Scan barcode
novelinsights's review
4.0
This is my favorite of the MTG books I've read so far (read: the first 6). I felt captivated by it from the very first scene and was attached to the characters and interactions throughout. I enjoyed the fact that its plot was more political and interpersonal rather than all combat-based, like some of the earlier Magic books. To me, this felt the most like a book that would stand well on its own merit without having to ride on the coattails of the Magic franchise.
I only had a few minor complaints regarding the writing. There were several instances where the author uses filter words, which pad sentences unnecessarily and make things read less smoothly than they otherwise would. There were also a few instances of awkward repetition of words (I can remember a sentence which read something along the lines of "The echo of his call echoed down the street," for example). Finally, there was one noticeable slip-up where the narration mentioned the name of a character, but the POV character didn't find out his name until the next page.
I only had a few minor complaints regarding the writing. There were several instances where the author uses filter words, which pad sentences unnecessarily and make things read less smoothly than they otherwise would. There were also a few instances of awkward repetition of words (I can remember a sentence which read something along the lines of "The echo of his call echoed down the street," for example). Finally, there was one noticeable slip-up where the narration mentioned the name of a character, but the POV character didn't find out his name until the next page.
mewpasaurus's review
3.0
While I have found most of these non-cyclical books enjoyable and have been more than willing to eagerly read them, I am finding a common theme in the writing. I don't know if it's because they are non-cyclical, or if it's because these books were written in the early 90s when such writing was more prevalent, but every single one of these books (even the three that were a trilogy) ends in the same, abrupt "lesson of the week" manner (think about the old episodes of Thundercats or The Real Ghostbusters if you don't understand what I mean). Main character claps some other secondary character on the back after some arduous bullshit and they all have a good laugh, thus pretending the rest of the book more or less didn't really happen.
And honestly, I don't know if it's because they got bored toward the end of writing their respective books, if they ran out of pages to write or if legitimately, that's just how they think it's acceptable to end a book!
In any case, this book was a fun read, although as mentioned, had a rather abrupt ending that didn't quite fit the rest of the novel. It also wasn't much of a resolution considering all the action and adventure this book had/could have had.
I see now why most people who collect Magic don't really have any fondness for the first ten or so books (all of which are non-cyclical).
Read this if you're interested in Magic simply because "Magic", but don't expect it to inform you on anything relating to the game. Mostly, it's in name only.
And honestly, I don't know if it's because they got bored toward the end of writing their respective books, if they ran out of pages to write or if legitimately, that's just how they think it's acceptable to end a book!
In any case, this book was a fun read, although as mentioned, had a rather abrupt ending that didn't quite fit the rest of the novel. It also wasn't much of a resolution considering all the action and adventure this book had/could have had.
I see now why most people who collect Magic don't really have any fondness for the first ten or so books (all of which are non-cyclical).
Read this if you're interested in Magic simply because "Magic", but don't expect it to inform you on anything relating to the game. Mostly, it's in name only.
More...