5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Speculative Fiction Novel, December 15, 2008
This review is from: Path of Revenge (The Broken Man) (Mass Market Paperback)
Having not read the series before this book I had no real preconceptions about the writing style or the land in which it was set. From reading the reviews of the prequal triology it seems like I was lucky to avoid them, however without prior knowledge I dont think scenes held as much impact and a number slipped over my head until I read further. The novel is broken into three different areas with a seperate charcter in each. They all grow over the novel and each has thier own pecularities that seemed very human. From previous reviews it seems he has made the pacing a little quicker and has foccused on improving the charcter development, while amping down descriptions of the sorroundings. It is however important to note that Kirkpatrick is a geographer so it would be wise to expect a detailed description of areas and maps.
I found his realm very entertaining and it kept me enthralled until the end, I found the pacing very smooth and it definatley has an interesting syle of reading that I would recommend needs to be read in scenes and not haphazardly.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful start for this new trilogy, May 10, 2010
This review is from: Path of Revenge (The Broken Man) (Mass Market Paperback)
'Path of Revenge' is the first book in "The Broken Man' trilogy by Russell Kirkpatrick. It is a follow-up to the previous trilogy, "Fire of Heaven".
Seventy years of relative peace have ensued since the Falthan Wars with the 'Undying Man' ended, but King Leith is old and dying. With this knowledge, many malcontents, who have been biding their time are about to try to usurp the throne once his passing occurs. This tale (in western Faltha continent) is one of three main themes in this book, and Queen Stella (Leith's wife, and known as, 'the Destroyer's Consort' to her enemies), is the main focus in this section.
In addition, there are two other stories unfolding in other continents:
1.)In northern Bhrudwo continent: In Fossa, a small remote fishing village along the eastern coast, Noetos and his family are about to have their lives completely changed by unforeseen events.
2.)In southern Elamaq continent: In the capital of Talamq, the emperor, his servant Torve and cosmographer Lenares are also making decisions that will ultimately effect and change their circumstances...forever.
I found that I was hooked on this story right from the prologue and opening few pages in the first chapter. The style of writing and pace were, IMHO, even better than that of the first trilogy. I realize many readers had concerns regarding the pace of events (slowness) with the first three books, but I was not one of them. The author's skill in the use of prose and story-telling has improved with the passage of time between the two trilogies. Again, as with the first trilogy, there are several 'treks' involved with this second effort; none of which are remotely completed by the time this first book ended.
There is a host of interesting characters, with an appropriate amount of time and effort taken to develop each of them to some degree. Unlike book III of the last trilogy, Kirkpatrick has decided not to dwell on anyone's particular 'flaws' (Leith's immaturity issues), and I'm very thankful for this.
MAPS:
Lots of them; giving overall geographic layouts and several giving more intimate details. One even included some useful scale indicators that where needed to make sense of major elevation changes in one particular geographic locale.
Conclusion:
Another trilogy begins! If this first book is any indication, it should herald some great fantasy entertainment for all of us who love this genre. Easily 5 Stars.
Ray Nicholson
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Refreshing fantasy novel, New Zealand must be the home of brilliant authors. *cough*, December 29, 2009
This review is from: Path of Revenge (The Broken Man) (Mass Market Paperback)
Path of Revenge introduces us to Husk, a mysterious prisoner with an unknown capacity of magical power. Knowing little of Husk and his immortal enemy we learn that Husk has three 'spikes' out in the world, three people who are expected to carry out his bidding to defeat the undying man.
Husk's origin, plan, and morality are all unknowns. While as the story is revealed there is plenty to hint that the immortal he seeks to destroy is evil, there is also much space for ambiguity. This is the true strenth of the novel, we read further because the world Russell creates is so full of mystery, and we MUST know what is going on.
The main characters of Path Of Revenage are strong and interesting, particularly the autistic savant Lenares, our only key to the theology that underlyies Husk's schemes.
Strangely Kirkpatrick gives a voice to secondary characters within each thread of his tale, which does provide perspective to the plot, but with so many voices in the mix some of the characters fall a little flat.
After starting with a bang the pace of the novel is a little slow, and suffers from 1st book of trilogy syndrome. I prefer individual books to have stronger resolutions even with sequals on the way, in saying that there is enough intrigue and unanswered questions to keep the interest up.
Highly recommended to fantasy buffs
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
