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kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
3.0
This is hard to review... I kinda liked it, but it also kinda annoyed me at times...
It is a bit grim, but also a lot of funny. The main character is chosen by the dead (living underground, can be reached via graves) to be their new king. When they notice he want an actual king even alive, just stole a crown in a battle field, they send him back up to fetch them a real dead king. As incentive to do so, they steal his heart beat, which shall be given back when he succeeds.
The main character is a liar, a thief, a cheater and sometimes a murderer. He kinda has to find himself throughout the story. I mostly liked him, and also liked his transformation.
The plot is really crazy at times, which worked in some parts for me, where it had me laughing out loud, but in other parts it had me rolling my eyes. Especially the few dick jokes made me think of teenage boys and not an adult who been through a lot. Humour obviously is a very personal thing, so what didn't work for me might be perfect for someone else.
All in all it was entertaining, and I don't regret the time spent on it!
It is a bit grim, but also a lot of funny. The main character is chosen by the dead (living underground, can be reached via graves) to be their new king. When they notice he want an actual king even alive, just stole a crown in a battle field, they send him back up to fetch them a real dead king. As incentive to do so, they steal his heart beat, which shall be given back when he succeeds.
The main character is a liar, a thief, a cheater and sometimes a murderer. He kinda has to find himself throughout the story. I mostly liked him, and also liked his transformation.
The plot is really crazy at times, which worked in some parts for me, where it had me laughing out loud, but in other parts it had me rolling my eyes. Especially the few dick jokes made me think of teenage boys and not an adult who been through a lot. Humour obviously is a very personal thing, so what didn't work for me might be perfect for someone else.
All in all it was entertaining, and I don't regret the time spent on it!
maryrobinette's review against another edition
2.0
The prose in this is really lovely. Lee has a good sense of character and dialogue.
But.
But I stopped reading at about the halfway point, because the handling of the female characters was really upsetting.
A list of all the female characters in the novel by page 239
-2 prostitutes with hearts of gold, 1 of whom gets fridged in a flashback after knowing the main character for a quarter hour.
-Main character's mother, who has reported lines but no actual dialog.
-A nubile native girl, intent on seducing the MC, also no dialog, but she does have a magnificent bum.
-An ancient decript, terrifying witch, who performs magic via a handjob and then immediately dies.
There were some other things that bothered me. Honestly, if you're just signing up for the prose, you'll probably like this. He's a good writer with this one blind spot that broke the story for me.
But.
But I stopped reading at about the halfway point, because the handling of the female characters was really upsetting.
A list of all the female characters in the novel by page 239
-2 prostitutes with hearts of gold, 1 of whom gets fridged in a flashback after knowing the main character for a quarter hour.
-Main character's mother, who has reported lines but no actual dialog.
-A nubile native girl, intent on seducing the MC, also no dialog, but she does have a magnificent bum.
-An ancient decript, terrifying witch, who performs magic via a handjob and then immediately dies.
There were some other things that bothered me. Honestly, if you're just signing up for the prose, you'll probably like this. He's a good writer with this one blind spot that broke the story for me.
odinblindeye's review against another edition
4.0
Well that was interesting. I don't think I've run into this idea before, the living magical zombie enslaved by the other undead into finding a king for them. Fascinating idea, if a bit rough around the edges. I think the urban fantasy storytelling style really helped pull this one off, and it gave it the gruff undertone the book really needed. I'm going to keep an eye on this author.
chaosrayne's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to warm up to this book. I kind of hated it at first and put it down for a while before running out of things to read and deciding to finish it off. There was something about Marius that I just didn't like. I didn't care if bad things happened to him or if he succeeded or failed or really anything about the plot. I went so far as to delete the sequel off of my to read list.
The second time around I warmed up to it. I started to hate Marius less and I started to care about the plot.
By the time I finished the book I was genuinely enjoying myself and the book. I'll definitely take a gander at the sequel and see how it goes.
