snailmaiil's review against another edition
This book seems like it is going to be good, then is really a drag to get through after the first quarter. I was interested in the character Ecko, but it kept switching to characters I didn't care about at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
xellinus's review against another edition
Terrible. I wanted to like it as it teases interesting world-building but the development was awkward. The extraneous amount of characters were unnecessary and so by the third "not a rape scene because she totally wanted him" bullshit I gave up.
xan_van_rooyen's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me a good while to read - not due to any fault of the book but rather because I was incredibly busy at the time and there were multiple interruptions to my reading. I think my enjoyment of the story suffered because of this and I sometimes struggled to get back into the story and figure out who was who in a rather large cast of characters, some with similar enough names that I was a little confused after taking a break. For example, Roderick and Redlock, Ress and Rhan, Triq and Tarvi - possibly my own fault but this also hindered my enjoyment because it always took me several pages to figure out what was going on again. Given the huge cast and multiple POVs I also struggled to get close to any of the characters and wasn't sure who to care about when POV characters that were important one chapter could just as easily die the next.
I went into this novel expecting a lot more cyberpunk so when the novel essentially turned into a sword and sorcery style story I was left feeling a little whiplashed. Now the blurb makes it clear this is going to be sci-fi vs fantasy so I expected some fantasy but we all but leave the dystopian sci-fi world behind for the vast majority of the book where we're instead introduced to centaurs, various other monsters, alchemists, and magic. Cool unto itself but not what I was expecting.
This genre-mashup is clever and highly imaginative with prose - particularly in Ecko's POV - that is unique, vivid and captivating. I enjoyed the writing far more than I enjoyed the actual story. The plot was fine but I wanted more character development and less battle scenes. The last 25% of the book feels like one fight scene after another featuring some characters I didn't know nearly enough about to care about whether or not they lived through the battle. That said, fans of action orientated fantasy who enjoy sword fighting, a fair bit of gore, and well-described fight scenes will probably enjoy this a lot more than I did.
The epilogue was intriguing to say the least and has me wondering exactly how the many loose ends will tie up in the sequel, which I think I have to read now given that twist in the epilogue.
A smart and well-written genre mash-up that will appeal to fans of new weird fiction. I give this 3.5 stars.
I went into this novel expecting a lot more cyberpunk so when the novel essentially turned into a sword and sorcery style story I was left feeling a little whiplashed. Now the blurb makes it clear this is going to be sci-fi vs fantasy so I expected some fantasy but we all but leave the dystopian sci-fi world behind for the vast majority of the book where we're instead introduced to centaurs, various other monsters, alchemists, and magic. Cool unto itself but not what I was expecting.
This genre-mashup is clever and highly imaginative with prose - particularly in Ecko's POV - that is unique, vivid and captivating. I enjoyed the writing far more than I enjoyed the actual story. The plot was fine but I wanted more character development and less battle scenes. The last 25% of the book feels like one fight scene after another featuring some characters I didn't know nearly enough about to care about whether or not they lived through the battle. That said, fans of action orientated fantasy who enjoy sword fighting, a fair bit of gore, and well-described fight scenes will probably enjoy this a lot more than I did.
The epilogue was intriguing to say the least and has me wondering exactly how the many loose ends will tie up in the sequel, which I think I have to read now given that twist in the epilogue.
A smart and well-written genre mash-up that will appeal to fans of new weird fiction. I give this 3.5 stars.
soless's review against another edition
3.0
I almost gave up on this book, but I'm glad I didn't. The ending definitely has me on board for no. 2.
I have a few issues with the book, but I don't know if they're due to the writing or the audio book narration, and the more I think about it the more I think it's the latter. The audio book narrator makes everything sound like THE MOST DRAMATIC THING EVER and the lack of variety gets old. Real quick. Also, the screaming, rasping, chaotic voice he uses for Ecko is really grating.
All that said, Ware does some great things with the written narrative that makes you question the reality of the fantasy world Ecko finds himself in. They're subtle too -- like giving you tons of POV characters (maybe too many?) from the fantasy world -- that give you the sense the other characters are living, breathing things, not a bunch of NPCs set in place solely for the main character's benefit.
I have a few issues with the book, but I don't know if they're due to the writing or the audio book narration, and the more I think about it the more I think it's the latter. The audio book narrator makes everything sound like THE MOST DRAMATIC THING EVER and the lack of variety gets old. Real quick. Also, the screaming, rasping, chaotic voice he uses for Ecko is really grating.
