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Shards
An Underground Book Reviews Pitch Perfect Pick!
Mercedes has always found escape from the tedium of daily life in fantasy books and, especially, in games, where she can enter another world and become Ambrosia the Sorceress, wielder of powerful spells. After one too many afternoons in detention, she returns home to find that someone has left a new computer adventure game in her mailbox. Mercy and her reluctant friend Bernard take an unauthorized day off to try it out, only to discover that they have literally left their mundane world behind and entered a realm of elves and dwarves and stranger things. Forced into a quest to recover a powerful magical artifact, they soon learn that they're not the only ones seeking the prize, and that -- when you can't set the keyboard aside and walk away -- a game is no longer a game. Instead, it's something like life.
Mercedes has always found escape from the tedium of daily life in fantasy books and, especially, in games, where she can enter another world and become Ambrosia the Sorceress, wielder of powerful spells. After one too many afternoons in detention, she returns home to find that someone has left a new computer adventure game in her mailbox. Mercy and her reluctant friend Bernard take an unauthorized day off to try it out, only to discover that they have literally left their mundane world behind and entered a realm of elves and dwarves and stranger things. Forced into a quest to recover a powerful magical artifact, they soon learn that they're not the only ones seeking the prize, and that -- when you can't set the keyboard aside and walk away -- a game is no longer a game. Instead, it's something like life.
286 pages, ebook
First published May 8, 2012
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 31, 2021
First, a disclaimer. I am acquainted with the author via the Internet. We share a love of dogs and are both members of an online dog lovers community. In fact that is how I came to read two of his other novels, A Flock of Crows is Called a Murder (liked) and Dragon Stones (did not like).
Shards follows the adventures of two teenagers, Mercedes and Bernard, who find themselves literally sucked in to the world of a computer fantasy game. There they take on the characters they've created and go on a quest to recover some precious, magical stones. Ho hum, right? Well, no.
This is a fantasy novel for grownups. It's subtle, humorous, plausible (if you go along with the whole elves and magical stones thing). Mr. Viscosi has a gift for depicting settings and landscapes. His descriptions of the world that Mercedes and Bernard find themselves in are lyrical.
All of the characters we meet are very "human" and multi-faceted. While there are some minor characters who are really only there to move the plot along, they are also drawn in a way so that their motivations are well understood. In fact, the scenes in the story also stand by themselves and there is something wonderful going on here. Because life isn't black and white and each scene in our lives typically contains things which are important, bizarre, and sometimes humorous. For example, while local leaders are discussing the possibility of spies doing harm to the realm, they are also attempting to supervise the bumbling efforts of the local constabulary to fish a fallen fellow (deceased) out of the river. Tension and strategy side by side with some dark humor. I'm all for that.
Mr. Viscosi moves things along at a swift pace. No time for mushy stuff or any prolonged philosophical reflection. That's good too.
The nutty (and possibly evil) dwarfs steal the show with their steam punk underground habitat and multi-colored skin. They are gruff, smart (but not clever), and unintentionally (to them) funny.
I'm no fan of teenagers. Bear with Mercedes and Bernard through the first section of the book. Once they arrive in elf land, it's easy to recast them as adults if that works for you.
Now then, I have two nits, OK, three.
The cover art. Ugh. It screams "book for teen aged boys who have no life outside of their video games."
The tightly spaced font and small margins (in fact I gave up trying to read pages 16-17, where the font got even smaller, because, come on, these eyes aren't what they used to be).
The ending. Let's just say, if you are halfway through the book and you are enjoying it, better go out and find its companion, Ravels, like, now.
Shards follows the adventures of two teenagers, Mercedes and Bernard, who find themselves literally sucked in to the world of a computer fantasy game. There they take on the characters they've created and go on a quest to recover some precious, magical stones. Ho hum, right? Well, no.
This is a fantasy novel for grownups. It's subtle, humorous, plausible (if you go along with the whole elves and magical stones thing). Mr. Viscosi has a gift for depicting settings and landscapes. His descriptions of the world that Mercedes and Bernard find themselves in are lyrical.
All of the characters we meet are very "human" and multi-faceted. While there are some minor characters who are really only there to move the plot along, they are also drawn in a way so that their motivations are well understood. In fact, the scenes in the story also stand by themselves and there is something wonderful going on here. Because life isn't black and white and each scene in our lives typically contains things which are important, bizarre, and sometimes humorous. For example, while local leaders are discussing the possibility of spies doing harm to the realm, they are also attempting to supervise the bumbling efforts of the local constabulary to fish a fallen fellow (deceased) out of the river. Tension and strategy side by side with some dark humor. I'm all for that.
Mr. Viscosi moves things along at a swift pace. No time for mushy stuff or any prolonged philosophical reflection. That's good too.
The nutty (and possibly evil) dwarfs steal the show with their steam punk underground habitat and multi-colored skin. They are gruff, smart (but not clever), and unintentionally (to them) funny.
I'm no fan of teenagers. Bear with Mercedes and Bernard through the first section of the book. Once they arrive in elf land, it's easy to recast them as adults if that works for you.
Now then, I have two nits, OK, three.
The cover art. Ugh. It screams "book for teen aged boys who have no life outside of their video games."
The tightly spaced font and small margins (in fact I gave up trying to read pages 16-17, where the font got even smaller, because, come on, these eyes aren't what they used to be).
The ending. Let's just say, if you are halfway through the book and you are enjoying it, better go out and find its companion, Ravels, like, now.
September 11, 2019
Love it and can't wait for part 2!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews