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Fire of Heaven #1
През лицето на света
От дребно, потънало в сняг селце петима мъже и една жена се отправят на опасно пътешествие, за да предизвикат мрака, изпълнят пророчество и променят съдбата на света.
В продължение на две хилядолетия Каннуор, Неумиращият Рушител, Повелител на Брудуо, е подготвял отмъщението си срещу Най-възвишения.
Успял да избяга от тъмницата на рушителя, Манум се завръща у дома, ала тогава той и съпругата му биват отвлечени. Синовете им Лийт и Хал се впускат подир тях, придружавани от малка група съселяни, с които да освободят пленниците и предупредят сановниците за неизбежната война.
Ала не всички от Компанията са на мнение, че подобна малка групица може да промени нещго... или че някой ще обърне внимание на предупрежденията.
В продължение на две хилядолетия Каннуор, Неумиращият Рушител, Повелител на Брудуо, е подготвял отмъщението си срещу Най-възвишения.
Успял да избяга от тъмницата на рушителя, Манум се завръща у дома, ала тогава той и съпругата му биват отвлечени. Синовете им Лийт и Хал се впускат подир тях, придружавани от малка група съселяни, с които да освободят пленниците и предупредят сановниците за неизбежната война.
Ала не всички от Компанията са на мнение, че подобна малка групица може да промени нещго... или че някой ще обърне внимание на предупрежденията.
494 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
55 people are currently reading
1130 people want to read
About the author
Russell Kirkpatrick
13 books79 followersRussell Kirkpatrick was born in 1961 in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he lived until 2000. He is a geography PhD graduate of the University of Canterbury, and currently lectures at the University of Waikato in Hamilton. During the 1990s he was fortunate enough to work on two major atlas projects, as Deputy Editor of the New Zealand Historical Atlas (Readers Choice winner, Montana Book Awards, 1998), and as author of Contemporary Atlas New Zealand (Montana Book Award finalist, 2000). He has been involved in four other published atlas projects, and continues to work on atlases when he can. His latest project is an atlas of Bahrain.
In February 2004 Across The Face Of The World, the first book in Russell's Fire of Heaven fantasy trilogy was published by HarperCollins Voyager Australia, and has been sold into a number of overseas countries. The second volume, In The Earth Abides The Flame, was published in August 2004, with the concluding volume, The Right Hand Of God, published in February 2005. Across the Face of the World was published by Orbit in the UK in May 2006, and the second and third novels will follow at six-monthly intervals. He is now at work on another novel, The Path of Revenge.
Apart from cartography and writing, his major passions are reading, music - anything except country & western and polka - and sport. He plays golf to a 2 handicap. Russell is married to Dorinda, and they have two fine young men, a bichon frise, assorted cats, a ridiculously large Lego collection, a decent Cornishware collection and - finally - a new house in a gully. The perfect hideaway for a writer.
In February 2004 Across The Face Of The World, the first book in Russell's Fire of Heaven fantasy trilogy was published by HarperCollins Voyager Australia, and has been sold into a number of overseas countries. The second volume, In The Earth Abides The Flame, was published in August 2004, with the concluding volume, The Right Hand Of God, published in February 2005. Across the Face of the World was published by Orbit in the UK in May 2006, and the second and third novels will follow at six-monthly intervals. He is now at work on another novel, The Path of Revenge.
Apart from cartography and writing, his major passions are reading, music - anything except country & western and polka - and sport. He plays golf to a 2 handicap. Russell is married to Dorinda, and they have two fine young men, a bichon frise, assorted cats, a ridiculously large Lego collection, a decent Cornishware collection and - finally - a new house in a gully. The perfect hideaway for a writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
June 22, 2009
Slow plot and tedious descriptions make this a considerably more boring read than it should've been; at one point, Kirkpatrick spends a whole page just describing the greenness of the valley, the way the canopy blocked out the sun, the different plants in said valley, the ground, the soil, etc. If the unnecessary rambling about the setting was cut out, the book would probably have been reduced to half its size.
The characters, particularly the main character, came across as weak and immature, and it is extremely difficult to follow the story when the main character's voice is barely heard, only inserted every so often to remind us that he exists. And these insertions weren't put to good use, either; you begin to wonder fairly quickly whether Leith ever thinks of anything other than how distressed he is that Stella doesn't love him. I know he's a teenage boy, but I'm sure we got the point the first 10 times. It doesn't make it any easier that the said girl is a complete, self-occupied idiot whose only worry in life seems to be her reluctance to marry someone back home. The only character I found remotely likeable was Hal, and it's perhaps a pity that he stayed on the sidelines for much of the novel.
I found myself skim-reading to avoid the confusing descriptions more often than not, though it is perhaps a tribute to the author that I found enough interest in the bare basics of the plot to plough all the way to the end. To be fair, the novel DID pick up towards the very end, though it doesn't become any less confusing, with new characters, names and places being inserted at every turn. There are far better epic fantasies out there that won't remind you of a failed Lord of the Rings, and unless you've really got nothing else to do, this would probably bore you out of your mind.
