Customer Reviews

Conqueror's Moon (Boreal Moon Tale 1)

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

 

 

In a genre marked by bloated, badly-written, and over-hyped series, Julian May's newest novel is a much-needed breath of fresh air; "Conqueror's Moon" is the real deal. Unlike some of her present-day contemporaries, she can actually write. And (note to said contemporaries): she also researches, infusing her world-building with truly original ideas. Her magic system alone is worth the price of admission. Also, she demonstrates that one can write solidly entertaining fantasy without being a clone of Tolkien or McCaffrey. The prose reminded me of a cross between Zelazny and Katherine Kerr (Deverry novels), who I consider two of the finest stylists in fantasy & SF literature. Forget Goodkind & Jordan; get this book now--then join the impatient wait for the next book in the series!

For years, Julian May was my favorite author. Her Pliocene Exile tetralogy remains the pinnacle of epic fiction in my mind. I enjoyed the Galactic Milieu tetralogy as well, and attributed some of my small disappointment to the sheer scope of the tale. Finally, the Rampart Worlds was entertaining, tongue-in-cheek with fleeting moments of the type of musical prose that had enraptured me with her writing years before. But now... now I must admit that I think Ms. May is fading from her peak.

While Conqueror's Moon was a solid work from the genre perspective, she fell far short of my lofty expectations. She's a good writer, that much is certain. Better by far than Jordan or Goodkind or Newcombe... and there is always the possibility that her editors have hacked and slashed some of her narrative. But her "decline" is not dis-similar to that of Terry Brooks'. "The Sword of Shannara" was fine, lively, colorful writing. Subsequent books, while perhaps more intriguing from a conceptual and storytelling standpoint, lost the magical descriptions and mood-setting narrative of his first work. He succumbed, IMO, to the commercial muse.

May's latest work is not that corrupt. The world is interesting, original. The magic is fresh and new (for the genre-- although I can't help thinking it is the watered-down "fantasy" version of the space opera metapsychics from her Pliocene and Milieu series). But the storyline is fairly ordinary otherwise, and her characters (usually one of her great strengths) are quite uninteresting, almost cardboard thin. There is little evolution in them, little growth in this first book... They just are, and static, and not that interesting.

Moreover, the music is seemingly gone. In her "Pliocene Companion" May was interviewed as saying that she heard music in her head when she wrote-- different pieces that helped her feel the mood of the scene in the book she was writing at the time. I could tell what she meant when I read it. Her words were Joycean-- they reached out and stimulated all five senses in harmonious rapture. Not so, anymore. For the genre, her prose remains above-average, but without an enthralling storyline, this book is just OK.

It's good enough to finish. I'm steadily making my way through the second book, "Ironcrown Moon" as we speak. I've been on a fantasy binge of late-- seven other books, most of which I'll not review. I lament that the Julian May of old has not been rekindled thus far here.

If you were looking for a synopsis in this review, I apologize. To me, this book was more about the author than the story. I guess that really says it all about this book.

When Didion not only rejected Cathra's claim of sovereignty, it executed the ambassadors, Prince Conrig of Cathra decides to claim the sovereignty by force. Of course, there's the little matter of getting an army across the high and well-defended mountains that separate the two nations, but Conrig has a plan for that--a plan based on the magical powers of the beautiful Princess Ullanoth. In return, she asks his support in her plans to be the next Queen of her own kingdom and plenty of money. Of course, a more fertile relationship isn't to be ruled out either--if Conrig's current wife can be dealt with.

Conrig's plans would have failed quickly if not for the efforts of a young servant--Snudge. Snudge has a wild magical talent--one that even practiced mages cannot detect. The talent allows him to detect enemies spying on the prince--and track them to their hiding places. On one spy he discovers a stone that allows invisibility--a powerful tool for a spy or for a commando.

Author Julian May offers a fascinating world and magical system. The political infighting and backbiting all ring true. Unlike much fantasy, May doesn't portray a battle of good against evil. All of the major characters, with the possible exception of the thief/spy Snudge, are morally ambivalent. Cathra's desire to conquer its neighbor may have been motivated by Didion's murder of the ambassadors, but Conrig would have attempted the conquest without the excuse. Although May's world is more real as a result of this decision, it also distances the reader from the action. Since we don't really like any of the characters (again with the possible exception of Snudge), it is hard to care too much whether Conrig's military adventure is successful or not.

The sympathetic character of Snudge and May's strong writing work, however. I found myself getting emeshed in the story and wanting to find out what would happen next--even when I found the characters largely unsympthetic.