The second time around I warmed up to it. I started to hate Marius less and I started to care about the plot.
By the time I finished the book I was genuinely enjoying myself and the book. I'll definitely take a gander at the sequel and see how it goes.
old_tim's review against another edition
3.0
Marius don Hellespont is a liar, thief, pickpocket, corpse robber. He’s not a nice man. He’s given the task of finding a king by the angry dead. This is his story as he tries to escape this quest and the curse that the dead have laid upon him.
The Corpse-Rat King is exciting, horrific, and at times hilarious. Battersby does an excellent job embracing both the horror elements inherent in the story as well as the turning this quest into a series of comic misadventures.
There’s a sense of fairytale logic to Marius’ story. We aren’t sure exactly what the dead do to Marius, or how it works. He can eat, but doesn’t seem to need to breathe. He doesn’t seem to decay, yet is recognized as one of the living dead by those to see him. He can communicate with the dead, but there’s no explanation of how or why this works.
Your reaction to Marius’ story may depend on what you look for in a protagonist. For me, it’s difficult when I don’t see any redeemable features to a character. Grey hats are fine, and often preferable, but they need to have a spark of “good” for me to be really interested. Marius just wasn’t compelling for me. I kept waiting for him to show some signs of personal growth through his troubles, but that moment never came. I realized that I didn’t care if he was tortured by the angry dead.
The Corpse-Rat King is exciting, horrific, and at times hilarious. Battersby does an excellent job embracing both the horror elements inherent in the story as well as the turning this quest into a series of comic misadventures.
There’s a sense of fairytale logic to Marius’ story. We aren’t sure exactly what the dead do to Marius, or how it works. He can eat, but doesn’t seem to need to breathe. He doesn’t seem to decay, yet is recognized as one of the living dead by those to see him. He can communicate with the dead, but there’s no explanation of how or why this works.
Your reaction to Marius’ story may depend on what you look for in a protagonist. For me, it’s difficult when I don’t see any redeemable features to a character. Grey hats are fine, and often preferable, but they need to have a spark of “good” for me to be really interested. Marius just wasn’t compelling for me. I kept waiting for him to show some signs of personal growth through his troubles, but that moment never came. I realized that I didn’t care if he was tortured by the angry dead.
sarah1984's review against another edition
4.0
17/09 - HILARIOUS!! ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!! The scene when Marius first climbs out of the ground to find himself covered with biting ants nearly had me rolling out of bed with laughter and then only minutes later the tears were falling with my hysterical laughter as I tried to read the scene when Marius walks into the bar, not realising that he looks like a recently-risen dead person. I say 'tried' because I would read half a sentence and re-imagine the scene and that would set me off again and I wouldn't be able to continue reading for another minute or two. Highly recommended and I've only read 70 pages. To be continued...
19/09 - The hilarity has disappeared in the last 100 pages or so, which is a bit disappointing - after my last review I was expecting to laugh/seizure my way through the whole book. If there are no further scenes like those in the first few pages of the book I might have to deduct a star. In the middle of the book Battersby seemed to lose his sense of where the story was going and it became a bit rambling and long-winded. To be continued...
23/09 - I know there's going to be a sequel to this, but I'm not really sure it's necessary. The final scene of the book seems like the final scene not just of the book, but forever. I've had to take a star off because the funniness fizzled out after the scene in the bar. There were a few sniggers when Marius and Gerd were helping King Scorby escape his tomb, especially when Marius had to be naked for the ruse they were playing on the guards to work. This has definitely intrigued and amused me enough to go looking for more of Battersby's work at the library and to be curious about what he's going to do with the sequel to this one.
19/09 - The hilarity has disappeared in the last 100 pages or so, which is a bit disappointing - after my last review I was expecting to laugh/seizure my way through the whole book. If there are no further scenes like those in the first few pages of the book I might have to deduct a star. In the middle of the book Battersby seemed to lose his sense of where the story was going and it became a bit rambling and long-winded. To be continued...
23/09 - I know there's going to be a sequel to this, but I'm not really sure it's necessary. The final scene of the book seems like the final scene not just of the book, but forever. I've had to take a star off because the funniness fizzled out after the scene in the bar. There were a few sniggers when Marius and Gerd were helping King Scorby escape his tomb, especially when Marius had to be naked for the ruse they were playing on the guards to work. This has definitely intrigued and amused me enough to go looking for more of Battersby's work at the library and to be curious about what he's going to do with the sequel to this one.
mackle13's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up on a whim when I was at B&N recently. I mention this because this isn't something that happens all that often these days, to be honest. I'm rather loathe to pay full price for a book, especially one I know nothing about outside of the blurb, and I tend to get most of my books from the library these days. But this caught my attention and then held on... though, technically, the second book did that, as I saw that one first, in the new release section, and then backtracked to the first book. And I must admit that the blurb for the first book didn't hook me nearly as much, so it's a good thing I saw the second first...
And I tell you all that as a way to set the scene. I went in knowing very little about these books, having never heard of them before I saw them in B&N, but expecting/hoping to be well amused because the blurb, at least for the second book, struck me as right up my alley.
And, hopefully, the second book will be a bit more so.
Not that I didn't enjoy the book, because I did. I liked Marius in all his awfulness, and enjoyed watching his growth as a character. I know some people had a hard time sympathizing with him, especially in the beginning, but I pretty much got him right from the start.
Gerd, on the other hand, irritated me as much as he irritated Marius - which might be one reason why I more easily related to Marius straight off - and I was glad to see Gerd develop into a more fleshed out character as well - no pun intended.
I liked the sardonic humor and wry wit, and I enjoyed the way he described things by sort of talking around them.
But there were times where my eyes just kept sliding off the page, where the fancy words and injections of humor didn't quite make up for the fact that things were moving at a snail's pace, that Marius' self-awareness was a bit belabored, and things just felt kind of off. And, aside from the whole snail's pace thing and whatnot, I couldn't quite tell you what was off about it... but, at times, I just couldn't focus on the words on the page as my mind wandered off to entertain itself or, conversely, as I began dozing off.
And I couldn't tell you why I seemed bored, at times... just that I was. Maybe it's 'cause, ultimately, it's a sort of standard quest story, and it was just meandering around too long.
But, anyway, things picked up a lot about half-way through, around when Marius meets up with the mad king, and I quite enjoyed the rest of it. You do have to go into it with a sense of humor about the absurd, because it is quite absurd with just one thing happening after another and piling on. The humor , I think, is definitely the saving grace of the story... and I look forward, in the follow-up, to more humor and, hopefully, some better pacing.
***
ETA: I did mention it in a status update but, for those who don't see that - there's a lot of casual cursing and stuff in this book. It's not something that bothers me at all, but I figured I'd mention it for those who don't like their books littered with f-bombs.
Battersby even sort of brings attention to it at one point, and references it as an amusing character quirk. ;)
And I tell you all that as a way to set the scene. I went in knowing very little about these books, having never heard of them before I saw them in B&N, but expecting/hoping to be well amused because the blurb, at least for the second book, struck me as right up my alley.
And, hopefully, the second book will be a bit more so.
Not that I didn't enjoy the book, because I did. I liked Marius in all his awfulness, and enjoyed watching his growth as a character. I know some people had a hard time sympathizing with him, especially in the beginning, but I pretty much got him right from the start.
Gerd, on the other hand, irritated me as much as he irritated Marius - which might be one reason why I more easily related to Marius straight off - and I was glad to see Gerd develop into a more fleshed out character as well - no pun intended.
I liked the sardonic humor and wry wit, and I enjoyed the way he described things by sort of talking around them.
But there were times where my eyes just kept sliding off the page, where the fancy words and injections of humor didn't quite make up for the fact that things were moving at a snail's pace, that Marius' self-awareness was a bit belabored, and things just felt kind of off. And, aside from the whole snail's pace thing and whatnot, I couldn't quite tell you what was off about it... but, at times, I just couldn't focus on the words on the page as my mind wandered off to entertain itself or, conversely, as I began dozing off.
And I couldn't tell you why I seemed bored, at times... just that I was. Maybe it's 'cause, ultimately, it's a sort of standard quest story, and it was just meandering around too long.
But, anyway, things picked up a lot about half-way through, around when Marius meets up with the mad king, and I quite enjoyed the rest of it. You do have to go into it with a sense of humor about the absurd, because it is quite absurd with just one thing happening after another and piling on. The humor , I think, is definitely the saving grace of the story... and I look forward, in the follow-up, to more humor and, hopefully, some better pacing.
***
ETA: I did mention it in a status update but, for those who don't see that - there's a lot of casual cursing and stuff in this book. It's not something that bothers me at all, but I figured I'd mention it for those who don't like their books littered with f-bombs.
Battersby even sort of brings attention to it at one point, and references it as an amusing character quirk. ;)
thiefofcamorr's review against another edition
Katharine is a judge for the Sara Douglass 'Book Series' Award. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.
rubenstein's review against another edition
3.0
http://theprettygoodgatsby.wordpress.com/2012/09/21/review-the-corpse-rat-king/
The Corpse-Rat King opens with a bang: Marius, a professional thief, and his assistant Gerd, are combing through a battlefield, looting whatever valuables they could find. Unfortunately, Marius comes upon the corpse of the King and quickly finds his life changed forever. Within minutes Gerd is brutally slain and Marius finds himself in the Kingdom of the Dead - mistaken for the dead king.
Needless to say, the dead are not pleased to discover Marius is, in fact, not their king. Also, he's not exactly as dead as they originally thought. They send him back to the surface with a task: find a new ruler.
With a fascinating plot, The Corpse-Rat King is unlike any story I've read. The lines between the living and the dead are blurred in Marius's world and I loved that. Once he returns to the surface he notices changes to his body. For starters, he doesn't have a heartbeat. His vision in the dark has also changed - for the better. At times his skin will be grey and withered, yet other times his flesh will be rosy and pink. This aspect was really neat and I enjoyed all the possibilities.
Also, the author has a way with words. The writing was absolutely beautiful. Sadly, this also led to me skimming page-length paragraphs of descriptions. Vivid, lovely descriptions, but descriptions nonetheless.
Marius meets an entire cast of characters throughout his journey: dead kings, an untrustworthy captain, an island of natives. Each one was wonderfully fleshed out and their own person. Again, I cannot say enough about Battersby's penchant for writing: he is a magnificent writer (with over 70 stories to his name!).
However - and I wish there wasn't a however - once the book hit the halfway mark it felt like the story came grinding to a halt. It felt like I was reading the camping part of Deathly Hallows all over again! Marius is on this exciting, event-riddled journey. I shouldn't be skimming entire pages!
Some of my favorite characters showed up only to never be heard from or thought about again. The dead King Nandus was fantastic and I could easily have read an entire book solely featuring him.
Keth, the love-interest-that-wasn't is another example of a character that seemed to play a huge role, but then simply vanished. At one point Marius has a Big Revelation and realizes that she's loved him this entire time. He turns her into a mission (find the dead a king, then get back to his home, profess his love, buy Keth a house, have a bunch of kids, and live Happily Ever After), yet not long after that moment, Keth is never thought of again. She doesn't appear again - either in person or in conversation - for the duration of the book.
Gerd, the bumbling sidekick, had the personality of the real hero while Marius could have easily been the sidekick instead. Marius put Gerd through so much - and told so many lies - that it was hard NOT to feel for Gerd.
