Customer Reviews

Act of Will (Tor Fantasy)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Act of Will was the most fun I had reading a 'high fantasy' novel in a long time. A.J. Hartley turns the genre on its ear, as Will, an impoverished actor for whom all the world really is a stage takes off on a wild adventure with a group of noble adventurers. Their nobility stymies him, the idea of magic leaves him incredulous, but his limited resources and the pursuit of the Empire's soldiers forces him to throw in his lot with them. I am a pretty jaded reader of these types of novels, and rarely find one that keeps my attention AND makes me laugh out loud. This one did both.

I picked up this book out of curiosity and got far more than I bargained for. Hartley's previous novels have been well crafted contemporary mystery-thrillers, but this excursion into quest-fantasy reads like a real labor of love. The plot is original, the characters are engaging, and the narrator's wry sense of humor is delightful. What's more, it tells a complete story in ONE volume -- something exceedingly rare these days. A sequel is indicated, and I eagerly look forward to it.

This book is full of imaginative excitement and quality prose.The central character, Will Hawthorne, is, at the start of the novel, a young actor who is about to embark on a full professional life in a local theatre company.During his apprenticeship years he has shown great skills on the stage but he has also angered a rival who is intent on foiling Will's promising career.But there is a deeper, more sinister problem. The local Government is determined to outlaw and defeat any attempts to set up theatres in the district.How Will escapes the irate Government and his evil rival is the beginning of a series of exciting escapades which Hartley tells with a remarkable skill and consummate ability. His subtle introduction of magical skills shows a rare ability and an awareness that not all readers can accept magical skills and need to be led into them at a gradual pace.

But there is nothing gradual about the author's development of narrative and plot. He takes us through the imaginative adventures at a compelling rate and, at the same time, gives the reader a real insight into the strong relationships of the group with whom he finds some aspects of safety and companionship. At the same time Hartley never ceases to describe, with true ability, the countryside and towns through which this fascinating adventure takes us.

This book is well worth a read. It's great and adventurous!!

A.J. Hartley is best known as a writer of best-selling mystery-thriller novels, as a distinguished professor of Shakespeare in the English Department at University of North Carolina, and as editor of the Shakespeare Bulletin published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Dr. Hartley's theater expertise is readily apparent in Act of Will, the first book of his first fantasy series.

It's Will Hawthorne's 18th birthday and he is finally a man. Today he hopes to be promoted to playing male parts and penning plays for his acting company. But, O how full of briars is this working-day world! Will instead finds himself on the run from The Empire, dashing across rooftops in a dress and blond curly wig with an arrow stuck in his thigh. As good luck would have it, he's rescued by a strange troop of a different type, and off he goes to have adventures, to (reluctantly) fight evil, and to learn that all the world is not a stage.

I liked Act of Will from the very first paragraph. That's kind of surprising because Will Hawthorne is not my kind of hero. Not only does he have no heroic qualities, but he has absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever: he's arrogant, selfish, unscrupulous, lazy, immature, thin, weak, and cowardly. He is true only to his own self. The only things he does well are to BS his way out of tight spots and to run like hell when he can't talk his way out. When a hero is called for, Will's first concern is how to remove himself from the situation in order to save his own skin. Will Hawthorne is, quite simply, not a likeable person. It's no wonder he has no friends, and not much of a life either.

But Will is so open, blunt, and unapologetic about his inglorious personality that he somehow ends up being kind of disarmingly charming and you're always hoping that perhaps he's got just a scrap of mettle deep inside that might find its way to the surface. Occasionally he manages to screw his courage to the sticking place, but for every time he does something remotely heroic, he does something equally cowardly.

But what really kept me reading Act of Will is that the writing is altogether perfect. I would expect no less from an English/Shakespeare professor, but it's so rarely that I can say this that I feel the need to point it out. The prose flows trippingly along and it's funny. I liked Will's cynical and sarcastic voice (it's written in the first person). This could have been so easily overdone, but I found that I didn't tire of it. The dialogue, both internal and external, is crisp and believable.

I took my mug, sauntered over to the table where the others sat, swinging the crossbow roguishly by its strap, and cast Renthrette an easy smile. She might as well have been wearing her armor, because it glanced off and fell in some dustless corner.

