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philibin's review against another edition
4.0
(3.75 Stars)
I really like this whole series, but this was probably my least favorite of them so far. I still liked it, I just thought that a lot of time was spent really building up the mystical and/or religious elements of the story without it really amounting to as big of a payoff as was probably intended.
The action is great and the book is well paced. The narration is excellent and I really don't know how he keeps track of all those different voices. Speaking of, there are a lot of major characters in this book, and if you are not good with names you might have trouble keeping track of each of the different story arcs.
This book will appeal to people who like historical fiction and fantasy adventure.
I really like this whole series, but this was probably my least favorite of them so far. I still liked it, I just thought that a lot of time was spent really building up the mystical and/or religious elements of the story without it really amounting to as big of a payoff as was probably intended.
The action is great and the book is well paced. The narration is excellent and I really don't know how he keeps track of all those different voices. Speaking of, there are a lot of major characters in this book, and if you are not good with names you might have trouble keeping track of each of the different story arcs.
This book will appeal to people who like historical fiction and fantasy adventure.
ferris_mx's review against another edition
4.0
Book 3/n of some interminable series. I learned a bunch about the Mongolian empire, plus something about martial weapons something or other idk. Neal Stephenson abandoned the effort here and I'm going to follow suit. I don't regret reading this far though.
supersleuth's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this series and the nice, sustained climax of the interwoven stories in book 3. I never thought I would find swordplay so fascinating! The performance by Luke Daniels was excellent. I think I'm going to have to read the side-quests too.
treeshavethoughts's review against another edition
The speech of the King is the most hilarious attitude of a king I've read, so condescending, swearing, and funny. Also, the story and work is good, especially if you've made it to book 3
djotaku's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a great cap to the long trilogy (although - put together I think it's not longer than a Brandon Sanderson Stormlight Archive book). While the first third of the book continues to build things up, we've met just about everyone by the time we've arrived here and so the last 2/3 of the book is a wild ride. It feels like the tension just keeps building until you're on a giant roller coaster ride to the bottom once the climax proper begins. I can't really talk about too many specifics in the third book in a trilogy without getting into spoilres, so instead I'll talk about what I thought was best about this book.
- The book acknowledges that, even for the knights and mongol warriors, taking another human's life is not easy. There are often lingering effects, up to and including PTSD. It brings a much more grounded reality and complexity to the characters and I really loved that. This trilogy seemed to have the best of both worlds - incredible fight scenes followed by consequences.
- Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II is one of my favorite characters of all time. (Behind Hoid of The Cosmere) His realpolitik made any scene with him a real joy. I think he was used just the right amount because it left me wanting even more.
- The mystical elements of the trilogy were well-handled here. It's always fun to be in a world where most people don't believe in the mystical, but we readers know it's real.
- Realistic-ish consequences for our protagonists. They weren't all protected by plot armor and that made it more exciting to see who would live and who would die.
After writing this I'm going to do a little research into how much Stephenson, et al were playing with history here. From Hardcore History and other podcasts, I know the Mongols almost conquered Europe. Then Ogedai died and they never found a way to get back. And a HUGE shame that I NEVER learned this in world history. (More like European history! ugh!) It wasn't until my late 20s or maybe even early 30s that I learned about the vastness of the Mongol Empire. So we know that much is true, even if it's 99.99% certain some Militaristic Christian order didn't kill him. But was The Mongoliad real? If so, that's bananas. Did the Mongols really collect fighters from around Asia? Even if the details of Father Rodrigo were fabricated for this story - was there really a vede sacante? (Or whatever where they couldn't pick a pope) and was it really in part caused by Frederick's interventions? And finally, did something like The Binders really exist? It does make sense as a sort of Eurasian spy-for-hire network since most people in either continent wouldn't be likely to travel much. (Crusaders being an exception)
If you read the first two books and weren't sure about the pacing - it gets better. If you haven't read the first two and are somehow reading this review - if you like historical fiction and would like to see a part of the history in a part of the world that almost no one ever talks about - this trilogy from the Foreworld Saga is DEFINITELY highly recommended.
- The book acknowledges that, even for the knights and mongol warriors, taking another human's life is not easy. There are often lingering effects, up to and including PTSD. It brings a much more grounded reality and complexity to the characters and I really loved that. This trilogy seemed to have the best of both worlds - incredible fight scenes followed by consequences.
- Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II is one of my favorite characters of all time. (Behind Hoid of The Cosmere) His realpolitik made any scene with him a real joy. I think he was used just the right amount because it left me wanting even more.
- The mystical elements of the trilogy were well-handled here. It's always fun to be in a world where most people don't believe in the mystical, but we readers know it's real.
- Realistic-ish consequences for our protagonists. They weren't all protected by plot armor and that made it more exciting to see who would live and who would die.
After writing this I'm going to do a little research into how much Stephenson, et al were playing with history here. From Hardcore History and other podcasts, I know the Mongols almost conquered Europe. Then Ogedai died and they never found a way to get back. And a HUGE shame that I NEVER learned this in world history. (More like European history! ugh!) It wasn't until my late 20s or maybe even early 30s that I learned about the vastness of the Mongol Empire. So we know that much is true, even if it's 99.99% certain some Militaristic Christian order didn't kill him. But was The Mongoliad real? If so, that's bananas. Did the Mongols really collect fighters from around Asia? Even if the details of Father Rodrigo were fabricated for this story - was there really a vede sacante? (Or whatever where they couldn't pick a pope) and was it really in part caused by Frederick's interventions? And finally, did something like The Binders really exist? It does make sense as a sort of Eurasian spy-for-hire network since most people in either continent wouldn't be likely to travel much. (Crusaders being an exception)
If you read the first two books and weren't sure about the pacing - it gets better. If you haven't read the first two and are somehow reading this review - if you like historical fiction and would like to see a part of the history in a part of the world that almost no one ever talks about - this trilogy from the Foreworld Saga is DEFINITELY highly recommended.
bobuva's review against another edition
4.0
Really brought the whole series together in this volume.
mvuijlst's review against another edition
3.0
Ik had gisteren een boek uitgelezen, herinnerde ik mij, en ik ging daar iets over schrijven, maar toen was ik vergeten wélk boek ik nu precies had gelezen. Dat is doorgaans geen goed teken.
Maar toen keek ik in mijn Kindle en zag ik Mongoliad: Book Three staan, en kijk nu, het hele boek kwam terug. En dat is dan wel weer een goed teken.
De papieren versie was 716 bladzijden, maar ik denk dat ik het hele boek op een dag uitgelezen heb: het vliegt vooruit. Heel erg spannend is het niet, heel erg verrassend ook niet.
Ik vond het heel erg spijtig dat er niet wat minder timide omgesprongen werd met de alternatieve tijdlijn. En het bleef allemaal erg oppervlakkig. Hrm. Niet zeer voldaan, ik.
Maar toen keek ik in mijn Kindle en zag ik Mongoliad: Book Three staan, en kijk nu, het hele boek kwam terug. En dat is dan wel weer een goed teken.
De papieren versie was 716 bladzijden, maar ik denk dat ik het hele boek op een dag uitgelezen heb: het vliegt vooruit. Heel erg spannend is het niet, heel erg verrassend ook niet.
Ik vond het heel erg spijtig dat er niet wat minder timide omgesprongen werd met de alternatieve tijdlijn. En het bleef allemaal erg oppervlakkig. Hrm. Niet zeer voldaan, ik.
borislimpopo's review against another edition
3.0
Stephenson, Neal, Joseph Brassey, Greg Bear, Erik Bear, Nicole Galland, Cooper Moo, Mark Teppo (2013). The Mongoliad: Book Three (The Foreworld Saga). Las Vegas: 47North. 2013. ISBN 1612182380. Pagine 804. 5,01 €
Anche qui non ho molto da dire, rispetto alle recensioni che ho fatto al primo e al secondo volume della saga: una lettura piacevole, e poco più.
