Brandon Lindsay

Excellent return to the world of the Greatcoats

Revisado: 01-20-23

Beyond the swashbuckling, there are lots of poignant moments in these stories that remind me why de Castell is one of my favorite authors. He understands heroism better, I think, than any other living writer, and his stories are always an inspiration.

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Great story!

Revisado: 02-21-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Although it's quite different from what I normally read, I really liked this book. It's a portal fantasy with a mix of characters from our world and a fantasy world, and it has great characterization throughout. Even though it's a fantasy novel, I thought the scenes taking place in our world were especially well done, though there was some great imagery in the fantasy world as well. The description was often vivid but never overdone.

It is a Christian book with religious themes, and though I'm not the target audience for such fiction, for the most part I didn't find it intrusive. There were a couple parts in the book that made it clear that the religion in the fantasy realm is the same as Christianity in ours, though the particular aspects of it go by different names. There is some additional worldbuilding done with the fantasy world's religion that made it rich and interesting. The cultures there were well fleshed-out and the society felt real.

There's plenty of danger and adventure in this book, but it is thoughtful as well, with themes that wrap up nicely at the end of the book. In the first half, I found myself wondering when the two different worlds would intersect, but eventually they did come together in a satisfying climax. Overall, if Sorrowfish sounds like your cup of tea, you won't be disappointed.

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Excellent

Revisado: 06-10-20

loved this book. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of the criminally-underrated Winds of the Forelands by David B. Coe (read that after you read this one). There are kings and ancient races, politics and betrayal, bloodshed and magic. You know, the good stuff.

There are a lot of characters, so there was a bit to keep track of at first. But once I got to know them better, I was fully invested in all of them. And they are just so convincingly written, too, especially the bad guys, and the people who aren't all bad but do bad things. It was really easy to see why they did the things they did, even though they were reprehensible and short-sighted.

One thing I've noticed in this book and Anderson's other fantasy series I read, Terra Incognita, is that he is a master of theme. Many authors don't bother with it, while others come off as didactic and their themes contrived, shoehorned in to make a point. Not so with this book. Anderson *shows* us his themes in a way that springs naturally from the plot and the actions that his characters take. In a way, their fruition seems inevitable, but never predictable.

Regarding the narrator's performance, at first he seemed to go overboard in intensity when it wasn't warranted, but after a while, I got used to it and actually started to enjoy it. He does the different characters really well so it was always clear who was saying what.

Overall, if you're looking for a deep, sometimes violent fantasy novel filled with clashing cultures and ideas that you can get lost in, you should pick up this one.

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