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djorgenson112358's review
3.0
Rough. Frustrating. Fascinating. Dark.
It has a really rough start. None of the characters are really well drawn to start. They each have a hook but they seem stereotypes. The pampered prince who embarks on the standard hero journey. The ice queen. The conniving merchant spy. And it takes a long, long while for them to become more.
I wasn't sure around the halfway point that I cared enough to continue. It just didn't seem to have anything going for it.
The setting is both good and bad. It's nice to see a fantasy that doesn't have a medieval Europe setting. This one is basically southeast Asia. But it's so obviously southeast Asia that the author didn't bother to do anything more than literally rename the countries. The Celestial Empire is so obviously China. The Niho knights are samurai. Khev is Russia down to the Cossacks. And when he mentioned the far west country of Frankland fighting the Kelti... I mean come on dude. Try. Don't just take the exact geography and so thinly reskin things. If he'd just said it was an alternate version of Earth I would've been cool with it. As it was I found it distracting and took me out of the story a lot. That said, the author appears to really know his setting. It was well described. So some good, some bad.
Fighting and battles were at times comically violent. Bodies thrown through the air by an arrow shot. Bodies decapitated by a single musket shot. So much gore and blood gushing everywhere.
Eventually the plot starts to move and it's a roaring, flailing, blood-soaked second half of the book. Parts of it were good and showed some promise. The characters got fleshed out a bit by the end. So there was movement on that side and leaves some room for more cunning machinations. Part of me is curious what happens next but most of me thinks that reading some spoilery reviews of any follow-up books will be good enough.
It has a really rough start. None of the characters are really well drawn to start. They each have a hook but they seem stereotypes. The pampered prince who embarks on the standard hero journey. The ice queen. The conniving merchant spy. And it takes a long, long while for them to become more.
I wasn't sure around the halfway point that I cared enough to continue. It just didn't seem to have anything going for it.
The setting is both good and bad. It's nice to see a fantasy that doesn't have a medieval Europe setting. This one is basically southeast Asia. But it's so obviously southeast Asia that the author didn't bother to do anything more than literally rename the countries. The Celestial Empire is so obviously China. The Niho knights are samurai. Khev is Russia down to the Cossacks. And when he mentioned the far west country of Frankland fighting the Kelti... I mean come on dude. Try. Don't just take the exact geography and so thinly reskin things. If he'd just said it was an alternate version of Earth I would've been cool with it. As it was I found it distracting and took me out of the story a lot. That said, the author appears to really know his setting. It was well described. So some good, some bad.
Fighting and battles were at times comically violent. Bodies thrown through the air by an arrow shot. Bodies decapitated by a single musket shot. So much gore and blood gushing everywhere.
Eventually the plot starts to move and it's a roaring, flailing, blood-soaked second half of the book. Parts of it were good and showed some promise. The characters got fleshed out a bit by the end. So there was movement on that side and leaves some room for more cunning machinations. Part of me is curious what happens next but most of me thinks that reading some spoilery reviews of any follow-up books will be good enough.
jesslynh's review
4.0
I was shocked at how good this was. Not sure why, but man it was. And darker that I expected. Okay, after thinking about it, it was probably the synopsis. It makes this out to seem like a run of the mill fantasy--its not.
The audio was just as well done. I highly recommend either version.
The audio was just as well done. I highly recommend either version.
mxsallybend's review
4.0
I'll be honest, when Gates of Stone arrived in my mailbox, I wasn't sure whether I would give it a read. The promise of " rip-roaring action" I liked, and a "believable Asian-inspired setting" intrigued me, but "tense political drama" and the reference to grimdark pioneer Joe Abercrombie gave me pause. I've grown tired of the whole amoral, violent, dystopian turn of fantasy, finding it to be more something I want to escape from rather than escape into.
It didn't help when the booked opened with a young woman murdering her husband in cold blood (although I did take a liking to Katerina right away), before switching to a young prince playing the coward card and hiding as his family is murdered around him (Jun was far more of a struggle to like). It also didn't help that there was such a focus on drug abuse, with the smoking of obat factoring into nearly every scene.
And yet, despite all that, I preserved - mostly because I knew that Angus Macallan was a pseudonym for Angus Donald, and I hoped that his skill with historical fantasy would show here.
Where the book started to win me over was at the close of the first part, as Jun watches Ketut, the skinny fisher girl, reveal herself as the vessel of a god (which is the first time the book really fulfills its magical promise), and Farhan picks up a musket in defense of Captain Lodi and his ship (which is where we get our first taste of large-scale, significant action). It is the opening of the second part, however, with Katerina paying an obat-addicted beggar to castrate himself (a fantastically chilling chapter), in order to demonstrate her intention to gather an army nation of obat-addicted slaves, where the book really began to come together for me. With that one cut, I went from doubter to believer, from reluctant reader to hungry for more.