Egad,

If I could only get one good cudgel swing at every critic out there w/ little to no support for their worthless opines...

Folks, May is the "real deal": Her plotting is tight, her characters are fun (and flawed), and her dialog is very good (and often funny!) As others have mentioned, the magic "system" in this book is one of the best, period. Finally -- and so FEW of her contemporaries seem to be able to do this -- this is not another trite GoooD vs EeevilL tome. That's right, May is capable of creating sympathetic characters on both (even many!) sides of a conflict. This was one of the many virtues of her Many Colored Land series -- one of the most underrated sci-fi/fantasy series of all time.

I take away one star from this tale because the main character does come off a little contrived (particularly in the beginning), and quite frankly, I couldn't stand his name. Other than that, bloody good fun. I wish I could write one-tenth as well.

I read the blurb and the book looked decent, read the first page and it was well written (passed my test) so I got it.

Even though the plot looks interesting and the writing is decent, I could not get into this book because the entire first 30 pages is a GIANT INFO DUMP. There is almost no characterization going on and no main character to really bond to.

The beginning almost reads like genesis with so and so begot so and so who begot so and so who begot so and so.... But in this case, its a list of past events and occurrences and political intrigues etc. etc. Sure, that's all fine and dandy within the context of the story but not as a beginning.

In the beginning, I need a character to bond with, to care about, to go on a journey with. Otherwise, why should I care?

Perhaps, there is a decent main character in that book that I could have bonded with and gone on an adventure with. Unfortunately, I couldn't wad through 30 pages worth of info dumping to get to said character, so this book is a miss for me.

I have a rule (give a book 50 pages) so I will see if I can't struggle through 20 more pages to find a main character and if I do and somehow manage to finish this book, i'll come back and update this review

This review covers the entire Boreal Moon trilogy (but the score above is for the individual book).

I'm a big fan of the Saga of Pliocene Exile, and I also enjoyed the Galactic Milieu. So, since I was unable to get the books one by one as they appeared, I bought the entire Boreal Moon trilogy in one go, excited for a real treat.

This wasn't it. From the start, the first book failed to capture my interest, but eventually, I forced my way into the story, and after a few chapters, it got better. But not much.

The series relies on complex politics, and simplistic individual motivations. The evil foe (the Salka) are a caricature - literally stupid, evil, slimy, green, tentacled baddies - sidestepping the fact that they somehow created the special magic sigils the entire trilogy depends on. Worse, the entire story ignores the fact that the slimy creatures are the aboriginal inhabitants of the island, and that humans displaced them through conquest. The fact that they want their land back just proves their evil nature. Good creatures who want their land back are fine, though.

The omniscient narrator tends to forget that the characters are not (meant to be) omniscient, and central figures keep picking up key bits of information almost at random. The magic system is barely examined, and is highly inconsistent - for example, "windscrying" (clairvoyance) is widely used, but virtually no one takes even simple precautions against it. This means that all sides can easily pick up opponents' plans - except when scrying mysteriously doesn't work (or isn't considered) - all too apparently for the convenience of the author. Finally, the resolution of the trilogy is very much ex machina.

May relies here heavily on an omniscient, yet coy and perpetually vague oracle/fate. She used this same technique to slightly better effect (though near-equal reader frustration) in the Galactic Milieu books. Having now read all her major works (including parts of the Trillium and Rampart Worlds series), I can say that she was at her best in Pliocene Exile, when her voice was fresh and the setting unique. Much less successful, though still interesting in the Galactic Milieu, which built on part of the same background. The Boreal Moon trilogy, however, uses the same techniques in a fairly standard-issue fantasy setting, and it just doesn't work.

The trilogy is slightly dull and convoluted in the first volume, but still worthwhile for May fans. The second volume (Ironcrown Moon (The Boreal Moon Tale)) is substantially less interesting, but does carry the story forward. The final volume (Sorcerer's Moon (The Boreal Moon Tale)) is a very hard slog indeed, and worth reading only for those who just can't stand to quit a story part way through.

If you enjoy Julian May and epic fantasy, skip this series.

I have almost nothing good to say about this book. the story is okay and the world is nor horrible. other than that, the entire book is pretty dismal. The writing is especially bad. I would never have guessed May wrote it. the dialogs are forced and unconvincing. The drive of the characters is not well explained or understood. even the main characters are pretty flat and uninteresting. the end is somewhat climactic, but falls very short of being epic. Worst of all, its hard to sympathize or like the proctagonists. in some parts of the book i was actually rooting for the evil guy because he was so pathetic and had such rotten luck.

