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Sovereign of the Seven Isles #1
Thinblade
The original cover for this edition can be found here
When second son Alexander Valentine loses his brother to an assassin’s arrow, he discovers that his family protects an ancient secret and reluctantly finds himself at the center of the final battle of a war that was supposed to have ended two thousand years ago.
Pursued by the dark minions of an ancient enemy, Alexander flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillian where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Ruatha, one of the Seven Isles, but before he can claim the throne he must recover the ancient Thinblade. Seven were forged by the first Sovereign of the Seven Isles and bound to the bloodline of each of the seven Island Kings in exchange for their loyalty to the Old Law. Each sword is as long as a man’s arm, as wide as a man’s thumb and so thin it can’t be seen when viewed from the edge. Thinblade is the story of Alexander’s quest to find the ancient sword, claim the throne of Ruatha and raise an army to stand against the enemy that has awoken to claim dominion over all of the Seven Isles.
When second son Alexander Valentine loses his brother to an assassin’s arrow, he discovers that his family protects an ancient secret and reluctantly finds himself at the center of the final battle of a war that was supposed to have ended two thousand years ago.
Pursued by the dark minions of an ancient enemy, Alexander flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillian where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Ruatha, one of the Seven Isles, but before he can claim the throne he must recover the ancient Thinblade. Seven were forged by the first Sovereign of the Seven Isles and bound to the bloodline of each of the seven Island Kings in exchange for their loyalty to the Old Law. Each sword is as long as a man’s arm, as wide as a man’s thumb and so thin it can’t be seen when viewed from the edge. Thinblade is the story of Alexander’s quest to find the ancient sword, claim the throne of Ruatha and raise an army to stand against the enemy that has awoken to claim dominion over all of the Seven Isles.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2011
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About the author
David A. Wells
28 books301 followersSince my childhood, I've been passionate about fantasy. After reading many stories of epic struggle set in worlds of magic, I've decided to create a world of my own. The Seven Isles is the result.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 479 reviews
March 3, 2013
I was curious about this novel, since it received good grades (or stars, if you wish) and looked a like a solid tale of epic fantasy.
I have to say, this book is an enigma. There is so much not good about it, but somehow I kept turning the pages and finished it fairly quick.
Let's start with the good: Thinblade is carried by its pace. With the exception of one segment - I'll get there when discussing the bad - the story kept propelling forward at a fast pace. Not breakneck speed, but just a good pace and almost non-stop tension. The main characters are sympathetic, the worldbuilding and magic is quite interesting and the writing style is fairly smooth, although far from perfect.
Now the bad: a lot of the elements in Thinblade are cliche. The main characters are either very good or very bad. No room for grey here, very black and white. Even worse, the protagonists are Gary Stu's and Mary Sue's. The story is a standard good, young and largely clueless hero, who has to quickly discover his magical powers in order to save the world from the evil overlord, an archmage.
Part of the story seems to be inspired on video games, where the hero finds magical items in hidden vaults, and takes potions to recuperate from terrible wounds or to shield from blades.
The writing contains plenty of holes from a technical perspective. Very little 'show don't tell', and quite a few unnecessary long descriptions and info dumps. The worst part for me was a scene where a bard basically gave a recap of the first part of the novel to a crowd, but also to me, the reader.
Having said all that, there is plenty to like in this novel. I guess cliches are cliches for a reason.
I have to say, this book is an enigma. There is so much not good about it, but somehow I kept turning the pages and finished it fairly quick.
Let's start with the good: Thinblade is carried by its pace. With the exception of one segment - I'll get there when discussing the bad - the story kept propelling forward at a fast pace. Not breakneck speed, but just a good pace and almost non-stop tension. The main characters are sympathetic, the worldbuilding and magic is quite interesting and the writing style is fairly smooth, although far from perfect.
Now the bad: a lot of the elements in Thinblade are cliche. The main characters are either very good or very bad. No room for grey here, very black and white. Even worse, the protagonists are Gary Stu's and Mary Sue's. The story is a standard good, young and largely clueless hero, who has to quickly discover his magical powers in order to save the world from the evil overlord, an archmage.
Part of the story seems to be inspired on video games, where the hero finds magical items in hidden vaults, and takes potions to recuperate from terrible wounds or to shield from blades.
The writing contains plenty of holes from a technical perspective. Very little 'show don't tell', and quite a few unnecessary long descriptions and info dumps. The worst part for me was a scene where a bard basically gave a recap of the first part of the novel to a crowd, but also to me, the reader.
Having said all that, there is plenty to like in this novel. I guess cliches are cliches for a reason.
June 12, 2011
Ok, so I'm pretty biased about this one, because I wrote it. Naturally I'm going to give my own book five stars. I'd love to know what you think about it.
April 21, 2019
This is an excellent example of today’s world in the publishing industry, demonstrating that a high star rating in many instances does not mean you are receiving a quality book. I purchased this based on the description and the star rating, though in hindsight I wish I would have exercised the Amazon “Look Inside” feature. A preview of the first few pages would have been enough to warn me.
Though at times author David A. Wells comes up with a great descriptive phrase, the majority of the book leaves readers floundering in a sea of clichés and what can only be classified as poor and unedited writing. For instance, the initial description of Lucky states he stood “…just under six feet tall, wore a crown of silver-white hair around a bald head and carried his ample belly as if it were a testament to his skills in the kitchen.” Passages like this one are too few to persuade discerning readers from continuing to the final chapter. There are many times when an action scene is interrupted to give backstory, and the majority of these instances only repeat what had already been said.
Repetitive information run rampant throughout the book’s pages. One such instance occurs roughly in the middle of the book when a bard recounts the entire story that has already occurred. I was left with the realization that I could have skipped slogging through the initial part of the book and started at this point, if I had only known.
Characters are stilted and predictable. There are no initial compelling reasons to like the protagonist Alexander, and the evil Phane is so predictable he almost becomes a caricature of himself. Story facts appear to be contradictory. The Reishi Protectorate has been gone for 2,000 years yet somehow there is an army of 50,000 of them awaiting Phane’s revival…and no one knows about them. Alexander knows nothing of the legends, yet within his household others do, and the Bard Guild has been singing about it, passing “…the story of the Marked One from one generation to the next.” One would think that the son of a Lord would have been entertained regularly and been aware of the lore.
Overall, there is a lot of fat that could have been trimmed, resulting in a reduction of 50-100 pages of unnecessary reading. Tighter writing would greatly reduce the constant slowing of the action, and perhaps give the characters an opportunity to be more interesting. Personally, I do not enjoy writing this kind of review, as I realize the author has put time and effort into the creation of his book. On the other hand, if you’re going to do something, it is essential to gain the help and guidance to do it right. Authors owe that to their readers. Two stars.
Though at times author David A. Wells comes up with a great descriptive phrase, the majority of the book leaves readers floundering in a sea of clichés and what can only be classified as poor and unedited writing. For instance, the initial description of Lucky states he stood “…just under six feet tall, wore a crown of silver-white hair around a bald head and carried his ample belly as if it were a testament to his skills in the kitchen.” Passages like this one are too few to persuade discerning readers from continuing to the final chapter. There are many times when an action scene is interrupted to give backstory, and the majority of these instances only repeat what had already been said.
Repetitive information run rampant throughout the book’s pages. One such instance occurs roughly in the middle of the book when a bard recounts the entire story that has already occurred. I was left with the realization that I could have skipped slogging through the initial part of the book and started at this point, if I had only known.
Characters are stilted and predictable. There are no initial compelling reasons to like the protagonist Alexander, and the evil Phane is so predictable he almost becomes a caricature of himself. Story facts appear to be contradictory. The Reishi Protectorate has been gone for 2,000 years yet somehow there is an army of 50,000 of them awaiting Phane’s revival…and no one knows about them. Alexander knows nothing of the legends, yet within his household others do, and the Bard Guild has been singing about it, passing “…the story of the Marked One from one generation to the next.” One would think that the son of a Lord would have been entertained regularly and been aware of the lore.
Overall, there is a lot of fat that could have been trimmed, resulting in a reduction of 50-100 pages of unnecessary reading. Tighter writing would greatly reduce the constant slowing of the action, and perhaps give the characters an opportunity to be more interesting. Personally, I do not enjoy writing this kind of review, as I realize the author has put time and effort into the creation of his book. On the other hand, if you’re going to do something, it is essential to gain the help and guidance to do it right. Authors owe that to their readers. Two stars.
September 19, 2020
The Old Law: "You have a right to your life because you are alive. You have a right to your liberty because you have free will. You have a right to your property because it is the product of your labor. You forfeit these rights when you take them from another.”
This is the principle that Alexander, the main character, is chosen to defend. An evil arch mage, Phane, has been in statis for 2,000 years, but is now awake. He rejects the Old Law, along with any other forms of decency. Alexander must stop him, and re-establish the rule of the Old Law.
The novel is very well written, with very few jarring errors. Alexander is a thoughtful person who learns from his mistakes, and agonizes over the loss of life that is necessary to accomplish worthwhile goals in war. There is a good romance between Alexander and a ranger princess. The magic system is more reasonable than most. Alexander has to figure out how his own magical powers are different from other wizards, in order to fully use it.
When I originally wrote this review, I didn't remember anything to warn parents about. Upon further reflection, there is a fair amount of sword wielding violence. Also, Phane feeds a young woman to some demons. I guess I've become hardened to this kind of thing, so it wasn't terribly memorable to me. The story promotes good morals, but does depict some actions inspired by bad morals. With this caveat, I recommend it for YA fantasy readers, but not most children.
This is the first in a series, so there's plenty of reading to come.
This is the principle that Alexander, the main character, is chosen to defend. An evil arch mage, Phane, has been in statis for 2,000 years, but is now awake. He rejects the Old Law, along with any other forms of decency. Alexander must stop him, and re-establish the rule of the Old Law.
The novel is very well written, with very few jarring errors. Alexander is a thoughtful person who learns from his mistakes, and agonizes over the loss of life that is necessary to accomplish worthwhile goals in war. There is a good romance between Alexander and a ranger princess. The magic system is more reasonable than most. Alexander has to figure out how his own magical powers are different from other wizards, in order to fully use it.
When I originally wrote this review, I didn't remember anything to warn parents about. Upon further reflection, there is a fair amount of sword wielding violence. Also, Phane feeds a young woman to some demons. I guess I've become hardened to this kind of thing, so it wasn't terribly memorable to me. The story promotes good morals, but does depict some actions inspired by bad morals. With this caveat, I recommend it for YA fantasy readers, but not most children.
This is the first in a series, so there's plenty of reading to come.
May 9, 2019
In reading a number of negative reviews I realize that there are basically two types of reviewers, (A): The unmerciful hatchet wielder who more than likely never wrote and published a book, and (B): Those of us just enjoying a good story told.
What some people forget, is that all authors have to start somewhere. And, we (myself an author) can only get better by writing more. If you're only reading for an opportunity to tear someone apart, then I pity you. The world needs story tellers. If the story doesn't appeal to you, then put it down and find something else. It's not necessary to sludge through it just so you can tell people how much it sucked.
Personally, I enjoyed David's stories. I read the entire series and enjoyed it. Sure there were grammatical mistakes and the use of modern terms, like mom and dad, in a supposed renaissance period. But hey, that didn't make me dislike the book or want to trash it. The characters were developed well and grew throughout the story. There was conflict and tenderness, magic and badguys, great shapeshifting dragons and plenty of other magical characters.
Wells is a good author and tells a good story. The series is a progression of journeys Alexander Valentine must take and endure to become the Sovereign of the Seven Isles. Give David a try. Tell him, I sent you.
What some people forget, is that all authors have to start somewhere. And, we (myself an author) can only get better by writing more. If you're only reading for an opportunity to tear someone apart, then I pity you. The world needs story tellers. If the story doesn't appeal to you, then put it down and find something else. It's not necessary to sludge through it just so you can tell people how much it sucked.