The characters, particularly the main character, came across as weak and immature, and it is extremely difficult to follow the story when the main character's voice is barely heard, only inserted every so often to remind us that he exists. And these insertions weren't put to good use, either; you begin to wonder fairly quickly whether Leith ever thinks of anything other than how distressed he is that Stella doesn't love him. I know he's a teenage boy, but I'm sure we got the point the first 10 times. It doesn't make it any easier that the said girl is a complete, self-occupied idiot whose only worry in life seems to be her reluctance to marry someone back home. The only character I found remotely likeable was Hal, and it's perhaps a pity that he stayed on the sidelines for much of the novel.
I found myself skim-reading to avoid the confusing descriptions more often than not, though it is perhaps a tribute to the author that I found enough interest in the bare basics of the plot to plough all the way to the end. To be fair, the novel DID pick up towards the very end, though it doesn't become any less confusing, with new characters, names and places being inserted at every turn. There are far better epic fantasies out there that won't remind you of a failed Lord of the Rings, and unless you've really got nothing else to do, this would probably bore you out of your mind.
November 26, 2011
I, like most fans of fantasy that I know, did most of my fantasy reading as a teen and young adult. I stopped reading it for no other reason than no one was recommending anything new. If you are like me than here is your recommendation and re-entry into the genre. Russell Kirkpatrick has written a wonderful series of books that deserves mention among the great fantasy writers such as Roger Zelazny, Terry Brooks and yes even J.R.R. Tolkien.
This is book 1 of 3 of the Fire of Heaven series and begins a tale that had me hooked from the very beginning. The main characters are well developed over the course of the journey and there is more than enough action and intrigue as you go to keep this book moving quickly. The landscape of this mythical world of Faltha is so intensely and beautifully rendered as to become a character in itself.
This book is a new favorite of mine and I have no problem recommending to anyone.
This is book 1 of 3 of the Fire of Heaven series and begins a tale that had me hooked from the very beginning. The main characters are well developed over the course of the journey and there is more than enough action and intrigue as you go to keep this book moving quickly. The landscape of this mythical world of Faltha is so intensely and beautifully rendered as to become a character in itself.
This book is a new favorite of mine and I have no problem recommending to anyone.
October 17, 2011
Although this book promised to deliver the kind of fantasy I really enjoy--an epic quest and a journey fraught with danger and adventure--it failed to really draw me in and fascinate me as I had hoped.
For one thing, the book was way too long and contained far too many passages that were simply tedious and boring. It could easily have been half the length, but Mr. Kirkpatrick insisted on describing the physical world of Faltha in mind-numbing, excruciating detail--every tree, every blade of grass, every rock, every snowdrift, every river, every mountain. I understand the concept of world-building, but the descriptions took up way too much of the story and left little room for action or adventure.
Hal and Leith were supposedly the heroes of this adventure, but it wasn't until about 300 pages in that we even get a vague hint of what their roles might be in the quest. And, I do mean vague because, even at the end, I still felt confused and mystified as to their destinies. Up until then, they played a very small part in what was happening, which, truthfully, was not much--just a very long journey through a detailed landscape with the odd snippet of peril and fighting thrown in here and there. It was almost as though the author suddenly remembered he wasn't writing a travelogue and he should probably insert a bit of interaction between the characters and a quick reminder of their mission.
And, another thing...multiple points of view. They're okay if each character tells the story from his or her perspective within his or her own chapter. But, when the POV switches from one paragraph to the next in the same chapter, I get a little annoyed. And, this happened quite frequently in this book.
I'm still debating whether or not to read the next book in the series. Perhaps, at some point I will, in the hopes that most of the initial world building and character introduction has been accomplished in this book and the characters can get on with saving the world in the next.
For one thing, the book was way too long and contained far too many passages that were simply tedious and boring. It could easily have been half the length, but Mr. Kirkpatrick insisted on describing the physical world of Faltha in mind-numbing, excruciating detail--every tree, every blade of grass, every rock, every snowdrift, every river, every mountain. I understand the concept of world-building, but the descriptions took up way too much of the story and left little room for action or adventure.
Hal and Leith were supposedly the heroes of this adventure, but it wasn't until about 300 pages in that we even get a vague hint of what their roles might be in the quest. And, I do mean vague because, even at the end, I still felt confused and mystified as to their destinies. Up until then, they played a very small part in what was happening, which, truthfully, was not much--just a very long journey through a detailed landscape with the odd snippet of peril and fighting thrown in here and there. It was almost as though the author suddenly remembered he wasn't writing a travelogue and he should probably insert a bit of interaction between the characters and a quick reminder of their mission.
And, another thing...multiple points of view. They're okay if each character tells the story from his or her perspective within his or her own chapter. But, when the POV switches from one paragraph to the next in the same chapter, I get a little annoyed. And, this happened quite frequently in this book.
I'm still debating whether or not to read the next book in the series. Perhaps, at some point I will, in the hopes that most of the initial world building and character introduction has been accomplished in this book and the characters can get on with saving the world in the next.
September 20, 2010
The basic plot of the story has promise, but unfortunately the majority of the book is devoted to tedious and unnecessary descriptions about the scenery. By the end of this novel, I was rooting for the group of characters to reach their destination almost entirely to stop the running narrative about the landscape. If these rambling points had been cut it, it would have been much shorter, and much more riveting.
