charan Newton as the author has some of the most beautiful prose I have been lucky enough to stumble upon.
Well, there are critics who really, really hate this aspect of fantasy. They actually play on it a bit, saying that ‘fantasy is all the same’ and try to overemphasise these kinds of similarities. What I’d like to do though is invite a critic to try and do that to the book well will be reviewing today, this is: Mark Charan Newton’s book: ‘The Nights of Villjamur’. I challenge them to do this because there is next to nothing within this novel that isn’t unique or at least rare within our genre.
An Ice Age is coming (OK, so that reminds us of another Fantasy Novel – but that’s one of the last things that will be familiar) and the ancient city of Villjamur is getting ready to shut its gates and wait it out. The well populated Islands that surround Villjamur are in a state of panic and realise that there is no way that they can survive the cold when it hits. They flee to Villjamur in hope of refuge, but their city is already full and they cannot take any more people within their walls.
Already, I hope you’re intrigued, but I really struggle to do these early events justice. The build up of fear in the early chapters and the beautiful descriptions of a unique city that is full of unfamiliar creatures, races, architecture and cults is phenomenal. Not even a quarter-way through the book you will feel as though you have visited this amazing world and that it is completely new. I think this is quite unique in modern fantasy as I have said and a reason so many fans have gotten behind Mark’s work.
Essentially the novel draws you in with a sense of uncertainty. You want to see how things are resolved and what will happen to this world, which seems to be in a state of panic. This feeling of panic and uncertainty is pressed all the more when the Emperor kills himself and leaves Villjamur without a male heir. Instead, they have to call upon his daughter who is off in a far away land following rituals completely foreign to Villjamur.
Once the scene is set the characters begin to take shape. It is hard to identify the protagonist, because there are three characters who could argue that title; Commander ‘Brynd’, Investigator ‘Jeryd’ or Island Boy ‘Randur’. Each has their own interesting storyline that until the very end of the novel are fairly independent of each other and this is a technique that works very, very well.
Jeryd is investigating the murder of a high profile politician. The investigation takes him down into the darker side of the city. He speaks with a number of shady characters, races and creatures along his journey, perhaps my favourite are: ‘The Banshees’. They wonder around, minding their business until someone is killed. Instantly they are compelled to scream out and dash towards the location that the individual is killed. It’s quite eerie having them described to you for one, but even more eerie is when the characters describe hearing them and you are left wondering who has died. Of course Jeryd’s investigation into the murder takes you down a number of unexpected routes and you will find out that things are far more complicated than just your typical murder.
Randur seems to have arrived in the city with some kind of task in mind. I will state now – Randur is the coolest character there has ever been within the Fantasy genre. He is attractive, he is lean, athletic, women fall over him (not in a cheesy-traditional sense), he is loveable, he isn’t a goody-two shoes – dammit, he is just cool! His story progresses from a kind of illegal immigrant exploring the city through to a young man who is within touching distance of political events. This begins when he starts to teach the new empress’s sister (Eir) how to dance and use a sword. You can see where this is leading, but the dynamics of their relationship (high born and low born) and great and the fact that Randur lives life so close to the edge, whilst she has been sheltered away makes for some fantastic dialogue between the two.
Finally, we have Brynd. We begin the novel by seeing much of the action through his eyes. He is the commander of ‘The Night Watch’; a group of soldiers who have enhanced abilities. He investigates some of the strange events that are occurring on the surrounding islands. His story starts off as a way to show us as readers what is going on outside Villjamur, but his role does grow and the ending for this character certainly sets up us for a promising second novel (which is already out by the way!).
So, I’ve tried to tell you about the novel without spoiling things – quite a difficult challenge… so sorry if I’ve failed or left you a bit perplexed! What you need to know about this novel is that some of the very best elements of fantasy come together in this single novel and I would argue that it is one of the finest examples of ‘fantasy literature’ out there today. You have exciting, intelligent plots, an unusual world, a unique usage of technology, a range of species that are fairly irregular in fantasy as well as some new ones that are completely unheard of and finally, Mark Charan Newton as the author has some of the most beautiful prose I have been lucky enough to stumble upon.
July 8, 2019
One of the most under ratted books I ever read. Strong plot, good characters and an excellent world building. I have red tones of four and more stars books that are junk compared with this one.
January 20, 2011
http://www.rantingdragon.com/nights-o...
Mark Charan Newton’s debut novel, Nights of Villjamur, is the first in his The Legends of the Red Sun series. The Legends of the Red Sun will consist of four volumes, with the second volume released in 2010 and the third slated for a 2011 release.
An ice age is coming as the sun grows old and red. The people of Villjamur, the mighty fortress city of the Jamur Empire, say the ice could last for fifty years, but there are greater worries than just the coming Freeze. When a powerful politician is murdered, the event sets off a plot that threatens not just the citizens of Villjamur, but also the future of the Jamur Empire itself. Death, magic and war trigger a chilling atmosphere that sets the tone for Newton’s first book of The Legends of the Red Sun series.
The Living City
Characters, magic, and world building are the lynchpins of fantasy novels. While Nights of Villjamur delivers all of these elements, it is the powerful atmosphere of Villjamur itself that kept me hooked. One of the strongest parts of this novel is the vibrant personality Newton has given to the city. He has imbued in it a sense of history and tragedy usually reserved for characters. This attention to the city, its architecture, mood, color and vitality, are what made Nights of Villjamur such a compelling read. The city and people of Villjamur become a living, breathing world under Newton’s confident voice.
A World Reinforced
Some fantasy writers will take time out of their narrative to explore the world they’ve created. However, Newton’s narration style is very focused. He provides enough information to further the plot, but without giving away too much about his world or concepts.
This style of narration reinforces the world he has built for the reader. By accepting the strangeness of the world as reality without explanation, you bring yourself further into the world of the story. Don’t worry, you’ll come to understand the magic, the creatures and the histories, but you’re going to have to be patient.
From All Walks of Life
Take an albino commander of the prestigious Night Guard, an aging city inspector, and a rogue with a heart of gold (or perhaps a baser metal), then mix in magic users, an artistic seductress, and a reluctant empress, and you have an idea of the cast of characters who inhabit Villjamur.
While some of their storylines took longer to develop then others, each had their own charm that set them apart from the clichés they could have become. As strange as the world these characters inhabit is, they are still relatable. From love to betrayal, from murder to justice, I understood each character’s motive, even if I didn’t like their reasons why.
Frost In The Gears
The novel is not without its faults, however. The plot takes a while to get going, and it’s a slow burn until things start coming together. There were also moments when I felt the prose spun its wheels, just waiting for the next plot twist to happen. And this may just be the fantasy geek in me, but I do wish that Newton had indulged a bit and explored some of his more fascinating concepts, like the banshees or the Dawnir, further.
I also felt some characters were introduced and shuffled off rather quickly. I understood them and their goals; I just wish I could have gotten to know them a bit better as well. However, what was explored was absorbing and it’s obvious there are more depths to be plumbed in the upcoming installment, City of Ruin.
Why Should You Read This Book?
Nights of Villjamur is a very well written first novel by a newcomer to the fantasy genre. Brimming with atmosphere, philosophical thought, exciting characters, and intense action, Newton has created a wonderful novel and an exciting new world. You’d be remiss not to check it out. I’m glad I did.
Mark Charan Newton’s debut novel, Nights of Villjamur, is the first in his The Legends of the Red Sun series. The Legends of the Red Sun will consist of four volumes, with the second volume released in 2010 and the third slated for a 2011 release.
An ice age is coming as the sun grows old and red. The people of Villjamur, the mighty fortress city of the Jamur Empire, say the ice could last for fifty years, but there are greater worries than just the coming Freeze. When a powerful politician is murdered, the event sets off a plot that threatens not just the citizens of Villjamur, but also the future of the Jamur Empire itself. Death, magic and war trigger a chilling atmosphere that sets the tone for Newton’s first book of The Legends of the Red Sun series.
The Living City
Characters, magic, and world building are the lynchpins of fantasy novels. While Nights of Villjamur delivers all of these elements, it is the powerful atmosphere of Villjamur itself that kept me hooked. One of the strongest parts of this novel is the vibrant personality Newton has given to the city. He has imbued in it a sense of history and tragedy usually reserved for characters. This attention to the city, its architecture, mood, color and vitality, are what made Nights of Villjamur such a compelling read. The city and people of Villjamur become a living, breathing world under Newton’s confident voice.
A World Reinforced
Some fantasy writers will take time out of their narrative to explore the world they’ve created. However, Newton’s narration style is very focused. He provides enough information to further the plot, but without giving away too much about his world or concepts.
This style of narration reinforces the world he has built for the reader. By accepting the strangeness of the world as reality without explanation, you bring yourself further into the world of the story. Don’t worry, you’ll come to understand the magic, the creatures and the histories, but you’re going to have to be patient.
From All Walks of Life
Take an albino commander of the prestigious Night Guard, an aging city inspector, and a rogue with a heart of gold (or perhaps a baser metal), then mix in magic users, an artistic seductress, and a reluctant empress, and you have an idea of the cast of characters who inhabit Villjamur.
While some of their storylines took longer to develop then others, each had their own charm that set them apart from the clichés they could have become. As strange as the world these characters inhabit is, they are still relatable. From love to betrayal, from murder to justice, I understood each character’s motive, even if I didn’t like their reasons why.
Frost In The Gears
The novel is not without its faults, however. The plot takes a while to get going, and it’s a slow burn until things start coming together. There were also moments when I felt the prose spun its wheels, just waiting for the next plot twist to happen. And this may just be the fantasy geek in me, but I do wish that Newton had indulged a bit and explored some of his more fascinating concepts, like the banshees or the Dawnir, further.
I also felt some characters were introduced and shuffled off rather quickly. I understood them and their goals; I just wish I could have gotten to know them a bit better as well. However, what was explored was absorbing and it’s obvious there are more depths to be plumbed in the upcoming installment, City of Ruin.
Why Should You Read This Book?
Nights of Villjamur is a very well written first novel by a newcomer to the fantasy genre. Brimming with atmosphere, philosophical thought, exciting characters, and intense action, Newton has created a wonderful novel and an exciting new world. You’d be remiss not to check it out. I’m glad I did.
June 27, 2010
There is one thing that can annoy me to the point that it seriously hampers my enjoyment of a book: How a word is pronounced. This may have something to do with me being Norwegian, sometimes my Norwegian and English pronunciations will battle for superiority. It happened with the name Lathraea in this book. In Norwegian it would be Lath-ra-eh-ah. Fortunately Twitter exists so I could ask the author and get told that it is actually pronounced La-threy-a. -The wonders of modern technology put to good use.
Nights of Villjamur is medieval fantasy of the type they used to make back when vampires didn't sparkle. It can seem pretty standard if you list the elements present: Princess, rogue, warrior, and conspiracy. But if you also list zombies, detective, and environmental disaster, it becomes clear that this is something that is fresh and exciting.
One of the central storylines is that of a murder investigation. Newton uses this to show us much of the workings of the city of Villjamur. The investigation is also used to uncover several other strands of the story, and this is done in a way that feels natural and not forced. It is also done in a way that always leaves you wanting more. I found that as I progressed in the book my breaks became fewer and further apart. The pace of the story really drives you along, and the pages fly.
Most of the story happens in the city of Villjamur, and we get glimpses of most parts of the city throughout the story. And I for one really got a good feeling of how the city functions. Both the architecture and the people of the city are well realized. I never felt that there was something left out that needed to be known about this location. That being said, there are only tantalizing glimpses of the world outside of the city. You get told there is a larger world out there, but you only gets to see parts of it. There is nothing wrong with this, in fact I think it helps the book that Newton has concentrated on showing us the city. And of course there will be sequels to the book that more than likely will show us much more.
One thing that I really liked in this book was the way Newton handled the winter. Most people probably don't think much about that, but when you grow up in Norway with four months of snow a year you notice if it's done badly, and Newton has definitely pulled it off. The scenes with snowball-throwing made me both nostalgic and guilty about my own childhood.
This book is definitely going onto my list of favourites. I would like to recommend it to anyone who likes a good story. It's brilliantly written, and sucks you in in the way all great books should.
Mark Charan Newton is certainly an author to keep an eye on for the future.
Nights of Villjamur is medieval fantasy of the type they used to make back when vampires didn't sparkle. It can seem pretty standard if you list the elements present: Princess, rogue, warrior, and conspiracy. But if you also list zombies, detective, and environmental disaster, it becomes clear that this is something that is fresh and exciting.
