thechristined's review against another edition
4.0
Could have done without the final chapter/epilogue, that brought rating down to something between 3 and 4 stars.
the_dragon_starback's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This series is extraordinary. It is a challenging read sometimes, with quite a bit of ambiguity in the plot and complexity in the writing, but it’s profundity never fails to amaze me.
It seems to draw more heavily from children’s fantasy in the 60s to 80s than anything in the last 20 years. I think there’s an obvious influence in Tolkien—the roffles seem pretty hobbit-like to me—and there’s a couple of magic aspects that remind me of Diana Wynne Jones. To me, the biggest similarity is with the Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin, especially with the tones of the stories and between the characters of Flaxfield and Ged (also the wizard names and common names—exactly the same in both series).
Anyway, suffice to say, I love this series but woudn’t necessarily recommend it to everyone.
2018 Review: Unlike any series or book I have ever read.
It seems to draw more heavily from children’s fantasy in the 60s to 80s than anything in the last 20 years. I think there’s an obvious influence in Tolkien—the roffles seem pretty hobbit-like to me—and there’s a couple of magic aspects that remind me of Diana Wynne Jones. To me, the biggest similarity is with the Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin, especially with the tones of the stories and between the characters of Flaxfield and Ged (also the wizard names and common names—exactly the same in both series).
Anyway, suffice to say, I love this series but woudn’t necessarily recommend it to everyone.
2018 Review: Unlike any series or book I have ever read.
liveotherwise's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the writing of this series, sparse and eloquent, put me in mind of Wizard of Earthsea in some way. But I found this particular book not quite satisfying, perhaps it was the ending which just felt like trying to tie up loose ends for the sake of it and not completely fitting with the rest of the set.
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