Customer Reviews

Savage Messiah: The Destinies of Blood and Stone

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Fast moving and filled with destruction but little suspense Savage Messiah failed to interest me because of the dull one dimensional characters from the noble prince to the old wizards.You know you're in trouble when the most interesting character is a conflicted assasin who's killing off the good guys and you don't care if the land is saved or not you just want to read more about her methods.Another problem is that the book is TOO grim.Sure in fantasy novels good should fight evil but there's so much gruesome death here it becomes numbing after a time.The writer tosses in a few sparks of joy every so often but it's not enough to lighten the blandly humorless tone.As a trivia note this book must contain more use of the word AZURE than any book ever written in history.To the book's credit it's an easy quick read full of magic and battles for fantasy lovers but it left me cold without any desire to see what becomes of the characters.

Like earlier reviewers, I felt the characters lacked depth and there were times where the narrative become so repetitive that I completely lost any interest in what the narrative was about.

I have to re-read the original trilogy to verify this, but it seems like Robert Newcomb introduces new characters and elements into the series that seem to directly contradict the earlier novels.

That aside, I was also very annoyed by the lack of foresight displayed by Tristan, Wigg, Fegan and the other members of their council. They talk about certain things that will happen yet they do nothing to plan in advance for them. And I'm no mathematician but how does does Tristian have any surviving forces left after all the calamities that befall them?

This is a truly awful author, someone with a misogynistic bent and a real lack of imagination. The book is boring and the characters are the most one dimensional I have seen in this genre; given that fantasy is notorious for flat characters, that says a lot. Tristan has to be the most pathetic hero in literature. All those "mosts" make it seem as if there is at least something spectacular in the badness of the book, but even that would be an overstatement. It's time to retire this terrible series, begun with the banner headline "the fantasy novel of the year."

I don't understand some of these reviewers praising this book; maybe they really took it to heart when their mom told them that if they didn't have anything positive to say then they shouldn't say anything. Because the truth is, this book stinks to high heaven. It's the type of book that makes me wish I were reading a scholarly article on the mating habits of dung beetles. It's so bad I would seriously consider having a copy available to use to punish my kids with: "You crashed the car? That's it! Go to your room and read Savage Messaiah! Go!"

The flaws in this book (and the entire series) are open and obvious. First of all, the villain here is Wulfgar. Remember when Tristan killed him in the last book? Guess what - he's back! Of course, remember when Nicholas died in book one and came back in book 2? Remember when Newcomb last did something original? (Yeah, I can't either).

Newcomb's inability to come up with new conflicts for his hero borders on the ridiculous. In the first book, he had to agonize over killing his father. Ok. In the second book, he had to agonize over killing his reborn son. Umm, fine. In the third book, Newcomb invented a long lost half brother so Tristan could have another family member to slay. Getting old, Bob. I guess even he realized that inventing a long lost sister would be too much, so he brought back Wulfgar.

More importantly, Newcomb has destroyed any interesting aspects of his characters by making their choices wholly deterministic, entirely based on blood lean. In book 3, Wulfgar was a good sort until his blood signature was flipped, now he's the embodiment of all evil. Take that to its logical conclusion, and you realize that folks like Tristan, Wigg and Shailiha aren't so much heroes as equal captives of their own blood signatures - their blood leans towards the vigors, so they have no CHOICE but to be good.

And, just as bad, the forestallments. I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that Tristan eventually wins this battle. Of course, before he does so, it's hyped up as a "battle royale" something that will be unspeakably tough even if Tristan manages to gain some very crucial forestallments. In fact, the "battle royale" never materializes; Tristan's victory over Wulfgar is a snap, and Tristan even toys with him a bit in the hope that he can convince Wulfgar to be good (hey, Tristan, he's got no CHOICE, remember? I guess Newcomb forgot; as long as his readers didn't, there's absolutely no suspense to that little plot device).

In short, it's a bad book with uninteresting characters and an inherently harmful system of magic. But maybe those other reviewers are right. Aside from that (and Newcomb's so called "writing") what's not to love?

Newcomb is an interesting author - I enjoy his writing style, and I found the original trilogy to be a fun, if rather light, read. It took me a while before I decided to pick up Savage Messiah, and I don't regret doing so. It follows what has become a fairly predictable path, and while his style of creating conflict and determining the resolution are getting a bit stale (to me), the path the characters take toward that resolution are well done and a fun read.

However, it continually stuns me how often in this, and in many of the previous, books, that almost every conflict that pops up actually has been foretold, and furthermore, the wizards of the Directorate (Wigg et al) know that they are going to happen. And yet, until they actually happen, there seems to be no preparation, no work, nothing done to address the possibility, or to prevent the upcoming calamities.

A non-spoiler example of what one often sees throughout the novels in the series might be:

1. (A) happens. (A) could be something minor, major, what have you, but it's something that the characters in the novel note and account for. In particular, the wizards all know (A) has happened.

2. Then (B), a calamity of some sort, happens.

3. Then the wizards say "Oh, so THAT is what the Universal Book that we have all read meant when it said 'If ever (A) shall happen, calamity (B) will follow unless steps (C) are undertaken.'" Except that despite (A) happening, and every character knowing (A) happened, not one of the characters that knows about the Universal Book's words suggests taking option (C), thereby allowing calamity (B) to happen.

4. Thankfully, the Universal Book also happens to mention exactly what to do in the event that (B) happens (let's call it (D)) and each of the novels follows the necessary adventures required in order to perform (D) and therefore save the world.

This happens over and over throughout the series, and while I enjoy Newcomb's accounts of their adventures, it feels like it is getting old - the characters seemed shocked in earlier novels when a mystery half-brother is revealed, despite the Universal Book quite clearly stating that one is out there. Only after that half-brother is revealed do they say "Oh, of course, that's what the book meant when it said there's an evil half-brother that will try to destroy us all." What, did they think it meant something else?

While I like the original trilogy, and Savage Messiah begins another on a decent note, I worry that the series is beginning to lean far too much on this formula, and I will soon decide that it is simply not worth hearing about yet another calamity that could have been easily prevented by using the knowledge that every wizard in the world seems to have.

In Eutracia, the final skirmish OF THE SCROLLS OF THE ANCIENTS ended with the good Tristan defeating his evil half-brother Wulfgar; at least everyone (including readers) thought that was the war to end all wars. However, instead as a bi-product of the heroic battle, the spring of good magic, the Orb of Vigors, was ripped open. Now unchecked magical energy is dripping everywhere, as the orb falls from the sky ravaging anything that crosses its path.

Only Prince Tristan can mend the Orb and stop pandemic destruction from occurring. However, for Tristan to fulfill the quest, his blood tendencies must be altered by the First Wizard Wigg. A mistake would kill Tristan and subsequently all of Eutracia. However, Wulfgar thought dead (once again by all) returns as Enseterat who is abetted by the Heretics of the Guild applies the Scroll of Vagaries to cause havoc in his effort to enact revenge on those who defeated him while he attempts to conquerg the world.

Most fans of the first trilogy (see Chronicles of Blood and Stone) will enjoy the return to the realm with the initial tale in the Destinies of Moon and Stone three-peat. The story line is action-packed moving forward at a fast pace as is usual in a Robert Newcomb fantasy. Tristan continues to be a great likable champion and his allies are strong amiable supporters of him. On the other hand the return of Wulfgar seems wrong, magical blood aside, and he feels less dimensional than in his previous escapades. Though somewhat a rehash, the Blood and Stone crowd will find this opening gamut quite appealing.

Harriet Klausner

Robert Newcomb has once again thrown his characters into another action packed journey from the first pages of his book. The next installment of his books about Tristan, Shailiha, and the rest of the gang not only has the return of some previous enemies, but also throws some new threats into the story- not the least of which being that the Orb of the Vigors was injured in Tristan's fight with Wulfgar and is destroying parts of the countryside. New allies are also introduced as Tristan, Wigg, and Celeste start searching for the way to change Tristan's azure blood back to red, for until his blood reverts to its original form Tristan cannot be trained in the craft and cannot fix the Orb of the Vigors. It soon becomes a life and death situation, and before the end of the book some of the characters will have gone down the path to the Afterlife. If you enjoyed reading the Chronicles of Blood and Stone, this next installment in Tristan and Shailiha's story is something you won't want to miss!

