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Leagues and Legends #1
Beanstalk: The Adventures of a Jack of All Tales
Jack Farris doesn’t want to save the world, just every person he knows, encounters, or hears of.
It’s a bit of an issue.
S. Grey doesn’t want to save anyone but himself. He wants to know everything and majoring in sagework at the Academy is the best way to do that.
Laney Jones left her home to avoid the constraints there, only to find different barriers holding her back at the Academy. Eager to learn, to excel, to escape, she has far from given up.
Rupert Willington Jons Hammerfeld the Seventh would just like everything to be orderly, thank you very much, but it seems the only way to make monsters and myths (and malicious but mundane men) to stop rampaging through his world is to go out and do some hero-ing himself.
They are put together as an unwilling study group, but they become something more.
It’s a bit of an issue.
S. Grey doesn’t want to save anyone but himself. He wants to know everything and majoring in sagework at the Academy is the best way to do that.
Laney Jones left her home to avoid the constraints there, only to find different barriers holding her back at the Academy. Eager to learn, to excel, to escape, she has far from given up.
Rupert Willington Jons Hammerfeld the Seventh would just like everything to be orderly, thank you very much, but it seems the only way to make monsters and myths (and malicious but mundane men) to stop rampaging through his world is to go out and do some hero-ing himself.
They are put together as an unwilling study group, but they become something more.
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First published January 1, 2013
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April 8, 2019
I’m gonna be real here – the initial review I wrote of this book was pretty scathing. Astounded by all the good reviews, I put in my two cents with no holds barred. I didn’t post it, mainly because I didn’t have the heart. Now my opinion isn’t quite as negative. Now I’m just baffled.
This book was selected for my book club, but after a few chapters I couldn’t take any more. The writing in the first half of the book is, in a word, terrible. If I tried to quote every instance of simple action totally confused by bizarre, clunky writing, I’d have to copy in the entire first half of the manuscript. For now, I’ve selected a few choice examples:
“Jack poked the fry into the last condiment to grace the rickety wooden table.”
“Two men came in the door with a frenzied tinkle of the bell over it.”
“The [light]bulb hung shyly in the middle of the room, cringing at the window’s breezes.”
The book is full of sentences like this, loaded with irrelevant information and contradictory adjectives. The descriptions are straight-up bizarre. What do you mean “grace” the table? Are condiments special in this world? Why is dipping a hot chip in sauce surrounded by that kind of song and dance?
Worse, many of the sentences fail to adhere to the basic fundamentals of sentence construction, which should be a writer’s bread and butter. The phrasing is ugly, awkward, and difficult to get your head around.
Before my book club began to read, I was told that the author is an extensive writer of fanfiction, and it’s abundantly clear that this was a major influence on their style. They make no attempt to establish or in any way set up their initial premise, instead shoehorning in clunky exposition whenever they can. They write as if they expect you to already know their world and characters, then smack you in the face with a bit of badly-inserted exposition whenever they remember the reader needs more information.
Further, it’s full of all the stylistic features of bad fanfiction: awkward epithets (“the tall but narrow-shouldered guide” is a prime example), badly-timed flashbacks, inexplicable shifts in narrative POV, and random unnecessary parentheses (among other misused forms of punctuation). It’s also, unfortunately, littered with the kind of minor grammatical mistakes that progressively get you down.
A friend of mine tells me that at about halfway through the book, it gets better. I flicked ahead out of morbid curiosity, and I can certainly say this is true. The writing suddenly smooths out. There’s much less faffing about with ill-used adjectives. The plot, I’ve been told, gets interesting all of a sudden. Never outstanding, but engaging enough that they wanted to finish the story. So I can say with relative confidence that the book does appear to improve. I just don’t understand what happened here.
If the second half of the book is competent, what happened with the first half? Was the first half not edited? The fact that the first 50% of the book is so excruciating just doesn’t make sense to me. And perhaps a more important question is: it is worth sitting through it in order to get to the half of the book that is, apparently, entertaining?
Not for me, no.
This book was selected for my book club, but after a few chapters I couldn’t take any more. The writing in the first half of the book is, in a word, terrible. If I tried to quote every instance of simple action totally confused by bizarre, clunky writing, I’d have to copy in the entire first half of the manuscript. For now, I’ve selected a few choice examples:
“Jack poked the fry into the last condiment to grace the rickety wooden table.”
“Two men came in the door with a frenzied tinkle of the bell over it.”
“The [light]bulb hung shyly in the middle of the room, cringing at the window’s breezes.”
The book is full of sentences like this, loaded with irrelevant information and contradictory adjectives. The descriptions are straight-up bizarre. What do you mean “grace” the table? Are condiments special in this world? Why is dipping a hot chip in sauce surrounded by that kind of song and dance?
Worse, many of the sentences fail to adhere to the basic fundamentals of sentence construction, which should be a writer’s bread and butter. The phrasing is ugly, awkward, and difficult to get your head around.
Before my book club began to read, I was told that the author is an extensive writer of fanfiction, and it’s abundantly clear that this was a major influence on their style. They make no attempt to establish or in any way set up their initial premise, instead shoehorning in clunky exposition whenever they can. They write as if they expect you to already know their world and characters, then smack you in the face with a bit of badly-inserted exposition whenever they remember the reader needs more information.
