connorjdaley's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received this novella to judge for SFINCS. Opinion is my own, and does not represent that made by the team.
Take this with a grain of salt/sand/ashes/world making crystals (if you will)…as this story unfortunately did not connect for me. I found it to read as disjointed, often jumping between times while also switching characters in a way that did nothing but confuse me. The scenes are often very short, perhaps a couple hundred words each, and it felt like I couldn’t sink my teeth into anything. Like I was constantly trying to connect or understand but then it changed again. Even after finishing, I’m not quite sure what the plot is.
Perhaps just not my style, writing taste, or the wrong story for me, as I actually highlighted quite a bit that I thought was fantastic. Quotes and odds and ends that hit me as profound. As I received this to review, it wasn’t an actual kindle version, so I couldn’t upload them to goodreads sadly.
Personally a 3/5* for me. Just not to my taste.
jakeb2112's review
5.0
I only recently got into fantasy and I was not prepared for the roller coaster that this book takes you on. I loved every minute of this and already want to read it again because so much is packed into this novella. If you removed even a single paragraph from this book it would read very differently. Every word in this book matters and I never once felt like anything dragged or was unnecessary. I am still trying to process this book because it is unlike anything I have read before in the best way possible.
This book had me questioning what's real and what isn't to such an extent that I am not even sure if I am real anymore. I am so excited to dive into The World Breaker Requiem just so I can learn more about this beautiful nightmare of a world that Tarzian has crafted.
This book had me questioning what's real and what isn't to such an extent that I am not even sure if I am real anymore. I am so excited to dive into The World Breaker Requiem just so I can learn more about this beautiful nightmare of a world that Tarzian has crafted.
plot_head's review
4.0
I have had my eye on The World Maker Parable for quite a while; I’ve been wanting to get to it ever since finishing the mind-meltingly amazing Vultures a few months ago (you can read my review of Vultures here.) Having read Tarzian’s freshman effort, I thought I had an idea of what to expect going into this one, a dark and twisted, mind-bending examination of the human psyche. And, to be fair, that’s mostly what I found. What surprised me, however, is how intimately I connected with the “parable” within.
“Failure,” his conscience prodded. “It rings in your ears. It buzzes like a thousand flies above a corpse. It is your legacy, Varésh Lúm-talé, and what a miserable thing it is. What a miserable thing she is.”
In The World Maker Parable, we follow two characters point of views, those of Rhona, a loyal sword for her country, and Varésh Lúm-talé, a god-like being with power over creation. The novella begins with Rhona on a death-march into Hang-Dead Forest to the tree from which she will hang her beloved for her role in freeing the Vulture Luminíl. At the same time, Varésh is also journeying into the heart of the Forest, seeking help from the aforementioned goddess. The story is told through a weaving back and forth narrative, with alternating POVs and intersecting timelines. Although it is set in the same world as Vultures, this is a distinct story and is set several hundred (thousand?) years before, but expect there to be some things that will catch your attention if you’ve already read the first book. There isn’t much more I can say about the plot without giving anything away though, so this is the most you’ll get from me.
The World Maker Parable, like its predecessor Vultures, is not an easy read on multiple fronts. It’s dark, the plot is quite difficult to follow for the majority of the novella, and, quite frankly, it’s damn depressing. For the most part, though, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Parable tackles some very heavy material and it does so in a very visceral way. At its core, it’s about guilt and the lies we tell ourselves in order to live with it, but also a look at what we can become if we never allow ourselves to confront the demons in our closet. Guilt is something that I struggle to overcome almost daily and can be a huge trigger for depressive episodes. My dad died nearly four years ago and I have so many regrets centered around our relationship and years leading up to his death. It’s easy to list the reasons why I was justified in distancing myself from him, but it doesn’t change the fact that I have to live knowing my father wondered whether I loved him or not when he died. Obviously, my situation is completely different from the one in the book, but it’s a good example of how guilt eats at us and the things we do to cover it up.
“They marched on through gnarled and twisted trees. Guilt nipped at Rhona’s heels like a hungry dog and her heart stung. It wasn’t supposed to have come to this.”
Despite the subject material, I will say that I had a lot of fun reading this book. I loved piecing together clues and trying to figure out exactly what was happening. Like I mentioned before, I spent quite a bit of time while reading Parable confused and trying to figure out what was going on, but when the revelations came, and oh boy did they come, they hit hard and fast. Victoria, fellow blog contributor and overall best wife in the world, read this with me and we had a very passionate discussion afterwards on what it all meant. I also made her track down my copy of Vultures so I could flip back through the pages to confirm some suspicions I had, after which I vowed to re-read it (something I don’t typically do.) I think this is Tarzian’s greatest strength, creating a story that compels you to witness it, even if it hurts you to do so.