Robert Newcomb scored a successful trilogy with The Chronicles of Blood and Stone. Now he returns to the land of Eutracia with SAVAGE MESSIAH, the first in a new trilogy that picks up where the previous series left off, both in terms of story and enjoyment.

In the first series we were introduced to Tristan and his sister Shailiha, the Chosen Ones who hold magical blood that give them the power to join the good (Vigors) and evil (Vagaries) forces. In the climax of the third book, Wulfgar, Tristan's evil half-brother, was defeated, but the Orb of the Vigors was damaged in that final confrontation. Now, magical energy is being bled by the damaged Orb and the kingdom is suffering greatly because of it. The only person with the power to do anything to restore the Orb is Prince Tristan, but there is a slight problem: Tristan's blood has been tainted and his ability to save the Orb and his people is impossible until his blood returns to normal. The spell that has altered his blood renders him unable to command the Vigors, and unfortunately the reversal of the spell has been lost.

As if the damage inflicted by the Orb were not enough, another menace threatens Tristan and his companions. From a lair on the Sea of Whispers, Tristan's half-brother Wulfgar, thought to have been killed, is alive and well. And very bitter. Looking to return to Eutracia and complete his previous plans, he is now joining forces with the Heretics, wielders of the Vagaries. His own mastery of the dark arts is growing and he seeks to destroy the Orb once and for all, but his vengeance is also more personal. A master assassin, Satine, has been hired by Wulfgar to eliminate those who had wronged him. The only course for Tristan and his allies is to somehow find a way to cleanse his blood. The quest to do so is full of peril and their victory may be just as damaging as their failure.

Prince Tristan continues to be a likable hero and Newcomb allows him to continue to grow here. The rest of the cast is solid, especially newly-introduced Satine. Wulfgar, however, seems a hollow copy of his previous self and perhaps more impact could have been had with a new, unknown villain. That aside, Newcomb does a very good job of opening up some secrets and surprises that will have you eagerly looking forward to the follow-up installment, and he also propels the story forward at an exciting pace with enough action interspersed to keep your blood pumping.

Newcomb weaves a good tale, to be sure. As the fourth book in a planned series of nine, however, it does feel like a middle book. This is not to say that it is unworthy of reading. In fact, it is quite the opposite. While SAVAGE MESSIAH does not hold the same punch that the previous three books had, it is still a thrilling adventure and easily ranks among some of the best to be found on the shelves these days. Readers looking for an engaging, action-packed thrill ride will be more than pleased with this title.

--- Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard

I don't understand what everyones problems with Robert's books are. He isn't mainstream, he isn't doing what has already been done, yet he is constantly attacked as either sexist, or generally a bad writer. I still don't see why.

I was hooked on Robert's books since book one, and I've quickly become what I would consider an established and loyal fan. His books are well thought out, have likeable characters, and forge an emotional bond between characters and readers that not many authors can pull off.
Savage Messiah is the best of the series to date, without a doubt. Unexpected twists and turns push this novel into a much greater vision. Wulfgar, Tristan's evil half-brother, comes back to life? No, folks, we were never given conclusive evidence he had died. Tristan defeated him? No, I don't recall that happening at all. I seem to remember Wulfgar being defeated by a herbmistress called Abbey.
Don't you see? The people who criticise the books don't even know the story so far. Did they even read the books?

I would recommend this book (and have done so already) to friends and family alike. It really is a great read, is emotionally engaging, and extremely difficult to put down.
And the ending will leave you longing for more.

Good work, Rob. Your book is a very fantastic read.

I throughly loved this book. I thought it was the best so far. Tristan was at his best. I love the wizards and the minions are by far my favorite creation. Rob you have so out done yourself with this one. I stayed up sevaral late nights reading chapter after chapter until I forced myself to go to sleep only to pick it back up in the morning. I was so sad when it was over and can't wait until the next book. Oh please hurry.