Customer Reviews

Havemercy

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've been waiting for quite some time for this book to come out and, though I was initially disappointed by the sheer size of it (a rather unimpressive 388-pages, a quarter of the length of your average Harry Potter book), once I opened the book and immersed myself in its story, I was hard-pressed to pull myself back out again.

Havemercy details the intertwining stories of four very different people: Royston, a magician who has been exiled for dallying with a foreign prince, Hal, the adorable country tutor put in charge of watching over him, Rook, the lewd, crude pilot of Havemercy, the fiercest dragon in the Dragon Corps, and Thom, a young student unluckily roped into attempting to introduce the Corps to a trifling little thing like manners.

The book is extremely slow to start, spending much time, as with all fantasy novels, building up the world and introducing the characters. Action scenes are minimal (I think there were only two of them, possibly three) and the last, perhaps the most exciting, battle took place off-screen, leading to a rather anti-climactic finish. The book could have benefited from the use of a glossary as I've finished it and still have no idea what a 'bastion' is in this world, aside from functioning as a frequently used curse word. However, thankfully, the good well outweighs the bad.

The cast of characters are colorful and memorable. My favorite among them was Hal, whose bright eyes, desire to learn, and unwavering devotion to Royston make him as endearing to me as he is to the Margrave. The relationship between Royston and Hal is well-crafted (though it did bring back many memories of Nightrunner's Alec and Sergil) and I feel every almost-kiss and period of unresolved sexual tension with as much frustration as Hal himself must have felt.

The relationship between Rook and Thom, which I remain convinced had a romantic undertone no matter how many times the word "brothers" is drilled into my head, is equally staggering in its descriptive realism. You felt for them, their triumphs, their failures, the frisson that cackled between them on every page. Rook is a hard man to love, yet somehow Thom manages, and watching those walls get broken down without transforming Rook from the insensitive brute we were introduced to from the start is engaging to the very last page.

The novel is more character-driven than plot driven (which is why it seemed, to me, that the overreaching plot of war, secrecy, espionage, and conspiracy paled in comparison to how the characters reacted to them). The plot was lost in the thoughts and motivations of the characters so that it becomes less about Volstov's hundred-year battle against the Ke-Han and more about Royston's precarious relationship with Hal and Thom's struggles to not be eaten alive by the rowdy Dragon Corps.

However, Miss Jones and Miss Bennett did an excellent job of making their world and their characters fly off the page so that by the time the story was over I found myself longing for more. I hope to see more from them in the future.

Havemercy starts a little on the slow side as you jump between the four characters who narrate the tale. However, once the momentum builds this becomes a complete page turner. It's hard to categorize the book. Fantasy? Yes. Romance? Well, sometimes. Humor? It's laugh out loud funny at times. Action? Entirely, but you'll wish it had more by the time you weather your way through the final portion of the story.

The dragons you'll encounter are unlike the usual dragon-fantasy-fare. But the wildest creatures in the book are by far the Airmen who man them.

While the plot contains male/male romance, it comes across very naturally. It's sweet and well-crafted and shouldn't limit this story from being shared with a broad audience.

Ms. Jones and Ms. Bennett have crafted an amazing first novel. The dialogue is fresh, funny, and very witty. You'll find that each of the four main voices comes across unique--to the extent that it's amazing that the characters sprung forth from two minds and not four. (Or more.)

At the story's end, you'll be craving more--especially since a handful of very minor characters are absolutely begging to have their stories told.

I'm just not feeling the great enthusiasm. I thought "Havemercy" was an interesting spin on some SF tropes and it was really impressive as a first book. The writing was graceful but the book just wasn't more than mildly entertaining for me.
First off, the book was badly unbalanced. The plot was condensed into a few chapters. The book started out slow, which is nice for world building and all, but it took way too long for anything to happen. The action picked up about 3/4 of the way through the book. The action scenes were few but nicely handled but the ending was shamefully rushed.
Second, the world building was sketchy and confusing. The actual role magic played in the society was barely implied. We get a clear view of the power/political aspects used by the emperor but the general society was barely limned in. The three adjoining cities, bearing womens' names, were little more than caricatures. Molly was the slum. Yeah, got it already. What was trade in this society? How much, if any, social mobility was there? There were a few glimpses--young Hal escaping rural isolation, vicious Rook somehow being chosen by his mechanical/magic dragon--but overall the world building was careless at best.
Third, too many of the characters were flat and sterotypical in a novel that's very character-driven. The romance between naive Hal and older Royston was charming in an old-Harlequin-Barbara-Cartland mold. Hal was the essential pure, blushing virgin to Royston's damaged, worldly self. The slow seduction was sweet but corny because neither of the characters were anything more complex than types.
Unfortunately none of the other characters rang true as real people either. I vehemently agree with the reviewer who noted homoerotic overtones between the airman Rook and Thom the academic. The tension was explained away in a hokey long-lost-brother frill that was telegraphed chapters before. NOT convincing. The book is overwhelmingly masculine, hardly any female characters (besides whores and a nasty housewife) so the authors' weird tone deafness about men was all the more jarring. Example: hyper-macho Rook persecutes gentle Thom ruthlessly--but gently raises Thom by the chin to look into his eyes during an argument. A genuine WTF!? moment and one of too many.
I enjoyed the book, mind. The dragons were fascinating; worth a lot more development. The characters were more types than people and the world building was incomplete but the book was still a fun read. (Gorgeous cover art too.) So...a *good* book, and authors with a lot of potential.

