Customer Reviews

The Crimson Sky (Keepers of the Hidden Ways)

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

 

 

I've read Joel Rosenberg for more years than I care to admit and this book is right on par from what I've come to expect from him. These Hidden Ways stories are great reading, they have an originality to them which I've found in most of Rosenberg's series. The only complaint I had with this book in the series was that the story itself was a little simplistic compared to the previous two. I still enjoy reading about this world and characters and enjoyed this book all the same. I hope for more in this series real soon and would recommend it to all.

I'm an unembarrassed Rosenberg junkie, and my only complaint is that it's too long between fixes.

I'm very fond of the Guardians of the Flame books but I think the Keepers of the Hidden Ways books may even be better. I think I have to agree with the previous reviewer that I wanted more of the story, because I do want more of the story, but I think that will be true for the foreseeable future until Rosenberg ends it.

I'm not sure exactly how he's going to get there, but it looks like he's fixing to bring his characters up to and maybe through Ragnarok, and this is a ride that it would be a pity to miss.

Buy it. Read it. Nag him for more.

An excellent continuation of the saga. The characters are excellent, real people you want to know. I was sorry the story ended because I wanted to spend more time with these characters. The plot suffers from an ending which seems slapped on to end at a certain number of pages. I hope Mr. Rosenberg can continue these characters with a bit more plot development.

I truly enjoyed the first book of this series. The second one had, to me, decent pacing, and an ending that got dropped in at the last minute.

This book has laggardly pacing; major activities happen off-scene and are simply alluded to, or brushed over towards the end.

I'd rather have had more action and less meandering over the scenery, and less introspection on the parts of newer characters. In the first book, it was clear that this was a "buddy flick" -- Thorian Thorsen was the primary character, Ian was a strong secondary character. The second book brought Ian into the spotlight, and sort of shoved Torrie into the "Dumb Blonde Swede" role, which may be fitting for Ian's perspective. Torrie still comes off as being slow witted, if likeable.

This book spends more time with the local cop for Hardwood ND than it does with either of the characters we established earlier in the series, and at the expense of the action in Tir Na Nog. The closure on the book feels terribly contrived, like it was done to either trim the novel down by a few thousand words, or because he ran out of time to write it before his deadline came up.

The fencing scenes in it have the details more or less right, and if there are fewer in there than I'd like, well, it may change later. The overall plot is good, if a bit overpadded. The scenes from Torrie's dad's perspective are lovely. The homily on tolerance for homosexuality, while germane, and important to the author, came off as being heavy handed.

All in all, I'd recommend it if you've read the first two...and I can hope that Mr. Rosenberg has more time on the next one.

I have only one thing to say, WOW! I have been a fan for years ever since I read the Guardians of the Flame series. I can see the faces of the characters as they come to life. This is a must read for all the fans of Joel Rosenberg.

I loved the Guardians series and I am seriously considering this one. I've been disappointed too many times with series not ending (leaving you hanging) and most of the previous reviews lead me to believe that there is more to this (series) story than what I can find...
Is this an incomplete series?
As it will be a 'hunt' to find these older books, I would rather wait than be disappointed.
Thanks for any advice!

This is my second series by Rosenberg, and I fear it will be my last. The one thing all his books seem to have in common is an upward trend in Rosenberg's use of vulgar language... all of which is unnecessary, offensive, and highly distractive to this reader. And while his use of foul language has steadily increased, Rosenberg's storylines have just as steadily decreased. The plots have thinned dramatically. Very disappointing.