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Claymore of Calthoria #1
The Crimson Claymore
When a warrior looses everything he holds dear, he leaves his home seeking revenge, the path leads him to an unlikely alliance with a wizard, an elf , and a journey at his footsteps, but can he become the leader he once was, or will he let his vengeance consume him? PG 13- parents strongly cautioned.
ebook
First published January 2, 2014
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566 people want to read
About the author
Craig A. Price Jr.
44 books116 followersCraig A. Price Jr. is a USA Today bestselling author of Claymore of Calthoria Trilogy, Dragon's Call Trilogy, Dragonia Empire Series, Space Gh0st Adventures Series, and several other titles available in alternate realities. He loves to read, write, cast spells, and spend time with his beautiful wife and three children. He dreams to one day become a full-time wizard, but until then, he’ll settle for being an author. With more than a dozen novels under his belt now, it’s only a matter of time before he settles for world domination, but until then, you can follow his author journey as he takes over one reader’s soul at a time.
Craig lives on the Alabama Gulf Coast, among the ravenous mosquitos, humidity, and deadly predators. If you spot him in the wild, he can be dangerous, but will often be tamed by a Mountain Dew and Reese's.
Visit his website at: www.CraigAPrice.com for random useless facts, book news, and a deep sense of personal satisfaction. Side effects may include: dizziness, Unexplained Dreams and Visions of Craig A Price, bibliophilism, a sense of freedom, and in rare occasions: the desire to break out into dance. These side effects may be remedied by joining his mailing list and receiving FREE books, as well as the occasional random, useless fact.
Want a signed copy of his book? Get it directly from him: https://payhip.com/CraigAPrice
Do you like stalking people? Craig is stalkable.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraigAPriceJr
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Books2Read: https://books2read.com/ap/8Vyyvn/Crai...
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Craig lives on the Alabama Gulf Coast, among the ravenous mosquitos, humidity, and deadly predators. If you spot him in the wild, he can be dangerous, but will often be tamed by a Mountain Dew and Reese's.
Visit his website at: www.CraigAPrice.com for random useless facts, book news, and a deep sense of personal satisfaction. Side effects may include: dizziness, Unexplained Dreams and Visions of Craig A Price, bibliophilism, a sense of freedom, and in rare occasions: the desire to break out into dance. These side effects may be remedied by joining his mailing list and receiving FREE books, as well as the occasional random, useless fact.
Want a signed copy of his book? Get it directly from him: https://payhip.com/CraigAPrice
Do you like stalking people? Craig is stalkable.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraigAPriceJr
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorcraigap...
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/ap/8Vyyvn/Crai...
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/craigapricejr
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/CraigAPriceJr
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
April 30, 2016
TL;DR: Has potential, bad execution.
My local bookstore pointed this out to me as being by a local author. The back cover blurb made me squint as the warning bells dinged in my head, and opening to a random page to read a scene where the wizard picks up two women in a bar my suspicions were confirmed: This book promised to be awful. I got it on the idea that it'd be a lark to review it as something for my brain to chew on.
This book, the author tells us, has gotten millions of reads on Wattpad, and the author only has 24 reviews on Amazon but they're all four and five-star. Well, Craig A. Price Jr., that's about to change. I'm going to try to be fair, but I read this and it is at times hilariously poorly executed.
I'm not going to argue for originality. Originality is overrated, what matters in making a good story is telling it well. One of my favorite authors is David Eddings. But there are parts of this that are glaringly bad. So here's the deal: I'm going to criticize, yes. I'm also going to try to be fair here, and not cruel. And I'm going to provide examples of poorly-done stuff here, and then counter-example if I can make them up or think of them. This may sting a bit for fans or authors to read, but I'm not doing it to be mean. This could have been a fun romp--the only thing holding it back is, well, execution. This reads like the author didn't run it by a disinterested beta reader.
I'm breaking this review up into categories of Problems. I wish I had more room, but it appears I have to cut bits. So sometime later I'll go on about Starlyn and her +5 Bazongas of Lordly Might.
DNDR
...Which stands for Did Not Do Research. Happily, the acronym can be pronounced "dunder" which allows me to efficiently refer to cases of dunderheadedness. The example that comes foremost to mind, and became my go-to example, is when Our Hero, Searon, is hunting for meat. He sees a wild boar, shoots it in the heart with an arrow, takes it back to camp, roasts it over the fire, then cuts it up for dinner for himself and the wizard.
There are multiple things wrong with this, and I'll deal with them in chronological order.
First, boars don't tump over dead. And not from something as sissy as a mere arrow in the heart. They're famed for it. When hurt, they charge something. Usually what hurt them, but often just SOMETHING. Searon killed that boar with that arrow, yes, but it would have taken a while for it to kick in. At least five seconds. Sometimes longer. Boars are crazy like that.
Second, roasting a whole pig takes a looooong time. Trust me, I'm a country boy, I've been to a pig roast before. It'd take all night to cook that, and it'd require a cracking big fire. A pig roasting is a social, all-day affair with other food being cooked throughout the day because the whole pig won't be done for eight or ten hours.
Third, the way it reads, Searon only guts the pig AFTER he's done roasting it.
No. No. A thousand times no.
The FIRST thing you cut out is the intestines and associated organs. Otherwise the...contents...will boil inside and it's a hideous mess and smell when you cut it up. You take those things, and you leave them near the house of someone you've got an undying enmity with. Or just the house of someone you kind don't like, and soon you'll have an undying enmity.
I told my dad about this scene, because he really is something else at grilling and associated activities. He verified that order in which cooking happened. Then shook his head and said, "I wouldn't eat any pork cooked by that author."
This scene just sort of set the tone for the research I could expect.
This was cemented by much of the action happening in pine forests, and the monsters--called draeyks (which I keep reading as drah-eeks or drah-aches because of that fancy y in there)--leap out at the heroes from amongst the trees, springing up like a random encounter in a JRPG video game.
Dear readers, I don't know your local environment, so I invite you to go to Google and google image search for a "pine forest" or "pine barrens". See, the pineneedles smother off most stuff and a lot of them tend to catch fire regularly (which is perfectly natural and happens, the pine trees often need to be scorched to help them germinate and or produce cones. Nature is crazy). They only get dense undergrowth when they're not allowed to burn. So a natural pine forest is often widely spaced pine trees with clear spaces between the trees. They're really pretty airy. So please. Picture the pine forest. Thing about it. Now try to picture a large group of human-sized creatures trying to sneak up through it on another group of people. Or run up on them fast enough to surprise. Tryyyy to picture it.
Another thing is the wounds. Early on Searon takes an axe to the lower back enough to feel it. Even though he's in armor. That's a debilitating injury. Seriously. That could and probably SHOULD have killed him from his immediate loss of mobility and fighting, even if it didn't touch his spine. Backs and hips and the muscles there are important, and if he felt it through his armor he got screwed up. Or he needed that dent hammered out or SOMETHING.
Runners-up for the "did not do research" award go to the kheshlar (read: elves) having titanium for shields (titanium requires some fairly exotic stuff like inert gases to extract. And kheshlars not having much magic, well, can't say the usual 'done by magic' excuse, either), a titanium dagger showing up (titanium doesn't hold an edge well), a mere hundred paces being treated as a long shot for a dedicated archer (English longbowmen routinely practiced at distances of 200 yards, and some could hit a mark at 300), and a saxophone showing up in a tavern. Yes. A saxophone.
All of these errors could have been avoided with some research. And it's just dunderheaded that this stuff wasn't done.
Tin Ear Dialogue
Craig has a tin ear. I'm sorry, but it's true. The last time I read dialogue this stilted, it was written by a man who had 80% hearing loss. Some of it's meant to be funny or witty and it's just...not. A big offender is the wizard, Karceoles, who we're told is sarcastic and runs his mouth. Instead he shows up to the hero by page 8, and this conversation happens.
"Put that blade away, you fool," the old man said with a serene voice.
"Who are you?" Searon asked, staring deep into the man's demonic orange eyes.
"Someone who is much more attractive, and much smarter, than you are," the old man said with a gravelly voice.
"You're asking for it old man," Searon's eyes narrowed in frustration.
"No, if I were asking for it, I would simply ask. However, you may call me Karceoles," he said, folding his arms over his staff and grinning with lowered eyebrows.
Not gonna lie. It hurt to type that. And it's not even the worst example. The conversation goes on and it's apparently meant to establish the wizard as a smartass and someone not to be trifled with despite that (he sets Searon on fire for some reason) but instead it comes off almost non-sequiteur and psychosis. It's just plain bad. So with a rework, it'd look like this:
"Oh, put that sword away," the old man said irritably, as he watched the way the surviving draeyks had fled. His eyes flickered as he watched something Searon couldn't see.
"What are you?" asked Searon suspiciously, staring at the man's demonic orange eyes. He kept his grip on his sword.
"Smarter than you, it looks like. I said to put that sword away, boy." The wizard said, a bit of menace coming into his voice.
"You're asking for it, old man," said Searon. "I'm no boy. Go your way and I'll go mine and I won't send you on your way."
The old man leaned in towards Searon a little, an evil smile etching his wrinkles deeper. "I know you've been in the woods for months, and getting desperate, boy, but I don't like men like that." His smile disappeared as Searon began to move the sword into a ready position. The old man's eyes begin to glow a brighter orange. "I might have some silver in my hair, but if you try to use that big knife on me, I'll still whip you, boy, and leave you white-haired."
He was old, and carrying just a wooden staff, standing too close and not in a ready position, but the old man was entirely unafraid and unimpressed by Searon. Searon's warrior instincts screamed at him that he was in danger, and Searon listened to them. Searon relaxed, slowly, and carefully slid his claymore back into its sheath. "White-haired, you say?" he asked, wanting to change the subject and guessing the old man liked to talk, especially about himself.
The old man nodded approvingly and likewise relaxed. The fires in his eyes died down but not quite entirely went out. "Not so dumb, then. But still ugly." He said with a wink. "Yes. I'm a wizard. Every so often I meet some young fellow who thinks that because I'm old, he can whip me. I prove him wrong, and then I take the color from his hair for myself." He ran a hand through his silver-streaked brown hair. "It's wasteful, only turns just a little of my hair back to brown, but leaves them totally white-haired."
Searon stared at the hair. "You...you do that?"
"Oh yes, my son. I figure if I leave enough white-haired brats around, eventually the word will get around and I'll be famous enough that hotheads won't try to pick a fight with their elders and betters." The wizard said. "I'm Karceoles." The old man stuck out a hand.
"Searon," the warrior said, taking it. Searon had shaken hands with stronger grips, but not many. He figured the wizard's robes were hiding a lot of muscle.
"I thought you might be. I've been looking for you." Karceoles said.
See? We're told the wizard runs his mouth, he's a smartass, and he's a badass but arrogant about it. But taking a little time to establish the character as such goes that way. The thing about the white hair is later on Searon meets an old friend, a guard in his hometown, and the fellow's human but described as having white hair. It gives this guard a chance to glower at the wizard and gives a brick joke for the readers.
Flat Characters
Happily, this brings me to the next sin of this book: Flat characters. There's moments of characterization, but much more often we get TOLD how they are more than we're shown. We're told one of the main party is remarkably devout, but when he's brought from the brink of death, he doesn't pray in thanks. He doesn't say grace over meals, or do stuff like bury any remains of his food to give back to the earth or whatever. We're just told he is at the same time we're told he gets along with a side character who we're likewise assured is devout.
There's missed chances for character growth, too. Searon's family was killed in front of him because he couldn't fight that way soon enough, and something in his head is keeping up with how long it's been since they died, down to the hour. It's been more than three years. He's supposed to be haunted with nightmares and moments when the memories overwhelm him. When the book starts, he's out hunting down draeyks because he wants to kill them and because he wants to die. His big character moment at the end is when he realizes he doesn't have that clock in his head now, and he feels he can begin to heal.
This is a huge missed chance. Leaving aside that a man can't mistreat himself and run himself ragged like Searon does for three years without being useless in a fight, the author, almost provided a story arc about Searon reconnecting with life and people around him. He's got people who he comes to care for, and care for him.
So in the 'climactic' fight (honestly, it didn't feel like it was), you could have that all come together--making friends, seeing his brother (more on him later) again, all those things make him realize he's got people who depend on him, who need him, and he won't let people he cares about be killed in front of him twice. Searon gets up, fights past the pain, and fights with a snap and grace and heart that only his brother, who knew him before his wife had died, had seen from him before.
Searon isn't the only one who missed a chance for growth. Karceoles misses a big one. He's got this whole fire magic thing going, his talent is inborn and he's spent his life learning to control it. It's part of him (speaking of, he should have been working campfires with his bare hands, since he's so fireproof) So when he has a one-night stand with a pair of dancers, he knocks one of them up and she likewise becomes fireproof because his unborn child also shares his talents and so his baby-mama is now as fireproof as he is.
This made me cringe so hard. Not from unintended babies, those also happen. It's from Karceoles lighting up his pipe and going all, "Mm. Well. This is unusual. There hasn't been a wizard baby in a long time. Wizards don't have kids, really. Not many people are compatible with us." And then his babymama isn't mentioned again.
What should have happened is Karceoles should have freaked out more than a bit because he's never been a father before. There could have been a scene with him and Searon. Picture: Searon asks him about her, Karceoles snaps a bit, then admits he's moved her to one of the bigger cities and set her up somewhere comfortable until he can figure out what to do about her and 'the brat'. Searon punches the hell out of Karceoles and shames him about acting like a teenager with a whoopsbaby when Searon would love to have his children back. About how Karceoles has a chance to teach someone everything he thinks is worth knowing. About how being a father means becoming better than you thought you could be.
One of the secondary characters, Andron, talks to the elf about parenthood. The idea of that speech should have been used here, with Searon pointing out to Karceoles that the old man might be a 900+ year old wizard, but Searon is older than him in the matters of parenthood. And would love to still be doing it. And Karceoles could man up and realize he can at least make a try at it, and realize he's still got room to improve.
It's a hell of a missed opportunity for growth and connection for both of them.
Final character note, Searon wears scarlet and gold armor, and his brother wears blue and silver armor, and his name is Noraes. Yes. Searon spelled backwards. I don't know why the opposite theme is played up so heavy here. They had terrible parents to do that to their children, and Noraes should have another name, or at least someone could catch it and they both groan about it, or SOMETHING. We're also assured Noraes is a ladies' man and he charms Starlyn, the female lead immediately. But we're not told how it happens. Is he funny, does he have intelligent conversation, what?
Bad Description
There's a lot, and I mean reams, of bad narration in here. Often it contradicts itself--It's made out like Searon hasn't heard of kheshlars or other continents, then it says he has. And that, there is a simple fix: Searon could have heard so many different stories about kheshlar that he doesn't know what to believe. Then there's the 'lost city' the party finds. It's not far from the kheshlar capital, but its palace walls are described as 'rising for leagues in height'.
Dude. That makes it taller than Mt. Everest and it'd probably look like a black needle going into the clouds. Leaving aside that you can't build stone that high without the ones on the bottom being crushed by the weight of the ones they're supporting, there is no way there's a building six or nine miles tall and this is a lost city. I'm sorry. No. There's not.
And another thing. Before I reached the end and the author's bio page, I knew the author was a pipesmoker. All the male characters smoke pipes and it goes on about how the wizard's smells like honeyed cinnamon and Searon himself fills up with different blends that get their description. Terms like "whiskey spice" and "a delicious Cavendish blend" come up. Searon's been living on the road forever but he's not only got tobacco, he's got selection and it's just silly and improbable. Then I reached the author bio page at the end see "enjoys the occasional tobacco from his long stem pipe" and went A-HA!
I'm going to address the author directly here, for the only time in this review.
Craig.
Buddy.
Sunshine.
All four of my grandparents died from lung cancer from smoking, so I don't smoke. At all. Lesson learned from observation, thanks. This is such glowing press for having a fill of tobacco like a civilized gentleman that it reads like an ad for the industry, and made me feel an urge to go the tobacco shop. Try not to be that obvious.
When it's not contradicting itself or describing impossible or silly stuff, it's repetitive. In the middle of a fight, it goes into Starlyn's motivations. Three paragraphs of variations on the idea of "Her sister is important to her and Starlyn wants to save her." I had to put to the book down along about then, take my glasses off, and rub my eyes.
