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kerush's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
3.5
I found the plot interesting, but it kept getting interrupted by long dialogue about the history of a place or acting out a historical scene. Sometimes the dialogue would get too cryptic for me and the characters would act like something profound was just said; I just tried to roll with it. There was also a little too much focus on childbearing/children for my tastes.
I did like Tahn and his interactions with his friends. It was that and seeing how Braethen and Vendanj got along that kept me reading.
I did like Tahn and his interactions with his friends. It was that and seeing how Braethen and Vendanj got along that kept me reading.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Rape
emilyrandolph_epstein's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to like this book, I really tried my very best to like it, but ultimately I found it impossible. There were several elements that contributed to my ultimate dislike of this book: first and foremost (and most distracting) was the wording. Now, I'm all for the use of long words; I appreciate the use of intelligent and interesting vocabulary, however, in the case of this book, the words got in the way of what the author wanted to say. The main characters were from a rural region, had grown up among farms and fields and forests and yet they had a very refined and urbane way of speaking. Normally, that wouldn't bother me, but when you have to read a book with a thesaurus on hand it becomes distracting, irritating, inconvenient, and it takes away from the enjoyment of the book. I could have handled the stereotypical fantasy plot and characters if they had been written in an engaging and realistic manner, however, Orullian was so caught up in finding the right word that all meaning and connection to the story was completely lost. It's rare that I dislike a book enough to express that dislike and it the case of The Unremembered I have found myself becoming obsessive in that dislike. I think that obsession comes primarily from the fact that it was quite clearly fixable, that it could have been amazing and engaging, if only someone had thought to teach Orullian a lesson in conciseness.
sparklingreader's review against another edition
4.0
Recap: The gods, makers of words, seek to create balance…but one of the gods fashions a world filled with hellish creatures that disturb the balance. He is condemned to live for eternity with them, restrained by a magical veil kept strong by the power of song. After time, the song and veil weaken and evil walks the world. One young man, Tahn, is called to stand up and face the darkness and his own forgotten secrets.
This is an epic fantasy where the characters are given choices, but not easy ones, and not always ones that lead to good things. Sometimes “good” is nothing more than “less evil.” The characters are deep and well-developed with realistic issues. The gods, and the reason for the story, is laid out in a prologue. Then the story begins in the rural setting of a small village that is reminiscent of the homes of the Hobbits. Like many epic fantasies, the main character, Tahn, is unaware of the power he possesses and his importance in the coming trials. The story reminds me loosely of the Robert Jordan or Tolkien series where the group is together in the beginning, splits up to handle their various parts throughout the story, then (mostly) regroups at the end.
The writing is strong with good pacing. The world building is well-done, though I’m getting a little tired of writers trying to come up with different words for tobacco and other common things. The author gives us the expected themes in fantasy novels: good vs. evil, coming-of-age, self-discovery, acceptance, and more. If you’re expecting a light-weight story, this one isn’t it. Though some of it was predictable, the one problem I did have was with the ending. It didn’t work well for me and left me flat. It’s very obviously the first in a series. I did enjoy it enough to look forward to the second in the series, which will, I hope, tie up some of the loose ends left dangling.
If you like epic fantasy stories that follow the generalized themes of fantasy, definitely pick this one up. It’s a big book with a big future.
This is an epic fantasy where the characters are given choices, but not easy ones, and not always ones that lead to good things. Sometimes “good” is nothing more than “less evil.” The characters are deep and well-developed with realistic issues. The gods, and the reason for the story, is laid out in a prologue. Then the story begins in the rural setting of a small village that is reminiscent of the homes of the Hobbits. Like many epic fantasies, the main character, Tahn, is unaware of the power he possesses and his importance in the coming trials. The story reminds me loosely of the Robert Jordan or Tolkien series where the group is together in the beginning, splits up to handle their various parts throughout the story, then (mostly) regroups at the end.
The writing is strong with good pacing. The world building is well-done, though I’m getting a little tired of writers trying to come up with different words for tobacco and other common things. The author gives us the expected themes in fantasy novels: good vs. evil, coming-of-age, self-discovery, acceptance, and more. If you’re expecting a light-weight story, this one isn’t it. Though some of it was predictable, the one problem I did have was with the ending. It didn’t work well for me and left me flat. It’s very obviously the first in a series. I did enjoy it enough to look forward to the second in the series, which will, I hope, tie up some of the loose ends left dangling.