One of the central storylines is that of a murder investigation. Newton uses this to show us much of the workings of the city of Villjamur. The investigation is also used to uncover several other strands of the story, and this is done in a way that feels natural and not forced. It is also done in a way that always leaves you wanting more. I found that as I progressed in the book my breaks became fewer and further apart. The pace of the story really drives you along, and the pages fly.
Most of the story happens in the city of Villjamur, and we get glimpses of most parts of the city throughout the story. And I for one really got a good feeling of how the city functions. Both the architecture and the people of the city are well realized. I never felt that there was something left out that needed to be known about this location. That being said, there are only tantalizing glimpses of the world outside of the city. You get told there is a larger world out there, but you only gets to see parts of it. There is nothing wrong with this, in fact I think it helps the book that Newton has concentrated on showing us the city. And of course there will be sequels to the book that more than likely will show us much more.
One thing that I really liked in this book was the way Newton handled the winter. Most people probably don't think much about that, but when you grow up in Norway with four months of snow a year you notice if it's done badly, and Newton has definitely pulled it off. The scenes with snowball-throwing made me both nostalgic and guilty about my own childhood.
This book is definitely going onto my list of favourites. I would like to recommend it to anyone who likes a good story. It's brilliantly written, and sucks you in in the way all great books should.
Mark Charan Newton is certainly an author to keep an eye on for the future.
November 2, 2010
Not a bad start so far. A number of characters have already been introduced and I did not feel sympathetic to a single one yet. But that might change as soon as I learn a bit more about them. Well, one is dead already. :) I like that.
Weeeeeell, I just don't know. I connected with none of the characters. I have some hopes that Empress Rika might get the chance to develop something like an interesting character/personality in the next instalment, but I'm not even sure that I will give it a chance for fear of being disappointed. As to all the other characters...I simply don't care what happens to them. I don't! They may be all be swallowed down into some dungeon dimensions for all I care...or be elevated to some sort of heaven. I couldn't even bring myself to dislike them.
And I didn't care much for the prose either. I really started thinking about what the author is might possibly be trying to achieve by using certain phrases and constructions several times. Then I thought: "oh well, so you can be coarse and crass. Huh, well done?" Who cares? And then you know all these long and complicated adjectives the meaning of which I would have to look up if only I could be bothered. So, I thought about the author's motivation for a while until that got boring too.
Maybe I have to stop reading fantasy for a while, since it gets all so predictable.
The novel basically has everything that is needed for an intriguing plot: conspiracies on many different levels, politics, impending doom (i.e. an ice age) with political ramifications, mostly unexplained supernatural stuff galore, evil villains, innocent victims (well, "innocent" being used loosely). Why oh why didn't I like it?! Well, I know, it's because of the protagonists. I could go into detail and list all the things I didn't like about them. The reason why I'm rooting for Rika is that we know almost nothing about her. :o)
Weeeeeell, I just don't know. I connected with none of the characters. I have some hopes that Empress Rika might get the chance to develop something like an interesting character/personality in the next instalment, but I'm not even sure that I will give it a chance for fear of being disappointed. As to all the other characters...I simply don't care what happens to them. I don't! They may be all be swallowed down into some dungeon dimensions for all I care...or be elevated to some sort of heaven. I couldn't even bring myself to dislike them.
And I didn't care much for the prose either. I really started thinking about what the author is might possibly be trying to achieve by using certain phrases and constructions several times. Then I thought: "oh well, so you can be coarse and crass. Huh, well done?" Who cares? And then you know all these long and complicated adjectives the meaning of which I would have to look up if only I could be bothered. So, I thought about the author's motivation for a while until that got boring too.
Maybe I have to stop reading fantasy for a while, since it gets all so predictable.
The novel basically has everything that is needed for an intriguing plot: conspiracies on many different levels, politics, impending doom (i.e. an ice age) with political ramifications, mostly unexplained supernatural stuff galore, evil villains, innocent victims (well, "innocent" being used loosely). Why oh why didn't I like it?! Well, I know, it's because of the protagonists. I could go into detail and list all the things I didn't like about them. The reason why I'm rooting for Rika is that we know almost nothing about her. :o)
February 25, 2014
This is the worst book that has fallen into my hands in a long time. In my life, there have been a few books that I didn't like, yet I managed to finish. And a couple that I quit after months of trying to get past the middle. But I have never before quit a novel in disgust before reading at least half of it.