All that said, Ware does some great things with the written narrative that makes you question the reality of the fantasy world Ecko finds himself in. They're subtle too -- like giving you tons of POV characters (maybe too many?) from the fantasy world -- that give you the sense the other characters are living, breathing things, not a bunch of NPCs set in place solely for the main character's benefit.
novelbloglover's review against another edition
3.0
Book Review
Title: Ecko Rising
Author: Danie Ware
Genre: fantasy/sci-fi/thriller
Rating: ***
Review: Ecko Rising is a science fiction/fantasy epic and the debut novel of Danie Ware. It tells the story of Ecko, a cybernetically enhanced rebel/assassin who is recruited into a resistance group in a dystopian future where the population are controlled via mind-altering drugs. During a reconnaissance mission, Ecko takes a fatal plunge and ends up landing in a fantasy realm. But is this brave new world real or all just in Ecko’s head?
He was small, slight, as strong as coiled steel wire. His skin and cloak were dappled in a shadowy, shifting blue-grey. As he put back his cowl with one thin hand, Fuller gasper, Lugan swore softly. Neither man was a stranger to cybernetic enhancement – but they had never seen anything like this.
This couldn’t be human.
With his ‘savage, sharp-cheeked and gleeful’ face, ‘black-lipped, black-toothed grin’ and eyes ‘blacker than pits’, Ecko isn’t your everyday hero. Even calling him an anti-hero is a bit of a stretch, as he doesn’t seem to particularly care much about anyone but himself. Ecko Rising opens in a futuristic London with Ecko being recruited by Cell operatives Fuller and Lugan – or perhaps it’s the other way round…
Ecko is a loose cannon but Lugan protects him anyway – as he tells the Boss, “E’s also a fucking gem.” Ecko has a lead on Doc Grey – the creator of the drugs controlling the population – and Pilgrim itself. The Boss gives Lugan an ultimatum: Ecko will succeed in his mission or she will place him within a Virtual Rorschach, a physiological diagnosis program taking place in a fantasy world entirely within his own head.
There was no cover up here; nowhere to go. Turbo-charged or not, he wasn’t a fucking action-movie hero able to dodge short-range rifle suppression with no cover.
He did the only thing he could do. He went over the edge.
And fell down, down into the screaming and the dark.
Ecko Rising mixes science fiction à la early years Michael Marshall with the comedic fantasy of Terry Pratchett and the sprawling authenticity of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Ecko takes a nasty fall in future London and wakes up upon a bed in The Wanderer, purveyor of fine ales and currently in the city of Roviarath. The Wanderer, a man who introduces himself as the Bard explains, is a teleporting pub that travels with a mind of its own. Ecko becomes infuriated – how can he escape this Virtual Rorschach? Should he play along – or simply burn everything to the ground with his inbuilt flamethrower?
The story works so well because, although Ecko is the main character, he is literally dumped into the middle of a fantasy land that is on the brink of an extremely dark time and doesn’t even know it. Ecko doesn’t so much drive the story as wreak havoc throughout it. The numerous supporting characters are all well-written and great fun to spend time with too. Furthermore, any good fantasy needs a memorable villain and the Elementalist Maugrim – who doesn’t seem to belong here any more than Ecko does, with his South London accent and oil-stained denim jeans – is a scary, truly evil man intent on tearing down the world and starting anew.
For a moment, Ecko’s thoughts were poised on the edge of explosion, torn between impossible, opposing poles. He wanted, needed to be a hero, a fighter, a champion. He needed the purpose, the validation. But at the same time, he likewise needed to be free, to achieve his success his own way, to escape with his mind intact.
For a debut novel, Ecko Rising is staggeringly impressive in both its richness and detail. The only real issue is that the text can sometimes become overwhelming, as it often references previously unknown terminology – such as terhnwood and the Varchinde – although the flow does improve as the book continues and the reader becomes more familiar with the ways of the world and the language used. Ecko is a foul-mouthed, ugly, violent creature that becomes more and more likeable as the story progresses, a cybernetically enhanced fish out of water with a major chip on his shoulder.
Beneath the sex, violence and relentless action lies a surprisingly sophisticated fantasy adventure that culminates in a shocking conclusion, turning everything Ecko thought he knew – and therefore everything the reader thought they knew – completely on its head. A sequel is scheduled for publication in 2013 and if the ending of Ecko Rising is anything to go by, it’s going to be even bigger and better. A hugely enjoyable genre mash-up that promises great things to come from first-time author Danie Ware.
Title: Ecko Rising
Author: Danie Ware
Genre: fantasy/sci-fi/thriller
Rating: ***
Review: Ecko Rising is a science fiction/fantasy epic and the debut novel of Danie Ware. It tells the story of Ecko, a cybernetically enhanced rebel/assassin who is recruited into a resistance group in a dystopian future where the population are controlled via mind-altering drugs. During a reconnaissance mission, Ecko takes a fatal plunge and ends up landing in a fantasy realm. But is this brave new world real or all just in Ecko’s head?
