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The Mask of the Medusa #1
The Medusa's Daughter
Haunted by very different pasts, three travellers journey together across a continent riven by clashes of faith and race.
Odestus, the war criminal flees from justice
Persapha, new to all things human, yearns for a way and a place to belong
Marcus Fenwell, schooled in diverse talents, seeks a future beyond a wine bottle
But past and future entwine to snare them all, for the Medusa has not been forgotten nor her daughter forgiven.
Odestus, the war criminal flees from justice
Persapha, new to all things human, yearns for a way and a place to belong
Marcus Fenwell, schooled in diverse talents, seeks a future beyond a wine bottle
But past and future entwine to snare them all, for the Medusa has not been forgotten nor her daughter forgiven.
- GenresFantasy
626 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2016
529 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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September 27, 2025Pacing is clearly, as with all things writing, subjective.
I have come to understand some of the key elements upon which that subjectivity stands though. Primarily, if the reader's expectation of a story is at odds with the author's intent then it will translate into a complaint about the pacing.
If a book is about character and the reader wants plot, they will call it slow.
If a book is about training and the reader wants to see the student qualified and in action ... they will call it slow.
And so on.
The focus in this book is, in large part, on the dynamics of the relationships between traveling companions, proxy family, and later between fellow students. Once you realize that this is the story, rather than something that needs to be established so that you can get on with the story, then you and the book will get on well.
It took me two months to read this book. Admittedly it is a long one one and I'm a slow reader with little time. Also I had to read a Wild Cards book in the middle of it all to get up to speed for my own contribution to that series.
T.O. Munro writes very well. On a line by line basis he stands shoulder to shoulder with many famous authors. His fantasy writing is imaginative (albeit drawing on the orc, dwarf, elf tropes as a background - which thankfully got little exposure), his description skilled, dialogue solid (though I'm not a fan of accents).
The weakest areas of the book were, for me, pacing and a lack of tension, which are two sides of the same coin. The book is low on action - which is by no means a problem, a book can be gripping without constant sword fights, murders, flights from peril etc - but for long sections it felt as though nothing of consequence was at stake. Even in the framing story where one character is under interrogation in an oft-returned to flash forward scene, he appears to be fairly comfortable and in charge, with his interrogators on the back foot.
That said, there is much to recommend here, particularly for the swift reader who will be able to concertina the thrills and spills into a much shorter span and thereby up their density!
The novel stands alone despite building on a history of events and characters from previous related books. I didn't feel I was missing vital subtext although I'm sure that reading the earlier volumes would enrich the experience.
With its lack of violence, and focus on character and problem solving the book reminds me of Courtney Schafer's excellent The Whitefire Crossing. Recommended for those seeking some relief from grimmer and darker fantasy, and an adventure with some time to breathe in it.
Enjoy!
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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
I have come to understand some of the key elements upon which that subjectivity stands though. Primarily, if the reader's expectation of a story is at odds with the author's intent then it will translate into a complaint about the pacing.
If a book is about character and the reader wants plot, they will call it slow.
If a book is about training and the reader wants to see the student qualified and in action ... they will call it slow.
And so on.
The focus in this book is, in large part, on the dynamics of the relationships between traveling companions, proxy family, and later between fellow students. Once you realize that this is the story, rather than something that needs to be established so that you can get on with the story, then you and the book will get on well.
It took me two months to read this book. Admittedly it is a long one one and I'm a slow reader with little time. Also I had to read a Wild Cards book in the middle of it all to get up to speed for my own contribution to that series.
T.O. Munro writes very well. On a line by line basis he stands shoulder to shoulder with many famous authors. His fantasy writing is imaginative (albeit drawing on the orc, dwarf, elf tropes as a background - which thankfully got little exposure), his description skilled, dialogue solid (though I'm not a fan of accents).
The weakest areas of the book were, for me, pacing and a lack of tension, which are two sides of the same coin. The book is low on action - which is by no means a problem, a book can be gripping without constant sword fights, murders, flights from peril etc - but for long sections it felt as though nothing of consequence was at stake. Even in the framing story where one character is under interrogation in an oft-returned to flash forward scene, he appears to be fairly comfortable and in charge, with his interrogators on the back foot.
