Žárem meče

Hercules #1

by Timothy Boggs, Martin Antler (Translator)

Bůh ohně a dovedný kovář Hefaistos vykoval pro vládce bohů Dia ohnivý meč. Loupežníci však tuto kouzelnou zbraň ukradli. Je na Herkulovi získat ji zpět - on však ví, že ho čeká nejen boj s vycvičenou armádou nájezdníků, ale že svou silou a důvtipem musí zmařit i dobyvačné plány někoho mocnějšího...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Adventure

158 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

Reviews

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not like I was expecting a masterpiece. But still, wanted to get something out of it, at least some mindless fun. But, not even that, simply because it's forgettable at best.

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)

I'm finally going through my physical tv, film etc. tie in library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.

I'm only adding one book per series (etc.) and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)


First time read the author's work?: N/A

Will you be reading more?: Yes

Would you recommend?: Yes


------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)

All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked

Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)

[Scott Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this as part of the Legendary Journeys Hercules and Xena Bookclub (join the group here on Goodreads). I was reading the first edition mass market paperback and I found it to be full of typos (well, maybe 10 or so) which I found distracting. Add to that a story that was not especially engaging and the poor job the author did of matching Hercules' characterization from the TV series and you end up with my two-star rating.

The story is very like something the tV series writers might have done in the first season of the show so even though it's not great it is in line with the series. I don't consider these novels to be "canon" but if we were to place this during the run of the series, it would have to take place after the season three episode "Love Takes a Holiday" in which Aphrodite and Hephaestus get together. The god we spend the most time with is Hermes. Hermes doesn't appear on the show until season four so we can forgive the descriptions in this novel that don't jive with that appearance.

I think I was most bothered by the characterization of Hercules. He seemed very dark and too serious. He was also a bit vindictive in a way that we never saw in Kevin Sorbo's portrayal. I also missed Iolaus who is not even mentioned in this novel.

This is a fast read and if you're a fan of the H:TLJ TV series you might have fun with it but it's hardly necessary reading.

[Andrew Alvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

What you'd expect; short, fun and not preachy.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you didn't know, Timothy Boggs is a pseudonym for Charles L. Grant (who also used the pseudonyms Geoffrey MARSH and Lionel FENN, so he was never too far away from his horror roots). I decided to add these to the list when I decided to read all of his books, but I didn't think that he used these pseudonyms when he was writing something other than horror. Plus, I never watched this show, so I don't even know if he managed to capture the sense of the characters or the atmosphere of the show. There was a fun sense of humor throughout, which I haven't seen in his other works, but it wasn't enough to carry the book beyond just being mediocre. To me, Grant is a bit of a niche author, so it surprises me that he was chosen to write books based on a license.

[Eija · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kirjassa on yksinkertainen juoni, joka keskittyy tapahtumiin. Maailman kuvaus ja henkilökuvaus ovat heikkoja – sisältö on lähes pelkästään sanailujen siivittämänä tapahtumasta toiseen etenemistä. Kerronta ei myöskään temmannut mukaansa vaan ajatukset lähtivät helposti karkaamaan. Kirja ei toiminut minulla edes kevyenä viihteenä eikä välipalana. En muistaakseni katsonut 90-luvulla TV-sarjaa, mihin kirja perustuu. Ehkä kirja tarjoaa niille enemmän, jotka ovat TV-sarjasta pitäneet.