Customer Reviews

Bitterwood (Dragon Age)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In a land where dragons rule, and humans are treated merely as slaves and pets, there seems to be little hope. But after his family is taken from him, Bitterwood sets out on a quest for vengeance against the ruthless dragons. And humanity looks to the legendary dragon hunter to set them free.

Bitterwood is one of the most original and exciting fantasy novels that I've read in years. The characters of Bitterwood and the dragon Vendevorex are shrouded in mystery, their stories slowly unfolding through flashbacks over the course of the novel. There are a good number of dragon characters in the story, which are just as well-developed with distinct personalities as the humans. With a large cast of unique characters, the index of characters in the back of the book comes in handy at times.

The imagery and descriptions of this fantasy world is amazingly vivid and creative. And the story of Bitterwood is epic and thought provoking. Full of adventure, mystery, action, this is one story that should appease any fantasy and adventure fan. Maxey is one of the most talented writers that I've come across lately, and I'll definitely be following his progress and looking forward to new releases.

James Maxey has really impressed me with his first two novels. Bitterwood stands out as one of those rare fantasy novels that you can enjoy in one book. There's a sequel, but Bitterwood can stand on it's own.

The story is really fun - an earth that has returned to a medieval era; a man whose family is lost to dragons; he vows to destroy dragons wherever possible, aided by fortunate trivial assistance from outside observers. Maxey does a good job of anthropomorphizing dragons, and making the dragon-human culture believable.

I don't usually review products, but after seeing that Bitterwood only has 11 Amazon reviews, I thought I would chime in and give it some support.

Bitterwood is one of the best books I've read in a long time, and offers a great combination of interesting characters, exciting action, and a fascinating world to discover. The book offers new twists on familiar ideas, which I think is what makes it such a great read. Is it literally perfect? Maybe not, but it has a level of creativity that few books can match.

If you like science fiction and/or fantasy, you really should give Bitterwood a try!

Maxey has an interesting idea for Fantasy. Dragons rule the planet and humans are they slaves. These dragons are not your average Fantasy dragons because they have formed a culture/community and are ruled by a kind. Not your typical fire-breathing, treasure hoarding dragon, right?

The premise for the book is good, but the writing just felt uneven. There were times when the characters felt too contrived and the storyline seemed to be out of control. Too many highs and lows.

Maxey does a good job of explaining events after they have happened, so that you get a larger perspective. I just didn't enjoy the character themselves very much. They just didn't seem to come alive for me because to often their reactions felt canned---like they had to do something a certain way because that's the type of character they are.

It was not a bad book, but as Fantasy goes it's a medium level product.

Im new to the whole fantasy genre so when i picked up this book i wasnt too sure if id like it. Well, this book blew me off my feet, I LOVED IT, its got a great story line, well developed characters that you can relate to, and it hooks you quick and keeps you hooked, I just didnt want to put it down!!

There's not much more to say but this book is great, if you like fantasy, or dragons, or both or even just want something different to read this is a great book to get. James Maxey did a great job and you can believe i bought the second book, Dragonforge, and it was also just as good, only it left me wanting more at the end of it but, the 3rd one is coming! Anyways, because of this book, i am now a fan of fantasy books.

I found it hard to maintain momentum while reading this novel. Brief flashes of interesting development were surrounded and beaten down by an immense cast of throw-away characters and puzzling plot choices. First there is the multitude of dragon types - interesting, but undeveloped as a plot point. Then there is the odd mixture of 'magic' (Wizard Vendevorex) and 'science' (theology espoused by those who know the truth). Finally, there is the seeming acceptance by humanity of it's role of slave and occasional food source.

Too much attempted in too short a time.

After I gave up on the reading of this story, I realized that the style of writing reminded me very much of another story I wanted very much to really like, but couldn't because of its flat characters and linear plot. The other book was Eragon. If you enjoyed reading Eregon, you will probably like this (being about dragons and all), but if you found Eragon trite, like I did, I would leave this book alone.

I'm not going to write about the story of the book or give little bits about it, or even speak in perfect terms about 'the masterful works of the author' and 'breathtaking descriptions'. I'm going to keep it real for you folks. I'm 26 years old and have been reading Fantasy since THE CASTLE IN THE ATTIC. I love Fantasy books, but not Sci-Fi books. I suppose, until now. Maxey put the two together so well, it almost seams that they were meant to be together forever. I've read anything from Tolkien, to Jacques, to Jordan. Take this seriously, when I say it, James Maxey is up there with the best. When I found Paolini's, ERAGON and ELDEST, I was excited that there were new writers out there who really created a fantastical world that seemed to exist so many years ago. Well, as I looked through my local library, I came upon BITTERWOOD, read the first paragraph, and took it home. I read it in a week. Yea, that's not TOO fast, but I do work full-time, workout 5 days a week, and have a house, wife, and 4 pets to take care of. I couldn't put it down. And when I did, I wanted to pick it back up again.
I finished it only to be saddened that it was over. But, off I go onto the internet and find out that DRAGONFORGE is available. So the next day, I went to the bookstore to buy it. It has been just as intriguing as BITTERWOOD. I'm only about 50 pages in, but this morning, I didn't want to go to work because 'it was just getting good'.
Do yourself a favor, if you are reading this, I kid you not, buy them both right now. You will only be freaking out if you buy BITTERWOOD, finish it in 4 days, and then have to wait for DRAGONFORGE to hit your doorstep. Great book! You'll love it.

Oh my god, guys. This book is so terrible.

Every element of this book is awful. The narrative is clunky, the dialogue is awkward, the exposition lacking. There are so many cliches I stopped counting them after three chapters in. The characterizations are atrocious and very rarely are we allowed to get to know the characters through their actions; rather, the narrative will simply inform us in the blandest terms. There is no organic feel for the characters or their world, no sense that they exist in a community that was anything other than invented by the author, manifested from nothing. There is no sense of culture; things just exist, or are the way they are, because it worked best for the author to have them that way, than for the characters to have grown and evolved in that manner.

The book reads like a parody of itself, and would be a masterful one at that if it weren't played completely straight. It puts into mind that maybe Bitterwood is an entirely seperate book or movie, and this novel is just terrible fan-fiction of it that somehow managed to get published.

Avoid! There are better works out there.

I saw this for the low price on the Kindle (this could obviously change after this review is posted) and saw the different cover and did a double-take.

Yup, same "Bitterwood".

If you decide to buy this one, you're going to have some fun with it. It's actually rather hard to talk about without ruining a key twist that snakes out into everything, be it character, world, or plot. It's a nice twist, suspected and then confirmed and suddenly the story has new meaning and hidden dangers and a very many questions about how this dragon-filled world ended up like it did are asked.

All three books in the series are very much worth checking out, though "Bitterwood" is the best of the bunch.

Robin Hood fighting dragons doesn't even begin to describe what you're about to step into.

Four stars.