That said, there is much to recommend here, particularly for the swift reader who will be able to concertina the thrills and spills into a much shorter span and thereby up their density!
The novel stands alone despite building on a history of events and characters from previous related books. I didn't feel I was missing vital subtext although I'm sure that reading the earlier volumes would enrich the experience.
With its lack of violence, and focus on character and problem solving the book reminds me of Courtney Schafer's excellent The Whitefire Crossing. Recommended for those seeking some relief from grimmer and darker fantasy, and an adventure with some time to breathe in it.
Enjoy!
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
December 15, 2017
As it happens, that very snappy, non-spoiler blurb neatly sums up the ongoing structure of the book. We follow the fortunes of all three of these interesting characters as events unspool around them. This is complicated by the fact that one of the characters is in a very tricky position in a timeline ahead of when the rest of the action takes place.
Munro certainly knows how to wind up the tension as we witness one of the protagonists being interrogated in fairly dire circumstances – before switching to one of the other characters. The focus of the book is the title heroine, Persapha, who has had a very peculiar start in life, having been hatched from an egg and raised by reptiles. We are alongside as she starts to pick her way through a busy city filled with humans, who she finds difficult to understand. I found myself genuinely concerned on her behalf as the dangerously innocent girl uses her mother’s mask to try and discover what happened to her.
The magic system is skilfully handled and I really enjoyed the world, which works well. There are some nice twists in the political landscape that I appreciated and the characterisation is convincing with plenty of depth. However, I was more distanced from the main protagonists than I would have liked as Munro tends to drift out of viewpoint and into a semi-omniscient point of view. While I am aware that plenty of readers still enjoy this story-telling structure, it gives the book a slightly old-fashioned feel and left me a little frustrated. Given the depth and complexity of the characters, I would have appreciated a more immersive approach to fully hook me into the story, though this is very much a personal preference.
That said, it is still very well written with plenty going on and a gathering momentum towards the end. Before it all comes to a juddering halt. Not a single storyline is resolved – every single one of the main plotlines is left on a cliffhanger after reading over 600 pages. I am aware that a second book is in the works, but I would have liked some payoff for getting to the end of the first volume in this series.
8/10
Munro certainly knows how to wind up the tension as we witness one of the protagonists being interrogated in fairly dire circumstances – before switching to one of the other characters. The focus of the book is the title heroine, Persapha, who has had a very peculiar start in life, having been hatched from an egg and raised by reptiles. We are alongside as she starts to pick her way through a busy city filled with humans, who she finds difficult to understand. I found myself genuinely concerned on her behalf as the dangerously innocent girl uses her mother’s mask to try and discover what happened to her.
The magic system is skilfully handled and I really enjoyed the world, which works well. There are some nice twists in the political landscape that I appreciated and the characterisation is convincing with plenty of depth. However, I was more distanced from the main protagonists than I would have liked as Munro tends to drift out of viewpoint and into a semi-omniscient point of view. While I am aware that plenty of readers still enjoy this story-telling structure, it gives the book a slightly old-fashioned feel and left me a little frustrated. Given the depth and complexity of the characters, I would have appreciated a more immersive approach to fully hook me into the story, though this is very much a personal preference.
That said, it is still very well written with plenty going on and a gathering momentum towards the end. Before it all comes to a juddering halt. Not a single storyline is resolved – every single one of the main plotlines is left on a cliffhanger after reading over 600 pages. I am aware that a second book is in the works, but I would have liked some payoff for getting to the end of the first volume in this series.
8/10
December 21, 2016
Really enjoyed the first series and the same story telling style is on display here. This series/authors was one of the best I read this year.
July 10, 2018
Review to follow, but I flew through this and it was really nice to have a change of pace with Munro's writing that was character driven instead of story. enjoyed all the old nods that had me searching the previous trilogy for links.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews