Familiar fantasy tropes are rendered incomprehensible in this narrative fragment.
Hammer’s fantasy short story continues the adventure of the author’s debut novella.
Matthew, a young boy mystically destined to save the world, has been captured, along with his pet dragon, Utredius, by a demon. Matthew was supposed to be under the protection of a friendly magical being named Zhu Bajie, but when Bajie went off in search of medicine for the boy to treat a serpent’s bite,the demon was free to strike—much to the consternation of Matthew’s friend, Sun Wukong, the mighty magical Monkey King, who furiously assaults the demon’s cave to no avail. The Monkey King tries to bargain with the demon, offering to trade the boy’s safety for a few drops of precious, fortified Heavenly Peach Elixir, but the demon refuses, snidely saying that he prefers a ritual that will give him blood from Utredius, regardless of what happens to the boy. When Bajie returns, he and Sun Wukong use a bit of the Elixir to summon the Buddha, who disables a force-shield and enables them to breach the demon’s cave and give the ailing Matthew a few drops of the Elixir, which greatly enhances his magical abilities. Meanwhile, the story’s other two young leads face challenges of their own: Tristan, armed with his Replenishing Quiver, and his companion, the fabled white wolf, Neverend, try to plumb the secrets of the Stone Egg; the young Elysia, under Tristan’s protection, struggles to fend off the dreaded Jinn-Magician. The narrative moves all three characters toward a confrontation with the Vampire King Drahkuhl.
Hammer writes with energy—the characters rush from one danger to another, always with high stakes and mysterious artifacts involved. But this short story cannot stand apart from the overarching narrative from which it comes; it will be all but incomprehensible to readers who haven’t already taken in the novella that precedes it. “When Sun Wukong learnt that the boy Matthew had been bitten by the Serpent, he flew from heaven to return to the boy as fast as he could manage,” reads the very first sentence. “Carrying the heavenly horse on his cloud is what slowed him down.” “An Elder God, Balin, had stormed the Elven Palace, over some dispute regarding his honour,” reports the narrator; “and Balin brandished the Spear of Destiny, with which he had wounded King Brethalladir Even-Star, King over all of the Elves.” These events don’t play out on the page, and the characters referenced are never fleshed out; significant objects, such as the Replenishing Quiver, the Maiden’s Ward, and the Stone Egg, are never given more than inadequate, cursory explanations. Hammer’s prose is often oddly flat and stilted, and the book’s turns of phrase often make little sense (“like a cornered feral cat facing off against a cougar cub” is one example among many). All of the book’s fantasy concepts (including Balin, Elves, and the Spear of Destiny) are derived from other sources, and the story makes no sense when separated from its context—even the most die-hard fantasy readers are advised to approach with caution.
Familiar fantasy tropes are rendered incomprehensible in this narrative fragment.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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