pagesofash's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hollowbound's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Though full of vibrant details and turns-of-phrase, the actual narrative is sometimes bogged down enough that it's hard to follow what's going on. Also, I found the ending...disappointing.
amykatiereads42's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
robotreads's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
saoki's review against another edition
3.0
Two books in one: a literary novel about race and class, and, on the second half, an adventurous fantasy with a serious 60's feeling (remember when science fantasy was a thing? I liked that.).
I know this is a secondary world fantasy novel, but one with a very contemporary approach to social relations and speech. For that, I can't help but think this is one of those times not being USian counts against me, because I kept feeling like the author was playing with perceptions in a way that's too subtle for a reader that doesn't deals with the same realities.
There's some serious lit-fic style theme hammering going around, a lot of time spent immersing the reader in the lives of characters that aren't really important to the plot, some exploration of incredible vistas and much thinking about the past and future. Which immediatly reminds me of Gene Wolfe's New Sun novels, that I happen to adore. So, why does the sprawling epic about nothing much is one of my favorite reads ever, and Sorcerer of the Wildeeps left me cold for 5 of its 7 chapters? My guess is that, weird as it might sound, the story was too short. I'd have no problem at all with it if there were more scenes to it, more time for me to puzzle the characters or maybe even care about the secondary ones (I was warming up to the bros after they left the Station. But that was too close to the final stretch.). And I'd really love some more exploration of the incredible setting.
On a final note: Kai Ashante Wilson writes incredibly well. Of course I'll read whatever he comes up with next.
I know this is a secondary world fantasy novel, but one with a very contemporary approach to social relations and speech. For that, I can't help but think this is one of those times not being USian counts against me, because I kept feeling like the author was playing with perceptions in a way that's too subtle for a reader that doesn't deals with the same realities.
There's some serious lit-fic style theme hammering going around, a lot of time spent immersing the reader in the lives of characters that aren't really important to the plot, some exploration of incredible vistas and much thinking about the past and future. Which immediatly reminds me of Gene Wolfe's New Sun novels, that I happen to adore. So, why does the sprawling epic about nothing much is one of my favorite reads ever, and Sorcerer of the Wildeeps left me cold for 5 of its 7 chapters? My guess is that, weird as it might sound, the story was too short. I'd have no problem at all with it if there were more scenes to it, more time for me to puzzle the characters or maybe even care about the secondary ones (I was warming up to the bros after they left the Station. But that was too close to the final stretch.). And I'd really love some more exploration of the incredible setting.
On a final note: Kai Ashante Wilson writes incredibly well. Of course I'll read whatever he comes up with next.
maxtrommelen's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
deedubb's review against another edition
I think it’s a bit too dry for me. I just don’t think I was in the right headspace for it. The only thing that kept me going was I was curious what kind of info we would get on the captain.
tinusreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
I really desperately wanted to like this one. But i just couldn't fully attach myself to the story and the specific way that it's written. The setup is intriguing and the characters have flavor. But i just could not dance to the same rhythm as the book. And that's okay.
Regardless of my personal connection to the story, Sorcerer of the Wildeeps is an interesting one. It tells the story of demigod Demane and his beloved captain. Both being descendants of the gods who abandoned the earth for heaven. And they need to use their powers to keep their group alive on their travels with their caravan.
It's rough on the edges and doesn't shy away from the gore. But the thing that striked me the most was the almost poetic way it was written. Kai Ashante Wilson has a way with words and builds a world of fantasy that is quite impressive. The final look back on what happened between captain and Demane, though hinted at, still took my be suprise.
It was still a fascinating read. It was probably just the wrong time and place for me to read this. All the elements are there, but i just could not fully immerse myself into this world. This one went a bit over my head.
Regardless of my personal connection to the story, Sorcerer of the Wildeeps is an interesting one. It tells the story of demigod Demane and his beloved captain. Both being descendants of the gods who abandoned the earth for heaven. And they need to use their powers to keep their group alive on their travels with their caravan.
It's rough on the edges and doesn't shy away from the gore. But the thing that striked me the most was the almost poetic way it was written. Kai Ashante Wilson has a way with words and builds a world of fantasy that is quite impressive. The final look back on what happened between captain and Demane, though hinted at, still took my be suprise.
It was still a fascinating read. It was probably just the wrong time and place for me to read this. All the elements are there, but i just could not fully immerse myself into this world. This one went a bit over my head.
p0laris's review against another edition
3.0
I am very convinced that the majority of my frustration with this book stems from the audio reading. The book uses footnotes, flashbacks, and even (I found out what they were after reading when I looked it up) dream sequences. While these would be apparent visually in a book, the narrator chose to read all of these right after the main content, making it seem like it was just the next paragraph. This was so confusing to listen to because it was like the story skipped parts, or suddenly things changed, until a little bit later when the text made it clear (sometimes) what was going on. I'm still unsure of what happened at a few parts.
This is definitely NOT a book you want to listen to. Read it instead.
Anyway, the lore and the world in this one were fascinating. I enjoyed the characters, especially the MC. And that ending? Ugh, I love it when my heart is ripped out of my chest, but I wasn't expecting it. 😭
This is definitely NOT a book you want to listen to. Read it instead.
Anyway, the lore and the world in this one were fascinating. I enjoyed the characters, especially the MC. And that ending? Ugh, I love it when my heart is ripped out of my chest, but I wasn't expecting it. 😭