It took me the better part of a month to get through the first 160 pages of Gates of Stone, but less than a week to burn through the remaining 380. The world building is fantastic, and even if the mythology was teased out slower than I would have liked, it impressed me time and time again. The storytelling itself was strong, very much coming across as a historical fantasy with elements of epic (think a darker, slightly less poetic version of Guy Gavriel Kay) and I am excited to say it never went where I expected it to go.
More than all of that, the way the character arcs developed was astounding. There is real growth and development here, as plagued by doubts and frustrations as they may be, constantly adding layers to character motivations and personalities. Katerina may very well be the most exciting character to grace epic fantasy in ages, and if the promise of the climax is carried through into the next book, I just may find myself an addict of a different sort, completely under her power.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2018/02/07/book-review-gates-of-stone-by-angus-macallan/
It didn't help when the booked opened with a young woman murdering her husband in cold blood (although I did take a liking to Katerina right away), before switching to a young prince playing the coward card and hiding as his family is murdered around him (Jun was far more of a struggle to like). It also didn't help that there was such a focus on drug abuse, with the smoking of obat factoring into nearly every scene.
And yet, despite all that, I preserved - mostly because I knew that Angus Macallan was a pseudonym for Angus Donald, and I hoped that his skill with historical fantasy would show here.
Where the book started to win me over was at the close of the first part, as Jun watches Ketut, the skinny fisher girl, reveal herself as the vessel of a god (which is the first time the book really fulfills its magical promise), and Farhan picks up a musket in defense of Captain Lodi and his ship (which is where we get our first taste of large-scale, significant action). It is the opening of the second part, however, with Katerina paying an obat-addicted beggar to castrate himself (a fantastically chilling chapter), in order to demonstrate her intention to gather an army nation of obat-addicted slaves, where the book really began to come together for me. With that one cut, I went from doubter to believer, from reluctant reader to hungry for more.
It took me the better part of a month to get through the first 160 pages of Gates of Stone, but less than a week to burn through the remaining 380. The world building is fantastic, and even if the mythology was teased out slower than I would have liked, it impressed me time and time again. The storytelling itself was strong, very much coming across as a historical fantasy with elements of epic (think a darker, slightly less poetic version of Guy Gavriel Kay) and I am excited to say it never went where I expected it to go.
More than all of that, the way the character arcs developed was astounding. There is real growth and development here, as plagued by doubts and frustrations as they may be, constantly adding layers to character motivations and personalities. Katerina may very well be the most exciting character to grace epic fantasy in ages, and if the promise of the climax is carried through into the next book, I just may find myself an addict of a different sort, completely under her power.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2018/02/07/book-review-gates-of-stone-by-angus-macallan/
talon1010's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, and Classism
birte's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
kyleevoyce's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.0
stacey_the_chapter_conundrum's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While I found a lot to like in Gates of Stone, it didn't leave a lasting impression on me and I suspect it will be a polarizing book due to the writing style and some of the writing choices. This is the type of book where you're only given information on a need to know basis or sometimes even after the fact to colour the earlier events in the book so you truly feel thrown in and along for the ride for a large portion of the book.
Personally, I much prefer when an author gives you more context and information upfront because without that I don't feel nearly as invested into the characters or the story itself. I feel much more tension, suspense and stakes with that type of storytelling so this book didn't work quite as well for me as I'd originally hoped.
The characters show interesting progression throughout the course of the novel but I found myself emotionally distanced from them for a long time because it takes a long time to feel like you're getting to know them. You aren't really let in on their thought processes, reactions or motivations for things until later in the book and seemingly only when they're in very dire or bleak situations. I also think I would have connected to them more had I gotten more snippets of their backstories.
The plot and action were very intriguing for me and well crafted. I also found the pacing to be decent (albeit not perfect; a little slow in the middle) but again I found myself not quite drawn into the story due to the writing style.
I'm glad that I got to experience this story but I don't have a strong desire to pick up any more of this author's work since I just don't connect with his writing.
Personally, I much prefer when an author gives you more context and information upfront because without that I don't feel nearly as invested into the characters or the story itself. I feel much more tension, suspense and stakes with that type of storytelling so this book didn't work quite as well for me as I'd originally hoped.
The characters show interesting progression throughout the course of the novel but I found myself emotionally distanced from them for a long time because it takes a long time to feel like you're getting to know them. You aren't really let in on their thought processes, reactions or motivations for things until later in the book and seemingly only when they're in very dire or bleak situations. I also think I would have connected to them more had I gotten more snippets of their backstories.
The plot and action were very intriguing for me and well crafted. I also found the pacing to be decent (albeit not perfect; a little slow in the middle) but again I found myself not quite drawn into the story due to the writing style.
I'm glad that I got to experience this story but I don't have a strong desire to pick up any more of this author's work since I just don't connect with his writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Xenophobia, Vomit, and Trafficking
sllingky's review
5.0
I'm very disappointed that the publisher decided not to allow the author to continue with this series. It's one of the most original books I've ever come across. A very complex plot with layered threads that are spun separately, all coming together nicely at the end in a surprising yet inevitable conclusion. The book is satisfactory in its own right, but it sets up an intriguing coming series which I would love to continue with. I do hope the publisher reconsiders because I need to know how this story will progress!
wanderwithjon's review
3.0
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An e-arc of the book has been provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House International, in exchange for an honest review.
