An ancient weapon has completely destroyed the city of Windwir. From many miles away, Rudolfo, Lord of the Nine Forest Houses, ... read full description
reviews
Jul 15, 2011
Terence
rated it: 
A deeply heartfelt "meh."
I started reading this Easter Day (2011) because I had finished The Mammoth Cheese - two thumbs up! waaaay up! - and wanted to mentally vegetate for a bit.
There's nothing particularly memorable about Ken Scholes' debut novel nor anything particularly awful about it. It's just another title among the myriad that crowd the SF/Fantasy shelves at any bookstore.
As with any book, there's almost certainly an audience out there to wh More...
I started reading this Easter Day (2011) because I had finished The Mammoth Cheese - two thumbs up! waaaay up! - and wanted to mentally vegetate for a bit.
There's nothing particularly memorable about Ken Scholes' debut novel nor anything particularly awful about it. It's just another title among the myriad that crowd the SF/Fantasy shelves at any bookstore.
As with any book, there's almost certainly an audience out there to wh More...
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(9 people liked it)
Jul 27, 2010
Monica
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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(3 people liked it)
Mar 18, 2009
C.S.
rated it: 
This was a great book. Very fast paced with some very interesting characters and story lines. It did suffer from a few first novel issues but they were small and didn't bother me that much.
I liked that the book ended with the completion of a story line and the hint of the future mystery. I have always felt that series books should do that. I hate feeling like I go to the end of the book with no resolution what so ever.
I also thought Scholes did a very nice job of la More...
I liked that the book ended with the completion of a story line and the hint of the future mystery. I have always felt that series books should do that. I hate feeling like I go to the end of the book with no resolution what so ever.
I also thought Scholes did a very nice job of la More...
Mar 27, 2009
Stefan
rated it: 
Well, the good news is that this novel actually got a bit better than I thought at first, but it's still not the earth-shattering genre-defining debut that the nice publicity folks at Tor make it out to be.
In terms of world-building, it reminded me a bit of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Fantasy-world that once had advanced technology but now has reverted to standard medievaloid status, aside from some remnants of those high-tech times still being around and/or being re-discovered. More...
In terms of world-building, it reminded me a bit of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Fantasy-world that once had advanced technology but now has reverted to standard medievaloid status, aside from some remnants of those high-tech times still being around and/or being re-discovered. More...
Nov 18, 2011
Francis
rated it:
Fantasies are a lot of work.
First there all those strange names. Then you have to memorize the geography and the names of all the Kingdoms and their various Kings and Queens. Then there are the myths, legends, prophecies, histories, scrolls, sacred books and sayings to internalize. Then you have to deal with the religions, the good one as well as the bad ones, in order to understand why everybody does all the inexplicable stuff they do. Then you have to figure out how the elves, fa More...
First there all those strange names. Then you have to memorize the geography and the names of all the Kingdoms and their various Kings and Queens. Then there are the myths, legends, prophecies, histories, scrolls, sacred books and sayings to internalize. Then you have to deal with the religions, the good one as well as the bad ones, in order to understand why everybody does all the inexplicable stuff they do. Then you have to figure out how the elves, fa More...
Sep 16, 2011
Algernon
rated it: 
A pleasant discovery for me. I delayed reading this series until the third book was out, and it seems the initial buzz has quieted down and the Psalms of Isaak is flying under the radar compared to Sanderson or Brent Weeks or Peter W Brett, who I think share a similar style and whose series I would rate a little below Scholes.
I apreciated the narrative flow and the clarity of the exposition. Good pacing and likable characters compensate for a certain lack of originality. Being mostly f More...
I apreciated the narrative flow and the clarity of the exposition. Good pacing and likable characters compensate for a certain lack of originality. Being mostly f More...
Aug 11, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
Pros: three dimensional characters, political and personal intrigue
Cons: starts very character driven, which some readers will find slow
Rudolfo, Lord of the Ninefold Forest Houses, General of the Wandering Army, is touring his lands when the Desolation occurs. Little does he realize how his life was manipulated with this future act in mind.
Jim Li Tan, 42nd daughter of merchant and spy Lord Vlad Li Tam, is consort to Sethbert, Overseer of the Entrolusian City States. More...
Cons: starts very character driven, which some readers will find slow
Rudolfo, Lord of the Ninefold Forest Houses, General of the Wandering Army, is touring his lands when the Desolation occurs. Little does he realize how his life was manipulated with this future act in mind.
Jim Li Tan, 42nd daughter of merchant and spy Lord Vlad Li Tam, is consort to Sethbert, Overseer of the Entrolusian City States. More...
Jul 18, 2010
Bradley
rated it:
Could not get into it. Read a review of this book that praised Scholes... Barnes and Noble rated it as Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel of the year for 2009. Based on that I thought, whoa, as a first novel, this must be stellar! I ran to the library to check it out... let me tell you, that it draws on tired themes of 'thick theory human nature' which are tired, but also - how many people in the future will dine on 'roast boar'? How many boars will be around in the future? Won't we kill off all
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May 17, 2010
Travis
rated it:
Lamentation by Ken Scholes- This is the first book of The Psalms of Isaak series which will consist of five books. The second book is Canticle. At the time of this review, the other three book titles are unknown.
The city called Windwir was the heart of the world and held its knowledge, but now lies in a field of ash and desolation. The city's destruction could be seen for miles around. People come to investigate the disaster. Among them is a man named Rudolfo, the Lord of the Gypsy Sco More...
The city called Windwir was the heart of the world and held its knowledge, but now lies in a field of ash and desolation. The city's destruction could be seen for miles around. People come to investigate the disaster. Among them is a man named Rudolfo, the Lord of the Gypsy Sco More...
Feb 24, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
This story to me is like the Whymer Mazes used as a meditation device by the Androfrancines. The maze circle that seems to never end and always turns back on to itself. I loved this story, there's always a mystery to figure out. Who and why did they destroy the city of Windwir, the home to the Androfrancines who protected the rest of the people in the world from the technology and dark pieces that could be used to destroy the world and only trickling out the small pieces of information they feel
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 22, 2010
Ethan
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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(4 people liked it)
Dec 29, 2009
Neil
rated it:
Orson Scott Card is perhaps a bit of a cheap date in the blurb department. This isn't better than the work of today's best fantasy writers as he implies, but it's good, and Scholes is a writer I will follow.
This is a multiple-narrator fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world. An order of monks who have guarded the knowledge of the past are obliterated by a spell as the book opens, one of the nastier bits of that past knowledge (although the magic in this book may be science, it's not More...
This is a multiple-narrator fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world. An order of monks who have guarded the knowledge of the past are obliterated by a spell as the book opens, one of the nastier bits of that past knowledge (although the magic in this book may be science, it's not More...
Nov 27, 2009
Andrew
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 21, 2009
Robin
rated it:
The audio version of this book was fantastic, but this may have been a case where the print version would have made things easier. You can flip back, in the print version, when things start falling into place. Or, when things get even more confusing. Both situations happened during this book.
If you're a fan of the political intrigue, twisty plot and twisty characters version of SF/Fantasy, this book will be right up your alley. How Scholes ever kept it all straight could probably More...
If you're a fan of the political intrigue, twisty plot and twisty characters version of SF/Fantasy, this book will be right up your alley. How Scholes ever kept it all straight could probably More...
Apr 25, 2009
Alain
rated it:
I'm not sure I can make a coherent summary of what I learned from "Lamentation" or make some kind of critique of it. It all went by so fast. On the other hand, I suppose that could be a critique in itself: "It wasn't a memorable book because everything flew by, zoom!". One minute I was starting to read it and the other minute, about a week later, I had finished it. What happened? There were those guys galloping around and there was this heroine who kept being amazed at h
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Jan 24, 2010
Geoffrey
rated it:
I read this book because Amazon's recommendation tool recommended it's sequel, Canticle. I was expecting a fun but un-original fantasy novel. I was very wrong.
