A review by grimread
A Young Man Without Magic by Lawrence Watt-Evans
2.0
I don't want to rate it 2 stars (it was ok) because I really had no trouble reading it, but I don't want to rate it 3 stars (liked it) because there is nothing gripping about this story either.
Anrel is just such an unfulfilling character. As a man without magic, he supposedly has oratory skills that he could use to battle any adversary he meets, but to me it seems like he is defeated at every conversation. And every time Alvos makes a speech, it is never with conviction, he never stands by what he says. If he doesn't believe in it himself how can he persuade others. Even if his magic is in his words or his speech, and that is the reason there is always a riot after it, this has no deeper effect on him or the reader, because it's just something that happened somewhere in the background after he escaped.
I don't know. Mayve the second book will explain more and develop the protagonist into something.
Anrel is just such an unfulfilling character. As a man without magic, he supposedly has oratory skills that he could use to battle any adversary he meets, but to me it seems like he is defeated at every conversation. And every time Alvos makes a speech, it is never with conviction, he never stands by what he says. If he doesn't believe in it himself how can he persuade others. Even if his magic is in his words or his speech, and that is the reason there is always a riot after it, this has no deeper effect on him or the reader, because it's just something that happened somewhere in the background after he escaped.
I don't know. Mayve the second book will explain more and develop the protagonist into something.