Review: Epic story, above and below the waves.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2013
Epic story, above and below the waves.This is a complex tale that begins with Aart, a Dutch fisherman finding an ancient jawbone that scientist Dirck believes could come from Atlantis. When he and his assistant Gemma go missing, they stumble cross a magical world that draws them into a battle between mythological creatures, oil drilling companies and gods and goddesses craving the power of the necklace Brisingamen.It works well as an episodic fantasy story, and fans of the genre will really enjoy it. It has all the elements to keep readers happy, dwarves, dragons, magic, even some sex, so something for everyone.However, I found the style of this novel hard to get into. There are rapid shifts in time and location and each chapter transports us into another place, real or magical, where more characters appear. I found it difficult to keep up with the plot because of this, and the constant leaps from magic world to real world, left me confused.The narrative flow suffered because of the constant shifting from location to location. Any attempt to get to know the characters fully was hampered by the fact that the reader did not spend enough time with them. As a result, I failed to care what happened to them. A lot of the magical characters lacked individual personalities, and their dialogue was often used to explain the plot rather than show it happening through action.There are some well-described and exciting battles scenes throughout. I think the author excels in physical description and I enjoyed the passages where she let us see the world she has created. I would have liked more of this scene setting.There are also issues with layout and grammar. The dialogue is not presented correctly on occasions and at one point when we are in the hospital with Aart, the scene is written almost like a play, which seemed unnecessary to me:(Aart) "Two cappuccinos please."(Looking at Zef)  "Would you like  sugar?"(Zef looking down at Aart with a minute wink) "Aart, would you like sugar with that?"(Aart  looking  at  the  attendant  who  was  trying  to  look  anywhere  but  at  Aart)  "No sugar  for me  thanks.  Zef?""No  thanks."(Attendant, still looking  at Zef)  "Three euro's please."(Aart pulling the change from his pocket and waving it up towards her face) "Here  you  go!" (Feeling really annoyed, but pasting a sickly sweet smile on his face).Having said all that, I think fans of the fantasy genre will like this book. The author does have some great moments of action and drama. Especially in the battle below the waves between, elves, dwarfs, dragons, fairies and gods and goddesses. But for me, the plotline was too mixed up and there were far too many characters.