Personally, I enjoyed David's stories. I read the entire series and enjoyed it. Sure there were grammatical mistakes and the use of modern terms, like mom and dad, in a supposed renaissance period. But hey, that didn't make me dislike the book or want to trash it. The characters were developed well and grew throughout the story. There was conflict and tenderness, magic and badguys, great shapeshifting dragons and plenty of other magical characters.
Wells is a good author and tells a good story. The series is a progression of journeys Alexander Valentine must take and endure to become the Sovereign of the Seven Isles. Give David a try. Tell him, I sent you.
February 27, 2015
I don't often just quit in the middle of a book, but have to confess that I didn't finish this one.
The writing was mediocre, with repetitive word choices and a lot of "telling" instead of "showing". Characters were flat and difficult to empathize with - it was like everyone was perfectly typecast with no depth. What really ended it for me though, was that I kept falling out of engagement with the story and thinking things like "so there's not been a single technological progression in TWO THOUSAND years?" "well that's unbelievably convenient" "wait - she couldn't hit a wolf on a routine hunt with no pressure, but she makes a perfect shot over greater distance at a man lying under cover with no hesitation about killing a human?" "but that's not how genetics work!". So I quit. I mean, I realize this is a fantasy story, but how am I supposed to relate to a universe where human ingenuity is so lacking that in 2000 years not only have they forgotten how to magic, they never bothered to learn how to science to replace it?
The writing was mediocre, with repetitive word choices and a lot of "telling" instead of "showing". Characters were flat and difficult to empathize with - it was like everyone was perfectly typecast with no depth. What really ended it for me though, was that I kept falling out of engagement with the story and thinking things like "so there's not been a single technological progression in TWO THOUSAND years?" "well that's unbelievably convenient" "wait - she couldn't hit a wolf on a routine hunt with no pressure, but she makes a perfect shot over greater distance at a man lying under cover with no hesitation about killing a human?" "but that's not how genetics work!". So I quit. I mean, I realize this is a fantasy story, but how am I supposed to relate to a universe where human ingenuity is so lacking that in 2000 years not only have they forgotten how to magic, they never bothered to learn how to science to replace it?
September 26, 2015
2.5 stars for this first book -- a fantasy novel with pervasive romantic elements (endlessly we're told of her piercing green eyes, his glittering golden eyes). Told in 3rd person, the tone is a mismatched mix of bloody intense grim-dark and jolly-rangers (joy and mischievous grins all around). I'd rate it PG-13: no sex, no cussing, but bloody, with human sacrifice. Excellent narration by Derek Perkins.
The author has a vivid imagination and shows promise. THINBLADE is carried along to some extent by its magical world-building and — even more — by its pace. Rarely a dull moment. Despite an unsophisticated writing style (see below), the story moves forward at a consistent pace. The main characters and supporting characters are likable and convivial (if too flat). The hero, Alexander, began as a 24-year-old rancher with no training in magic or politics. With a token attempt at character development, he quickly became a confident, courageous, and wise king, giving orders to military generals as if he'd planned battle strategies all his life. The villains are flat. I'm hoping Jattan develops into someone interesting. Lots of potential for character development with him.
As for plot, I like the premise. Archmage Barnabas Cedric, who lived 2000 years ago, put into motion (before his death) a series of signs, tests, trainings, and "gifts" so that our hero Alexander could finish killing the guy that Cedric failed to kill. The villain is Archmage Phane Reishi, who has been magically kept alive in sleep status for 2000 years. He is awakened in the first chapter, and from then until the end, it's a rush to kill him (except for a whole bunch of people who -- strangely enough -- want to crown this evil puss-head and kill Alexander, instead).
Decent premise, but the author's writing style bears improvement. It is prosaic and slightly sermonizing /condescending. He leaves nothing to interpretation, spelling out each new step in the plot and explaining the good character of each protagonist (because we couldn't figure it out by what they did?). The author reveals far too many of the hero's thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, he repeats the same feelings and thoughts several times (a pet peeve). The characters are fairly flat. The hero is far too good. The dialogue is vapid and interspersed liberally with "he looked him in the eye" and sound bites echoed from his childhood -- teachings from " dad" in the form of brief proverbs. Vocabulary is sometimes anachronistic (mom and dad, gravity, adrenaline, "man up" and "you guys"). I like his descriptions of castles and mountains, but they do go on too long.
Still, I've read far worse. I may try book 2, given the price.
The setting feels like old Europe, complete with kings, castles, nobles, bards, guild houses, and guild masters. Fantastical elements include wizards and familiars, wisps, demons, nether wolves, fairies, ghosts, shades, etc.
See my reading status updates for my thoughts about specific excerpts from the text.
The author has a vivid imagination and shows promise. THINBLADE is carried along to some extent by its magical world-building and — even more — by its pace. Rarely a dull moment. Despite an unsophisticated writing style (see below), the story moves forward at a consistent pace. The main characters and supporting characters are likable and convivial (if too flat). The hero, Alexander, began as a 24-year-old rancher with no training in magic or politics. With a token attempt at character development, he quickly became a confident, courageous, and wise king, giving orders to military generals as if he'd planned battle strategies all his life. The villains are flat. I'm hoping Jattan develops into someone interesting. Lots of potential for character development with him.
As for plot, I like the premise. Archmage Barnabas Cedric, who lived 2000 years ago, put into motion (before his death) a series of signs, tests, trainings, and "gifts" so that our hero Alexander could finish killing the guy that Cedric failed to kill. The villain is Archmage Phane Reishi, who has been magically kept alive in sleep status for 2000 years. He is awakened in the first chapter, and from then until the end, it's a rush to kill him (except for a whole bunch of people who -- strangely enough -- want to crown this evil puss-head and kill Alexander, instead).
Decent premise, but the author's writing style bears improvement. It is prosaic and slightly sermonizing /condescending. He leaves nothing to interpretation, spelling out each new step in the plot and explaining the good character of each protagonist (because we couldn't figure it out by what they did?). The author reveals far too many of the hero's thoughts and feelings. Furthermore, he repeats the same feelings and thoughts several times (a pet peeve). The characters are fairly flat. The hero is far too good. The dialogue is vapid and interspersed liberally with "he looked him in the eye" and sound bites echoed from his childhood -- teachings from " dad" in the form of brief proverbs. Vocabulary is sometimes anachronistic (mom and dad, gravity, adrenaline, "man up" and "you guys"). I like his descriptions of castles and mountains, but they do go on too long.
Still, I've read far worse. I may try book 2, given the price.
The setting feels like old Europe, complete with kings, castles, nobles, bards, guild houses, and guild masters. Fantastical elements include wizards and familiars, wisps, demons, nether wolves, fairies, ghosts, shades, etc.
See my reading status updates for my thoughts about specific excerpts from the text.
January 16, 2013
In "Thinblade", Mr. Wells has put together the bones of what could be a very good story - but unfortunately the book is weighed down by many issues that constantly pulled me out of the novel with raised eyebrows.
The biggest problem with Thinblade's structure is that the novel is ostensibly written from Alexander's perspective, but everyone and everything has their feelings, motivations, and inner thoughts laid out plain to see at all times. I'm not referring to Alexander's ability to see auras, but to situations where Alexander is the narrator and yet I'm reading lines like "Isabel nodded with genuine joy and excitement. She was proud of Slyder and happy to show him off." This is in the middle of a scene that's clearly from Alexander's perspective. Off-key moments like this happen repeatedly, creating a novel where the reader is told nearly everything and shown very little.
Speaking of Isabel, the "romance" that develops between her and Alexander is poorly done - I can believe they have a crush on one another, but Alexander asks her to marry him within days of meeting her! And we are, again, shown very little of the interaction that would make this romance believable. Characterization in general is lacking, with very little nuances to any character; but the inexplicable romance stood out.
Modern terms invade the text, breaking the flow - "these guys", "mom", "dad", etc. At some point we get a vaguely preachy statement from Alexander about how he and Isabel decided to "wait until they're married". Which is just fine and dandy except that it's a very modern sentiment in a novel where I'd either expect them not to wait because they could be dead tomorrow, OR for the subject to not even be in question for cultural or traditional reasons.
Alexander quickly becomes far too powerful in a short time, and as another reader pointed out his increased strength and a number of the healing sequences in the books bear a resemblance to video game-style leveling up or healing.
This could have been a good book but instead it's kind of a "meh" book because of the problems above.
The biggest problem with Thinblade's structure is that the novel is ostensibly written from Alexander's perspective, but everyone and everything has their feelings, motivations, and inner thoughts laid out plain to see at all times. I'm not referring to Alexander's ability to see auras, but to situations where Alexander is the narrator and yet I'm reading lines like "Isabel nodded with genuine joy and excitement. She was proud of Slyder and happy to show him off." This is in the middle of a scene that's clearly from Alexander's perspective. Off-key moments like this happen repeatedly, creating a novel where the reader is told nearly everything and shown very little.
Speaking of Isabel, the "romance" that develops between her and Alexander is poorly done - I can believe they have a crush on one another, but Alexander asks her to marry him within days of meeting her! And we are, again, shown very little of the interaction that would make this romance believable. Characterization in general is lacking, with very little nuances to any character; but the inexplicable romance stood out.
Modern terms invade the text, breaking the flow - "these guys", "mom", "dad", etc. At some point we get a vaguely preachy statement from Alexander about how he and Isabel decided to "wait until they're married". Which is just fine and dandy except that it's a very modern sentiment in a novel where I'd either expect them not to wait because they could be dead tomorrow, OR for the subject to not even be in question for cultural or traditional reasons.
Alexander quickly becomes far too powerful in a short time, and as another reader pointed out his increased strength and a number of the healing sequences in the books bear a resemblance to video game-style leveling up or healing.
This could have been a good book but instead it's kind of a "meh" book because of the problems above.
September 12, 2013
After reading some of the negative reviews I feel kind of bad to have enjoyed this book. I've read the entire series to date and feel that though the writing was not the best it wasn't so bad as to make me hate the book. Or want to vomit as one reviewer stated. The story is a common theme for the genre but has plenty going for it to make it a fun read especially for a buck or two. It is no Mistborn or Riyria Revelations by any means but it was a great ebook find to kill some time. I'll be picking up th next book in the series and will be expecting to be entertained by some light fantasy reading where the good guys win.
December 26, 2014
This is the worst book I've read all year. Perhaps the worst I've read ever, I can't really remember. I stopped reading mid-chapter 8 because it got to the point where nothing in it brought me any enjoyment. In comparison, this makes Christopher Paolini's Eragon seem like the most creative work in decades.
To recap, the dark lord that's been dead for 2000 years is awake, which triggers an ancient spell that tells literally everyone on the planet he's back. Aside from the main characters, nobody seems to care. The protagonist of the story, Alexander is already highly proficient at Magic, and weaponry. So is his entire family, except his older brother who dies on the first page. In fact his parents are masters in the art. Oh yeah, our hero just realized that he's the chosen one, and heir to some lofty throne or whatever. He gets sat down by his entire family, and a few random dudes from around town so that they can explain he's the chosen one that has to defeat the dark lord. I am not exaggerating. This is the happenings within the first 3 chapters.
By the fourth chapter we get a random POV chapter of the enemy who's just evil for no reason.
There are healing potions.
The characters aren't redeeming, and the situations are ridiculous. I really wanted to finish this to give an honest review. But it was painful. Truly, truly painful. None of the situations could ever happen naturally. It felt like it was written by a computer algorithm of every D&D game ever played. Nobody should read this. And to think there are 7 books in the series.
To recap, the dark lord that's been dead for 2000 years is awake, which triggers an ancient spell that tells literally everyone on the planet he's back. Aside from the main characters, nobody seems to care. The protagonist of the story, Alexander is already highly proficient at Magic, and weaponry. So is his entire family, except his older brother who dies on the first page. In fact his parents are masters in the art. Oh yeah, our hero just realized that he's the chosen one, and heir to some lofty throne or whatever. He gets sat down by his entire family, and a few random dudes from around town so that they can explain he's the chosen one that has to defeat the dark lord. I am not exaggerating. This is the happenings within the first 3 chapters.
