What do you think?
Rate this book
Tales of Valdur #1
The Guns of Ivrea
Patrick O'Brian meets George R. R. Martin in a gritty new fantasy epic.
Acquel Galenus, former thief and now monk, uncovers a terrible secret under the Great Temple at Livorna, one that could shake the faith to its core. A secret that could get him killed. A secret that could enable an older, more sinister form of worship to be reborn.
Pirate princeling Nicolo Danamis, mercenary to the King and captain of the largest fleet in Valdur, has made one deal too many, and enemies are now closing in to destroy him.Citala, fair-haired and grey-skinned, the daughter of the chieftain of the merfolk, finds herself implacably drawn to the affairs of men. She puts events in motion that will end her people’s years of isolation but that could imperil their very existence.
All their fates will intertwine as they journey across the land, through duchies and free cities riven by political intrigue, religious fervour, and ancient hatreds. Alliances are being forged anew and after decades of wary peace, war is on the wind once again...
Acquel Galenus, former thief and now monk, uncovers a terrible secret under the Great Temple at Livorna, one that could shake the faith to its core. A secret that could get him killed. A secret that could enable an older, more sinister form of worship to be reborn.
Pirate princeling Nicolo Danamis, mercenary to the King and captain of the largest fleet in Valdur, has made one deal too many, and enemies are now closing in to destroy him.Citala, fair-haired and grey-skinned, the daughter of the chieftain of the merfolk, finds herself implacably drawn to the affairs of men. She puts events in motion that will end her people’s years of isolation but that could imperil their very existence.
All their fates will intertwine as they journey across the land, through duchies and free cities riven by political intrigue, religious fervour, and ancient hatreds. Alliances are being forged anew and after decades of wary peace, war is on the wind once again...
474 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 2015
10 people are currently reading
659 people want to read
About the author
Clifford Beal
11 books52 followersClifford Beal, originally from Providence, Rhode Island, worked for 20 years as an international journalist covering defence and security issues for Jane's Defence Weekly. He published his first non-fiction historical work, Quelch's Gold, in 2007 and now writes historical thrillers (under the name Ethan Bale) including Hawker and the King's Jewel, The Lost Prince, and The Knight's Redemption, all published by Canelo Books and set during the twilight of the English Wars of the Roses. He also writes contemporary mystery and suspense, publishing short fiction in the genre. A new suspense novel is set to be published in 2026.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 12, 2016
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2016/02/11/b...
Piratical fantasy? Yes, please. I love me some seafaring scoundrels. Throw in some mercenaries and mermaids, and The Guns of Ivrea sounded like a maritime journey I wanted to take.
Unexpectedly, we’re also given a good dose of politics and religious lore. The book opens very cinematically, deep in the tomb of Saint Elded, the revered prophet of the faith. A young monk named Acquel is with a maintenance team checking for damages when he accidentally glimpses Elded’s body and discovers a shocking secret that can shake the foundations of the entire church.
Suddenly, Brother Acquel finds himself marked for death. He barely manages to escape, though not before slipping away with an ancient talisman belonging to the dead saint. Acquel’s desperate flight leads him straight to the doorstep of Captain Strykar, leader of the Black Rose mercenary band. In need of a new holy man, Strykar allows Acquel to travel with them, leaving the monk in the care of the company sutler, the widow Timandra. Meanwhile, they are on their way to the coastal city of Palestro where pirate princeling Nicolo Danamis commands the largest fleet in Valdur and carries out his privateering activities for the king. However, Danamis’ recent dealings with the Merfolk have made his devout men jittery and unhappy, and his latest trade may prove to be his undoing.
This book is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, and if you’re fond of breakneck action and twisty political hijinks, you’ll definitely find lots to like in The Guns of Ivrea. Clifford Beal keeps things moving at a quick pace, applying his tight plotting and solid storytelling skills to ensure something interesting happens in every chapter. Battle sequences are plentiful and exquisitely detailed, creating an atmosphere so rich and thick that you can practically smell the cannon smoke, though these scenes are still succinct and smooth enough that they do not wear out their welcome. The intrigue surrounding Brother Acquel’s startling discovery—and the extraordinary relic in his possession—is also a mystery that rests comfortably on the narrative, and as we follow along with the story, the big question surrounding the truth of Saint Elded’s identity serves as motivation to keep the pages turning.
So it was a surprise when I found that I didn’t feel as connected to the story as I thought I would be. Even now I’m having trouble putting my finger on the cause of this detachment, but my best bet would be on the characters. What felt lacking was a layer of intimacy, which ultimately kept them all at arms’ length. Despite the entertaining plot, it was hard to feel invested when at the end of the day I felt no great concern for the characters’ fates, though they were enjoyable enough to follow. I knew Danamis and Strykar had a complicated friendship because that’s what the narrative told me, not something I felt. Brother Acquel’s acceptance into their fold was likewise a relationship that was more told than shown, as was the monk’s romantic involvement with Timandra, which I didn’t feel emotionally at all. Similarly, Danamis’ alliance and subsequent bond with the Mer princess Citala in the in the later parts of the novel also felt under-developed.
But speaking of the Mer, by far the coolest thing about this novel is Beal’s unique take on these creatures of myth. They are abhorred and mistrusted by those who live on land due to the teachings of the human religion, which revile the Mer for being abominations and inferior beings. We didn’t get to see much of the Mer in this book, at least not as much as I’d hoped, though their history plays a very important role in the overall story.
It would be very interesting to see what the author has planned for the rest of this series. I hope the more time I spend with these characters, the more I’ll get to come to sympathize with them, but right now Beal has certainly hooked my attention. The Guns of Ivrea is an energetic and suspenseful fantasy that blends nautical adventure with political intrigue and religious conspiracies. I’ll be looking out for the sequel.
Piratical fantasy? Yes, please. I love me some seafaring scoundrels. Throw in some mercenaries and mermaids, and The Guns of Ivrea sounded like a maritime journey I wanted to take.
Unexpectedly, we’re also given a good dose of politics and religious lore. The book opens very cinematically, deep in the tomb of Saint Elded, the revered prophet of the faith. A young monk named Acquel is with a maintenance team checking for damages when he accidentally glimpses Elded’s body and discovers a shocking secret that can shake the foundations of the entire church.
Suddenly, Brother Acquel finds himself marked for death. He barely manages to escape, though not before slipping away with an ancient talisman belonging to the dead saint. Acquel’s desperate flight leads him straight to the doorstep of Captain Strykar, leader of the Black Rose mercenary band. In need of a new holy man, Strykar allows Acquel to travel with them, leaving the monk in the care of the company sutler, the widow Timandra. Meanwhile, they are on their way to the coastal city of Palestro where pirate princeling Nicolo Danamis commands the largest fleet in Valdur and carries out his privateering activities for the king. However, Danamis’ recent dealings with the Merfolk have made his devout men jittery and unhappy, and his latest trade may prove to be his undoing.
This book is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, and if you’re fond of breakneck action and twisty political hijinks, you’ll definitely find lots to like in The Guns of Ivrea. Clifford Beal keeps things moving at a quick pace, applying his tight plotting and solid storytelling skills to ensure something interesting happens in every chapter. Battle sequences are plentiful and exquisitely detailed, creating an atmosphere so rich and thick that you can practically smell the cannon smoke, though these scenes are still succinct and smooth enough that they do not wear out their welcome. The intrigue surrounding Brother Acquel’s startling discovery—and the extraordinary relic in his possession—is also a mystery that rests comfortably on the narrative, and as we follow along with the story, the big question surrounding the truth of Saint Elded’s identity serves as motivation to keep the pages turning.
So it was a surprise when I found that I didn’t feel as connected to the story as I thought I would be. Even now I’m having trouble putting my finger on the cause of this detachment, but my best bet would be on the characters. What felt lacking was a layer of intimacy, which ultimately kept them all at arms’ length. Despite the entertaining plot, it was hard to feel invested when at the end of the day I felt no great concern for the characters’ fates, though they were enjoyable enough to follow. I knew Danamis and Strykar had a complicated friendship because that’s what the narrative told me, not something I felt. Brother Acquel’s acceptance into their fold was likewise a relationship that was more told than shown, as was the monk’s romantic involvement with Timandra, which I didn’t feel emotionally at all. Similarly, Danamis’ alliance and subsequent bond with the Mer princess Citala in the in the later parts of the novel also felt under-developed.
But speaking of the Mer, by far the coolest thing about this novel is Beal’s unique take on these creatures of myth. They are abhorred and mistrusted by those who live on land due to the teachings of the human religion, which revile the Mer for being abominations and inferior beings. We didn’t get to see much of the Mer in this book, at least not as much as I’d hoped, though their history plays a very important role in the overall story.
It would be very interesting to see what the author has planned for the rest of this series. I hope the more time I spend with these characters, the more I’ll get to come to sympathize with them, but right now Beal has certainly hooked my attention. The Guns of Ivrea is an energetic and suspenseful fantasy that blends nautical adventure with political intrigue and religious conspiracies. I’ll be looking out for the sequel.
February 17, 2016
A few years ago I read and enjoyed Gideon’s Angel by Clifford Beal. It was a novel set in 17th Century England and was enhanced with light fantasy elements, most prominently magical artefacts and religious beings. It was a very clever novel, well-paced, full of masterful descriptions of the times and had some great characters too. That said, it never quite picked up the following it deserved; people tend to be a little wary around fantasy novels using a historical setting, they’re not quite Alternate History, Epic Fantasy or Steampunk – they’re somewhere in the middle and the masses tend to make a grab for the titles sitting more comfortably on one of the labelled shelves.
The Guns of Ivrea, is Clifford’s first secondary world Fantasy novel and having read it within just a few days, I can tell you that the author’s historical knowledge and descriptive skills, from years of journalism, complement his fictitious world perfectly. This is a book that despite featuring magical sisters who experience visions, merfolk who live below the seas, magical amulets and brutal pirates never loses its feeling of authenticity. But, I’m getting ahead of myself, lets rewind a little….
