Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid but unspectacular., October 29, 2003
Tad Williams is turning into a hit or miss for me. I loved Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. One of the few books/series to ever make me cry. Otherland just didn't do it for me. Too much. This, his latest, The War of the Flowers, is somewhere in between. First we have to take into consideration that it is one book,
not one book in a series. There is one major character,
someone from our own 21st century world-- a down and out singer
with personal issues. He gets transported into the world of
Faerie,an interesting interpretation of Fairyland on Tad
Williams' part. I suppose that fans of Fairy-like things will
find his interpretations and extrapolations interesting. But I
wasn't all that impressed. Compared with the detail and
richness of the worlds in his other books, even Otherland
(Otherland's storyline didn't grab me, but his world and
descriptions were nice, and some of the characters were nice),
this one was a bit-- not shallow, just underexplained. Sometimes, IMHO, Williams tends to describe so you can picture
something, but there isn't as much soul or substance underneath
as I would like. The protagonist is pretty straight-forward. He matures,
evolves, and becomes a better person. The issues aren't
complex. Neither is the plot. The protagonist struggles to survive
through Fairyland, and somehow manages to triumph by a
combination of inspiration and coincidental timing (ie luck)
over impossible odds. There is betrayal, love, and friendship,
but it is all understated. The action is basically running.
Magic doesn't play an overt role, but is more profound than in
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. A solid fantasy all in all.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Fantasy Book of 2003, December 1, 2003
Tad Williams struck a resonant chord with me with "The War of the Flowers". I should state that I read a good bit of Fantasy fiction, including some of Mr. Williams other books, and do generally consider him, Robin Hobb, George RR Martin and Robert Jordan to be the apex of current fantasy writing. With that being caveat, it should not be surprising that just as that Tad Williams' prior books tended to focus on in depth-characterization and setting, rather than raw action or discordant perspectives (Martin), so too does 'The War of the Flowers'. Moreover, 'The War of the Flowers' utterly succeeds within that caveat. Set in the land of 'Faerie', a mortal, Theo Vilmus, arrives through suspect means. A 'loser' at ~ age 30 in 'mortalia' prior to his advent, Theo comes of age while unwillingly, and to some degree, unwittingly, assisting in a civil war. This relatively simple story succeeds in several outstanding ways:
(1) It, like many non-Fantasy fictional brethren, is told in 1 book-- and not scattered over many.
(2) The setting is fabulous: Sprites, Nixies, Doonies, Goblins, Grims, et al. In place, used 'accurately'. The class warfare(neo-marxist???)/condemnation of industralization may, to some, go over the top, but it's appropriate for the Neo-Victorian backdrop of Faeries
(3) The primary Protagonist is fabulous: Theo, as with Simon way back in 'The Memory...' Trilogy, is an angst-ridden, relatively indecisive ne'er-do-well at the beginning, who successfully migrates to adulthood by the end (nevermind that he's 30 to begin with as age doesn't make one an 'adult').
(4) The secondary characters are outstanding, with special kudos to both Hellebore and Applecore. This book sat on my bookshelf for nearly 5 months before I read it. What a mistake. Being followed closely by only "Golden Fool" by Robin Hobb, this is unquestionably the best Fantasy book of 2003. Finally, while it was self-contained in only 1 volume, I assuredly hope Tad Williams revisits the land and time he created. Wonderful. Magnificient.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantasy & Reality Meet in the land of Faerie., May 14, 2003
By A Customer
If you've read any of Tad William's previous works (Otherland), and you enjoyed them, then this book is just for you. War of the Flowers is about a regular man, 30 year old Theo Vilmos, whose life is falling apart all around him, losing a gf, going through tough family issues; a lost soul who just doesn't know what to do with his life. Just when he thinks things can't get worse, he stumbles upon a book from his Great Uncle, a book that will definately change his life. Theo finds himself cast into another world of faeries, goblins, ogres, ghosts, pixies, and a billion other things that he thought were not possible. The story follows Theo as he is thrown into a new place wondering how his life went from just being bad, to being bad but in a world where little pixies mouth off and curse at him. The book is a bit long and at times it gets depressing but there are a lot of surprises and if you're a Tad Williams Fan then this book won't let you down. I reccomend it if you enjoyed Otherland and Tailchaser's Song. William's has always been able to describe strange and fantastic worlds in such a way that the reader is very much "there."
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