By the fourth chapter we get a random POV chapter of the enemy who's just evil for no reason.
There are healing potions.
The characters aren't redeeming, and the situations are ridiculous. I really wanted to finish this to give an honest review. But it was painful. Truly, truly painful. None of the situations could ever happen naturally. It felt like it was written by a computer algorithm of every D&D game ever played. Nobody should read this. And to think there are 7 books in the series.
February 24, 2017
Ah. What to say except that I had to choose between a 2 stars rating and a 3 stars one. Why did I finally rate it the way I did ? Mmm...let's start with the weak points.
First, the telling felt a bit awkward at times (like that fight with the man that was not a man. "The man that was not a man parried a stroke but the guard succeeded in hitting the man that was not a man but then the man that was not a man did this and that, etc, etc...Well, the article "he" or the "zombie-man" thing could have done the job).
Then there were a lot of repetitions (Jack's speech at Ruatha. Gah. Did we really have to go over Alexander's adventures ? Again ? We'd been reading them for over 50% of the book).
Finally, there were a lot of descriptions. I like descriptions, I do. But one must keep them at a bearable level. I found myself skipping paragraphs...
So why 3 stars (which is a good rating) ? Because I realize that I care for Alexander and his close followers. Yes, okay, I didn't fear for them or anything because, you know, when someone was hurt (and nearly dead sometimes), there was always that magical potion which saved the day...er...the man (or the girl). But I like that. I like it when someone can get magical things out of their bag at will (and there's plenty of that in this book). I like it when magic is plentiful and I even like a bit of deus ex machina. More than a bit actually but I like it all the same.
I also very much liked this idea of 2 thousand-year-old dead wizard helping the rightful heir over time to defeat anasty and overconfident mortal and cruel enemy.
So. The next course of action will be to read the second book of this series because I truly believe that there's something very very interesting hidden under the flaws and I want to explore that.
First, the telling felt a bit awkward at times (like that fight with the man that was not a man. "The man that was not a man parried a stroke but the guard succeeded in hitting the man that was not a man but then the man that was not a man did this and that, etc, etc...Well, the article "he" or the "zombie-man" thing could have done the job).
Then there were a lot of repetitions (Jack's speech at Ruatha. Gah. Did we really have to go over Alexander's adventures ? Again ? We'd been reading them for over 50% of the book).
Finally, there were a lot of descriptions. I like descriptions, I do. But one must keep them at a bearable level. I found myself skipping paragraphs...
So why 3 stars (which is a good rating) ? Because I realize that I care for Alexander and his close followers. Yes, okay, I didn't fear for them or anything because, you know, when someone was hurt (and nearly dead sometimes), there was always that magical potion which saved the day...er...the man (or the girl). But I like that. I like it when someone can get magical things out of their bag at will (and there's plenty of that in this book). I like it when magic is plentiful and I even like a bit of deus ex machina. More than a bit actually but I like it all the same.
I also very much liked this idea of 2 thousand-year-old dead wizard helping the rightful heir over time to defeat a
So. The next course of action will be to read the second book of this series because I truly believe that there's something very very interesting hidden under the flaws and I want to explore that.
March 16, 2022
That was abysmal. I read it for a group challenge, otherwise I would have given up an hour in.
Not a terrible premise. However, while the author's imagination might be promising, he clearly is an amateur writer. Every cliche possible was here, every common fantasy trope was here. Entire paragraphs of explanations were almost repeated verbatim. Editing was sorely needed- more than half could have been removed without the reader finding anything missing. I really wanted to like it, but the author just kept shooting himself in the foot.
1.5 stars.
Not a terrible premise. However, while the author's imagination might be promising, he clearly is an amateur writer. Every cliche possible was here, every common fantasy trope was here. Entire paragraphs of explanations were almost repeated verbatim. Editing was sorely needed- more than half could have been removed without the reader finding anything missing. I really wanted to like it, but the author just kept shooting himself in the foot.
1.5 stars.
dnf
October 13, 2014Amount Listened to: 48%
It's not a good sign when a fantasy novel doesn't spark any imagination. Everything about Thinblade is cliched. No element of the plot or world building didn't remind me of something else I've read in the genre. The characters are cardboard cut outs. The hero has absolutely everything come easily to him, making his journey exceedingly boring. The writing is also repetitive, telling you how things are over and over rather than showing you.
The killing blow was when over eight hours into the novel, a bard relates to some nobles Alexander's journey up to that point. HE REPEATS EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. Now, this scene makes sense, but ordinarily it would happen off screen, since the reader is going to be justifiably disgruntled to find that they could have started the audiobook eight hours and thirty minutes in and had the exact same understanding of the book as they do from having listened for all those hours.
This is not good fantasy.
It's not a good sign when a fantasy novel doesn't spark any imagination. Everything about Thinblade is cliched. No element of the plot or world building didn't remind me of something else I've read in the genre. The characters are cardboard cut outs. The hero has absolutely everything come easily to him, making his journey exceedingly boring. The writing is also repetitive, telling you how things are over and over rather than showing you.
The killing blow was when over eight hours into the novel, a bard relates to some nobles Alexander's journey up to that point. HE REPEATS EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. Now, this scene makes sense, but ordinarily it would happen off screen, since the reader is going to be justifiably disgruntled to find that they could have started the audiobook eight hours and thirty minutes in and had the exact same understanding of the book as they do from having listened for all those hours.
This is not good fantasy.
December 28, 2019
This is between a 2.5 and 3 star book. I can’t decide which.
I went into this book not knowing what to expect. There are some good reviews and some not so good ones. I thought the book kept moving which is what allowed me to not get bored. I couldn’t get a good sense of the world that the book took place in. Was it more modern day or medieval? Can’t put my finger on it because there were parts that made me think each could be true. That being said I think the author could have described the world more to allow me to get his vision. The characters were like able, but they could have been given more life. The plot seemed to be a little predictable, knowing that the main character would make it through his quest. The author did build in something suspenseful parts but those seemed to have a quick resolution and we were off on another part of the story. My one gripe with the book is we go through the first half of the book and then the whole story is retold to a group of people. Yes the entire thing. I think this could have been summarized or left out and used that portion of the story to develop the characters or setting. Overall it was enjoyable and I will probably read the next book to see if the writing improves and get me more interested.
I went into this book not knowing what to expect. There are some good reviews and some not so good ones. I thought the book kept moving which is what allowed me to not get bored. I couldn’t get a good sense of the world that the book took place in. Was it more modern day or medieval? Can’t put my finger on it because there were parts that made me think each could be true. That being said I think the author could have described the world more to allow me to get his vision. The characters were like able, but they could have been given more life. The plot seemed to be a little predictable, knowing that the main character would make it through his quest. The author did build in something suspenseful parts but those seemed to have a quick resolution and we were off on another part of the story. My one gripe with the book is we go through the first half of the book and then the whole story is retold to a group of people. Yes the entire thing. I think this could have been summarized or left out and used that portion of the story to develop the characters or setting. Overall it was enjoyable and I will probably read the next book to see if the writing improves and get me more interested.
March 14, 2024
Executive Summary:
This is a bad book for three reasons: First and foremost, it doesn’t tell a story. This entire book is just an introduction to whatever comes next. There wasn’t any kind of a culmination. Reasons two and three are essentially flip sides of the same the coin: The author makes his otherwise smart characters do stupid things to force the story where he wants it to go rather than letting the story flow organically from the world and characters he has created. The author also betrays his own characters and settings to create artificial drama and he generally (if not exclusively) does this by having his otherwise smart characters act stupidly.
The bottom line here is that this book is not worth reading. The author isn’t completely incompetent so, if a reader committed to reading the whole series, it might be worth it, but I don’t see why anyone would do that. What follows are the details supporting the above so feel free to save time here and go search for a book worth reading.
Details:
NOTE: I will not be concerned about SPOILERS in this review since it is impossible to spoil an introduction in book form.
NO STORY:
There is a big difference between writing a book about WW II that only covers Pearl Harbor and writing a book about Pearl Harbor. The first is a piece of crap that fails to tell a complete story the second tells a complete story with acknowledgement of the larger conflict to come. “Thinblade” is completely the former. The whole book is focused on the coming war between good and evil and the MC’s only purpose in going after the magic sword known as the Thinblade is to further prepare himself for that war. Therefore, when this book ends with the finding of the Thinblade there is zero resolution. In fact the MC is trapped inside of a castle with hostile forces outside and friendly forces approaching. So the author clearly intentionally left this thing (I really hate calling it a book since it really isn’t a valid one) without resolution. What is REALLY STUPID about all of this is that the author could have avoided it relatively easily. All he would have had to do was emphasize more how the war couldn’t succeed without the Thinblade and have his characters act more in accordance with that understanding and then have his MC actually manage to deal with the siege of the castle he ends up in. Just like that the author would have had a decent book that was also an opening to a series instead of this crap that somehow got published. (NOTE: this book was published by “Alexander Publishing” whose website was “under construction” in late 2018 when I am writing this. Given that this book was published in 2011, it would seem to me that Alexander Publishing is severely lacking in competency.)
STUPID CHARACTERS:
The good: This is a pretty typical farm boy as chosen one story but the author is, thankfully, unselfconscious about that fact. Therefore author does a better than average job telling a familiar story when he isn’t actively undermining it. He undermines it a lot.
So, an evil sorcerer from 2,000 years ago shows up but a good sorcerer from 2,000 years ago set up a worldwide magical warning so the bad guy wouldn’t be able to just surprise everyone and roll right over them. The good sorcerer also made provisions for a “chosen one” to defeat the bad sorcerer and founded the “Rangers” to exist in perpetuity until needed by the chosen one. Therefore, when the magical worldwide warning happens a group of Rangers is sent out to collect the chosen one. The Rangers rescue the MC/chosen one from an attack led by a mage when they meet. The MC then tells the Rangers about the demon dogs chasing him that can only come out at night. Given the existence of magic and the earth-shattering happenings of the past days, why would the Rangers not believe the MC/chosen one when he tells them he is being hunted by demon dogs????? This is particularly annoying since the Rangers should already be in a “plan for the worst” state of mind. Worse, this whole scene basically serves no purpose since the group proceeds as if the demon dogs are real anyway.
Second, the bad guy comes out of his 2,000 year suspended animation to find out about the “chosen one”. So the bad guy sends what is essentially a demon after him, except the demon has to possess a dead body to act so maybe a “super zombie” is a better description. Doesn’t matter, the point is why doesn’t the idiot bad guy send 100 super zombies instead of one????? It’d be easy for the author to explain this, I mean he could have just said that the nature of the magic is such that only one super zombie can be summoned at a time, BUT THE AUTHOR DIDN’T DO THAT. Plus, later the bad guy summons three demon dogs indicating that the only reason he only sent one zombie was because he is stupid. And why only three demon dogs- WHY NOT 100 OF THOSE???? DOES THIS GUY ACTUALLY WANT TO WIN OR NOT?????? Basically this whole scenario has been played out countless times in countless stories with the bad guy essentially acting as a training exercise for the good guy by giving the good guy ever more difficult opponents to beat. What is so stupid here is that the author seems unaware of his own story and certainly doesn’t give the bad guy any rational basis for this behavior. The author just assumes that this is how bad guys do things and gives it no more thought.
Finally, the bad guy is bad to the point of stupidity and makes no attempt to hide it. To send the super zombie the bad guy sacrifices one of his own soldiers. Why would any of the bad guy’s other soldiers still be working for him by the end of the week? Personally I’d want to get away before the bad guy saw my face. Then, when the super zombie failed, the bad guy kills the daughter of some servants to summon the demon dogs. The bad guy initially disguises this action by making it look like all he intends to do is rape her. HOW DOES HE HAVE ANY SERVANTS LEFT AFTER THAT???? Granted there are multiple ways the author could explain this but he doesn’t. In fact, the author, through the reactions of the bad guy’s “General Commander”, seems to make it clear that the bad guy is just this stupid.
