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A review by bookph1le
Children of Fire by Drew Karpyshyn
2.0
More like 2.5 stars. It was mildly interesting and I liked some of the characters, but it wasn't anything that got me overexcited. More complete review to come.
Full review:
Being the rabid fan of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect that I am, I was intrigued by the idea of reading Karpyshyn's book and seeing what sort of world he constructed when able to run free in his own playground. While I liked some aspects of the book, it didn't stand out for me and disappointed me in some respects. Some spoilers to follow.
One of the things I found most disappointing was how ambivalent I felt about some characters. In general, I think characterization is a weak point of this novel. The Pontiff in particular was a source of irritation for me. I didn't like a lot of what he did and wanted to hate him, but I couldn't work up enough emotion. He would have worked better as a character had I understood his convictions more, but I never crossed that bridge. Rexol is another character who let me down, for many of the same reasons. He was more like a character from an after school special than like a fully-fleshed character from a fantasy novel. I think a major reason why I failed to connect with so many of the characters is because there's a certain distance in this book, as if I was observing rather than actively engaged in the story.
Aside from the lukewarm characterization, my lack of engagement in the story was due to two other factors that often yanked me out of the story's flow: the leaps in time and the use of multiple character points of view. Some of the points of view were just plain superfluous. There is one in particular that irked me, a short passage told by an injured character in a small tone for no purpose other than to let us know one of the main characters is being hunted by a Chaos monster--something we've already been told. There was no need whatsoever for the reiteration. The leaps in time are also distracting, and there were chunks of text I thought could have been axed in favor of streamlining the story and focusing more on the ultimate conflict. I didn't really see the point in rehashing every single birth, and for a stretch I felt like I was reading a twisted version of What to Expect When You're Expecting or something.
There were some things about the book I did enjoy. The world borrows--sometimes heavily--from other works, some of which Karpyshyn contributed to. The whole dynamic between the Order and wizards felt a little too close to Dragon Age for comfort. Still, I liked that the world was a new one, and I really liked that rather than using standard fantasy character types, there are some races of Karpyshyn's own creation. The Danaan were interesting, a good commentary on what happens when a culture becomes obsessed with signs and portents at the expense of progress. I'd like to learn more about them. I don't have anything against elves and dwarves and halflings, but it was nice to read a fantasy novel that didn't include them.
Another strong point of the novel was Scythe, though she does waffle a bit. Still, she's different from most female characters in fantasy novels, and though I wouldn't say gender equity had been achieved in Karpyshyn's world, I did enjoy the presence of such a strong, pigheaded female warrior, and I like characters who are more anti-hero than hero. However, I have to add a caveat because I did feel like Scythe's character vacillated quite a bit in the end. She threatens to go, then she stays. This wouldn't be a problem if I felt like she was following some inner logic, but I didn't. In fact, the text explicitly states that she doesn't understand why she's doing what she's doing but she does it anyway. Sure, such moments of irrationality are possible, but they don't feel in keeping with her character, even given the extra incentive of Norr.
Norr is another character who's interesting because he breaks convention. The first time the reader glimpses him in the book, it seems as if he'll fit certain tropes, but then he proceeds to flip those tropes on their heads. This earned a nod of approval from me. I enjoy it when characters act in ways opposite what I expect, and I thought Norr was just a good character anyway.
Lastly, I also very much enjoyed Vaaler. In a lot of ways he's a classic outcast character, but I felt like there were real depths to him. He has every right to turn his back on his people, but he refuses to be defeated and tries to find his place in his world. I think some of the assumptions he draws about why he is, in fact, the right leader for his people are right on the money, and I see a lot of potential for good character development in future installments.
There's a big, full world here with its own mythos, but I think it takes too long for the plot to really get going, and this left me feeling mildly interest at best. There were sections that grabbed me and compelled me to continue reading, but for the most part this book felt like a big setup, one that wasn't interesting enough on its own to get me excited. Instead, I have the impression that future installments will improve, because this book brings the reader up to the speed necessary in order to really get to the good stuff.
