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Fall of the First World #1
The Master of Evil
Part one of the trilogy. This book takes a hard look at the grey areas of good and evil , reincarnation and the consequences of dealing with a Demon, and managing after a bloody succession to a throne. The cast of characters is colorful without becoming tedious. Very fun to read.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
About the author
David C. Smith
110 books47 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 24, 2024
This is labeled as the first of a trilogy of “Epic Heroic Fantasy,” yet there are no heroes and only minor amounts of fantasy. The book is basically a bunch of philosophical banter mixed in with political ideological nonsense. But hey, it’s in a fantasy setting! Unfortunately I will probably read the next two books since I have them.
Smith’s sword and sorcery is so good, yet this “fantasy” barely resembles anything like Oron ,other Attluma tales, Red Sonja, recent shorts etc. Bad.
Smith’s sword and sorcery is so good, yet this “fantasy” barely resembles anything like Oron ,other Attluma tales, Red Sonja, recent shorts etc. Bad.
April 16, 2018
I struggled a little on how to rate this...
It's not a stand-alone book - there is no identifiable climax. This alone made me want to give it 3 stars, but as it's part of a series, one has to allow that (especially in this genre), there is a bit of an expectation that the reader is going to continue to read subsequent books... although, I don't like feeling forced to. And, I got this book, and the third one in the series, at a thrift store, so in order to get the full experience of the series, I will have to find a place to get the second book.
The characters are interesting. The social savvy and political maneuverings were engaging. Some of the characters are such polar opposites, they create a good contrast and foil for one another. I cared about them and about the events of the book enough that it kept me reading, though I would by no means classify this as a page-turner.
I was interested enough that I not only read through to the end, but will find and buy the second book so I can find out how it all ends for these people and this world.
A few side-notes... there is gore, and there is frank description of intimate physical acts. These are not gratuitous, but rather are integral to the story, as they shape the events and relationships in the story. Also, one of the characters turns from being mostly good to becoming evil, and it bothers me that this is done not through a spiritual evolution of his based on his freedom of choice, but instead is something that "happens to" him, and the story portrays this transformation more in the light of this character having "been chosen" to follow this path, and the character just sort of goes along with it. This is too radical a departure from reality for me to be comfortable with, but, part of my "contract" as a reader when I open up a book is that I'm willing to suspend a bit of disbelief and allow the author some wiggle room as they construct their written creation. I can see why this book and series are the least popular of those listed for this author on Goodreads, but all things considered, I finished the book, and want to finish the series - so this book gets a solid four stars. If I was entertained enough to go after more, then the book basically did its job. Oh... forgot, there's also some poetry and and creative writing sprinkled throughout that adds some color and creative touches to the overall work.
It's not a stand-alone book - there is no identifiable climax. This alone made me want to give it 3 stars, but as it's part of a series, one has to allow that (especially in this genre), there is a bit of an expectation that the reader is going to continue to read subsequent books... although, I don't like feeling forced to. And, I got this book, and the third one in the series, at a thrift store, so in order to get the full experience of the series, I will have to find a place to get the second book.
The characters are interesting. The social savvy and political maneuverings were engaging. Some of the characters are such polar opposites, they create a good contrast and foil for one another. I cared about them and about the events of the book enough that it kept me reading, though I would by no means classify this as a page-turner.
I was interested enough that I not only read through to the end, but will find and buy the second book so I can find out how it all ends for these people and this world.
A few side-notes... there is gore, and there is frank description of intimate physical acts. These are not gratuitous, but rather are integral to the story, as they shape the events and relationships in the story. Also, one of the characters turns from being mostly good to becoming evil, and it bothers me that this is done not through a spiritual evolution of his based on his freedom of choice, but instead is something that "happens to" him, and the story portrays this transformation more in the light of this character having "been chosen" to follow this path, and the character just sort of goes along with it. This is too radical a departure from reality for me to be comfortable with, but, part of my "contract" as a reader when I open up a book is that I'm willing to suspend a bit of disbelief and allow the author some wiggle room as they construct their written creation. I can see why this book and series are the least popular of those listed for this author on Goodreads, but all things considered, I finished the book, and want to finish the series - so this book gets a solid four stars. If I was entertained enough to go after more, then the book basically did its job. Oh... forgot, there's also some poetry and and creative writing sprinkled throughout that adds some color and creative touches to the overall work.
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October 23, 2025Thameron abandons the priesthood to become an apprentice to the sorcerer Guburus and splits a magic stone that gives him unimaginable powers
March 18, 2012
One of my favorite fantasy books. Part one of the trilogy. This book takes a hard look at the grey areas of good and evil , reincarnation and the consequences of dealing with a Demon, and managing after a bloody succession to a throne. The cast of characters is colorful without becoming tedious. Very fun to read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews