Customer Reviews

The Ascension Warrior (Horizon War, Book 2)

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

 

 

I have been hooked since book one and had to order the last book in the triology. No one carried it. I have never been in such suspense before. Most of the books I have read I figured out the ending before I finished. These, however, I can only narrow it down to a couple different ways it might end. I recomend these books to everyone.

This is a good book for a second volume in a trilogy managing to sustain my interest in both the protagonist and the mystery of who is the main antagonist. The supporting characters both hero's and villains are also interesting. I enjoyed having characters that had appeared in his earlier trilogy (the Masquerade of the Red Death) showing up and continuing thier story.

The second volume of the "Horizon War" trilogy is way better than the first one, but it still has many flaws.

The good part is less gore and more plotting development. Like the Red Death, now the reader can see that there is more than meets the eye. Also, some characters are better explored, like Ernest "X344" Nelson and his comrade-of-the-hour, Sharon "the Progenitor" Reed. The description of Horizon Realms are also good, as well as the careful unveiling of Seventeen`s past-life as an Euthanatos.

However, a good review would be very much appreciated in this volume before sending it to publishing. Here are some points that should be improved:

- First, there are passages almost identical to the Red Death trilogy. Madeline Giovanni falls for children and has to fight to save them again; Nephandi packs attack a building from where characters have to flee for their lives (Dire Mccain had the same problem with the Sabbath); there is a powerful villain which uses screams to attack an underground chamber (the Nosferatu Nictuku in Phantomas lair in Read Death, the Wailer in the Progenitor`s house in Horizon Warrior); among others;

- Second, there are some holes in the narrative: if Pietro, the Master of the Mausoleum, was killed by Enzo plotting, how would Enzo grasp the control of the Giovanni clan? (probably the elders would just choose a fitting replacement and that`s all); why was there so much description of Porthos being crazy, if he was so heroic in his only scene? if the final confrontation took place in a toxic waste dump, why was not there a single bane? Why the Verbena magic (considering those particular Verbena mages, which were so much attuned to mother Earth) worked so well? Ok, three minor wizards (I don`t even recall any name) died, but it was more than good, since they fought hundreds of foes, some of them powered-up by Ezra and Enzo;

- Third, there is an almost endless repetition of the main descriptions and motivations. Ok, let's assume that maybe someone would pick this second volume and have problems to grasp the story, but keep repeating Aliara`s description and motivations over and over only upsets the reader who is following the trilogy. I confess I keep hoping she never shows up again, so I don`t have to skip two or three useless paragraphs. And this is just an example;

- Fourth, many passages could be better explored: the confrontation between Terrence Wade and the Changing Man is frustrating, to say the least. There is a lot of preparation for it, good tension-building scenes and... a push???!? This simple solution worked very well on the first volume with Aliara, but repeating it was catastrophic. This is a confrontation I would like to read, much more than a lot of hack-and-slash of a Halloween party costumed Seventeen (oh, great idea! Let's give him a scythe! He will be so much more Euthanatos this way...); also, where is Ezra`s family blood feud? "Oh, his sister came and beat him up"... Come on! I hope Elisha at least shows up in the last volume.

Despite the negative reviews and feelings from many hardcore Mage the Ascension fans, I found the Ascension Warrior and the Horizon War Trilogy entertaining, fun, enjoyable, and insightful into the aspects of Mage the Ascension. I have never played this particular game, but I am familiar with Vampire the Masquerade and the Old World of Darkness, and being a fan of the setting in general, this novel was good.

There are many major events that occur in this the "Ascension Warrior," many events which can be considered 'cannon' in the Mage the Ascension Universe. The two major events are the death of Sao Cristavao, and the destruction of Dossiestep. The author confirms that these events actually happened in the Old World of Darkness. The Ascension Warrior does an excellent job in moving the trilogy along and develops many of the characters and their relationships. There are a few that stick out.

1. The romance between Seventeen and Shadow of the Dawn. - Being a huge fan of romance in Science Fiction stories, the development of the relationship between the two characters was one of the highlights of the book for me. Their gestures towards each other were subtle and made brief appearances, throughout the novel but were very effective in telling the story.

2. Ernest Nelson (X344) and Sharon Reed's alliance - After the destruction of the Gray Collective and the fall out of the Pattern Clone Being Unleashed in the "Road to Hell," these two enemies within the technocracy are forced to work together to survive the political game they are found in. X344 represents Iteration X and Sharon Reed is a Progenitor. Because the pair know many of the secrets of the Pattern Clone and are considered loose ends, they become hunted by infiltrators of the Technocracy and the Nephandi. They work together really well and it was another example of character development in the story.

3. Madeline Giovanni and the Rat Pack - Arguably Weinberg's most popular WoD creation, the Dagger of the Giovanni befriends another group of children who live in Rochester. Unlike the three boys in the "Red Death Trilogy" I found the Rat Pack much more enduring and sympathetic. They were tough kids who in a world much darker then VotM, are able to survive. Madeline, a character from the Red Death Saga, once again has her character fleshed out and it is once again well portrayed in this book.


-Thus far, I am finding the Horizon War trilogy darker to its counterpart in the Red Death Saga. The violence is more gruesome, there is a sense of hopelessness in the trilogy so far that makes me feel as if the story is going to end in a horrible manner. There is a lack of action in the novel when compared to the War to Hell, but the final scene somewhat makes up for it. It is one of the most action packed, violent, and most gruesome final battles that I have ever read in a Science Fiction/Horror novel.

Robert Weinberg is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors from the 1990s. He does a great job in creating dark scenarios and developing intriguing characters. I love the terror he invokes in the reader and the fact that at the end of each chapter you know something is going to happen. There are no wasted words, thoughts, action descriptions, or details in his writing. The Horizon War trilogy is entertaining, and I am looking forward to finishing "War in Heaven"