Speaking of her sister. So Starlyn's sister is undead and evil, but evidently not that undead because she's not averse to the idea of boinking Searon. She smells overwhelmingly of death, clove, "and a bit of ginger". It brings up how strong she smells, and describes in a way that makes her out to be a goddess of sensuality and charisma. To look at her is to know she's bad at you, but you don't care. But the thoughts I couldn't get out of my head was, "If you smell like that, girlfriend, you need to change your brand of hygiene products" and "If it smells like that, I don't want to diddle it. It'd melt my junk off!"
And the author just can't find the trigger on Chekov's Gun. The eponymous crimson claymore is Searon's sword, it burns with a red light when he uses it. We're told 'if he pushed it right' he can sunder other metal. Whatever "pushing it right" means.
This is never used in the story, or referred to again. Not even when Evil Sorceress Babe was whipping his ass in a sword fight and their swords lock. I was expecting him to break her sword along about then. Instead he gets punched in the face and then she turns up the supernatural Sexy And You Know It and oppresses him so hard he can't even think of fighting. Not later on when he's having a tough fight with an enemy commander. Nope. Never mentioned again. Like we're told several times early on that Searon is superhumanly fast and strong, with likewise godly sight and hearing. It's never explained how he got this way. After a while, it stops coming up and Searon starts losing fights.
In a much smaller example, Searon and Starlyn fight a badass enemy commander. It's two-on-one and they're still outnumbered. It's treated as a revelation that the commander's weakness is his confidence in his ability. The way the following action reads, they don't exploit this at all. If something's really good but also full of itself, you can fake them out. Searon could have taken a hit and rolled with it and acted like he was down, and catch it from behind when it turns its attention to Starlyn. Or similar. If he's physically perfect, find a way to beat him mentally, you dig?
This book so badly needed some beta readers and someone to kindly tell the author that "boars don't work that way" or "here, listen to me read this conversation and you see if this sounds at all right". The idea is sound, this could have been a really good story. But I've read a ton and paid attention and I kept seeing what was wrong and ways it could have been done better. That's the shame of it: It could have been so much better. There's potential here, but this is so unpolished that I've read fanfiction that had more shine than this.
My local bookstore pointed this out to me as being by a local author. The back cover blurb made me squint as the warning bells dinged in my head, and opening to a random page to read a scene where the wizard picks up two women in a bar my suspicions were confirmed: This book promised to be awful. I got it on the idea that it'd be a lark to review it as something for my brain to chew on.
This book, the author tells us, has gotten millions of reads on Wattpad, and the author only has 24 reviews on Amazon but they're all four and five-star. Well, Craig A. Price Jr., that's about to change. I'm going to try to be fair, but I read this and it is at times hilariously poorly executed.
I'm not going to argue for originality. Originality is overrated, what matters in making a good story is telling it well. One of my favorite authors is David Eddings. But there are parts of this that are glaringly bad. So here's the deal: I'm going to criticize, yes. I'm also going to try to be fair here, and not cruel. And I'm going to provide examples of poorly-done stuff here, and then counter-example if I can make them up or think of them. This may sting a bit for fans or authors to read, but I'm not doing it to be mean. This could have been a fun romp--the only thing holding it back is, well, execution. This reads like the author didn't run it by a disinterested beta reader.
I'm breaking this review up into categories of Problems. I wish I had more room, but it appears I have to cut bits. So sometime later I'll go on about Starlyn and her +5 Bazongas of Lordly Might.
DNDR
...Which stands for Did Not Do Research. Happily, the acronym can be pronounced "dunder" which allows me to efficiently refer to cases of dunderheadedness. The example that comes foremost to mind, and became my go-to example, is when Our Hero, Searon, is hunting for meat. He sees a wild boar, shoots it in the heart with an arrow, takes it back to camp, roasts it over the fire, then cuts it up for dinner for himself and the wizard.
There are multiple things wrong with this, and I'll deal with them in chronological order.
First, boars don't tump over dead. And not from something as sissy as a mere arrow in the heart. They're famed for it. When hurt, they charge something. Usually what hurt them, but often just SOMETHING. Searon killed that boar with that arrow, yes, but it would have taken a while for it to kick in. At least five seconds. Sometimes longer. Boars are crazy like that.
Second, roasting a whole pig takes a looooong time. Trust me, I'm a country boy, I've been to a pig roast before. It'd take all night to cook that, and it'd require a cracking big fire. A pig roasting is a social, all-day affair with other food being cooked throughout the day because the whole pig won't be done for eight or ten hours.
Third, the way it reads, Searon only guts the pig AFTER he's done roasting it.
No. No. A thousand times no.
The FIRST thing you cut out is the intestines and associated organs. Otherwise the...contents...will boil inside and it's a hideous mess and smell when you cut it up. You take those things, and you leave them near the house of someone you've got an undying enmity with. Or just the house of someone you kind don't like, and soon you'll have an undying enmity.
I told my dad about this scene, because he really is something else at grilling and associated activities. He verified that order in which cooking happened. Then shook his head and said, "I wouldn't eat any pork cooked by that author."
This scene just sort of set the tone for the research I could expect.
This was cemented by much of the action happening in pine forests, and the monsters--called draeyks (which I keep reading as drah-eeks or drah-aches because of that fancy y in there)--leap out at the heroes from amongst the trees, springing up like a random encounter in a JRPG video game.
Dear readers, I don't know your local environment, so I invite you to go to Google and google image search for a "pine forest" or "pine barrens". See, the pineneedles smother off most stuff and a lot of them tend to catch fire regularly (which is perfectly natural and happens, the pine trees often need to be scorched to help them germinate and or produce cones. Nature is crazy). They only get dense undergrowth when they're not allowed to burn. So a natural pine forest is often widely spaced pine trees with clear spaces between the trees. They're really pretty airy. So please. Picture the pine forest. Thing about it. Now try to picture a large group of human-sized creatures trying to sneak up through it on another group of people. Or run up on them fast enough to surprise. Tryyyy to picture it.
Another thing is the wounds. Early on Searon takes an axe to the lower back enough to feel it. Even though he's in armor. That's a debilitating injury. Seriously. That could and probably SHOULD have killed him from his immediate loss of mobility and fighting, even if it didn't touch his spine. Backs and hips and the muscles there are important, and if he felt it through his armor he got screwed up. Or he needed that dent hammered out or SOMETHING.
Runners-up for the "did not do research" award go to the kheshlar (read: elves) having titanium for shields (titanium requires some fairly exotic stuff like inert gases to extract. And kheshlars not having much magic, well, can't say the usual 'done by magic' excuse, either), a titanium dagger showing up (titanium doesn't hold an edge well), a mere hundred paces being treated as a long shot for a dedicated archer (English longbowmen routinely practiced at distances of 200 yards, and some could hit a mark at 300), and a saxophone showing up in a tavern. Yes. A saxophone.
All of these errors could have been avoided with some research. And it's just dunderheaded that this stuff wasn't done.
Tin Ear Dialogue
Craig has a tin ear. I'm sorry, but it's true. The last time I read dialogue this stilted, it was written by a man who had 80% hearing loss. Some of it's meant to be funny or witty and it's just...not. A big offender is the wizard, Karceoles, who we're told is sarcastic and runs his mouth. Instead he shows up to the hero by page 8, and this conversation happens.
"Put that blade away, you fool," the old man said with a serene voice.
"Who are you?" Searon asked, staring deep into the man's demonic orange eyes.
"Someone who is much more attractive, and much smarter, than you are," the old man said with a gravelly voice.
"You're asking for it old man," Searon's eyes narrowed in frustration.
"No, if I were asking for it, I would simply ask. However, you may call me Karceoles," he said, folding his arms over his staff and grinning with lowered eyebrows.
Not gonna lie. It hurt to type that. And it's not even the worst example. The conversation goes on and it's apparently meant to establish the wizard as a smartass and someone not to be trifled with despite that (he sets Searon on fire for some reason) but instead it comes off almost non-sequiteur and psychosis. It's just plain bad. So with a rework, it'd look like this:
"Oh, put that sword away," the old man said irritably, as he watched the way the surviving draeyks had fled. His eyes flickered as he watched something Searon couldn't see.
"What are you?" asked Searon suspiciously, staring at the man's demonic orange eyes. He kept his grip on his sword.