It would be dishonest to say that I was not impressed by a huge chunk of this book. I did not expect it to have such a wide range of diverse culture and characters. Moreover, I was not expecting these characters to have such a variety of motivational drivers that will make the book more exciting.
Gates of Stone is an Indonesian-inspired epic fantasy with cultural inspirations from Chinese, Japanese, and if I am not mistaken, Russian culture as well. I find this combination of ethnic determinants to be quite exciting and fascinating as you do not always get to read books with Asian cultures in them very so often — although, to be fair, they are wonderfully prevalent these days.
The very foundation of the book, I believe, is the culture behind each of the characters and their strong beliefs and motivation to achieve their goals. In reality, the book follows three main characters; however, in my opinion, it sort of follows four. And although the fourth character may be considered as a “side-character” to the story, I think he was a detrimental cog that made the story’s wheels turn. Despite not being the very reason for the entire cast’s motive, he had enough screen-time to be considered part of the main cast.
Each of them had different agents of interest when it comes to goals and despite that, I was not able to find someone to connect with, I can’t begin to describe how unfortunate that is considering that there are quite a number of characters in this story. Even, to think, that there are three main characters and not having one connect with me is plain shocking. Although, there was a certain character that did try and reach out to me which was Cyrus Lodi he was another side-character to the story and I really liked him especially just before the story ended.
I was genuinely interested with the book especially having Asian setting; however, I was underwhelmed by it. There was a lack of descriptors when it comes to the world and characters. Maybe it’s just me but I reached the end without even having a strong imagery of what the world and the characters looked like. I don’t think I have even come across a passage where the author even mentioned a main character’s mole — or whatever specific feature it was.
In its very heart, this book was intriguing. There was a lot going on and it’s definitely difficult not to root for any of these characters. Despite that, I think the lack of good descriptions made it lackluster and it took away what little connection I would have had with its characters. I wasn’t able to connect well with them, hence, I wasn’t able to enjoy the story to its full potential.
See this and other reviews in my blog.
An e-arc of the book has been provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House International, in exchange for an honest review.
“Katerina stared at the skeletal body of the Holy Martyr.”
It would be dishonest to say that I was not impressed by a huge chunk of this book. I did not expect it to have such a wide range of diverse culture and characters. Moreover, I was not expecting these characters to have such a variety of motivational drivers that will make the book more exciting.
Gates of Stone is an Indonesian-inspired epic fantasy with cultural inspirations from Chinese, Japanese, and if I am not mistaken, Russian culture as well. I find this combination of ethnic determinants to be quite exciting and fascinating as you do not always get to read books with Asian cultures in them very so often — although, to be fair, they are wonderfully prevalent these days.
“It is one of the few benefits of a long life that one accretes wisdom. You pile it up over the years.”
The very foundation of the book, I believe, is the culture behind each of the characters and their strong beliefs and motivation to achieve their goals. In reality, the book follows three main characters; however, in my opinion, it sort of follows four. And although the fourth character may be considered as a “side-character” to the story, I think he was a detrimental cog that made the story’s wheels turn. Despite not being the very reason for the entire cast’s motive, he had enough screen-time to be considered part of the main cast.
Each of them had different agents of interest when it comes to goals and despite that, I was not able to find someone to connect with, I can’t begin to describe how unfortunate that is considering that there are quite a number of characters in this story. Even, to think, that there are three main characters and not having one connect with me is plain shocking. Although, there was a certain character that did try and reach out to me which was Cyrus Lodi he was another side-character to the story and I really liked him especially just before the story ended.
“The touch of their flanks, the feeling of their mutual heat, te pulse of life, that passed between them like a current, was better than a hundred voices singing together in beautiful harmonies.”
I was genuinely interested with the book especially having Asian setting; however, I was underwhelmed by it. There was a lack of descriptors when it comes to the world and characters. Maybe it’s just me but I reached the end without even having a strong imagery of what the world and the characters looked like. I don’t think I have even come across a passage where the author even mentioned a main character’s mole — or whatever specific feature it was.
In its very heart, this book was intriguing. There was a lot going on and it’s definitely difficult not to root for any of these characters. Despite that, I think the lack of good descriptions made it lackluster and it took away what little connection I would have had with its characters. I wasn’t able to connect well with them, hence, I wasn’t able to enjoy the story to its full potential.
See this and other reviews in my blog.
kylemarie's review
3.0
Really interesting worldbuilding, although I had an ARC that did not contain a map. This made it difficult to follow along since the politics were a bit complicated. Slow moving at the start, but it picks up around the halfway point when the plot starts coming together. Well written, but random time jumps disorienting as they skip big events.