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A review by mrbear
Free the Darkness by Kel Kade
4.0
In some fundamental sense, this wasn't a "good book". It isn't well written in the classical sense - characters are often one dimensional and illogical in understanding the world around them (Frisha for instance is clueless), the book features an excessive amount of "tell over show", the female characters are wild caricatures who care only about looks and seem to have no self control. However, despite these shortcomings, this was an enjoyable (and surprisingly humorous) read that definitely encouraged me to continue with the series.
In some sense, I have to wonder if the narrative shortcomings are a stylistic choice of the author's - a means of highlighting Rezkin's larger-than-life persona by framing him with a backdrop of astonishingly confused Level-0 thinkers (the only exception is the Grandmaster, who was a cameo, and to a lesser extent General Marcum). This thought makes me compare this book most closely to Prince of Thorns and the Black Company series, both of which also feature aggressively stylized writing for the sake of setting the novels' dark tone.
In some sense, I have to wonder if the narrative shortcomings are a stylistic choice of the author's - a means of highlighting Rezkin's larger-than-life persona by framing him with a backdrop of astonishingly confused Level-0 thinkers (the only exception is the Grandmaster, who was a cameo, and to a lesser extent General Marcum). This thought makes me compare this book most closely to Prince of Thorns and the Black Company series, both of which also feature aggressively stylized writing for the sake of setting the novels' dark tone.