Review: Shadowplay by Tad Williams
After spending the last 2 months mixing in reading of Shadowplay with some other books, I finally finished it last night. And wonder of wonders, I am actually writing the review the next day (instead of waiting 2-3 weeks and forgetting what I want to say). You might wonder if taking 2 months to read a book is an indicator of how interested I was in the story. As you will see, the answer to that question is "yes".
Like Shadowmarch, I have very mixed feelings about Shadowplay. One of the complaints you will see most often about Shadowmarch is that it was too slow. That was true, though I thought only the middle 1/3 was slow. Stuff started happening in the last 1/3 of Shadowmarch, and I assumed that pace would carry over into Shadowplay. Wrong. In many ways, I enjoyed Shadowplay less than the first book. I thought this one was actually slow for the first 2/3 of the story..only gaining momentum (and hence, my interest) in the final 1/3. There were many, many times where I had to put the book down due to lack of interest. I like most of the characters just fine, but it seemed like nothing was happening to any of them. I like to be really vague about story details in my reviews, as I would rather write something shorter that just gives you my overall feeling of the book. And that is why the following summary won't even list character names. Anyway, for the first 2/3 of the book we have one character on the run to escape Shadowmarch. The escape starts off interesting, but quickly turns boring until the very end of the book. We have 2 other characters wandering around in the shadowlands, but nothing too exciting happens to them, either..until the final 1/3 if the story. We finally get more time with the captured King, but being a prisoner, nothing happens to him until the final 1/3 of the story. Do you see the trend? Sure, there might be a couple of pages for each POV where interesting things happen early in the book, but for the most part it feels like we are being fed information/background that we will need for the final 2 books. The story doesn't feel like it is advancing really at all, until, you guessed it, the final 1/3 of the book.
So the lack of momentum and important things happening really ruined the pace of the book for me. With so little happening, it was hard to read 50-100 pages without getting bored and moving on to something else. Then I would pick up Shadowplay after a few days, read another 50 pages, then put it down again. The good news is that once you get to the final 1/3, you are reminded how great a Tad Williams book can be. At the end, lots of interesing stuff is happening to pretty much every POV character..and you are thinking "here we go! this is great! there is finally some real tension and danger now". Thus, I was able to read the last few hundred pages without feeling like I needed to pick up another book. The third book is set up for some really great storylines. Though I thought the same exact thing at the end of Shadowmarch. Luckily reviews hint that books 3 and 4 really redeem the series (that link is to a review of the 4th book, so be careful if you click it. If you do click it, read his summary of the early books in the first 3 paragraphs). I usually agree with that fellow from A Dribble of Ink, so I am looking forward to the really good stuff from the end of Shadowplay continuing through the rest of the series.
At this point, I'm not sure what kind of recommendation to give. If you are a fan of Williams, you will most likely enjoy this book despite the slow start. If you like your story to evolve more slowly, you will like this book. However, if you are looking for something a little more action packed, along the lines of Erikson or Barclay, you might struggle with this one. I think a true judgement of this book (and really, book 1) will have to wait until the entire series has been read.
Grade:
First 2/3 of the book: C-
Final 1/3 of book: A-
Thoughts On: Fun And Games By Duane Swierczynski
I've been bouncing around between fantasy and thrillers for many months now. After seeing all the positive reviews for Fun and Games on Amazon and Goodreads, I decided to head over to NetGalley and request a copy. The book definitely lived up to the hype, and it was the first book I finished on my Kobo Touch. Before I give you my thoughts, below is the summary from Amazon:
The first of three explosive pulp thrillers arriving back-to-back from cult crime fiction sensation and Marvel Comics scribe Duane Swierczynski.
Charlie Hardie, an ex-cop still reeling from the revenge killing of his former partner's entire family, fears one thing above all else: that he'll suffer the same fate.
Languishing in self-imposed exile, Hardie has become a glorified house sitter. His latest gig comes replete with an illegally squatting B-movie actress who rants about hit men who specialize in making deaths look like accidents. Unfortunately, it's the real deal. Hardie finds himself squared off against a small army of the most lethal men in the world: The Accident People.
It's nothing personal-the girl just happens to be the next name on their list. For Hardie, though, it's intensely personal. He's not about to let more innocent people die. Not on his watch.
The above quote really doesn't do the book justice for how fast paced this book is. Most/all of it takes place over the course of a day, and at just 250 or so pages, the story ZOOMS along. And I mean that in a good way. Stuff happens just about non-stop. Sure, at times there are things that happen that make you think "that sure worked out just right for Hardie and the story", but let's face it: most books in the mystery/thriller genre have these moments. Overall, I don't think they detracted from the story, and I think they were worth it to keep the story moving. And while the pace is quick, there is sufficient time spent filling out Charlie's history. How the authors ties the Accident People into the Hollywood culture is pretty neat, too. I became invested in the book as much for Charlie as I did for the story itself. In other words, this is not just another slam-bang novel with no depth of character. Don't get me wrong, those types of novels are enjoyable and have their place. However, Fun & Games goes beyond that. Charlie is a likeable guy, though it might take you a bit to realize it. But once you get more details on his background, and why he is who he is, you 'll start rooting for him. And the narrative voice is great..there is just enough humor to break the tension a bit. While the main plot wraps up by the end of the book, some important things are still outstanding, which set the stage for the next book in the trilogy (Hell and Gone), due out at the end of October.
If you are looking for a book with almost non-stop action, quite a bit of violence, car chases, big explosions, a butt-kicking actress, cool weapons, humor, and a story that extends beyond one book..this novel is for you. Its a perfect summer read. Highly recommended.
Grade: A
Thoughts On: The Gods of Amyrantha by Jennifer Fallon
I'm about 1/2 through reading The Gods of Amyrantha (TGoA) by Jennifer Fallon and think I am going to put it down for now (this is the 2nd of 4 books in The Tide Lords). Something with the writing/story just isn't connecting with me at the moment, so I am putting it aside and will resume it at some point in the future. Maybe the problem is I am reading it after reading several Malazan books, and almost 1/2 of A Game of Thrones. Whatever the reasons, I am finding that TGoA just feels too "soap opera-ish" to me. The whole relationship triangle between Arkady, Cayal, and Declan reads (to me) like some 3 way high school/tv drama. Arkady and Declan have feelings for each other, but can't/won't admit them to anyone. Arkday and Cayal (The Immortal Prince) had a relationship in book 1 that ended rather abruptly. Declan assumes something happened between those 2, but won't come out and ask..so he tries to hint around the topic by questioning those who know Arkady (hence my high school comment..it just feels juvenile). And some of the relationships between the Tide Lords (the Immortals) are very similar. So, on one hand the story seems interesting..wondering how the world will cope with the return of the Tide Lords. But on the other hand, the characters seem a but thin and prone to too much drama (for a weird analogy, almost as if the characters are in a play and 'over-acting'). Heck, even the Tide Lords themselves act like high schoolers (in ways other than the romance angle, I mean)....they seem more like spoiled brats than these very powerful and dangerous beings. I get that this is on purpose..their bickering and hunger for power are what make them dangerous..but I wish they came across "unbalanced adults" instead of "spoiled teenagers". And I guess that is my problem with the book overall..the characters. I can handle soap opera drama when the adults act like adults, and young folks act like young folks. But when all of the adults act like a bunch of teenagers, it doesn't work so well for me.
After reading that, you might wonder why I would even continue reading the series. I was a HUGE fan of the Second Sons Trilogy
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