There were multiple lines that made me giggle, but even the humor doesn't hide the fact that there are many things missing from this book. Gaping plot holes, unsympathetic characters with no redeeming qualities, and too-long paragraphs combined to make what initially started out as a fantastic book, an ultimately disappointing and lackluster one. I finished The Corpse-Rat King with a resounding meh.
From the author notes it seems a sequel is in the works. Hopefully the issues I had will be addressed and corrected.
"Find us a king," the corpse called out.
"What? Why?"
"You stole his place. You are in our debt."
The Corpse-Rat King opens with a bang: Marius, a professional thief, and his assistant Gerd, are combing through a battlefield, looting whatever valuables they could find. Unfortunately, Marius comes upon the corpse of the King and quickly finds his life changed forever. Within minutes Gerd is brutally slain and Marius finds himself in the Kingdom of the Dead - mistaken for the dead king.
Needless to say, the dead are not pleased to discover Marius is, in fact, not their king. Also, he's not exactly as dead as they originally thought. They send him back to the surface with a task: find a new ruler.
Marius was not a fighting man. A thief does not enter the profession because he wants to fight. He was a slinker, a tip-toer. He lived for the time after the fight, when the victor had departed and all that remained were the easy rewards and sightless eyes.
With a fascinating plot, The Corpse-Rat King is unlike any story I've read. The lines between the living and the dead are blurred in Marius's world and I loved that. Once he returns to the surface he notices changes to his body. For starters, he doesn't have a heartbeat. His vision in the dark has also changed - for the better. At times his skin will be grey and withered, yet other times his flesh will be rosy and pink. This aspect was really neat and I enjoyed all the possibilities.
Also, the author has a way with words. The writing was absolutely beautiful. Sadly, this also led to me skimming page-length paragraphs of descriptions. Vivid, lovely descriptions, but descriptions nonetheless.
Early explorers found nothing there to recommend the place to anybody, and indeed, early maps show a simple ovoid outline with the words "Don't Bother" written inside.
Marius meets an entire cast of characters throughout his journey: dead kings, an untrustworthy captain, an island of natives. Each one was wonderfully fleshed out and their own person. Again, I cannot say enough about Battersby's penchant for writing: he is a magnificent writer (with over 70 stories to his name!).
However - and I wish there wasn't a however - once the book hit the halfway mark it felt like the story came grinding to a halt. It felt like I was reading the camping part of Deathly Hallows all over again! Marius is on this exciting, event-riddled journey. I shouldn't be skimming entire pages!
Then he remembered the autumn of his tenth year, when Nandus had ordered that the forests along the Borghan peninsula be set on fire so the squirrels wouldn't get cold, and seven thousands peasants had died in the winter snows.
Some of my favorite characters showed up only to never be heard from or thought about again. The dead King Nandus was fantastic and I could easily have read an entire book solely featuring him.
Keth, the love-interest-that-wasn't is another example of a character that seemed to play a huge role, but then simply vanished. At one point Marius has a Big Revelation and realizes that she's loved him this entire time. He turns her into a mission (find the dead a king, then get back to his home, profess his love, buy Keth a house, have a bunch of kids, and live Happily Ever After), yet not long after that moment, Keth is never thought of again. She doesn't appear again - either in person or in conversation - for the duration of the book.
Gerd, the bumbling sidekick, had the personality of the real hero while Marius could have easily been the sidekick instead. Marius put Gerd through so much - and told so many lies - that it was hard NOT to feel for Gerd.
With no external stimulation, he turned inwards. He tried singing, but there are only so many bottles of beer that can fall before the entire liquor industry goes on strike...
There were multiple lines that made me giggle, but even the humor doesn't hide the fact that there are many things missing from this book. Gaping plot holes, unsympathetic characters with no redeeming qualities, and too-long paragraphs combined to make what initially started out as a fantastic book, an ultimately disappointing and lackluster one. I finished The Corpse-Rat King with a resounding meh.
From the author notes it seems a sequel is in the works. Hopefully the issues I had will be addressed and corrected.