A fantasy tale of kingdoms, princes and wizards, where wizards are one of the greatest weapons of war – until, that is, the ability to use magic is wiped from the realm. Two warring kingdoms, Belleger and Amika, have brought each other to the brink of ruin. One has guns, the other doesn’t; there are wizards who use magic.

That sounds like it should be freaking amazing, and at times, it really is. I’ve seen reviews where some feel that Donaldson’s writing is too flowery, too wordy, to unfamiliar, but I didn’t find that to the problem at all. I’ve also seen critical reviews that say his writing is too utilitarian. I will admit, somewhat reluctantly, that people were a bit too ‘stolid’ for a brief portion of the writing, and that there was some other repetitious use of words that could have been removed, but it was hardly worthy of dismissing his writing as a whole.

It did feel formulaic, but there were enough twists and turns that I felt it kept the story moving and interesting. What bothered me was the characters. They were too…character-y. I never felt a real connection to anyone, and unfortunately for me, that was the book’s greatest downfall, and subsequently reflects in it’s overall score.

At no point does Donaldson glorify war, which is compelling. Neither Amika or Belleger truly feel any resounding victory; both sides feel they are being butchered by the other, both sides feel they are outmanned or outgunned, and the characters reflect that their entire lifetime has been spent at war. Battles as described in enough detail that the gore, fear, horror, sadness and senselessness are all felt, though each battle is handled with grace and restraint. The effect on the people, and the outcomes of the intergenerational battle felt realistic and well executed.

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Created Apr 05, 2024 at 1:35pm • Submit your own review...