Further, it’s full of all the stylistic features of bad fanfiction: awkward epithets (“the tall but narrow-shouldered guide” is a prime example), badly-timed flashbacks, inexplicable shifts in narrative POV, and random unnecessary parentheses (among other misused forms of punctuation). It’s also, unfortunately, littered with the kind of minor grammatical mistakes that progressively get you down.
A friend of mine tells me that at about halfway through the book, it gets better. I flicked ahead out of morbid curiosity, and I can certainly say this is true. The writing suddenly smooths out. There’s much less faffing about with ill-used adjectives. The plot, I’ve been told, gets interesting all of a sudden. Never outstanding, but engaging enough that they wanted to finish the story. So I can say with relative confidence that the book does appear to improve. I just don’t understand what happened here.
If the second half of the book is competent, what happened with the first half? Was the first half not edited? The fact that the first 50% of the book is so excruciating just doesn’t make sense to me. And perhaps a more important question is: it is worth sitting through it in order to get to the half of the book that is, apparently, entertaining?
Not for me, no.
June 3, 2021
2021 read: Still one of my favorites. It only gets better on the reread, because then you catch everything being set up, and understand Jack's grief, and all of the things. So detailed. So rewarding to reread. And go to the author's website and read this because it's FREE: https://ejadelomax.com/leaguesandlege...
Second read: Even better the second time, as I know the secrets from later in the book (and the whole series, for that matter), and I can see what was foreshadowed, hinted at, suggested, etc.
The characters are great:
-Jack: a conflicted hero, struggling with survivor's guilt, among other things. He's loyal, and strong, and smarter than anyone gives him credit for.
-Grey: a prickly, know-it-all sage, a tough nut to crack, but once you earn his respect and affection, he will kill for you.
-Laney: truly a self-made woman. Confident, but also knows her limits. (That is, until she breaks those limits.)
-Rupert: stickler for the rules, but can see when the rules aren't fair. A quiet leader, one who knows how to build a team. Has to work carefully within the trap of his august lineage.
There are other great minor characters, too: Leaf (eternal optimist), Red (shy but strong), Sez (the definition of street smart), and Rhones (a professor very aware of what goes on in the Academy).
The relationships are largely platonic. There are hints of romance with side characters, but the deep-delved interpersonal relations are about friendship: what starts a friendship, what builds a friendship, what maintains a friendship.
And a particular quote that stood out this read through:
First read: I found this author's Harry Potter fan fiction on An Archive of Our Own, and it was excellent. Turns out she's written books as well!
This story follows Jack of the Tales. It's mainly his story, but it's Grey's story, too, and Laney's, and Rupert's. I was floored by how much the story told without telling, exactly. I was almost immediately invested in the characters, and the excellent world building and carefully crafted plot kept me riveted.
If you like stories about students learning magic, if you like stories about fighting monsters, if you like stories about mysterious pasts, hidden powers, shady characters, golden characters, fish and chips, rips in the space/time continuum, this is for you.
(Note: I think it was self-pubbed, as there are a couple of textual errors, but this is the best self-published book I've ever read. Better than some official books, even. Don't discount it!)
Second read: Even better the second time, as I know the secrets from later in the book (and the whole series, for that matter), and I can see what was foreshadowed, hinted at, suggested, etc.
The characters are great:
-Jack: a conflicted hero, struggling with survivor's guilt, among other things. He's loyal, and strong, and smarter than anyone gives him credit for.
-Grey: a prickly, know-it-all sage, a tough nut to crack, but once you earn his respect and affection, he will kill for you.
-Laney: truly a self-made woman. Confident, but also knows her limits. (That is, until she breaks those limits.)
-Rupert: stickler for the rules, but can see when the rules aren't fair. A quiet leader, one who knows how to build a team. Has to work carefully within the trap of his august lineage.
There are other great minor characters, too: Leaf (eternal optimist), Red (shy but strong), Sez (the definition of street smart), and Rhones (a professor very aware of what goes on in the Academy).
The relationships are largely platonic. There are hints of romance with side characters, but the deep-delved interpersonal relations are about friendship: what starts a friendship, what builds a friendship, what maintains a friendship.
And a particular quote that stood out this read through:
"There's always going to be someone else to save, Jack," said Grey, staring down at the book he wasn't reading.
"I know," said Jack.
(The fact they agreed on; at the conclusion they differed. Grey thought this meant you couldn't save them all. Jack thought this meant you had to try.)
First read: I found this author's Harry Potter fan fiction on An Archive of Our Own, and it was excellent. Turns out she's written books as well!
This story follows Jack of the Tales. It's mainly his story, but it's Grey's story, too, and Laney's, and Rupert's. I was floored by how much the story told without telling, exactly. I was almost immediately invested in the characters, and the excellent world building and carefully crafted plot kept me riveted.
If you like stories about students learning magic, if you like stories about fighting monsters, if you like stories about mysterious pasts, hidden powers, shady characters, golden characters, fish and chips, rips in the space/time continuum, this is for you.
(Note: I think it was self-pubbed, as there are a couple of textual errors, but this is the best self-published book I've ever read. Better than some official books, even. Don't discount it!)
January 7, 2016
All stories begin somewhere.
I found Beanstalk because I follow Lomax's tumblr and have been enamored with her fiction snippets for the last year. She offers copies of the book for free but as soon as possible I will be ordering a hard copy of both Beantalk and its sequel Echoes of a Giant Killer. This was one book that was great as a first read but was made exponentially better by the sequel.
