Vincent Darlage’s Reviews > To Walk on Worlds > Status Update

"A Final Errand" - I really liked the twist in this story. And the description on the top of page 159 was masterful. The change in character for Maxus is a little unexpected, but since he does respect Lachmannon, that makes the difference. Lachmannon is still argumentative even when he doesn’t need to be (especially when he doesn’t need to be), which continues to amuse the heck out of me.

“Cries from a Sleeping City” is the fifth story. Lachmannon is back! Good story. A little crude in places, but I liked it nonetheless.

"The Gift of Gallah" is next. This story was just hard to get into, hard to visualize, and hard to care. I had no reason to care for anyone in this story. None of the characters were likeable or entertaining.

“The Circle” is the third story. This one has an excellent start. A man is being hunted and he is almost out of ammo and is missing a boot. Already I feel the stakes. I feel his pain. I feel his panic.

This story was a gift. I loved it. I’m not going to detail its plot at all. Read it. I liked this one a lot. It’s haunting, and I think this one will stick with me for a while.

All in all, "A Simple Errand" was a good story. I liked it. I love how the author captures a character’s personality so well in just a few pages. This is a real writing strength. He’s not afraid to make the character’s strengths to be flaws in equal measure. The ending was exciting and mystifying. It really felt like swords & sorcery. It had compelling characters and a great otherworldly atmosphere.

All in all, I like how Maxus is set up. I am presuming he is the villain of the book, since he’s a manipulating bully, with all the psychological faults of a bully.