mackhazelwood's review
3.0
Ending felt abrupt and without any satisfying conclusion to any of the storylines.
bdesmond's review
4.0
The last 20% or so of this book was very, very close to pushing this up to a five-star rating for me, but I feel it is more accurate at four stars based on my enjoyment of the book in its entirety. Nevertheless, holy shit that ending! (Acolouthis is one hell of a drug...)
This was recommended to me by a good friend, one who's recommendations have already proven fruitful for me (looking at you Dark Tower). As such, I expected to really enjoy this book, and I did.
I was immediately attracted to Hunt's prose. It is the kind that makes it very easy to hit the ground running from the start of a book. You don't have to get used to anything, it just flows. And as the writing flows from the beginning, so too does the story. I won't get into specifics on the plot or the 'type' of Fantasy this is - I think the story benefits from going in blind and not knowing what to expect - but I will say that it is a fun and interesting story, in an increasingly interesting world. I am looking for more development in our secondary characters in the following books, which I will undoubtedly be reading soon. Hunt raises questions at the end of the book that demand answers. And when you've got me demanding answers to your questions.. well, you've already hooked me.
It looks like I've stumbled upon another series that I will be impatiently waiting for further installments of. Well done, S.A. Hunt.
This was recommended to me by a good friend, one who's recommendations have already proven fruitful for me (looking at you Dark Tower). As such, I expected to really enjoy this book, and I did.
I was immediately attracted to Hunt's prose. It is the kind that makes it very easy to hit the ground running from the start of a book. You don't have to get used to anything, it just flows. And as the writing flows from the beginning, so too does the story. I won't get into specifics on the plot or the 'type' of Fantasy this is - I think the story benefits from going in blind and not knowing what to expect - but I will say that it is a fun and interesting story, in an increasingly interesting world. I am looking for more development in our secondary characters in the following books, which I will undoubtedly be reading soon. Hunt raises questions at the end of the book that demand answers. And when you've got me demanding answers to your questions.. well, you've already hooked me.
It looks like I've stumbled upon another series that I will be impatiently waiting for further installments of. Well done, S.A. Hunt.
hostral's review
4.0
This was the closest I've ever come to giving a self-published book five stars.
I never really got into The Dark Tower by Stephen King, and I wouldn't count myself as a fanatical Western fan either, but in spite of this I thoroughly enjoyed myself reading a book that had echoes of both.
The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree is about former soldier Ross Brigham, whose military service echoes that of the author. He returns home to a dead father and a wife that has abandoned him, only to be offered a lucrative opportunity.
The similarities between Brigham and Hunt continue, with both being aspiring authors who have never hit the greatest of heights with their work. It does make you wonder as to just how much of the first person narrative voice is the character's, and how much is autobiographical. Whatever the case may be, Hunt has a witty tone that is superbly descriptive and pleasurable to read. There's more than an echo of Jim Butcher in some of the snarky deliveries that Ross comes out with.
This is a real world portal into fantasy realm book in the vein of Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, but what's interesting about Hunt's world is that he spends a good chunk of the book establishing his principle characters in the real world. There's no inkling that he's about to be transported until the moment arrives, and that's a clever subversion of the genre on the author's part.
The book is unashamed of its influences, with multiple references tossed about and quotes from Johnny Cash and Stephen King before we even get under way. I like a work that wears its heart on its sleeve, and Whirlwind does precisely that. Any book that name-drops Fred Saberhagen is coming from the right place, that's for sure!
The world-building is gradual, and when the transportation inevitably happens, Hunt doesn't leave you in the cold. With a gradual unfolding of information through explorations rather than info-dump, you're eased into this fantasy realm in a most satisfying manner.
In the end the book is mostly about Ross and the relationship he holds with his deceased father, with most of the other characters peripheral at best. Sawyer and Noreen are capable sounding boards for the most part, but I would have liked to have seen more development. Given that this is the first of a series I have no doubt that S.A. Hunt will address this in due course.
