hostral's review
3.0
King's Reaping follows on from the events of Warrior's Ascension, so if you haven't read that then you're in the wrong place. The prequel is an essential part of the story, as it sets up the events of the book I'm about to review.
The book's blurb leads with Rexhall the usurper and his conquest of the lands beyond. The reality of the tale is that the barbarian's parts are limited, with much of the narrative chopped up into a variety of viewpoints.
This was the first warning flag while reading the book, because King's Reaping itself isn't that large a book for its price. So while the characters with their multiple archs were being built up, you were nervously checking to see how much of the story was left to tell.
Raelyn is the protagonist of this tale, a young girl swept from her family by prophecy in the most dyed-in-the-wool fashion possible. A dead father, a family doomed, a wise mentor, a faithful companion in her brother. King's Reaping has it all in spades when it comes to classic fantasy narrative.
Prince Arryn is the other principal lead, a royal son of the now-deposed king who wasn't around for the calamity that unfolded. His story is relatively short compared to that of Raelyn's, but no less important to the narrative that Varrone weaves together.
Oddly enough it wasn't either of these characters that I enjoyed the most, but rather the exploits of an individual who will remain unnamed as he attempts to wrestle control from the barbarian conqueror against all odds.
Kudos must also be given to the portrayal of the deposed King Siathas, who cuts a forlorn figure throughout most of the book and whose autobiographical entries add a level of gravitas to the text.
Varrone's writing style is emotive and reflective, with a great deal of emphasis on the character's thoughts and feelings. There's a great deal of exposition through flashback compared to his contemporaries, which feels a bit of an overt aside at times. His voice ranges between utilitarian in parts, mesmeric in others, which leads to the reader almost feeling like certain viewpoints of the book were written by someone else entirely. Then again, this might also lend credence to Varrone's capability to write a different tone for each character.
King's Reaping isn't a bad book by any means, but as I kept reading it I felt like I had purchased a third of a great fantasy novel. The stories progress at a fair lick but within the confines of the story length they still aren't given enough time to develop.
Fortunately for readers, Varrone intends to address this with the release of an omnibus later this year, gathering together all three released books and a fourth final effort. Hopefully this will be priced sensibly and allow the readers to experience the epic tome this work only threatens to be.
The cover art is of a professional quality, and the folks at Final Draft editing can be proud of their efforts as there were few if any typos to be found in the finished work. As a result I would recommend this if you're looking for an interesting if not mind-blowing fantasy.
I look forward to seeing the pricing on the omnibus edition, as that may well be the superior purchase upon release. Varrone is a quality writer, and hopefully you'll give him a chance.
The book's blurb leads with Rexhall the usurper and his conquest of the lands beyond. The reality of the tale is that the barbarian's parts are limited, with much of the narrative chopped up into a variety of viewpoints.
This was the first warning flag while reading the book, because King's Reaping itself isn't that large a book for its price. So while the characters with their multiple archs were being built up, you were nervously checking to see how much of the story was left to tell.
Raelyn is the protagonist of this tale, a young girl swept from her family by prophecy in the most dyed-in-the-wool fashion possible. A dead father, a family doomed, a wise mentor, a faithful companion in her brother. King's Reaping has it all in spades when it comes to classic fantasy narrative.
Prince Arryn is the other principal lead, a royal son of the now-deposed king who wasn't around for the calamity that unfolded. His story is relatively short compared to that of Raelyn's, but no less important to the narrative that Varrone weaves together.
Oddly enough it wasn't either of these characters that I enjoyed the most, but rather the exploits of an individual who will remain unnamed as he attempts to wrestle control from the barbarian conqueror against all odds.
Kudos must also be given to the portrayal of the deposed King Siathas, who cuts a forlorn figure throughout most of the book and whose autobiographical entries add a level of gravitas to the text.
Varrone's writing style is emotive and reflective, with a great deal of emphasis on the character's thoughts and feelings. There's a great deal of exposition through flashback compared to his contemporaries, which feels a bit of an overt aside at times. His voice ranges between utilitarian in parts, mesmeric in others, which leads to the reader almost feeling like certain viewpoints of the book were written by someone else entirely. Then again, this might also lend credence to Varrone's capability to write a different tone for each character.
King's Reaping isn't a bad book by any means, but as I kept reading it I felt like I had purchased a third of a great fantasy novel. The stories progress at a fair lick but within the confines of the story length they still aren't given enough time to develop.
Fortunately for readers, Varrone intends to address this with the release of an omnibus later this year, gathering together all three released books and a fourth final effort. Hopefully this will be priced sensibly and allow the readers to experience the epic tome this work only threatens to be.
The cover art is of a professional quality, and the folks at Final Draft editing can be proud of their efforts as there were few if any typos to be found in the finished work. As a result I would recommend this if you're looking for an interesting if not mind-blowing fantasy.
I look forward to seeing the pricing on the omnibus edition, as that may well be the superior purchase upon release. Varrone is a quality writer, and hopefully you'll give him a chance.
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