I'm always looking to find new authors. Whether that means they are new to writing or I am new to finding them does not matter, but I enjoy finding a new author. Jones and Bennett have a great first effort here. I see one reviewer already went pretty deep into the plot so I will not bother.

The characters are compelling and you will come to care about them. Honestly, I was surprised at how fast I liked many of the characters. Usually it takes a while to settle in. The world is fairly laid out but I would like to know even more about it. The story is a little slow yes, but can every book be an action novel? We have to have our dramas too. If written right, an argument can be just as climactic as an epic swordfight.

I have only two complaints. One, there are a lack of female characters. The book is fairly male focused the whole time. I have no problems at all with homosexuality in novels at all but the sheer lack of female characters was a little shocking. Also my biggest complaint is . . . I want to know more about these characters and what happens in their future.

Hopefully the sequel is a direct continuation of the same characters. If not, hopefully we get some more details on them at least. If you are a fan of fantasy and don't need a ton of action in your story (and you don't mind same sex pairings) I would recommend you pick this book up.

HAVEMERCY is a laudable effort by two young, new writers, containing everything you'd want in a good fantasy: an interesting world with believable societies, tech and magic; finely drawn, memorable characters; epic battles as well as romance and moving relationships; and most of all--talking, fire-breathing, metal dragons and the special corps of men who ride them!

The kingdom/empire of Volstov, ruled by the Esar, has been in a nearly endless war with the Ke-Han Empire across the Cobalt Mountains to the south-east. Volstov has maintained the edge during the conflict because they alone have a small but effective air force consisting of 14 metal dragons flown by the daring pilots of the elite Dragon Corps, who are praised and feted throughout Volstov and particularly in their home base in the captial city of Thremedon (near the border, by the Cobalt Mountains).

Unfortunately, during the long, drawn-out war, there are periods of inaction. The tale opens during such a stretch, which has led to the Dragon Corps being at loose-ends and therefore in trouble. Rook, pilot of one of the fleetest, strongest dragons, Havemercy, has insulted the wife of an Arlemagne diplomat. Skilled and daring, but also wild and uncontrolled, Rook is the uncouth, uncaring, outrageous, foul-mouthed product of Molly, the lowest tier of Thremedon City, and he has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. Rook is one of the four first-person narrators of the tale. His voice is reminiscent of the swearing, tough-talking anti-heroes in a number of recent books--he reminded me a bit of Sarah Monette's Mildmay character (maybe in concert with the use of Bastion for castle/fortress area of the Esar and the tower of wizards, the Basquiat, and the upper-class, erudite voice of the wizard, etc.?).

There is also Margrave Royston, a wizard who also happens to land in trouble with an international incident. He's awaiting arrest and/or punishment for having indiscreetly had relations with an Arlemagne Prince who then blamed Royston entirely. (Volstov's society is a bit more forgiving of M/M relations, whereas Arlemagne is not, and the Prince was heir to the kingdom, and Volstov was hoping to make Arlemagne an ally in the war.) Royston's title of Margrave had been awarded him by the Esar himself, meaning that he was a magician who had performed great service, in Royston's case, in battle, even though he is already of the aristocracy and has a Talent and is therefore one of the elite magicians.

Thom is the third narrator, a scholar of the 'Versity who has the thankless task of trying to reign in the behavior of the Dragon Corps, a group of men closer than brothers. He goes to live among them, to find out what makes them tick. Rook seems to lead them all on, and Rook makes life for Thom unbearable. But Thom does, gradually, get to know about these men, the battles they fight--and the dragons!

Hal is the fourth narrator. He's a lover of romans, although he gets to read few enough books, being a poor, distant relation of the Margrave and nanny and soon to be tutor to the Margrave's brother, who lives at Castle Nevers out in the countryside--where the Margrave is exiled for his indiscretions.

All four play important parts in the plot, which starts slowly, during a time of inaction, and builds as the war heats up again--and then comes to a crisis as the Ke-Han magicians (who use a different form of magic) hatch a plan to turn the tide of the war and threaten all of the characters as well as the kingdom of Volstov and the outcome of the war.

