Flight of the Eisenstein (Horus Heresy Book 4) - James Swallow

So I am still on the 'Heresy Train' and show no signs of stopping at the moment. The fourth installment of the series was less traumatic emotionally, which was a relief, but no less exciting.

The first thing I want to mention about this book is how damned exciting the narrative is. I ended up reading this at a break neck speed; the pace was phenomenal. I found myself consuming the words as fast as I could because it was so exciting! 

Wanting to know what happened also managed to keep me up at night and that had not happened for a long time. It is a real credit to Swallow, how he is able to keep the pace going and the action exciting enough.

Although the pace is break neck, it does not skimp on the development of characters either. They are no replacement for those lost in the previous novel, I don't think anyone could replace them. Instead. Swallow builds upon those introduced and fleshes them out to create characters that are worth caring about. The dry wit of Garro lightens a lot of the darker scenes within the novel and helps lift the spirits in the most dire of circumstances. The supporting cast, some known, some new, are realistic and for good or ill, add another layer to the novel

The writing in the novel is a lot less clunky than in the previous installments. There are a lot less similes and the metaphors are a lot more subtle. It makes for a clearer read in my humble opinion and is less jolting from the action of the story itself.
 

Up Next: Fulgrim - Book 5 by Graham McNeill

Check out the other blog for more war-gaming stuff http://theblackhandschapter.blogspot.co.uk/

Queen of Alendeortor - Jan Doncom

This post is brought to you from my iPad while in the comfort of my own bed! Sundays are the best. Not sure about the blogger app as yet but we shall see how that goes.

I had a random email asking me to review a book, which was a lovely ego boost by the way, first time that has ever happened.  I was more than happy to do so but had to tell the author I was training to be a teacher (and reading the Dark Tower) and that it may be a while. Then I got this dental abscess thing and all I could do was read and sleep. So, here we are in all its honesty, as requested.

It didn't take me long to read this novel and that's because I enjoyed it. It wasn't a chore to read like some books I have had in the past. The characters were easy to care for and there was no initial getting to know you period. The protagonist is an underdog in his society, a bonkers one at that, and from the moment the book starts your on his side. His cast of 'sidekicks' are equally as rounded and balanced. They all have their flaws and that makes them believable, a lot of effort has gone into this characters and that really pays off.

The plot and pacing of the novel work well too. The reader is drawn in from the first chapter and taken on a whirlwind race through the story. The action is portrayed well and the plot has significant twists and turns to keep most readers attention. It's not the most inventive plot in the world but it has enough to be a decent standing point.

The novel isn't all perfect however, there are some areas that could use improving, as with most novels. Another round of editing and proofreading would solve the grammar and spelling mistakes that I spotting. There were not hundreds of them however there were enough to warrant me making a point of it. It would also rid the novel of some clumsy sentences, which can only be a good thing. I also spotted a loop hole where one of the characters kills a child of sixteen. The next page goes on to say how he has been considered an adult from fourteen. They are of the same race then this seems a bit strange to me.

My next issue was with the world building. The concept was fantastic and the small details that were the helped paint a lovely picture of the places the characters lived, however I believe, that the world could have been developed further. If you pardon the cliche, the devil really is in the detail and I like to know a lot about the places characters live. What is there is good but it needs more information and more development. This tendency to gloss over important details is evident in other parts of the novel too, I just feel that as I have invested time into reading the novel, time should also be invested in really bringing the world to life. It may come at the sacrifice of a bit of pace but most fantasy readers relish those details that transport them to another world. This is, after all, the reason we read them.

All in all, I enjoyed reading the novel and shall be following the author to see if she writes and more. It will be interesting to see where she takes this good start.