For the main characters, Leith is weak and quite repetitive, with only one concern at all. The main female character is whiny, self-absorbed, and not the least bit endearing. It was a struggle to finish it, and although I almost never do this, I don't believe I will be continuing this series.
For the main characters, Leith is weak and quite repetitive, with only one concern at all. The main female character is whiny, self-absorbed, and not the least bit endearing. It was a struggle to finish it, and although I almost never do this, I don't believe I will be continuing this series.
February 20, 2011
A remarkable debut. Scene-by-scene this book is perfect. Expect some lengthy descriptions of geology. Kirkpatrick is a mapmaker who created some imaginary maps and then decided to bring them to life with characters. His passions show.
July 1, 2010
This was quite possibly the most boring book I've ever read. At least in the top 5, and fantasy books don't usually make that list.
I read the prologue in Borders to see if I would like this book before I bought it. It was incredibly deceptive and made me think that the book was actually going somewhere, which it does not.
The following is a summary of the book--don't worry, it doesn't give anything away because there's nothing there to spoil:
"We need to leave our village for some reason that doesn't make sense and never is completely warranted. Okay, let's take along with us the most useless people we can find, including old men, little boys, wimpy girls and a fat man that shouldn't even be able to walk the distance we're going to travel. Alright then--we're walking, we're walking. Oh wait! Scary people that want to hurt us! Oh no, they're actually our friends. Okay, bring them along! We're walking, we're walking. More people! Oh, they're our friends too. Okay bring them along too!" Ad nauseum.
Quite literally, this book contains hardly any problems for the "heroes" to overcome. Every seeming problem is solved very quickly and without difficulty. So much so that its very, very, boring. The book even ends with nothing happening. They reach their destination without a hitch and nothing exciting or interesting happens. Plus, the whole narrative is written half like a poor imitation of bible language, and half like a bad play. Do not worry good sir, for this book cometh to make thine bowels ache. Okay, not quite that bad, but close. Finally, the author spends about 90% of the content of the novel talking about the scenery. Blah! This is a perfect example of way too much time spent "world building" and not enough time on the plot, characters, or writing.
Not recommended, except to hobbits. They might like this.
I read the prologue in Borders to see if I would like this book before I bought it. It was incredibly deceptive and made me think that the book was actually going somewhere, which it does not.
The following is a summary of the book--don't worry, it doesn't give anything away because there's nothing there to spoil:
"We need to leave our village for some reason that doesn't make sense and never is completely warranted. Okay, let's take along with us the most useless people we can find, including old men, little boys, wimpy girls and a fat man that shouldn't even be able to walk the distance we're going to travel. Alright then--we're walking, we're walking. Oh wait! Scary people that want to hurt us! Oh no, they're actually our friends. Okay, bring them along! We're walking, we're walking. More people! Oh, they're our friends too. Okay bring them along too!" Ad nauseum.
Quite literally, this book contains hardly any problems for the "heroes" to overcome. Every seeming problem is solved very quickly and without difficulty. So much so that its very, very, boring. The book even ends with nothing happening. They reach their destination without a hitch and nothing exciting or interesting happens. Plus, the whole narrative is written half like a poor imitation of bible language, and half like a bad play. Do not worry good sir, for this book cometh to make thine bowels ache. Okay, not quite that bad, but close. Finally, the author spends about 90% of the content of the novel talking about the scenery. Blah! This is a perfect example of way too much time spent "world building" and not enough time on the plot, characters, or writing.
Not recommended, except to hobbits. They might like this.
June 7, 2018
I struggled with what to rate this book. When I began it, I couldn’t put it down and was drawn in to the story. It started off so interesting, became exciting, and then sort of plateaued.
The plot was very interesting, but what I disliked was the poor character development. I don’t know if I am spoiled and am used to epic characters, but these ones were weak. Kirkpatrick created some amazing characters but then was so busy describing the landscape and journey that he forgot to develop them. He tried to give them backstory and history (what I assume he thought was depth), but with so many characters I feel like he got lost. The characters that were the most developed and most interesting to me were the Fodhram.... and they were only supposed to be a passing group! Yet they drew me in and were the most exciting to read about - the ones I felt truly connected to.
The plot is still intriguing, and that is the thing pushing me onwards to the next book. I do hope that the characters are built further and that I can gain an attachment to at least a few of them as the story continues.
Fingers crossed!
The plot was very interesting, but what I disliked was the poor character development. I don’t know if I am spoiled and am used to epic characters, but these ones were weak. Kirkpatrick created some amazing characters but then was so busy describing the landscape and journey that he forgot to develop them. He tried to give them backstory and history (what I assume he thought was depth), but with so many characters I feel like he got lost. The characters that were the most developed and most interesting to me were the Fodhram.... and they were only supposed to be a passing group! Yet they drew me in and were the most exciting to read about - the ones I felt truly connected to.
The plot is still intriguing, and that is the thing pushing me onwards to the next book. I do hope that the characters are built further and that I can gain an attachment to at least a few of them as the story continues.
Fingers crossed!
Read
March 13, 2009ok this was a well written but incredibly complicated book! Halfway through I realized the author is also an accomplished mapmaker. this explains the 42-eleventy towns/villages/cities/mountains/rivers you have to wade through to get to the characters! I couldn't quite finish it as it's the first in a trilogy, and I just couldn't see myself liking it enough to read all three. But if you're a huge sci-fi fan and don't mind difficult to pronounce locations in every sentence, you may enjoy it more than I did!
January 13, 2021
Малко завишавам оценката, но има някакъв уют в писането на Къркпатрик, който носи спомени от златните години на детството, когато най-много обичах дебели епични класически фентъзита с дълги пътувания срещу страховити врагове. Ревю на линка:
https://citadelata.com/%d0%bf%d1%80%d...
https://citadelata.com/%d0%bf%d1%80%d...
August 1, 2020
3.5 🌟 rounded up.
Review to come.
Review to come.
May 10, 2012
Very good narrative. Sometimes the development can be a bit slow because he really takes his time to go into graphic details of the scenery. To my opinion this contributes to the experience of being in another realm (it actually reminded me of how Tokien wrote). On the other hand this could be counted as "filler", as he describes areas you'll never see again after that chapter.
The book describes the trek of a company (the members vary throughout the trilogy) "Across the face of the world" (more like a couple of countries in this book), a quest to save captured relatives from brutal spies of the ancient enemy, and neighbouring continent of, Bhrudwo.
During the trilogy the company eventually get swallowed up in a bigger quest, involving war, mysticism, theology and what not else...
I bought the trilogy on a whim and ended up reading it in a little over a week, so I think it's definitely worth a try, even if you doubt that you would like how he keeps describing the scenery.
The book describes the trek of a company (the members vary throughout the trilogy) "Across the face of the world" (more like a couple of countries in this book), a quest to save captured relatives from brutal spies of the ancient enemy, and neighbouring continent of, Bhrudwo.
During the trilogy the company eventually get swallowed up in a bigger quest, involving war, mysticism, theology and what not else...
I bought the trilogy on a whim and ended up reading it in a little over a week, so I think it's definitely worth a try, even if you doubt that you would like how he keeps describing the scenery.
December 1, 2014
I enjoyed the whole series several years ago and read all three books in close succession. Kirkpatrick's world-building detail is fascinating as are the magic elements he includes. Take the ride with this story and enjoy the adventure and mystery.
Read
November 24, 2008I was looking forward to settling in for a nice winter's read with this series, but nope. I made it about twenty pages in, and had to set it aside...the first word that pops to mind is "trite," followed by "cheesey" and "overwrought."
March 24, 2009
worthless.
September 17, 2017
-- 3 1/2 stars --
I bought the three Fire of Heaven books on a whim from Goodwill, having never heard of the author or series before. But it's a fantasy supposedly comparable to The Lord of the Rings, so I took a chance and bought them, half expecting to hate them, to be honest.
But I actually enjoyed the first book! Pretty much the only thing I have to complain about is how the author hops around from one POV to another without warning. One second I'm reading from Leith's POV, then suddenly I'm getting Kurr or Stella's thoughts in the next sentence. I'm sure there's a name for that, but I don't know what it is. Anyway, it was pretty annoying.
I bought the three Fire of Heaven books on a whim from Goodwill, having never heard of the author or series before. But it's a fantasy supposedly comparable to The Lord of the Rings, so I took a chance and bought them, half expecting to hate them, to be honest.
But I actually enjoyed the first book! Pretty much the only thing I have to complain about is how the author hops around from one POV to another without warning. One second I'm reading from Leith's POV, then suddenly I'm getting Kurr or Stella's thoughts in the next sentence. I'm sure there's a name for that, but I don't know what it is. Anyway, it was pretty annoying.
November 1, 2023
Really good book that keeps you hooked
February 18, 2017
От дребно, потънало в сняг селце петима мъже и една жена се отправят на опасно пътешествие, за да предизвикат мрака, изпълнят пророчество и променят съдбата на света. Ако търсите нещо по-толкинско като усещане или ако сте от по-търпеливите читатели и обичате класическа фентъзи епичност, подплатена с битки, пророчества и надвиснало апокалиптично зло – то серията „Небесен огън” се вписва в тази категория по всички параграфи.Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
December 19, 2014
Two thousand years past, the Destroyer stole the secret of eternal life from the Most High. In the intervening centuries, he has learned much, conquered and been set back, and has readied himself for the next blow. This time, he will rule the land. This time, he will outwit the Most High. But against his world-dominating schemes, the Most High has raised up a most unlikely group of heros: small men and women from a village all but forgotten by the rest of the world. A band of five, plus friends, whose determination to save those they love may yet break the shadow looming over the world.
In a way, the plot almost takes backstage to the overwhelming descriptions of nature. From high mountain peaks with villagers who eke out a living during the short summers and 8-month winters to the farmers in the valley to the peoples of the moor, each kind of terrain has bred its own inhabitants even as the people have conquered their terrain. It's like listening to a 700-page National Geographic documentary, following cameramen through the wilderness. The prose perfectly frames extravagant landscapes.