"Smarter than you, it looks like. I said to put that sword away, boy." The wizard said, a bit of menace coming into his voice.
"You're asking for it, old man," said Searon. "I'm no boy. Go your way and I'll go mine and I won't send you on your way."
The old man leaned in towards Searon a little, an evil smile etching his wrinkles deeper. "I know you've been in the woods for months, and getting desperate, boy, but I don't like men like that." His smile disappeared as Searon began to move the sword into a ready position. The old man's eyes begin to glow a brighter orange. "I might have some silver in my hair, but if you try to use that big knife on me, I'll still whip you, boy, and leave you white-haired."
He was old, and carrying just a wooden staff, standing too close and not in a ready position, but the old man was entirely unafraid and unimpressed by Searon. Searon's warrior instincts screamed at him that he was in danger, and Searon listened to them. Searon relaxed, slowly, and carefully slid his claymore back into its sheath. "White-haired, you say?" he asked, wanting to change the subject and guessing the old man liked to talk, especially about himself.
The old man nodded approvingly and likewise relaxed. The fires in his eyes died down but not quite entirely went out. "Not so dumb, then. But still ugly." He said with a wink. "Yes. I'm a wizard. Every so often I meet some young fellow who thinks that because I'm old, he can whip me. I prove him wrong, and then I take the color from his hair for myself." He ran a hand through his silver-streaked brown hair. "It's wasteful, only turns just a little of my hair back to brown, but leaves them totally white-haired."
Searon stared at the hair. "You...you do that?"
"Oh yes, my son. I figure if I leave enough white-haired brats around, eventually the word will get around and I'll be famous enough that hotheads won't try to pick a fight with their elders and betters." The wizard said. "I'm Karceoles." The old man stuck out a hand.
"Searon," the warrior said, taking it. Searon had shaken hands with stronger grips, but not many. He figured the wizard's robes were hiding a lot of muscle.
"I thought you might be. I've been looking for you." Karceoles said.
See? We're told the wizard runs his mouth, he's a smartass, and he's a badass but arrogant about it. But taking a little time to establish the character as such goes that way. The thing about the white hair is later on Searon meets an old friend, a guard in his hometown, and the fellow's human but described as having white hair. It gives this guard a chance to glower at the wizard and gives a brick joke for the readers.
Flat Characters
Happily, this brings me to the next sin of this book: Flat characters. There's moments of characterization, but much more often we get TOLD how they are more than we're shown. We're told one of the main party is remarkably devout, but when he's brought from the brink of death, he doesn't pray in thanks. He doesn't say grace over meals, or do stuff like bury any remains of his food to give back to the earth or whatever. We're just told he is at the same time we're told he gets along with a side character who we're likewise assured is devout.
There's missed chances for character growth, too. Searon's family was killed in front of him because he couldn't fight that way soon enough, and something in his head is keeping up with how long it's been since they died, down to the hour. It's been more than three years. He's supposed to be haunted with nightmares and moments when the memories overwhelm him. When the book starts, he's out hunting down draeyks because he wants to kill them and because he wants to die. His big character moment at the end is when he realizes he doesn't have that clock in his head now, and he feels he can begin to heal.
This is a huge missed chance. Leaving aside that a man can't mistreat himself and run himself ragged like Searon does for three years without being useless in a fight, the author, almost provided a story arc about Searon reconnecting with life and people around him. He's got people who he comes to care for, and care for him.
So in the 'climactic' fight (honestly, it didn't feel like it was), you could have that all come together--making friends, seeing his brother (more on him later) again, all those things make him realize he's got people who depend on him, who need him, and he won't let people he cares about be killed in front of him twice. Searon gets up, fights past the pain, and fights with a snap and grace and heart that only his brother, who knew him before his wife had died, had seen from him before.
Searon isn't the only one who missed a chance for growth. Karceoles misses a big one. He's got this whole fire magic thing going, his talent is inborn and he's spent his life learning to control it. It's part of him (speaking of, he should have been working campfires with his bare hands, since he's so fireproof) So when he has a one-night stand with a pair of dancers, he knocks one of them up and she likewise becomes fireproof because his unborn child also shares his talents and so his baby-mama is now as fireproof as he is.
This made me cringe so hard. Not from unintended babies, those also happen. It's from Karceoles lighting up his pipe and going all, "Mm. Well. This is unusual. There hasn't been a wizard baby in a long time. Wizards don't have kids, really. Not many people are compatible with us." And then his babymama isn't mentioned again.
What should have happened is Karceoles should have freaked out more than a bit because he's never been a father before. There could have been a scene with him and Searon. Picture: Searon asks him about her, Karceoles snaps a bit, then admits he's moved her to one of the bigger cities and set her up somewhere comfortable until he can figure out what to do about her and 'the brat'. Searon punches the hell out of Karceoles and shames him about acting like a teenager with a whoopsbaby when Searon would love to have his children back. About how Karceoles has a chance to teach someone everything he thinks is worth knowing. About how being a father means becoming better than you thought you could be.
One of the secondary characters, Andron, talks to the elf about parenthood. The idea of that speech should have been used here, with Searon pointing out to Karceoles that the old man might be a 900+ year old wizard, but Searon is older than him in the matters of parenthood. And would love to still be doing it. And Karceoles could man up and realize he can at least make a try at it, and realize he's still got room to improve.
It's a hell of a missed opportunity for growth and connection for both of them.
Final character note, Searon wears scarlet and gold armor, and his brother wears blue and silver armor, and his name is Noraes. Yes. Searon spelled backwards. I don't know why the opposite theme is played up so heavy here. They had terrible parents to do that to their children, and Noraes should have another name, or at least someone could catch it and they both groan about it, or SOMETHING. We're also assured Noraes is a ladies' man and he charms Starlyn, the female lead immediately. But we're not told how it happens. Is he funny, does he have intelligent conversation, what?
Bad Description
There's a lot, and I mean reams, of bad narration in here. Often it contradicts itself--It's made out like Searon hasn't heard of kheshlars or other continents, then it says he has. And that, there is a simple fix: Searon could have heard so many different stories about kheshlar that he doesn't know what to believe. Then there's the 'lost city' the party finds. It's not far from the kheshlar capital, but its palace walls are described as 'rising for leagues in height'.
Dude. That makes it taller than Mt. Everest and it'd probably look like a black needle going into the clouds. Leaving aside that you can't build stone that high without the ones on the bottom being crushed by the weight of the ones they're supporting, there is no way there's a building six or nine miles tall and this is a lost city. I'm sorry. No. There's not.
And another thing. Before I reached the end and the author's bio page, I knew the author was a pipesmoker. All the male characters smoke pipes and it goes on about how the wizard's smells like honeyed cinnamon and Searon himself fills up with different blends that get their description. Terms like "whiskey spice" and "a delicious Cavendish blend" come up. Searon's been living on the road forever but he's not only got tobacco, he's got selection and it's just silly and improbable. Then I reached the author bio page at the end see "enjoys the occasional tobacco from his long stem pipe" and went A-HA!
I'm going to address the author directly here, for the only time in this review.
Craig.
Buddy.
Sunshine.
All four of my grandparents died from lung cancer from smoking, so I don't smoke. At all. Lesson learned from observation, thanks. This is such glowing press for having a fill of tobacco like a civilized gentleman that it reads like an ad for the industry, and made me feel an urge to go the tobacco shop. Try not to be that obvious.
When it's not contradicting itself or describing impossible or silly stuff, it's repetitive. In the middle of a fight, it goes into Starlyn's motivations. Three paragraphs of variations on the idea of "Her sister is important to her and Starlyn wants to save her." I had to put to the book down along about then, take my glasses off, and rub my eyes.
Speaking of her sister. So Starlyn's sister is undead and evil, but evidently not that undead because she's not averse to the idea of boinking Searon. She smells overwhelmingly of death, clove, "and a bit of ginger". It brings up how strong she smells, and describes in a way that makes her out to be a goddess of sensuality and charisma. To look at her is to know she's bad at you, but you don't care. But the thoughts I couldn't get out of my head was, "If you smell like that, girlfriend, you need to change your brand of hygiene products" and "If it smells like that, I don't want to diddle it. It'd melt my junk off!"