The writing style is clearly Dr. Hartley's greatest talent. So for this reason, I found Act of Will to be delightful and entertaining and worth my time. However, there was a problem with Act of Will which I have seen before in first fantasy novels written by authors who are popular in other genres: too many plot points wouldn't hold up to high scrutiny. For example, it is never explained (nor does Will ever wonder) why the magic sword and staff that have gotten them out of some tricky spots before can't be used the same way in similar tricky spots. We get several clues about the origin and powers of the evil raiders who are terrorizing three countries, but never a full disclosure. And how is it that Will's otherwise normal horse could have, according to the map in the front of the book, carried him nearly 300 miles in 24 hours ... with a full night's sleep in the middle, and apparently without any ill effects on either Will or the horse.

There are a few other sloppy spots that the editor should have noticed: in one scene Will gets down from a wagon that he had already dismounted two pages previously, there were times when characters with no magical powers seemed to suddenly and unnaturally translocate, and the maneuvers and proceedings of the last battle scene were an improbable fiction. I have no idea why authors who are popular in other genres might fall guilty to the Sloppy Fantasy Plot Syndrome. It troubles me to speculate, so I'll choose to believe it's just coincidence.

So. ... To read, or not to read; that is the question... And this is the short and the long of it: Act of Will is like a Shakespearean comedy -- really entertaining, very funny in places, contains an occasional cheesy monologue, and uses several unbelievable plot devices. Act of Will is a bit clumsy, but I found its style appealing. So far I like this series and willingly could waste my time in it.

Since the popularization of Lord of the Rings, fantasy adventure has been an extremely common sub-genre of science fiction. All of these stories have the same components: a group of heroes, a frightful enemy, a quest, magic, dragons (usually). Mostly entertaining, but mostly forgettable.

From the first line of "Act of Will," I got a strong sense that A.J. Hartley was approaching the genre from a new direction: "The day started quietly, which, as it turned out, was not so much ironic as completely misleading." After that, I found it difficult to stop reading right through the end. The humor in this book is a very welcome break from the many pensive fantasy books that just take themselves too seriously. The closest thing I can come up with that resembles "Act of Will" would be Terry Pratchett's Discworld series; I can say with supreme confidence that anyone who is a fan of that series would love this book.

I've read a great number of fantasy adventure books; it is easily my favorite genre. To be fair, Hartley does include the components I mentioned above: there is the group of heroes, hired to eliminate a threat from a mysterious army attacking the land, and maybe just a bit of magic. So what makes this book special? Why would I, for the first review I've ever done on Amazon, recommend this particular fantasy book above all others I've ever read? The answer is simple: the characters.

Plots are great. I love plots in the books I read. But there have been so many times that I've read books with great plots that, by the end, I really don't care who wins because the characters are engaging as peeling paint. But Hartley manages both: he keeps the plot going at such a clip that I had no desire to put the book down. I had to find out what was going on.

But it was the characters, particularly the title character, Will Hawthorne, that made me wish the book was at least another hundred pages. Will is the perfect protagonist because, at first, he is almost as much of an observer as the reader. All those "fantasy components"? They've already been happening. The group of heroes is already on their quest. It's only by a slight mishap that Will falls in with them and is unable to leave. Like all good heroes, he changes. Unlike most heroes, he changes in the way an audience can relate to; he develops as a person in a sincere way, rather than a standard fantasy "prophecy dictates that this person will be this way." And every time Will does something completely out of character, you find yourself having to read on to see how that will affect him or those around him. And every time he disappoints his friends, you find yourself having to read on to see how he will make them proud. And just when you feel that you have a strong sense of who Will is as a person...the book is over.

And you'll take a look at the book and wonder how it could have gone by so fast. And then you'll check Amazon to see if there's a sequel coming out (there is: "Will Power", September 14, 2010). And then you'll pre-order it because despite the plot (which, if it's anything like "Act of Will," will be amazing) you cannot wait to continue the journey with Will Hawthorne and his friends.

I know I can't.

I really enjoyed this new adventure fantasy novel by AJ Hartley. The characters and the world they live in are well developed, and the action is well scripted. The first person narration makes it engaging and fun to read.

The hero of the story, William Hawthorne, is a theatre actor. That is what he's been trained to do. When the story begins, Will's apprenticeship is up at the Eagle Theatre, but he hopes he will be asked to stay on as a regular. However, with a nose for trouble, he soon finds himself evading another fellow actor and the law. Unwilling to go quietly, he escapes and doesn't look back (much). Whether it is fate or luck, he is saved by a group of well armed "adventurers" who reluctantly bring him along on their next mission. Will finds it difficult to fit in with his new companions, but he soon learns that although he can't fight and ride a horse as well as some of the others, he has special skills which help them get out of tight situations. Throughout the journey, Will learns more about his companions (and himself) and grows closer to them. He escapes death several times and finds himself doing things to save others, but he doesn't think of himself as a hero though. In the final battle against the "Raiders," who have unexpected allies, Will needs to decide whether he will fight alongside his friends or flee from danger and death.

I look forward with great anticipation to volume two of the Hawthorne Saga.

Loved this book! It is a real page-turner written by someone who obviously has a love for and a command of the language as well as a deep-seated belief in the power of a great story.

I found myself fully engaged in the goings-on from the very first page and devoured every page after that. It is a refreshing treatment of the fantasy genre and I believe that there is something here for every one whether you are a fan of fantasy fiction or not.

One of the most enticing things about the story was the real growth you saw in the main character--the hilarious--Will Hawthorne, a man we can all identify with on some level. It's like a story of noble heroes being told from the point of view of someone just like you and me bringing an insight into the events that make it easier to engage and delight in the story.

I highly recommend this book.

Read this book. I love fantasy and you will love this. Will Hawthorne is the most engaging character I've ever met and hope to meet him again.

Young Will Hawthorne plays female roles in an acting troupe. Currently they are performing at the Eagle theatre and tavern in Cresdon, a place recently conquered by the Diamond Empire, who have somewhat outlawed theater as rebellious and seditious. During a game of cards while drinking stale beer, Will is caught stealing someone else's winning pot. He knows the most likely punishment is exile from the troupe.

However, the militia arrives to shut the theatre and arrest the actors. Will escapes via jumping into the rafters and climbing several rooftops. He ends up in a tiny room where rebels are holding a meeting. Though he has doubts about the wisdom of rebellion against an overwhelming force, he reluctantly joins them to stay alive until the next act when he can exit safely. Instead he observes shocking behavior for the better good that he always thought was make believe drama not real. Still he hopes to escape by the third act but not before he serves as the leading man with lovely Renthrette. However, as he and his new "troupe seek to destroy the mystical deadly cavalry that rides to and from magical mists leaving behind death, he wonders how he got his first starring role in the theatre of the absurd: real life.

Sort of returning to Shakespeare as his base (see WHAT TIME DEVOURS), A.J. Harley provides an enjoyable quest fantasy starring a wonderful anti-hero who wants nothing to do with rebellion that is not staged. In a way Will's reactions to the inane values of loyalty and selfless service by his new comrades is a coming of age story as he begins to realize what he thought only existed on stage apparently is part of real life though he thinks his new troupe consists of insane troopers. Fans will enjoy this engaging tongue in cheek tale of heroism.

Harriet Klausner

I really wanted to like this book. I received it as a gift and didn't read any of the cover copy before plowing in, and I loved the first 20 pages. The central conceit that the novel is translated from an old manuscript in an unknown language is not a new one, but the description of this was well executed. That got my hopes up. And then the first-person introduction of Will Hawthorne is great. I loved his voice from the first paragraph, and the first scene where he's nearly arrested on-stage by soldiers who are going to burn down his theater had me itching for more.

But then nothing happened.

Okay, that's an overstatement, but I was bored by the central plot. When Will met up with a handful of people calling themselves "adventurers" I suspected I was in trouble. That's not a word I expect to find outside of D&D. D&D is great in its place, but I have trouble suspending my disbelief in a world where people describe themselves with that term. These characters were also rather flat and didn't get fleshed out much throughout the book.

After they fled Will's home city, the several chapters it took them to cross a very nondescript desert were not a good sign. Nor was Will's refusal to acknowledge the magic he had seen with his own eyes.

The magic is also of a very plain variety. The protagonists use magic about six times in the book, and it's just a minorly effective offensive weapon. The villains use one very restricted form of magic and never do anything particularly creative with it.

I'm giving this two stars because of the voice and the writing style, which were both quite good. But a narrative voice and a central character cannot exist in a vacuum. For example, there was this scene where Will becomes a snake-oil salesman in order to get some money...and there was no fallout from that at all. The adventurers patted him on the back and said good job, and none of the people he bilked seemed to get upset. Huh? It was an amusing scene to read, but I couldn't suspend my disbelief. They stayed in town a couple of days after that and didn't get run out on a rail?

There were also various missed opportunities, such as a Big Brother Is Watching-type culture that was explored for about five pages before everyone agreed it was creepy and moved on. It felt either underdeveloped or in the wrong book entirely. The end was also by-the-numbers. They defeated the bad guys, and not in a clever way. And the author apparently balked at killing off a character when it would have been meaningful. (At least, had it been led up to dramatically. As it was, I cared little about the character either way.)

So after a promising start, the story was boring and uninteresting. There may be a market for sword & rather-little-sorcery books such as this one, but I'm apparently not in that market.