This book ended with an excerpt from the start of book two but that excerpt contained something SOOOO STUPID that I feel compelled to include it here. Along the way the MC was magically imbued with the knowledge and abilities of a sword master, including the ability to fight with the magical Thinblade that can cut through almost anything. So this makes the MC the best non-battle mage swordsman on the planet. And yet the author has the MC stupidly strike himself with the Thinblade at the start of book two just so he can show that the Thinblade is enchanted against harming it wielder. DON’T YOU THINK THAT VERY BASIC AND USEFUL INFORMATION WOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE MAGIC TRAINING MANUAL THE MC USED?????? This one scene alone is so stupid I wished I never picked up this book in the first place and I certainly won’t be reading any more of this series. I’m just thankful for libraries so I don’t have to spend my own money on learning about the crap that gets published these days.
DIGRESSION ABOUT THE BAD GUYS:
I consider the “General Commander” a pseudo problem simply because he is too competent. The GC is a “battle mage” meaning he can only use his magic in battle. Yet the good guys don’t seem to understand that the way to beat him is to set traps. Since no fighting is involved it seems reasonable to presume that if the GC fell into a pit the GC would not be able to use his battle magic to escape. But no, the good guys fight him on several occasions and the GC kills them by the dozens. The MC is collecting magic items and abilities and yet the author makes it clear that the MC would be no match for the GC. Basically, the way this story is written, if the author stayed true to the characters and world he created the GC would kill the MC and the bad guys would win and this is without even considering the overwhelming advantage in magic the bad guys have since they are led by the sole surviving master mage.
ARTIFICIAL DRAMA:
On the “artificial drama” front the author does things like have the MC’s love interest kidnapped in spite of the fact that the love interest is a trained warrior. The kidnapper ends up injured, alone and relatively close to a bunch of good guys who have a hawk familiar they can use to run him down. The good guys are basically uninjured and probably not all that tired and should be highly motivated to run down the kidnapper, and yet they don’t. The author pretty clearly did this just to give the MC a bad guy to overcome in later books. What is really stupid about this is that there is no end to the bad guys who could fill that roll- the General Commander or the giant man who is his second in command and the wizard who aids them would all suit and the author wouldn’t have to make his characters act like morons in those cases. Plus there’s an evil noble who comes up in the second half of the story that could fill this purpose as well. Plus the head bad guy can summon an endless number of creatures who can fill that role. Bottom line this whole story line comes across as absolute stupidity brought about by the author’s need to artificially create drama rather than allowing the drama to be created organically by the characters and world he has created.
This is not, of course, the only instance of the author choosing artificial drama over good story telling. The first instance is when the MC first meets the Rangers. The MC isn’t in command at this point in time but is a VIP the Rangers were sent to protect. The MC also has the least amount of fighting experience of anyone in the group except his sister. So, when the demon dogs attack, do the Rangers treat him like a VIP they were sent to protect? No. Instead at times it seems like the MC is the only one fighting.
The worst instance of artificial drama is when the MC ends up outside of a secured but abandoned castle trying to figure out how to enter. In spite of the castle being magical and the MC being given a magic ring referred to as the key to the castle, and mages being the only people to gain entrance to the castle over the past 2,000 years the MC spends a couple of hours looking for a door. Of course this allows the bad guys to arrive and attack. Only then does the MC figure out that the magic ring may actually get him into the castle. This whole scene was waste of time. The entire “book” (not to mention the other six books of this series) hinged on the MC getting into this castle so why the author feel a need to drag it out for 30 pages by making his MC unnecessarily stupid is beyond explanation.
BOTTOM LINE: How does something this bad get published, let alone a series of seven books?????
This is a bad book for three reasons: First and foremost, it doesn’t tell a story. This entire book is just an introduction to whatever comes next. There wasn’t any kind of a culmination. Reasons two and three are essentially flip sides of the same the coin: The author makes his otherwise smart characters do stupid things to force the story where he wants it to go rather than letting the story flow organically from the world and characters he has created. The author also betrays his own characters and settings to create artificial drama and he generally (if not exclusively) does this by having his otherwise smart characters act stupidly.
The bottom line here is that this book is not worth reading. The author isn’t completely incompetent so, if a reader committed to reading the whole series, it might be worth it, but I don’t see why anyone would do that. What follows are the details supporting the above so feel free to save time here and go search for a book worth reading.
Details:
NOTE: I will not be concerned about SPOILERS in this review since it is impossible to spoil an introduction in book form.
NO STORY:
There is a big difference between writing a book about WW II that only covers Pearl Harbor and writing a book about Pearl Harbor. The first is a piece of crap that fails to tell a complete story the second tells a complete story with acknowledgement of the larger conflict to come. “Thinblade” is completely the former. The whole book is focused on the coming war between good and evil and the MC’s only purpose in going after the magic sword known as the Thinblade is to further prepare himself for that war. Therefore, when this book ends with the finding of the Thinblade there is zero resolution. In fact the MC is trapped inside of a castle with hostile forces outside and friendly forces approaching. So the author clearly intentionally left this thing (I really hate calling it a book since it really isn’t a valid one) without resolution. What is REALLY STUPID about all of this is that the author could have avoided it relatively easily. All he would have had to do was emphasize more how the war couldn’t succeed without the Thinblade and have his characters act more in accordance with that understanding and then have his MC actually manage to deal with the siege of the castle he ends up in. Just like that the author would have had a decent book that was also an opening to a series instead of this crap that somehow got published. (NOTE: this book was published by “Alexander Publishing” whose website was “under construction” in late 2018 when I am writing this. Given that this book was published in 2011, it would seem to me that Alexander Publishing is severely lacking in competency.)
STUPID CHARACTERS:
The good: This is a pretty typical farm boy as chosen one story but the author is, thankfully, unselfconscious about that fact. Therefore author does a better than average job telling a familiar story when he isn’t actively undermining it. He undermines it a lot.
So, an evil sorcerer from 2,000 years ago shows up but a good sorcerer from 2,000 years ago set up a worldwide magical warning so the bad guy wouldn’t be able to just surprise everyone and roll right over them. The good sorcerer also made provisions for a “chosen one” to defeat the bad sorcerer and founded the “Rangers” to exist in perpetuity until needed by the chosen one. Therefore, when the magical worldwide warning happens a group of Rangers is sent out to collect the chosen one. The Rangers rescue the MC/chosen one from an attack led by a mage when they meet. The MC then tells the Rangers about the demon dogs chasing him that can only come out at night. Given the existence of magic and the earth-shattering happenings of the past days, why would the Rangers not believe the MC/chosen one when he tells them he is being hunted by demon dogs????? This is particularly annoying since the Rangers should already be in a “plan for the worst” state of mind. Worse, this whole scene basically serves no purpose since the group proceeds as if the demon dogs are real anyway.
Second, the bad guy comes out of his 2,000 year suspended animation to find out about the “chosen one”. So the bad guy sends what is essentially a demon after him, except the demon has to possess a dead body to act so maybe a “super zombie” is a better description. Doesn’t matter, the point is why doesn’t the idiot bad guy send 100 super zombies instead of one????? It’d be easy for the author to explain this, I mean he could have just said that the nature of the magic is such that only one super zombie can be summoned at a time, BUT THE AUTHOR DIDN’T DO THAT. Plus, later the bad guy summons three demon dogs indicating that the only reason he only sent one zombie was because he is stupid. And why only three demon dogs- WHY NOT 100 OF THOSE???? DOES THIS GUY ACTUALLY WANT TO WIN OR NOT?????? Basically this whole scenario has been played out countless times in countless stories with the bad guy essentially acting as a training exercise for the good guy by giving the good guy ever more difficult opponents to beat. What is so stupid here is that the author seems unaware of his own story and certainly doesn’t give the bad guy any rational basis for this behavior. The author just assumes that this is how bad guys do things and gives it no more thought.
Finally, the bad guy is bad to the point of stupidity and makes no attempt to hide it. To send the super zombie the bad guy sacrifices one of his own soldiers. Why would any of the bad guy’s other soldiers still be working for him by the end of the week? Personally I’d want to get away before the bad guy saw my face. Then, when the super zombie failed, the bad guy kills the daughter of some servants to summon the demon dogs. The bad guy initially disguises this action by making it look like all he intends to do is rape her. HOW DOES HE HAVE ANY SERVANTS LEFT AFTER THAT???? Granted there are multiple ways the author could explain this but he doesn’t. In fact, the author, through the reactions of the bad guy’s “General Commander”, seems to make it clear that the bad guy is just this stupid.
This book ended with an excerpt from the start of book two but that excerpt contained something SOOOO STUPID that I feel compelled to include it here. Along the way the MC was magically imbued with the knowledge and abilities of a sword master, including the ability to fight with the magical Thinblade that can cut through almost anything. So this makes the MC the best non-battle mage swordsman on the planet. And yet the author has the MC stupidly strike himself with the Thinblade at the start of book two just so he can show that the Thinblade is enchanted against harming it wielder. DON’T YOU THINK THAT VERY BASIC AND USEFUL INFORMATION WOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE MAGIC TRAINING MANUAL THE MC USED?????? This one scene alone is so stupid I wished I never picked up this book in the first place and I certainly won’t be reading any more of this series. I’m just thankful for libraries so I don’t have to spend my own money on learning about the crap that gets published these days.
DIGRESSION ABOUT THE BAD GUYS:
I consider the “General Commander” a pseudo problem simply because he is too competent. The GC is a “battle mage” meaning he can only use his magic in battle. Yet the good guys don’t seem to understand that the way to beat him is to set traps. Since no fighting is involved it seems reasonable to presume that if the GC fell into a pit the GC would not be able to use his battle magic to escape. But no, the good guys fight him on several occasions and the GC kills them by the dozens. The MC is collecting magic items and abilities and yet the author makes it clear that the MC would be no match for the GC. Basically, the way this story is written, if the author stayed true to the characters and world he created the GC would kill the MC and the bad guys would win and this is without even considering the overwhelming advantage in magic the bad guys have since they are led by the sole surviving master mage.
ARTIFICIAL DRAMA:
On the “artificial drama” front the author does things like have the MC’s love interest kidnapped in spite of the fact that the love interest is a trained warrior. The kidnapper ends up injured, alone and relatively close to a bunch of good guys who have a hawk familiar they can use to run him down. The good guys are basically uninjured and probably not all that tired and should be highly motivated to run down the kidnapper, and yet they don’t. The author pretty clearly did this just to give the MC a bad guy to overcome in later books. What is really stupid about this is that there is no end to the bad guys who could fill that roll- the General Commander or the giant man who is his second in command and the wizard who aids them would all suit and the author wouldn’t have to make his characters act like morons in those cases. Plus there’s an evil noble who comes up in the second half of the story that could fill this purpose as well. Plus the head bad guy can summon an endless number of creatures who can fill that role. Bottom line this whole story line comes across as absolute stupidity brought about by the author’s need to artificially create drama rather than allowing the drama to be created organically by the characters and world he has created.
This is not, of course, the only instance of the author choosing artificial drama over good story telling. The first instance is when the MC first meets the Rangers. The MC isn’t in command at this point in time but is a VIP the Rangers were sent to protect. The MC also has the least amount of fighting experience of anyone in the group except his sister. So, when the demon dogs attack, do the Rangers treat him like a VIP they were sent to protect? No. Instead at times it seems like the MC is the only one fighting.
The worst instance of artificial drama is when the MC ends up outside of a secured but abandoned castle trying to figure out how to enter. In spite of the castle being magical and the MC being given a magic ring referred to as the key to the castle, and mages being the only people to gain entrance to the castle over the past 2,000 years the MC spends a couple of hours looking for a door. Of course this allows the bad guys to arrive and attack. Only then does the MC figure out that the magic ring may actually get him into the castle. This whole scene was waste of time. The entire “book” (not to mention the other six books of this series) hinged on the MC getting into this castle so why the author feel a need to drag it out for 30 pages by making his MC unnecessarily stupid is beyond explanation.
BOTTOM LINE: How does something this bad get published, let alone a series of seven books?????
