Review: Epic fantasy with many layers!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 31, 2011
This newly released epic fantasy by Moses Siregar III takes the novella of this same name and expands it to a full-length novel. And what well executed expansion it is! The author does a fantastic job really fleshing out the culture of each tribe, and the personalities of the important players. As a result, my sympathies didn't fall squarely on one side or the other. In fact, I was conflicted about who should win this war, and that really added to my investment in this story. I was no longer just a reader, I was involved.With well-defined main characters, I was really able to feel I knew them through their actions and thoughts as well as their words. Inside each of them rested both positive and negative qualities, rounding them out to make them realistic and whole. In each of the main characters, I saw growth as some emerged as more than they seemed and others diminished in my eyes. There were quite a few unexpected events in this book. I loved that I couldn't predict anything, and I read in disbelief as unexpected things happened. The ending felt very complete in itself, and it left me anxious to discover where we were headed in the next book. This book was not what I would call religious, but the very core of the the conflict between the two tribes of people involved spirituality of a sort The epic war waged in the story resembled any number of wars battled in our own history for similar reasons. Diverse beliefs are the ultimate battleground, and this book does a good job of making it clear that "right" is perhaps not always easy to discern.As with the novella, this book is well-written and the pacing is excellent. Although the beginning felt a bit slow, I was quickly engaged in the adventure. The number of characters could be overwhelming at times, however, and sometimes I lost track of the more minor characters. The chapters are each given titles, but in a tale that alternates between two different groups of people, headers on each chapter to indicate to the reader which tribe each chapter is about would have gone a long way towards helping me quickly distinguish the setting. The author uses italics to show the thoughts of many of the main characters throughout the book, and some were placed in such a way that caused me to question who was thinking. Small points, but clarification in these two areas would have made less work for the reader.I can't stop thinking about the characters and their journeys. I find myself contemplating the messages that were delivered (whether overtly or veiled). Overall, I find I really can't stop thinking about this story. Unforgettable story, intriguing characters, compelling journey with unexpected twists- in short, a very satisfying and engaging read. Isn't that why we read for pleasure?Full review @ GraceKrispy's MotherLode blog