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timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty good book with faults. maybe. A flavour of Zelazny's Amber and especially the recent continuations in which a key character is missing.
First, I knew going in - and now you do too - that this is one of three.
So I wasn't expecting a tidy resolution, or full character development.
Not bad characters, although as others have noted Miranda is yet another of those protagonists that exist just so stuff can happen to them, and Ferdinand is ridiculous.
I've read several books recently in which all the gods that ever lived appear in a jumble; this one refreshingly stuck to one pantheon, with a notable exception. [Expletive deleted] No, really, I'm not kidding. So, is the whole BOOK a satire, then? Doesn't feel like one. Can't wait to see what role the author has for
The writing flows quite well, except for the occasional word that muse have been substituted by a spellchecker or something. And hey, every magician should have a spellchecker, right?
But allow me some quibbles. These are things that stop the reader in his tracks and spoil that flow.
Twice they examine the details of a workman's ring from an implausible distance; the second time he's a figure in a dollhouse, but still no problem. No mention of telescopic vision, though.
We're told repeatedly that Phoenix Ash goes boom if it's jiggled, yet a truckload of it crashes and nothing happens. Author HAS to make up a reason why it didn't explode.
Tybalt says, "The Maiden, whose proper name I will not utter lest her attention be drawn nigh ..." and two paragraphs later he names her. If that's a joke about cats' attention spans it's a weak one.
Two clichés followed, although it's offset by one that's reversed:
-- "steaming mugs", repeatedly. Never a cup, never a mug that is not steaming. Is this something the Writers' Union enforces brutally?
-- character survives crisis, and, inevitably, "How long was I out?" "Three days." This is the inflexible rule of books. Character's bladder doesn't need emptying, three days without water is no problem. Oddly, TV does the opposite: the broken, bleeding hero appears the next morning, unmarked.
-- Plus 1, however, for having our heroes served a meal that they actually EAT! There's even a sly reference "we should go! Nah, let's eat" to the fact that meals in fiction are never actually eaten (except for feasts, where narrativium requires at least one character to be over-served so the plot can advance on that point).
All that aside, I will read the next volume.
First, I knew going in - and now you do too - that this is one of three.
So I wasn't expecting a tidy resolution, or full character development.
Not bad characters, although as others have noted Miranda is yet another of those protagonists that exist just so stuff can happen to them, and Ferdinand is ridiculous.
I've read several books recently in which all the gods that ever lived appear in a jumble; this one refreshingly stuck to one pantheon, with a notable exception. [Expletive deleted]
Spoiler
Santa.Spoiler
Santa.Spoiler
the Tooth Fairy and Casper the Friendly Ghost.The writing flows quite well, except for the occasional word that muse have been substituted by a spellchecker or something. And hey, every magician should have a spellchecker, right?
But allow me some quibbles. These are things that stop the reader in his tracks and spoil that flow.
Twice they examine the details of a workman's ring from an implausible distance; the second time he's a figure in a dollhouse, but still no problem. No mention of telescopic vision, though.
We're told repeatedly that Phoenix Ash goes boom if it's jiggled, yet a truckload of it crashes and nothing happens. Author HAS to make up a reason why it didn't explode.
Tybalt says, "The Maiden, whose proper name I will not utter lest her attention be drawn nigh ..." and two paragraphs later he names her. If that's a joke about cats' attention spans it's a weak one.
Two clichés followed, although it's offset by one that's reversed:
-- "steaming mugs", repeatedly. Never a cup, never a mug that is not steaming. Is this something the Writers' Union enforces brutally?
-- character survives crisis, and, inevitably, "How long was I out?" "Three days." This is the inflexible rule of books. Character's bladder doesn't need emptying, three days without water is no problem. Oddly, TV does the opposite: the broken, bleeding hero appears the next morning, unmarked.
-- Plus 1, however, for having our heroes served a meal that they actually EAT! There's even a sly reference "we should go! Nah, let's eat" to the fact that meals in fiction are never actually eaten (except for feasts, where narrativium requires at least one character to be over-served so the plot can advance on that point).
All that aside, I will read the next volume.
iread2much's review against another edition
2.0
This book dragged on and on, but it has a really interesting concept and world building. It imagines a world in which Prospero of Shakespeare fame and his daughter Miranda have become immortal and when they returned to Italy after the end of the "history" recorded in the play, Prospero remarried and spawned quite a few children. These children are also all immortal thanks to Miranda being a Sybil and being able to get water from the well of immortality at the end of the world. They have used the enslaved winds to create a global corporation that protects the world from all kinds of magical and mythical creatures by providing incentives and materials the "masters" want, but the family has mostly broken apart. Miranda is the only sibling left to run the company as the rest have run off on their own. Miranda is reading a book when a message from her father informs her that he is in Hell and she must warn her sibling. Then begins a long and rather boring trek across the world in search of her various siblings who are all hiding secrets which Miranda seem disinclined to investigate fully or hold them accountable for. Probably the most interesting thing in the book is the concept that Fairies are actually fallen angles and that the world described in the bible is much more extensive than most people think.