Overall, I really liked The World Maker Parable. Tarzian has clearly grown as an author since publishing Vultures and I found The World Maker Parable to be a better book than its predecessor. While it addresses extremely heavy topics, such as guilt and, yes, madness, Tarzian’s explores it with a deft hand that proves that books don’t have to make us feel good in order to be great reads. I finished it feeling like my insides were scooped out and sanitized, in a concussion induced fugue state, and, honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way from a Luke Tarzian Joint.
“Hell is a place of our own making. If you continue down this path, you’ll not come out alive.”
“Failure,” his conscience prodded. “It rings in your ears. It buzzes like a thousand flies above a corpse. It is your legacy, Varésh Lúm-talé, and what a miserable thing it is. What a miserable thing she is.”
In The World Maker Parable, we follow two characters point of views, those of Rhona, a loyal sword for her country, and Varésh Lúm-talé, a god-like being with power over creation. The novella begins with Rhona on a death-march into Hang-Dead Forest to the tree from which she will hang her beloved for her role in freeing the Vulture Luminíl. At the same time, Varésh is also journeying into the heart of the Forest, seeking help from the aforementioned goddess. The story is told through a weaving back and forth narrative, with alternating POVs and intersecting timelines. Although it is set in the same world as Vultures, this is a distinct story and is set several hundred (thousand?) years before, but expect there to be some things that will catch your attention if you’ve already read the first book. There isn’t much more I can say about the plot without giving anything away though, so this is the most you’ll get from me.
The World Maker Parable, like its predecessor Vultures, is not an easy read on multiple fronts. It’s dark, the plot is quite difficult to follow for the majority of the novella, and, quite frankly, it’s damn depressing. For the most part, though, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Parable tackles some very heavy material and it does so in a very visceral way. At its core, it’s about guilt and the lies we tell ourselves in order to live with it, but also a look at what we can become if we never allow ourselves to confront the demons in our closet. Guilt is something that I struggle to overcome almost daily and can be a huge trigger for depressive episodes. My dad died nearly four years ago and I have so many regrets centered around our relationship and years leading up to his death. It’s easy to list the reasons why I was justified in distancing myself from him, but it doesn’t change the fact that I have to live knowing my father wondered whether I loved him or not when he died. Obviously, my situation is completely different from the one in the book, but it’s a good example of how guilt eats at us and the things we do to cover it up.
“They marched on through gnarled and twisted trees. Guilt nipped at Rhona’s heels like a hungry dog and her heart stung. It wasn’t supposed to have come to this.”
Despite the subject material, I will say that I had a lot of fun reading this book. I loved piecing together clues and trying to figure out exactly what was happening. Like I mentioned before, I spent quite a bit of time while reading Parable confused and trying to figure out what was going on, but when the revelations came, and oh boy did they come, they hit hard and fast. Victoria, fellow blog contributor and overall best wife in the world, read this with me and we had a very passionate discussion afterwards on what it all meant. I also made her track down my copy of Vultures so I could flip back through the pages to confirm some suspicions I had, after which I vowed to re-read it (something I don’t typically do.) I think this is Tarzian’s greatest strength, creating a story that compels you to witness it, even if it hurts you to do so.
Overall, I really liked The World Maker Parable. Tarzian has clearly grown as an author since publishing Vultures and I found The World Maker Parable to be a better book than its predecessor. While it addresses extremely heavy topics, such as guilt and, yes, madness, Tarzian’s explores it with a deft hand that proves that books don’t have to make us feel good in order to be great reads. I finished it feeling like my insides were scooped out and sanitized, in a concussion induced fugue state, and, honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way from a Luke Tarzian Joint.
“Hell is a place of our own making. If you continue down this path, you’ll not come out alive.”
deftly's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
2.0
rocabarraigh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
filipmagnus's review
4.0
Self-Published
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 140
Format: ebook
This is an interesting short novel, whose strengths include worldbuilding, an all-encompassing sense of mystery and intrigue, plenty of misdirection and a hell of a clincher.
But first, lend me your ear. It’s okay, come ‘ere, come a wee bit closer. I’ve a secret to tell you — the only reason I wanted to read this book was the design. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone. It’s really good design, though – and it extends past the gorgeous cover. The two PoV characters each receive page-wide character pieces, at once minimalistic and very stylized. Wonderful work, truly.
