Customer Reviews

Walker of Worlds: Chronicles of the King's Tramp, Book 1 (Bk 1)

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

 

 

I wish I could get my hands on the second book in this series. It's got to be one of the most whimsical books I've ever read. I like my SF imaginative, fast-paced, and with a good sense of humor, and this book didn't disappoint. I'm not that good at picking stuff up, though, so I had to read it about 3 times before I really understood what was going on in the whirl of pageantry, weird alien-ish things, strange names, and a general assumption that I already knew most of this. It was disorienting in the same way a good party is disorienting: you enjoy it, then take some time to mull over what actually happened. It did kind of falter toward the end, with a sense that perhaps the author got somewhat lost, which is how it got 4 stars instead of 5. Incidentally, if you like reading out loud to kids, this book seems to have been written with storytelling in mind, and I don't think kids would find it too shocking.

This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for literally 10 years... much to my regret, now!!! I had no idea this book was that good. De Haven's writing skill is incredible, and his techniques of moving the plot along while switching from one character's perspective to another's is almost like a movie switching camera angles, but better.

Plus, his overall storyline and concept are great! This is a fantasy novel that 90% happens in the real world: it's not all about magic, nor are the names all crazy and unpronounceable. Since this was intended as a trilogy, De Haven is able to really develop his characters, instead of trying to squeeze it in while rushing through the plot. I don't know if that stays true in The End-Of-Everything Man: Chronicles of the King's Tramp, Bk. 2 (based on the end of the first, it might not), but I've ordered it already!!!

After reading the first couple of chapters of this very Interesting book (you'll understand the capitalization if you read the book) I had to look up De Haven to see what he was all about. It's certainly no surprise that he wrote the script for the graphic novel interpretation of Neuromancer. He is obviously a devotee of the comic book form of writing. That said, his book goes deeper than a comic book (in my humble opinion-- as a person not enamored of comics). This book really makes you think. It is hard to keep up with the action at times, and I found myself re-reading parts of chapters several times to figure out what was going on.

I can't understand why this series hasn't attracted more attention. That may be because it isn't traditional fantasy. I feel like it falls somewhere between the cyberpunk and steampunk genres of writing. The book reads a bit like Gibson, but with more humor and entertaining dialogue.

While De Haven's frequent references to cultural icons of the 1980s and 1990s dates the novel a bit, I enjoyed the "trip down memory lane" experience his comments engendered.