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manwithanagenda's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
What happened? When I finished the first three Gandalara books I was feeling pretty confident. They'd held up reasonably well under adult scrutiny and were a fun adventure series. Starting with 'The Well of Darkness' the formula goes off, the humor vanishes, and the budding relationship between Rikardon and Tarani gets bogged down in endless jealousy spats and EMOTION. I capitilize to ensure my point about how overwrought and tedious the slow coming-to-terms Rikardon, particularly, has in accepting that Tarani loves him, will not run off with the next handsome young thing, and finally not reacting like a super creep when she comes into a position of power. I thought this was written in the 70s and, for all intents and purposes, came from a female pen? Did Vicki Ann Heydron have some unresolved issues with her husband?
So, it was only the briefness of the individual books that kept me going for a while. Great scenes like finding a LOST CITY are done in a few pages while we get 60 pages, at least, devoted to Rikardon's lack of trust towards Tarani, primarily in continuing a ridiculous secret about her own double identity, one that caused her significant distress, and in doubting her ability to govern and not go off with her ex-boyfriend.
The more I think on it in those terms, perhaps I should rate these even more harshly, but nostalgia's fires still provide some heat and the end of 'Return to Eddarta' signals the big turn-around the series has, revealing Big Secrets and commencing Mind Fucking, at least that's how it seemed to 13 year old me. The first secret revealed is pretty fun, because it's like that guy? REALLY? Oh man...actually that makes perfect sense. Hopefully 'The River Wall' continues the return to an action-mystery-desert-fight-squad approach to storytelling. That's where the stengths of this series always was.
My thoughts on the individual books as I read them:
'The Well of Darkness'
'The Search for Kä'
'Return to Eddarta'
Next: 'The River Wall'
So, it was only the briefness of the individual books that kept me going for a while. Great scenes like finding a LOST CITY are done in a few pages while we get 60 pages, at least, devoted to Rikardon's lack of trust towards Tarani, primarily in continuing a ridiculous secret about her own double identity, one that caused her significant distress, and in doubting her ability to govern and not go off with her ex-boyfriend.
The more I think on it in those terms, perhaps I should rate these even more harshly, but nostalgia's fires still provide some heat and the end of 'Return to Eddarta' signals the big turn-around the series has, revealing Big Secrets and commencing Mind Fucking, at least that's how it seemed to 13 year old me. The first secret revealed is pretty fun, because it's like that guy? REALLY? Oh man...actually that makes perfect sense. Hopefully 'The River Wall' continues the return to an action-mystery-desert-fight-squad approach to storytelling. That's where the stengths of this series always was.
My thoughts on the individual books as I read them:
'The Well of Darkness'
'The Search for Kä'
'Return to Eddarta'
Next: 'The River Wall'
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