While I would love to learn more about the world, the many subplots and extremely long and boring side quests do not make me wants to read the rest of the series. I do wish someone who read the other books in the series would provide a summary and answer important questions, like is her father a demon? Is her brother? What is Lilith's role in this and did Prospero enslave the winds to give them souls or just because he wanted the free labor, or some sort of both? Did her father place Miranda under a compulsion to always obey? Does her goddess reject her because of her cruelty? So many questions, but the book is not engaging enough for me to slog through the rest of the series for the answer.
While I would love to learn more about the world, the many subplots and extremely long and boring side quests do not make me wants to read the rest of the series. I do wish someone who read the other books in the series would provide a summary and answer important questions, like is her father a demon? Is her brother? What is Lilith's role in this and did Prospero enslave the winds to give them souls or just because he wanted the free labor, or some sort of both? Did her father place Miranda under a compulsion to always obey? Does her goddess reject her because of her cruelty? So many questions, but the book is not engaging enough for me to slog through the rest of the series for the answer.
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the plot but the main character was really really unlikeable, Miranda is just really horrible and dismissive about other people, she doesn't give a toss for anyone except herself and her father.
calamity_mary's review against another edition
3.0
Prospero Lost is a more than a retelling of “The Tempest” (that well known play of mr. Shakespeare), it is a telling of what could have happened if the events of the Tempest were actually true. In this book Miranda and Prospero are very much alive and their family is somewhat extended – 7 more siblings and an enormous crew of wind spirits bound to them as slaves..err...servants. On top of that, they run Prospero, Inc, a multinational company that relies on the biding on the eight winds and copious amounts of sorcery to run and control most business of the supernatural world. Prospero Inc, basically is our only shield against destruction from mythical beings. Suffice to say they are very big shots and super loaded. Oh, they are also immortal since Miranda is consecrated to Eurynome, a godlike entity that grants immortality to her Handmaidens – by giving them the water of eternal life - among other gifts. So yeah, it’s good being a Prospero.
The story begins with the disappearance of the family head – Prospero – and the finding of a mysterious note by his favourite daughter - Miranda – telling her to beware of “The 3 shadowed ones”. Apparently, Prospero made a mistake and released 3 demons that are now after the several staffs owned by her and her siblings, which are the source of most of her family power. To help all this mess, Miranda has no clue where most of her siblings are, since for the most part of the last centuries they have become estranged and in some cases even hostile toward each other. To help her solve the mess her father made and warn her several siblings, Miranda has the help of Mab, one of the many air spirits that are bound to her family for one thousand years, against their will.
The book is filled with tons of mythical references and for a myth nut like me that’s what made me love the book. There are endless nods at several mythical beings and legends and we even get to see the characters interact with several of them. The mysteries provided by the story plot are also yummy and made me crave to know the answer to all of them.
However, there are several things that annoyed me.
First and foremost, the writing is not stellar and most characters are downright annoying and lack some depth.
The amount of flashbacks is enormous to the point of being silly; making it plain that the only way the author found to tells us the back story of Miranda and her family was by making her reminisce every 2 pages or so. Since she’s 500 years old, you can understand the amount of memories she has to share and thus, nothing in the book happens without Miranda remembering some bit of her life that is somehow related to the present.
Miranda herself is selfish, arrogant and cold, fancying herself above normal humans just because she can outlive them and has some magical powers. She values her immortality and obedience to her father above anything else, even if that means putting someone else in mortal danger. Not once it occurs to her to defy her father’s wishes. Ever. However, if she didn't come off as a self-righteous virgin sorceress she might actually be likable.
Mephisto, her insane brother is embarrassing most of the times, reminding me a cartoon version of a crazy person and most of the scenes the author have intended to be amusing or funny seemed kind of awkward and forced to me.
Mab, the detective air spirit that wants to look like a 40’s detective tries too hard, becoming a stereotype - trench coat and a fedora hat included.
Ferdinand, the long lost fiancé is just a stupid pastiche of what the author seems to think a Latino medieval gentleman knight should be. He keeps his time slobbering after Miranda, showering her with praise and then disappearing to whatever thing he has to do next.
The mysteries themselves are not answered at all in this first part and the book just serves the purpose of rising tons of questions, letting us glimpse some clues that might begin to answer some of them. More than anything this book is an introduction to Miranda’s life and problems making it clear that we will need to keep on reading the other books if we want to get some answers.