The Guns of Ivrea kicks off with the accidental opening of the Great Temple at Livorna. Following an Earthquake, there is now a clear route into the tomb of Saint Elded, the Lawgiver and prophet of the Lord. Uncertain whether the tomb or its contents were damaged during the shudders, two blackrobes and four greyrobes from the One Faith are sent to investigate. Our focus is on Acquel, one of these greyrobes. Acquel isn’t your stereotypical Monk, proven when he steals an amulet from the Lawgiver’s tomb. The ramifications of what he sees whilst stealing this amulet, however, are far more dangerous than any possible punishment the order could deal him for its theft. What he cannot un-see quickly results in the death of the monks that accompanied him into the tomb and leaves Acquel running for his life with a secret that could topple the country’s foremost religious system.
Our second protagonist is a man at the top of his game, Captain Nicolo Danamis. He’s a pirate whose huge fleet and close connections to the King mean that he is ranked almost as highly as a Prince. With little mercenary work, and pirating small ships not paying the kind of money someone of such status needs to live, Danamis has got creative and made a deal with the strange and dangerous Merfolk. He will provide them with a special kind of leave from a faraway land and they will provide him with caskets full of gold. The problem for Danamis is that being associated with Merfolk goes against the moral code of even the scallywag Pirates that serve him. Quickly, Danamis finds himself in a position where he too is removed from his position of unquestioned power and must undergo a dangerous journey if he is to regain it
A third character driving the action is Citala. I will be careful revealing too much about Citala to you, because her storyline picks up much later in the book and to know too much of her motives would spoil a lot of the early uncertainty her absence creates. However, I think I am safe in telling you that in the opening few chapters, Citala is revealed as the one responsible for putting aside the Merfolk’s open and expected hostility towards humans by setting up the trade of gold for the precious leaves. Her actions and how she reacts to the human betrayal that almost saw deaths among her people will decide the foreseeable future for both Merfolk and humans.
The remainder of the characters tend to react to events rather than drive them forwards. That doesn’t make their involvement in the story any less enjoyable though. In fact, my favourite characters were probably the ever-concerened- about-his-wallet Captain Julianus Strykar and the beautiful, strange and terrifying Lady Lucinda della Rovera. Strykar’s role in the novel is to get Danamis back into a comfortable seat of power, because he’s the guy who has been paying him a fortune to retrieve the Merfolk’s leaves. Lucinda is a kind of seer, she is able to access a kind of sight that allows her to see long distances (the reason she is hired by another secondary character, Magister Lucius Kodoris, to track Acquel). There are hints that her powers extend beyond being able to ‘see’ across time and space, but you will need to read through Guns to see whether these are accurate or exaggerated. Regardless, other than the Merfolk and an un-stealable amulet, Lucinda is one of the most Fantastical aspects of Clifford’s work, which is otherwise magic light. Another character worth mentioning is Timandra Pandarus. She serves as Acquel’s confidant and the relationship between the two is really quite interesting. It doesn’t follow the path of the stereotypical romance you may expect and it’s quite joyous to experience.
The way the story is told is fitting. Just like George R.R. Martin’s work, we get multiple POVs, but it’s the way they are used that really quickens the pace. We see our heroes make one move and are then allowed a view of our antagonists making another that sets them on a collision course. The antagonists always feel dangerous and our heroes always feel vulnerable and this ability to make characters seem vulnerable without being useless seems key to Clifford Beal’s ability ensure the book thrives with a constant tension.
Clifford Beal’s novel will suit those who want something somewhere in the middle of Scott Lynch’s Red Seas Under Red Skies and George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. The storyline is pretty straight-forward, but there’s enough politics and world building that you can really take your time building up an understanding of Clifford’s world should you wish. The characters on the side of ‘good’ are, as is on trend, all broken and unfit for the roles they currently hold (Monk, Captain, etc). The plot-threads with the constant twists and turns make for great reading that will keep you guessing until the very end; I also appreciate how each fork in the road tests the cast, requiring them to choose whether they move back towards or further from the roles they’ve previously enjoyed serving in comfort.
Overall it’s a highly readable, fast-paced, fun adventure novel that somehow manages to be all of that without ever sacrificing on character development, authentic descriptions, and vivid worldbuilding.
The Guns of Ivrea, is Clifford’s first secondary world Fantasy novel and having read it within just a few days, I can tell you that the author’s historical knowledge and descriptive skills, from years of journalism, complement his fictitious world perfectly. This is a book that despite featuring magical sisters who experience visions, merfolk who live below the seas, magical amulets and brutal pirates never loses its feeling of authenticity. But, I’m getting ahead of myself, lets rewind a little….
The Guns of Ivrea kicks off with the accidental opening of the Great Temple at Livorna. Following an Earthquake, there is now a clear route into the tomb of Saint Elded, the Lawgiver and prophet of the Lord. Uncertain whether the tomb or its contents were damaged during the shudders, two blackrobes and four greyrobes from the One Faith are sent to investigate. Our focus is on Acquel, one of these greyrobes. Acquel isn’t your stereotypical Monk, proven when he steals an amulet from the Lawgiver’s tomb. The ramifications of what he sees whilst stealing this amulet, however, are far more dangerous than any possible punishment the order could deal him for its theft. What he cannot un-see quickly results in the death of the monks that accompanied him into the tomb and leaves Acquel running for his life with a secret that could topple the country’s foremost religious system.
Our second protagonist is a man at the top of his game, Captain Nicolo Danamis. He’s a pirate whose huge fleet and close connections to the King mean that he is ranked almost as highly as a Prince. With little mercenary work, and pirating small ships not paying the kind of money someone of such status needs to live, Danamis has got creative and made a deal with the strange and dangerous Merfolk. He will provide them with a special kind of leave from a faraway land and they will provide him with caskets full of gold. The problem for Danamis is that being associated with Merfolk goes against the moral code of even the scallywag Pirates that serve him. Quickly, Danamis finds himself in a position where he too is removed from his position of unquestioned power and must undergo a dangerous journey if he is to regain it
A third character driving the action is Citala. I will be careful revealing too much about Citala to you, because her storyline picks up much later in the book and to know too much of her motives would spoil a lot of the early uncertainty her absence creates. However, I think I am safe in telling you that in the opening few chapters, Citala is revealed as the one responsible for putting aside the Merfolk’s open and expected hostility towards humans by setting up the trade of gold for the precious leaves. Her actions and how she reacts to the human betrayal that almost saw deaths among her people will decide the foreseeable future for both Merfolk and humans.
The remainder of the characters tend to react to events rather than drive them forwards. That doesn’t make their involvement in the story any less enjoyable though. In fact, my favourite characters were probably the ever-concerened- about-his-wallet Captain Julianus Strykar and the beautiful, strange and terrifying Lady Lucinda della Rovera. Strykar’s role in the novel is to get Danamis back into a comfortable seat of power, because he’s the guy who has been paying him a fortune to retrieve the Merfolk’s leaves. Lucinda is a kind of seer, she is able to access a kind of sight that allows her to see long distances (the reason she is hired by another secondary character, Magister Lucius Kodoris, to track Acquel). There are hints that her powers extend beyond being able to ‘see’ across time and space, but you will need to read through Guns to see whether these are accurate or exaggerated. Regardless, other than the Merfolk and an un-stealable amulet, Lucinda is one of the most Fantastical aspects of Clifford’s work, which is otherwise magic light. Another character worth mentioning is Timandra Pandarus. She serves as Acquel’s confidant and the relationship between the two is really quite interesting. It doesn’t follow the path of the stereotypical romance you may expect and it’s quite joyous to experience.
The way the story is told is fitting. Just like George R.R. Martin’s work, we get multiple POVs, but it’s the way they are used that really quickens the pace. We see our heroes make one move and are then allowed a view of our antagonists making another that sets them on a collision course. The antagonists always feel dangerous and our heroes always feel vulnerable and this ability to make characters seem vulnerable without being useless seems key to Clifford Beal’s ability ensure the book thrives with a constant tension.
Clifford Beal’s novel will suit those who want something somewhere in the middle of Scott Lynch’s Red Seas Under Red Skies and George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. The storyline is pretty straight-forward, but there’s enough politics and world building that you can really take your time building up an understanding of Clifford’s world should you wish. The characters on the side of ‘good’ are, as is on trend, all broken and unfit for the roles they currently hold (Monk, Captain, etc). The plot-threads with the constant twists and turns make for great reading that will keep you guessing until the very end; I also appreciate how each fork in the road tests the cast, requiring them to choose whether they move back towards or further from the roles they’ve previously enjoyed serving in comfort.
Overall it’s a highly readable, fast-paced, fun adventure novel that somehow manages to be all of that without ever sacrificing on character development, authentic descriptions, and vivid worldbuilding.
March 30, 2016
I had to skim this one hard core because it is SO very repetitive. Characters who will have quite literally JUST found something out in-scene...will then repeat that same information. Over. And Over. To their various compatriots who need to know. Oy. So; if you want to skip this one read on for the spoilers as I gleaned them from this incredibly long Epic Saga: Part One -
...Long; repetitive, mostly all dudes...though I did stop for one potential rape scene where the woman used some sort of mystical magics to literally suck the entirety of the potential rapist into her spirit or something so...neat?...but the text is just dull and laughable: "Demedrias's eyes grew large as the horror spoke but as he tried to push himself off of the canoness he felt her hands seize his doublet and hold him fast. And just as quickly, he felt his body weaken, his thighs and biceps shaking, twitching. It was as if his life was pouring out like the sands of an hourglass. He fell upon her, gasping for breath, his heart pumping ever faster. The voice changed to the Valdurian tongue. 'Drink him, drink him, my daughter!' His prick felt as if it was in a vise..." *snort* still; mostly stupid and by page 211 NO ONE has fucking gone IN the damn water!