And the author just can't find the trigger on Chekov's Gun. The eponymous crimson claymore is Searon's sword, it burns with a red light when he uses it. We're told 'if he pushed it right' he can sunder other metal. Whatever "pushing it right" means.
This is never used in the story, or referred to again. Not even when Evil Sorceress Babe was whipping his ass in a sword fight and their swords lock. I was expecting him to break her sword along about then. Instead he gets punched in the face and then she turns up the supernatural Sexy And You Know It and oppresses him so hard he can't even think of fighting. Not later on when he's having a tough fight with an enemy commander. Nope. Never mentioned again. Like we're told several times early on that Searon is superhumanly fast and strong, with likewise godly sight and hearing. It's never explained how he got this way. After a while, it stops coming up and Searon starts losing fights.
In a much smaller example, Searon and Starlyn fight a badass enemy commander. It's two-on-one and they're still outnumbered. It's treated as a revelation that the commander's weakness is his confidence in his ability. The way the following action reads, they don't exploit this at all. If something's really good but also full of itself, you can fake them out. Searon could have taken a hit and rolled with it and acted like he was down, and catch it from behind when it turns its attention to Starlyn. Or similar. If he's physically perfect, find a way to beat him mentally, you dig?
This book so badly needed some beta readers and someone to kindly tell the author that "boars don't work that way" or "here, listen to me read this conversation and you see if this sounds at all right". The idea is sound, this could have been a really good story. But I've read a ton and paid attention and I kept seeing what was wrong and ways it could have been done better. That's the shame of it: It could have been so much better. There's potential here, but this is so unpolished that I've read fanfiction that had more shine than this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2018
I got an ARC copy from the author in the hopes for a review.
I have finally completed reading 5 SPFBO 2017 books! Yaay!
For better or worse, there doesn't really seem to have much of a plot in this book. Searon is a capable captain that married the daughter of a common criminal and was enjoying semiretirement with Victoria and his son. Almost 2 years before the beginning of the book, a swarm of reptilian humanoid beasts called drayeks invaded his village and murdered his family. Emotionally devastated, he roams the lands of Calthoria killing the beasts until either he dies in battle, or he defeats them all.
He is encountered by a slightly kooky fire wizard named Karceoles who freezes him in a block of ice and drags him kicking and screaming because he had a vision that Searon would someday unite the human towns of Calthoria and kill these beasts once and for all. For what purpose? Well, the book never really explains who is behind the sudden appearance of the drayeks and a second menace that sort of resemble blue skinned horned beasts called daemions. With no definite enemy in sight until the last 20% of the novel where a warlock and a necromancer are at least allied with these beasts, the story mostly focuses on Searon grudgingly accepting Karceoles's demand to locate allies.
This is where I felt like the book suffered a lot and that the insanely slow speed of the middle of the book was the reason why it took me a whopping 9 months to finish it. Some of the recruited characters are memorable (Starlyn, a sort of rebellious kheshlar that is deadset on a revenge of her own, a kind hearted human without any formal military training named Andron that is unexpectedly talented with the sword, Noraes, who is Searon's younger brother that has finally settled down with an enviable nobility title, Anaela, another kheshlar with unusual green skin that briefly appears in the final chapters and finally, a third kheshlar named Erenuyh who acted aloof with everyone until we find out the motive...).
I had a really hard time connecting with the other recruited characters. Nothing about their personalities (except perhaps Sh'on to a degree) drew me in and made them stand out. It made the slow middle hard for me to read because this book seems to be more focused on the characters over a complex plot.
Luckily, things speed up in the final 20% of the novel which sort of compensated for the slow middle. I like Anaela's character and think she will hold a pivotal role in the second novel. The book has a bit of an anticlimatic ending, the enemy was only slightly affected, no big villains defeated, motives discovered, Starlyn's sister is still wandering somewhere and the kheshlar king doesn't take the threat seriously. However, it does end with some nice points where the sequel might be heading. I wish to finish more SPFBO books first, but I will read the sequel.
I have finally completed reading 5 SPFBO 2017 books! Yaay!
For better or worse, there doesn't really seem to have much of a plot in this book. Searon is a capable captain that married the daughter of a common criminal and was enjoying semiretirement with Victoria and his son. Almost 2 years before the beginning of the book, a swarm of reptilian humanoid beasts called drayeks invaded his village and murdered his family. Emotionally devastated, he roams the lands of Calthoria killing the beasts until either he dies in battle, or he defeats them all.
He is encountered by a slightly kooky fire wizard named Karceoles who freezes him in a block of ice and drags him kicking and screaming because he had a vision that Searon would someday unite the human towns of Calthoria and kill these beasts once and for all. For what purpose? Well, the book never really explains who is behind the sudden appearance of the drayeks and a second menace that sort of resemble blue skinned horned beasts called daemions. With no definite enemy in sight until the last 20% of the novel where a warlock and a necromancer are at least allied with these beasts, the story mostly focuses on Searon grudgingly accepting Karceoles's demand to locate allies.
This is where I felt like the book suffered a lot and that the insanely slow speed of the middle of the book was the reason why it took me a whopping 9 months to finish it. Some of the recruited characters are memorable (Starlyn, a sort of rebellious kheshlar that is deadset on a revenge of her own, a kind hearted human without any formal military training named Andron that is unexpectedly talented with the sword, Noraes, who is Searon's younger brother that has finally settled down with an enviable nobility title, Anaela, another kheshlar with unusual green skin that briefly appears in the final chapters and finally, a third kheshlar named Erenuyh who acted aloof with everyone until we find out the motive...).
I had a really hard time connecting with the other recruited characters. Nothing about their personalities (except perhaps Sh'on to a degree) drew me in and made them stand out. It made the slow middle hard for me to read because this book seems to be more focused on the characters over a complex plot.
Luckily, things speed up in the final 20% of the novel which sort of compensated for the slow middle. I like Anaela's character and think she will hold a pivotal role in the second novel. The book has a bit of an anticlimatic ending, the enemy was only slightly affected, no big villains defeated, motives discovered, Starlyn's sister is still wandering somewhere and the kheshlar king doesn't take the threat seriously. However, it does end with some nice points where the sequel might be heading. I wish to finish more SPFBO books first, but I will read the sequel.
February 14, 2016
Sorry for the late posting of this review but when I finished reading this I started reading another book and kind of forgot to do this. Anyway, this was a great story. I loved Searon(sp?) and his desire to destroy those which killed his true love and his child. His journey was fraught with a lot of suspence for me and I always felt he would die in the middle. Thanks god he didn't. The wizard was a pistol, in my opinion, a regular jokester and he was great in this story.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading more about Searon's journey to take down the killers of his family and hope he survives it all.
Great story and great imagination!
Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading more about Searon's journey to take down the killers of his family and hope he survives it all.
Great story and great imagination!
February 26, 2016
I won this as a e-book from a site called library thing. It is a good fantasy book to read. I hope to read more books by this author.
January 24, 2016
I have worked on this novel for over 7 years, and completely rewritten it over 5 times. It was a success on Wattpad, where it had over 2.5 Million Reads, 17,000 votes, and over 1,000 comments. I had great feedback there, most of my negative was about needing an editor. It is now published on Amazon, I got an editor and a cover designer, and I'm excited to share this novel with you. It was on Wattpad for over 3 years as a featured read. While it may not be the best book out there, I was happy with its success, especially when Wattpad is primarily a teen reader site, and my novel is an Adult Epic Fantasy. I really hope you enjoy the novel, and I will share screenshots of some of the Reviews I had on it while it was on Wattpad. Remember, all these reviews were BEFORE I had it edited. =)
November 24, 2017
I think it is always good to let yourself go when you read certain books. Yes, I could nit pick and tear apart some minor issues with the book, but there is no need. There is a feeling that if you are entertained by the story and it brought you a bit of wonder then the author did his job well. I think the author did his job well with this book. I was entertained and though there are points that will improve with time, the book is a nice read.
I found myself taking my time to read this work just so I could enjoy it all that much more.
I found myself taking my time to read this work just so I could enjoy it all that much more.
February 12, 2017
a outstanding fantasy novel, full of action and adventure for all.
August 15, 2018
Ah, The Crimson Claymore. A fine alliterative title. But was it any good?