He was small, slight, as strong as coiled steel wire. His skin and cloak were dappled in a shadowy, shifting blue-grey. As he put back his cowl with one thin hand, Fuller gasper, Lugan swore softly. Neither man was a stranger to cybernetic enhancement – but they had never seen anything like this.
This couldn’t be human.
With his ‘savage, sharp-cheeked and gleeful’ face, ‘black-lipped, black-toothed grin’ and eyes ‘blacker than pits’, Ecko isn’t your everyday hero. Even calling him an anti-hero is a bit of a stretch, as he doesn’t seem to particularly care much about anyone but himself. Ecko Rising opens in a futuristic London with Ecko being recruited by Cell operatives Fuller and Lugan – or perhaps it’s the other way round…
Ecko is a loose cannon but Lugan protects him anyway – as he tells the Boss, “E’s also a fucking gem.” Ecko has a lead on Doc Grey – the creator of the drugs controlling the population – and Pilgrim itself. The Boss gives Lugan an ultimatum: Ecko will succeed in his mission or she will place him within a Virtual Rorschach, a physiological diagnosis program taking place in a fantasy world entirely within his own head.
There was no cover up here; nowhere to go. Turbo-charged or not, he wasn’t a fucking action-movie hero able to dodge short-range rifle suppression with no cover.
He did the only thing he could do. He went over the edge.
And fell down, down into the screaming and the dark.
Ecko Rising mixes science fiction à la early years Michael Marshall with the comedic fantasy of Terry Pratchett and the sprawling authenticity of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Ecko takes a nasty fall in future London and wakes up upon a bed in The Wanderer, purveyor of fine ales and currently in the city of Roviarath. The Wanderer, a man who introduces himself as the Bard explains, is a teleporting pub that travels with a mind of its own. Ecko becomes infuriated – how can he escape this Virtual Rorschach? Should he play along – or simply burn everything to the ground with his inbuilt flamethrower?
The story works so well because, although Ecko is the main character, he is literally dumped into the middle of a fantasy land that is on the brink of an extremely dark time and doesn’t even know it. Ecko doesn’t so much drive the story as wreak havoc throughout it. The numerous supporting characters are all well-written and great fun to spend time with too. Furthermore, any good fantasy needs a memorable villain and the Elementalist Maugrim – who doesn’t seem to belong here any more than Ecko does, with his South London accent and oil-stained denim jeans – is a scary, truly evil man intent on tearing down the world and starting anew.
For a moment, Ecko’s thoughts were poised on the edge of explosion, torn between impossible, opposing poles. He wanted, needed to be a hero, a fighter, a champion. He needed the purpose, the validation. But at the same time, he likewise needed to be free, to achieve his success his own way, to escape with his mind intact.
For a debut novel, Ecko Rising is staggeringly impressive in both its richness and detail. The only real issue is that the text can sometimes become overwhelming, as it often references previously unknown terminology – such as terhnwood and the Varchinde – although the flow does improve as the book continues and the reader becomes more familiar with the ways of the world and the language used. Ecko is a foul-mouthed, ugly, violent creature that becomes more and more likeable as the story progresses, a cybernetically enhanced fish out of water with a major chip on his shoulder.
Beneath the sex, violence and relentless action lies a surprisingly sophisticated fantasy adventure that culminates in a shocking conclusion, turning everything Ecko thought he knew – and therefore everything the reader thought they knew – completely on its head. A sequel is scheduled for publication in 2013 and if the ending of Ecko Rising is anything to go by, it’s going to be even bigger and better. A hugely enjoyable genre mash-up that promises great things to come from first-time author Danie Ware.
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
3.0
Ecko is an assassin, that has had very possible upgrade, done to his body, from, enhanced skin, telescopic eyes, and razor sharp senses. He is not the biggest job of hi life when it suddenly goes wrong and he has to exit from a very hostile situation very quickly. He drops of the side of the building and into another world.
He comes to in a tavern called Wanderer, and in this world with two moons there is no technology at all. Just magical creatures and an evil force that is threatening the whole world's existence. With his enhancements, Ecko realises that he holds some of the powers to win against this evil.
This is such a difficult book to quantify, being part dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi and mostly a fantasy book. It is hinted at that the world that he has fallen into maybe a augmented reality, but it seems so real to him that he isn't sure. Not a bad read in the end, but could have easily bee 100 pages shorter and the writing could have been tighter.