Gonna keep skimming....pretty sure we've still yet to even MEET Citala; supposed daughter of the leader of the mer peoples...
Good gods still no mer by page 300....hmmm finally by page 308 but they make it sound like she's appeared on the page before (but if she did it was freaking uber-brief because I've been scan-skimming each damn page).
Hmm seems they live in caverns accessed by undersea tunnels? Ah; they just swim a bunch to get to some cliffs on the others size of some island. No in-sea living so far. Ooo and one of the MCs is amazed: they know how to use FIRE *eyeroll*. Book quote: "You have no gills? And you breathe air? And you are HERE...out of the sea?" She looked intently at him. "We are not FISH, Danamis, We breathe as you do. And we hold our breath under the water as you do. Just better."
Guess they have greyish skin and look a bit like dolphins...hah aaaand all of them (the men) are apparently addicted to myrra (some sort of mind-altering drug) "my people will not survive another generation living like this". Man; she never even turns into a mermaid; just swims really fast.
Basically let me sum it all up: Underling priest sees an ancient priest's tomb uncovered and the body in it is mer; fish-man. High priests kill EVERYONE that saw it but he steals an amulet from the grave and escapes. Begins to spread this "heresy" with some help. Some pirate dudes go all around doing war crap. Twin seerer women have some sort of magics and help some people trying to track down this last remaining underling priest who saw the truth. Apparently there are Three More Commandments in their religion (written on this amulet the underling priest stole and buried in the ancient depths of time by the priesthood): which pertain to loving their brethren and sistren in the sea; that the union of mer and human is "blessed." HERESY! Lots of bluster and repeated phrases and then, a pirate captain is kidnapped by mers and goes a bit native and is trying to offer to Save Everyone and Everything just by the power of...I don't know...try to stop the mer chick's tribe from doing sea drugs and the humans from selling it to them... so the magical evil twin seer kills her sister and steals her power because she wants to bring back these old Pagan Gods and the Tree of Life is destroyed and they try to kill mergirl but she brain whammies a couple of dogs into killing her captors and she and the pirate captain have some beach sex and she explains that mers need to stay hidden a while longer so she needs to go update her daddy on their mer island... then the pirate captain wakes up alone and sees his dad's ship come around the corner....THE END (yes, really...page 474 ends with his dad's ship coming around the bend).
Blech. Not a single compelling ocean description I could see. No real mermaid/merman bits. Just lots of Epic Saga boredom-ness. Don't waste your time on this one unless really long sagas with vast and in-depth blustery conversations and over-the-top scenes do it for you.
...Long; repetitive, mostly all dudes...though I did stop for one potential rape scene where the woman used some sort of mystical magics to literally suck the entirety of the potential rapist into her spirit or something so...neat?...but the text is just dull and laughable: "Demedrias's eyes grew large as the horror spoke but as he tried to push himself off of the canoness he felt her hands seize his doublet and hold him fast. And just as quickly, he felt his body weaken, his thighs and biceps shaking, twitching. It was as if his life was pouring out like the sands of an hourglass. He fell upon her, gasping for breath, his heart pumping ever faster. The voice changed to the Valdurian tongue. 'Drink him, drink him, my daughter!' His prick felt as if it was in a vise..." *snort* still; mostly stupid and by page 211 NO ONE has fucking gone IN the damn water!
Gonna keep skimming....pretty sure we've still yet to even MEET Citala; supposed daughter of the leader of the mer peoples...
Good gods still no mer by page 300....hmmm finally by page 308 but they make it sound like she's appeared on the page before (but if she did it was freaking uber-brief because I've been scan-skimming each damn page).
Hmm seems they live in caverns accessed by undersea tunnels? Ah; they just swim a bunch to get to some cliffs on the others size of some island. No in-sea living so far. Ooo and one of the MCs is amazed: they know how to use FIRE *eyeroll*. Book quote: "You have no gills? And you breathe air? And you are HERE...out of the sea?" She looked intently at him. "We are not FISH, Danamis, We breathe as you do. And we hold our breath under the water as you do. Just better."
Guess they have greyish skin and look a bit like dolphins...hah aaaand all of them (the men) are apparently addicted to myrra (some sort of mind-altering drug) "my people will not survive another generation living like this". Man; she never even turns into a mermaid; just swims really fast.
Basically let me sum it all up: Underling priest sees an ancient priest's tomb uncovered and the body in it is mer; fish-man. High priests kill EVERYONE that saw it but he steals an amulet from the grave and escapes. Begins to spread this "heresy" with some help. Some pirate dudes go all around doing war crap. Twin seerer women have some sort of magics and help some people trying to track down this last remaining underling priest who saw the truth. Apparently there are Three More Commandments in their religion (written on this amulet the underling priest stole and buried in the ancient depths of time by the priesthood): which pertain to loving their brethren and sistren in the sea; that the union of mer and human is "blessed." HERESY! Lots of bluster and repeated phrases and then, a pirate captain is kidnapped by mers and goes a bit native and is trying to offer to Save Everyone and Everything just by the power of...I don't know...try to stop the mer chick's tribe from doing sea drugs and the humans from selling it to them... so the magical evil twin seer kills her sister and steals her power because she wants to bring back these old Pagan Gods and the Tree of Life is destroyed and they try to kill mergirl but she brain whammies a couple of dogs into killing her captors and she and the pirate captain have some beach sex and she explains that mers need to stay hidden a while longer so she needs to go update her daddy on their mer island... then the pirate captain wakes up alone and sees his dad's ship come around the corner....THE END (yes, really...page 474 ends with his dad's ship coming around the bend).
Blech. Not a single compelling ocean description I could see. No real mermaid/merman bits. Just lots of Epic Saga boredom-ness. Don't waste your time on this one unless really long sagas with vast and in-depth blustery conversations and over-the-top scenes do it for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2016
The Guns of Ivrea is the first novel in the Tales of Valdur by Clifford Beal. It is set on and around the island nation of Valdur. The novel follows Brother Acquel, Nicolo Danamis, Citala, and more as their lives intersect and they try to stay alive, right wrongs and achieve their goals.
Each of these characters is vibrant with a rich story of his/her own. Danamis and Acquel evolve over the course of the novel as they face hardship after hardship and difficult decisions. They come to understand themselves better. They show strength of character that they perhaps thought they didn't have. Citala is brave, intelligent and takes huge chances on behalf of herself and the Mer. She is a marvelous character and has the fate of her civilization riding on her shoulders. Over the course of the novel you get to know Danamis, Acquel, and Citala well.
There are plenty of well-developed secondary characters as well - Captain Julianus Strykar, Lady Lucinda della Rovera, Magister Lucius Kodoris, and Timandra Pandarus. They are each pivotal to the story and their interactions with the main characters often spur along the story whether they take an active role or are merely soundboards.
The world of Valdur is really exceptionally done. Beal has fleshed out religion and myth, society, and the political system as the backdrop for the events of the novel. There is much intrigue, behind the back dealings, betrayal, revenge, and also true heroism and selflessness. Beal excels at placing you in the action and you really see and feel Valdur come to life. There are fantastic and exciting sword fights and ship battles.There are wonderful moments of camaraderie and friendship.
Beal brings The Guns of Ivrea to a deeply satisfying conclusion but has left plenty for the subsequent novel as things have been set in motion in Valdur that will need to play out further. This is a beautifully written novel. Set aside enough time to read The Guns of Ivrea straight through. You are not going to want to leave Valdur until the tale is done.
Each of these characters is vibrant with a rich story of his/her own. Danamis and Acquel evolve over the course of the novel as they face hardship after hardship and difficult decisions. They come to understand themselves better. They show strength of character that they perhaps thought they didn't have. Citala is brave, intelligent and takes huge chances on behalf of herself and the Mer. She is a marvelous character and has the fate of her civilization riding on her shoulders. Over the course of the novel you get to know Danamis, Acquel, and Citala well.
There are plenty of well-developed secondary characters as well - Captain Julianus Strykar, Lady Lucinda della Rovera, Magister Lucius Kodoris, and Timandra Pandarus. They are each pivotal to the story and their interactions with the main characters often spur along the story whether they take an active role or are merely soundboards.
The world of Valdur is really exceptionally done. Beal has fleshed out religion and myth, society, and the political system as the backdrop for the events of the novel. There is much intrigue, behind the back dealings, betrayal, revenge, and also true heroism and selflessness. Beal excels at placing you in the action and you really see and feel Valdur come to life. There are fantastic and exciting sword fights and ship battles.There are wonderful moments of camaraderie and friendship.
Beal brings The Guns of Ivrea to a deeply satisfying conclusion but has left plenty for the subsequent novel as things have been set in motion in Valdur that will need to play out further. This is a beautifully written novel. Set aside enough time to read The Guns of Ivrea straight through. You are not going to want to leave Valdur until the tale is done.
January 5, 2016
This isn't a twist on historical fantasy, such as Clifford Beal has written before - Gideon's Angel was set in Cromwell's 1650s - but more an outright fantasy with liberal application of historical detail. Beal's invented world sighs with Mediterranean glory, brimming with pirates, free cities, mythological beasties, and a religious schism just waiting to happen.
The details never weigh down the pace of the story, and it's a tale packed with set-pieces that ought to have been illustrated in a Renaissance style - the oculist at his table, the chain across Palestro's harbour, the monk at Elded's tomb, the satyr in the clearing. Not so much "gritty" as ultimately believable, in just the same way that Paul Kearney's worlds are, or those of Kate Elliott. There's even a possible nod to Edgar Rice Burroughs's Land That Time Forgot with the merfolk's sanctuary.
I'll be more than interested to see where The Witch of Torinia moves the story from here.