This novel was fresh and fast-paced and full of interesting concepts. The total destruction of a city by magic paralleling a nuclear explosion as the starting point of the novel had me immediately drawn in. The mix of high tech, low tech and magic kept me drawn in - I spent a lot of my time wondering about the previous holocaus More...
This novel was fresh and fast-paced and full of interesting concepts. The total destruction of a city by magic paralleling a nuclear explosion as the starting point of the novel had me immediately drawn in. The mix of high tech, low tech and magic kept me drawn in - I spent a lot of my time wondering about the previous holocaus More...
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Oct 28, 2010
Dirk
rated it:
I'm surprised at some of the negative commentary listed below, as far as this book is concerned. Despite being hardly fair, a lot of it is downright inaccurate.
I really enjoyed this novel. I think that the last time I got so excited about a series was when I read A Game of Thrones. Something that other reviewers likely didn't appreciate was the fact that this is a story that tells itself, while the author just nudges it along. Yes, it is a very ambitious tale and yes, we only get to se More...
I really enjoyed this novel. I think that the last time I got so excited about a series was when I read A Game of Thrones. Something that other reviewers likely didn't appreciate was the fact that this is a story that tells itself, while the author just nudges it along. Yes, it is a very ambitious tale and yes, we only get to se More...
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(5 people liked it)
May 29, 2009
Marin
rated it:
This book was just about perfect summer reading: fast-paced, relatively uncomplicated, entertaining, and intriguing. It's fastasy I suppose, but the characters and sub-plots were thick and rich enough for me to overcome the boredom that I often feel for fantasy novels. It does use fantasy character roles for its main characters (Pope, gypsy, herb woman, etc.), but there's a fun twist in this world where a small group of scholars act as archeologists, uncovering technologies and writings from a
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(1 person liked it)
Apr 19, 2010
Lightreads
rated it:
Query: how can this book be “fresh” and “groundbreaking” when for decades people have been writing fantasy novels full of dueling penises and about 10% as many vaginas, all for sale?
If you’d asked me about this book anywhere in the first two thirds, I probably would have given it a grudging two stars for occasional world building interest. This is the start of an epic fantasy series about – well, I’m not honestly sure where it’s going, but this book is about the destruction of a libr More...
If you’d asked me about this book anywhere in the first two thirds, I probably would have given it a grudging two stars for occasional world building interest. This is the start of an epic fantasy series about – well, I’m not honestly sure where it’s going, but this book is about the destruction of a libr More...
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(4 people liked it)
Apr 04, 2010
Jay
rated it:
This gets two stars from me cause it didn't convince me to read (or listen to) the next four books in the series. None of the characters were particularly compelling. They all suffered from high fantasy woodenness. Neb, the orphan boy is probably supposed to be the most sympathetic of the characters, but comes off as a whiner. These character deficits wouldn't matter if there was an interesting plot, but there weren't enough twists and turns to keep my interest. The city of Wind Wir? gets c
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Feb 02, 2009
Liviu
rated it:
Interesting setup and clear writing talent as well as a good ending with the hook set for the next volume which I intend to read, though not as an asap. However there were 3 major things that just did not work for me.
1. The "main" - secret - plot, based on long term conspiracies, arranged chains of events and such. This kind of plot is always a minus for me since I just have a hard time believing that chance ain't going to screw up even the best long term plans
2 More...
1. The "main" - secret - plot, based on long term conspiracies, arranged chains of events and such. This kind of plot is always a minus for me since I just have a hard time believing that chance ain't going to screw up even the best long term plans
2 More...
Aug 01, 2011
Ruth
rated it:
c2009. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was so hoping that I wouldn't so I could write that I was lamenting reading this book **weak laughter**. I just loved the plot, the characters, the style, the world - everything about it. I am so terrified of missing the next one that I have actually broken down and added Canticle as a "Want to read" - which is a real no no for me. If you are a lover of fantasy (sorry, speculative fiction), get your hands on this book, by hook or by crook. The s
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Aug 30, 2010
Suzanne
rated it:
I only picked up this book because I saw that Orson Scott Card had raved about it. Now I have to wonder how much futuristic fantasy Card has read. This work clearly owes much to "A Canticle for Leibowitz," "Dune," "Star Wars," and other classics. It's originality lies in the way that it has combined bits and pieces of these works rather than in any innovation of its own. It begins well, providing just enough information about this new world and these new characters
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Apr 16, 2009
Ami
rated it:
As I've listened to rather than read this book, please forgive any spelling errors in the names and such.
Lamentation starts out with the destruction of a city with its vast central library, survived only by a boy and a mechoservitor. The rest of the book basically deals with the burial of this action: coming to grips with it and starting anew.
I enjoyed the mix of magic and a future technology that was lost and being rediscovered through archeology. The added touch of poli More...
Lamentation starts out with the destruction of a city with its vast central library, survived only by a boy and a mechoservitor. The rest of the book basically deals with the burial of this action: coming to grips with it and starting anew.
I enjoyed the mix of magic and a future technology that was lost and being rediscovered through archeology. The added touch of poli More...
May 12, 2010
Nathan
rated it:
This book had a great plot with lots of movement and some great character development. I really enjoyed the storytelling style in which each chapter is divided into sections, with each section from a different character's perspective. This narrative trick allows us to get inside the head of each character as the complex story progresses and Scholes does a great job of making each character--even the despicable ones--understandable, and many of the characters are quite lovable (impressive for a
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Nov 03, 2010
Josh
rated it:
*SPOILERS ALERT*
In a story of just over four hundred and thirteen pages of fun and enjoyment, the reader will waken to a world of chaos, as the entire city of Windwir, filled with the knowledge of almost a lifetime, is laid desolate. Armies converge on its ruins, a sole survivor grasps at what is left of his life, an old man sets forth on a journey that could change his life, and a web of dangerous and even lethal politics is woven around the Named Lands. The question is; who will succeed More...
In a story of just over four hundred and thirteen pages of fun and enjoyment, the reader will waken to a world of chaos, as the entire city of Windwir, filled with the knowledge of almost a lifetime, is laid desolate. Armies converge on its ruins, a sole survivor grasps at what is left of his life, an old man sets forth on a journey that could change his life, and a web of dangerous and even lethal politics is woven around the Named Lands. The question is; who will succeed More...
Oct 21, 2011
Jeremy
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Mar 26, 2011
Jason
rated it:
2 Stars.
I do not have much to say that is positive about this first novel in the Psalms of Isaak series. This is very standard fantasy fare that just did not work for me. The plot is all about long time secrets and hidden motives that too me just played out so inconsequentially.
Neb is an interesting young boy that has potential to be a great hero/character.
Petronus is my favorite character in this novel. He reminded me of Father Philip from Ken Follets Pilla More...
I do not have much to say that is positive about this first novel in the Psalms of Isaak series. This is very standard fantasy fare that just did not work for me. The plot is all about long time secrets and hidden motives that too me just played out so inconsequentially.
Neb is an interesting young boy that has potential to be a great hero/character.
Petronus is my favorite character in this novel. He reminded me of Father Philip from Ken Follets Pilla More...
Dec 28, 2010
Mark
rated it:
I buy into the theory that fiction is the dreams of a culture's collective unconscious, and that just as an individual's dreams are a way of processing the issues and stresses that afflict the individual, fiction is a society's way of processing the traumas arising from a particular age. The mind is distracted with fanciful imagery so the heart can begin the slow, often painful, often imperfect healing process. For years I have watched and waited for the dust to settle, for the egos to recede,
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Dec 09, 2008
Ashley
rated it:
It's a weird feeling having read this book before almost everyone else, but I'm having a hard time quantifying my feelings about it. This book feels like more a beginning than anything else, which makes sense as there are four more books in the series, the next, Canticle, to be published in October 2009.
I almost feel like I should reserve judgment until I've read all five, but that's impossible. I might change my rating once I know the end of they story.
What I can say ab More...
I almost feel like I should reserve judgment until I've read all five, but that's impossible. I might change my rating once I know the end of they story.
What I can say ab More...