If you like epic fantasy stories that follow the generalized themes of fantasy, definitely pick this one up. It’s a big book with a big future.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. While I make every attempt to avoid spoilers, please be aware that an ARC synopsis, press release, or review request may disclose details that are not revealed in the published cover blurb.
With Trial of Intentions due to hit shelves in May, Peter Orullian has seized the opportunity to revisit and revise the opening volume of the Vault of Heaven with his Author's Definitive Edition of The Unremembered. I haven't read the original edition, so I can't compare the two, but I can confidently say I enjoyed this new edition on its own and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of its forthcoming sequel.
This is, as some critics have accused, a largely generic epic fantasy that hits on a lot the major tropes. There's the mysterious loner who arrives on the scene to mentor and lead the quest. There are the two simple farm boys, best friends, both of whom are coming of age, and one of whom is 'chosen' to be a form of savior. There's the fallen hero who risks everything, returning from his exile on penalty of death, to do the right thing. There's the seemingly benign organization - in this case the League of Civility - that has short-sightedly put the world as risk with their fear of magic. There are also, of course, the rival empires with divided loyalties who bicker and stall, standing in the way of defeating the evil with a united front.
Now, let's be honest - all fantasy is generic to some degree, and tropes are tropes for a reason. That doesn't necessarily make for a bad book, just a familiar one. What really matters, what ultimately makes an epic fantasy something special, is what the author brings of himself to the genre, and what he does with it that's new and unique. With The Unremembered, Peter Orullian does several things that made this stand out for me.
First and foremost is his writing style. This is a very well-written story, with realistic dialogue, fantastic visuals, and a well-paced narrative. With the exception of a few conversations that are crucial for the reader to understand the mythology of this new world, there is no info dumping or unnecessary exposition. I suspect that may be one crucial difference from the original, since Orullian has said that this edition is shorter and more focused, with fewer POV shifts, but that's hardly a bad thing - and it bodes very well for the next book.
Second is his use of music. Not surprisingly, Orullian is a multi-talented man who has professionally toured as a featured vocalist. Music is in his blood, and it's also in his ink. It has power in his world, a power over mortals, over magic, and over the creatures that lurk behind the magical Veil. In fact, there is a legendary Song of Suffering that is key to the entire story, a song that only a select few can survive the singing of, and which is necessary to keeping the Veil in place. It goes deeper than that, though, with common sounds having a musical quality to them in the way they're described, and even some conversations having a lyrical aspect.
Third, and this connects closely with my next point, is the strength of the characters. Yes, many of them are based on familiar fantasy tropes or archetypes, but they are all well-defined, with distinct personalities. There's no blurring of faces or forgetting of names here. Orullian establishes each character immediately, entrenching them in our imaginations from their first appearance. They're not all likable, but they're not all supposed to be. Instead, they're all realistic, with a good bit of depth, and some real growth throughout the story. Far more than just a coming of age tale, this is also a story about coming to terms with who they are and where they've come from.
Speaking of where they've come from - and this is something that struck me as exceptionally well done - Orullian weaves a compelling theme of parental protection. Birth parents, adopted parents, and an absence of parents are all significant to the tale. The story actually opens with a young woman being accosted by a created from beyond the Veil, even as she tries to give birth to a child who is the product of rape. Another character struggles to deal with the fact of his adoption, while another comes from a race where the women die young, leaving children to be raised by a series of adopted mothers. Perhaps most significantly, that fallen hero I mentioned was exiled because of his actions involving a royal birth, and his punishment is to take the children abandoned in the Waste and find homes for them. Finally, just to keep things dark, there's also the hunger for creatures from beyond the Veil to seize children and drag them back with them.
Finally, there's the world-building and the mythology, which are always at the heart of any really good epic fantasy tale. The Unremembered is a book that mixes the sprawling sort of epic fantasy that we expect from Robert Jordan & Tad Williams with the more intimate, sometimes claustrophobic grimdark fantasy that Peter V. Brett & Mark Lawrence have made famous. Mythologically, there's a lot going on here, and Orullian doesn't waste any time throwing us to the Bourne, just one of the monsters from beyond the Veil. Historically, there's a long and complicated history to the world, involving heroes, villains, sacrifices, betrayals, and strained alliances. Politically, it's just as complicated, with those rival empires, divided loyalties, and the taint of the League of Civility I mentioned earlier. It's a book that demands some patience in terms of explanations, but I was well satisfied by the end that I understood what was going on and why.
