Customer Reviews

A Man Betrayed (Gemstar)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Okay, so if you were snooping around in the fantasy circles circa 1995, you are indubitably aware that this trilogy generated an enormous buzz. That in itself was surprising, since The Baker's Boy was Mrs. Jones' very first novel. In addition, it was published by Aspect (Warner Books), an imprint not particularly renowned for publishing bestsellers.

In any event, to a certain extent taking the market by storm, the series was an instant success. The three volumes were all national bestsellers, which is quite unusual. They all topped the Locus Bestseller List. Okay, so it's not the New York Times, but it is still quite an accomplishment for a new author.

Like a lot of people, I bought the books when they came out. Unlike many, I didn't read them yet. The hype was too strong, and I didn't want it to influence me when I read the series. Of course, I didn't really expect to wait nearly 9 years before reading them, either! For some reason, even though Mrs. Jones wrote 3 more novels since the publication of Master and Fool, she never did create waves the way The Book of Words trilogy initially did. Now was the time for me to see what the buzz had been about. . .

As is usually the case, the series did not live up to the expectations the buzz had created within me. Hence, I'm happy to have waited before reading the novels. Otherwise, I would probably have been VERY disappointed by this series. With the enormous number of books I've read over the years, I'm afraid that I have become definitely hard to please. . .

But although the trilogy suffers from several shortcomings, in all objectivity I must admit that it is still a relatively good read.

My main problem with the series is the fact that it appears to be aimed at a younger crowd. In my mind, it seems to be aimed at readers who are under 18. Being 30 (yes, I AM getting old!), I couldn't quite get into it. But I am persuaded that if I had read the series when I was 16 years of age, I would probably have loved it. There is a certain innocence inherent to the characters and their views of love, honor, obligation, etc, that makes the whole thing not ring true to my "adult" perspective.

The biggest shortcoming of the series, however, is the fact that the characters are far from being three-dimensional. As a matter of fact, they are not "real." The author fell into a popular trap, namely creating "cliché" characters: the innocent boy with immense potential, the beautiful and spoiled young woman who turns out to be stronger and more courageous than she believed herself to be, the evil mage, the power-hungry prince, etc. And some characters are just caricatures, case in point being the Archbishop Tavalisk. And yet, having said that about the characters, they are still a likeable bunch. Which, in the end, helps you enjoy the books.

Several plotlines had a lot of potential (the knights of Valdis, the Seers of Larn, Jake's parentage, etc), but they were not exploited to their fullest. Had they been, this series would have been much better. Mrs. Jones took the easy road instead. . .

In light of all this, I have to admit that I nevertheless like J. V. Jones' writing style. She has a witty way to write, which I truly enjoyed. I think that she must challenge herself a little more with her storylines, and explore a bit more those concepts that she creates. It would certainly give ner novels more depth, which in turn would make them more enjoyable.

I believe that J. V. Jones shows great promise and could be a bright voice in the fantasy genre. Hopefully her other novels will show just how much potential she truly possesses. . .:-)

Check out my blog: www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

This is the second volume in the Book of Words trilogy (following The Baker's Boy and followed by Master and Fool).

Melli and Jack, fleeing for the second time from Castle Harvell, take refuge in a chicken coop. While Jack is taking a morning stroll in the snow to stretch his legs and bury the corpse of the Halcus man he's just killed to defend Melli, a group of soldiers kidnap the girl to sell her to a flesh-trader. On his way back to the coop, Jack is captured by Rovas and taken to his house. There he meets the smuggler's makeshift family: Magra and her mysterious daughter Tarissa, two noblewomen, exiles like him from the Four Kingdoms. They'll make him believe that Melli has been raped and slaughtered and enroll him to kill the Halcus captain responsible for her death.

In the North, Lord Maybor and Baralis are both travelling to Bren, acting respectively as king and prince envoys to arrange the bethrotal between Prince Kylock and the Duke of Bren's daughter, the young and beautiful Catherine. But in the meantime, Kylock murders his father and therefore becomes king of the Four Kingdoms. He won't wait long before dismissing his mother and invading Halcus in order to put an end to the war.

In this middle volume, the protagonists are all steadily converging to the city of Bren for the third and final act. As J.V. tries not to reveal too much of the plot in itself, with this book she digs deeper into the various characters' personality, and as a result I was surprisingly starting to feel pity for a character I used to loathe, or be just as confused as the hero about another one. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Master and Fool!

