marcus_grymme's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
esop's review
4.0
A truly strange and enjoyable book.
I'm slightly torn on this one, but overall I did really enjoy my time reading it. Some of the major developments of the story I felt were glossed over a bit and I would've appreciated learning a little more about the world's history and also Rayne's character development, to better understand why he makes some of the choices he does.
That being said, I found the book superbly written. The narrative voice from Rayne Gray's POV was perfectly done and really transports the reader into his headspace through the use of specific vocabulary, turns of phrase, and humor. Every page was a joy to read. The storyline itself didn't fully grip me (though I don't have any real complaints about it either), but the writing style was enough to keep me hooked and wanting to return to the book.
The story clips along at a nice pace, hopping around to varied locales. It's an engaging, fun pace that never gets dragged down in any boring or dour scenes. Through and through this novel is always fun and a bit odd (in a good way).
The story ends in a surprising place, and as I briefly mentioned I would've liked a bit more development as to why we end up here, but perhaps that will be explored in future books in the series, since there's clearly much more story awaiting Rayne.
I'm slightly torn on this one, but overall I did really enjoy my time reading it. Some of the major developments of the story I felt were glossed over a bit and I would've appreciated learning a little more about the world's history and also Rayne's character development, to better understand why he makes some of the choices he does.
That being said, I found the book superbly written. The narrative voice from Rayne Gray's POV was perfectly done and really transports the reader into his headspace through the use of specific vocabulary, turns of phrase, and humor. Every page was a joy to read. The storyline itself didn't fully grip me (though I don't have any real complaints about it either), but the writing style was enough to keep me hooked and wanting to return to the book.
The story clips along at a nice pace, hopping around to varied locales. It's an engaging, fun pace that never gets dragged down in any boring or dour scenes. Through and through this novel is always fun and a bit odd (in a good way).
The story ends in a surprising place, and as I briefly mentioned I would've liked a bit more development as to why we end up here, but perhaps that will be explored in future books in the series, since there's clearly much more story awaiting Rayne.
kaosregolari's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
allyens's review
It was just a little boring to me.
The style is very convoluted and I didn't get invested in any aspect.
The style is very convoluted and I didn't get invested in any aspect.
ashcomb's review
3.0
This is no mere fantasy. This is a mystery, a lyrical poem stretched into a story, this is the thought you never knew you needed, this is alternative history. Yet, to state straight away that there were hiccups before I got the hang of the rhythm of the philosophical bear. In the beginning, I was so lost sliding from one fast action (fighting) scene to another, from one wordy sentence (you could spend days to mull over) thought to another, not knowing where I was and who I was following. I struggled the get a grip of the reality behind poetic words, needing a place to breathe and make sense of what I was reading, but when this happened, I began to see the light behind our hero? madman? Rayne Gray and the odd characters he meets and hope for a longer dialogue. (Especially the dog who seems to be one I would like to have a conversation with.)
The world and concept of the Quest of the Five Clans is fascinating. The idea of an alternate history of 19th-century industrialization in a world with vampires, clans, and other mysteries is on the rise. And the book taps into that greatly. The series holds great potential, but the first book only scratches the surface of what is about to come and what the books are all about.
Thank you for reading, and have a philosophical day!
The world and concept of the Quest of the Five Clans is fascinating. The idea of an alternate history of 19th-century industrialization in a world with vampires, clans, and other mysteries is on the rise. And the book taps into that greatly. The series holds great potential, but the first book only scratches the surface of what is about to come and what the books are all about.
Thank you for reading, and have a philosophical day!
barb4ry1's review
4.0
I'm not new to Raymond St. Elmo's elitist and contrived works. The guy has a nerve, writing all these literary stories instead of serving good, bloody and gritty fun to masses. At least in The Blood Tartan people die and blood is spilt. Heck, our hero beats someone with a leg. Maybe not everything is lost, and Raymond will write gritty space opera soon?
Rayne Gray is a madman. When he's not killing, he's cheerful, charitable, and philosophical about his life of violence. He soon finds himself in a lot of troubles - three steps from madness, two steps from arrest, one step from death. To make matters worse, he'll have to deal not only with power-hungry maniacs who want to expand their industrial empire but also with vampires. You'll see him fighting for his life, fleeing hunters, edging past madmen, brooding on poetry and whiskey and vengeance.
It's surprisingly dark book that doesn't always feel this way because the voice of the narrator is humorous. Rayne is a great guy, and his observations are, at times, hilarious:
The Blood Tartan can be treated as an excellent introduction to St. Elmo's books, especially for fantasy fans as it has a clear and well-pronounced plotline and intrigue. It doesn't shy away from philosophical ramblings and questions.
The first few lines of this review were supposed to be a joke, but, in a way, there's some truth to them. There's plenty of witty references in the book (William Blake poetry, Occam's razor) that won't be accessible to everyone. But once you get them (or think that you get them), they're fun.
It seems The Blood Tartan is the first book in the longer series that will focus on five clans that can stop the industrial revolution. I'm interested in following Rayne Grey's adventures and internalisations.
And I encourage you to join the party.
Rayne Gray is a madman. When he's not killing, he's cheerful, charitable, and philosophical about his life of violence. He soon finds himself in a lot of troubles - three steps from madness, two steps from arrest, one step from death. To make matters worse, he'll have to deal not only with power-hungry maniacs who want to expand their industrial empire but also with vampires. You'll see him fighting for his life, fleeing hunters, edging past madmen, brooding on poetry and whiskey and vengeance.
It's surprisingly dark book that doesn't always feel this way because the voice of the narrator is humorous. Rayne is a great guy, and his observations are, at times, hilarious:
There is no more powerful reply to doubts of self-existence than to have booted idiots tread your toes. Ouch, ergo sum.