I listened to the audiobook version, and there was a lot to like about the story. The MC, Searon, had an interesting back story, living a life eking out revenge against the reptilian draeyks who killed his wife and child. A "chance" meeting with a wizard changes his path as Searon sets forth to raise an army to slaughter the draeyks when he discovers they have bigger plans than just raiding villages.
So far, so good, albeit familiar. Here's the rub - the story is pretty good, the world is interesting (if not particularly new), but at times the story is just plain boring. I'm not sure if it's the narrator, the dialogue between the characters or just me, but I'd often drift away while listening. The conversations at times seem too forced, too earnest to be real, and it was just too distracting.
The narrator was pretty good, with diverse voice, although the female characters seemed a bit stiff (not entirely his fault).
It's not bad, but it didn't do it for me.
I listened to the audiobook version, and there was a lot to like about the story. The MC, Searon, had an interesting back story, living a life eking out revenge against the reptilian draeyks who killed his wife and child. A "chance" meeting with a wizard changes his path as Searon sets forth to raise an army to slaughter the draeyks when he discovers they have bigger plans than just raiding villages.
So far, so good, albeit familiar. Here's the rub - the story is pretty good, the world is interesting (if not particularly new), but at times the story is just plain boring. I'm not sure if it's the narrator, the dialogue between the characters or just me, but I'd often drift away while listening. The conversations at times seem too forced, too earnest to be real, and it was just too distracting.
The narrator was pretty good, with diverse voice, although the female characters seemed a bit stiff (not entirely his fault).
It's not bad, but it didn't do it for me.
February 28, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters likable and the story entertaining. There's a good mix of characters with a mission to accomplish. I was on the edge of my seat, staying up late at night trying to finish the book. I will say my favorite characters were the snarky magician and tough kheshlar warrior. Searon is the main character, and he's interesting you want him to succeed. But I gravitate to the "side" characters, especially if they have an attitude. Kudos for the map and the character info in the back. I was also thrilled that I could pronounce most of the names in the book.
January 4, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. I was hooked and found myself wanting to find time to keep reading although I typically only read on airplanes. At the end, I wanted to pick up a sequel right away and I am really looking forward to reading the next installment.
The author makes you feel like you're right there in the scene and you can completely feel the emotions of the characters. I am really impressed. I don't read very many fantasy novels, but this one worked and I believe people who don't normally read fantasy would enjoy this read.
The author makes you feel like you're right there in the scene and you can completely feel the emotions of the characters. I am really impressed. I don't read very many fantasy novels, but this one worked and I believe people who don't normally read fantasy would enjoy this read.
March 14, 2016
Fantasy is not my normal go to genre and many times their length turns me off. However this one was just the right length for the story. The author does a great job of world building and giving us creative characters to fill the world up with. Although the right length for the storyline at times it did feel a bit drawn out which is the only reason it didn't get the five stars. I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to my fantasy fans out there.
January 6, 2016
I am admittedly not a huge fantasy reader, but I thoroughly enjoyed THE CRIMSON CLAYMORE. Craig's world-building is stellar, and Searon is a strong character that grows even more when he learns to trust the help of others along his path for vengeance. If you're looking for a justice-seeking, one-man show who'll go toe-to-toe with anyone who crosses his path, then this is the book for you. You never want to be on the wrong end of Searon's crimson claymore
March 7, 2016
This is an entertaining fantasy novel with heroes and villains, witches, mythical creatures, elves, faeries and naughty amazon women. I was about to put it into my stack of pending reads when I got hooked after a brief read and had to read it to the end. Kudos to the author…
I was provided with an electronic copy in return for an honest review.
I was provided with an electronic copy in return for an honest review.
December 12, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It had lots of great qualities. It had some action and some sweet moments as well. A great book for sure! * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
January 8, 2016
totally epic. if you love fantasy, this won't disappoint
March 27, 2016
Sometimes you need a square jawed hero with a really big sword, a beautiful woodlands creature with attitude and a vicious foe. The Crimson Claymore has them all.
June 6, 2016
I saw this book on Wattpad, and I haven't finished it yet. BUT, I'm really hooked by this book. I love it and I wish to finish this.
Read
August 30, 2016Great book can't wait to read the next one in the series..Have enjoyed his world building as the book unfolds.
October 29, 2016
The only reasoni put this book down was to work, eat and sleep. Awesome novel, highly recommend it.
May 22, 2020
I've been wanting to read this book since I heard about it several years ago. I loved the prequel, Chronicles of Starlyn as it introduced both Starlyn and Arria, respective hero and villain of The Crimson Claymore. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I found myself disappointed.
The story began with Searon, a seasoned warrior who is seeking revenge on the dragonesque creatures who killed his wife and child. He soon crosses path with Karceoles, a wizard who is talented but completely obnoxious (and if you are waiting to see if he improves over time, he doesn't), and Starlyn, a Kheshlar who is also trying to defeat the draeyks and find her sister who happens to lead the draeyks in their fight against humanity. The three of them are together for the majority of the story, sometimes splitting up to gather information or recruit help from different cities and they gather various traveling companions along the way. There are many battles as well, some won by a greater margin than others, and cities they pass through (as well as friends and family they seek) that have been devastated by the draeyks. Other than the battles, the story is the journey and the conversations (which include backstories) of the traveling companions.
I liked the idea of this story. You didn't need to read the Chronicles of Starlyn to understand The Crimson Claymore, but I began the story remembering Starlyn as pretty awesome, if a little goody-goody. Not anymore. In this book, she is still awesome, but her attraction is primarily her gorgeous appearance that everyone oogles over when they first meet her. Actually, the function of nearly all the women in the story is to be beautiful. Searon's now-deceased wife, Victoria, caused him to walk away from war and live a life of peace because he was so drawn to her beauty. At one point, Starlyn was advised to dress in a certain way in order to draw the eyes of the men she was trying to win over to her point of view. Near the end of the story both Searon and Starlyn fall in love (with different people), but this deep connection begins with and is mostly focused on the women's great physical beauty. It's unfortunate because to survive in this world, women had to be strong, resourceful, creative, gifted and so many other things that weren't explored as they could have been.
While the treatment of women was my major complaint, I also grew incredibly frustrated with the wizard. He could have been introduced at the beginning as the means of getting Searon to think differently about his quest and then left the story, but no, we were endlessly subjected to his wearying presence. Another small thing (which does not affect my rating) was the way the characters were constantly smirking at each other. Too much! Stop!
I believe this is one of Craig's earlier books and I've heard good things about his other series, so this wasn't enough to deter me from reading other books of his. I did really enjoy the Chronicles of Starlyn. The narrator was also fabulous. I'm crossing my fingers that the female characters will enjoy expanded and much less stereotypical roles in the future.
I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author but the opinions expressed are all my own.
The story began with Searon, a seasoned warrior who is seeking revenge on the dragonesque creatures who killed his wife and child. He soon crosses path with Karceoles, a wizard who is talented but completely obnoxious (and if you are waiting to see if he improves over time, he doesn't), and Starlyn, a Kheshlar who is also trying to defeat the draeyks and find her sister who happens to lead the draeyks in their fight against humanity. The three of them are together for the majority of the story, sometimes splitting up to gather information or recruit help from different cities and they gather various traveling companions along the way. There are many battles as well, some won by a greater margin than others, and cities they pass through (as well as friends and family they seek) that have been devastated by the draeyks. Other than the battles, the story is the journey and the conversations (which include backstories) of the traveling companions.
I liked the idea of this story. You didn't need to read the Chronicles of Starlyn to understand The Crimson Claymore, but I began the story remembering Starlyn as pretty awesome, if a little goody-goody. Not anymore. In this book, she is still awesome, but her attraction is primarily her gorgeous appearance that everyone oogles over when they first meet her. Actually, the function of nearly all the women in the story is to be beautiful. Searon's now-deceased wife, Victoria, caused him to walk away from war and live a life of peace because he was so drawn to her beauty. At one point, Starlyn was advised to dress in a certain way in order to draw the eyes of the men she was trying to win over to her point of view. Near the end of the story both Searon and Starlyn fall in love (with different people), but this deep connection begins with and is mostly focused on the women's great physical beauty. It's unfortunate because to survive in this world, women had to be strong, resourceful, creative, gifted and so many other things that weren't explored as they could have been.