The plot and characters, unfortunately, were not nearly as impressive. It's a long, slow, agonizing chase, and the book chronicles every step. And just when the chase seems to be over, it turns into another chase. Though the characters have a few surprises, not much space is devoted to actually developing character. More space is reserved for fireside stories of the First Men and the Most High, the origins of the Destroyer, and the legends about various parts of the land. The Most High is obviously involved quite a bit with the present journey and the history of the people, but not much detail is ever given about how people currently worship the Most High, if they do at all. The religion is as straightforward as the characters.
Overall this is an incredible journey, but I find the only piece I'm looking forward to is figuring out Hal's role in the whole thing. Leith spends much of the time sunk in his own concerns; everyone else is mostly transparent and simple. It's a good story that is executed well, but has little that would draw me back for a second read. I rate this book Neutral.
In a way, the plot almost takes backstage to the overwhelming descriptions of nature. From high mountain peaks with villagers who eke out a living during the short summers and 8-month winters to the farmers in the valley to the peoples of the moor, each kind of terrain has bred its own inhabitants even as the people have conquered their terrain. It's like listening to a 700-page National Geographic documentary, following cameramen through the wilderness. The prose perfectly frames extravagant landscapes.
The plot and characters, unfortunately, were not nearly as impressive. It's a long, slow, agonizing chase, and the book chronicles every step. And just when the chase seems to be over, it turns into another chase. Though the characters have a few surprises, not much space is devoted to actually developing character. More space is reserved for fireside stories of the First Men and the Most High, the origins of the Destroyer, and the legends about various parts of the land. The Most High is obviously involved quite a bit with the present journey and the history of the people, but not much detail is ever given about how people currently worship the Most High, if they do at all. The religion is as straightforward as the characters.
Overall this is an incredible journey, but I find the only piece I'm looking forward to is figuring out Hal's role in the whole thing. Leith spends much of the time sunk in his own concerns; everyone else is mostly transparent and simple. It's a good story that is executed well, but has little that would draw me back for a second read. I rate this book Neutral.
July 4, 2011
There are books I disliked but finished. There are books I disliked and stopped reading half way. Unfortunately "Across The Face of the World" fell into the latter category.
"Across The Face of the World" is the first book in the "Fire of Heaven" Trilogy. In many ways, it appears to emit a sense of epic and grandeur, but unfortunately falls short in several fronts. In particular, most of the characters are un-inspiring, the plot is very slow to progress to keep the readers interested, and the general back history did not appear to spark interest.
The above afflictions are likely caused by the author's choice to spend - in my humble opinion- a disproportionate time describing the landscape in great detail - leaving little room for everything else. Large paragraphs were spent to describing the entire scenery around key locations, from the way the water flows in the river and how it relates to the surrounding mountains - to the way a leaves fall from the trees during winter. Unfortunately, this became more of a hindrance and frustration rather than an asset to the book.
These depictions are accompanied with a very detailed map complete with area enlargements and contour lines. This, together with the carefully crafted language to describe the landscape, I suspect the author intended the readers to appreciate the surroundings as we journey with the central characters rather than focus on the history, concepts, culture and individual character building.
I did give the book a chance and braved through the very slow start. However approximately half way into the book, after a lack of interesting ideas, meeting bland, predictable characters and many full paragraphs and pages of landscape descriptions, I decided to stop reading.
I wouldn't say this was a bad or poorly written book. Just simply that I wasn't able to appreciate it - and likely wasn't the target audience. I would only recommend this book to people looking for something heavy with scenery detail but light on concept, character and action.
"Across The Face of the World" is the first book in the "Fire of Heaven" Trilogy. In many ways, it appears to emit a sense of epic and grandeur, but unfortunately falls short in several fronts. In particular, most of the characters are un-inspiring, the plot is very slow to progress to keep the readers interested, and the general back history did not appear to spark interest.
The above afflictions are likely caused by the author's choice to spend - in my humble opinion- a disproportionate time describing the landscape in great detail - leaving little room for everything else. Large paragraphs were spent to describing the entire scenery around key locations, from the way the water flows in the river and how it relates to the surrounding mountains - to the way a leaves fall from the trees during winter. Unfortunately, this became more of a hindrance and frustration rather than an asset to the book.
These depictions are accompanied with a very detailed map complete with area enlargements and contour lines. This, together with the carefully crafted language to describe the landscape, I suspect the author intended the readers to appreciate the surroundings as we journey with the central characters rather than focus on the history, concepts, culture and individual character building.
I did give the book a chance and braved through the very slow start. However approximately half way into the book, after a lack of interesting ideas, meeting bland, predictable characters and many full paragraphs and pages of landscape descriptions, I decided to stop reading.
I wouldn't say this was a bad or poorly written book. Just simply that I wasn't able to appreciate it - and likely wasn't the target audience. I would only recommend this book to people looking for something heavy with scenery detail but light on concept, character and action.
