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Bezig met laden... The Initiate Brother Duology (editie 2013)door Sean Russell (Auteur)
Informatie over het werkThe Initiate Brother Duology door Sean Russell
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. Taken together as a whole, this duology is a winner. It is a long, slow burn in a created world of very accessible people and politics. Readers in search of plentiful action and Star Wars-scale intrigue will be disappointed, however; focus is constrained mostly to small stages within the greater conflict to tell the story with much weight put upon conversations, asides, and the trappings of civilization themselves. In many ways, this is similar to Arkady Martine's 2019 masterpiece, "A Memory Called Empire." The complex denouement here went in unexpected directions as well, making the steps that follow the military climax as significant and dicey as the war itself. The character developments of the many central cast are a fractal dance, as they affect one another's orbits and deflect into new patterns. The female characters are constrained to behave in ways available to them in their culture but still play dynamic roles with their own agendas: nice. Best of all for me was that individual choice, decisions made and followed, supersedes notions of fate and destiny throughout. It was easy to become invested in several of the characters (i.e., Komawara, for the win!) and therefore engaged through all the little stops and starts of the overall flow. The melding of both Chines and Japanese cultures, languages and mythos was a bit hard to swallow at first--but after giving it a second try and coming at it as if this book was written in a completely fantasy world with eerie similarities to two earth cultures...It was far easier to handle and became a very enjoyable read. I found myself swept away by the beautiful places described, the ceremonies and the traditions as well as the story line itself. Very nice book and very well written. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
Onderdeel van de reeks(en)The Initiate Brother (1-2) Onderdeel van de uitgeversreeks(en)DAW Book Collectors (1626) Bevat
Sean Russell's acclaimed duology, The Initiate Brother and Gatherer of Clouds, together in one omnibus edition for the first time! Plague and warfare have swept across the ancient kingdom of Wa, devastating the royal line and leaving a new dynasty on the throne--a new Emperor, Akantsu, filled with fear of all who might seek to wrest the Empire from his grasp. Among those out of favor with the new liege is the Order of the Botahist Monks, whose mystical powers have enabled them to hold positions as Spiritual Advisors to the Imperial court for nearly ten centuries. But Emperor Akantsu fears none so greatly as he does Lord Shonto, the brilliant leader of the most important of the old families, whose influence could rally the Great Houses against the throne, and whose adopted daughter, the beautiful and talented Lady Nishima, is the last surviving member of the old royal family. Sent to be military governor of a northern border province long threatened by barbarian invaders, Lord Shonto knows he is being lured to his death. But Akantsu has underestimated his foe, for not only is Lord Shonto the greatest military genius of the age, but he has with him a Spiritual Advisor from the Botahist Order--a young man gifted with extraordinary martial arts skills and magical abilities, Initiate Brother Shuyun. And even Lord Shonto does not realize the true potential of this young monk. Only time will reveal that Shuyun's magical powers have not seen their equal in nearly a thousand years--not since the Perfect Master himself walked the paths of the Empire... Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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While the setting was somewhat fresh, the novel was too impersonal and played safe to achieve anything truly memorable. It feels unpolished and lacks direction, with so many characters yet none of them being in the least fleshed out or even followed closely to care about. They were mostly living clichés, speaking and acting in extremely predictable manners that it felt like a chore to read the book to its end.
Subplots were few for a novel of such length and and they lacked impact. The major threat of the duology never felt important because there was no one to really care about.
I didn't enjoy it. Go read Sean Russell's Moontide and Magic Rise instead. It's a brilliant work and better than most fantasy novels out there. ( )