Ultimately, The Unremembered is not a book that's going to greatly challenge you or thrust you far outside your comfort zone. It's not a ground-breaking work or one that's destined to shatter genre expectations. Enter into it with an appreciation for familiar fantasy tropes, however, and you will find yourself well-rewarded with a darker, more mature sort of epic fantasy that has a lot of flair and a lot of depth to be enjoyed.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
With Trial of Intentions due to hit shelves in May, Peter Orullian has seized the opportunity to revisit and revise the opening volume of the Vault of Heaven with his Author's Definitive Edition of The Unremembered. I haven't read the original edition, so I can't compare the two, but I can confidently say I enjoyed this new edition on its own and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of its forthcoming sequel.
This is, as some critics have accused, a largely generic epic fantasy that hits on a lot the major tropes. There's the mysterious loner who arrives on the scene to mentor and lead the quest. There are the two simple farm boys, best friends, both of whom are coming of age, and one of whom is 'chosen' to be a form of savior. There's the fallen hero who risks everything, returning from his exile on penalty of death, to do the right thing. There's the seemingly benign organization - in this case the League of Civility - that has short-sightedly put the world as risk with their fear of magic. There are also, of course, the rival empires with divided loyalties who bicker and stall, standing in the way of defeating the evil with a united front.
Now, let's be honest - all fantasy is generic to some degree, and tropes are tropes for a reason. That doesn't necessarily make for a bad book, just a familiar one. What really matters, what ultimately makes an epic fantasy something special, is what the author brings of himself to the genre, and what he does with it that's new and unique. With The Unremembered, Peter Orullian does several things that made this stand out for me.
First and foremost is his writing style. This is a very well-written story, with realistic dialogue, fantastic visuals, and a well-paced narrative. With the exception of a few conversations that are crucial for the reader to understand the mythology of this new world, there is no info dumping or unnecessary exposition. I suspect that may be one crucial difference from the original, since Orullian has said that this edition is shorter and more focused, with fewer POV shifts, but that's hardly a bad thing - and it bodes very well for the next book.
Second is his use of music. Not surprisingly, Orullian is a multi-talented man who has professionally toured as a featured vocalist. Music is in his blood, and it's also in his ink. It has power in his world, a power over mortals, over magic, and over the creatures that lurk behind the magical Veil. In fact, there is a legendary Song of Suffering that is key to the entire story, a song that only a select few can survive the singing of, and which is necessary to keeping the Veil in place. It goes deeper than that, though, with common sounds having a musical quality to them in the way they're described, and even some conversations having a lyrical aspect.
Third, and this connects closely with my next point, is the strength of the characters. Yes, many of them are based on familiar fantasy tropes or archetypes, but they are all well-defined, with distinct personalities. There's no blurring of faces or forgetting of names here. Orullian establishes each character immediately, entrenching them in our imaginations from their first appearance. They're not all likable, but they're not all supposed to be. Instead, they're all realistic, with a good bit of depth, and some real growth throughout the story. Far more than just a coming of age tale, this is also a story about coming to terms with who they are and where they've come from.
Speaking of where they've come from - and this is something that struck me as exceptionally well done - Orullian weaves a compelling theme of parental protection. Birth parents, adopted parents, and an absence of parents are all significant to the tale. The story actually opens with a young woman being accosted by a created from beyond the Veil, even as she tries to give birth to a child who is the product of rape. Another character struggles to deal with the fact of his adoption, while another comes from a race where the women die young, leaving children to be raised by a series of adopted mothers. Perhaps most significantly, that fallen hero I mentioned was exiled because of his actions involving a royal birth, and his punishment is to take the children abandoned in the Waste and find homes for them. Finally, just to keep things dark, there's also the hunger for creatures from beyond the Veil to seize children and drag them back with them.