One of the best things about this book was the characterization. Lomax keeps an engaging plot line going but it's almost background to getting to know Jack, Laney, Rupert, and Grey. There are a lot of slow reveals but they seem natural; while Lomax is very good at hinting at more character depth, at no point do you feel like she's withholding things for the sake of the end when she can give you a big "HA" moment. Instead, much like meeting a new friend, she allows you to get to know pieces of each of them until you are invested in all equally and just salivating for more. More information, more insight into their character, more background of who they were before, and more about who they are becoming.
While the main four are well fleshed out at no point did I feel like any of the side characters were flat: an amazing feat considering that the book takes place in a school and a town with so many extra faces.
Cannot recommend highly enough.
I found Beanstalk because I follow Lomax's tumblr and have been enamored with her fiction snippets for the last year. She offers copies of the book for free but as soon as possible I will be ordering a hard copy of both Beantalk and its sequel Echoes of a Giant Killer. This was one book that was great as a first read but was made exponentially better by the sequel.
One of the best things about this book was the characterization. Lomax keeps an engaging plot line going but it's almost background to getting to know Jack, Laney, Rupert, and Grey. There are a lot of slow reveals but they seem natural; while Lomax is very good at hinting at more character depth, at no point do you feel like she's withholding things for the sake of the end when she can give you a big "HA" moment. Instead, much like meeting a new friend, she allows you to get to know pieces of each of them until you are invested in all equally and just salivating for more. More information, more insight into their character, more background of who they were before, and more about who they are becoming.
While the main four are well fleshed out at no point did I feel like any of the side characters were flat: an amazing feat considering that the book takes place in a school and a town with so many extra faces.
Cannot recommend highly enough.
February 21, 2016
Review also available here: http://wp.me/p4cWoC-EK
Courtesy of author E. Jade Lomax, Beanstalk is the first book in the Leagues and Legends series, followed by Echoes of a Giantkiller and the forthcoming Remember the Dust, both of which have shuffled onto my "read as soon as possible" list. The story follows a group of four students thrown together as a study group at The Academy for the Education of Potential Adventurers and Legends; i.e. hero school. Hero school divides its students into five majors; guides, mages, sages, combat specialists, and heroes; in order to prepare them for a corresponding position in the bands of heroes known as Leagues.
Charismatic rogue Jack Farris is a guide, specializing in survival skills and navigation. He also cheerfully ignores any rule he disagrees with and, as stated by the author herself, "doesn’t want to save the world, just every person he knows, encounters, or hears of." Grey Sanders, his roommate, is a sage, meaning his job is to know everything there is to know about everything. He specializes in sarcasm, thinks anyone who wants to actually fight monsters is crazy, and is looking forward to pursuing a career in the library archives. This plan will likely not work out for him. Laney Jones is their group's mage, one of the rare few able to pull burning gold sparks of magic from the Elsewhere. She's also a sharpshooter with magic-imbued bullets who actively experiments with improving the aerodynamics of her weapons. Do not pick a fight with Laney Jones. Finally, there is one Rupert Willington Jons Hammersfeld the Seventh, resident hero and nephew to the Academy's Headmaster. A master organizer with a keen eye and years of exposure to the Academy bureaucracy, Rupert is as unruffled in politics as he is confident with a sword. All four also carry an unofficial minor in Lying and Secret-Keeping, none of them exactly as they seem and all of them with very good reasons for keeping everyone else in the dark.
With a lead character named Jack and a title like Beanstalk, you might find the lack of giants disappointing. Maybe there are giants buried deep in the backstory, yet to be seen, or perhaps a giant will make an appearance in the future, but, regardless, this is not a story of men being ground into bread and magical plants leading to the sky. No, this is a story about growth and growing up, about the shifting definition of home, and about the discovery that the sky is a much less important limit than the ones you set for yourself. Identity and trust are powerful currents throughout the work as it explores the contrast between presented and perceived identities with who a person actually is, even among trusted friends and confidantes. The world itself is, fittingly, a fairy tale world of monsters and magic, but one where heroes are a government-trained and provided service. Heroic idealism is artfully cut with bureaucratic cynicism, with the power structures present in the book falling squarely in a gray zone. Combined with the unique form of magic in this world, the world-building aspects of the story are both thorough and fascinating to explore, while leaving room to expand in the sequels.
Lomax's writing style features heavy emphasis on characterization and emotion. Even supporting characters are crafted carefully, presented colorfully and with a constant sense of humanity. This works particularly well with the book's focus on identity; the reader is constantly reminded that no individual is just a throwaway character or faceless mook. There are even three beautiful chapters, each titled "Obituaries," devoted to exploring this fact. As morbid as that may sound, the book has its fair share of humor, and is a delight to read on every front.
Notably, Beanstalk and its sequels are/will be self-published works. On the plus side, this means they are available for free download in several formats on Lomax's website, which also contains a link to purchase a physical copy. However, it also means that on a nitpicky details level, it can be less polished than a traditionally published work might be. That being said, I have definitely read books with more typos, and the excellent worldbuilding and narrative of Beanstalk more than make up for it. Plus the ending leaves enough mystery hanging you'll want to download Echoes of a Giantkiller immediately.
Courtesy of author E. Jade Lomax, Beanstalk is the first book in the Leagues and Legends series, followed by Echoes of a Giantkiller and the forthcoming Remember the Dust, both of which have shuffled onto my "read as soon as possible" list. The story follows a group of four students thrown together as a study group at The Academy for the Education of Potential Adventurers and Legends; i.e. hero school. Hero school divides its students into five majors; guides, mages, sages, combat specialists, and heroes; in order to prepare them for a corresponding position in the bands of heroes known as Leagues.
Charismatic rogue Jack Farris is a guide, specializing in survival skills and navigation. He also cheerfully ignores any rule he disagrees with and, as stated by the author herself, "doesn’t want to save the world, just every person he knows, encounters, or hears of." Grey Sanders, his roommate, is a sage, meaning his job is to know everything there is to know about everything. He specializes in sarcasm, thinks anyone who wants to actually fight monsters is crazy, and is looking forward to pursuing a career in the library archives. This plan will likely not work out for him. Laney Jones is their group's mage, one of the rare few able to pull burning gold sparks of magic from the Elsewhere. She's also a sharpshooter with magic-imbued bullets who actively experiments with improving the aerodynamics of her weapons. Do not pick a fight with Laney Jones. Finally, there is one Rupert Willington Jons Hammersfeld the Seventh, resident hero and nephew to the Academy's Headmaster. A master organizer with a keen eye and years of exposure to the Academy bureaucracy, Rupert is as unruffled in politics as he is confident with a sword. All four also carry an unofficial minor in Lying and Secret-Keeping, none of them exactly as they seem and all of them with very good reasons for keeping everyone else in the dark.
With a lead character named Jack and a title like Beanstalk, you might find the lack of giants disappointing. Maybe there are giants buried deep in the backstory, yet to be seen, or perhaps a giant will make an appearance in the future, but, regardless, this is not a story of men being ground into bread and magical plants leading to the sky. No, this is a story about growth and growing up, about the shifting definition of home, and about the discovery that the sky is a much less important limit than the ones you set for yourself. Identity and trust are powerful currents throughout the work as it explores the contrast between presented and perceived identities with who a person actually is, even among trusted friends and confidantes. The world itself is, fittingly, a fairy tale world of monsters and magic, but one where heroes are a government-trained and provided service. Heroic idealism is artfully cut with bureaucratic cynicism, with the power structures present in the book falling squarely in a gray zone. Combined with the unique form of magic in this world, the world-building aspects of the story are both thorough and fascinating to explore, while leaving room to expand in the sequels.
Lomax's writing style features heavy emphasis on characterization and emotion. Even supporting characters are crafted carefully, presented colorfully and with a constant sense of humanity. This works particularly well with the book's focus on identity; the reader is constantly reminded that no individual is just a throwaway character or faceless mook. There are even three beautiful chapters, each titled "Obituaries," devoted to exploring this fact. As morbid as that may sound, the book has its fair share of humor, and is a delight to read on every front.
Notably, Beanstalk and its sequels are/will be self-published works. On the plus side, this means they are available for free download in several formats on Lomax's website, which also contains a link to purchase a physical copy. However, it also means that on a nitpicky details level, it can be less polished than a traditionally published work might be. That being said, I have definitely read books with more typos, and the excellent worldbuilding and narrative of Beanstalk more than make up for it. Plus the ending leaves enough mystery hanging you'll want to download Echoes of a Giantkiller immediately.
September 18, 2018
This book. I don't think I can express how good this book is.
Let's start with the bad, which in this case is really just the not-amazing. The plot is pretty loose, with our characters wandering from one adventure to the next. Although all the adventures are engaging and fun, and there is a proper narrative climax, there isn't that much flow during the middle of the book. Again, at no point did I want to stop reading and at no point did it not make sense, but if you're looking for a tightly-packed nail biter of a book, this may not be it. (The sequel solves this problem. The sequel has no flaws, as far as I can tell).
So what's good about the book? Literally everything else. The characters are all well-developed, complex, and lovable, down to the smallest side character. The four mains are all incredible, and break down differently from your typical fantasy team. It's nice to see the responsible one (Rupert) and the bookish one (Grey) in different bodies for once. Laney Jones is the determined one, I suppose, and it's hard to put a label on Jack, which I think is intentional.
The setting is an incredibly cool anachronistic fantasy world, and for once, technology and magic aren't at odds. All your favorite fairy tales get sweet little nods. Unlike a lot of fairy tale retellings, however, this one doesn't just stick to the Disney classics, which is refreshing. The prose is killer, lush and beautiful whenever it can be, but tight and clear for the gift and chase scenes.
My favorite thing about this book, though, is the obituaries. I've never seen anything like them in any other book. After every chapter where people die, they get an obituary- a shot life story, their unfinished plans, an accounting of people they left behind. This doesn't just happen for major characters, either. Every random townsperson or villain's minion gets their story told. It makes it clear that no one is expendable, that everyone is a person.
Beyond that, this book has everything you could ever want. Queer characters. Characters of color. Strong female characters, showing many different kinds of strength. An emphasis on platonic relationships. Thoughtful bits. Actiony bits. Plot twists. Secrets. (So many secrets!) Magic. Beating the odds. Ignoring social expectations.
This book is one of my favorites for the year, and probably an all-time fave. I cannot recommend it more strongly.
Edit: I just reread this book, and everything I said still stands. The foreshadowing I didn’t understand initially made me weep this time. I’ve never read a book like this. Stop what you’re doing immediately and go download the ebook. It’s free, what’s to stop you?
Let's start with the bad, which in this case is really just the not-amazing. The plot is pretty loose, with our characters wandering from one adventure to the next. Although all the adventures are engaging and fun, and there is a proper narrative climax, there isn't that much flow during the middle of the book. Again, at no point did I want to stop reading and at no point did it not make sense, but if you're looking for a tightly-packed nail biter of a book, this may not be it. (The sequel solves this problem. The sequel has no flaws, as far as I can tell).
So what's good about the book? Literally everything else. The characters are all well-developed, complex, and lovable, down to the smallest side character. The four mains are all incredible, and break down differently from your typical fantasy team. It's nice to see the responsible one (Rupert) and the bookish one (Grey) in different bodies for once. Laney Jones is the determined one, I suppose, and it's hard to put a label on Jack, which I think is intentional.
The setting is an incredibly cool anachronistic fantasy world, and for once, technology and magic aren't at odds. All your favorite fairy tales get sweet little nods. Unlike a lot of fairy tale retellings, however, this one doesn't just stick to the Disney classics, which is refreshing. The prose is killer, lush and beautiful whenever it can be, but tight and clear for the gift and chase scenes.
My favorite thing about this book, though, is the obituaries. I've never seen anything like them in any other book. After every chapter where people die, they get an obituary- a shot life story, their unfinished plans, an accounting of people they left behind. This doesn't just happen for major characters, either. Every random townsperson or villain's minion gets their story told. It makes it clear that no one is expendable, that everyone is a person.
Beyond that, this book has everything you could ever want. Queer characters. Characters of color. Strong female characters, showing many different kinds of strength. An emphasis on platonic relationships. Thoughtful bits. Actiony bits. Plot twists. Secrets. (So many secrets!) Magic. Beating the odds. Ignoring social expectations.
This book is one of my favorites for the year, and probably an all-time fave. I cannot recommend it more strongly.
Edit: I just reread this book, and everything I said still stands. The foreshadowing I didn’t understand initially made me weep this time. I’ve never read a book like this. Stop what you’re doing immediately and go download the ebook. It’s free, what’s to stop you?
January 6, 2017
I quickly was engrossed in this story and the characters. You slowly learn about each member of this group of heroes in training and watch their bond grow. They have adventures and overcome impossible odds. There's magic and swashbuckling; there's sarcasm and wit; there are heroes, whether they want to be or not. And there's a ending that makes you scramble for the next book.
September 30, 2017
*4.5 stars*
The Academy honored violence at the hands of well-bred young men with blue heroes' blood in their veins; and called it unprofessional and crude when it came from a barefoot backwoodsman or a woman's gentle soul.
Welcome to the Academy, where Heroism is a five-option major and you get to choose (within limits, of course) to be one of a team of mage, sage, guide, hero and combat specialist.
Our protagonists are Jack Farris (applied to be hero, assigned to be a guide and moving through life with unflagging sunshiney cheer), Sanders Grey (happy to be a sage, thankyouverymuch- please leave him alone with his books), Lanetia Jones (mage with a barely-suppressed streak of violence and ambition dogging her every thought) and Rupert Willington Jons Hammerfeld the Seventh (Hero major with the weight of his bloodine and a history of local vigilantism behind him- plus, he's the one who makes sure everyone stays hydrated and well-fed.). Meet them as they reveal their particular skills to each other during a holdup at a group study session, and follow them into their quest to rid the city of disturbing dark demonic things from the parallel realm of magic.
The best thing about Beanstalk is its' handle on characterization and emotion. As the group spends more time together, more and more of their secrets are revealed, but the admittedly interesting glimpses of their pasts are secondary to the sheer amount of friendship and camaraderie the group develops. My heart was drowning in self-satisfied fluff halfway through the book.
This is not a conventionally structured book- there are little off-timeline chapters focused purely on various characters and their emotions/pasts from what looks like a third-person omniscient perspective. There are also obituaries- chapters or paragraphs dedicated to the lives of the background people who die over the course of the book- villain, ally or bystander. The first time I saw an obituary chapter I re-read it and then spend a minute thinking about what an well-conceived and well-executed idea it was. I love the obituaries. They are possibly my favorite part of a book which was filled with favorite parts.
(The best way to describe the structure is probably "it's fanfiction-y". Which is not a complaint or a criticism, just a mildly surprised realization that fanfic style is actually quite distinctive when used in a full-length book.)
The one gripe I had about Beanstalk was how the outer conflict was all about subpar villains and generic power-mongering- but it must be admitted that even that tied things up neatly with Laney, Grey and the worldbuilding.
ALSO. The ebook is freely available in E Jade Lomax's website and I would REALLY recommend it- it's well worth your time.
The Academy honored violence at the hands of well-bred young men with blue heroes' blood in their veins; and called it unprofessional and crude when it came from a barefoot backwoodsman or a woman's gentle soul.
Welcome to the Academy, where Heroism is a five-option major and you get to choose (within limits, of course) to be one of a team of mage, sage, guide, hero and combat specialist.
Our protagonists are Jack Farris (applied to be hero, assigned to be a guide and moving through life with unflagging sunshiney cheer), Sanders Grey (happy to be a sage, thankyouverymuch- please leave him alone with his books), Lanetia Jones (mage with a barely-suppressed streak of violence and ambition dogging her every thought) and Rupert Willington Jons Hammerfeld the Seventh (Hero major with the weight of his bloodine and a history of local vigilantism behind him- plus, he's the one who makes sure everyone stays hydrated and well-fed.). Meet them as they reveal their particular skills to each other during a holdup at a group study session, and follow them into their quest to rid the city of disturbing dark demonic things from the parallel realm of magic.