There's a reason we read books; for me, it's because it's so much more rewarding than watching TV. If you want to read a book that feels exactly like watching a B-rated TV-fantasy series, get this one. It's got everything. Mages, soldiers, mad scientists, police investigators, corrupt politicians; all mixed up in doses to attract varied audience. There's sex, in many combinations and viewpoints; also blood, lots and lots of it; and some plot, although you'd never guess from the indifferent prose, or the boring dialogue.
But I've read such books before, and I usually managed to finish, because at the very least, there's one thing that can be enjoyed in almost any book, 99.99% of the time: correct and rich use of English.
Not this one; this is the 00.01% exception. The language is really bad, poor and full of reverse anachronisms (having medieval people speak like today's Americans)!
If you only have this book to read, drop it and watch TV...
There's a reason we read books; for me, it's because it's so much more rewarding than watching TV. If you want to read a book that feels exactly like watching a B-rated TV-fantasy series, get this one. It's got everything. Mages, soldiers, mad scientists, police investigators, corrupt politicians; all mixed up in doses to attract varied audience. There's sex, in many combinations and viewpoints; also blood, lots and lots of it; and some plot, although you'd never guess from the indifferent prose, or the boring dialogue.
But I've read such books before, and I usually managed to finish, because at the very least, there's one thing that can be enjoyed in almost any book, 99.99% of the time: correct and rich use of English.
Not this one; this is the 00.01% exception. The language is really bad, poor and full of reverse anachronisms (having medieval people speak like today's Americans)!
If you only have this book to read, drop it and watch TV...
June 23, 2011
Horribly disappointing. I made it to page 51 and couldn't force myself to continue. Perhaps if I were in a less critical mood (reading dozens of queries and manuscripts at work does that to you) I might have been able to overlook this novel's flaws, but as is I found them insurmountable.
The intriguing world-building lost its charm quickly in the parade of clumsy info-dumps. The prose seems to believe itself more literary than it is, repetitive language and awkward phrasing undermining its strength despite occasionally shining sentences. And while "show don't tell" is more of a guideline than a rule, I think Newton disregarded it entirely, telling instead of showing some key characterization and so making me actively resistant to his goals. The dialogue is both stiff and overly informal, a mismatch with the more serious tone of the narration.
I came into Nights of Villjamur sure I would like it, but, while I think Newton has potential, ultimately this novel needed several more rounds of polish to be worth reading. Perhaps in five years or so I'll try another of his novels, after he's come into his own (I hope).
The intriguing world-building lost its charm quickly in the parade of clumsy info-dumps. The prose seems to believe itself more literary than it is, repetitive language and awkward phrasing undermining its strength despite occasionally shining sentences. And while "show don't tell" is more of a guideline than a rule, I think Newton disregarded it entirely, telling instead of showing some key characterization and so making me actively resistant to his goals. The dialogue is both stiff and overly informal, a mismatch with the more serious tone of the narration.
I came into Nights of Villjamur sure I would like it, but, while I think Newton has potential, ultimately this novel needed several more rounds of polish to be worth reading. Perhaps in five years or so I'll try another of his novels, after he's come into his own (I hope).
January 5, 2011
For those of you looking for a nuanced analysis of plot and character, please look elsewhere. Never before have I given up on a book so quickly - so, no, I didn't get acquanted with the characters etc.
I love science fiction - but not the genre as a whole. The SF-novels I like to read are thought-provoking, original, have good character development - and a decent writing style (think Ursula K. LeGuin, China Miéville etc.). SF-books full of clichés and more focused on action than ideas don't do it for me. Unfortunately, when reading the first chapter of the Nights of viljamur I realised this book falls (for me at least) firmly within the latter category. Island nation at war? Garudas? I've seen that before, and better. The writing was awful - and if a science fiction book cannot give one single element or idea that make me curious to read more, well... I choose not to read any further. I'd rather spend my time on better books.
