yungokssss's review against another edition
5.0
One thing - I really really REALLY don't like Clement-Davies' writing. You might even come to say that I despise it with a fiery passion. But it seems like no matter what I do, I keep being drawn to his books. First [b:The Sight|58085|The Sight (Sight, #1)|David Clement-Davies|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309203784s/58085.jpg|56563], which I really despised. Then [b:The Telling Pool|1731752|The Telling Pool|David Clement-Davies|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347751164s/1731752.jpg|1729233], which was so boring that I seriously felt myself losing brain cells. WHY did I keep reading his books if i absolutely positively hated did not like them??? Well, I was browsing books, and I wandered over to the C's. I saw "Fire Bringer". Do not pick it up!, I told myself, No, no, NO!
As you probably already guessed, I did pick it up (the cover is really pretty, btw... A certain shade of blue mixed with- Ok, I'm shutting up now). And I'm thanking my lucky stars that I did. Nowadays, all the books are about "dark" girls that are all, "Oh no! I can't choose between him and him! Ahhh this is torture!!!!" and lame love stories that make you wish you had a trashcan nearby. This was a fresh breath for me. I don't really like "old-recent" books, (this was published in 1999), and I am usually browsing the new releases to find a half decent book or some such. Point is, this isn't my typical book. So if I enjoyed it, I'm betting two thirds of you guys also will.
This is about a deer. (Surprise, surprise. I'm sure you haven't guessed that from the cover.) And I'm not going to list all about this book because if you really want to know you'll read the synopsis.
So, one big thing I really liked is that it wasn't lame. At least not for me. I have a big problem with talking animals. Animals. Do. Not. Talk! So if you are writing on a point of view about animals, make it believable and not lame. Please. Spare humanity and the trees that will die to publish your terrible book. Like his previous book, [b:The Sight|58085|The Sight (Sight, #1)|David Clement-Davies|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309203784s/58085.jpg|56563]. It was about talking wolves. But it was lame and boring and all kinds of other things that make up a book with a title called: Do Not Read Me I Suck B- moooooving on...
Thankfully, this book was believable most of the time. And while I'm sure deer don't contemplate in the way Clement-Davies wrote about, it was still slightly believable.
Only bad thing- the book tends to focus on something boring, like the description of a herd gathering to attack, for a long period of time. It starts getting all icky and UGH. Nobody likes run-on descriptions. Especially Chuck Norris.
I thought this book was agreeable and a lot of fun. It transported you into a way different world, but since you knew so much about that world from his descriptions, it was actually fun.
The end (actually the very last sentence) made me sniffle... But that's life.
As you probably already guessed, I did pick it up (the cover is really pretty, btw... A certain shade of blue mixed with- Ok, I'm shutting up now). And I'm thanking my lucky stars that I did. Nowadays, all the books are about "dark" girls that are all, "Oh no! I can't choose between him and him! Ahhh this is torture!!!!" and lame love stories that make you wish you had a trashcan nearby. This was a fresh breath for me. I don't really like "old-recent" books, (this was published in 1999), and I am usually browsing the new releases to find a half decent book or some such. Point is, this isn't my typical book. So if I enjoyed it, I'm betting two thirds of you guys also will.
This is about a deer. (Surprise, surprise. I'm sure you haven't guessed that from the cover.) And I'm not going to list all about this book because if you really want to know you'll read the synopsis.
So, one big thing I really liked is that it wasn't lame. At least not for me. I have a big problem with talking animals. Animals. Do. Not. Talk! So if you are writing on a point of view about animals, make it believable and not lame. Please. Spare humanity and the trees that will die to publish your terrible book. Like his previous book, [b:The Sight|58085|The Sight (Sight, #1)|David Clement-Davies|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309203784s/58085.jpg|56563]. It was about talking wolves. But it was lame and boring and all kinds of other things that make up a book with a title called: Do Not Read Me I Suck B- moooooving on...
Thankfully, this book was believable most of the time. And while I'm sure deer don't contemplate in the way Clement-Davies wrote about, it was still slightly believable.
Only bad thing- the book tends to focus on something boring, like the description of a herd gathering to attack, for a long period of time. It starts getting all icky and UGH. Nobody likes run-on descriptions. Especially Chuck Norris.
I thought this book was agreeable and a lot of fun. It transported you into a way different world, but since you knew so much about that world from his descriptions, it was actually fun.
The end (actually the very last sentence) made me sniffle... But that's life.
kp_12's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent. Once this book got going, it was impossible to put down. I found myself reading it at every spare moment.
kkporcupine's review against another edition
5.0
One of my all time favorite books! I cried so hard at the ending.
hisdarkmaterials's review against another edition
5.0
Over a decade since I first read this and I loved it just as much this time as I first did. Surprised how much of the story had stayed with me. Shocked this is often referred to as a children's book given the amount of gory deaths that are in it. Davies is not afraid to kill, my poor little heart broke multiple times over the course of this book. An absolute must read.
xhaiiro's review against another edition
3.0
3.5: Better than The Sight, and still steeped in nostalgia. Maybe I've just grown weary of the Jesus-trope in my old age.
secty's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I read this book first as a teenager, some 15 years ago, and loved it. Now as an adult I still found myself getting lost in the world, the story, the characters. It was a pleasure to be filled with nostalgia and I think I might be returning to some other books I read when I was younger.
The story follows Rannoch, a child of prophecy, and his flight from the evil Sgorr with a small selection of friends. It details his journey and adventures across Scotland and how he comes to fulfil the prophecy and rid the land of tyranny and evil and restore peace and Herne’s Law back to the deer.
It’s a typical adventure story, driven by plot and involves some good character development. I think if I were to have rated this story as a child when I first read it, it would have been given 5 stars. But I’m not a child and, whilst I loved reading it again, it was not as perfect at I remember it. The dialogue, for one, felt much more stilted. The descriptions were lovely, but it is clearly written for a younger target audience. All the same, I would recommend this book.
The story follows Rannoch, a child of prophecy, and his flight from the evil Sgorr with a small selection of friends. It details his journey and adventures across Scotland and how he comes to fulfil the prophecy and rid the land of tyranny and evil and restore peace and Herne’s Law back to the deer.
It’s a typical adventure story, driven by plot and involves some good character development. I think if I were to have rated this story as a child when I first read it, it would have been given 5 stars. But I’m not a child and, whilst I loved reading it again, it was not as perfect at I remember it. The dialogue, for one, felt much more stilted. The descriptions were lovely, but it is clearly written for a younger target audience. All the same, I would recommend this book.
resoundingjoy's review against another edition
4.0
I remember picking up this book and really liking it; so many of the animal-based books being published at the time were Pony-Pal-esque fluffy books, and this novel really combined the epic fantasy with the anthropological animal world, with heirs, family feuds, turf wars, drama and betrayal a la "Watership Down".
rlgpikachu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0