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bookdragonstbr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
What a ride! I found the humor in this book phenomenal. The personalities that Green creates are beyond amazing. I fell in love with Unicorn, Julia, Dragon and of course, Rupert. They just added so much to the plot. Great character development and world building. The plot was fun with plenty of surprises. The ending felt didn't leave you with a bunch of questions. Overall I thought it was a fantastic story.
The narrator did an amazing job on this one!!
The narrator did an amazing job on this one!!
eclipse777's review against another edition
3.0
3.5, would Probably have loved this when I was younger unfortunately I have read quite a bit since then and could see where the story was going
Also I think the story couldn't decide if it wanted to be a comedy or serious and because of this a few characters seem to change their personality and then revert back again
Also I think the story couldn't decide if it wanted to be a comedy or serious and because of this a few characters seem to change their personality and then revert back again
melbsreads's review
5.0
Trigger warnings: violence, blood, gore, death, animal death, graphic descriptions of death, betrayal, poisoning, stabbing.
15/7/2021
Yup. Everything I said last time stands.
5/1/2017
I love this book a lot. It's easily my favourite epic fantasy book. And I think I love it as much as I do because the world building is trickled out throughout the course of the story, rather than dumped in right at the beginning. (Yes, Mistborn, I'm looking at you and your TWO HUNDRED FREAKING PAGES OF SET UP)
You get a little bit of history about the Darkwood when Rupert and the Unicorn set out. You get a bit about the Forest Kingdom as Rupert fills Julia and the Dragon in on their way home. You get a bit about the Castle as Julia wanders about exploring. You get the history of the High Warlock as Rupert goes off in search of him. Etcetera.
Add in the fact that the characters all have great arcs and great development, the fact that everyone at some point operates in a bit of a moral grey zone, the fact that the writing is equal parts creepy and wonderful, and the fact that the dialogue is hilariously sassy, and you've got yourself one hell of a good time.
17/8/2014
I've read this book approximately a million times, and it's easily my favourite Simon R. Green book. In the past I would have rated it four stars, but I've bumped it up to five stars on this reread because it's just so fabulous.
I just love everything about this book. The world building is great, the story has less gore than your usual Simon R. Green book but can still be pretty gruesome at times (they're at war with demons, for crying out loud), the writing is fabulous, and the dialogue is spectacularly sassy.
I love every single character, even the ones that you love to hate. They're all flawed - Julia has a tendency to lash out with her fists first and ask questions later, Rupert jumps to conclusions, the unicorn is a sassy little shit who's not afraid to hide when things look a bit bleak, and the dragon farts at inopportune moments. Despite how bleak it can be at times, it's an incredibly funny book and I love every single second of it.
15/7/2021
Yup. Everything I said last time stands.
5/1/2017
I love this book a lot. It's easily my favourite epic fantasy book. And I think I love it as much as I do because the world building is trickled out throughout the course of the story, rather than dumped in right at the beginning. (Yes, Mistborn, I'm looking at you and your TWO HUNDRED FREAKING PAGES OF SET UP)
You get a little bit of history about the Darkwood when Rupert and the Unicorn set out. You get a bit about the Forest Kingdom as Rupert fills Julia and the Dragon in on their way home. You get a bit about the Castle as Julia wanders about exploring. You get the history of the High Warlock as Rupert goes off in search of him. Etcetera.
Add in the fact that the characters all have great arcs and great development, the fact that everyone at some point operates in a bit of a moral grey zone, the fact that the writing is equal parts creepy and wonderful, and the fact that the dialogue is hilariously sassy, and you've got yourself one hell of a good time.
17/8/2014
I've read this book approximately a million times, and it's easily my favourite Simon R. Green book. In the past I would have rated it four stars, but I've bumped it up to five stars on this reread because it's just so fabulous.
I just love everything about this book. The world building is great, the story has less gore than your usual Simon R. Green book but can still be pretty gruesome at times (they're at war with demons, for crying out loud), the writing is fabulous, and the dialogue is spectacularly sassy.
I love every single character, even the ones that you love to hate. They're all flawed - Julia has a tendency to lash out with her fists first and ask questions later, Rupert jumps to conclusions, the unicorn is a sassy little shit who's not afraid to hide when things look a bit bleak, and the dragon farts at inopportune moments. Despite how bleak it can be at times, it's an incredibly funny book and I love every single second of it.
_candace_'s review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book. Scary monsters, brave characters, etc. In fact, I would say that this book had a line that had me laughing more than any other conversation in a fantasy novel before. The part at the beginning when the Unicorn goes to hide behind a tree, says:
"Demons eat Unicorns."
Rupert replied, "Demons will eat anything..."
"Precisely."
It was so stupid it made me crack up. So I did like the book. But with all that being said, a couple things kept me from giving it more stars. Those reasons are:
1. The pacing was off. Especially in the beginning. Rupert and gang defeat the demons in the Darkwood after the Rainbow Run, and then in the next paragraph, they are home. There was no in-between or transition. That happend quite a bit. Other times, like right before a battle, Green would take 20 pages to describe the anticipation before said battle. That could have been condensed, and he could have taken more time to flesh out more interesting plot lines. Seems like a missed opportunity.
2. Many plot revelations were a 'cop out'. For example; when Julia announces to the court that it was Harald she was engaged to. If she kept her mouth shut, would anyone have noticed? I think Green could have gone about that in a different way without making Julia look so daft. And then again, when we learn the Astrologer betrayed the kingdom, his motivation for doing so seemed contrived. "I hate you King John. Even though you are my best friend. So I am going to summon the most evil creature this land has ever seen, and try to make an alliance with him, to get back at you." Contrived.
3. A few other little things bothered me, but this little thing bothered me enough to make this list. At the end, after months of battle, sleep deprivation, healed and broken and re-healed bones, a lost eye, and a dark mark left on his soul, Rupert decides it's a great idea to hop into bed with Julia, who may or may not still be engaged to his brother? Hrm...highly unlikely...no matter how 'in-love' they are. Seems like a bummer of a way to lose your V-card.
You win some and you lose some, I suppose.
"Demons eat Unicorns."
Rupert replied, "Demons will eat anything..."
"Precisely."
It was so stupid it made me crack up. So I did like the book. But with all that being said, a couple things kept me from giving it more stars. Those reasons are:
1. The pacing was off. Especially in the beginning. Rupert and gang defeat the demons in the Darkwood after the Rainbow Run, and then in the next paragraph, they are home. There was no in-between or transition. That happend quite a bit. Other times, like right before a battle, Green would take 20 pages to describe the anticipation before said battle. That could have been condensed, and he could have taken more time to flesh out more interesting plot lines. Seems like a missed opportunity.
2. Many plot revelations were a 'cop out'. For example; when Julia announces to the court that it was Harald she was engaged to. If she kept her mouth shut, would anyone have noticed? I think Green could have gone about that in a different way without making Julia look so daft. And then again, when we learn the Astrologer betrayed the kingdom, his motivation for doing so seemed contrived. "I hate you King John. Even though you are my best friend. So I am going to summon the most evil creature this land has ever seen, and try to make an alliance with him, to get back at you." Contrived.
3. A few other little things bothered me, but this little thing bothered me enough to make this list. At the end, after months of battle, sleep deprivation, healed and broken and re-healed bones, a lost eye, and a dark mark left on his soul, Rupert decides it's a great idea to hop into bed with Julia, who may or may not still be engaged to his brother? Hrm...highly unlikely...no matter how 'in-love' they are. Seems like a bummer of a way to lose your V-card.
You win some and you lose some, I suppose.
wordmouse's review against another edition
4.0
Originally a friend lent me this book as one of her long time favourites years ago. I loved it then, and marvelled at the quality of the writing and the fun the author had with the story.
Re-reading it recently, I felt the same way as I did back then.
Interesting characters hold your attention and make you care about how the story develops, and funny little satirical elements still resound with me the way they did when I first read this book.
I can't help but wish that Green had kept the same quality from this, his first novel, in his other works, which while still enjoyable, lack the depth and attention to detail he demonstrated here.
Definitely worth a read, and definitely not a fantasy-by-numbers.
Re-reading it recently, I felt the same way as I did back then.
Interesting characters hold your attention and make you care about how the story develops, and funny little satirical elements still resound with me the way they did when I first read this book.
I can't help but wish that Green had kept the same quality from this, his first novel, in his other works, which while still enjoyable, lack the depth and attention to detail he demonstrated here.
Definitely worth a read, and definitely not a fantasy-by-numbers.
dcd's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tricky's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so much fun and has become one of my favourites.
The book is fast paced, engaging and full of humour. Rupert is just the best hero because he is the everyman of fantasy, he is not special, lives in the shadow of his brother but he becomes his own man.
If you want fantasy that is a little bit different this is it.
The book is fast paced, engaging and full of humour. Rupert is just the best hero because he is the everyman of fantasy, he is not special, lives in the shadow of his brother but he becomes his own man.
If you want fantasy that is a little bit different this is it.
honeycomb_system's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.75
dlwchico's review against another edition
2.0
This book seems to start out as a comedy parody of fantasy novels but partway in it seems to give that up and settles down to a fairly standard fantasy of the sort it was making fun of.
It was still enjoyable enough and I got it dirt cheap at the FotL book sale. Apparently there are other books with the same main characters and if I see those I’ll probably grab them too.
It was still enjoyable enough and I got it dirt cheap at the FotL book sale. Apparently there are other books with the same main characters and if I see those I’ll probably grab them too.
shawnbilodeau's review
A prince who wished he wasn't. A princess who'd rather run away than be part of an arranged marriage. A dragon sorry he'd ever captured her. An evil growing at the heart of the Darkwood. This is an atypical fairy tale that is typical of Simon Green's talent and sense of humor. An early offering that show hints about what his work would become, it is a good, solid read.