The best thing about Beanstalk is its' handle on characterization and emotion. As the group spends more time together, more and more of their secrets are revealed, but the admittedly interesting glimpses of their pasts are secondary to the sheer amount of friendship and camaraderie the group develops. My heart was drowning in self-satisfied fluff halfway through the book.
This is not a conventionally structured book- there are little off-timeline chapters focused purely on various characters and their emotions/pasts from what looks like a third-person omniscient perspective. There are also obituaries- chapters or paragraphs dedicated to the lives of the background people who die over the course of the book- villain, ally or bystander. The first time I saw an obituary chapter I re-read it and then spend a minute thinking about what an well-conceived and well-executed idea it was. I love the obituaries. They are possibly my favorite part of a book which was filled with favorite parts.
(The best way to describe the structure is probably "it's fanfiction-y". Which is not a complaint or a criticism, just a mildly surprised realization that fanfic style is actually quite distinctive when used in a full-length book.)
The one gripe I had about Beanstalk was how the outer conflict was all about subpar villains and generic power-mongering- but it must be admitted that even that tied things up neatly with Laney, Grey and the worldbuilding.
ALSO. The ebook is freely available in E Jade Lomax's website and I would REALLY recommend it- it's well worth your time.
July 2, 2024
This novel has a charming cast and I loved the found family elements. I wanted more from Jack's backstory, and I haven't decided whether I found the little poetic interludes more evocative or annoying.
May 12, 2015
100/5 would not only recommend but also shove it in your face till you read it
If I was one of those (stupid) 'professional' reviewers I'd say it was the next Harry Potter because, yes, it's /that/ good.
I love the writing so much.
There's a short chapter after every long chapter, you get little 3rd person anecdotes, the chronological order isn't really completely /in order/ but that just makes it better.
GAAAAAAAAH JUST GIMME THE NEXT BOOK !!!
Okay I'm done here I can't even write a proper review Olivia out
If I was one of those (stupid) 'professional' reviewers I'd say it was the next Harry Potter because, yes, it's /that/ good.
I love the writing so much.
There's a short chapter after every long chapter, you get little 3rd person anecdotes, the chronological order isn't really completely /in order/ but that just makes it better.
GAAAAAAAAH JUST GIMME THE NEXT BOOK !!!
Okay I'm done here I can't even write a proper review Olivia out
August 21, 2024
Once again doing the yearly reread. Probably 5th at this point?
Finished in 24 hours few days back. Started Giantkiller right after, which I finished now. Onwards to Dust.
These are still one of the loveliest books Ive ever read.
Finished in 24 hours few days back. Started Giantkiller right after, which I finished now. Onwards to Dust.
These are still one of the loveliest books Ive ever read.
May 5, 2019
wow, close to tearing up every now and then towards the end, cause the friendships are so developed.
August 17, 2021
This is a complicated book to review, because on one hand, by the end of it, I was very invested in the story and the characters. I am very much planning on reading the sequel and I expect that I'll enjoy that book, too. On the other hand.... the first half of the book was just not particularly good. It felt all over the place, the writing was clunky, and the characters felt very flat. It's strange because the second half was so much better, wasn't the book edited? Why was the first half so bad, and the second half so good?
An issue that stretched throughout the wood were the short chapters were the author gives us some backstory, trying to be very poetic. The writing is very pretty and it was definitely interesting, but it did also mess with the tempo of the book. It wasn't always clear that it would be one of these info-chapters. Maybe if I had read a physical copy of the book it would have been more obvious, but given that the author has provided digital copies for free on her website, presumably she expects most people to read the ebook?
Anyway, if you're willing to slog through the first half it is worth it in the end. Apparently the sequel is quite good (hopefully throughout all of it) so the payout should be worth it.
An issue that stretched throughout the wood were the short chapters were the author gives us some backstory, trying to be very poetic. The writing is very pretty and it was definitely interesting, but it did also mess with the tempo of the book. It wasn't always clear that it would be one of these info-chapters. Maybe if I had read a physical copy of the book it would have been more obvious, but given that the author has provided digital copies for free on her website, presumably she expects most people to read the ebook?
Anyway, if you're willing to slog through the first half it is worth it in the end. Apparently the sequel is quite good (hopefully throughout all of it) so the payout should be worth it.
December 24, 2017
I went into reading Beanstalk confident that I would enjoy it, and my high expectations were utterly overshadowed from the start. With a fantastic cast of characters, a whimsical yet grounded setting, and a narrative that weaves seamlessly between the driving events of the plot and exploring the characters back-stories and internal experiences, this book (and its sequels) vaulted itself to being one of my favourites within the first few chapters.
The writing is hands down some of the most beautifully written prose I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and the characters themselves are varied, engaging, and each the hero of their own story. Even the minor supporting characters are repeatedly fleshed out, giving us glimpses into their lives beyond the moments that their paths cross with those of our protagonists, tying into one of the underlying thematic elements of the tale - that ultimately, we rarely know as much as we think we do about the people around us.
The writing is hands down some of the most beautifully written prose I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and the characters themselves are varied, engaging, and each the hero of their own story. Even the minor supporting characters are repeatedly fleshed out, giving us glimpses into their lives beyond the moments that their paths cross with those of our protagonists, tying into one of the underlying thematic elements of the tale - that ultimately, we rarely know as much as we think we do about the people around us.