He comes to in a tavern called Wanderer, and in this world with two moons there is no technology at all. Just magical creatures and an evil force that is threatening the whole world's existence. With his enhancements, Ecko realises that he holds some of the powers to win against this evil.
This is such a difficult book to quantify, being part dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi and mostly a fantasy book. It is hinted at that the world that he has fallen into maybe a augmented reality, but it seems so real to him that he isn't sure. Not a bad read in the end, but could have easily bee 100 pages shorter and the writing could have been tighter.
siclarke's review
3.0
Another case of 'I really enjoyed that — until the ending'. I mean, what was that? It came from nowhere, had nothing to do with the story and answered no questions. There were a lot of plot points left unanswered — pretty much all of them, actually.
As a writer, she shows promise. But I hope her next book is more cohesive.
As a writer, she shows promise. But I hope her next book is more cohesive.
tomlloyd's review
4.0
A bit of a strange read for me, mostly because my reading time is time stolen from sleep and I was just knackered. So it took me ages and I didn't do myself any favours as I read it, but once I finally got to the end I properly appreciated it. It's a curious blend of SF and F, once that didn't completely work for me, and I never felt you properly got to know the elusive Ecko but as a fantasy book - where most of it takes place - it worked, was interesting and internally consistent and kept my interest - so everything on top of that to differentiate it from regular fantasy novels is a bonus.
Having given myself a few days to think about it, I'm still happy with the book, which isn't always the case, but the lingering memories are good ones. It's an impressive, highly accomplished blend of SF and fantasy that doesn't read like a debut - and even though I felt I didn't completely 'get' some bits, it didn't feel like that was the fault of the book and I'll be keen to see where the series goes from here.
Having given myself a few days to think about it, I'm still happy with the book, which isn't always the case, but the lingering memories are good ones. It's an impressive, highly accomplished blend of SF and fantasy that doesn't read like a debut - and even though I felt I didn't completely 'get' some bits, it didn't feel like that was the fault of the book and I'll be keen to see where the series goes from here.
halfmanhalfbook's review
3.0
Ecko is an assassin, that has had very possible upgrade, done to his body, from, enhanced skin, telescopic eyes, and razor sharp senses. He is not the biggest job of hi life when it suddenly goes wrong and he has to exit from a very hostile situation very quickly. He drops of the side of the building and into another world.
He comes to in a tavern called Wanderer, and in this world with two moons there is no technology at all. Just magical creatures and an evil force that is threatening the whole world's existence. With his enhancements, Ecko realises that he holds some of the powers to win against this evil.
This is such a difficult book to quantify, being part dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi and mostly a fantasy book. It is hinted at that the world that he has fallen into maybe a augmented reality, but it seems so real to him that he isn't sure. Not a bad read in the end, but could have easily bee 100 pages shorter and the writing could have been tighter.
He comes to in a tavern called Wanderer, and in this world with two moons there is no technology at all. Just magical creatures and an evil force that is threatening the whole world's existence. With his enhancements, Ecko realises that he holds some of the powers to win against this evil.
This is such a difficult book to quantify, being part dystopian cyberpunk sci-fi and mostly a fantasy book. It is hinted at that the world that he has fallen into maybe a augmented reality, but it seems so real to him that he isn't sure. Not a bad read in the end, but could have easily bee 100 pages shorter and the writing could have been tighter.
philippurserhallard's review
3.0
I read this when I wasn't in the mood for it, and my rating may reflect that. I'd been feeling I'd read a lot of secondary-world fantasy recently, to the extent that it was giving me mild genre fatigue, and what I really fancied for a change of pace was a dystopian cyberpunk thriller.
I'd failed to realise that the couple of dystopian cyberpunk thriller chapters which open the story are a prelude to thrusting one of the characters into the fantasy-based secondary world where the rest of the story plays out, and that I'd almost immediately be back in the company of elemental magicians, dark lords, emissaries of light, warrior bands, thieves, bards, centaurs and names that start in "Rh" and end in "ath".
So yeah, don't do that. If you're in the mood for a mildly transgressive and genre-bending high fantasy, though, this is probably a pretty good choice.
I'd failed to realise that the couple of dystopian cyberpunk thriller chapters which open the story are a prelude to thrusting one of the characters into the fantasy-based secondary world where the rest of the story plays out, and that I'd almost immediately be back in the company of elemental magicians, dark lords, emissaries of light, warrior bands, thieves, bards, centaurs and names that start in "Rh" and end in "ath".
So yeah, don't do that. If you're in the mood for a mildly transgressive and genre-bending high fantasy, though, this is probably a pretty good choice.
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