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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Heavy on plot, Light on character development, January 15, 2004
Gavril Andar is a talented painter who learns that he is really the heir to a kingdom in a mysterious northern realm known as Azkendir. Gavril's father is cruelly murdered and his men-at-arms come to fetch Gavril to take his rightful place as ruler. Kidnapped and made prisoner in the snowy, dreary Kastel, Gavril slowly learns the full truth of his inheritance. Meanwhile Gavril is a target. Eugene of Tielen wants to crown himself emperor and invading and subduing all of the lands of Rossiya (of which Azkhendir is one) is priority. And Eugene believes that the time is ripe to destroy Akzhendir while the untested and weak Gavril is too new to his rule to be a real threat. Treachery, evil spirits, magic, deceit, betrayal and revolution all meld together as Gavril is forced to embrace his fate. When I read the reviews of this book, I was excited because the praise seemed to point to a plot and characters that were different from standard issue fantasy fare and full of fresh ideas and surprises. This is certainly true....sort of. The book is largely set in a time and place that is reminiscent of Tsarist Russia (right down to having a character named Astasia and hungry commoners threatening revolt). The main character turns into a creature that is a weird amalgm of vampire and dragon and he is referred to as Drakhoul or Draghoan. There is magic and alchemy, but they are presented side by side with such "modern" technology as guns, cannon and a device that sounds kinda like an ornately ornamental walkie-talkie. Overall the book has a very old world eastern European vibe as opposed to the decidedly medieval era western European vibe you get with a lot of the fantasy being written. So in this instance the feel of the book is very different. What isn't so outstanding or spectacular is the execution of the story. Somewhere inside this book is a better book dying to get out. The characters were intriguing but flat. They had no real flesh, to me. I felt that the character development really suffered because the plot took so much precedence. There are a lot of characters and a lot of things happened to those characters very quickly. One character finds out about her parentage after having lived all of her life in ignorance and then a few chapters later, by chance, meets her long lost grandmother and then a few chapters later, masters a difficult inherited family trait. I guess there is a reason why so many fantasy writers write volumes that are 600 or more pages long. I obviously can't give the book unqualified praise. But I didn't hate it either. I am looking forward to the follow up books if for no other reason than to see if the characters develop better and to see what happens next.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Fantasy, July 5, 2004
This review is from: Lord of Snow and Shadows: Book One of The Tears of Artamon (Mass Market Paperback)
Ok before you judge this review as lame as the title let me point out reviewing fantasy is not my forte. Although soon enough with some recent reviews I will have to skip the disclaimer I usually head them with about me not being a fantasy reader. I am selective, and it was the blurb on the back of this novel that sold me the book. Gavril Andral artist and sensitive young man living in sunny Smarma and painting a lovely princess. Her family of course looks on him with disdain and the opening gambit in this debut offering from Ash seems predictable. Except unbeknownst to Gavril right away he has royal blood in his veins as well as a dark legacy from his father Lord Drakhoun of Ankerhisk(sp)?. His father was murdered and his retainers kidnap Gavril as the heir to inherit his father's dark gifts and blood feuds with rival klans. This novel borrows much from Russian lore including some sounds of names and places and folklore/wisdom. It also borrows from such tones as the darkest fantasy, and if Ash continues in this vein I can see comparisions to Barker(though not as dark) but I was also reminded a little of King's Dark Tower. The action in the tale is a skilful mix of suspense, classic fantasy, mythology and horror. The plot moves quickly, and not even the preview of the second title in the trilogy saturated my appetite for more concerning the characters populating this magical land. Ash's best qaulity is a succinctness in providing enough detail without detracting from the story's excitement and thereby able to cut off her story in a trilogy as opposed to a tetralogy or longer series. I will probably end up reading them all more than once which for a non fantasy reader should be the seller;).
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Couldn't stop reading!, January 21, 2004
By A Customer
I bought this book because I was in the bookstore looking for a new novel to read and noticed the beautiful artwork on the cover and became intrigued. I brought it home and read it in four days. I couldn't put it down! I was totally consumed by the compelling storyline. I didn't feel that going into a lot of detail about the characters detracted from the story. It is the plot and storyline that really keeps you absorbed in reading this novel. You feel so much emotion for the main character, Gavril. This book invokes all your emotions from fear, terror, revenge, and pity, to love, compassion and joy. The story doesn't overdo the fantasy, sorcery or magic stuff, but rather focuses on the lives of the people in the story. It is not so complicated that you get bored trying to keep up with all the facts and characters. Sarah Ash brings you into this world and you can totally visualize everything. The only drawback was that sometimes I found myself frustrated with the characters being naive and gullible and not saying more or wanting more information, but that all contributes to the mystery of the story. All in all, I loved this book and wish that the next one was out already so that I could continue reading. I think that if you like fantasy that doesn't get too complicated and mired in sorcery and magic, but concentrates on characters and storyline, you will like this book. Can't wait for the next one!
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