June 25, 2022
5 stars - English Ebook
Quote: The air stilled. The room fell silent. A shockwave passed through them. Everyone froze, faces white with fear. The ancient evil had awakened…
When Alexander loses his brother to an assassin’s arrow, he learns that his family protects an ancient secret and reluctantly finds himself at the center of a war that was supposed to have ended long ago.
Pursued by dark minions of an ancient enemy, Alexander flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillian where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Ruatha, one of the Seven Isles.
Before he can claim his birthright he must recover the ancient Thinblade. Seven were forged by the first Sovereign of the Seven Isles. Each is as long as a man’s arm, as wide as a man’s thumb and so thin it can’t be seen from the edge.
Alexander Valentine, second son of a minor noble is out hunting wolves with his elder brother and younger sister, when his whole future life changes in one very sudden and horrific moment. This is more or less the opening to Thinblade. It grabs my attention and never lets go for the rest of the book.
It may allow you to relax a little every now and then, like a fish on a line, but then it draws you back in. I could nit stop reading. Only after berging from my partner.
The style and manner of the writing makes this an easy book to read, the characters are all well likeable, intriguing or just relatable, do dark too, depending on their role in the story.
There are aspects of this story which I have come across in other books, but that’s not to say they don’t work or seem contrived, quite the contrary. Everything seems to flow naturally from previous events or explanations. One aspect I did enjoy in this book was the depiction of Archery.
Most authors don’t seem to be aware of the shear force imparted to an arrow shot from a bow, so it was refreshing to read a more accurate description of the effect an arrow would have if it struck someone.
Quote: The air stilled. The room fell silent. A shockwave passed through them. Everyone froze, faces white with fear. The ancient evil had awakened…
When Alexander loses his brother to an assassin’s arrow, he learns that his family protects an ancient secret and reluctantly finds himself at the center of a war that was supposed to have ended long ago.
Pursued by dark minions of an ancient enemy, Alexander flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillian where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Ruatha, one of the Seven Isles.
Before he can claim his birthright he must recover the ancient Thinblade. Seven were forged by the first Sovereign of the Seven Isles. Each is as long as a man’s arm, as wide as a man’s thumb and so thin it can’t be seen from the edge.
Alexander Valentine, second son of a minor noble is out hunting wolves with his elder brother and younger sister, when his whole future life changes in one very sudden and horrific moment. This is more or less the opening to Thinblade. It grabs my attention and never lets go for the rest of the book.
It may allow you to relax a little every now and then, like a fish on a line, but then it draws you back in. I could nit stop reading. Only after berging from my partner.
The style and manner of the writing makes this an easy book to read, the characters are all well likeable, intriguing or just relatable, do dark too, depending on their role in the story.
There are aspects of this story which I have come across in other books, but that’s not to say they don’t work or seem contrived, quite the contrary. Everything seems to flow naturally from previous events or explanations. One aspect I did enjoy in this book was the depiction of Archery.
Most authors don’t seem to be aware of the shear force imparted to an arrow shot from a bow, so it was refreshing to read a more accurate description of the effect an arrow would have if it struck someone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2013
This is a Goodreads 2 stars -- "It was OK". There are numerous hints at potential but overall the book is pretty flat though rarely becomes burdensome.
The Good
----------------------------
World: The world has some depth and interest. Although there are a few inelegant info dumps they aren't too bad. The author also wisely doesn't explain everything (though he probably shares a bit too much) leaving more for us and the characters to learn.
Description: Food, locations, people are described in great detail (sometimes a bit too much) so there is a great texture to the setting.
Action: The action scenes are pretty well done -- sometimes a bit too blow-by-blow -- but pretty good. There just needs to be more and with a greater cost (see Healing Potions below)
The Meh
----------------------------
Magic System: I love that mages aren't born to magic but develop the talent through a trial and that the more powerful mages are specialized -- no one can do everything. But other than that the system seems to be too easy. There is a cost to gaining access to use magic but there doesn't seem to be any cost to casting magic. The listing of the specialties seemed to be pulled out of D&D.
Characters: While I like most of them, there is not a lot of dimension to them. Everyone gets along, follows orders, and are paragons of noble behavior.
The Bad
----------------------------
Names: the names of the four characters that leave the mansion on the quest all start with "A" -- that makes it very obnoxious to distinguish them when starting out a book -- particularly if you don't have few straight hours to get into the story.
Repetition: "He suddenly" seemed to happen a lot. And if *I* saw this it happened too many times.
Alexander's Magic: He is WAY too powerful. His starting ability of being able to read people's auras is insanely powerful since he can detect lies and even people of ill intent. This quickly sets up a world of good people and bad people that he can easily identify and kill as needed. His later powers are even more insanely powerful making things just too easy.
Party Interaction: There is no conflict or disagreement between the characters -- at most some very mild banter. There needs to be some dynamic within the group. Even the romance elements leave everyone happy -- brothers/fathers aren't over protective hell they seem to encourage things.
Romance: Disney fairy tales have more realism in romance -- a week from meeting to engagement with zero conflict except with the unwanted attentions of a bad guy. Sad.
Healing potions: There are honest to god healing potions. With an unending, so far, supply of healing, the only cost to battle is some time to heal and sleep. This makes battle cheap.
Peril: There was only one point when I had some concern about the heroes, and it looked like a success had turned into a pyrrhic victory that would burden them for a while -- but no we get a series of set piece combats that have little consequence apart from which bad guys get killed off.
Politics: The self-professed rancher does the perfect thing every time -- come on -- make it a challenge.
The Lost Scion: An overused trope, which is weirdly used since pretty much everyone (good and bad) knows of the family.
Despite a mediocre start I may get the second book -- there is some promise here and I want to encourage new Epic Fantasy authors.
The Good
----------------------------
World: The world has some depth and interest. Although there are a few inelegant info dumps they aren't too bad. The author also wisely doesn't explain everything (though he probably shares a bit too much) leaving more for us and the characters to learn.
Description: Food, locations, people are described in great detail (sometimes a bit too much) so there is a great texture to the setting.
Action: The action scenes are pretty well done -- sometimes a bit too blow-by-blow -- but pretty good. There just needs to be more and with a greater cost (see Healing Potions below)
The Meh
----------------------------
Magic System: I love that mages aren't born to magic but develop the talent through a trial and that the more powerful mages are specialized -- no one can do everything. But other than that the system seems to be too easy. There is a cost to gaining access to use magic but there doesn't seem to be any cost to casting magic. The listing of the specialties seemed to be pulled out of D&D.
Characters: While I like most of them, there is not a lot of dimension to them. Everyone gets along, follows orders, and are paragons of noble behavior.
The Bad
----------------------------
Names: the names of the four characters that leave the mansion on the quest all start with "A" -- that makes it very obnoxious to distinguish them when starting out a book -- particularly if you don't have few straight hours to get into the story.
Repetition: "He suddenly" seemed to happen a lot. And if *I* saw this it happened too many times.
Alexander's Magic: He is WAY too powerful. His starting ability of being able to read people's auras is insanely powerful since he can detect lies and even people of ill intent. This quickly sets up a world of good people and bad people that he can easily identify and kill as needed. His later powers are even more insanely powerful making things just too easy.
Party Interaction: There is no conflict or disagreement between the characters -- at most some very mild banter. There needs to be some dynamic within the group. Even the romance elements leave everyone happy -- brothers/fathers aren't over protective hell they seem to encourage things.
Romance: Disney fairy tales have more realism in romance -- a week from meeting to engagement with zero conflict except with the unwanted attentions of a bad guy. Sad.
Healing potions: There are honest to god healing potions. With an unending, so far, supply of healing, the only cost to battle is some time to heal and sleep. This makes battle cheap.
Peril: There was only one point when I had some concern about the heroes, and it looked like a success had turned into a pyrrhic victory that would burden them for a while -- but no we get a series of set piece combats that have little consequence apart from which bad guys get killed off.
Politics: The self-professed rancher does the perfect thing every time -- come on -- make it a challenge.
The Lost Scion: An overused trope, which is weirdly used since pretty much everyone (good and bad) knows of the family.
Despite a mediocre start I may get the second book -- there is some promise here and I want to encourage new Epic Fantasy authors.
June 24, 2015
FINALLY. I started this book in January, and I've finished it in June.
This book I picked up for free on my Kindle. The only reason I picked it up is because my girlfriend's fiancee read this book. And the next one. And the next one-- and read the whole series. And this guy DOES NOT READ. So, I was curious as to what intrigued him. I discovered really quickly that I didn't particularly enjoy this book, but I wanted to finish it so I could have an intelligent conversation with him about it and recommend other books I think he might enjoy.
There are a lot of things I struggled with in this book. First is the protagonist. Alexander has the wisdom of the ages and he happens to learn the right thing at the right time every time. He is far too successful for me to be interested. I don't believe that a sudden "branding" bestowed all sorts of magical skill and wisdom. Particularly when his brother received all the training, and not Alexander. It was hard to believe.
The book also contains TONS of description. I don't need to know exactly what the room looks like. I don't need to know there is a dresser in the corner unless it is relevant to the story. I don't care that there are different types of marble in the columns vs. the floor. Basic description is enough.
Lastly, I struggled with how things were explained. The characters had long detailed conversations, or internal monologue, about the politics and geography of the area. I didn't need all that information at once, I only need it when it's relevant. Unfortunately, I forgot all the relevant content basically immediately. It was too much.
I don't think I'd recommend this book. But if you read the summary and are interested, send me a message and we will chat about alternative options.
This book I picked up for free on my Kindle. The only reason I picked it up is because my girlfriend's fiancee read this book. And the next one. And the next one-- and read the whole series. And this guy DOES NOT READ. So, I was curious as to what intrigued him. I discovered really quickly that I didn't particularly enjoy this book, but I wanted to finish it so I could have an intelligent conversation with him about it and recommend other books I think he might enjoy.
There are a lot of things I struggled with in this book. First is the protagonist. Alexander has the wisdom of the ages and he happens to learn the right thing at the right time every time. He is far too successful for me to be interested. I don't believe that a sudden "branding" bestowed all sorts of magical skill and wisdom. Particularly when his brother received all the training, and not Alexander. It was hard to believe.
The book also contains TONS of description. I don't need to know exactly what the room looks like. I don't need to know there is a dresser in the corner unless it is relevant to the story. I don't care that there are different types of marble in the columns vs. the floor. Basic description is enough.
Lastly, I struggled with how things were explained. The characters had long detailed conversations, or internal monologue, about the politics and geography of the area. I didn't need all that information at once, I only need it when it's relevant. Unfortunately, I forgot all the relevant content basically immediately. It was too much.
I don't think I'd recommend this book. But if you read the summary and are interested, send me a message and we will chat about alternative options.
September 29, 2017
An Arrow ends the live ofthe oldestValentine son. The Valentinesprotecedanacient secret. And he finds himself in the center of the final battle of a war that was supposed to have ended two thousand years ago. He flees to the mountain city of Glen Morillain where he discovers that he is the heir to the throne of Rutatha, one theseven Isles, but before he can claim the throne he must recover the acient Thinblade. He blade are a art of an Old Law and given to each of the sovereign of the seven Isles. There are seven blades.
A lot of upinions have different views of this book. I do love to read it. It took me by the hand from page two.
The Old Law:"You have a right to your life because you are alive. You have a right to your liberty because you have free will.... A beautiful law you can call it.
I recommend to read this series of 7 books from book one. You will be taken to the seven Isles and want to dwell in this world until you finish the last page. Its a well written story about good versus evil. I did crawl into the lives of Alexander and his compenions and did fight aside them against the evil. I think it will capture you aswal and will not let you go. Alexander is a bit to brave, he could have some flaws. The bad guys are realy evil! I did keep turning the pages.
A lot of upinions have different views of this book. I do love to read it. It took me by the hand from page two.
The Old Law:"You have a right to your life because you are alive. You have a right to your liberty because you have free will.... A beautiful law you can call it.