The details never weigh down the pace of the story, and it's a tale packed with set-pieces that ought to have been illustrated in a Renaissance style - the oculist at his table, the chain across Palestro's harbour, the monk at Elded's tomb, the satyr in the clearing. Not so much "gritty" as ultimately believable, in just the same way that Paul Kearney's worlds are, or those of Kate Elliott. There's even a possible nod to Edgar Rice Burroughs's Land That Time Forgot with the merfolk's sanctuary.
I'll be more than interested to see where The Witch of Torinia moves the story from here.
March 6, 2016
3 stars
This started out with a ton of promise, and I was really excited to settle in for a shipboard adventure. About halfway through, though, the book didn't hold my attention. I lived for the battles, both on land and at sea, but found some of the characters too flat and the religious underpinning trite and uninteresting. I will more than likely read the next book in the series to see what happens to Danamis and Stryker.
This started out with a ton of promise, and I was really excited to settle in for a shipboard adventure. About halfway through, though, the book didn't hold my attention. I lived for the battles, both on land and at sea, but found some of the characters too flat and the religious underpinning trite and uninteresting. I will more than likely read the next book in the series to see what happens to Danamis and Stryker.
April 14, 2016
This would have been a decent startup for a fantasy in the "old war among gods heating up after centuries" genre, but there's way too much sexual violence and libido for what is essentially a YA scenario, and the women are all either witches or whores--except for one who is set up as a major character and then suddenly murdered right at the end. The main religion seems kind of generic, too. Unless reviews indicate that the sequels get better, I'll skip the middle volume(s).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2018
Look I think critically I shouldn't give this four stars. I felt that characters could've been fleshed out a little more; we didn't really get to know them and so despite the constant action, it's hard to care about all of them. This is mostly a problem with the main ones though. I loved the side characters. In the case of the core three or perhaps two, considering we were often inside their heads, I don't think I truly got to learn about them nor understand them. And the vague references to the backgrounds they've come from don't really serve the story in any way beyond a very basic level. If you took the "backstory" away it would make almost no difference. That coupled with the fact that the mains are just kind of empty of emotion or personality, (for me anyway) with interactions between them and their companions bringing me to feel nothing (at least on their end, the side characters are a different story), even in what are supposed to be very intense scenes, just meant that the book fell a little flat in this regard. I guess it's all very typical fantasy formula, and believe me I love the typical fantasy formula, it's probably why I'm giving this 4 stars, but something needs to help the book stand out. And whilst this could be done through the characters in other standard fantasy, it doesn't happen here. And come to think of it, the world beyond aspects of religion needs a little more explanation. Perhaps in what life was like before the events of the story began to take place. Ok I think in this untamed rant of sorts I've finally managed to realise it's backstory that I want. The past is referenced but needs more detail. And the main characters need a bit more life too. Some of the sides on the other hand are precious to me. You aren't given much backstory from them either but they have distinct personalities that help them feel like more than just words on a page. Great. I'm tired so quickly: i loved everything else, the plot is intriguing despite being fairly go-through-the-motions, and on the occasions we are given some description of a new setting for example it's really easy to immerse oneself into the world. I was constantly drawn back to the book and got a lot of pleasure out of it, squeezing reading time into every free moment I had. I know this may sound contradictory to everything written beforehand, but I truly did have a very fun time reading this and am interested in the sequel to see if I do get the backstory I so ardently crave. I'll try for a more balanced review to properly convey why I've given this four stars in the future at some point (We all know this isn't going to happen) but at the moment it's 1:38 in the morning and I really just want to sleep. Goodnight. Read the book if you're interested.
February 18, 2016
Been a disappointing downward spiral - this reading. I was so thrilled by the whole premise and setting and the first few chapters really got hooked in.
Brother Acquel, Captain Strykar, Prince Nico, Widow Timandra - these were a bunch of characters with whom I was prepared to share the pain and the joys of victory. With some fantastical Pirate encounters out on the sea - combined with the political intrigue played out against the backdrop of an overarching questioning of one's faith & religious beliefs. The large empire of Valdur was all set to implode under the weight of all this. Everything was so perfect.
And then midway through - the story just fell under its own weight. The characters went floundering asunder, the three main protagonists got together a little too fast for my liking. And well, the characters - I just couldn't get into them! Nico remains a brash, arrogant buccaneer who is selfish and can't get his head out of his own ass to view the fate of the people who depend on him. Strykar would have made for a great character but we never really get to understand what drives him or why is he even friends with Danamis (Nico)
Acquel - now this guy I liked. A gutsy monk chosen by the hands of fate. But his character transformation into the man of faith wasn't too convincing. His story felt incomplete - and his tortured feelings for the widow Timandra unrequited. Timandra would have made for a great flawed character - a sinner who wants to wash away her past. but alas! she remains a pawn in the pacy machinations of the political hijinks that leads to some non-stop action thrills throughout the book.
That brings us to Citala. Who? That beautiful mermaid who has a fascination for the human race. And sadly unlike what the blurb will have you believe, Citala really doesn't get into the story until a bit late. and I think that was a colossal waste of a character arc.
Ultimately, the initial intrigue that built up - with the introduction of each character and the overall story-arch binding each one up into an explosive narrative - really was let down by shallow characterization, given up for the pacing and the action. I liked the novel but it could have been soo much more awesome if we had been convinced about the main guys. I might return to the Tales of Valdur but I have my reservations!
Brother Acquel, Captain Strykar, Prince Nico, Widow Timandra - these were a bunch of characters with whom I was prepared to share the pain and the joys of victory. With some fantastical Pirate encounters out on the sea - combined with the political intrigue played out against the backdrop of an overarching questioning of one's faith & religious beliefs. The large empire of Valdur was all set to implode under the weight of all this. Everything was so perfect.
And then midway through - the story just fell under its own weight. The characters went floundering asunder, the three main protagonists got together a little too fast for my liking. And well, the characters - I just couldn't get into them! Nico remains a brash, arrogant buccaneer who is selfish and can't get his head out of his own ass to view the fate of the people who depend on him. Strykar would have made for a great character but we never really get to understand what drives him or why is he even friends with Danamis (Nico)
Acquel - now this guy I liked. A gutsy monk chosen by the hands of fate. But his character transformation into the man of faith wasn't too convincing. His story felt incomplete - and his tortured feelings for the widow Timandra unrequited. Timandra would have made for a great flawed character - a sinner who wants to wash away her past. but alas! she remains a pawn in the pacy machinations of the political hijinks that leads to some non-stop action thrills throughout the book.
That brings us to Citala. Who? That beautiful mermaid who has a fascination for the human race. And sadly unlike what the blurb will have you believe, Citala really doesn't get into the story until a bit late. and I think that was a colossal waste of a character arc.
Ultimately, the initial intrigue that built up - with the introduction of each character and the overall story-arch binding each one up into an explosive narrative - really was let down by shallow characterization, given up for the pacing and the action. I liked the novel but it could have been soo much more awesome if we had been convinced about the main guys. I might return to the Tales of Valdur but I have my reservations!
March 19, 2016
That has been a book which disguised its quality in the beginning.
The cover and the description convinced me to read the book. I liked the setting, the characters and the story which seemed straight forward in the beginning. But the more I read and the more the author revealed the more interesting the story itself got. Unexpected twists and turns gave the story more depth. I thought I identified the pawns in the game and I was wrong.
Normally I'm not a fan of stories where religion plays a greater role. But here religion plays an important role and I liked how religion is involved.
The book does not end with a cliffhanger but with wide range of speculation.
In the beginning I rated the book with three stars which turned into five stars at the end.
Now I look forward to the sequel. I want to know if I guessed right or not.
The cover and the description convinced me to read the book. I liked the setting, the characters and the story which seemed straight forward in the beginning. But the more I read and the more the author revealed the more interesting the story itself got. Unexpected twists and turns gave the story more depth. I thought I identified the pawns in the game and I was wrong.
Normally I'm not a fan of stories where religion plays a greater role. But here religion plays an important role and I liked how religion is involved.
The book does not end with a cliffhanger but with wide range of speculation.
In the beginning I rated the book with three stars which turned into five stars at the end.
Now I look forward to the sequel. I want to know if I guessed right or not.
July 17, 2016
3.5 of 4 stars
http://lynns-books.com/2016/02/04/the...
The Guns of Ivrea was a very entertaining swashbuckling adventure that contained a number of genuinely unexpected surprises.
The main story is primarily one of treachery and deceit which I would say follows three main strands.
Captain Danamis enjoys the status of pirate princeling and King’s Admiral with stewardship of the port at Palestro. Years ago a unique deal was struck with the pirates and the, then, new King, Sempronius II. This is a deal whereby the pirates patrol the seas keeping other threats at bay. This is an unusual alliance that ensures the King’s waters remain relatively safe whilst at the same time providing the pirates with, not only a modest income, but also the means of making more attractive and lucrative alliances with other parties on the side. Danamis rather fell into this role when his father went missing at sea and unfortunately he’s not always the most sharply minded, usually paying more attention to his attire and his courtesans than whether conspiracies are brewing. At the start of the story he is double crossed by a long standing friend and loses almost everything.
At the same time we make the acquaintance of Acquel Galenus, one of the monks serving at the Great Temple at Livorna. Acquel is a grey robe, not yet initiated into the order and at the start of the story he makes a most unwelcome discovery that threatens to shake the foundations of the religion he serves. Acquel has not always kept to the straight and narrow and his earlier years of pickpocketing led to an ultimatum of serve the cloth or become acquainted with a small barred cell. Now on the run from his own Order Acquel needs to rely on his wits to survive as a pair of ‘seekers’ have been engaged to discover his whereabouts and silence him.
The third strand of the tale contains the merfolk. You may have picked up from the lovely cover that merfolk would be involved in this tale. For a number of years they have had an alliance with Danamis. Unfortunately this alliance is about to be shattered and would remain broken except for the intervention of Citala, daughter of the Mer chieftain. Citala has a vision for her people to regain the status and equality that they once enjoyed with humans.