I love science fiction - but not the genre as a whole. The SF-novels I like to read are thought-provoking, original, have good character development - and a decent writing style (think Ursula K. LeGuin, China Miéville etc.). SF-books full of clichés and more focused on action than ideas don't do it for me. Unfortunately, when reading the first chapter of the Nights of viljamur I realised this book falls (for me at least) firmly within the latter category. Island nation at war? Garudas? I've seen that before, and better. The writing was awful - and if a science fiction book cannot give one single element or idea that make me curious to read more, well... I choose not to read any further. I'd rather spend my time on better books.
December 5, 2010
I made it "only" about 200 pages into this book or so and found that I could not finish it. The pros were an interesting story idea and a really cool setting. Unfortunately they were overwhelmingly outweighed by the cons. The characters were broad sketches with little to no depth and the writing was weak.
On example: the author spends an inordinate amount of time telling the reader how people are feeling. Don't insult your reader's intelligence. Tell a good story and we can get it from context.
On example: the author spends an inordinate amount of time telling the reader how people are feeling. Don't insult your reader's intelligence. Tell a good story and we can get it from context.
June 14, 2011
I had to give up a quarter of the way through. There might be a good story buried under all the turgid prose, but it's too painful to wade through. It reads like it was translated into Japanese and back again.
'Shapes shifted in the far umbrage either side and he questioned their meaning.'
'Her white blouse, unbuttoned to reveal cleavage like a bad cliche, she made the most of what she had.'
'It's no enigma that she despised the Emperor for his treatment of her late mother.'
Meh.
'Shapes shifted in the far umbrage either side and he questioned their meaning.'
'Her white blouse, unbuttoned to reveal cleavage like a bad cliche, she made the most of what she had.'
'It's no enigma that she despised the Emperor for his treatment of her late mother.'
Meh.
September 30, 2010
I devoured this book.
Read my full review here:
http://bookwormblues.blogspot.com/201...
Read my full review here:
http://bookwormblues.blogspot.com/201...
October 4, 2010
(This review was originally published at SFRevu.com and can be read on my blog as well.)
Reading Nights of Villjamur is like standing too close to a tapestry. At first, all you can see are threads, bits of story that you know are important, but you can't make sense of in the overall context of the book. The more you read, the farther you step back from the tapestry, so that this thread connects with that one, and you begin to realize just how all of these wildly different characters are linked within the greater story.
The Jamur Empire is in peril, thanks to both an impending ice age as well as corruption from within, and all of the main characters have some stake in protecting the walled city of Villjamur. It took quite a while for the story to come together, but I appreciate that. Newton drops you into this world, with a dying red sun and encroaching ice, and leaves you to put the pieces together as he jumps between characters, slowly but steadily linking the pieces--deadly attacks on the empire's elite warriors, an island boy with a stolen identity, the gruesome murders of Council members, an investigator and his untrustworthy assistant, a mysterious prostitute, the two daughters of a mad emperor, cultists with dangerous ambitions--until near the end of the novel, you suddenly realize the depth of the dangerous plots that threaten Villjamur.
Since the plot isn't obvious from the beginning, the reader has to get to know the characters and rely on their reactions to get an idea of what's going on. Brynd Lathraea, the albino leader of the Jamur Empire's military, is the strongest character. Though he has risen to the highest military position, he still considers himself an outsider because of his albinism as well as his deepest secret: his homosexuality. I think Newton does a fine job portraying Brynd's sexuality as just another part of the character, not as a shocking reveal or even anything essential to the story. It's just a part of who Brynd is, another aspect of his character, along with his sense of duty, his honor, and his devotion to his soldiers.
The rest of the cast are also well-written and complex characters. They all have concerns outside of the immediate plot--Investigator Jeryd's marriage, Randur Estevu's sense of familial guilt--which make them realistic and sympathetic. I was very pleased to find myself jumping back and forth in my feelings toward Dartun Súr, the dark cultist; I love having my perception of a character constantly challenged.
My only complaint about Nights of Villjamur is that the ending felt rather rushed. There were a couple of plotlines that needed to be resolved before the book ended, and while I'm pretty satisfied with those plotlines, I did feel like I was running headlong to them. It didn't quite fit the deliberate pace of the rest of the book, and while I wasn't dissatisfied with the way it ended, it was a bit jarring.