Nontheless, as I said, the universe created here is splendid and the mysteries are juicy enough to make me want to keep on reading.
The story begins with the disappearance of the family head – Prospero – and the finding of a mysterious note by his favourite daughter - Miranda – telling her to beware of “The 3 shadowed ones”. Apparently, Prospero made a mistake and released 3 demons that are now after the several staffs owned by her and her siblings, which are the source of most of her family power. To help all this mess, Miranda has no clue where most of her siblings are, since for the most part of the last centuries they have become estranged and in some cases even hostile toward each other. To help her solve the mess her father made and warn her several siblings, Miranda has the help of Mab, one of the many air spirits that are bound to her family for one thousand years, against their will.
The book is filled with tons of mythical references and for a myth nut like me that’s what made me love the book. There are endless nods at several mythical beings and legends and we even get to see the characters interact with several of them. The mysteries provided by the story plot are also yummy and made me crave to know the answer to all of them.
However, there are several things that annoyed me.
First and foremost, the writing is not stellar and most characters are downright annoying and lack some depth.
The amount of flashbacks is enormous to the point of being silly; making it plain that the only way the author found to tells us the back story of Miranda and her family was by making her reminisce every 2 pages or so. Since she’s 500 years old, you can understand the amount of memories she has to share and thus, nothing in the book happens without Miranda remembering some bit of her life that is somehow related to the present.
Miranda herself is selfish, arrogant and cold, fancying herself above normal humans just because she can outlive them and has some magical powers. She values her immortality and obedience to her father above anything else, even if that means putting someone else in mortal danger. Not once it occurs to her to defy her father’s wishes. Ever. However, if she didn't come off as a self-righteous virgin sorceress she might actually be likable.
Mephisto, her insane brother is embarrassing most of the times, reminding me a cartoon version of a crazy person and most of the scenes the author have intended to be amusing or funny seemed kind of awkward and forced to me.
Mab, the detective air spirit that wants to look like a 40’s detective tries too hard, becoming a stereotype - trench coat and a fedora hat included.
Ferdinand, the long lost fiancé is just a stupid pastiche of what the author seems to think a Latino medieval gentleman knight should be. He keeps his time slobbering after Miranda, showering her with praise and then disappearing to whatever thing he has to do next.
The mysteries themselves are not answered at all in this first part and the book just serves the purpose of rising tons of questions, letting us glimpse some clues that might begin to answer some of them. More than anything this book is an introduction to Miranda’s life and problems making it clear that we will need to keep on reading the other books if we want to get some answers.
Nontheless, as I said, the universe created here is splendid and the mysteries are juicy enough to make me want to keep on reading.
radioisasoundsalvation's review against another edition
4.0
I was pretty excited about this book! I've been taking a break from my rather hectic "Pulitzer" to-read list, and enjoying some of what I call my "laid back" fiction... and this was perfect! The Tempest is probably my favorite Shakespeare work, and this fantastical play of the characters, however much of a tangent away from Shakespeare's merit, was a really enjoyable read! It reminded me a bit of Susanne Clarke... Miranda, Mab, and Mephisto (I found hysterical, I mean, the chimera?) traipse around the world trying to find the wizard Prospero, and warn their oh-so large cast of brothers and sister of impending doom! The reader is devouring tons of fun anecdotes of loosely based historical moments via the Prosperos' point of view, and interestingly timed mythological/folklore references! All in all, entertaining, although I am royally peeved that I didn't have the sense to start this once it was all ready over... now I must wait for the next one!
karlaosi's review against another edition
1.0
Horribly written and devoid of soul or purpose. The story is all over the place with unnecessary tangents which makes one wonder if there was even an editor looking at this before going into print. Also, the usage of exclamation points on every other sentence was very off putting. The only good thing about this book is the cover on the hardcover edition. A beautiful cover for a terrible book.
ireitlitam's review against another edition
4.0
Propsero Lost is a nice addition to a genre that is plagued at times by carbon copies of the same stories. Part fairy tale and part mystery it is well written and the story moved well until the end of the novel. The main character Miranda is interesting in her development. She is not a sympathetic protaganist but her growth is interesting to watch. The world is only hinted at but is much larger than it first appears and I very much will continue reading the series with Prospero in Hell.
magdon's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2 stars. I liked it and i've already requested book #2 from the library but something is holding be back from loving it. Still, original and amusing.
wordnerdy's review against another edition
1.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-book-305.html
meganlynae's review against another edition
1.0
I got sucked in by the cover, but this was not my thing at all. It felt poorly paced and written. Something about the intertwining of this post-Shakespeare premise with Santa Clause as a business entity was the end of what I could take. DNF and wouldn't recommend.