Put bluntly, there’s no shortage of plot or action. We have a religious system that is about to be set in turmoil, a pirate who has lost everything and seeks not only to be reinstated but also to have his revenge, and finally the mer folk who have for many years been reviled in accordance with the faith of the land. These three strands will eventually come together and provide us with battle scenes fought out on the open seas, descriptions of dolphin drawn sea chariots, mercenaries with flashing swords and swaggering pirates.
The setting is Valdur, split into five duchies with three free cities and Perusia, the royal enclave and home to the King. Valdur is anything but a stable system and those who let down their guard or become complacent are quite likely to find themselves face down in the gutter with a piece of steel sticking out of their back. The country is held in the grip of a religious fervour and deep seated prejudices run rife – particularly towards the merfolk who have long since abandoned their close proximity to humans and now shy away from view.
The other characters who lead quite strong supporting roles are Captain Strykar who leads a band of mercenaries called the Black Rose. Based in Maresto they have long since had a profitable alliance with Danamis and are about to be sucked into his downfall. A pair of beautiful and yet coldly sinister sisters who will seek to not only discover the whereabouts of Acquel but have their own agenda and Timandra, a young widow who will become entwined in the young priest’s quest. Strangely, I would say that Strykar and probably Citala are my favourite characters at this point. Danamis, I’m waiting for him to develop a little more, I have to admit I enjoyed all his swaggering about and his unabashed enjoyment of dramatic clothing but he feels like he needs just something a little bit more to make him into a really show stopping leading man.
I enjoyed the writing with this one, it’s quite descriptive and Beal takes his time to set the scene – which might not be for everyone but I quite like detail so it suited me just fine. The nautical terms are splashed around quite liberally which I have to admit I got a kick out of and the fantasy elements of the book were quite inventive. I wouldn’t say the writing was gritty or dark but there’s no shortage of action and it’s quite busy in terms of characters – it has much more of a fantasy adventure feel to it with the underlying religious aspect playing a strong part. There were a couple of different scenes where unusual woodland critters stumbled into the adventure – and they were most unexpected. Who knew there would be a Manticore, okay, only a brief appearance but what an unusual scene!
In terms of criticisms. Well, I enjoyed this and thought it was fairly punchy but I would say it lacked that spark of humour that is sometimes such a relief in the middle of all the clashing swords. And, I wouldn’t say this was a short read but that’s not really a surprise given everything that’s packed in here. I did feel that there was a good deal of scooting across the seas in one direction to then scoot off in another fairly quickly after but in fairness the author breaks this up quite successfully by jumping between the different storylines otherwise I think that could have become quite tiresome. Also, regarding the conclusion, I had mixed feelings, I was a little bit disappointed about the death of one of the characters although clearly I’m not going to reveal who that was. I suppose I just wanted or expected more from that character and the death felt not only quickly dealt but quickly forgotten. It just gave that particular character a ‘tacked on’ feel somehow.
Only a few minor quibbles really and the final scene ends on quite a dramatic note that leaves me keen to get my hands on the next instalment!
I had a good time with this story, I wouldn’t say it breaks the mould in particular and I admit that I was predisposed to like it when I set off on my reading adventure, but it didn’t disappoint. It was a swashbuckling adventure, filled with derring do, merfolk and other unusual creatures of fantasy. It held my attention, it gave me a few surprises along the way and it ended on a good note in terms of the next instalment.
I received a copy courtesy of the publishers through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
This review first appeared at the Speculative Herald.
http://lynns-books.com/2016/02/04/the...
The Guns of Ivrea was a very entertaining swashbuckling adventure that contained a number of genuinely unexpected surprises.
The main story is primarily one of treachery and deceit which I would say follows three main strands.
Captain Danamis enjoys the status of pirate princeling and King’s Admiral with stewardship of the port at Palestro. Years ago a unique deal was struck with the pirates and the, then, new King, Sempronius II. This is a deal whereby the pirates patrol the seas keeping other threats at bay. This is an unusual alliance that ensures the King’s waters remain relatively safe whilst at the same time providing the pirates with, not only a modest income, but also the means of making more attractive and lucrative alliances with other parties on the side. Danamis rather fell into this role when his father went missing at sea and unfortunately he’s not always the most sharply minded, usually paying more attention to his attire and his courtesans than whether conspiracies are brewing. At the start of the story he is double crossed by a long standing friend and loses almost everything.
At the same time we make the acquaintance of Acquel Galenus, one of the monks serving at the Great Temple at Livorna. Acquel is a grey robe, not yet initiated into the order and at the start of the story he makes a most unwelcome discovery that threatens to shake the foundations of the religion he serves. Acquel has not always kept to the straight and narrow and his earlier years of pickpocketing led to an ultimatum of serve the cloth or become acquainted with a small barred cell. Now on the run from his own Order Acquel needs to rely on his wits to survive as a pair of ‘seekers’ have been engaged to discover his whereabouts and silence him.
The third strand of the tale contains the merfolk. You may have picked up from the lovely cover that merfolk would be involved in this tale. For a number of years they have had an alliance with Danamis. Unfortunately this alliance is about to be shattered and would remain broken except for the intervention of Citala, daughter of the Mer chieftain. Citala has a vision for her people to regain the status and equality that they once enjoyed with humans.
Put bluntly, there’s no shortage of plot or action. We have a religious system that is about to be set in turmoil, a pirate who has lost everything and seeks not only to be reinstated but also to have his revenge, and finally the mer folk who have for many years been reviled in accordance with the faith of the land. These three strands will eventually come together and provide us with battle scenes fought out on the open seas, descriptions of dolphin drawn sea chariots, mercenaries with flashing swords and swaggering pirates.
The setting is Valdur, split into five duchies with three free cities and Perusia, the royal enclave and home to the King. Valdur is anything but a stable system and those who let down their guard or become complacent are quite likely to find themselves face down in the gutter with a piece of steel sticking out of their back. The country is held in the grip of a religious fervour and deep seated prejudices run rife – particularly towards the merfolk who have long since abandoned their close proximity to humans and now shy away from view.
The other characters who lead quite strong supporting roles are Captain Strykar who leads a band of mercenaries called the Black Rose. Based in Maresto they have long since had a profitable alliance with Danamis and are about to be sucked into his downfall. A pair of beautiful and yet coldly sinister sisters who will seek to not only discover the whereabouts of Acquel but have their own agenda and Timandra, a young widow who will become entwined in the young priest’s quest. Strangely, I would say that Strykar and probably Citala are my favourite characters at this point. Danamis, I’m waiting for him to develop a little more, I have to admit I enjoyed all his swaggering about and his unabashed enjoyment of dramatic clothing but he feels like he needs just something a little bit more to make him into a really show stopping leading man.
I enjoyed the writing with this one, it’s quite descriptive and Beal takes his time to set the scene – which might not be for everyone but I quite like detail so it suited me just fine. The nautical terms are splashed around quite liberally which I have to admit I got a kick out of and the fantasy elements of the book were quite inventive. I wouldn’t say the writing was gritty or dark but there’s no shortage of action and it’s quite busy in terms of characters – it has much more of a fantasy adventure feel to it with the underlying religious aspect playing a strong part. There were a couple of different scenes where unusual woodland critters stumbled into the adventure – and they were most unexpected. Who knew there would be a Manticore, okay, only a brief appearance but what an unusual scene!
In terms of criticisms. Well, I enjoyed this and thought it was fairly punchy but I would say it lacked that spark of humour that is sometimes such a relief in the middle of all the clashing swords. And, I wouldn’t say this was a short read but that’s not really a surprise given everything that’s packed in here. I did feel that there was a good deal of scooting across the seas in one direction to then scoot off in another fairly quickly after but in fairness the author breaks this up quite successfully by jumping between the different storylines otherwise I think that could have become quite tiresome. Also, regarding the conclusion, I had mixed feelings, I was a little bit disappointed about the death of one of the characters although clearly I’m not going to reveal who that was. I suppose I just wanted or expected more from that character and the death felt not only quickly dealt but quickly forgotten. It just gave that particular character a ‘tacked on’ feel somehow.
Only a few minor quibbles really and the final scene ends on quite a dramatic note that leaves me keen to get my hands on the next instalment!
I had a good time with this story, I wouldn’t say it breaks the mould in particular and I admit that I was predisposed to like it when I set off on my reading adventure, but it didn’t disappoint. It was a swashbuckling adventure, filled with derring do, merfolk and other unusual creatures of fantasy. It held my attention, it gave me a few surprises along the way and it ended on a good note in terms of the next instalment.
I received a copy courtesy of the publishers through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
This review first appeared at the Speculative Herald.
March 14, 2017
I'm surprised by the criticism of those who rated this very entertaining and clever novel so low. The 'sexual overtones' must have been in an earlier edition just like the repetitiveness. The only issues I had with this book was a plethora of nautical terms I was unfamiliar with - but that is my shortcoming (since even my Kindle failed me on some of them, I do not feel too bad about it.)
The pacing is good, the characters are interesting and well rounded, the story arch was well constructed and the book overall very well written. It was clearly written with a sequel in mind, but the story as such is complete - as opposed to an increasing number of novels that appear to have been cut into smaller pieces so the book can be sold in 3-4 pieces (at increasingly higher prices).
I'm quite looking forward to the next book in the series.
The pacing is good, the characters are interesting and well rounded, the story arch was well constructed and the book overall very well written. It was clearly written with a sequel in mind, but the story as such is complete - as opposed to an increasing number of novels that appear to have been cut into smaller pieces so the book can be sold in 3-4 pieces (at increasingly higher prices).
I'm quite looking forward to the next book in the series.
June 17, 2016
First off, this is going to be a scathing review since I had to force myself to finish the last fifty pages.
