Scan barcode
dreamreader's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a challenging book for several reasons, and one that I really wish I could have enjoyed more. Though this book wasn't ultimately for me, I will still give other works by this author a try.
Plot:
There really isn't one. This book is more episodic, like a collection of short stories. It's similar to the first two prologue books to The Witcher, but I think those books work, and this one doesn't, at least for me. I would have really liked more of a self-contained plot. Years passed in this book, possibly decades, and I never felt like I really knew the characters. I would have loved to see this book just be about Majaxin's curse, Korendir meeting Ithariel, and then defeating the bane of Tir Amindel. That would have been quite the book. Instead we just get a very repetitive "plot" as Korendir takes on task after task, each more brutal and dangerous than the last. This might be appealing to some readers, but didn't work for me.
Characters:
Sadly, I didn't like them. Though I understand their motivations, and I admire that they are deeply complex and tragically flawed, I found it difficult to feel emotionally invested in any of them. Korendir doesn't owe anyone anything, but he's also unreasonably rude to nearly everyone he encounters. We're told over and over again that he's driven by compassion, and I understand that, but his grand gestures lose meaning when he can't even speak kindly to anyone. The only redeeming quality here is that Wurts seems to be aware that her characters aren't likable, because she often has other characters comment upon Korendir's stubbornness or his attitude.
Writing:
I did like the writing, though I found it very challenging. My copy of this book is 413 pages long, and it took me 8 days to read. That's such a long time for me, for such a slender book. Wurts's actual syntax is difficult. The way she arranges sentences is sometimes confusing, and there was a lot of seafaring terminology that I didn't understand but also didn't want to have to look up, because then I would be googling something every page. But I did find the writing atmospheric, and I liked her world building and magic system, both of which were very interesting and much darker than I expected.
All in all, not my favorite, but I'm willing to give Wurts a second chance, because I think it was mostly the plot (or lack thereof) that ruined this one for me.
Plot:
There really isn't one. This book is more episodic, like a collection of short stories. It's similar to the first two prologue books to The Witcher, but I think those books work, and this one doesn't, at least for me. I would have really liked more of a self-contained plot. Years passed in this book, possibly decades, and I never felt like I really knew the characters. I would have loved to see this book just be about Majaxin's curse, Korendir meeting Ithariel, and then defeating the bane of Tir Amindel. That would have been quite the book. Instead we just get a very repetitive "plot" as Korendir takes on task after task, each more brutal and dangerous than the last. This might be appealing to some readers, but didn't work for me.
Characters:
Sadly, I didn't like them. Though I understand their motivations, and I admire that they are deeply complex and tragically flawed, I found it difficult to feel emotionally invested in any of them. Korendir doesn't owe anyone anything, but he's also unreasonably rude to nearly everyone he encounters. We're told over and over again that he's driven by compassion, and I understand that, but his grand gestures lose meaning when he can't even speak kindly to anyone. The only redeeming quality here is that Wurts seems to be aware that her characters aren't likable, because she often has other characters comment upon Korendir's stubbornness or his attitude.
Writing:
I did like the writing, though I found it very challenging. My copy of this book is 413 pages long, and it took me 8 days to read. That's such a long time for me, for such a slender book. Wurts's actual syntax is difficult. The way she arranges sentences is sometimes confusing, and there was a lot of seafaring terminology that I didn't understand but also didn't want to have to look up, because then I would be googling something every page. But I did find the writing atmospheric, and I liked her world building and magic system, both of which were very interesting and much darker than I expected.
All in all, not my favorite, but I'm willing to give Wurts a second chance, because I think it was mostly the plot (or lack thereof) that ruined this one for me.
copperaeon's review against another edition
3.0
I love the story, but reading this for the second (or possibly third) time through after not reading it for a decade or more, I was disappointed with the characterisation. It feels like a set of linked short stories more than a novel, reminiscent of classic Conan stories - and the level of character development is more akin to sword & sorcery short stories in the model of Conan than to what I expect from a good fantasy novel. Still, it's a fun read and has some gorgeous ideas and world-building in it.
ashybear02's review against another edition
It was full, boring and extremely hard to follow. The idea of trying to get through 600 pages of this was too much. I usually finish everything I read so this is a rare exception. I just couldn't.
seak's review
4.0
I've begun to realize that reading fantasy** has given me a superpower. It's not generally considered a superpower per se, but it IS a power I've received from my reading ventures. And maybe it's not necessarily a power, but it is a skill and really that's all superpowers are right? Cool skills.
**Quite possibly reading fiction in general, but I like to think it's just fantasy
Fine, okay, but Batman's a superhero and has no superpower ... so maybe it fits in there, somewhere.
Does this have a point? Why would you ask?
That superpower (sticking with it!) is that of perception. Rarely have I seen it better displayed than in The Master of White Storm by Janny Wurts.
The power of perception (alliteration makes it a power) is prominently on display here as Korendir begins his plan of escape as a galley slave, rowing for his Mhurga slave masters.
Not only is it all but unforeseen for slaves to escape the Mhurga, if one does escape, that slave is hunted down along with his or her family and all killed or made to suffer. In essence, you have to be crazy to mess with them.
It's through his perception that Korendir sees holes in his slavers' characters and in their routines and he exploits them after years of preparation and careful study.
It's amazing what being perceptive can do for you. Through reading, I have personally become more perceptive. I walk into a room and I notice things that others wouldn't normally notice. I can spot characters in movies and point them out in older or newer shows they are in without the use of IMDB (a highly lucrative power I have).
Most importantly, and something that has been pointed out in studies and articles, perception helps to give you empathy. If there is anything the world needs more of, it's empathy.
Korendir is a character with a world of empathy and that's what makes him such a strong and wonderful character. Janny Wurts understands exactly what that means and I've noticed that this is a powerful trait in many of my favorite characters she writes. They understand other people and will do anything to prevent others from suffering. Anything they have they will give to alleviate that suffering.
Wurts weaves a powerful tale as Korendir comes into his power and takes on task after task because that is the kind of person he is. He could sit back and enjoy his life, but he doesn't. I took away a powerful lesson. It's nice to think about what life would be to relax and take it easy. To have your every need taken care of. But how can you do so with so many people out there in need?
The Master of Whitestorm is a stand-alone book, filled with adventure after adventure. It's much more straight-forward than say The Wars of Light and Shadow, but that's a given since 450 pages can't contain the depth and complexity of an 11 volume (circa 800 pages per book) series. This is an excellent entry point into the works of Janny Wurts just like To Ride Hell's Chasm, which I reviewed earlier.
4.5 out 5 Stars (highly recommended)
Note: The Master of Whitestorm was recently re-released in ebook format and it is also under production for an audiobook, so that's great news for you headphone jockeys out there.
**Quite possibly reading fiction in general, but I like to think it's just fantasy
Fine, okay, but Batman's a superhero and has no superpower ... so maybe it fits in there, somewhere.
Does this have a point? Why would you ask?
That superpower (sticking with it!) is that of perception. Rarely have I seen it better displayed than in The Master of White Storm by Janny Wurts.
The power of perception (alliteration makes it a power) is prominently on display here as Korendir begins his plan of escape as a galley slave, rowing for his Mhurga slave masters.
Not only is it all but unforeseen for slaves to escape the Mhurga, if one does escape, that slave is hunted down along with his or her family and all killed or made to suffer. In essence, you have to be crazy to mess with them.
It's through his perception that Korendir sees holes in his slavers' characters and in their routines and he exploits them after years of preparation and careful study.
It's amazing what being perceptive can do for you. Through reading, I have personally become more perceptive. I walk into a room and I notice things that others wouldn't normally notice. I can spot characters in movies and point them out in older or newer shows they are in without the use of IMDB (a highly lucrative power I have).
Most importantly, and something that has been pointed out in studies and articles, perception helps to give you empathy. If there is anything the world needs more of, it's empathy.
Korendir is a character with a world of empathy and that's what makes him such a strong and wonderful character. Janny Wurts understands exactly what that means and I've noticed that this is a powerful trait in many of my favorite characters she writes. They understand other people and will do anything to prevent others from suffering. Anything they have they will give to alleviate that suffering.
Wurts weaves a powerful tale as Korendir comes into his power and takes on task after task because that is the kind of person he is. He could sit back and enjoy his life, but he doesn't. I took away a powerful lesson. It's nice to think about what life would be to relax and take it easy. To have your every need taken care of. But how can you do so with so many people out there in need?
The Master of Whitestorm is a stand-alone book, filled with adventure after adventure. It's much more straight-forward than say The Wars of Light and Shadow, but that's a given since 450 pages can't contain the depth and complexity of an 11 volume (circa 800 pages per book) series. This is an excellent entry point into the works of Janny Wurts just like To Ride Hell's Chasm, which I reviewed earlier.
4.5 out 5 Stars (highly recommended)
Note: The Master of Whitestorm was recently re-released in ebook format and it is also under production for an audiobook, so that's great news for you headphone jockeys out there.
mlejoy's review
2.0
2nd DNF book this week for me. This is my first Janny Wurts book and I'm really disappointed. I think I just picked the wrong book to start with. This one starts out interesting - on the slave galley where the two main characters are trying to escape, but then it just ended up being a bunch of short story adventures that get more and more outrageous. There's no plot really. I got about halfway through and quit. This book reminds me of playing an MMO and just reading a bunch of quest text. The main hero goes from one improbable scenario to the next. It just wasn't for me at all. That being said, I'm not giving up on Wurts, I have too many friends here that rave about her books, so I think I just need to choose something that's more like a novel and not a bunch of short stories.
acardattack's review
4.0
This is a hard book to describe, it's popcorn, but its also dense, I had a hard time reading it for long periods of time, despite it not being dense like ASOIAF. It should have been an easy long read, but I still enjoyed it.
I think it would have been better to have been a couple different books, where one or two of each of his tasks is completed so we can get more character development. Biggest gripe is some of the solutions felt like deus ex machina, there was little to no set up to how he could pull it off and we'd only find out afterwards.
Still a solid stand alone read
I think it would have been better to have been a couple different books, where one or two of each of his tasks is completed so we can get more character development. Biggest gripe is some of the solutions felt like deus ex machina, there was little to no set up to how he could pull it off and we'd only find out afterwards.
Still a solid stand alone read
More...