hostral's review
4.0
Talid Farrowheart is not a good person, and this book pulls no punches in explaining why this is the case.
S.M. White is definitely in the darker corner of modern dark fantasy, with a voice similar to that of Joe Abercrombie at his best.
There is no happy ending to be found here, as is foreshadowed in the work's title. Instead we have a cast of morally ambiguous, world-weary characters wallowing in their own decrepitude in a way that's delightfully explored by the author.
Ultimately the story warns you to be very careful about what you wish for, and in doing so serves as an excellent gateway novella into White's more acclaimed Paarus Histories.
Due to the short length it falls just short of being a 5 star work, but in spite of this it's well worth the money.
- J.R.
S.M. White is definitely in the darker corner of modern dark fantasy, with a voice similar to that of Joe Abercrombie at his best.
There is no happy ending to be found here, as is foreshadowed in the work's title. Instead we have a cast of morally ambiguous, world-weary characters wallowing in their own decrepitude in a way that's delightfully explored by the author.
Ultimately the story warns you to be very careful about what you wish for, and in doing so serves as an excellent gateway novella into White's more acclaimed Paarus Histories.
Due to the short length it falls just short of being a 5 star work, but in spite of this it's well worth the money.
- J.R.
shanhaddock's review
3.0
I’m sure there is someone out there this short story is perfect for. Unfortunately, I’m not her. I don’t like stories with no likable characters and unrelenting darkness. In my opinion, even in something that’s supposed to be dark, you need a few moments of light and at least on character the reader cares about to keep it believable and to keep the reader interested.
That said, this story was very well written. The descriptions were very vivid -- disturbingly so at times given what they were describing. The dialogue was usually very good, though it at times seemed to be trying too hard to sound like old-fashioned fantasy stories. I thought it was interesting that the real meat of the tale was told through flashbacks, that’s an unusual technique that the author pulled off quite well.
I was also bothered that But aside from that, the story was well-written, as I said, just not something I found particularly enjoyable.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
That said, this story was very well written. The descriptions were very vivid -- disturbingly so at times given what they were describing. The dialogue was usually very good, though it at times seemed to be trying too hard to sound like old-fashioned fantasy stories. I thought it was interesting that the real meat of the tale was told through flashbacks, that’s an unusual technique that the author pulled off quite well.
I was also bothered that
Spoiler
Talid was held to something he agreed to in a dream, as even by fantasy standards that seemed unrealistic.I received a free copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
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