November 27, 2020
My review is closer to 3 1/2 stars than 3.
This book desperately needed an editor. Lots of flowery language that didn't contribute to the characters / the plot / or the setting. Lots of repetitive stuff. The author did a lot of 'telling' rather than 'showing'. Or, more accurately, both. Here's a scene that tells us something about a character. Now here's another scene where the author tells us the point of the first scene. over and over and over.
But... somewhere around the middle, the author eased up on that and got into the rhythm of the story.
A good editor would have polished this into being a better book. But it was good enough that I will probably read the second in the series.
This book desperately needed an editor. Lots of flowery language that didn't contribute to the characters / the plot / or the setting. Lots of repetitive stuff. The author did a lot of 'telling' rather than 'showing'. Or, more accurately, both. Here's a scene that tells us something about a character. Now here's another scene where the author tells us the point of the first scene. over and over and over.
But... somewhere around the middle, the author eased up on that and got into the rhythm of the story.
A good editor would have polished this into being a better book. But it was good enough that I will probably read the second in the series.
July 22, 2017
This was a lot of fun. The writing style in terms of pacing, narrative distribution, character background, dialogue patterns, etc are what I distinctly think of as fanfic-ian. Parts of this book read like someone was committed to posting a chapter a week and that chapter got written no matter what. That's not necessarily a complaint - I like fanfic style a lot, because it's kind of by nature designed to flow regardless of where you jump in. I just hadn't realized it would be as distinctive as it's turned out to be.
March 27, 2018
It took me a long time before I got engrossed in this, I'd say I read about half before I started really liking it. It just didn't feel like it was going anywhere, but I really enjoyed the second half where all of the characters seemed much more intriguing. I will be picking up the rest of the series!
October 24, 2016
Read this online and I enjoyed it. The way the narrative itself was built was different then things I've seen before. I'm going to try to find the next one in this series to find out what happened before this book.
August 4, 2017
I loved reading this! The characters' interactions with each other and how they all grow to become friends, and I especially loved the setting and the world building, as well as the style of writing. Moving onto the sequel now!
February 15, 2019
2.5
The characters have promise (though I only started to find Jack interesting at the very end.) Things happen, but unfortunately this book doesn't really have a plot for most of it, so it was hard to stay interested.
The characters have promise (though I only started to find Jack interesting at the very end.) Things happen, but unfortunately this book doesn't really have a plot for most of it, so it was hard to stay interested.
July 15, 2018
This is an amazing book! I read the entire series in under a week, and I could not recommend them more!!!
Here is the author's website: https://ejadelomax.com/leaguesandlege...
Here is the author's website: https://ejadelomax.com/leaguesandlege...
August 9, 2018
absolutely loved the characters and the plot unfolded so well as the book went on. "everyone's a larger story than they seem, aren't they?"
November 5, 2018
This is one of the most magical books I have ever read. It was beautifully written full of found family and trope subversion and I highly recommend everything the author has written
January 27, 2020
Really good, really interesting. Great characters that you actually care about and an original plot.
July 6, 2021
Unpolished but incredible. I love Dirgewithoutmusic, and this hits all the same buttons for me
July 14, 2023
You can feel that the author loves the characters. And you fell in love with them as well.
May 12, 2016
Ok so I downloaded Beanstalk onto my phone to read between finals after much internal debate. I have never not regretted anything so much, it is the best damn thing I have ever done.
This book is really completely fantastic. I love the way the plot was paced and the characters! Oh god the characters. They feel so real and flawed. These are hurting kids who are sharp as blades, and just as dangerous. They will shatter and cut to get what they want (and Laney, oh my god, Laney Jones is the queen of my heart and you will never be able to convince me otherwise. She is bitter and bright and strong and brave. She goes into situations guns blazing and works so so hard to make sure that no one else accidentally gets burned) and they are brilliant. They care so much for each other despite reluctance. And!!!! The way that the fairytales were rewritten and reworked! Are so clever and fantastic I feel like I can shove my fingers into the binding and twist them around myself. Jack the Beanstalk, Jack the Giantkiller. Laney the world-ripper, Grey the sage, the mage. Rupert the not-ruler with a hidden court. The INTRODUCTIONS TO ALL THE CHARACTERS HAVE LEFT ME DEAD.
Jack. The Golden Retriever who plays at being a domestic but is as much built for hunting as he is protecting. Jack is not someone meant to hide. I love him so much, he wants to protect everyone with his big bold heart and if he can't do it then he'll make sure that they can do it themselves. If he can't make friends then he makes enemies, but god this goober is always thinking I love him so much. And Grey, my reluctantly involved child who could take the world down without lifting a finger, who pretends not to care right up until he finds himself knee deep in friendship and whatever mess everyone has managed to get into; I want to know so much more about him I swear. Rupert!!! Rubert Rupert Rupert I love you so much. He feels responsible for everyone, god I relate so much, he's so clever.
It's been so LONG, since I've read such a good book that goes in depth into character relationships without any of them being romantic (Except for Sez and Sally-Anne and honestly those two are so cute together I really don't mind.)
I'm going to read Echoes of A Giant Killer now and it will probably emotionally destroy me and I will love every minute of it.
So Beanstalk. Read it. It's so completely worth it.