July 23, 2011
c2004. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the second one. Not sure why I have not heard of the series "Fire of Heaven" before now. I agree that there are echoes of Tolkein but that did not take away any of the enjoyment of the read. Courtesy of Amzon, the plot is as follows "For 2000 years Kannwar, the immortal Destroyer, Lord of Bhrudwo, has been planning revenge on those who cast him out from the mortal world and his plans are now nearing fruition. When the trader Mahnum escapes the Destroyer's prison and flees, the Lords of Fear are sent in pursuit. He makes his way home to Loulea, but there Mahnum and his wife are captured. His sons, Leith and Hal, together with a small group of villagers, set off in pursuit to free Mahnum and Indrett - and warn their world of the coming war. From a tiny snowbound village, six men and women will begin a dangerous quest to challenge an ancient evil, fulfil a prophecy and change the course of their world's history. "The the history and geography ie general world building of Kirkpatrick's world is detailed and believable and he has well used his Geography knowledge. It does say on the blurb of the frontspiece that this world was 15 years in the building and I can well believe it. It also mentions that it "introduces" the characters so the reader has been forewarned that the characters may not be completely fleshed out in this the first book of a trilogy. I did like the character of the Haufuth, fat and and unbelieving. " I found a subtle sense of humour running through the book which I found terribly engaging. One thing that I didn't like was the unpronouncable names. I found out half way through the book that I had been pronouncing the name of the village incorrectly and then when I had finished the book I discovered the Glossary at the back of the book with all the pronounciations! " He believes that good people are better equipped to deal with the hardness of life than bad people."
March 15, 2015
This is a beautiful homage to Tolkien and it works on its own as well. Anybody truly familiar with the Lord of the Rings BOOKS (not the movies) will hear the echoes constantly: in a turn of phrase ("nigh on fifty years ago"); in the characterizations of the mountains and the elements that figure almost as characters; the intermittent legends and songs. Kirkpatrick has peoples who fit their landscape as did Tolkien.
Three pages of detailed maps in the beginning alerts the reader that a sense of place is going to be very important in the next many hundred pages. Many readers can't warm up to "place" being foremost in the narrative. From many of the reviews I'd have to say many readers lack a sense of place themselves and are offended when it shows up in an author. For those who say it's bad because they can't be interested is unfair--it's just not their cup of tea.
I haven't quite finished the book, but with 598 pages turned I felt I could weigh in here. I almost gave it a 4 because the Tolkien echoes, while welcome to me like an old old friend I haven't seen in forever, are a little too much. Maybe in some other place I'd like to try to list them, but it's really the whole book. Discussing them could be a forum. Also, I know that its a bildungsroman (coming of age tale) but I need a little more insight into Leith to fully engage with him. However, in the tradition of the Fellowship of the Ring, the main character of the book is the Company, not one single person. We watch the dynamics of the group evolve. This however means we can feel distanced from individuals.
Three pages of detailed maps in the beginning alerts the reader that a sense of place is going to be very important in the next many hundred pages. Many readers can't warm up to "place" being foremost in the narrative. From many of the reviews I'd have to say many readers lack a sense of place themselves and are offended when it shows up in an author. For those who say it's bad because they can't be interested is unfair--it's just not their cup of tea.
I haven't quite finished the book, but with 598 pages turned I felt I could weigh in here. I almost gave it a 4 because the Tolkien echoes, while welcome to me like an old old friend I haven't seen in forever, are a little too much. Maybe in some other place I'd like to try to list them, but it's really the whole book. Discussing them could be a forum. Also, I know that its a bildungsroman (coming of age tale) but I need a little more insight into Leith to fully engage with him. However, in the tradition of the Fellowship of the Ring, the main character of the book is the Company, not one single person. We watch the dynamics of the group evolve. This however means we can feel distanced from individuals.
May 24, 2013
On book jacket, Trudy Canavan author compares this book to Tolkien. That's a surprisingly apt description, but not in a good way. What we have here is a book with Tolkien's writing style, but none of the creativity. So, all the tedious leaf by leaf descriptions of forests and the incredible attention to irrelevant detail is supplied in earnest. But the actual plot is your classic epic fantasy archetype, and there was nothing in here that wasn't right out of the fantasy canon.
The other thing that bothered me a lot is the nonsensical inconsistencies. E.g. you have a military veteran so good at combat that he can take down an entire village of enemies, but later when the 14 year old kid who's never been in a fight armed with only a stick has to face the veteran 1 on 1 in a fair fight, guess who wins? Whatever is convenient for the plot, even if it means that the biggest city in the continent shuts their gates and enters siege mode because they're being attacked by 11 bandits. Hard to make sense of how an army of that size would merit shutting down all trade and closing down the city... (Note: details of the above examples were changed to avoid giving spoilers, but the general idea stays the same)
Anyway, the author has created a very rich world - lots of history, lots of mythology, lots of depth. And what he's done in that element is impressive (hence the 2 stars instead of 1). But what the book has in world building, it lacks in plot, character development, and writing quality. I subjected myself to 671 pages of it largely because I was stuck on an airplane with nothing else to read. But I won't be reading the rest of the series.
The other thing that bothered me a lot is the nonsensical inconsistencies. E.g. you have a military veteran so good at combat that he can take down an entire village of enemies, but later when the 14 year old kid who's never been in a fight armed with only a stick has to face the veteran 1 on 1 in a fair fight, guess who wins? Whatever is convenient for the plot, even if it means that the biggest city in the continent shuts their gates and enters siege mode because they're being attacked by 11 bandits. Hard to make sense of how an army of that size would merit shutting down all trade and closing down the city... (Note: details of the above examples were changed to avoid giving spoilers, but the general idea stays the same)
Anyway, the author has created a very rich world - lots of history, lots of mythology, lots of depth. And what he's done in that element is impressive (hence the 2 stars instead of 1). But what the book has in world building, it lacks in plot, character development, and writing quality. I subjected myself to 671 pages of it largely because I was stuck on an airplane with nothing else to read. But I won't be reading the rest of the series.
