Reviews

All in all, a well-written, workmanlike fantasy that doesn't really bring anything new or innovative to the genre, but does have a solid story, some nice twists, great action, and a multitude of relatable, flawed characters that you root for despite their many shortcomings. The characters really hold the whole book together. the multiple POVs are spread out nicely, and each main character has enough of their own voice that there was never any confusion as to who had the narrative during any given chapter.
I enjoyed it greatly, have started the second book and will certainly finish the trilogy.

anael21's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

righteousridel's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Herald of the Storm is a modern, realistic fantasy epic that I fondly relate to Game of Thrones. It uses the same narration technique: a diverse set of narration viewpoints in their own independent chapters. Magic and other fantastical elements (beastmen, for example) exist, but the primary enemies are the dark souls of men themselves. Politics, hunger, plague -- it's not quite grimdark, but it's not a place you'd want to visit. It is a lot lighter than Game of Thrones though, in the weight of characters and complexity of plot. IMHO - that's a benefit.

I hadn't read Richard Ford before but I'll be on the lookout now. The quality of writing is extremely high: interweaving seven independent plots while ensuring each character got a decent arc. You would think that having seven viewpoints would be difficult to keep up with, but the characters are very diverse and difficult to confuse. Every chapter advances the overall storyline despite having very little direct impact to one another, and when characters start interacting, you'll be cheering to see your heroes assemble.

It's not a perfect book though. Avoiding spoilers, I just don't think the book covered enough ground. I started reading the next one immediately, and didn't feel like I had an opinion on Herald of the Storm because mentally, I hadn't finished it.

So that's it - I like realistic fantasy with just a hint of magic, and it is masterfully written, with my key complaint being that it needed to be longer. Recommended.

Spoiler

I've already gone through this, but I really don't feel like the plot advanced enough. The ending had a new Queen crowned, but the death of the King was entirely off-screen. The Herald didn't have as large an impact as I thought he would, and only in the conclusion do you get an idea of what Steelhaven is really up against... at which point it's like, oh that's it?

For me, the plots get grouped into three: we have the slave plot, which was kicked off by the Amon Tugha. This is allegedly for the support of Pirate Lords we had never heard of until the epilogue. We have the assassination plot, which was also kicked off by Amon Tugha and spoiled by the greatest of coincidences. And then we have the mage plot, which appears to be completely disconnected and yet was the greatest danger to Steelhaven within this book. Rag's storyline will contribute to the second novel as she enters the Guild.

That's it. So we have a country at war and we focus on the workings of the capital. The war is just setting fluff. It's just not enough.

Seven character viewpoints requires a longer book. I really did appreciate how every plot had a climax (and was actually pissed off since I wanted to see those plots end instead of having to read a different climax), but I wanted more out of the overall story. We should have been exposed to more of the war so that we could get a more bitter feel for the setting, perhaps through a visit to the front by the Princess or Noble's greencoat story.

Anyways, I'm nitpicking.

reliures's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.5

kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This one took a while to suck me into the story. The plot became better and more entertaining the farther you got into the book.
It had an interesting story, some likable characters and a beliavable setting.
But unfortunately it didn't have something "special".

It was not bad, but it wasn't great either.
It's one of those books you can read as a filler between others. You won't regret the time you spend reading, but if you choose another one you won't miss out either.

devilstatedan's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

More...