In questa terza parte si arriva a uno scioglimento, anche se molti fili restano penzolanti, ed è abbastanza evidente che gli autori si stanno lasciando aperta la possibilità di scrivere uno o più seguiti, gemmazioni, prequel, serie e di sfruttare – come si dice adesso – la franchise.
Tra i personaggi storici, è molto divertente il modo in cui è tratteggiato Federico II di Svevia; tra quelli non storici ma (quasi) credibili, il papa eletto Padre Rodrigo Bendrito, una specie di Albino Luciani ante litteram.
L’avanzata mongola – che nella storia raccontata sui libri di scuola si arresta per motivi in larga parte ignota – qui è interrotta dalle azioni dei nostri eroi, una via di mezzo tra il mucchio selvaggio del western e un’accolita di cavalieri jedi. Non si tratta quindi di una riscrittura integrale e ucronica della storia, ma di una sua piccola variante, di uno scarto in un universo parallelo in cui i sentieri che si dipartono nello svolgimento temporale canonico ritornano prima o poi a ricongiungersi alla strada principale (è la solita vecchia storia dell’ergodicità). Più che un Contro-passato prossimo alla Morselli un «para-passato remoto.»
* * *
Continuano a essere fastidiosissimi gli errori di latino. Ad esempio:
Quoniam fortiduo mea at refugium meum es tu. [2121; corsivo mio]
E, già che ci siamo, suppongo che quella che viene chiamata porta Flamina [7811] sia un refuso per Flaminia, che sia chiama peraltro Porta del Popolo. E quanto a the rounded dome of St. Peter’s Basilica [10531], nel 1241 non c’era nessuna cupola!
* * *
Ho imparato una nuova parola in inglese, che per la verità avevo già incontrato ma – avendone intuito il seno dal contesto – non ero andato a guardare sul vocabolario. Il Kindle, che ti dà la possibilità di raggiungere la definizione del lemma con un solo gesto sullo schermo, ti priva di ogni ragionevole alibi. Eccola:
widdershins:
adverb
chiefly Scottish
in a direction contrary to the sun’s course, considered as unlucky; anticlockwise:
she danced widdershins around him
Origin:
early 16th century: from Middle Low German weddersins, from Middle High German widersinnes, from wider ‘against’ + sin ‘direction’; the second element was associated with Scots sin ‘sun’
* * *
Come al solito, un piccolo florilegio di citazioni (riferimento alle posizioni Kindle):
[…] the palate of memory. [2037]
[…] the one whose hips are lower is the one who wins […] [2557]
They were prisoners, surely, but they were not broken men, not like some of the others who were so filled with bitterness and resentment that the very idea of rebellion was violently loathsome. But they were wary of being hopeful. It was a dangerous emotion, the kind that could get them killed. [2709]
“No,” she said, “the man with the huge sword speaks true. Were I as well-endowed as he, I would make sure to sheath such a weapon in every town I conquered. ’Tis only the basic rule of rapine, is it not? Take what isn’t yours. At sword point no less.” [3066: femminismo ante litteram in Vera!]
Gansukh waited a moment for Chucai to continue, but he wasn’t terribly surprised when the Khagan’s advisor said nothing. This was a not uncommon gambit on Chucai’s part: to start a conversation, and then let it peter into silence. He had infinite patience: as a hunter, he could probably outwait even the most cautious deer; as a veteran of the Khagan’s courts, there was no one more skilled than he at making silence excruciating. The more he learned from Lian, the more Gansukh had understood the merits of Chucai’s techniques. People were more likely to believe something they felt like they had a hand in creating. Order a man, and he will dutifully comply; let him possess an idea as his own, will he not leap to implement it with great enthusiasm? [5235]
“A man earns those things that he carries with him his entire life. Both his victories and his secrets. What he doesn’t earn haunts him, always.” [9256]
[…] I’m the most dedicated atheist alive.” [9458: è Federico II che parla]
Anche qui non ho molto da dire, rispetto alle recensioni che ho fatto al primo e al secondo volume della saga: una lettura piacevole, e poco più.
In questa terza parte si arriva a uno scioglimento, anche se molti fili restano penzolanti, ed è abbastanza evidente che gli autori si stanno lasciando aperta la possibilità di scrivere uno o più seguiti, gemmazioni, prequel, serie e di sfruttare – come si dice adesso – la franchise.
Tra i personaggi storici, è molto divertente il modo in cui è tratteggiato Federico II di Svevia; tra quelli non storici ma (quasi) credibili, il papa eletto Padre Rodrigo Bendrito, una specie di Albino Luciani ante litteram.
L’avanzata mongola – che nella storia raccontata sui libri di scuola si arresta per motivi in larga parte ignota – qui è interrotta dalle azioni dei nostri eroi, una via di mezzo tra il mucchio selvaggio del western e un’accolita di cavalieri jedi. Non si tratta quindi di una riscrittura integrale e ucronica della storia, ma di una sua piccola variante, di uno scarto in un universo parallelo in cui i sentieri che si dipartono nello svolgimento temporale canonico ritornano prima o poi a ricongiungersi alla strada principale (è la solita vecchia storia dell’ergodicità). Più che un Contro-passato prossimo alla Morselli un «para-passato remoto.»
* * *
Continuano a essere fastidiosissimi gli errori di latino. Ad esempio:
Quoniam fortiduo mea at refugium meum es tu. [2121; corsivo mio]
E, già che ci siamo, suppongo che quella che viene chiamata porta Flamina [7811] sia un refuso per Flaminia, che sia chiama peraltro Porta del Popolo. E quanto a the rounded dome of St. Peter’s Basilica [10531], nel 1241 non c’era nessuna cupola!
* * *
Ho imparato una nuova parola in inglese, che per la verità avevo già incontrato ma – avendone intuito il seno dal contesto – non ero andato a guardare sul vocabolario. Il Kindle, che ti dà la possibilità di raggiungere la definizione del lemma con un solo gesto sullo schermo, ti priva di ogni ragionevole alibi. Eccola:
widdershins:
adverb
chiefly Scottish
in a direction contrary to the sun’s course, considered as unlucky; anticlockwise:
she danced widdershins around him
Origin:
early 16th century: from Middle Low German weddersins, from Middle High German widersinnes, from wider ‘against’ + sin ‘direction’; the second element was associated with Scots sin ‘sun’
* * *
Come al solito, un piccolo florilegio di citazioni (riferimento alle posizioni Kindle):
[…] the palate of memory. [2037]
[…] the one whose hips are lower is the one who wins […] [2557]
They were prisoners, surely, but they were not broken men, not like some of the others who were so filled with bitterness and resentment that the very idea of rebellion was violently loathsome. But they were wary of being hopeful. It was a dangerous emotion, the kind that could get them killed. [2709]
“No,” she said, “the man with the huge sword speaks true. Were I as well-endowed as he, I would make sure to sheath such a weapon in every town I conquered. ’Tis only the basic rule of rapine, is it not? Take what isn’t yours. At sword point no less.” [3066: femminismo ante litteram in Vera!]
Gansukh waited a moment for Chucai to continue, but he wasn’t terribly surprised when the Khagan’s advisor said nothing. This was a not uncommon gambit on Chucai’s part: to start a conversation, and then let it peter into silence. He had infinite patience: as a hunter, he could probably outwait even the most cautious deer; as a veteran of the Khagan’s courts, there was no one more skilled than he at making silence excruciating. The more he learned from Lian, the more Gansukh had understood the merits of Chucai’s techniques. People were more likely to believe something they felt like they had a hand in creating. Order a man, and he will dutifully comply; let him possess an idea as his own, will he not leap to implement it with great enthusiasm? [5235]
“A man earns those things that he carries with him his entire life. Both his victories and his secrets. What he doesn’t earn haunts him, always.” [9256]
[…] I’m the most dedicated atheist alive.” [9458: è Federico II che parla]