If you're the kind of reader who wants firm resolution at the end of a book, you're going to be frustrated by the end of Nights of Villjamur. It is the first book in a series, and so I expected a cliffhanger. When I hit the end, though, I felt like I did when I got to the end of Fellowship of the Ring: like I'd just read part of a much longer book that had been cut off abruptly. By the end of the Nights of Villjamur, you've stepped back enough to see the whole tapestry, but you can also see that it stretches off to the right, and you're going to have to walk along it to see the whole picture. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of Newton's intricate tapestry of a series.
Reading Nights of Villjamur is like standing too close to a tapestry. At first, all you can see are threads, bits of story that you know are important, but you can't make sense of in the overall context of the book. The more you read, the farther you step back from the tapestry, so that this thread connects with that one, and you begin to realize just how all of these wildly different characters are linked within the greater story.
The Jamur Empire is in peril, thanks to both an impending ice age as well as corruption from within, and all of the main characters have some stake in protecting the walled city of Villjamur. It took quite a while for the story to come together, but I appreciate that. Newton drops you into this world, with a dying red sun and encroaching ice, and leaves you to put the pieces together as he jumps between characters, slowly but steadily linking the pieces--deadly attacks on the empire's elite warriors, an island boy with a stolen identity, the gruesome murders of Council members, an investigator and his untrustworthy assistant, a mysterious prostitute, the two daughters of a mad emperor, cultists with dangerous ambitions--until near the end of the novel, you suddenly realize the depth of the dangerous plots that threaten Villjamur.
Since the plot isn't obvious from the beginning, the reader has to get to know the characters and rely on their reactions to get an idea of what's going on. Brynd Lathraea, the albino leader of the Jamur Empire's military, is the strongest character. Though he has risen to the highest military position, he still considers himself an outsider because of his albinism as well as his deepest secret: his homosexuality. I think Newton does a fine job portraying Brynd's sexuality as just another part of the character, not as a shocking reveal or even anything essential to the story. It's just a part of who Brynd is, another aspect of his character, along with his sense of duty, his honor, and his devotion to his soldiers.
The rest of the cast are also well-written and complex characters. They all have concerns outside of the immediate plot--Investigator Jeryd's marriage, Randur Estevu's sense of familial guilt--which make them realistic and sympathetic. I was very pleased to find myself jumping back and forth in my feelings toward Dartun Súr, the dark cultist; I love having my perception of a character constantly challenged.
My only complaint about Nights of Villjamur is that the ending felt rather rushed. There were a couple of plotlines that needed to be resolved before the book ended, and while I'm pretty satisfied with those plotlines, I did feel like I was running headlong to them. It didn't quite fit the deliberate pace of the rest of the book, and while I wasn't dissatisfied with the way it ended, it was a bit jarring.
If you're the kind of reader who wants firm resolution at the end of a book, you're going to be frustrated by the end of Nights of Villjamur. It is the first book in a series, and so I expected a cliffhanger. When I hit the end, though, I felt like I did when I got to the end of Fellowship of the Ring: like I'd just read part of a much longer book that had been cut off abruptly. By the end of the Nights of Villjamur, you've stepped back enough to see the whole tapestry, but you can also see that it stretches off to the right, and you're going to have to walk along it to see the whole picture. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of Newton's intricate tapestry of a series.
February 5, 2011
A story in the tradition of Jack Vance, Marvin Peake, Gene Wolfe and China Mieville? Sounds great! A far-flung future where the sun is red, the last human civilization is built on the ruins of countless lost civilizations, where magic and technology are indistinguishable remnants of the distant past? Done before, but I love that stuff!
This book tries WAY too hard to be like all the other "red sun" novels before it. A well written homage would have been great, but the author doesn't seem to think we will pick up subtle references to earlier works and instead shoves them in our faces. When one character tells another the color of his cloak is "fuligin, it's a color darker than black" I just about puked at the ham-handed inclusion of an element from Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer.
This book tries WAY too hard to be like all the other "red sun" novels before it. A well written homage would have been great, but the author doesn't seem to think we will pick up subtle references to earlier works and instead shoves them in our faces. When one character tells another the color of his cloak is "fuligin, it's a color darker than black" I just about puked at the ham-handed inclusion of an element from Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer.
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