This book is really completely fantastic. I love the way the plot was paced and the characters! Oh god the characters. They feel so real and flawed. These are hurting kids who are sharp as blades, and just as dangerous. They will shatter and cut to get what they want (and Laney, oh my god, Laney Jones is the queen of my heart and you will never be able to convince me otherwise. She is bitter and bright and strong and brave. She goes into situations guns blazing and works so so hard to make sure that no one else accidentally gets burned) and they are brilliant. They care so much for each other despite reluctance. And!!!! The way that the fairytales were rewritten and reworked! Are so clever and fantastic I feel like I can shove my fingers into the binding and twist them around myself. Jack the Beanstalk, Jack the Giantkiller. Laney the world-ripper, Grey the sage, the mage. Rupert the not-ruler with a hidden court. The INTRODUCTIONS TO ALL THE CHARACTERS HAVE LEFT ME DEAD.
Jack. The Golden Retriever who plays at being a domestic but is as much built for hunting as he is protecting. Jack is not someone meant to hide. I love him so much, he wants to protect everyone with his big bold heart and if he can't do it then he'll make sure that they can do it themselves. If he can't make friends then he makes enemies, but god this goober is always thinking I love him so much. And Grey, my reluctantly involved child who could take the world down without lifting a finger, who pretends not to care right up until he finds himself knee deep in friendship and whatever mess everyone has managed to get into; I want to know so much more about him I swear. Rupert!!! Rubert Rupert Rupert I love you so much. He feels responsible for everyone, god I relate so much, he's so clever.
It's been so LONG, since I've read such a good book that goes in depth into character relationships without any of them being romantic (Except for Sez and Sally-Anne and honestly those two are so cute together I really don't mind.)
I'm going to read Echoes of A Giant Killer now and it will probably emotionally destroy me and I will love every minute of it.
So Beanstalk. Read it. It's so completely worth it.
February 21, 2017
Four characters whose stories and pasts get fleshed out to where you see all of them? All friends, all important? I love.
January 4, 2015
What a good way to start this year. My Internet's been out for a couple of days which inspired me to actually start reading the numerous ebooks I've downloaded and left to sit on my laptop.
Jack Farris is studying to become a guide at the Academy, official training ground of heroes, mages, sages, and guides. To those of you who've seen Sky High, the premise is similar except dealing with fairy tales figures rather than superheroes. When the cafe his study group is in gets held up, the group works together to take down the villains. As it turns out, heroism is a difficult habit to drop once you've picked it up and the four of them start working together to protect their town from monsters.
The chief strength of this book is its characterization. Our core four characters are all more than they seem and Lomax does a great job of slowly revealing the layers to each of them as their friendship develops. By the end I was deeply invested in all of them and itching to hear the parts of Jack's backstory I suspect she's saving for volume 2.
Read it for: engaging characters, thoughtfully built diverse cultures, a chance to start thinking to yourself about the nature of heroism and how it applies in your life
Sister book: The Posterchildren by Kitty Burroughs.
4 stars
Jack Farris is studying to become a guide at the Academy, official training ground of heroes, mages, sages, and guides. To those of you who've seen Sky High, the premise is similar except dealing with fairy tales figures rather than superheroes. When the cafe his study group is in gets held up, the group works together to take down the villains. As it turns out, heroism is a difficult habit to drop once you've picked it up and the four of them start working together to protect their town from monsters.
The chief strength of this book is its characterization. Our core four characters are all more than they seem and Lomax does a great job of slowly revealing the layers to each of them as their friendship develops. By the end I was deeply invested in all of them and itching to hear the parts of Jack's backstory I suspect she's saving for volume 2.
Read it for: engaging characters, thoughtfully built diverse cultures, a chance to start thinking to yourself about the nature of heroism and how it applies in your life
Sister book: The Posterchildren by Kitty Burroughs.
4 stars
October 27, 2015
In the past year, Lomax has established herself as one of my favourite writers. Her short fanfics zero in on lacunae, shorthand, and various kinds of glossing-over in beloved texts, so that suddenly characters who do what they do because of the needs of the narrative are given fully fleshed-out personalities: a defiant Susan Pevensie becomes a journalist and joins the Civil Rights Movement; Petunia Dursley divorces her husband and she and Dudley join the fight against Voldemort; the Little Mermaid gets over the prince and makes a living as a musician. If that was all Lomax ever wrote, it would be enough...but now she's released a number of full-length original novels, and generously made them available for free, and I am utterly thrilled.
I don't want to say too much about Beanstalk, but I will say that Lomax takes the principles she uses in her fanfiction, and applies them. No one's life is unimportant or beneath notice. Everyone has stories. Nobody is locked into a certain role by their birth. Lomax is a bit like China Miéville in the way that she takes fantasy tropes and explores how they would play out in the lives of fully realized characters.
And it's fun. These characters are lovely people, and whether they're doing small things or big things, it's all brilliant. I can't wait for the next installment.
I don't want to say too much about Beanstalk, but I will say that Lomax takes the principles she uses in her fanfiction, and applies them. No one's life is unimportant or beneath notice. Everyone has stories. Nobody is locked into a certain role by their birth. Lomax is a bit like China Miéville in the way that she takes fantasy tropes and explores how they would play out in the lives of fully realized characters.
And it's fun. These characters are lovely people, and whether they're doing small things or big things, it's all brilliant. I can't wait for the next installment.
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