Master and Fool (The Book of Words S.) [Paperback]

J V Jones (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Book of Words S. | Publication Date: October 23, 1997

From dungeon to cathedral, from brothel to hermit's hut, the gambits of the mighty face the power of seers and stars. In the fortress of Bren, mad King Kylock and the wizard Baralis spread their sadistic terror across the shattered kingdoms. Meanwhile, the fallen knight Tawl and Jack, the baker's boy, meet in a quest to save widowed Melliandra and her unborn child. The conflict that follows will rewrite the meaning of Destiny and unknit the very fabric of Time ...MASTER AND FOOL is the conclusion to the Book of Words - an epic tale of grandeur and magic which has been acclaimed as one of the most brilliant fantasy debuts for many years. For more information on this or any other Orbit book, visit the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The final volume in the trilogy concludes with a rousing tale of Jack, the baker's boy, trying to control his new-found magical powers so that he can defeat the evil King Kylock. The medieval fantasy belongs in all collections that own the earlier volumes.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

'J. V. Jones is a striking writer . . . wonderful' Robert Jordan 'J. V. Jones is quite a find . . . a deliciously intricate tale' Katherine Kurtz 'A storyline featuring the kind of political scheming and intrigue that makes for gripping reading' SFX 'J.V. Jones is about to become one of the great fantasy success stories of the 90s.' MYSTERIOUS GALAXY BOOKS 'Satisfying reading.' STARBURST

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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Orbit & Abacus (October 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857234715
• ISBN-13: 978-1857234718
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 2 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,187,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best, but OK, June 15, 2000

By 

Kevin M. (Hicksville, N.Y. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master and Fool (The Book of Words, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

The 3 stars are for the series as a whole. As a long-time reader of fantasy, I've read most of the top names in the indusry: Jordan, Goodkind, Brooks, Etc. I've also read some real bombs. And although J.V. Jones' "Book of Words" trilogy isn't the best fantasy I've ever read, it's not as bad as some people have made it out to be. It does have some intriguing characters (notably Maybor, Baralis, and Tavalisk) and a a fairly interesting plot. What I didn't really care for is how the main characters were constantly put on the defensive(especially Melli). The fact that they were constantly chased/captured/separated began to wear thin by the third book. Also, I would have liked to have seen the magic abilities Jack and Baralis used fleshed out a little more. Overall, not a bad effort for a first-time writer, but could have been better.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Didn't live up to the hype..., January 11, 2005

By 

Patrick St-Denis (Laval, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master and Fool (The Book of Words, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

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

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great conclusion to a complex tale., May 30, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Master and Fool (Book of Words) (Paperback)

J.V. Jones provides a wonderful story that is deeply intricate and surprising.