Rob Gregson asked me to read his novel, "The Endless Land: A Continuing Tale of Fantasy, Lies and Rebellion". This is the second book in the "Written World" series and the sequel to "Unreliable Histories", which I enjoyed so I was looking forward to this one. It is an unusual book.
PLOT
Much like the first book, this book is a quest narrative. Myra, Al and Nevi are searching for the Diegesis Gate, which is "the only power worth having". Yay for Genius Bonuses.
The first thing I noticed about this book is that it follows a similar arc as the previous book. It has a slow hum-drum start followed by parodies of scenes or events in the genres of Adventure and Fantasy (particularly low fantasy). Then it gets into serious parody, which I mean a parody that includes drama or genuine danger, and then gets into something truly serious, which is the meat of the subject matter.
This makes the start of the book a slag to read through. The main characters are strangely absent in much of the opening scenes. There are numerous scenes jumps, and the scenes themselves are not established before the narrative moves along. There's even a scene about two bored people guarding a harbor. It goes on for several pages, and I don't understand why. I think it has something to do with the novel's concept of "being Here" (note the capital 'H'). I think it may have been addressed at the climax by SPOILER but it was still boring to read.
Seriously, there is an extended sequence near the end of the story that addresses all these (seemingly) unrelated scenes, what their purpose (or lack thereof) is, and the author uses this extended sequence and these scenes to make an interesting point about the nature of fiction, literature and general narration. Yet I cannot discuss it without spoiling everything. That wouldn't be fair to the characters.
Spoiler reasoning aside, the story doesn't pick up, in my opinion, until Supreme Lord Dahrrek appears. This is where the first hint of the story's true subject matter enters the narrative, and his conversations with Myra are fun and intriguing. Also, the way he acts so affable and benevolent when all of his subjects act like he's a stereotypical evil lord is a recurring running gag that is most useful when amusing the readers. (I hope the author catches the reference I made just now).
Things get trippy towards the end, but it's all clear and makes perfect sense. I want to talk about how much I like the true conflict of this story, as well as its resolution and continuation (as opposed to ending), but to do so would be spoilers. It is such a well-thought out, fascinating, and ambitious idea that I don't want to give it away by providing any more hints in this review. So I hope the Author/Narrator is satisfied with these vague and generic remarks.
CHARACTERS
Myra continues to develop, and it is a full and natural development. The way she learns about the world and its history, and how she uses that to handle her enemies, shows her background as a merchant but it also shows her as a person of compassion and understanding. She certainly has greater ambition and visionary scope than her uncle, but hasn't absorbed any of his obnoxious greed.
Dahrrek is another interesting character. The contrast between what he says and how people react is both funny and really relevant to the story's central theme and conflict. His part of the resolution is part of what makes the resolution so interesting.
The other characters are not quite so interesting. Al seems diluted from what he was in the previous story. He just doesn't have much to do besides ask questions and get confused by the answers he receives. Nevi is always fun to read about but he was distracted in the early bits of the story by a shape-shifting shark.
The villains feel insubstantial and interchangeable. Being called "The Cowl" by the narrative is mysterious and all, but it does little for characterization. I honestly can't tell him from any of his fellows because all of them appear to be the same basic template.
POLISH
The story looks good. I recall few if any typos.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Endless Land: A Continuing Tale of Fantasy, Lies and Rebellion" a B+
This has been a free review request. The author asked for an honest review so I provided one.
Click here for my next book review (a request): The Heart of the Curiosity
Click here for my previous book review (for fun): Tai Chi Bible
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration). His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
PLOT
Much like the first book, this book is a quest narrative. Myra, Al and Nevi are searching for the Diegesis Gate, which is "the only power worth having". Yay for Genius Bonuses.
The first thing I noticed about this book is that it follows a similar arc as the previous book. It has a slow hum-drum start followed by parodies of scenes or events in the genres of Adventure and Fantasy (particularly low fantasy). Then it gets into serious parody, which I mean a parody that includes drama or genuine danger, and then gets into something truly serious, which is the meat of the subject matter.
This makes the start of the book a slag to read through. The main characters are strangely absent in much of the opening scenes. There are numerous scenes jumps, and the scenes themselves are not established before the narrative moves along. There's even a scene about two bored people guarding a harbor. It goes on for several pages, and I don't understand why. I think it has something to do with the novel's concept of "being Here" (note the capital 'H'). I think it may have been addressed at the climax by SPOILER but it was still boring to read.
Seriously, there is an extended sequence near the end of the story that addresses all these (seemingly) unrelated scenes, what their purpose (or lack thereof) is, and the author uses this extended sequence and these scenes to make an interesting point about the nature of fiction, literature and general narration. Yet I cannot discuss it without spoiling everything. That wouldn't be fair to the characters.
Spoiler reasoning aside, the story doesn't pick up, in my opinion, until Supreme Lord Dahrrek appears. This is where the first hint of the story's true subject matter enters the narrative, and his conversations with Myra are fun and intriguing. Also, the way he acts so affable and benevolent when all of his subjects act like he's a stereotypical evil lord is a recurring running gag that is most useful when amusing the readers. (I hope the author catches the reference I made just now).
Things get trippy towards the end, but it's all clear and makes perfect sense. I want to talk about how much I like the true conflict of this story, as well as its resolution and continuation (as opposed to ending), but to do so would be spoilers. It is such a well-thought out, fascinating, and ambitious idea that I don't want to give it away by providing any more hints in this review. So I hope the Author/Narrator is satisfied with these vague and generic remarks.
CHARACTERS
Myra continues to develop, and it is a full and natural development. The way she learns about the world and its history, and how she uses that to handle her enemies, shows her background as a merchant but it also shows her as a person of compassion and understanding. She certainly has greater ambition and visionary scope than her uncle, but hasn't absorbed any of his obnoxious greed.
Dahrrek is another interesting character. The contrast between what he says and how people react is both funny and really relevant to the story's central theme and conflict. His part of the resolution is part of what makes the resolution so interesting.
The other characters are not quite so interesting. Al seems diluted from what he was in the previous story. He just doesn't have much to do besides ask questions and get confused by the answers he receives. Nevi is always fun to read about but he was distracted in the early bits of the story by a shape-shifting shark.
The villains feel insubstantial and interchangeable. Being called "The Cowl" by the narrative is mysterious and all, but it does little for characterization. I honestly can't tell him from any of his fellows because all of them appear to be the same basic template.
POLISH
The story looks good. I recall few if any typos.
Trickster Eric Novels gives "The Endless Land: A Continuing Tale of Fantasy, Lies and Rebellion" a B+
This has been a free review request. The author asked for an honest review so I provided one.
Click here for my next book review (a request): The Heart of the Curiosity
Click here for my previous book review (for fun): Tai Chi Bible
Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration). His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.
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