Customer Reviews

The Silver Ring

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

 

 

I'm not sure exactly where to put this work. It has a lot of elements of fantasy, but some SF, as well, and quite a bit of the thriller to it. A young man finds a silver ring, and once he puts it on everything changes for him. He becomes aware of a much wilder universe around him than he'd imagined. There's sort of a Tolkien meets Koontz vibe.

As you see with the title, the book is a novella and is a quick read. I found it very fast paced. I liked the human characters very much, and found the primary villain to be well developed. The revelations keep coming fast and furioius.

I probably would have given this five stars but I wasn't overly enamored of the ending. It's hard to end a work like this and the ending is perfectly fine. Maybe I would have just liked a longer work with more revelations about that wilder universe.

This is the first thing I've read by Swartwood and I enjoyed it a lot. As far as I know, it's his first major work of fiction. He's an author to keep an eye on.

There's a lot to like in this novella, a likable character who has a problem in real life while have some even bigger problems in his I-won't-give-the-story-away other life. Strong, straight-forward narrative with lots of action and fun. Definitely a good read, especially for YA readers, but not excluding adults. Some of the best reading for grown-ups (Harry Potter, anyone?)comes into the YA category. This story never flags.

I enjoyed every moment of this story. I cared about the characters immediately; protagonist, villain and extras (none seemed like an extra) which, to me, is important in an epic theme as a short novel. This is just the sort of fun-filled blast that film-makers fight over. The supernatural collides with reality perfectly in The Silver Ring. I suggest you order it and start enjoying it right away.

So this kid finds this ring which at first does some cool stuff but then turns out to actually be evil and stuff? I thought the story was cool but the whole time I was reading, I was like, "Dude, throw it in the volcano!" I mean, what the hell. It worked for that little dude.

I thought it an engaging read with a solid voice. It's mix of SF, fantasy, thriller with perhaps a bit of morality play so supernatural might be the best label. I felt carried along by the narrative and enjoyed the characterizations. There is a tiny bit of profane language but it's in character and not gratuitous.

I might also have wanted a bit more at the finish as the ending feels a bit sudden but I still say it's a fun read.

I think it fitting for YA and adult readers.

I finished reading and my reaction was...meh. It wasn't a bad tale but it wasn't something I'd run to tell my friends to read either. I really was not to keen on the last chapter that mirrored the first. I hate feeling like I just read the same thing over again. But then again I don't like movies where you see repeats of the same scene over again either. I would say that this would be okay for younger readers had there not been some language in it. But if you don't mind a f-word usage or two go for it.

This story may be an excellent one, but I didn't get past the first few pages. The story opens with a guy storming into a convenience store to rob it. There were about four or so f-bombs (in addition to regular swearing) in those few pages I did read, which was too many for my taste, so I stopped reading. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, you might enjoy the story.

This novella wasn't bad. Having said that, it wasn't even close to the best thing I've ever read either.

I'm not entirely sure what I did and didn't like about it, but I think that this author has some real potential that just needs to be developed.

I was disappointed on many levels with this story,and if this was a more mature version then I think the author still has a way to go. The concept, a boy finds a "Magic" ring that performs actions without any control of the character was lackluster.....it may as easily have fallen onto the tail of a dog for all the real value to the plot the main character contributed. then finding out what the ring was supposed to be, well the powers seem a bit ..hmmmm...cheap.

The author did not adaquately develop the guardian creatures, or the back story of the main characters family. He did not even develop the character of the major villian. and the final confrontation...my god...talk about anti-climatic, beaten with no effort in a heartbeat....not much of a villian, he walks in ..is blown away and eveyone can go get lunch. This just was not thought through. I guess if you are VERY VERY bored at a cost of....nothing ok...it is worth the price but I would not recommend this story, it just was not a concept worth exploring as well as badly executed.