The Blood Tartan can be treated as an excellent introduction to St. Elmo's books, especially for fantasy fans as it has a clear and well-pronounced plotline and intrigue. It doesn't shy away from philosophical ramblings and questions.
The first few lines of this review were supposed to be a joke, but, in a way, there's some truth to them. There's plenty of witty references in the book (William Blake poetry, Occam's razor) that won't be accessible to everyone. But once you get them (or think that you get them), they're fun.
It seems The Blood Tartan is the first book in the longer series that will focus on five clans that can stop the industrial revolution. I'm interested in following Rayne Grey's adventures and internalisations.
And I encourage you to join the party.
ade625's review
4.0
Summary: The Blood Tartan by Raymond St. Elmo is a hard to pin down, late 18th century, urbanish fantasy with a literary style. It’s wry and witty, starring a philosophical revolutionary assassin who discovers ancient eccentric mystical scottish clans who hide from the world at large.
-Recommended for those who like fantasy with a more literary style
-Not recommended for someone wanting a straightforward plot
-Recommended if you like a highly competent protagonist
-Not recommended if you prefer fantasy elements to be front and centre from the get-go
The Blood Tartan is written in a very distinctive style, which very nearly put me off from the first page. St. Elmo fills the pages of the novel with metaphor, philosophical musings and 18th century references, and thus our window into the first person POV protagonist Rayne is likewise filled. This is a matter of personal taste, of course – I tend not to read much on the literary side of things. However, I’m glad I stuck with it, because there’s plenty of substance to go with the style.
Rayne himself is a learned assassin, preferring not to kill if possible, and works against his old ‘friend’ Black to further the cause of the common people as the industrial revolution looms. He’s also an extremely talented swordsman, and spends a lot of time waxing philosophical in his inner monologue. He’s a man with a past and a damn interesting person to be inside the head of (although bundled up with that is some mildly unpleasant sexism).
The plot has two major tracks – Rayne’s quest to kill Black before he is killed himself, and his increasingly more frequent mysterious interactions with several strange factions. All while his life is coming down around him. The former plot zips along with lots of action and exciting twists, and would feel at home in any fantasy novel. The second is more sedate, starting more as a distraction for Rayne, until slowly, some of the mysteries are revealed.
The clans themselves are fascinating, secret Scottish families with mythical qualities, with ancient feuds and even more ancient ways. The characters introduced from the clans are strange and mercurial, doing and saying things that don’t always make much sense at first. We don’t see much behind the veil until towards the end of the book.
The conclusion itself was surprising, and plenty seems held back for later instalments. Despite that, I was mostly satisfied with where things left off.
The Blood Tartan is a surprisingly neat package – mixing thrilling sequences, philosophy and a literary style in a pleasing way. I would recommend this book to any fantasy fan who likes or prefers a literary feel.
Rating: 8/10
Further thoughts :
-I will definitely keep reading this series in the future – looking at the blurb for book 2, it seems to be going in a direction I’m excited about
-These books are also self-published, which you absolutely cannot tell from the editing, and also means they are cheaper than most other books as e-books
For reviews and more, visit my blog
-Recommended for those who like fantasy with a more literary style
-Not recommended for someone wanting a straightforward plot
-Recommended if you like a highly competent protagonist
-Not recommended if you prefer fantasy elements to be front and centre from the get-go
The Blood Tartan is written in a very distinctive style, which very nearly put me off from the first page. St. Elmo fills the pages of the novel with metaphor, philosophical musings and 18th century references, and thus our window into the first person POV protagonist Rayne is likewise filled. This is a matter of personal taste, of course – I tend not to read much on the literary side of things. However, I’m glad I stuck with it, because there’s plenty of substance to go with the style.
Rayne himself is a learned assassin, preferring not to kill if possible, and works against his old ‘friend’ Black to further the cause of the common people as the industrial revolution looms. He’s also an extremely talented swordsman, and spends a lot of time waxing philosophical in his inner monologue. He’s a man with a past and a damn interesting person to be inside the head of (although bundled up with that is some mildly unpleasant sexism).
The plot has two major tracks – Rayne’s quest to kill Black before he is killed himself, and his increasingly more frequent mysterious interactions with several strange factions. All while his life is coming down around him. The former plot zips along with lots of action and exciting twists, and would feel at home in any fantasy novel. The second is more sedate, starting more as a distraction for Rayne, until slowly, some of the mysteries are revealed.
The clans themselves are fascinating, secret Scottish families with mythical qualities, with ancient feuds and even more ancient ways. The characters introduced from the clans are strange and mercurial, doing and saying things that don’t always make much sense at first. We don’t see much behind the veil until towards the end of the book.
The conclusion itself was surprising, and plenty seems held back for later instalments. Despite that, I was mostly satisfied with where things left off.
The Blood Tartan is a surprisingly neat package – mixing thrilling sequences, philosophy and a literary style in a pleasing way. I would recommend this book to any fantasy fan who likes or prefers a literary feel.
Rating: 8/10
Further thoughts :
-I will definitely keep reading this series in the future – looking at the blurb for book 2, it seems to be going in a direction I’m excited about
-These books are also self-published, which you absolutely cannot tell from the editing, and also means they are cheaper than most other books as e-books
For reviews and more, visit my blog
zimaconfession's review
5.0
I have only one objection. I couldn't imagine a seraph being bear-like. Indeed, the movements of the Seraph were surely too graceful and lithe. But perhaps I had failed to use my imagination sufficiently.
Later I realised I had instead, not understood a play on words.
Perhaps both, perhaps neither.
Later I realised I had instead, not understood a play on words.
Perhaps both, perhaps neither.
catsy2022's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating: A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
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