Alright, so this book started out alright. Not great, but not anything worse than what I usually read. The naming wasn't exactly creative or subtle with names like "Tetch" for a pirate, "della Rovera" for a church chick (I'm guessing that Beal is a Borgia or Medici fan?), or a foppish guy named Danamis, but again, I've read more egregious ripoffs, so it wasn't a deal breaker. Also, I'm not going to lie, it was the second name's obvious resemblance to a certain other womanizing swordsman that kept me reading even when I knew the book was turning for the worse.
And then did it ever get worse.
I knew there would be trouble once mer people showed up, and their women just happen to look basically human except tres hot. (Subjectively, since I think flat noses are just hideously unattractive). Of course such merladies were going to be wanted by everything male that crossed their path. A clue? That is exactly what happens.
Then there's the obvious references and parallels from Italian history, but while I usually love references, these were so obvious eight year-olds should pick them up. It's not clever to take basic history and shove it into parts of your weird fantasy novel. I've seen historically inaccurate works which put more effort into their research, and from what I've read, this author is a historical fiction writer. For shame.
And the Catholic Church? Oh, sorry, the One True Faith. Yeah, real subtle there, and how all of the older religions were demon-worshipping puppy kicking religions. Smooth.
But it only continued to get worse. About thirty pages from the end the original antagonist showed up, and I realized I had literally forgot about him because he hadn't done anything in at least one hundred pages. But still, even worse: "...like an eagle, his claws firmly gripping his prey." Um, firstly, don't write that ever. I had a literal physical reaction to how much I hated that simile. (Please avoid similes). But if you were going to, it's talons not claws.
And the character development was fantastic. Wait, no, characters just did things that didn't seem to fit with their earlier attitudes or motivations.
So, the only reason I'm giving this two instead of one stars is because shockingly I kind of thought the first quarter or so of the book wasn't bad. Still, I would rather recommend piercing your eyelids rather than reading this book.
Alright, so this book started out alright. Not great, but not anything worse than what I usually read. The naming wasn't exactly creative or subtle with names like "Tetch" for a pirate, "della Rovera" for a church chick (I'm guessing that Beal is a Borgia or Medici fan?), or a foppish guy named Danamis, but again, I've read more egregious ripoffs, so it wasn't a deal breaker. Also, I'm not going to lie, it was the second name's obvious resemblance to a certain other womanizing swordsman that kept me reading even when I knew the book was turning for the worse.
And then did it ever get worse.
I knew there would be trouble once mer people showed up, and their women just happen to look basically human except tres hot. (Subjectively, since I think flat noses are just hideously unattractive). Of course such merladies were going to be wanted by everything male that crossed their path. A clue? That is exactly what happens.
Then there's the obvious references and parallels from Italian history, but while I usually love references, these were so obvious eight year-olds should pick them up. It's not clever to take basic history and shove it into parts of your weird fantasy novel. I've seen historically inaccurate works which put more effort into their research, and from what I've read, this author is a historical fiction writer. For shame.
And the Catholic Church? Oh, sorry, the One True Faith. Yeah, real subtle there, and how all of the older religions were demon-worshipping puppy kicking religions. Smooth.
But it only continued to get worse. About thirty pages from the end the original antagonist showed up, and I realized I had literally forgot about him because he hadn't done anything in at least one hundred pages. But still, even worse: "...like an eagle, his claws firmly gripping his prey." Um, firstly, don't write that ever. I had a literal physical reaction to how much I hated that simile. (Please avoid similes). But if you were going to, it's talons not claws.
And the character development was fantastic. Wait, no, characters just did things that didn't seem to fit with their earlier attitudes or motivations.
So, the only reason I'm giving this two instead of one stars is because shockingly I kind of thought the first quarter or so of the book wasn't bad. Still, I would rather recommend piercing your eyelids rather than reading this book.
February 27, 2017
I wanted to like it, as the premise seemed interesting, but then I started reading and only made it as far as chapter 8, at which point I was tired of cringing at and being bored by the writing.
When it comes to characters, their personalities are relayed by dictation rather than action, behavior, or speech, and all the dictated personality is both predictable and cliché. With one exception, only the women receive any kind of description, and all of them are some form of perfect, with various male characters all agog over them, as if they'd never seen women before or had just hit puberty (even though most of the male characters are well past). Combine all this and it becomes tiresome and makes it impossible to actually care about, never mind relate to, any of them.
The plot gets off to a decent start, with the opening chapter following Acquel's misadventure in the tome, but it quickly loses steam from there, jumping to different characters every chapter. It's not difficult to follow the time line, but if it weren't for the half page or more spent describing setting, it wouldn't always be possible to know what character is being followed because none of them have distinct personality.
But the writing? The writing is what really turned me off to finishing this. It's purely functional, no lyricism or word play to be seen anywhere to make it memorable or engaging. The random "fuck" and "goddamn" strewn throughout the dialogue doesn't help this problem, as it seems to come up right when immersion finally, tortuously starts to happen, throwing you out once again because neither lines up with the setting.
I suppose if you enjoy Dan Brown, you could get into this, but me? I'll go for something with more linguistic depth and personality.
When it comes to characters, their personalities are relayed by dictation rather than action, behavior, or speech, and all the dictated personality is both predictable and cliché. With one exception, only the women receive any kind of description, and all of them are some form of perfect, with various male characters all agog over them, as if they'd never seen women before or had just hit puberty (even though most of the male characters are well past). Combine all this and it becomes tiresome and makes it impossible to actually care about, never mind relate to, any of them.
The plot gets off to a decent start, with the opening chapter following Acquel's misadventure in the tome, but it quickly loses steam from there, jumping to different characters every chapter. It's not difficult to follow the time line, but if it weren't for the half page or more spent describing setting, it wouldn't always be possible to know what character is being followed because none of them have distinct personality.
But the writing? The writing is what really turned me off to finishing this. It's purely functional, no lyricism or word play to be seen anywhere to make it memorable or engaging. The random "fuck" and "goddamn" strewn throughout the dialogue doesn't help this problem, as it seems to come up right when immersion finally, tortuously starts to happen, throwing you out once again because neither lines up with the setting.
I suppose if you enjoy Dan Brown, you could get into this, but me? I'll go for something with more linguistic depth and personality.
April 17, 2016
*Sigh* The hook seemed like a good one - Pirates, mermaids, and magic? Immediately puts one in mind of such saucy tales as Tim Powers' "On Stranger Tides". There is a marked dearth of new, good pirate tales, so bring it on. Sadly, The Guns of Ivrea just doesn't deliver. It's a laudable, sincere piece of writing, and Beal obviously takes his subject matter very seriously. There's plenty of detail and description of the clothing, the food, the weapons and ships (though sadly not enough when it comes to the magical elements and creatures with which some casual readers might not be familiar). But there's nothing beneath this studiously rendered world build in which to invest any emotion. The characters are all one dimensional stereotypes without any memorable traits or foibles, and none of our "heroes" are ever in any palpable danger. One knows from the beginning how things are likely to turn out for Captain Stryker and Admiral Danamis, and Brother Acquel. Even when a "significant" character is killed, it doesn't elicit a single tear or, really, anything other than an "oh well" from the reader. And the action sequences fall far short of creating any type of page-turning excitement. And by the way, other than the fact that they get around on ships, there's precious little about any of our cast to call them "pirates". It's too bad, because one get's the distinct impression that Beal truly loves his world. But I'll stick with a reread of Treasure Island rather than following the series any further.
December 7, 2016
The Guns of Ivrea, book one of the Tales of Valdur, brings to us an epic, swashbuckling adventure that will leave you desperate for more. Acquel is a young monk serving at the temple of Livorna, soon forced to flee for his life when he and his brothers discover something that could mean the end of the faith or a reformation of epic proportions. Nico Danamis, the son of a pirate and the admiral of the kings fleet in Palestro, is soon chased out by a mutiny led by those he trusted the most, and Captain Strykar, leader of the Black Rose mercenary group will soon be set on a path of military and political intrigue as they eventually band together to stop a darkness long thought extinct. Joined by a mermaid princess desperate for her people's salvation, they will travel across the known world in their search for answers and justice. As their course is set, it soon becomes apparent that failure is not an option, and that great sacrifice may be called for if any are to survive the coming storm.
Clifford Bael shows his true colors by creating a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling. From the moment I opened the book, I was swept up in the trials and adventures of our heroes. The book is well written from start to finish and ends on a tremendous cliffhanger, leaving you excited for the next in the series. I will certainly be getting my hands on it at the first opportunity.
Clifford Bael shows his true colors by creating a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling. From the moment I opened the book, I was swept up in the trials and adventures of our heroes. The book is well written from start to finish and ends on a tremendous cliffhanger, leaving you excited for the next in the series. I will certainly be getting my hands on it at the first opportunity.
March 9, 2016
The Guns of Ivrea is Clifford Beale’s first foray into fantasy having previously published historical fiction and a pretty good job he’s made of it. The setting of island kingdom of Valdur is strongly reminiscent of 15th Century Italy (I’m seeing Sicily in my mind’s eye) and has pirates, mercenary companies, corrupt priests, ancient malevolent gods and merfolk. What more do you want? The world and characters are well constructed and believable. The story, told through multiple points of view, is admirably taut; there is always something to keep you turning the page.
So why not 5 stars? I would have liked to see more of the merfolk earlier in the story, and more exploration of the backstory of Danamis, the pirate captain and Captain Stykar the mercenary. The final chapters seemed a bit rushed too. But these are really minor quibbles about a very enjoyable book.
So why not 5 stars? I would have liked to see more of the merfolk earlier in the story, and more exploration of the backstory of Danamis, the pirate captain and Captain Stykar the mercenary. The final chapters seemed a bit rushed too. But these are really minor quibbles about a very enjoyable book.