I recommend to read this series of 7 books from book one. You will be taken to the seven Isles and want to dwell in this world until you finish the last page. Its a well written story about good versus evil. I did crawl into the lives of Alexander and his compenions and did fight aside them against the evil. I think it will capture you aswal and will not let you go. Alexander is a bit to brave, he could have some flaws. The bad guys are realy evil! I did keep turning the pages.
November 22, 2015
Thinblade by David A. Wells Upon the unexpected death of his brother, Alexander becomes the heir to an unlooked for birthright. He is heir to a throne, but before he can claim that right, he must first recover one of the ancient Thinblades. Friends and allies assist Alexander upon his quest even as a myriad of evil doers work to thwart him.
The story started off strong with Alexander and his siblings seeing to protecting livestock from local predators. When an assassin’s arrow takes his brother, Alexander then gets told the family secret: they are the line of succession to an ancient throne. It’s a pretty heady thing to dump on a person who is just coming into adulthood. The action starts up early on in the story as Alexander, his sister Abigail, and their tutor and healer Luki flee the family estate.
The action weaves in and out of quieter moments. There’s weapons training, battle planning, a bit of romance, and some magic learning. At first, it was a pretty good mix, holding my attention without giving me battle fatigue. However, once Alexander dives into learning magic, there are chunks of the story that slow way down and get a bit tedious. I wanted to fast forward through most of these sections. Having one or two to show the reader how much effort the main character is putting into it is cool; having several, nearly back to back, was over kill.
At first, there’s only one female character (Abigail) but she’s right there with her brother riding and fighting. She’s good with a bow. She’s well written. Later, we get a few more female characters. Isabel is the daughter of a lord whose lands neighbor Alexander’s family. She’s also good with a bow and has a magical connection with a small hawk, which she uses as a kind of scout. Sometimes she is well written, and sometimes she falls into cliches. Alexander treats her with a kind of respect even as he very quickly falls in love with her. I felt the romance was forced, like the author felt he had to check that box off in order to have a complete epic fantasy. One of the cliches involves a kidnapped female who ends up weeping on her savior’s shoulder once she is rescued. Sigh…. I would have kidnapped Alexander and forced him to carry the firewood and water skins.
The world building is pretty standard for epic fantasy. I liked it and it worked for the story, but nothing special stood out about it. I enjoyed the quest in general, even if things got bogged down here and there. The Thinblade is a near myth even among the learned and wise. Indeed, it will take someone special to find one of these remarkable blades, and even more special to wield it with results.
Luki was one of my favorite characters. He had more than one role in the story and I liked this multi-dimensionality. Throughout the tale, he plays the cook, the teacher, the healer, or the alchemist. He’s a wealth of knowledge and also the confident to Alexander and Abigail. He also has a sense of humor.
Where this book shines is with the antagonists. Oddly, I found them more interesting than Alexander. Prince Faine of the Rishi has arisen and he means to conquer all of the seven isles. He’s been in this kind of suspended animation for hundreds or thousands of years and he’s not fully sane. This makes him unpredictable not just to the good guys, but also to his own baddie team. Then there is Patel. This dude scares me for several reasons. He’s dedicated, a true believer in where he has chosen to put his loyalty. He’s very, very skilled at what he does. Because he has such a sense of dedication and loyalty, he may turn out to be one of those characters that will sacrifice all to accomplish their commander’s goal even if he knows it is wrong. Yeah. He’s that kind of baddie. The sections with this characters were some of my favorites.
Narration: Derek Perkins did a nice job. Most of the book is told through Alexander’s eyes and Perkins had a nice young man’s voice for him. I liked his rougher voice for Patel and his somewhat mischievous voice for Luki. His crazy Faine voice was a little chilling! His lady voices were OK, perhaps needing a little more femininity.
The story started off strong with Alexander and his siblings seeing to protecting livestock from local predators. When an assassin’s arrow takes his brother, Alexander then gets told the family secret: they are the line of succession to an ancient throne. It’s a pretty heady thing to dump on a person who is just coming into adulthood. The action starts up early on in the story as Alexander, his sister Abigail, and their tutor and healer Luki flee the family estate.
The action weaves in and out of quieter moments. There’s weapons training, battle planning, a bit of romance, and some magic learning. At first, it was a pretty good mix, holding my attention without giving me battle fatigue. However, once Alexander dives into learning magic, there are chunks of the story that slow way down and get a bit tedious. I wanted to fast forward through most of these sections. Having one or two to show the reader how much effort the main character is putting into it is cool; having several, nearly back to back, was over kill.
At first, there’s only one female character (Abigail) but she’s right there with her brother riding and fighting. She’s good with a bow. She’s well written. Later, we get a few more female characters. Isabel is the daughter of a lord whose lands neighbor Alexander’s family. She’s also good with a bow and has a magical connection with a small hawk, which she uses as a kind of scout. Sometimes she is well written, and sometimes she falls into cliches. Alexander treats her with a kind of respect even as he very quickly falls in love with her. I felt the romance was forced, like the author felt he had to check that box off in order to have a complete epic fantasy. One of the cliches involves a kidnapped female who ends up weeping on her savior’s shoulder once she is rescued. Sigh…. I would have kidnapped Alexander and forced him to carry the firewood and water skins.
The world building is pretty standard for epic fantasy. I liked it and it worked for the story, but nothing special stood out about it. I enjoyed the quest in general, even if things got bogged down here and there. The Thinblade is a near myth even among the learned and wise. Indeed, it will take someone special to find one of these remarkable blades, and even more special to wield it with results.
Luki was one of my favorite characters. He had more than one role in the story and I liked this multi-dimensionality. Throughout the tale, he plays the cook, the teacher, the healer, or the alchemist. He’s a wealth of knowledge and also the confident to Alexander and Abigail. He also has a sense of humor.
Where this book shines is with the antagonists. Oddly, I found them more interesting than Alexander. Prince Faine of the Rishi has arisen and he means to conquer all of the seven isles. He’s been in this kind of suspended animation for hundreds or thousands of years and he’s not fully sane. This makes him unpredictable not just to the good guys, but also to his own baddie team. Then there is Patel. This dude scares me for several reasons. He’s dedicated, a true believer in where he has chosen to put his loyalty. He’s very, very skilled at what he does. Because he has such a sense of dedication and loyalty, he may turn out to be one of those characters that will sacrifice all to accomplish their commander’s goal even if he knows it is wrong. Yeah. He’s that kind of baddie. The sections with this characters were some of my favorites.
Narration: Derek Perkins did a nice job. Most of the book is told through Alexander’s eyes and Perkins had a nice young man’s voice for him. I liked his rougher voice for Patel and his somewhat mischievous voice for Luki. His crazy Faine voice was a little chilling! His lady voices were OK, perhaps needing a little more femininity.
November 22, 2015
Upon the unexpected death of his brother, Alexander becomes the heir to an unlooked for birthright. He is heir to a throne, but before he can claim that right, he must first recover one of the ancient Thinblades. Friends and allies assist Alexander upon his quest even as a myriad of evil doers work to thwart him.
The story started off strong with Alexander and his siblings seeing to protecting livestock from local predators. When an assassin’s arrow takes his brother, Alexander then gets told the family secret: they are the line of succession to an ancient throne. It’s a pretty heady thing to dump on a person who is just coming into adulthood. The action starts up early on in the story as Alexander, his sister Abigail, and their tutor and healer Luki flee the family estate.
The action weaves in and out of quieter moments. There’s weapons training, battle planning, a bit of romance, and some magic learning. At first, it was a pretty good mix, holding my attention without giving me battle fatigue. However, once Alexander dives into learning magic, there are chunks of the story that slow way down and get a bit tedious. I wanted to fast forward through most of these sections. Having one or two to show the reader how much effort the main character is putting into it is cool; having several, nearly back to back, was over kill.
At first, there’s only one female character (Abigail) but she’s right there with her brother riding and fighting. She’s good with a bow. She’s well written. Later, we get a few more female characters. Isabel is the daughter of a lord whose lands neighbor Alexander’s family. She’s also good with a bow and has a magical connection with a small hawk, which she uses as a kind of scout. Sometimes she is well written, and sometimes she falls into cliches. Alexander treats her with a kind of respect even as he very quickly falls in love with her. I felt the romance was forced, like the author felt he had to check that box off in order to have a complete epic fantasy. One of the cliches involves a kidnapped female who ends up weeping on her savior’s shoulder once she is rescued. Sigh…. I would have kidnapped Alexander and forced him to carry the firewood and water skins.
The world building is pretty standard for epic fantasy. I liked it and it worked for the story, but nothing special stood out about it. I enjoyed the quest in general, even if things got bogged down here and there. The Thinblade is a near myth even among the learned and wise. Indeed, it will take someone special to find one of these remarkable blades, and even more special to wield it with results.
Luki was one of my favorite characters. He had more than one role in the story and I liked this multi-dimensionality. Throughout the tale, he plays the cook, the teacher, the healer, or the alchemist. He’s a wealth of knowledge and also the confident to Alexander and Abigail. He also has a sense of humor.
Where this book shines is with the antagonists. Oddly, I found them more interesting than Alexander. Prince Faine of the Rishi has arisen and he means to conquer all of the seven isles. He’s been in this kind of suspended animation for hundreds or thousands of years and he’s not fully sane. This makes him unpredictable not just to the good guys, but also to his own baddie team. Then there is Patel. This dude scares me for several reasons. He’s dedicated, a true believer in where he has chosen to put his loyalty. He’s very, very skilled at what he does. Because he has such a sense of dedication and loyalty, he may turn out to be one of those characters that will sacrifice all to accomplish their commander’s goal even if he knows it is wrong. Yeah. He’s that kind of baddie. The sections with this characters were some of my favorites.
Narration: Derek Perkins did a nice job. Most of the book is told through Alexander’s eyes and Perkins had a nice young man’s voice for him. I liked his rougher voice for Patel and his somewhat mischievous voice for Luki. His crazy Faine voice was a little chilling! His lady voices were OK, perhaps needing a little more femininity.
The story started off strong with Alexander and his siblings seeing to protecting livestock from local predators. When an assassin’s arrow takes his brother, Alexander then gets told the family secret: they are the line of succession to an ancient throne. It’s a pretty heady thing to dump on a person who is just coming into adulthood. The action starts up early on in the story as Alexander, his sister Abigail, and their tutor and healer Luki flee the family estate.
The action weaves in and out of quieter moments. There’s weapons training, battle planning, a bit of romance, and some magic learning. At first, it was a pretty good mix, holding my attention without giving me battle fatigue. However, once Alexander dives into learning magic, there are chunks of the story that slow way down and get a bit tedious. I wanted to fast forward through most of these sections. Having one or two to show the reader how much effort the main character is putting into it is cool; having several, nearly back to back, was over kill.
At first, there’s only one female character (Abigail) but she’s right there with her brother riding and fighting. She’s good with a bow. She’s well written. Later, we get a few more female characters. Isabel is the daughter of a lord whose lands neighbor Alexander’s family. She’s also good with a bow and has a magical connection with a small hawk, which she uses as a kind of scout. Sometimes she is well written, and sometimes she falls into cliches. Alexander treats her with a kind of respect even as he very quickly falls in love with her. I felt the romance was forced, like the author felt he had to check that box off in order to have a complete epic fantasy. One of the cliches involves a kidnapped female who ends up weeping on her savior’s shoulder once she is rescued. Sigh…. I would have kidnapped Alexander and forced him to carry the firewood and water skins.
The world building is pretty standard for epic fantasy. I liked it and it worked for the story, but nothing special stood out about it. I enjoyed the quest in general, even if things got bogged down here and there. The Thinblade is a near myth even among the learned and wise. Indeed, it will take someone special to find one of these remarkable blades, and even more special to wield it with results.
Luki was one of my favorite characters. He had more than one role in the story and I liked this multi-dimensionality. Throughout the tale, he plays the cook, the teacher, the healer, or the alchemist. He’s a wealth of knowledge and also the confident to Alexander and Abigail. He also has a sense of humor.
Where this book shines is with the antagonists. Oddly, I found them more interesting than Alexander. Prince Faine of the Rishi has arisen and he means to conquer all of the seven isles. He’s been in this kind of suspended animation for hundreds or thousands of years and he’s not fully sane. This makes him unpredictable not just to the good guys, but also to his own baddie team. Then there is Patel. This dude scares me for several reasons. He’s dedicated, a true believer in where he has chosen to put his loyalty. He’s very, very skilled at what he does. Because he has such a sense of dedication and loyalty, he may turn out to be one of those characters that will sacrifice all to accomplish their commander’s goal even if he knows it is wrong. Yeah. He’s that kind of baddie. The sections with this characters were some of my favorites.
Narration: Derek Perkins did a nice job. Most of the book is told through Alexander’s eyes and Perkins had a nice young man’s voice for him. I liked his rougher voice for Patel and his somewhat mischievous voice for Luki. His crazy Faine voice was a little chilling! His lady voices were OK, perhaps needing a little more femininity.
April 9, 2017
A couple things keep this from being 5 stars. 1, a little more blood and gore than I like. 2, something I can't quite put my finger on, but it had to do with the way Alexander felt like he needed to have faith in his lucky magic to save him no matter what. A couple skirmishes seemed too easy, a couple things were predictable, and a couple creatures/events were almost too unrealistic, but overall this was a fine novel.
I did try the second book (listened to it), and it wasn't as good. I don't know if this was because I waited two years or because I wasn't reading it to myself.
Strong points:
Characters. I could keep track of everyone, they all had differences, and they were likable. Even the bad guys were interesting. I liked that we see Alexander's and Abigail's relationship along with Erik's and Isabel's; not many fantasy stories focus on sibling friendships. Oh, and the romance was delightfully subtle and didn't distract from the plot.
World. Very epic, large scale, different climates and cultures, feasible governance systems, and a valley of pink trees. There were assassins, magical potions and weapons, traveling bards, a mage's guild, and handy Rangers.
Plot. Not predictable. Okay, a tiny bit. Parents are removed, as are the family home and all sense of safety. There is a lot of running and being hunted paused by some intense fighting, some recovery time, and some vital conversations and lessons. Alexander has to gain the allegiance of all of Ruatha, and he goes about it in, well, an effective way. Some people are devious, and some are good natured. I liked that about this book, as opposed to some stories that only focus on how evil and selfish everyone is at their core. Bah. Every story needs an Adele. :)
Weak points:
A typo or two. A couple conflicts seemed resolved too easily The pacing was fine, but some of the fights distracted from the main point (how many random mythical creatures do they need to go up against?). Alexander almost seems too perfect (remarkable powers, strong sense of duty and morals, and his plans always work).
Yet, there were a couple times when he said something scathing or selfish and Lucky or Anatoly corrected him. I love it when characters get reprimanded and bravely face their wrongdoing and make it right.
I did try the second book (listened to it), and it wasn't as good. I don't know if this was because I waited two years or because I wasn't reading it to myself.
Strong points:
Characters. I could keep track of everyone, they all had differences, and they were likable. Even the bad guys were interesting. I liked that we see Alexander's and Abigail's relationship along with Erik's and Isabel's; not many fantasy stories focus on sibling friendships. Oh, and the romance was delightfully subtle and didn't distract from the plot.
World. Very epic, large scale, different climates and cultures, feasible governance systems, and a valley of pink trees. There were assassins, magical potions and weapons, traveling bards, a mage's guild, and handy Rangers.
Plot. Not predictable. Okay, a tiny bit. Parents are removed, as are the family home and all sense of safety. There is a lot of running and being hunted paused by some intense fighting, some recovery time, and some vital conversations and lessons. Alexander has to gain the allegiance of all of Ruatha, and he goes about it in, well, an effective way. Some people are devious, and some are good natured. I liked that about this book, as opposed to some stories that only focus on how evil and selfish everyone is at their core. Bah. Every story needs an Adele. :)
Weak points:
A typo or two. A couple conflicts seemed resolved too easily The pacing was fine, but some of the fights distracted from the main point (how many random mythical creatures do they need to go up against?). Alexander almost seems too perfect (remarkable powers, strong sense of duty and morals, and his plans always work).
Yet, there were a couple times when he said something scathing or selfish and Lucky or Anatoly corrected him. I love it when characters get reprimanded and bravely face their wrongdoing and make it right.
February 8, 2013
Once I got passed the authors obsession with hot buttered biscuit and the idea the fresh cream is available out in the wilderness, I really enjoyed this book. It was a free borrow with Amazon Prime and so are all the sequels. It's one of the better books in it's price range and is better than a lot of books in a higher price range.
Although the magic system is fairly standard, it is still interesting enough and the story kept me interested. The only problem I had, besides the food, was that as soon as the main character gets one more item to protect him, he somehow has his life saved by that item multiple times. He seems to get just what he needs in the nick of time. One example (not a real spoiler)...he gets an enchanted piece of armor, puts it on, and within 5 minutes has a spear, that would have gone through his heart, bounce off the armor.
Although the magic system is fairly standard, it is still interesting enough and the story kept me interested. The only problem I had, besides the food, was that as soon as the main character gets one more item to protect him, he somehow has his life saved by that item multiple times. He seems to get just what he needs in the nick of time. One example (not a real spoiler)...he gets an enchanted piece of armor, puts it on, and within 5 minutes has a spear, that would have gone through his heart, bounce off the armor.
February 24, 2017
Ugh. This book! Despite the bad reviews I've had my eye on it for a while and oh did it disappoint. One dimensional characters, half baked world building and video game magic system are just a few of the shitty things about this book. This book is too new to be written in such an old school fantasy voice.
Recommendation: SKIP IT.
Recommendation: SKIP IT.
August 12, 2012
Yeah good book, I did skip a few pages every now and again but, overall I really enjoyed the story - just downloaded the second book....
January 18, 2014
I knew nothing of this book and was pleasantly surprised. can't wait to start book 2
August 19, 2016
Start of a fascinating series,good charactors,nice paced action with magic
March 13, 2019
Personal Response
The plot in this book is very engaging. The author really keeps me on the edge never knowing if a good or bad thing will happen next. He also doesn’t just let the main character have an easy way out every time and often makes him go through a lot of hardship to reach his end goal.
Plot
Alexander, Darius, and Abigail are out hunting a wolf pack that has been terrorizing their livestock. They find the wolf pack, but then Darius gets hit in the chest by a poisoned arrow. They rush him back to Valentine Manor, but they are too late he dies in his mother’s arms. A couple of hours later, a warning spell triggers letting the Seven Isles know that Prince Phane Reishi is awake and Alexander gets the Mark of Mage Cedric burned into his neck. Phane sends a demon after Alexander and he manages to escape. Sadly, his mother and father stay behind to fight the demon and he doesn’t know if they survive. They head for Southport but are met by mercenaries. Alexander kills someone for the first time and they head for Glen Morillian. They hole up in an abandoned castle for the night but are attacked by nether wolves. They are saved by a company of Rangers and head for the forest city. Alexander is recognized as the King of Ruatha by the Forest Warden and saves Isabel. After that, he becomes a wizard. They head to New Ruatha and is recognized by Regent Cery as King of Ruatha. When they leave they are attacked by Commander P’tal and Mage Gamaliel holds him off so they can escape. They head to Mage Cedric’s ancient keep and find the Thinblade there.
Characterization
Alexander starts this story out as just a rancher, but he quickly fits into the role of the King of Ruatha. The most important thing about him is that he doesn’t want power and would give it up to go back to being a rancher. He also becomes a lot more hardened in his travels because he sees people he doesn’t even know dying for him. He also becomes a lot more humble after he gets shot with a crossbow bolt that he could’ve seen coming if he’d been paying attention.
Abigail starts off as a typical girl but hardens into a warrior as she continues her training. She also has her first battle experience, which strengthens her resolve and teaches her the hideous nature of war. She is more of a tomboy by the end because she never gives up. She also never surrendered to the Southport City Guard when they caught them in a trap. She killed four of them and warned the party of the seventh one.
Setting
The book takes place in a more medieval time period where there are only bows and handheld weapons. The party starts off by Highlands Reach and this is their home. They are there for a few days but are forced to leave. They arrive in Glen Morillian and it is an impenetrable fortress. They only stay there for two weeks, but Alexander takes the mana fast there. He becomes a wizard and they leave for New Ruatha. Alexander can only trust a handful of the people who live there and leaves after a few days. They leave for Blackstone Keep, which ends up being one of the safest places in all of the Seven Isles. It also has a disappearing bridge that adds to its defenses, and it has a magical shield that protects the whole keep. They stay at Blackstone for a month to explore Mage Cedric’s keep.
Recommendation
I would recommend this to middle school boys and any high school kid who can understand the material contained inside this book. It has a lot of action they would enjoy, but it also has some gory moments. I would not recommend this to middle school girls because I feel they would get grossed out by some of the events in the book. Also, elementary school kids are definitely not mature enough for the events that happen in this book.
The plot in this book is very engaging. The author really keeps me on the edge never knowing if a good or bad thing will happen next. He also doesn’t just let the main character have an easy way out every time and often makes him go through a lot of hardship to reach his end goal.
Plot
Alexander, Darius, and Abigail are out hunting a wolf pack that has been terrorizing their livestock. They find the wolf pack, but then Darius gets hit in the chest by a poisoned arrow. They rush him back to Valentine Manor, but they are too late he dies in his mother’s arms. A couple of hours later, a warning spell triggers letting the Seven Isles know that Prince Phane Reishi is awake and Alexander gets the Mark of Mage Cedric burned into his neck. Phane sends a demon after Alexander and he manages to escape. Sadly, his mother and father stay behind to fight the demon and he doesn’t know if they survive. They head for Southport but are met by mercenaries. Alexander kills someone for the first time and they head for Glen Morillian. They hole up in an abandoned castle for the night but are attacked by nether wolves. They are saved by a company of Rangers and head for the forest city. Alexander is recognized as the King of Ruatha by the Forest Warden and saves Isabel. After that, he becomes a wizard. They head to New Ruatha and is recognized by Regent Cery as King of Ruatha. When they leave they are attacked by Commander P’tal and Mage Gamaliel holds him off so they can escape. They head to Mage Cedric’s ancient keep and find the Thinblade there.
Characterization
Alexander starts this story out as just a rancher, but he quickly fits into the role of the King of Ruatha. The most important thing about him is that he doesn’t want power and would give it up to go back to being a rancher. He also becomes a lot more hardened in his travels because he sees people he doesn’t even know dying for him. He also becomes a lot more humble after he gets shot with a crossbow bolt that he could’ve seen coming if he’d been paying attention.
Abigail starts off as a typical girl but hardens into a warrior as she continues her training. She also has her first battle experience, which strengthens her resolve and teaches her the hideous nature of war. She is more of a tomboy by the end because she never gives up. She also never surrendered to the Southport City Guard when they caught them in a trap. She killed four of them and warned the party of the seventh one.
Setting
The book takes place in a more medieval time period where there are only bows and handheld weapons. The party starts off by Highlands Reach and this is their home. They are there for a few days but are forced to leave. They arrive in Glen Morillian and it is an impenetrable fortress. They only stay there for two weeks, but Alexander takes the mana fast there. He becomes a wizard and they leave for New Ruatha. Alexander can only trust a handful of the people who live there and leaves after a few days. They leave for Blackstone Keep, which ends up being one of the safest places in all of the Seven Isles. It also has a disappearing bridge that adds to its defenses, and it has a magical shield that protects the whole keep. They stay at Blackstone for a month to explore Mage Cedric’s keep.
Recommendation
I would recommend this to middle school boys and any high school kid who can understand the material contained inside this book. It has a lot of action they would enjoy, but it also has some gory moments. I would not recommend this to middle school girls because I feel they would get grossed out by some of the events in the book. Also, elementary school kids are definitely not mature enough for the events that happen in this book.
