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ellyrarg's review
3.0
Glad to be done. It was fine, plenty of new to still be interesting, but there were some errors that bothered me (like the existence of Minawabi, when it was clear in the empire books that Mara obliterated the line). Also, well over characters who keep other characters alive (ahem, Jimmy the Hands great grandson, also named Jimmy. The explanation of his history was convoluted and served no purpose). And if I didn’t have to read about the ‘bump of trouble’ again, that would be great.
Still, Nakor will always be one of my favourites (I was sad when he was out of oranges), and I enjoyed the Bek storyline too. Didn’t love the Marcos storyline. He was fairly unnecessary I thought. Hey ho. Glad I’m done with that series!
Still, Nakor will always be one of my favourites (I was sad when he was out of oranges), and I enjoyed the Bek storyline too. Didn’t love the Marcos storyline. He was fairly unnecessary I thought. Hey ho. Glad I’m done with that series!
kenlaan's review against another edition
3.0
A disappointing three stars for the conclusion of a trilogy that started strong. This book started well but was bogged down by an ending that managed to be both a little boring and depressing simultaneously.
Tad, Zane, and Johnny, characters that I enjoyed following in the previous two books, continued fading from focus, until I think Feist nearly forgot about them, and certainly had nothing for them to do. Even in their own narrative thread they were supplanted by Jimmy the Hand 2.0, who was a decent enough character in his own right, but far too similar to others and a seemingly unnecessary addition this late in the trilogy.
While Pug is and should be the lynchpin of the larger Riftwar Cycle, Feist is at his best when he's writing about the "ground-level" people: Eric, Jimmy, Roo, and yes, Tad, Zane and Johnny. That this book focused almost exclusively on all-powerful gods and magicians battling and scheming against one another and is one of my least-enjoyed books that I've read by him is no coincidence.
The world and culture of the Dasari, which I found compelling in the last book, didn't end up being so, and the mysterious Bek likewise ended up not making a whole lot of sense.
Still, this remains a compelling universe nonetheless and I look forward to seeing its conclusion.
Tad, Zane, and Johnny, characters that I enjoyed following in the previous two books, continued fading from focus, until I think Feist nearly forgot about them, and certainly had nothing for them to do. Even in their own narrative thread they were supplanted by Jimmy the Hand 2.0, who was a decent enough character in his own right, but far too similar to others and a seemingly unnecessary addition this late in the trilogy.
While Pug is and should be the lynchpin of the larger Riftwar Cycle, Feist is at his best when he's writing about the "ground-level" people: Eric, Jimmy, Roo, and yes, Tad, Zane and Johnny. That this book focused almost exclusively on all-powerful gods and magicians battling and scheming against one another and is one of my least-enjoyed books that I've read by him is no coincidence.
The world and culture of the Dasari, which I found compelling in the last book, didn't end up being so, and the mysterious Bek likewise ended up not making a whole lot of sense.
Still, this remains a compelling universe nonetheless and I look forward to seeing its conclusion.
siriuschico's review against another edition
3.0
If you're looking for a book that will take you on a wild ride through a fantasy world filled with non-stop action and madness, then 'Wrath of a Mad God' is your ticket. Just be sure to hold on tight - this book is like a rollercoaster, except instead of loops and drops, it's filled with dark magic and deranged deities.
As a horror fan, I especially loved the dark world of the Dasati - their madness and cruelty really got my heart racing. The images of a mad god devouring endless lines of living beings warmed my desiccated heart. That's why I was a little bit disappointed that the whole Dasati world was put a little bit in the background. Sure, events are happening there, but there is much less information about their world and culture. Valko is still there, but his storyline is overtaken by the mighty Pug, which was a little bit disappointing. I really feel that Pug is a little bit overpowered to be really worried about him. And let's not forget Miranda, the screamer. Several chapters start with the same sentence - 'Miranda screamed.' - but I quickly realized that every chapter starts with the name of the main character. It's a simple but efficient way to inform the reader which storyline we're jumping to. Hamilton, take note!
However, it falls a bit short of the second book, 'Into a Dark Realm'. I mainly disliked the information dump at the end. If you're reading the whole series from the beginning, then it may be a good conclusion to some major story arcs. But for me (since I started with the book 'Flight of a Nighthawk'), it was a little overwhelming with all the new names and concepts to wrap my head around.
And let's be real - Raymond is in desperate need of a good editor. There are a lot of errors, including some seemingly wrongly placed passages (it seemed like a whole flying paragraph was in the wrong place) and even some silly mistakes like double periods. Overall, it's a very nice and enjoyable fantasy. I'll probably digest it for a year or two, but I know I'll revisit Riftwar, and this time I may even start from the beginning.
As a horror fan, I especially loved the dark world of the Dasati - their madness and cruelty really got my heart racing. The images of a mad god devouring endless lines of living beings warmed my desiccated heart. That's why I was a little bit disappointed that the whole Dasati world was put a little bit in the background. Sure, events are happening there, but there is much less information about their world and culture. Valko is still there, but his storyline is overtaken by the mighty Pug, which was a little bit disappointing. I really feel that Pug is a little bit overpowered to be really worried about him. And let's not forget Miranda, the screamer. Several chapters start with the same sentence - 'Miranda screamed.' - but I quickly realized that every chapter starts with the name of the main character. It's a simple but efficient way to inform the reader which storyline we're jumping to. Hamilton, take note!
However, it falls a bit short of the second book, 'Into a Dark Realm'. I mainly disliked the information dump at the end. If you're reading the whole series from the beginning, then it may be a good conclusion to some major story arcs. But for me (since I started with the book 'Flight of a Nighthawk'), it was a little overwhelming with all the new names and concepts to wrap my head around.
And let's be real - Raymond is in desperate need of a good editor. There are a lot of errors, including some seemingly wrongly placed passages (it seemed like a whole flying paragraph was in the wrong place) and even some silly mistakes like double periods. Overall, it's a very nice and enjoyable fantasy. I'll probably digest it for a year or two, but I know I'll revisit Riftwar, and this time I may even start from the beginning.
ayla_derammelaere's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
pat17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
rossdent's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
teis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tnewnham's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
kahawa's review
4.0
3.5
It was fun to get back into Pug's world after a long hiatus, but things are getting a bit too complicated now - it's no longer a relatable tale about boys becoming men; it's about gods fighting other gods, and rather than the fall of cities, this was destruction on a planetary scale. Farewell Kelewan. I'll probably feel a sense of relief when I get to the final book.
It was fun to get back into Pug's world after a long hiatus, but things are getting a bit too complicated now - it's no longer a relatable tale about boys becoming men; it's about gods fighting other gods, and rather than the fall of cities, this was destruction on a planetary scale. Farewell Kelewan. I'll probably feel a sense of relief when I get to the final book.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
2.0
Extremely clumsy and messy, and sees many of the new characters in this trilogy or the previous one reduced to mere cheerleaders for the major players - which will be frustrating if you cared about them, and if you didn't it'll probably make the time dedicated to them in earlier books even more annoying in retrospect. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/dungeons-dragonball-z/