While the treatment of women was my major complaint, I also grew incredibly frustrated with the wizard. He could have been introduced at the beginning as the means of getting Searon to think differently about his quest and then left the story, but no, we were endlessly subjected to his wearying presence. Another small thing (which does not affect my rating) was the way the characters were constantly smirking at each other. Too much! Stop!
I believe this is one of Craig's earlier books and I've heard good things about his other series, so this wasn't enough to deter me from reading other books of his. I did really enjoy the Chronicles of Starlyn. The narrator was also fabulous. I'm crossing my fingers that the female characters will enjoy expanded and much less stereotypical roles in the future.
I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author but the opinions expressed are all my own.
November 30, 2018
“The Crimson Claymore” is the first book in the “Claymore of Calthoria” series written by USA Today’s bestselling author Craig A. Price Jr.; known for his “Dragonia Empire” book series. The audiobook edition is quite well narrated and performed by Ian McEuen who receives rather high ratings for this other works. The story is set in a fantasy world and it centers around a man who is out for revenge. He will do almost anything to see those who hurt his family either come to justice through the hands of the law or by his own hands; or blade. In some ways the story felt more like a LitRPG than a standard fantasy tale and is not a bad thing. It is more about the progression of the character and not the experience and leveling parts. We have the classic man vs. man (revenge style) tale, but this one also takes a few surprise twists and turns along the way. There is plenty of mystery, suspense, and wit making it a well-rounded adventure. If you are one who enjoys a well-written and narrated fantasy exploration piece, I recommend you pick up this book and give it a listen.
I like that the author included a prologue chapter giving the listener some insight and background before dropping you right in t the world. What is not to like about a revenge story? As you listen to the story, you can feel that the main character oozes with hatred and the desire to seek revenge no matter the cost. There is almost a heightened level of despair throughout the story and one wonders if he will ever be satisfied. The author includes flashbacks giving the listener more details on who our main character is and why he is what he is. I like the addition of the characters having familiars. The main character had his trusty steed while another character a jaguar. The story flowed in a very vibrant and colorful way. It is as if one started with a black canvas and as the story unfolds, we begin to see the splashes of color building a scene. Not only the setting, but the characters were multidimensional, and each had a personality and skills that complemented one another; except for that annoying wizard. One is able to see that the main character needed to depend on his companions for help in achieving his goals. For me, the story felt well planned and executed from both the writing and narration. Good job.
Although the story was quite complex, at times it felt more Young Adult (YA) than I would have expected from our characters. I think some of it feels this way due to some of the character interactions and conversations. The story has a more traditional fantasy world along with the expected classes and creatures; many our party discovers along their travels. We are presented with mages, wizards, warlocks, magic, and plenty of fighting. I even liked how the author wrapped in some humor with the subtle events like the discovery of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There are a number of other humorous quips and pokes that pop-up and surprise you while listening. I found the game within a game an interesting component and brought me back to my childhood some. Our main character plays a strategy game, like Stratego, which they played as youths growing up. If he wins, he gets to control an army. If he loses, revenge may have to wait for another time.
The audiobook’s narration was solid and performed professionally. Each of the characters voices felt unique and distinct. There is even a point where the narrator sings, and he does a decent job here as well. Although I was not a fan of the Wizards voice, I think that was both the author’s and narrator’s intentions. He was intended to be an annoying character, and this was done well. I do not recall any issues with audio artifacts (swallows, background noise, etc.). The pace of reading and audio volumes remained consistent throughout the book.
For parents or younger readers, there is some light romance between characters and I do not recall any vulgar language being used. I feel it would be a good story for a pre-teen and up. The writing style was not overly complex and the narration clear and well-paced. However, younger readers may not fully grasp some of the sarcasm and snarky comments thrown around in this book.
In summary, the book had a fair amount of mystery and suspense while wanting to find out what happens with our main character. Revenge is a powerful motivator, but one has to be reminded that actions have consequences. Sometime, these consequences can be deadly. If you are looking for a new fantasy series to listen too, I can say that I think you will enjoy this one; apart from the wizard that is. I look forward to listening to “The Obsidian Arrow” which is the title of book two in the series when it is released.
I like that the author included a prologue chapter giving the listener some insight and background before dropping you right in t the world. What is not to like about a revenge story? As you listen to the story, you can feel that the main character oozes with hatred and the desire to seek revenge no matter the cost. There is almost a heightened level of despair throughout the story and one wonders if he will ever be satisfied. The author includes flashbacks giving the listener more details on who our main character is and why he is what he is. I like the addition of the characters having familiars. The main character had his trusty steed while another character a jaguar. The story flowed in a very vibrant and colorful way. It is as if one started with a black canvas and as the story unfolds, we begin to see the splashes of color building a scene. Not only the setting, but the characters were multidimensional, and each had a personality and skills that complemented one another; except for that annoying wizard. One is able to see that the main character needed to depend on his companions for help in achieving his goals. For me, the story felt well planned and executed from both the writing and narration. Good job.
Although the story was quite complex, at times it felt more Young Adult (YA) than I would have expected from our characters. I think some of it feels this way due to some of the character interactions and conversations. The story has a more traditional fantasy world along with the expected classes and creatures; many our party discovers along their travels. We are presented with mages, wizards, warlocks, magic, and plenty of fighting. I even liked how the author wrapped in some humor with the subtle events like the discovery of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There are a number of other humorous quips and pokes that pop-up and surprise you while listening. I found the game within a game an interesting component and brought me back to my childhood some. Our main character plays a strategy game, like Stratego, which they played as youths growing up. If he wins, he gets to control an army. If he loses, revenge may have to wait for another time.
The audiobook’s narration was solid and performed professionally. Each of the characters voices felt unique and distinct. There is even a point where the narrator sings, and he does a decent job here as well. Although I was not a fan of the Wizards voice, I think that was both the author’s and narrator’s intentions. He was intended to be an annoying character, and this was done well. I do not recall any issues with audio artifacts (swallows, background noise, etc.). The pace of reading and audio volumes remained consistent throughout the book.
For parents or younger readers, there is some light romance between characters and I do not recall any vulgar language being used. I feel it would be a good story for a pre-teen and up. The writing style was not overly complex and the narration clear and well-paced. However, younger readers may not fully grasp some of the sarcasm and snarky comments thrown around in this book.
In summary, the book had a fair amount of mystery and suspense while wanting to find out what happens with our main character. Revenge is a powerful motivator, but one has to be reminded that actions have consequences. Sometime, these consequences can be deadly. If you are looking for a new fantasy series to listen too, I can say that I think you will enjoy this one; apart from the wizard that is. I look forward to listening to “The Obsidian Arrow” which is the title of book two in the series when it is released.
June 14, 2018
At a high level I enjoyed this story quite a bit, but the deeper I looked into it the more inconsistencies or missing information was found. Our protagonist, Searon is a warrior on the path of revenge and self-destruction. His family was killed by human-sized creatures called draeyks (drakes? since they are referred to as resembling dragons). Since then he has been on a one man crusade to kill every draeyk he crosses paths with. Obviously he comes from wealth as his manner, diction, horse, armor and enchanted claymore sword are of high quality, but much of his personal background is missing. In his travels he acquires companions of like mind who have no liking for the draeyks either. One such is the wizard, who is somewhat interesting and quite annoying, but there is just something strange about him. My favorite character was Starlyn the Elf. She brightened the picture and improved the story whenever she took focus. Her character was kind, compassionate, level-headed and uniquely beautiful to boot. The underlying story is one of inner strength, growth, and social acceptance. On the surface it was your basic good versus evil, with differing peoples coming together to defeat a common enemy. I did truly enjoy the premise of the story and the characters, but I feel there was so much more that could have been included to make it even better. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.
August 26, 2018
If this were a graphic novel, at least the reader might enjoy the art work.
I saw no reason to continue reading when it was obvious that the first chapter was better than what followed. Flat characters, sparsely described. A lead character who was largely unformed: he inhabited a suit of armor and carried the magical sword of the title as he went about killing some wyvern-like things who killed humans. How did he come by the ornate armor? The magical sword? How did he survive bloody wounds from crossbow bolts into his shoulder and had and axe-crunched knees and a page or so later be able to leap from his steed and vault into a crowd of wyverns? Well, he just did, of course.
Add to that mess a wise-cracking wizard who seemed more like a sit- com brother-in - law channeling Don Rickles Look him up on You Tube) and a Fairy/ Driud/ Elf queen who rides a jaguar- the animal, not the automobile- all right out of some Role Playing Game. As said, at least in a RPG the Wizard would look the part and the Queen would , uh, stand out, in her gleaming armor.
I usually try to read a a hundred pages of a book before sendining it off into the great galactic bit bucket, but , I admit, " The Crimson Claymore" could not entice me to spend any more time with it.
Remember: this is only one reader's opinion. Try it , you may enjoy it.
I saw no reason to continue reading when it was obvious that the first chapter was better than what followed. Flat characters, sparsely described. A lead character who was largely unformed: he inhabited a suit of armor and carried the magical sword of the title as he went about killing some wyvern-like things who killed humans. How did he come by the ornate armor? The magical sword? How did he survive bloody wounds from crossbow bolts into his shoulder and had and axe-crunched knees and a page or so later be able to leap from his steed and vault into a crowd of wyverns? Well, he just did, of course.
Add to that mess a wise-cracking wizard who seemed more like a sit- com brother-in - law channeling Don Rickles Look him up on You Tube) and a Fairy/ Driud/ Elf queen who rides a jaguar- the animal, not the automobile- all right out of some Role Playing Game. As said, at least in a RPG the Wizard would look the part and the Queen would , uh, stand out, in her gleaming armor.
I usually try to read a a hundred pages of a book before sendining it off into the great galactic bit bucket, but , I admit, " The Crimson Claymore" could not entice me to spend any more time with it.
Remember: this is only one reader's opinion. Try it , you may enjoy it.
November 26, 2018
This is the first book in this series I've read, so perhaps some things aren't as clear as they might otherwise be. Because of this, I found the book to be interesting, but I didn't find it really all that entertaining. I actually had to work to get through it, because parts of it just wer too slow, or didn't make a whole lot of sense. I'm thinking I'll likely read at least one more in the series to see if it fills in any of the gaps, and perhaps make sthis book work better for me, (this is always a danger when dropping into a story in the middle of a series), but I can't complain about the story itself. There were some obvious grammar errors, (on instead of in in multiple places, and other things as well), but for the most part, the book was rather well done, and if you're an epic fantasy fan, you should be able to pick up this series, and have at it with very little reservations. I find that for myself, epic fantasies aren't generally my cup of tea anymore, but I still like to read a few good fantasy books, because the storylines are generally things that don't sow up elsewhere.
July 3, 2018
Disclaimer.
I had requested and received audible version of this book for free from the author, in exchange for an unbiased review.
What I liked about the book -
The world building and the action sequences are the two strong points of this epic fantasy. The author paints a fantastic picture of the world with all sorts of different creatures and their uniqueness and differences. The world's geography too gets lots of detail and it's like watching a movie unfold. The characters are well written, even though I would've liked them to be a little less one-dimensional. The story moves at a comfortable pace and is action packed. Those action sequences too are absolutely fantastic. These are one of the best written combat I've listened to in recent times.
What I disliked about the book -
There isn't much of a story, to be honest. It's the typical "saving from the evil" story and all the combat happens around that.
Narration -
Narration by Ian McEuen is well done. No complaints.
I had requested and received audible version of this book for free from the author, in exchange for an unbiased review.
What I liked about the book -
The world building and the action sequences are the two strong points of this epic fantasy. The author paints a fantastic picture of the world with all sorts of different creatures and their uniqueness and differences. The world's geography too gets lots of detail and it's like watching a movie unfold. The characters are well written, even though I would've liked them to be a little less one-dimensional. The story moves at a comfortable pace and is action packed. Those action sequences too are absolutely fantastic. These are one of the best written combat I've listened to in recent times.
What I disliked about the book -
There isn't much of a story, to be honest. It's the typical "saving from the evil" story and all the combat happens around that.
Narration -
Narration by Ian McEuen is well done. No complaints.
August 19, 2018
First, concerning the narrator, Ian McEuen did a great job here. As with many deeper voiced male narrators, he struggled to create feminine sounding voices for the female characters, but otherwise his voices were all unique and his tempos and inflections were great.
Okay, there is a pretty good story here.
Unfortunately, the prose leaves something to be desired.
Most noticeable is the frequent use of passive voice and the use of strange sentence constructions (which often don't work in the context their used) that seem to be an attempt to avoid the dreaded adverb and "to be" verb. In left feeling like the book was edited by a very proscriptive editor and not rechecked by a proofreader.
Now, for all that the romances seem very contrived and the warriors almost unrealistically skilled, there are some really interesting interactions happening and the way the author has separated out his different types of magic is very intriguing.
I may end up reading on for no other reason than to get answers to the large number of loose ends left at the end of the story.
Okay, there is a pretty good story here.
Unfortunately, the prose leaves something to be desired.
Most noticeable is the frequent use of passive voice and the use of strange sentence constructions (which often don't work in the context their used) that seem to be an attempt to avoid the dreaded adverb and "to be" verb. In left feeling like the book was edited by a very proscriptive editor and not rechecked by a proofreader.
Now, for all that the romances seem very contrived and the warriors almost unrealistically skilled, there are some really interesting interactions happening and the way the author has separated out his different types of magic is very intriguing.
I may end up reading on for no other reason than to get answers to the large number of loose ends left at the end of the story.
June 13, 2018
This book wasn't from an author I was previously familiar with, so I was interested to see how well he would get this series started and on the whole it was fairly well done. At times it did almost feel like the author was putting together a fairly stereotypical team of adventurers for an rpg game with your range of tanks, melee dps, casters etc, but there was enough personality to them that this did not detract from the story.
The narrator did a good job of conveying the distinct personalities of the various characters and races in this book and nicely enhanced the overall story with the narration.
Overall, a good start to the series and I'll look out for subsequent, if for no other reason than to find out why the claymore is so deserving of top billing in the title of the book and series.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
The narrator did a good job of conveying the distinct personalities of the various characters and races in this book and nicely enhanced the overall story with the narration.
Overall, a good start to the series and I'll look out for subsequent, if for no other reason than to find out why the claymore is so deserving of top billing in the title of the book and series.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
August 24, 2018
Craig Price gives us a great story with well developed characters (particularly Searon and Starlyn) and great adherence to the back story for each character and their roots. There are some times that the story seems too slow as we get the narrative that builds the story. At other times, there are gaps where it feels like we missed something that would have been useful to know. The book suffers slightly from errors in proofreading. Fortunately, these don’t stop us from enjoying the story.
The book is clearly part of a series. The ending left me a bit dissatisfied as I wanted more closure on some plots. On the other hand, the ending chapters do set up for the next book in the series.
This is a big book, so be prepared to dedicate a number of hours to enjoying it. In addition to magic, wars, and intrigue, we have some great stories of relationships and love.
The book is clearly part of a series. The ending left me a bit dissatisfied as I wanted more closure on some plots. On the other hand, the ending chapters do set up for the next book in the series.
This is a big book, so be prepared to dedicate a number of hours to enjoying it. In addition to magic, wars, and intrigue, we have some great stories of relationships and love.
August 25, 2017
I got this book as a freebie but don't recall precisely how. I figured why not give it a whirl. I'm glad I did. So much of indie fantasy is "dreck" these days but there's a lot that's good - and when it's good it can be very very good indeed. This is of the very very good variety. A great leading character who is complex and actually grows and develops over the course of the book (and clearly had more growth to come), a strong well-thought out plot with no "cheap shots" but with some neat twists and turns, and excellent supporting characters, some of which are easily worth a book on their own. A great ride, and highly recommended.
October 6, 2020
This is a tale of a knight that has sworn to destroy the dragon type creatures that took away everything he held dear to him. Follow Searon ( claymore sword that glows crimson when he battles with it) a fire wizard ( thinks way to much of himself) Karceoles, Noraves ( Searon's brother who can only do magic with his lefthand) two women who are of long lived magical race known as The Kheshalars...Starlyn & Anaela, a Mage who uses molecule type magic.
They are up against a dark wizard Zergiel, undead Arria ( Starlyn's sister)and hordes of man size, super strong dragon type creatures bent on the destruction of all human life.
They are up against a dark wizard Zergiel, undead Arria ( Starlyn's sister)and hordes of man size, super strong dragon type creatures bent on the destruction of all human life.
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