Finally, there's the world-building and the mythology, which are always at the heart of any really good epic fantasy tale. The Unremembered is a book that mixes the sprawling sort of epic fantasy that we expect from Robert Jordan & Tad Williams with the more intimate, sometimes claustrophobic grimdark fantasy that Peter V. Brett & Mark Lawrence have made famous. Mythologically, there's a lot going on here, and Orullian doesn't waste any time throwing us to the Bourne, just one of the monsters from beyond the Veil. Historically, there's a long and complicated history to the world, involving heroes, villains, sacrifices, betrayals, and strained alliances. Politically, it's just as complicated, with those rival empires, divided loyalties, and the taint of the League of Civility I mentioned earlier. It's a book that demands some patience in terms of explanations, but I was well satisfied by the end that I understood what was going on and why.
Ultimately, The Unremembered is not a book that's going to greatly challenge you or thrust you far outside your comfort zone. It's not a ground-breaking work or one that's destined to shatter genre expectations. Enter into it with an appreciation for familiar fantasy tropes, however, and you will find yourself well-rewarded with a darker, more mature sort of epic fantasy that has a lot of flair and a lot of depth to be enjoyed.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
ljstrain28's review against another edition
2.0
I thought this book was well written and the characters were really good. It just didn't really grab me. So, don't let my rating dissuade you, check it out anyway.
lyrrael's review against another edition
2.0
I'm honestly not much of a fan of quest fiction. You know -- Robert Jordan, J.R.R. Tolkien, Goodkind to some degree -- the kind where a guy gets an Epic Quest, leaves his small village, travels across the country experiencing trials and travails and usually getting chased in the process. It's a standard story structure. And that's what this is. Standard.
I honestly loved the writing, and it held me a lot longer than most quest fiction normally does -- I doubt I made it halfway through Eye of the World, and the only reasons I made it all the way through Lord of the Rings as a teenager were that I was running out of fantasy in the school library and the three books managed to finish every single one of my reading requirements for the year at once. It was a little darker and held a little bit more of the character-driven fantasy that I enjoy than most quest fiction does.
But it was kind of generic. I mean, it's been done before. All of it. The kids in the weird area that nobody lives in picked up and taken with no explanation across the country, being chased by creatures only out of legend.... I mean, you could hit plot point by plot point Jordan or Tolkien.
When I got halfway done with the book, I shut the covers, closed my eyes, and thought about it. Where were we going? What was going to happen next in the book? Is there any foreshadowing that would give me a clue or mysteries that I needed answered? And all I could see was the abyss yawning open in front of me.
It's an interesting book, but I just didn't give a shit. I've put it down and left it down with only the regret of a book unfinished, not with unanswered questions or a burning need to know what's next. And I think that's a little sad.
I honestly loved the writing, and it held me a lot longer than most quest fiction normally does -- I doubt I made it halfway through Eye of the World, and the only reasons I made it all the way through Lord of the Rings as a teenager were that I was running out of fantasy in the school library and the three books managed to finish every single one of my reading requirements for the year at once. It was a little darker and held a little bit more of the character-driven fantasy that I enjoy than most quest fiction does.
But it was kind of generic. I mean, it's been done before. All of it. The kids in the weird area that nobody lives in picked up and taken with no explanation across the country, being chased by creatures only out of legend.... I mean, you could hit plot point by plot point Jordan or Tolkien.
When I got halfway done with the book, I shut the covers, closed my eyes, and thought about it. Where were we going? What was going to happen next in the book? Is there any foreshadowing that would give me a clue or mysteries that I needed answered? And all I could see was the abyss yawning open in front of me.
It's an interesting book, but I just didn't give a shit. I've put it down and left it down with only the regret of a book unfinished, not with unanswered questions or a burning need to know what's next. And I think that's a little sad.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
2.0
This was a book I read for the Endeavour awards. There was some interesting and good world-building attempted here. But this book just plain suffered from too much too soon. I never cared about any of the characters, not when they were together, not when they were separated, not when they re-found each other. There was too much stupid-name syndrome and this started from the very first page. And yet there were glimpses of the author's storytelling capabilities - just a couple pages - but these would have made nice short stories. And I guess that's what I would want to fix this overly long book - make it 2500 pages and multiple books rather than almost 700. Slow it down. Learn to actually like the characters and their place. Note - this book is clearly first in a series. Nice cover though.