The continuation in the series is fantastic. Baker's Boy was good but this is all that and so much more. The plot twists and turns wonderfully and there is a real difficulty in deciding who the good guys and the bad guys are with some characters managing to be both at the same time. Some wonderful charcters can be found and iot is good to find that they are not the main focus of the book but side characters help to increase the wonderfully told tale

I wasn't very interested in starting this book at first, hence the typical horrid fantasy cover. I found a well weaved story with a cast of at least eight or so characters to keep track of. One chapter would have endless paragraphs that switch from one point of view to another, quite interesting, but rather confusing and it got kind of dull after a while.

Nevertheless, a must if you've read "The Baker's Boy".

'A Man Betrayed', is the second book in the trilogy of 'The Book of Words' by J.V. Jones.

It continues where the first book left off, and sequentially follow the main players, that being Jack and Melli, Tawl and Nabber, Baralis and Maybor, and Tavalisk and Gamil. In addition there are several other characters that come into contact with the above mentioned, that have a major influence on the outcome of certain situations.

As with most great fantasy stories there are liberal doses of magic, conflicts, deceit and betrayals, unexpected twist and turns, and even some budding romances. Jones is a great story teller and spins a tale that is fasted paced and continually changing. In addition she is able to continually develop her protagonists, making them characters you could really like/dislike, as the case may be.

So why only 4 Stars....let me explain

For fantasy to really work well, it must be believable (yes I know, an oxymoron if there ever was one), And with this in mind, there were few times during the telling of this tale that I had some minor concerns regarding this perceived believable/unbelievable issue; a few occasions that I had to stop and say 'hmmm...that seemed a somewhat unusual occurrence/reaction/happening at this particular time'. Mind you, these were a minor distraction to an otherwise terrific plot and narration by the author, but yet did detract from the overall excellence of this book.

Conclusion:

A terrific second book in the trilogy; a real page turner. Jones is an exceptional writer with that elusive knack of story telling, and what more could any fantasy reader want.

Ray Nicholson

A fantastic follow up to the first book. The author keeps the story going strong with enough twists and turns to keep the reader hooked.

A Man Betrayed is the continuation of the Book of Words trilogy by J.V. Jones. The first seemed to end poorly, but I was still determined to read the series because of the numerous praises I have heard. Once I picked this one up, I could not put it down. Betrayal evokes the most primitave of emotions, and this book was able to do just that. I felt for the characters and went through their pain and pleasure with them.

Jack, the main character, is separated from Melli and told that she is dead. He uses this as fuel to light his fire for revenge. Jack is taken under the wing of a bad trader, Rovas, who teaches him how to fight so he can kill the man responsible for Melli's supposed death. While being taught, he falls in love with a seductive older woman, Tarissa. It isn't until his downfall that he realizes the betrayal.

Melli is captured and sold to a flesh trader. Although, the flesh trader finds out that Melli could cause trouble for his business, so he sells her as soon as possible to the Duke of Bren. Each time she tries to find out a way to escape captivity, but all she has is a knife, which ends up being her downfall.

As for the others, Tawl is sent into despair, and it is only Nabber who can bring him back. Maybor and Baralis travel to Bren to set up King Kylock's marriage to Catherine of Bren. Kylock, as the newly crowned King, is destroying the Halcus. And Catherine is not exactly what Kylock believes.

It all adds up to one great story. I normally think of the middle book of a trilogy as just a bridge to gap the first and the last, but this one stands alone, and is even my favorite of the series. Master and Fool, here I come!

Okay, okay. So, I picked this book up a lot and put it back down. Who wouldn't? Sitting right next to Robert Jordan on the shelves, and with Mr. Sweet for the cover artist, who could resist? Finally, I did buy the first book, and promptly returned the day after to by the next two. Ms. Jones creates a very clear, exciting and vivid picture, right from the start! I equally rate the other books just as highly! In fact, it was her that persuaded me to give hardcovers a chance - no way was I waiting for the Barbed Coil to be released in paperback, and I am quite pleased with it all. Can't wait for Cavern to come out....

And, Ms. Jones is incredibly friendly, to boot! She's got a webpage, guys, and she's just really nice in her emails. One of my favorite story tellers!! :)

Part two of the excellent 'Book of Words Trilogy'. Immensely enjoyed book one and book two lives up to its predecessors standards. The storyline takes up where book one left off and contains all the intrigue and drama of the first installment. The characters are developed further as are the realtionships between the protagoinists and the antagonists. The plot is gripping and the arena for the story is vast and yet superbly described by Jones. I fully recommend these books. Enjoy.

I enjoyed all of the book is this series! JV Jones is an excellent writer. I look forward to more of her stories.