Full review:
Being the rabid fan of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect that I am, I was intrigued by the idea of reading Karpyshyn's book and seeing what sort of world he constructed when able to run free in his own playground. While I liked some aspects of the book, it didn't stand out for me and disappointed me in some respects. Some spoilers to follow.
One of the things I found most disappointing was how ambivalent I felt about some characters. In general, I think characterization is a weak point of this novel. The Pontiff in particular was a source of irritation for me. I didn't like a lot of what he did and wanted to hate him, but I couldn't work up enough emotion. He would have worked better as a character had I understood his convictions more, but I never crossed that bridge. Rexol is another character who let me down, for many of the same reasons. He was more like a character from an after school special than like a fully-fleshed character from a fantasy novel. I think a major reason why I failed to connect with so many of the characters is because there's a certain distance in this book, as if I was observing rather than actively engaged in the story.
Aside from the lukewarm characterization, my lack of engagement in the story was due to two other factors that often yanked me out of the story's flow: the leaps in time and the use of multiple character points of view. Some of the points of view were just plain superfluous. There is one in particular that irked me, a short passage told by an injured character in a small tone for no purpose other than to let us know one of the main characters is being hunted by a Chaos monster--something we've already been told. There was no need whatsoever for the reiteration. The leaps in time are also distracting, and there were chunks of text I thought could have been axed in favor of streamlining the story and focusing more on the ultimate conflict. I didn't really see the point in rehashing every single birth, and for a stretch I felt like I was reading a twisted version of What to Expect When You're Expecting or something.
There were some things about the book I did enjoy. The world borrows--sometimes heavily--from other works, some of which Karpyshyn contributed to. The whole dynamic between the Order and wizards felt a little too close to Dragon Age for comfort. Still, I liked that the world was a new one, and I really liked that rather than using standard fantasy character types, there are some races of Karpyshyn's own creation. The Danaan were interesting, a good commentary on what happens when a culture becomes obsessed with signs and portents at the expense of progress. I'd like to learn more about them. I don't have anything against elves and dwarves and halflings, but it was nice to read a fantasy novel that didn't include them.
Another strong point of the novel was Scythe, though she does waffle a bit. Still, she's different from most female characters in fantasy novels, and though I wouldn't say gender equity had been achieved in Karpyshyn's world, I did enjoy the presence of such a strong, pigheaded female warrior, and I like characters who are more anti-hero than hero. However, I have to add a caveat because I did feel like Scythe's character vacillated quite a bit in the end. She threatens to go, then she stays. This wouldn't be a problem if I felt like she was following some inner logic, but I didn't. In fact, the text explicitly states that she doesn't understand why she's doing what she's doing but she does it anyway. Sure, such moments of irrationality are possible, but they don't feel in keeping with her character, even given the extra incentive of Norr.
Norr is another character who's interesting because he breaks convention. The first time the reader glimpses him in the book, it seems as if he'll fit certain tropes, but then he proceeds to flip those tropes on their heads. This earned a nod of approval from me. I enjoy it when characters act in ways opposite what I expect, and I thought Norr was just a good character anyway.
Lastly, I also very much enjoyed Vaaler. In a lot of ways he's a classic outcast character, but I felt like there were real depths to him. He has every right to turn his back on his people, but he refuses to be defeated and tries to find his place in his world. I think some of the assumptions he draws about why he is, in fact, the right leader for his people are right on the money, and I see a lot of potential for good character development in future installments.
There's a big, full world here with its own mythos, but I think it takes too long for the plot to really get going, and this left me feeling mildly interest at best. There were sections that grabbed me and compelled me to continue reading, but for the most part this book felt like a big setup, one that wasn't interesting enough on its own to get me excited. Instead, I have the impression that future installments will improve, because this book brings the reader up to the speed necessary in order to really get to the good stuff.