With his father dying, Prince Conrig of Cathra dreams of uniting the four kingdoms of High Blendholme under his rule. Working towards that end, he has enlisted the aid of the beautiful Conjure-Princess of Moss. But, there are many dangers ahead, and Conrig's plans may require him to take steps that he never thought he would have to. There are enemies and competitors aplenty on High Blendholme, just as there are schemes and schemers. Can Conrig pull of the dream of uniting the four kingdoms under one king, and at what cost?

Overall, I found this to be an entertaining story. I agree that there are no truly sympathetic characters in this book, except perhaps for Deveron Austrey. But, in spite of that, the interesting magic of the book, as well as the high adventure of the battles and whatnot, truly carry the story along. I found this book to be a strong beginning to the series, and I hope that its full potential is realized. As such, I do recommend this interesting and entertaining work of fantasy.

I highly highly recommend this book and the entire series. I am shocked that it is not well known...it was well reviewed and is incredibly well written throughout. Ignore the negative reviews here, they almost put me off. I just can't believe some of the negative stuff that people get obsessed about! I am sorry to have finished the series today...it is terrific throughout, demanding of your attention and intellect yet entertaining, suspenseful and very rewarding. Enjoy!

I have several complaints about this book... take these with a grain of salt, however, as I feel I might just have different criteria than the average reader of fantasy novels. This is coming from someone who loved the Wheel of Time the first time he read it, but after actually thinking about the stuff he was reading grew to dread it.

To sum up all my complaints for those who don't want to read the whole review: the whole book is very shallow, but perhaps entertaining to read if you don't think too much.

Other critics praise the "world-building". If by world building you mean "make up a whole bunch of places that are never mentioned anywhere in the book except in heavy, unnecessary descriptions of items," then this book delivers. It didn't make me feel immersed, however, but rather made me skip those passages. Maybe I'm sick of the genre itself; if you like that kind of writing then you'll probably like it in the book as well.

Even detractors say the book is well-written. I disagree; I feel the writing breaks down at several points.

I disliked the language the author uses in the book. I get the impression she is creating a slightly antiquated setting, so she uses old turns of phrases like "the soldiers broke fast," or "It matters not how she regards you." The dialogue is filled with old-style english: "Mounted thanes will lead the sumpter beasts... with companies of knights at the van and rear..." This would be fine if it weren't for the random spattering of new phrases such as "Oops!" and "Gonna puke!" (one of the characters literally says this...) These spoiled the mood for me.

The author also doesn't follow the concept of "show, don't tell..." and is rather obvious at times. Example: hero finds drawer full of gold and jewels while looking for something. Text: "He closed the drawer, not for a moment thinking of taking any of it, for he was far too honest for that." (paraphrased slightly). I don't need you to tell me he is honest, I could tell by the fact he already didn't take anything. Or when the maid delivers a letter: "I didn't read it, my lord, for I was never taught in the art of letters, but I turn it over to you now." Would anybody really say that? I figure in the years she's known the lord the fact that she can't read or write might have come up at some point.

This leads to a general failing of dialogue that plagues most fantasy books, which is that people don't talk the way they ever would in real life, e.g. long paragraph speeches where they expound and describe in a way that they only could if they were characters in a novel. It gives all the characters a lofty and stuffy air, which is first of all unexciting, and second of all, severely shattered when the characters say things like "we'll freeze our patoots tonight" (true quote, page 268).

People have already commented on the plot. It is weak at best, and filled with holes that are quickly patched up and brushed aside. This is combined with a lack of any psychological depth to the characters. Example: a pregnant character is given heavy doses of dangerous drugs, while also drinking lots of alcohol. The maid says "don't worry, the child is fine, for people such as I know these things" and no more thought is given to the child's safety. Another point: all the princes and knights and what not are about to rebel and withdraw their support. They even start making accusations of treason against their leader. Suddenly he appears and gives a trite one-paragraph speech filled with empty promises of "We will prevail!" and immediately all the characters jump up and shout "We're with you milord!" People in real life would not be so easily swayed... The main character is also not too strong. He trusts people, makes them swear to not lie to him, then they do, and when he finds out he just makes some exasperated comment and makes them swear to tell the truth again.

The plot is also rather anticlimactic, the main event that was built up to the entire book being resolved in a matter of a few pages.

To sum up: Not a work of art by any stretch, not well-written necessarily or interesting plot-wise, but at least it is easy to read, and can probably entertain if you don't think too much while reading it.