Which leads me to my final critique: it's the first of a series.
Throughout the book it had been building to a superb climax, with revelation after revelation coming thick and fast as our understanding of both the land and the characters in play grew. Warning signs started with the introduction of our primary antagonist very late in the game. Then there was the gun scene, which killed all the previous momentum and urgency.
The ending was rushed, and I felt like it was more an advertisement to purchase the second book than a conclusion. Had the book resolved itself it would have earned a five-star rating, but as it stands I'd not urge you to read it unless you're willing to commit to a second novel and/or series.
Fortunately, based on the strength of this effort, committing to a second book in this world is a no-brainer. Hunt is an accomplished writer and is well worth the investment if this book is anything to go by.
Despite it being a dyed-in-the-wool Western fantasy, I'd advise all lovers of the genre who aren't opposed to reading an incomplete series to pick this up and give it a go. There's not as much gun-slinging as you'd expect, but the rich prose and intriguing developments in the plot makes for an easy four stars.
If the books continue to impress, you can expect me to be awarding five stars to this man very soon.
I never really got into The Dark Tower by Stephen King, and I wouldn't count myself as a fanatical Western fan either, but in spite of this I thoroughly enjoyed myself reading a book that had echoes of both.
The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree is about former soldier Ross Brigham, whose military service echoes that of the author. He returns home to a dead father and a wife that has abandoned him, only to be offered a lucrative opportunity.
The similarities between Brigham and Hunt continue, with both being aspiring authors who have never hit the greatest of heights with their work. It does make you wonder as to just how much of the first person narrative voice is the character's, and how much is autobiographical. Whatever the case may be, Hunt has a witty tone that is superbly descriptive and pleasurable to read. There's more than an echo of Jim Butcher in some of the snarky deliveries that Ross comes out with.
This is a real world portal into fantasy realm book in the vein of Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, but what's interesting about Hunt's world is that he spends a good chunk of the book establishing his principle characters in the real world. There's no inkling that he's about to be transported until the moment arrives, and that's a clever subversion of the genre on the author's part.
The book is unashamed of its influences, with multiple references tossed about and quotes from Johnny Cash and Stephen King before we even get under way. I like a work that wears its heart on its sleeve, and Whirlwind does precisely that. Any book that name-drops Fred Saberhagen is coming from the right place, that's for sure!
The world-building is gradual, and when the transportation inevitably happens, Hunt doesn't leave you in the cold. With a gradual unfolding of information through explorations rather than info-dump, you're eased into this fantasy realm in a most satisfying manner.
In the end the book is mostly about Ross and the relationship he holds with his deceased father, with most of the other characters peripheral at best. Sawyer and Noreen are capable sounding boards for the most part, but I would have liked to have seen more development. Given that this is the first of a series I have no doubt that S.A. Hunt will address this in due course.
Which leads me to my final critique: it's the first of a series.
Throughout the book it had been building to a superb climax, with revelation after revelation coming thick and fast as our understanding of both the land and the characters in play grew. Warning signs started with the introduction of our primary antagonist very late in the game. Then there was the gun scene, which killed all the previous momentum and urgency.
The ending was rushed, and I felt like it was more an advertisement to purchase the second book than a conclusion. Had the book resolved itself it would have earned a five-star rating, but as it stands I'd not urge you to read it unless you're willing to commit to a second novel and/or series.
Fortunately, based on the strength of this effort, committing to a second book in this world is a no-brainer. Hunt is an accomplished writer and is well worth the investment if this book is anything to go by.
Despite it being a dyed-in-the-wool Western fantasy, I'd advise all lovers of the genre who aren't opposed to reading an incomplete series to pick this up and give it a go. There's not as much gun-slinging as you'd expect, but the rich prose and intriguing developments in the plot makes for an easy four stars.
If the books continue to impress, you can expect me to be awarding five stars to this man very soon.
wolfpack75's review
1.0
Finally plowed through​ and finished this book. It reads like a very verbose DM trying to impress his players with his depth and intelligence... And failing. The author plainly rips off the ideas of much better writers, Stephen King being the main one, unfortunately they don't seem to grasp what makes the Dark Tower books so fascinating. I've never been more bored or uninterested in a fantasy novel, if I rated this by eyerolling moments it would be a 5/5 the worst rating possible for any book and one I've never given out beforehand​. Just terrible from humdrum start to yawn inducing finish.
nazad1th's review
2.0
Man, I'm disappointed. It reads like a shitty fanfiction of a self insert into The Dark Tower or Game of Thrones, where they mention the real life experiences that don't actually mean anything. The world is poorly thought out, and the main character is dull and unrealistic. Becoming best friends with random people who record your estranged dad's funeral and randomly show up to clean out his house before? wack
jwdonley's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I've got the next one in the series waiting for me on the kindle.
The horror and fantasy elements worked well together, and like many others have mentioned, this story has much the same feel as the Dark Tower books by Stephen King. So, if you liked The Dark Tower series you'll like this as well.
The horror and fantasy elements worked well together, and like many others have mentioned, this story has much the same feel as the Dark Tower books by Stephen King. So, if you liked The Dark Tower series you'll like this as well.
samalexauthor's review
4.0
Guns, and humor and giant sea monsters, Oh My! This was a fiercely entertaining read right from the beginning. Jumped right into the foray of action. Okay mystique is more accurate. You could sense the lurking presence of danger but also a slight apprehension of the mystery man in the the first pages. And that was a good combination. It made me want to know just what exactly this person was doing. And why. Descriptive out of necessity. The only way I like description, just enough details to say this is it, now look over here cause this is what's really going down. At first I started thinking Sophie's world, not Sophie's choice. I wasn't sure how I felt about that but once I got out of the second paragraph all fears were demolished.
The characters I found to be very real. And I particularly liked that they were all suffering from the same identity issues, in different ways. It connected them while still allowing them to be separate and hold their own. The pacing was very good. The plot moved at a stop and go kind of pace at the perfect balance, just when you think 'hmm guess it's died down for a while' an action sequence, or a new twist, or some evidence of what's going on would appear. The timing was always dead on as if the author was in my head and knew just when I needed to be fed info and slow down, and just when I need something more interesting to make me go, whoa, I like this book.
The story is told through the eyes of the main character Ross and does a more than exceptional job of depicting a regular man thrown into a fantastical world. His side kicks, or accomplices, were equally entertaining. The dialogue between them was more than intriguing especially when it dipped from serious into humor. Am I a fan of humor in serious novels yes. When it's done well. Double yes. And in this book a triple yes. It keeps the balance of the inner bitterness of each character, the seriousness of the book, and the fantasy elements in check.
The fight sequences made very good sense to me. The just action sequences also appeared to be well thought out. I don't remember having any of those, 'why would the character do that' moments during any of them which is very important. Sometimes just for the sake of doing something cool characters do things in fights that are just ridiculous, or in chases or just action period. I was delighted to not feel that reading this novel.
Another commendable aspect is something i'm going to dub 'The Harry Potter Effect' only because that's a popular book. This would be having the character with the least amount of page time have the biggest impact in the entire book. The brainchild of the world in which this book exists gets next to no physical page time but his presence permeates through each page via the characters and the world created. And I love that our understanding of him, our perception, is slightly altered to whereas the idea we have of him in the beginning is not the idea we have of him in the end. It's a nice feeling to find that an author has taking you for a ride and you played directly into their hands.
The fantasy setting is very well laid out. The humans and the non humans of the world seem to blend quite seamlessly. When odd things happen you don't question their oddity because your mind has been set up to accept such things. Which is how good fantasy should work. One should never question the impossible things that happen in a world where the impossible can happen. And gun slinging heroes, awesome. More than awesome. I found that instead of being urban fantasy this book grounds it's fantasy in the real world without having to be outside of the fantasy world. Which is very good. It still felt like things I know while being almost entirely in another realm.