October 10, 2018
What can I say? I didn't hate this book, but I haven't loved it, either. The pacing is good, and the worldbuilding is fine - not outstanding, though. The main characters area likeable, as in they're' really so perfect and good and really just very nice people who can do no wrong' that I couldn't find much to connect with them - me not being a very good person at all. The evil characters were just that, very evil people for absolutely no reason at all other than they have a huge ego or have been trianed to be mean from the start. There is absolutely no character development AT ALL throughout the whole story. The people they are when they first enter the book is who they end up being. Even the MC who should have had so much more to him than just that good ole boy who will do what he has to do because he's all honourable and what not. And they were dumb. Some of these characters were soooo dumb and did such dumb things it hurt. Because their actions should have gotten them killed or at least SEVERELY hurt, despit the 'sparkle of intelligence in their eyes'. Turns out it's just the sparkle, though. PLus, there's always a salve or a potion around to make sure they're up to do more battle for the good in no time at all. Instead of wasting page after endless page with absurdly detailed descriptions of EVERY single hallway, room, nook and crany in EVERY single housing facility the hero steps into, I wished the author had used those never ending pages to advance plot, work sub-plots, build in character development, take a look at other minor characters and give them a life, not just a name in the page to be used when there's need for a sidekick. The secondary characters have absolutely no personality at all, and no life other than being there to make the hero shine. And the food, the endless food, what is it with the author and the constant food? And that retelling of Alexander's story by Jack? Pointless! We read it, ok? Why waste pages on that AGAIN?
But in the end, I did not want to give up on the book. There was much I liked. I liked the magical system here, I liked the part where the hero must connect to his magic, I liked the mystery surrounding his true nature and that of his magical capabilities. That kept me going, as I wanted to know more. It's not badly written either, despite the moms and dads constantly popping up and other americanisms that to me taint the narrative a lot, as this is fantasy set in another universe than that of our world. But that's my personal pet peeve. So, do I recommend this? It's a study in Fantasy if you're a fan of the genre, and it can teach you valuable lessons. It's up to you to make out what these are.
But in the end, I did not want to give up on the book. There was much I liked. I liked the magical system here, I liked the part where the hero must connect to his magic, I liked the mystery surrounding his true nature and that of his magical capabilities. That kept me going, as I wanted to know more. It's not badly written either, despite the moms and dads constantly popping up and other americanisms that to me taint the narrative a lot, as this is fantasy set in another universe than that of our world. But that's my personal pet peeve. So, do I recommend this? It's a study in Fantasy if you're a fan of the genre, and it can teach you valuable lessons. It's up to you to make out what these are.
November 1, 2012
I must say that the writing in this book is definitely amateurish at times, but I still loved the story, and I already bought the sequel and started reading it. It's not a great book, but it is a very enjoyable read if you can look past Thinblade's weaknesses. I would definitely recommend this book to Epic Fantasy fans, but you may not love it.
The World Building is relatively strong here, but there are some oddities which are a little goofy. I really like the magic system, it has an interesting concept where anyone that undergoes a mana-fast (where they fast for a week and drink rare magic dust in a water solution) goes through a change. This change alters the witch/wizard's connection to reality, where they can access the Firmament and through visualization and a strong will they can bring fantastical things into the real world (like giant bubbles of fire as an example). There's also interesting facets were the magic manifests in the wizard/witch in a multitude of various ways, creating many different types of magic users. For the main character's magic, he really doesn't know how to do anything, and his magic manifests itself different than everyone else. His main power in the whole book is aura vision, it provides some interesting moments where he can get an idea of the quality of character of the new people he meets, but it could also be a detriment as I almost always expected him to mention the auras of people. Then when he doesn't, I always was curious about why (especially when it was almost always the servants that he didn't comment on, even when he was being very nice to them). One of the big annoyances I have with this world's history though, is that the big events in the world that lead to the drama going on in the story occurred 2000 years ago. To me, that is too long, as their civilization hasn't evolved at all, and everyone knows what happened so long ago and are ready when the Evil Wizard Phane wakes up from his self-induced slumber. It would have made much more sense if it was only 1000 years, or even shorter. The other problem I had with the world, is that I have trouble imagining the whole picture, where there are supposedly Seven Islands, but the islands sound like they're relatively large, and from some comments they might be far away from each other. It's not too important, but I just don't have a great grasp on the geography of the world.
The writing is definitely one of the weakest parts of the books, especially when you're first starting to read it. Wells uses a third person narrative, but it is a little inconsistent, where at times the narrator notes parts of the mind of other characters, while most of the time it focuses solely on the main character, Alexander. I think that I would have much preferred a first person narrative, or even a third person that was always limited to the mind of the main character. In general, the writing was a little amateurish, the words used and the grammar was just a little goofy some of the time. There were a lot of little things that broke my reading flow, but I still powered through it, and it was a relatively quick read.I will note though, that I didn't really notice many misspelled words, and it's edited relatively well for a self-published novel. I'm not sure how exactly the writing could be fixed, it's not horrible, but I know that it could be improved.
The story was also a little weak at times, even though in general I loved it. It's a pretty basic epic fantasy story, a young man living on a farm (though here he was a minor noble) has his normal life changed forever as a family member is killed (not the whole family which is different). He learns that he is the chosen one, but here it is actually given a reason, where 2000 years ago the Rebel Mage that was fighting the evil Grand Mage Phane cursed a family line and set up a series of trials and gifts to give the person in the future a chance to win against the evil wizard. He gathers a group of heroes, and they go adventuring. My biggest problem with the story has to be the authors overuse of repeated enemies. Over and over the heroes kept facing and defeating (or running away from) the same enemies, and when given a chance they wouldn't finish them off. There's also a big sign for when this is happening, as every time, even after the heroes killed other less important enemies with perfect shots, the bigger more important villain is shot in the shoulder. This tactic was used way too often, and every time an enemy was only wounded, I knew that they were important and would come back later to annoy the characters.
Still, some of the villains, especially the short pudgy and absolutely deadly battle mage, who I could see being part of some interesting developments in the future (he doesn't seem evil, even though he's on the wrong side) are cool and varied dangerous enemies. All of the characters in the group are relatively unique, and they have a very honest feel to them. From the tom-boy sister, to the love interest (a little forced, especially their quick betrothal, but I do like her and her interactions with Alex), to the protector, the bard, and especially the alchemist (he is a great character, one of my favs in the book). I actually thought that this book would make an excellent story in a video game, it definitely has that feel. Each of the characters has a clearly defined role, and they play it very well. The video gameness could be a weakness in the story though, as their forced limited party number causes them to be constantly pursued and outnumbered. I didn't get why they wouldn't travel with a larger party, especially when 6 of them run away from a place where they had a friendly army of almost 100,000 men so they can take on a group of 100 enemies. I'd understand if they're trying to be inconspicuous, but other times it's just goofy. Also, I think that the main characters, because they are original, enjoyable, and very hard to replace, have a certain amount of plot armor. I really can't see the author killing any of them off, as it would really suck. I do see however, the characters being constantly injured and being brought back from the brink of death by the alchemist's magical potions.
So overall, I did really enjoy the book, despite its faults it was a great read. When I think about the biggest fault of the book, it's also the reason I'm going to read the sequel immediately instead of later. This problem is that there isn't a beginning middle and end to this book, there's only a series of events, where the characters keep getting more powerful. In fact, the only ending this book has is the main character finding the Thinblade. This makes me want to read the next book and find out what happens, I just hope that the next book has an end, and isn't just another, "To Be Continued Until you Buy and Read the Next Book."
The World Building is relatively strong here, but there are some oddities which are a little goofy. I really like the magic system, it has an interesting concept where anyone that undergoes a mana-fast (where they fast for a week and drink rare magic dust in a water solution) goes through a change. This change alters the witch/wizard's connection to reality, where they can access the Firmament and through visualization and a strong will they can bring fantastical things into the real world (like giant bubbles of fire as an example). There's also interesting facets were the magic manifests in the wizard/witch in a multitude of various ways, creating many different types of magic users. For the main character's magic, he really doesn't know how to do anything, and his magic manifests itself different than everyone else. His main power in the whole book is aura vision, it provides some interesting moments where he can get an idea of the quality of character of the new people he meets, but it could also be a detriment as I almost always expected him to mention the auras of people. Then when he doesn't, I always was curious about why (especially when it was almost always the servants that he didn't comment on, even when he was being very nice to them). One of the big annoyances I have with this world's history though, is that the big events in the world that lead to the drama going on in the story occurred 2000 years ago. To me, that is too long, as their civilization hasn't evolved at all, and everyone knows what happened so long ago and are ready when the Evil Wizard Phane wakes up from his self-induced slumber. It would have made much more sense if it was only 1000 years, or even shorter. The other problem I had with the world, is that I have trouble imagining the whole picture, where there are supposedly Seven Islands, but the islands sound like they're relatively large, and from some comments they might be far away from each other. It's not too important, but I just don't have a great grasp on the geography of the world.
The writing is definitely one of the weakest parts of the books, especially when you're first starting to read it. Wells uses a third person narrative, but it is a little inconsistent, where at times the narrator notes parts of the mind of other characters, while most of the time it focuses solely on the main character, Alexander. I think that I would have much preferred a first person narrative, or even a third person that was always limited to the mind of the main character. In general, the writing was a little amateurish, the words used and the grammar was just a little goofy some of the time. There were a lot of little things that broke my reading flow, but I still powered through it, and it was a relatively quick read.I will note though, that I didn't really notice many misspelled words, and it's edited relatively well for a self-published novel. I'm not sure how exactly the writing could be fixed, it's not horrible, but I know that it could be improved.
The story was also a little weak at times, even though in general I loved it. It's a pretty basic epic fantasy story, a young man living on a farm (though here he was a minor noble) has his normal life changed forever as a family member is killed (not the whole family which is different). He learns that he is the chosen one, but here it is actually given a reason, where 2000 years ago the Rebel Mage that was fighting the evil Grand Mage Phane cursed a family line and set up a series of trials and gifts to give the person in the future a chance to win against the evil wizard. He gathers a group of heroes, and they go adventuring. My biggest problem with the story has to be the authors overuse of repeated enemies. Over and over the heroes kept facing and defeating (or running away from) the same enemies, and when given a chance they wouldn't finish them off. There's also a big sign for when this is happening, as every time, even after the heroes killed other less important enemies with perfect shots, the bigger more important villain is shot in the shoulder. This tactic was used way too often, and every time an enemy was only wounded, I knew that they were important and would come back later to annoy the characters.
Still, some of the villains, especially the short pudgy and absolutely deadly battle mage, who I could see being part of some interesting developments in the future (he doesn't seem evil, even though he's on the wrong side) are cool and varied dangerous enemies. All of the characters in the group are relatively unique, and they have a very honest feel to them. From the tom-boy sister, to the love interest (a little forced, especially their quick betrothal, but I do like her and her interactions with Alex), to the protector, the bard, and especially the alchemist (he is a great character, one of my favs in the book). I actually thought that this book would make an excellent story in a video game, it definitely has that feel. Each of the characters has a clearly defined role, and they play it very well. The video gameness could be a weakness in the story though, as their forced limited party number causes them to be constantly pursued and outnumbered. I didn't get why they wouldn't travel with a larger party, especially when 6 of them run away from a place where they had a friendly army of almost 100,000 men so they can take on a group of 100 enemies. I'd understand if they're trying to be inconspicuous, but other times it's just goofy. Also, I think that the main characters, because they are original, enjoyable, and very hard to replace, have a certain amount of plot armor. I really can't see the author killing any of them off, as it would really suck. I do see however, the characters being constantly injured and being brought back from the brink of death by the alchemist's magical potions.
So overall, I did really enjoy the book, despite its faults it was a great read. When I think about the biggest fault of the book, it's also the reason I'm going to read the sequel immediately instead of later. This problem is that there isn't a beginning middle and end to this book, there's only a series of events, where the characters keep getting more powerful. In fact, the only ending this book has is the main character finding the Thinblade. This makes me want to read the next book and find out what happens, I just hope that the next book has an end, and isn't just another, "To Be Continued Until you Buy and Read the Next Book."
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