February 27, 2016
Kirkpatrick spent a lot of time developing this world from coast to coast and kingdom to kingdom, and he can describe everything he imagines in such beautifully vivid detail that, at times, it was breathtaking and I could imagine myself surrounded by his gorgeous and grim landscapes. Unfortunately, that's about where the excitement ends.
The pacing of the story is sluggish and the characters are immature and unlikeable. The plot is derivative of Lord of the Rings, the method of storytelling is reminiscent of the Wheel of Time, and the mythology is taken right from the Bible without even an attempt to add a little something original to it. Throughout most of the novel it felt like the story was just going on and on and on and...
There are moments of excitement and adventure scattered throughout, though, and when they happen they make you actually want to keep reading. The conclusion is pretty intense and it does what any good series should do: leave you wanting to know what happens next. The only thing I worry about is that whatever happens next won't pay off and I'll have to battle to keep my eyes open through another 600 pages where barely anything of consequence transpires.
Russell Kirkpatrick is a sound writer with a great vocabulary; I just hope he improves upon his storytelling abilities in the next book. The good news is that I do still plan to read it.
The pacing of the story is sluggish and the characters are immature and unlikeable. The plot is derivative of Lord of the Rings, the method of storytelling is reminiscent of the Wheel of Time, and the mythology is taken right from the Bible without even an attempt to add a little something original to it. Throughout most of the novel it felt like the story was just going on and on and on and...
There are moments of excitement and adventure scattered throughout, though, and when they happen they make you actually want to keep reading. The conclusion is pretty intense and it does what any good series should do: leave you wanting to know what happens next. The only thing I worry about is that whatever happens next won't pay off and I'll have to battle to keep my eyes open through another 600 pages where barely anything of consequence transpires.
Russell Kirkpatrick is a sound writer with a great vocabulary; I just hope he improves upon his storytelling abilities in the next book. The good news is that I do still plan to read it.
May 14, 2017
This was an awesome book. I read somewhere the Russell Kirkpatrick studied map-making and it shows- the world he's created is just awesome and so detailed. Took me some time to get through but I loved it, and I loved the variety of personality types- I managed to find each character both loveable and incredibly frustrating at different points throughout the book which I think demonstrates how real they felt.
August 20, 2011
i read 'path of revenge' the first book of kirkpatrick's second trilogy and was most impressed. so i went back to read this the first book of his original trilogy and was surprisingly disappointed.
i believe kirkpatrick is himself a cartographer and he obviously has a vast understanding of landscapes and ecosystems. the problem is that he fills (what seems like) 75% of each chapter with grand descriptions of his world and severely neglects character and plot development.
maybe some people are into this heavy emphasis on descriptive writing -- and it certainly does make his world seem large and alive -- but it was only my own illogical drive to finish any book that i start that kept me going throughout the first 300 pages. the following 300 pages were a slight improvement.
i am still interested to see where this tale goes next, but i do hope the delivery quickly begins to resemble his more recent work.
i believe kirkpatrick is himself a cartographer and he obviously has a vast understanding of landscapes and ecosystems. the problem is that he fills (what seems like) 75% of each chapter with grand descriptions of his world and severely neglects character and plot development.
maybe some people are into this heavy emphasis on descriptive writing -- and it certainly does make his world seem large and alive -- but it was only my own illogical drive to finish any book that i start that kept me going throughout the first 300 pages. the following 300 pages were a slight improvement.
i am still interested to see where this tale goes next, but i do hope the delivery quickly begins to resemble his more recent work.
November 15, 2024
There's not really much to say, sadly. I felt no reason to continue to read this when I have dozens of other SF&F authors and series to choose from in my backlog. I wanted to get into it, but if you can't get my attention 200-something pages in, then I'm afraid you've lost me. I felt no connection to the plot, the characters, or the world. The most interesting aspect was the maps and cartography, but sadly, populated by a lacklustre narrative in an already exhausted genre.
January 7, 2017
People who like Robert Jordan will probably like this book. I myself was not a fan of Mr. Jordan, i prefer my days taking place over one chapter instead of ten. Russell Kirkpatrick is a lot like that. Not nearly as in depth as the Wheel of Time series, but I found myself skipping more pages than i was reading to find the parts where things like dialogue and action were happening.
Russell Kirkpatrick is a good author. I can see that in his writing. He has good ideas, an eye for detail, and the characters are pretty well thought out and from what I have read I can see them growing. But his writing style does not mesh with my reading style, and as a result I have to unfortunately put him permanently aside for ones that would suite me better.
Russell Kirkpatrick is a good author. I can see that in his writing. He has good ideas, an eye for detail, and the characters are pretty well thought out and from what I have read I can see them growing. But his writing style does not mesh with my reading style, and as a result I have to unfortunately put him permanently aside for ones that would suite me better.
August 18, 2008
Orbit,fall07
June 18, 2025
Up front, I thought this was an overly long setup to a fantasy series. No judgment on quality, just long.