October 30, 2016
A young monk discovers his religion is based on lies, gets framed for murder and goes on the run. A dashing captain falls for a mermaid princess and enlists her people in the fight against his treacherous uncle who leads a mutinous fleet against him... This well-wrought fantasy adventure is brimming with detail - the ship scenes are particularly rich with nautical terms and the moments of action are excitingly depicted. It feels very much like a First Instalment, especially toward the end when the pages are running out but there's still a lot yet to happen.
May 24, 2016
A late medieval world with a vaguely Mediterranean feel is the backdrop for this story featuring pirate princes and reforming monks (shades of Luther!). Being fantasy of course, the evil bad guys are really nasty, human sacrifice anyone? Thankfully they don't get much stage time. And to add a bit of racial tension there are the Mer people of the seas. This is book 1 which is only noted on the flyleaf and not on the cover, bad, naughty publisher! Luckily it doesn't end on a cliffhanger.
February 23, 2016
A great read! Pirates, Mere-folk and a lost religion. This story has a entertaining story that leaves you guessing and great lead characters. It has the right balance of action & intrigue. A monk - who might be the new messenger of a old religion. A pirate who's kingdom is in Jeopardy. A mere-princess who's people are enslaved by a vice and are slowing dying out.....
April 12, 2016
Bit slow to start with then picked up nicely. All in all a good read.
started_finish_later
March 14, 2016writing did not work for me so I couldn't muster any interest after trying various pages and reading the ending just in case it hooked me (and it didn't)
May 17, 2017
This is a great romp for those who love tales of pirates, coupled with magic. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
August 26, 2016
this was such a fun book! lots of adventure and a great storyline.
July 24, 2016
I enjoyed this story. interesting world. there was a set-up for sequels but the main plot lines resolved fully. NOT a cliff-hanger, thanks!
August 15, 2018
DNF 41%
This is possibly the worst written book I have ever read. I'm not exaggerating. I really didn't want to give up but it was just painful to read.
For starters the battle scenes are just incredibly tedious. Every single thing that happens is described in specific detail to the point where I neither remember or care whats going on. And there's so many of them. It's just one battle after the other and you can't even tell what the point of them is. And in fact there is just far too much description in general. There is more description than plot. 'm not joking.
Then there's the sentences that make no grammatical sense, for example "I must needs speak with you." I'm sorry what? Is that supposed to make sense? That's not the only time there's something like that. It's really jarring to be reading a book and have to read the same paragraph over and over again because it's more a random series of words than a story.
Moving on from the way its written there are problems with whats written as well. In the book there are a race of sea creatures called the mer. I am going to quote here the description of a male mer:
"He was blue grey, the colour of death itself, and he towered over Danamis, nearly seven feet if not an inch. He was naked except for a loincloth made from some strange brown fabric that looked like fine glove leather. His skin was smooth and shiny like the dolphins that bore them, and not scaled like that of a fish; it fair bulged with sinews and muscle, for these creatures were unaturally strong and powerful. Behind him four more long fingered and webbed hands reached up over the railing. His companions clambered aboard... They were hideous to behold. Eyes that were somewhat larger than a man's, almost like a sheep's, a flattened nose and a mouth that was wide and nearly lipless, they resembled some monstrous frog. They had small rounded ears and even something upon their heads resembling hair but which was not as men had."
So, monstrous fish people, bearing only the vaguest resemblance to humans. I imagine the female mer should be similar, what with being the same species. Lets take a look:
"She was nearly naked, only her loins covered in the same fashion as the others. Her breasts, pointed and firm, were bared to the world and the hundred men who watched, unsure whether to be repulsed or aroused. Mermaids were certainly the comelier of their kind. Blue grey as the menfolk but not as tall, her features were far gentler, eyes more human-almost violet; a nose and dark lips where men had almost none, and long tresses of white-blonde hair."
So nothing like male mer. Not sea monsters. Sexy blue ladies. I don't really know what to say except to just sigh. If you want to have monstrous sea creatures, have monstrous sea creatures. If you want gorgeous and attractive mer people, have gorgeous and attractive mer people. Don't try and have both because it just doesn't make sense.
That was Citala by the way. You know, the mer lady mentioned on the back of the book as one of the three main characters. I hope that description was enough for you because that is in chapter two and aside from in a sexy dream she doesn't appear again until the end of chapter 15, and then only in a paragraph about as long as the description of the men.
The plot seems okay, its just very slow. Very very slow. I was 41% of the way through when i stopped and all that happened was the monk Acquel found something in a tomb and was going to be killed for it so ran away, the pirate guy Danamis traded with the mer and it went wrong and people stole his stuff, they met up, and a guy from the monastery sends some people to find Acquel (specifically, Lucinda and her twin sister Lavinia, not to be confused with the city Livorna). 41% of the way through a nearly 500 page book and we are still on the set up. What the hell? There has been no mention of Ivrea despite it being the title of the book. Barely two appearances of what should be a main character. At this point there is pretty much nothing the blurb doesn't tell you. In fact, in Citala's case, the blurb actually has more information than the book does at nearly halfway through. The plot is going nowhere because it is all description.
There's also a character called Strykar and it makes me cringe every time he shows up.
This is possibly the worst written book I have ever read. I'm not exaggerating. I really didn't want to give up but it was just painful to read.
For starters the battle scenes are just incredibly tedious. Every single thing that happens is described in specific detail to the point where I neither remember or care whats going on. And there's so many of them. It's just one battle after the other and you can't even tell what the point of them is. And in fact there is just far too much description in general. There is more description than plot. 'm not joking.
Then there's the sentences that make no grammatical sense, for example "I must needs speak with you." I'm sorry what? Is that supposed to make sense? That's not the only time there's something like that. It's really jarring to be reading a book and have to read the same paragraph over and over again because it's more a random series of words than a story.
Moving on from the way its written there are problems with whats written as well. In the book there are a race of sea creatures called the mer. I am going to quote here the description of a male mer:
"He was blue grey, the colour of death itself, and he towered over Danamis, nearly seven feet if not an inch. He was naked except for a loincloth made from some strange brown fabric that looked like fine glove leather. His skin was smooth and shiny like the dolphins that bore them, and not scaled like that of a fish; it fair bulged with sinews and muscle, for these creatures were unaturally strong and powerful. Behind him four more long fingered and webbed hands reached up over the railing. His companions clambered aboard... They were hideous to behold. Eyes that were somewhat larger than a man's, almost like a sheep's, a flattened nose and a mouth that was wide and nearly lipless, they resembled some monstrous frog. They had small rounded ears and even something upon their heads resembling hair but which was not as men had."
So, monstrous fish people, bearing only the vaguest resemblance to humans. I imagine the female mer should be similar, what with being the same species. Lets take a look:
"She was nearly naked, only her loins covered in the same fashion as the others. Her breasts, pointed and firm, were bared to the world and the hundred men who watched, unsure whether to be repulsed or aroused. Mermaids were certainly the comelier of their kind. Blue grey as the menfolk but not as tall, her features were far gentler, eyes more human-almost violet; a nose and dark lips where men had almost none, and long tresses of white-blonde hair."
So nothing like male mer. Not sea monsters. Sexy blue ladies. I don't really know what to say except to just sigh. If you want to have monstrous sea creatures, have monstrous sea creatures. If you want gorgeous and attractive mer people, have gorgeous and attractive mer people. Don't try and have both because it just doesn't make sense.
That was Citala by the way. You know, the mer lady mentioned on the back of the book as one of the three main characters. I hope that description was enough for you because that is in chapter two and aside from in a sexy dream she doesn't appear again until the end of chapter 15, and then only in a paragraph about as long as the description of the men.
The plot seems okay, its just very slow. Very very slow. I was 41% of the way through when i stopped and all that happened was the monk Acquel found something in a tomb and was going to be killed for it so ran away, the pirate guy Danamis traded with the mer and it went wrong and people stole his stuff, they met up, and a guy from the monastery sends some people to find Acquel (specifically, Lucinda and her twin sister Lavinia, not to be confused with the city Livorna). 41% of the way through a nearly 500 page book and we are still on the set up. What the hell? There has been no mention of Ivrea despite it being the title of the book. Barely two appearances of what should be a main character. At this point there is pretty much nothing the blurb doesn't tell you. In fact, in Citala's case, the blurb actually has more information than the book does at nearly halfway through. The plot is going nowhere because it is all description.
There's also a character called Strykar and it makes me cringe every time he shows up.
November 7, 2022
This book was a bit of a random pick at the library. As per my usual, I tend to be suspicious of books with interesting covers and intriguing synopsis, so I began reading it cautiously. With surprise, I ended up enjoying the story and although it's definitely not what I'd call a must read I can safely recommend it to anyone up for an easy fantasy.
It all unfolds with a double plot and thus two different protagonists whose story eventually gets tied up later on in the book. This might appear annoying to some, because the focus sometimes get lost within all the jumps but it is presented surprisingly lightly. Also, I personally liked both the character (alleluia!) so that everything flowed rather smoothly for me.
The character the story opens with is a novice priest who happens not to be, as most cases of improbable heroes want, exactly in tune with the unfolding of his own life. Previously a scoundrel and a thief, he wore a tunic more to end his misery than on actual faith call. Genuine in his partly coward behaviours and definitely representative of the saying "old habits die hard". And, as it's to expect, this is the very kick to his journey. Only one bad thing here — it happens to fall into a romance which is not something I was enthusiastic about because it came out too out of the blue, almost forced (I saw it coming from the very beginning and I was already scared). There was so much room for action and other endeavours but a romance wasn't one of these — too little time spent between the two parties in the actual background and too little materia for a love to spark, in my opinion, and it's something I see too often in latest novels. Anyway, I suppose this could also be untrue for other readers so, as always, I recommend taking this statement with a grain of salt.
The second character is a well established ship captain who gets betrayed by one of his mates. From there, the struggles of regaining reputation, wealth and, most certainly, pursuing his revenge. There's a love story here as well but fortunately it makes sense in this case, and it opens the path for a marine world that makes up for the many holes in the story. I just wish the author spent more time around merfolks instead of wasting time with other things.
In summary, both characters have plenty of edges to smooth during the pages which is something I really appreciate in a book. Perfect characters that pretend to be off on a quest for evolution are just the worst and as useless as a fork without teeth.
With this book I am in a situation completely different from what I'm used to. If I generally profoundly dislike the protagonists and adore the antagonists, here I'm pointing a nasty finger against the villain twins who result very poorly drawn and rushed into a situation where they should absolutely dominate but they don't and I'm not even sure why. I suspect the author got a glimpse of how overpowered these girls were and decided to throw some pale semblance of an obstacle midway just to contain the mess but it didn't go well at all. Also, they're not intelligent enough to deal with the majestic plans they're scheming in the story and the moments dedicated to them amidst the chapters is terribly boring. I'm expecting more of this in the book that follows but hopefully there'll be more action to suppress the simplicity of this wanna-be villain.
As per the scenes, it's all very much inspired by the Renaissance Italy, something very hard to dislike. The little city where most of the piratey stuff sees the light reminds under many aspects of the southern Italian shores with splashes of Venetian kicks here and there. It was all rather vivid and well put together so only praises from me here.
To wrap up, I recommend the book but I would take into account there will be times where the nose will inevitably turn up and these times can only be stepped over if there's enough will to go through them for the sake of pretty descriptions, pirate love and Italian vibes fancy.
It all unfolds with a double plot and thus two different protagonists whose story eventually gets tied up later on in the book. This might appear annoying to some, because the focus sometimes get lost within all the jumps but it is presented surprisingly lightly. Also, I personally liked both the character (alleluia!) so that everything flowed rather smoothly for me.
The character the story opens with is a novice priest who happens not to be, as most cases of improbable heroes want, exactly in tune with the unfolding of his own life. Previously a scoundrel and a thief, he wore a tunic more to end his misery than on actual faith call. Genuine in his partly coward behaviours and definitely representative of the saying "old habits die hard". And, as it's to expect, this is the very kick to his journey. Only one bad thing here — it happens to fall into a romance which is not something I was enthusiastic about because it came out too out of the blue, almost forced (I saw it coming from the very beginning and I was already scared). There was so much room for action and other endeavours but a romance wasn't one of these — too little time spent between the two parties in the actual background and too little materia for a love to spark, in my opinion, and it's something I see too often in latest novels. Anyway, I suppose this could also be untrue for other readers so, as always, I recommend taking this statement with a grain of salt.
The second character is a well established ship captain who gets betrayed by one of his mates. From there, the struggles of regaining reputation, wealth and, most certainly, pursuing his revenge. There's a love story here as well but fortunately it makes sense in this case, and it opens the path for a marine world that makes up for the many holes in the story. I just wish the author spent more time around merfolks instead of wasting time with other things.
In summary, both characters have plenty of edges to smooth during the pages which is something I really appreciate in a book. Perfect characters that pretend to be off on a quest for evolution are just the worst and as useless as a fork without teeth.
With this book I am in a situation completely different from what I'm used to. If I generally profoundly dislike the protagonists and adore the antagonists, here I'm pointing a nasty finger against the villain twins who result very poorly drawn and rushed into a situation where they should absolutely dominate but they don't and I'm not even sure why. I suspect the author got a glimpse of how overpowered these girls were and decided to throw some pale semblance of an obstacle midway just to contain the mess but it didn't go well at all. Also, they're not intelligent enough to deal with the majestic plans they're scheming in the story and the moments dedicated to them amidst the chapters is terribly boring. I'm expecting more of this in the book that follows but hopefully there'll be more action to suppress the simplicity of this wanna-be villain.
As per the scenes, it's all very much inspired by the Renaissance Italy, something very hard to dislike. The little city where most of the piratey stuff sees the light reminds under many aspects of the southern Italian shores with splashes of Venetian kicks here and there. It was all rather vivid and well put together so only praises from me here.
To wrap up, I recommend the book but I would take into account there will be times where the nose will inevitably turn up and these times can only be stepped over if there's enough will to go through them for the sake of pretty descriptions, pirate love and Italian vibes fancy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2018
I don't really think this one was for me. I found it... okay. It's alright.
I like the world, a decentralised island kingdom made up of squabbling duchies and free cities with a sort of Renaissance vibe to it. And I thought Acquel's storyline was pretty engaging, especially the ending. I thought the two creepy sisters were kind of interesting, and in particular liked how more information about them was revealed as the story progressed.
I didn't really like the writing style. It feels very distant, making it difficult to relate to many of the characters and care about what happened to them. Also, while much of the description was vivid, there was lots of pointing out unnecessary details. The pacing is uneven, with a slow, unengaging middle of the book. I didn't like Danamis' story. I never felt like the odds were really against him. I never cared much for his relationship with his opponent, a man who gets little development. Compared to Acquel's storyline, itself merely competant, Danamis' story felt like filler.
Also I found it odd how the mermen were ugly and fishlike while the mermaids were much more conventionally attractive. And also walked around bare chested. One of the characters does form a romance with one of them, but it's no 'Shape of Water' being rushed and underdeveloped.
That's not to say there's nothing to like. My personal favourite moment is the bit with the manticore. Not only is it a pretty cool scene, but it provides Timandra (I think that was her name.) with the most character development she gets in the whole book.
I suspect I'm being too harsh with this one. I struggled to stay focused while reading it, and that might have shaped my opinion somewhat. But I feel no particular desire to reread it and form a more nuanced view of it anytime soon. I would recommend anyone reading this to check out the positive reviews as well for a more balanced and perhaps more accurate summary of its strengths and weaknesses.
I like the world, a decentralised island kingdom made up of squabbling duchies and free cities with a sort of Renaissance vibe to it. And I thought Acquel's storyline was pretty engaging, especially the ending. I thought the two creepy sisters were kind of interesting, and in particular liked how more information about them was revealed as the story progressed.
I didn't really like the writing style. It feels very distant, making it difficult to relate to many of the characters and care about what happened to them. Also, while much of the description was vivid, there was lots of pointing out unnecessary details. The pacing is uneven, with a slow, unengaging middle of the book. I didn't like Danamis' story. I never felt like the odds were really against him. I never cared much for his relationship with his opponent, a man who gets little development. Compared to Acquel's storyline, itself merely competant, Danamis' story felt like filler.
Also I found it odd how the mermen were ugly and fishlike while the mermaids were much more conventionally attractive. And also walked around bare chested. One of the characters does form a romance with one of them, but it's no 'Shape of Water' being rushed and underdeveloped.
That's not to say there's nothing to like. My personal favourite moment is the bit with the manticore. Not only is it a pretty cool scene, but it provides Timandra (I think that was her name.) with the most character development she gets in the whole book.
I suspect I'm being too harsh with this one. I struggled to stay focused while reading it, and that might have shaped my opinion somewhat. But I feel no particular desire to reread it and form a more nuanced view of it anytime soon. I would recommend anyone reading this to check out the positive reviews as well for a more balanced and perhaps more accurate summary of its strengths and weaknesses.
April 24, 2018
Good characters
I'd give this story three and a half stars. While I found the story average, I think the characters were written very well. I found the main characters relatable and interesting, you also get a few monsters/ wild animals( Mabey a few merfolk).
I'd give this story three and a half stars. While I found the story average, I think the characters were written very well. I found the main characters relatable and interesting, you also get a few monsters/ wild animals( Mabey a few merfolk).
September 16, 2018
I had to take some time away from this well written book to gather my thoughts.
Firstly, the great. The premise as a whole was very strong. A church with a lie at it's heart, corruption, avarice and pirates. What's not to love? Also how mere-people were described and their interaction with humans was unique. The main heroes were flawed a but likeable and the villains ominous without straying into unintentional parody.
However, there are a couple of detractors which could not be swept under the carpet by the admittedly excellent prose. The role of work in the book. The first description of the mere people is very different I'm style from the female to the male mere people. I felt the description of breasts unnecessary and abrupt which jarred me out of the story and took a while to get back into from there.
Next (and here comes a spoiler) there is a rape scene used as plot development which is a pet peeve. This scene also felt much more graphic than some of the fight scenes. The purpose seemed to be to show the limitations of the mind control abilities of the woman in question as well as showing the other magic at work.
I qualify this as a detractor not because of the existence of a rape scene, as well done or in a more violent book they sent context or plot. While this was the intention here it felt out of place in the general tone of the book, which didn't feel gritty elsewhere.
Overall this is a very well written book only brought down for me by pitfalls in the handling of women in the story, which is systematic in some of the genre's tropes and a personal opinion of mind. I would recommend this book and will be looking out for the next I the series as the plot and premise for me outweighed any negatives.
Firstly, the great. The premise as a whole was very strong. A church with a lie at it's heart, corruption, avarice and pirates. What's not to love? Also how mere-people were described and their interaction with humans was unique. The main heroes were flawed a but likeable and the villains ominous without straying into unintentional parody.
However, there are a couple of detractors which could not be swept under the carpet by the admittedly excellent prose. The role of work in the book. The first description of the mere people is very different I'm style from the female to the male mere people. I felt the description of breasts unnecessary and abrupt which jarred me out of the story and took a while to get back into from there.
Next (and here comes a spoiler) there is a rape scene used as plot development which is a pet peeve. This scene also felt much more graphic than some of the fight scenes. The purpose seemed to be to show the limitations of the mind control abilities of the woman in question as well as showing the other magic at work.
I qualify this as a detractor not because of the existence of a rape scene, as well done or in a more violent book they sent context or plot. While this was the intention here it felt out of place in the general tone of the book, which didn't feel gritty elsewhere.
Overall this is a very well written book only brought down for me by pitfalls in the handling of women in the story, which is systematic in some of the genre's tropes and a personal opinion of mind. I would recommend this book and will be looking out for the next I the series as the plot and premise for me outweighed any negatives.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews