First person features are not often seen from debut novelists, but Patrick Rothfuss was able to thwart any such novice regularities with witty banter, a highly developed and diverse arrangement of characters, intimate settings, and an easy-to-read yet sophisticated writing approach. While many of those characteristics are vital for a good story, the most important aspect may be Rothfuss’s strongest: the ability to tell a provocative story. This novel focuses on Kvothe, a man who has become a legend well before the age of thirty. In an attempt to differentiate between fiction and fact, a man sets out to find Kvothe to hear his tale first hand. He ends up getting one heck of an exclusive. |
A Game of Thrones is not a sock’em, bop’em action thriller, but it does not have to be. This tale engages the reader through family allegiance and betrayal, political positioning and wit, and the sheer enormity of identifiable characters. Couple those qualities with a seemingly unimaginable amount of smaller struggles directly related to the outcome of the larger conflict, and you have a storyline that will keep readers coming back book after book. |
Paul S. Kemp’s first book in The Twilight War Trilogy is filled with elements that many good novels have: detestable bad guys, personable good guys, and an intriguing plot. What Kemp does with those ingredients is what makes him a head chef at a popular New York dining establishment, rather than a Grill Technician at Wendy’s. Needless to say, I am eagerly awaiting the next courses. |
|
|
Zelazny’s The Nine Chronicles of Amber series begins with the introduction of Corwin, one of the many brothers of a “talented” family. Through his struggles of attempting to regain his memory, we are presented a world where things alter with a thought and “sibling rivalry” is taken to the extreme. It is a marvelously written piece with humor, battles, wit, and a very likable protagonist. Look past the publication date of over thirty years ago and pick up this must read. |
|
|