Plot wise, I was screaming at the end because the one thing I wanted to know I didn't find out. Dammit now I must read the next book! Oh well. Worse things have happened. I did like that it came to a closure that made sense. Nothing that was needed to be left hanging was, and the things that were, enough information was given about them for you to have an idea, a guesstimation of what is to come. Like locking you in a cage and dangling the perfect piece of cheesecake right out of your grasp. Inching it slowly closer only to find you wont get it till tomorrow.
All in all, I loved the writing style of this novel. Enjoyed the strategic placement of the high and low points, or fast and slow points, of the novel. Thought the main three characters were very well developed and the world was described with just the perfect slice of detail for me to take myself into it. I prefer to play a part in my novels and not just be pumped with info. And this book allowed my brain to work to figure out things, and picture the surroundings with the details provided. And the horror scenes were sufficiently edgy. It was a very tactile reading experience that was more than enjoyable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspense novel, likes natural humor, fantastical elements, and of course badass heroes with guns. If you purchase this you wont be disappointed. Oh and of course if you love coffee, you must buy this novel.
The characters I found to be very real. And I particularly liked that they were all suffering from the same identity issues, in different ways. It connected them while still allowing them to be separate and hold their own. The pacing was very good. The plot moved at a stop and go kind of pace at the perfect balance, just when you think 'hmm guess it's died down for a while' an action sequence, or a new twist, or some evidence of what's going on would appear. The timing was always dead on as if the author was in my head and knew just when I needed to be fed info and slow down, and just when I need something more interesting to make me go, whoa, I like this book.
The story is told through the eyes of the main character Ross and does a more than exceptional job of depicting a regular man thrown into a fantastical world. His side kicks, or accomplices, were equally entertaining. The dialogue between them was more than intriguing especially when it dipped from serious into humor. Am I a fan of humor in serious novels yes. When it's done well. Double yes. And in this book a triple yes. It keeps the balance of the inner bitterness of each character, the seriousness of the book, and the fantasy elements in check.
The fight sequences made very good sense to me. The just action sequences also appeared to be well thought out. I don't remember having any of those, 'why would the character do that' moments during any of them which is very important. Sometimes just for the sake of doing something cool characters do things in fights that are just ridiculous, or in chases or just action period. I was delighted to not feel that reading this novel.
Another commendable aspect is something i'm going to dub 'The Harry Potter Effect' only because that's a popular book. This would be having the character with the least amount of page time have the biggest impact in the entire book. The brainchild of the world in which this book exists gets next to no physical page time but his presence permeates through each page via the characters and the world created. And I love that our understanding of him, our perception, is slightly altered to whereas the idea we have of him in the beginning is not the idea we have of him in the end. It's a nice feeling to find that an author has taking you for a ride and you played directly into their hands.
The fantasy setting is very well laid out. The humans and the non humans of the world seem to blend quite seamlessly. When odd things happen you don't question their oddity because your mind has been set up to accept such things. Which is how good fantasy should work. One should never question the impossible things that happen in a world where the impossible can happen. And gun slinging heroes, awesome. More than awesome. I found that instead of being urban fantasy this book grounds it's fantasy in the real world without having to be outside of the fantasy world. Which is very good. It still felt like things I know while being almost entirely in another realm.
Plot wise, I was screaming at the end because the one thing I wanted to know I didn't find out. Dammit now I must read the next book! Oh well. Worse things have happened. I did like that it came to a closure that made sense. Nothing that was needed to be left hanging was, and the things that were, enough information was given about them for you to have an idea, a guesstimation of what is to come. Like locking you in a cage and dangling the perfect piece of cheesecake right out of your grasp. Inching it slowly closer only to find you wont get it till tomorrow.
All in all, I loved the writing style of this novel. Enjoyed the strategic placement of the high and low points, or fast and slow points, of the novel. Thought the main three characters were very well developed and the world was described with just the perfect slice of detail for me to take myself into it. I prefer to play a part in my novels and not just be pumped with info. And this book allowed my brain to work to figure out things, and picture the surroundings with the details provided. And the horror scenes were sufficiently edgy. It was a very tactile reading experience that was more than enjoyable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspense novel, likes natural humor, fantastical elements, and of course badass heroes with guns. If you purchase this you wont be disappointed. Oh and of course if you love coffee, you must buy this novel.
scott_a_gardner's review
4.0
Meta fantasy at it's finest (?)
I really liked the amalgam of all the different worlds. Not that I didn't like the end of book #2, but why does everything have to have an explanation? And why did it have to be this one? I'm so invested in the series no I have to finish it. I know I'm kinda complaining, but a cool twist, though. Hehe!
I really liked the amalgam of all the different worlds. Not that I didn't like the end of book #2, but why does everything have to have an explanation? And why did it have to be this one? I'm so invested in the series no I have to finish it. I know I'm kinda complaining, but a cool twist, though. Hehe!
jefferson's review
4.0
A two-fisted, gunpowder punk, must-read!
When a famous writer is murdered, his estranged son Ross returns for the funeral and is quickly plunged into the unfamiliar community of fantasy geeks and role playing nerds. So when he learns that the fantastical world of his father's fiction actually exists, Ross quickly crosses over to hunt the killer down, but soon realizes that he may have acted too hastily, because he's now lost in a world of gun-slingers and monsters where the rules make no sense. And Ross hasn't read the books.
Whirlwind is one of those rare indie books that pulls everything together. Its strong writing, vivid imagination and intriguing characters all combine to keep you riveted to the page. Hunt's prose is a delightful surprise in the often plodding swampland of indie publishing, and his ear for language and turns of phrase are of a quality that I only expect to see from upper-echelon, traditionally published authors.
Having said all that, I enjoyed the first half better than the second, and for this I blame the plot. Ross's objective never properly emerges, and without a clear and present goal drawing him forward, the second half of Whirlwind plays out more like a drunken stumble through an amusement park than the decisive action story this could have been. And to my intense frustration, Hunt makes a couple of plot choices shortly after the half way mark that seemed entirely out of step with the dark and sinister vibe that had been building so deliciously to that point. But admittedly, my tastes don't usually run to dark fantasy and gun-slinger stuff, so these quibbles may be mine alone.
If you're looking for a bold new world of fantastical adventure that harks back to Lovecraft rather than Tolkien, then The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree is a definite two-fisted, gunpowder punk, must-read.
When a famous writer is murdered, his estranged son Ross returns for the funeral and is quickly plunged into the unfamiliar community of fantasy geeks and role playing nerds. So when he learns that the fantastical world of his father's fiction actually exists, Ross quickly crosses over to hunt the killer down, but soon realizes that he may have acted too hastily, because he's now lost in a world of gun-slingers and monsters where the rules make no sense. And Ross hasn't read the books.
Whirlwind is one of those rare indie books that pulls everything together. Its strong writing, vivid imagination and intriguing characters all combine to keep you riveted to the page. Hunt's prose is a delightful surprise in the often plodding swampland of indie publishing, and his ear for language and turns of phrase are of a quality that I only expect to see from upper-echelon, traditionally published authors.
Having said all that, I enjoyed the first half better than the second, and for this I blame the plot. Ross's objective never properly emerges, and without a clear and present goal drawing him forward, the second half of Whirlwind plays out more like a drunken stumble through an amusement park than the decisive action story this could have been. And to my intense frustration, Hunt makes a couple of plot choices shortly after the half way mark that seemed entirely out of step with the dark and sinister vibe that had been building so deliciously to that point. But admittedly, my tastes don't usually run to dark fantasy and gun-slinger stuff, so these quibbles may be mine alone.
If you're looking for a bold new world of fantastical adventure that harks back to Lovecraft rather than Tolkien, then The Whirlwind in the Thorn Tree is a definite two-fisted, gunpowder punk, must-read.
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