There is not nearly enough about the dragons, however, that may have been wise, since it could have turned the story into just another man-and-his-dragon story (which may have been just fine). The aspects of the dragons and the life of the Dragon Corps that are shown are definitely fascinating, particularly as viewed through Rook's and Thom's very different eyes. Interwoven into this are Royston's and Hal's narratives, which are much more personal, but reveal intriguing and important things about the rest of society. All four characters are strong and distinct and interesting, and their sections interweave well, never impeding the gradually unwinding plot and building action.

While there is not much shockingly new explored in this book, it is still far from tired and derivative. The voices of the characters are varied and well-crafted and the overall story is told with dexterity and sincerity, giving it weight and easily engaging our interest as well as our emotions.

I had heard nothing about this book before happening to pick it up. It was like finding an unexpected gem and I feel grateful to have stumbled upon it.

I just finished Havemercy and am eager to get into the next book, Shadow Magic. The narrative is excellent and professional. I fully enjoyed the way the authors bounced between the different characters. It was a great way to see inside the minds of the different characters and also see how they viewed each other.

The story, plots and overall setting may not be the most original but it was well thought out and enjoyable. I enjoyed the partial steampunk atmosphere involved with the Dragons from Havemercy. It was nice because it was still fantasy overall and the technology was not overdone. Nor was it the focus of either book. In general the focus is on the characters first and foremost.

Perhaps a bit more lore on the technology and magic would be nice, since it was not fully explained. Then again there wasn't as much need to. Plus it may be explored in more detail in the next book.

The four main characters were teamed up, Thom and Rook then Hal and Royston. I do not want to mention any plots of such but will just say they were all well developed even if they fit the basic stereotypes of Scholar, Army Boy, Country Lad and City Man. I also liked the added gay friendly touches included in the story.

Overall a great book!

I just finished the book this morning. Last week the stunning cover caught my eye. Then I read the jacket, the thank you notes and author bios. I found Jaida Jones's and Danielle Bennett's story compelling and decided to by the book, if just to support these two spunky young novelists. It turned out to be a good move. I could barely put the book down and eagerly returned to it each evening.

Four characters share first-person storytelling duties in Havemercy: Hal - the smart and eager, but inexperienced country tutor, Royston - a distinguished but disgraced wizard, Thom - the intelligent university-man trying to find his road in life, and Rook - the fighting foul mouthed dragon rider that every noble woman wants to bed. It's a story that builds to a glorious crescendo.

I am curious to know which author wrote which characters' sections. I can imagine Jaida and Danielle emailing each other their work with combined feelings of pride and hope, working together and trying to outdo each other and, in the end, pushing each other to new levels of excellence. There were many times when I smiled at the writing as much as I smiled at the story.

Havemercy is a Venti Mocha Malt Frappuccino with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle of a story. I eagerly await their next Volstovian adventure.

I'm a special case of reader, in that I had high expectations after reading the Shoebox Project, the unfinished fanfiction Jaida co-authored. It was so witty and character-driven, yet still maintained a plot in each of its chapters, that I anticipated something spectacular out of this book. I was unfortunately disappointed; whether that's do to the lack of Jaida's Shoebox co-writer, the presence of her new co-author, or some other aspect, I don't know.

It actually read like a work of fanfiction, which ended up being to its detriment. The romance of the characters (and I also admit to detecting strong homoerotic tension between Thom and Rook, who are revealed to be brothers) overshadowed any semblance of plot, so that the resulting climax and denouement were unfortunately brief and underdeveloped. That's fine when you're reading a story on the internet that's utilizing an already-created universe to explore romantic relationships between characters, but it's terribly unsatisfying in a full-length, published novel. Hal's deus ex machina solution to the plague was nearly ludicrous in that a non-magician had to be the one to come up with it. Furthermore, I don't think the romance was particularly successful either. The interactions between Royston and Hal were PG at best, and the age/maturity difference between the two was disconcerting. Royston was the tortured older man, and Hal mooned after him in an unpleasant, sanitized way. Some Twilight-esque kisses ended up being the only resolution to their strange romance.

What would would have been more successful is a romance between Thom and Rook, who actually appeared to have chemistry, though ultimately even their characters suffered from confusing characterization. Rook's sociopathic plot to deceive Thom into thinking he had real emotions was oddly unresolved. For someone who was so devoted to hating Thom, especially after the big brotherly reveal, he certainly seemed to care for Thom in the end for no discernible reason. And Thom's job of rehabilitating the rowdy Dragon Corps fell by the wayside as he seemed to more and more often do nothing but sit on his couch and angst over Rook and the war.

The writing was, in general, good, though the world-building was uninspired and Volstovian society still seemed confusing and slapdash by the end of the novel. The most intriguing aspect to the book, I think, was the Dragon Corps and their mounts, and Thom's valiant, doomed efforts to teach them manners. Unfortunately, while the Dragon Corps dynamics in the barracks were heavily focused upon, the dragons themselves were underdeveloped, which led to the ultimately unsatisfying conclusion.

Ultimately, I didn't mind the romance because it's part of what sold me on the book in the first place (though I wish it had been handled better), but it needed to be more balanced with a coherent plot. I suppose I'll check out the sequels from the library out of loyalty to Jaida, but I don't know that I can strongly recommend actually purchasing the book.

Havemercy is a mechanical dragon, empowered by magic, one of fourteen such creatures built to protect the city of Volstov during its hundred year war with its enemy, the Ke-Han. She can also talk and often does often to her rider, Rook. This novel is entertaining for many reasons, one of which is that it's told from the first-person viewpoint of the four main characters: Royston, a mage (with a Talent for exploding and burning things)who's been exile from the city of Thremedon for a sexual indescretion; Hal, the naive country boy who is dazzled by his knowledge; Rook, leader of the Dragon Corp, the group of fourteen men who, because of their prowess in handling the mechanical beasts have been lead to believe the city itself is theirs playground, and Thom, a young 'Versity professor who has been assigned by the monarch to teach the airmen how to conduct themselves in public. The story of how these four are brought together is played against the war between the two countries, one which the Dragon Corps has been winning until someone discovers a way to kill the magicians supplying the dragons' magic. Thom, bookish and nerdy, immediately clashes with Rook, who initially comes across as a foul-mouthed bully, going out of his way to humiliate this "intruder" and in the process learning a few things about himself which also brings about an unexpected discovery for Thom. The Airmen themselves are described enough to give each individualsm; in some ways the barracks where they live is like a gigantic Frat House with Thom as the unwilling Housemother. Royston finds himself the object of Hal's innocent passion and, because passion is the reason for his current predicament, is hesitant to take advantage of it. Then Royston is recalled to the capitol; Rook and the Airmen refuse to fly their dragons because the mechanical creatures are beginning to malfunction; and Thom and Hal attempt to discover a way to restore magic to the mages and win the war. Because this story has four viewpoints, it is vivid and dramatic and gives specific touches to each character. The clashes between Rook and Thom are shown from each man's point of view as well as the revelation of the secret the two unknowingly share. Royston's love for Hal is handled with delicacy and tact, shown from the mage's mature and somewhat sardonic aspect as well as that of the unawakened Hal who is at first dazzled by the older man's sophistication, then discovering a gentle soul lurking inside Royston's jaded armor. Since this is a tale of men at war--fighting against unexpectedly dire odds--there no romance per se, and I fully expected it to have an unhappy ending... so I was pleased at the resolutions for the characters. While they might not be what all readers would wish, I found the outcome of Havemercy to be totally satisfying within the novel's framework. Is there a sequel for these four characters? I certainly hope so. I'd like to hear more about Rook and Thom and Margrave Royston and his book-loving Hal.

Havemercy struck me first when the cover came up in my Amazon recommendations. I've always had a thing for dragons. If you're looking for a story "specifically" about dragons, this might not be it. That is not to say there aren't any dragons, because there are, and for the small amount of page space she gets, Havemercy (said dragon) totally makes her vibrant personality known. The only thing is we unfortunately don't get to see much of her, although she is never far from our thoughts through the thoughts of the characters. However, on the total upside of all this, the rest of the human cast of characters are each very intriguing and I loved reading about each of their trials and tribulations. First we have Margrave Royston, a royal wizard with an amazing talent, both magically and for getting into trouble. His most recent transgression; an all too public affair with the crown prince of his country's newest ally. Hal is a simple country boy with a yearning for both a little affection and a lot of intellectual stimulation, neither of which is available at the home of his cousin, until the appearance of an exiled wizard changes everything for him. Rook is an arrogant dragon rider who cares for nothing other than flying his precious Havemercy and Thom is the unfortunate 'versity student assigned the impossible task of teaching the elite Dragon Corps the ways of manners and refinement.

This story, told in alternating parts, really focuses most on the innermost challenges facing each of them. We get to see how they think, feel, act and react to each other and when they are all brought together, the results are quite gratifying. There is both action (the story taking place during an ongoing war between neighboring countries) and romance (heads up for the said romance being of the gay variety for those that care) mixed along with more personal discoveries for each of the characters which made this an above average read for me and something I'm very happy to have found. It was exactly the kind of engrossing fantasy I've been looking for since finishing Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner books. Highly recommended!