The World Maker Parable is a game of misdirection. How things are is never certain, always in flux, ever in doubt. The characters of Rhona and Varésh are as unreliable a pair of narrators as you’re likely to find on short notice, and both of them are haunted hounded by past mistakes. There’s enough there to make you connect with them early on, both Rhona and Varésh have something to
The language is a draw…most of the time. This is highly stylized prose, both in speech and in description, and it is well-written. Often, it strikes deep. Sometimes, however, it feels a tad clichéd, a little too familiar. And once or twice, you can even hold the author suspect of trying too hard:
"With utopia comes darkness. Every candle lit is another shadow cast. Perfection is a lie. Law requires chaos. It is a vicious circle; one I fear we have realized far too late."
“A little too thick on the universal truths there,” I thought as I read this particular paragraph. Despite that, I enjoyed this one. It was a quick, pleasant read that took me a little over an hour, and it was an hour filled with plenty of surprises, each of them more delightfully dark than the previous ones.
The World Maker Parable is a story of guilt and lost love, and the depths of depravity duty might lead you to. I think, if it were another thirty pages shorter, it would’ve been even stronger. It’s not that it isn’t – but the punch it packs by the closing pair of chapters could’ve been even stronger.
Some of the novel, I disliked. The accents to names and words — especially those I saw as unnecessary or as making little sense — really bothered me. That’s very When it comes down to it, I often find myself disliking the use of fictional words, and those found in the Parable weren’t used in a way that made me overcome this dislike. I also caught a number of typos, annoying little mistakes that they are, early on in the novel.
My score for The World Maker Parable is a 4 out 5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.
This review was part of the World Maker Parable blog tour! Thanks to Timy and Justine for organising this, and for offering me a copy of the book for the review.
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 140
Format: ebook
This is an interesting short novel, whose strengths include worldbuilding, an all-encompassing sense of mystery and intrigue, plenty of misdirection and a hell of a clincher.
But first, lend me your ear. It’s okay, come ‘ere, come a wee bit closer. I’ve a secret to tell you — the only reason I wanted to read this book was the design. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone. It’s really good design, though – and it extends past the gorgeous cover. The two PoV characters each receive page-wide character pieces, at once minimalistic and very stylized. Wonderful work, truly.
The World Maker Parable is a game of misdirection. How things are is never certain, always in flux, ever in doubt. The characters of Rhona and Varésh are as unreliable a pair of narrators as you’re likely to find on short notice, and both of them are haunted hounded by past mistakes. There’s enough there to make you connect with them early on, both Rhona and Varésh have something to
The language is a draw…most of the time. This is highly stylized prose, both in speech and in description, and it is well-written. Often, it strikes deep. Sometimes, however, it feels a tad clichéd, a little too familiar. And once or twice, you can even hold the author suspect of trying too hard:
"With utopia comes darkness. Every candle lit is another shadow cast. Perfection is a lie. Law requires chaos. It is a vicious circle; one I fear we have realized far too late."
“A little too thick on the universal truths there,” I thought as I read this particular paragraph. Despite that, I enjoyed this one. It was a quick, pleasant read that took me a little over an hour, and it was an hour filled with plenty of surprises, each of them more delightfully dark than the previous ones.
The World Maker Parable is a story of guilt and lost love, and the depths of depravity duty might lead you to. I think, if it were another thirty pages shorter, it would’ve been even stronger. It’s not that it isn’t – but the punch it packs by the closing pair of chapters could’ve been even stronger.
Some of the novel, I disliked. The accents to names and words — especially those I saw as unnecessary or as making little sense — really bothered me. That’s very When it comes down to it, I often find myself disliking the use of fictional words, and those found in the Parable weren’t used in a way that made me overcome this dislike. I also caught a number of typos, annoying little mistakes that they are, early on in the novel.
My score for The World Maker Parable is a 4 out 5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.
This review was part of the World Maker Parable blog tour! Thanks to Timy and Justine for organising this, and for offering me a copy of the book for the review.
zackargyle's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
5.0
This was a really cool book, and I’m pretty sure that if I took the time to read it a second time, it would be a 5 star review. The World Maker Parable felt like Donnie Darko meets Stormlight Archive. It was mind-bending and very visual.
The story throws you in immediately, and almost expects you to be confused throughout, which is tough. I can see less patient readers giving up out of confusion. That said, the end was worth it and the prose itself what great. Luke was very wise to make this the length he did. It was perfectly sized for the story.
The story throws you in immediately, and almost expects you to be confused throughout, which is tough. I can see less patient readers giving up out of confusion. That said, the end was worth it and the prose itself what great. Luke was very wise to make this the length he did. It was perfectly sized for the story.
versegm's review
3.0
The writing is a bit messy at times, like it can't decide if it wants to be really cryptic or if it wants to exposition everything quite awkwardly, which is a shame because the plot itself is AN ABSOLUTE banger. Hence the 3/5 rating. Overall it's good but it could have used some polishing, because that last plot twist... good in concept, eh in execution.