The "Extras" section with an author Q&A provided a solid information regarding the author, the fact that he is a map maker in his real life, his writing style influences, and why the story presented is so detailed and lengthy.
His opinion of the genre, more like a pet peeve of his, holds that an all-action, world spanning story is boring and false (my interpretation of his thinking). His words: "I'm never impressed by fantasy where the characters buzz around with no regard for the crushing distances and obstacles thrown up by the world." Taking that into consideration, my thoughts on this first book are that he nails the accuracy of the journey endured. Even over does it, on purpose. Does that effect the underlying plot? Somewhat in my opinion, but not to its detriment. For some, this might not be enough details and description. Either way, Kirkpatrick nails it.
His characters are people of his planet, well described, even familiar if you look long enough. The setup, the rationale, and the backstory all coalesce together over the journey at the expected pacing and places, providing necessary world history building to drive the Company's necessity of effort and upcoming war to be contested.
I kept expecting more magic, more underlying mysticism, more... something other than just prophetical implications. Kannawar, the Undying one, big bad (reminiscent of Lucifer if I had to pick) doesn't feel like impending doom, end of the world to me. I haven't gotten the "feels" of how bad it should be in this story. It might get worse (should get worse) in the next story but so far it has been a country wide trek not akin to going to see the Wizard.
Learning the countries, the peoples, and hearing the backstories of why this group doesn't like that group, etc.
It is definitely worth picking up, don't be scared due to its heft of nearly 700 pages.
Thanks for reading
The "Extras" section with an author Q&A provided a solid information regarding the author, the fact that he is a map maker in his real life, his writing style influences, and why the story presented is so detailed and lengthy.
His opinion of the genre, more like a pet peeve of his, holds that an all-action, world spanning story is boring and false (my interpretation of his thinking). His words: "I'm never impressed by fantasy where the characters buzz around with no regard for the crushing distances and obstacles thrown up by the world." Taking that into consideration, my thoughts on this first book are that he nails the accuracy of the journey endured. Even over does it, on purpose. Does that effect the underlying plot? Somewhat in my opinion, but not to its detriment. For some, this might not be enough details and description. Either way, Kirkpatrick nails it.
His characters are people of his planet, well described, even familiar if you look long enough. The setup, the rationale, and the backstory all coalesce together over the journey at the expected pacing and places, providing necessary world history building to drive the Company's necessity of effort and upcoming war to be contested.
I kept expecting more magic, more underlying mysticism, more... something other than just prophetical implications. Kannawar, the Undying one, big bad (reminiscent of Lucifer if I had to pick) doesn't feel like impending doom, end of the world to me. I haven't gotten the "feels" of how bad it should be in this story. It might get worse (should get worse) in the next story but so far it has been a country wide trek not akin to going to see the Wizard.
Learning the countries, the peoples, and hearing the backstories of why this group doesn't like that group, etc.
It is definitely worth picking up, don't be scared due to its heft of nearly 700 pages.
Thanks for reading
July 27, 2022
Written by a mapmaker from New Zealand, which is immediately evident by the variety of impressively professional cartography included at the beginning of the book, and the extensive attention to detail of geography, places and history. This is an author who has clearly spent a great deal of time crafting their world – unfortunately (to me, at least), a little too Earth-like, a little too mundane, with not much that was fantastical, imaginative, or indeed, particularly interesting. We first get a glimpse of actual magic about 500 pages in (the immortal dark lord introduced at the start notwithstanding).
This is a slow, slow book, with little plot other than the bare minimum needed to get a group of people started on a long journey. But the journey is very much what this book is about: literally an excuse to show us a vast, beautiful and awesome landscape.
This is a book about travelling, first and foremost. The plot is shallow and cliche (with many elements obviously derivative of Lord of the Rings), the character interactions awkward and unnatural, the action scenes clumsy and unconvincing. Yet weather is described in splendour; so too the mountains, trees, grass, hills, rivers, waterfalls, ice and snow and all the detailed nuance of the natural landscape. When the story did assert itself, it felt sort of intrusive; I found myself slightly irritated, wanting the relaxing travelling scenes back!
If you have a love of hiking or camping, a fondness for nature, (or enjoy reading about such things) this book may be worth your time, for this is where the strength of it lies. The story and characters seem mediocre, almost inconsequential in its shadow.
This is a slow, slow book, with little plot other than the bare minimum needed to get a group of people started on a long journey. But the journey is very much what this book is about: literally an excuse to show us a vast, beautiful and awesome landscape.
This is a book about travelling, first and foremost. The plot is shallow and cliche (with many elements obviously derivative of Lord of the Rings), the character interactions awkward and unnatural, the action scenes clumsy and unconvincing. Yet weather is described in splendour; so too the mountains, trees, grass, hills, rivers, waterfalls, ice and snow and all the detailed nuance of the natural landscape. When the story did assert itself, it felt sort of intrusive; I found myself slightly irritated, wanting the relaxing travelling scenes back!
If you have a love of hiking or camping, a fondness for nature, (or enjoy reading about such things) this book may be worth your time, for this is where the strength of it lies. The story and characters seem mediocre, almost inconsequential in its shadow.
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