Scan barcode
matturay's review
While I enjoy high fantasy, I enjoy it much more when it's about the characters, not just about throwing as many FaNtAsY names and lore as they can fit per paragraph at you.
mlynes_author's review
4.0
Dolor and Shadow by Angela B Chrysler is an epic saga, some 700 pages in the kindle edition. It introduces the reader to the world of Norse legend, and is intricately described and detailed.
Much of the tale concerns the thousand year conflict between the Dokkalfar and the Ljosalfar, two eleven races that inhabit Alfheim or the land of the elves. The Dokkalfar are led by Kallan, daughter of King Eyolf who inherits the throne from him when he is ambushed and slain by treachery at the hands of the King of the Ljosalfar. This precipitates a 1000 year war between the two immortal races. Woven throughout this endless conflict there is subterfuge, treachery and of course Seidr, the magical energy that Kallan and a few of her fellow Seidkona can wield.
There is plenty of intrigue, action, swordplay and magic in this tale and many surprising twists in it plot. Given the amount of background and world crafting and research that obviously went into creating this story it is a bit of a daunting read, much of what the reader learns has to be exposed through dialog and interaction and therefore details of the world are constantly being shaped and crafted as the story itself moves forward, a difficult feat for any author, but handled in a competent way by Ms Chrysler.
I gave this story a four star rating, i liked it a lot but it suffered a bit from its length (it likely should have been two books) and also the constant (necessary) introductions of new characters, lands and peoples makes the beginning of the tale difficult to get into, requiring the reader to persevere while the world is built up around them. I feel with judicious editing this slight difficulty could be overcome and this work would compare favorably with any of the best examples of this genre.
Much of the tale concerns the thousand year conflict between the Dokkalfar and the Ljosalfar, two eleven races that inhabit Alfheim or the land of the elves. The Dokkalfar are led by Kallan, daughter of King Eyolf who inherits the throne from him when he is ambushed and slain by treachery at the hands of the King of the Ljosalfar. This precipitates a 1000 year war between the two immortal races. Woven throughout this endless conflict there is subterfuge, treachery and of course Seidr, the magical energy that Kallan and a few of her fellow Seidkona can wield.
There is plenty of intrigue, action, swordplay and magic in this tale and many surprising twists in it plot. Given the amount of background and world crafting and research that obviously went into creating this story it is a bit of a daunting read, much of what the reader learns has to be exposed through dialog and interaction and therefore details of the world are constantly being shaped and crafted as the story itself moves forward, a difficult feat for any author, but handled in a competent way by Ms Chrysler.
I gave this story a four star rating, i liked it a lot but it suffered a bit from its length (it likely should have been two books) and also the constant (necessary) introductions of new characters, lands and peoples makes the beginning of the tale difficult to get into, requiring the reader to persevere while the world is built up around them. I feel with judicious editing this slight difficulty could be overcome and this work would compare favorably with any of the best examples of this genre.
bookishchas's review
5.0
A masterpiece of storytelling! I couldn't put this book down. Being the huge fan of ancient myth that I am, this book captivated me. The story is based around classic Norse mythology, but with a strong fantasy element weaved into it involving a war between elven factions that spills over into the realms of human races. The twist is brilliantly done, and should not be missed. I give this book six stars!!
More...