20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Fell" falls...in a good way?, October 30, 2007
This review is from: Fell (Hardcover)
"Fell" is the surprising sequel to "The Sight", and it starts off seven years after the events of the first book. Fell is a Kerl (a loner), wandering the forests and haunting the legends of both wolf and human. He has The Sight, a power to see the future, and a power that keeps him young as those he know grow old. Fell is content in living his loner life...until he has vivid dreams of an old adversary, and a vision from his dead sister. He is tied to a new destiny, and it has to do with a redheaded girl who might be the lost long heir to her slain father. Together they learn to communicate telepathically with the power of The Sight, and Fell makes alliances with creatures he never thought possible.
The story is definitely a lot better than `The Sight' in terms of language and style. Davies seemed to realize his flaws in The Sight, and certainly fixed them up in the new installment. Gone are the overused words like `growled' and `said', replaced with real emotions such as `exasperated', `frustrated', `nervous', giving the book a richer language. The characters are far more lively and creative, such as the beaver Fell meets in the beginning of his travels. But while the world is certainly something you'd be interesting in reading about, certain aspects pull this book down.
For one, even with the wolf's philosophy that `things must die, and that's life' is still way overdone, something you head many times before in `The Sight' and `Fire Bringer' and becomes annoying and unnecessary when Fell repeats this phrase over and over to Alina, the girl he aids in his travels. It seems that when someone is on the brink of death, they say this phrase, and it comes off rather forced. A good example of this is when Alina finds a blacksmith and his son. I won't spoil much, but when you read up on the blacksmith's death, you'll see just how forced the dialogue comes out when the man is dying.
There is no real threat in this book, other than the guards and other humans hunting Alina, and the new wolf threat is very poorly done, almost as though there had to be at least an evil group of wolves (the Venegrid)to match up to what went in The Sight. Morgra returns, spiritually, and to me, it rather killed the concept of the whole 'afterlife' business. So in that, the book really did tether out.
Also, the book is called "Fell" but sadly, the book is not all about him. Most of it is about Alina and her relations to a slain lord, and taking her to reunite with her family. Fell is there, but he's used only as Alina's wild guide through the forest. I feel that this sequel was needed, but it wasn't pulled off in what the readers probably wanted to see. They wanted to see Fell and his struggles, not about Alina. What happened to Fell in that seven year gap? The book should've been called `Alina' since the book is mostly about her, the black wolf we know and love giving a secondary role.
Granted, `Fell' is a damn good read, richer than The Sight, but if you're looking for an adventure where Fell truly finds himself, and a story that has less human interaction, you'll be disappointed in this sequel. The book falls, but depending on how you like it, depends if the book will have a safe landing into your reading choices.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Will you see the beauty?, March 6, 2008
This review is from: Fell (Hardcover)
After reading the previous reviews for Fell, and a few of the more in-depth reviews said that it was not as good as The Sight, I decided to buy it anyways. I definitely do not regret it.
The main way that Fell is different from The Sight is the theme, besides the plot of the story, the theme focuses more on Fell trying to overcome the struggles that many people face in the world. Death, depression, loneliness, and -the most recurring theme of the book- finding a meaning in life.
One review said that the wolf's philosophy of "everything dies and that's how it is" becomes tiring, but the point of the repetition is to show how much Fell is struggling with this dark thought. Another review says that the characters seem flat and static. I disagree sharply with this, seeing how Alina and Fell change and grow from the first page. (As I'm writing this I see I'm remaining somewhat vague, I apologize I am just trying to not give anything away while emphasizing that this book is fantastic...)
The beautiful imagery that Clement-Davies weaves through the book will definitely leave you craving more, while the characters ideas about the world will leave you questioning your own. The Sight was heartbreaking, but Fell will break your heart in a completely different way.
Buy the book, and look past the basic storyline to see the symbolism, universal lessons in life, and beautiful imagery.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Among The Very Best, November 19, 2007
This review is from: Fell (Hardcover)
I just want to chime in on a superb read.Clement-Davies has already developed a reader base with Firebringer and The Sight,and Fell just adds to,no,exceeds his great work.I see Richard Adams,Tara Harper,and Anne McCaffery now have a peer in great story telling re.animals and our relationship to them on an intimate level.I sincerely hope that Clement-Davies has a sequel planned for Fell,and it is one of the very few novel of the genre that begs for rereading.
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