Customer Reviews

The White Tribunal (Bantam Spectra Book)

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

 

 

The strange thing is, reading the editorial review I couldn't disagree - the thing about "characters by the numbers" is close to being right. Except for one thing: Paula Volsky wrote a good book here, and a rational one.

What's good? The plot - not especially original, perhaps - is that of the innocent wronged. The difference is, unlike the Count of Monte Cristo, the innocent, when he comes to take his revenge, doesn't enjoy it. The first object of his vengeance (incidentally, I wouldn't have bothered with this one) never understands what she did, or why vengeance should be called for. In the second case, though the person involved originally behaved badly, Tradain misses the point of the man's personal redemption, but still feels guilty. As he should.

One comment here - I felt that Volsky could have done a great deal more with the redemption of a human soul here than she did. And Tradain missing the point, or ignoring it, weakened the denoument. It could have been done better, yes, but I was glad to see it done at all.

Another of those quibbles - our heroine, Glennian, somehow doesn't figure out that her guardian is the one who betrayed her family? Huh? This girl's supposed to be a genius, or close to it. Nope, sorry, Paula, you blew that one.

The ironic tone is nice. When your main subject matter is the destruction of the innocent under horrific circumstances, a little distance is necessary. The demonstration, through Aestine and Drempi, of how people end up coerced into supporting the witch-hunt is neatly done. Neither of these two characters is especially strong, and perhaps Volsky slights the process of deliniating character. I would complain that even our main character lacks complexity, except that Volsky deliberately demonstrates how stunted he becomes in solitary confinement. I'm not thrilled, but I enjoyed it so much that I decided that I'd just let it slide while reading it.

Let's not pretend that I didn't like it most because I detest mass hysteria, and the witch-craze makes me more than a little ill. The Tribunal is ugly and deserves its end. The premier jurist, a self-righteous monster, actually was fairly convincing.

The best moments are little sketches: in the years Tradain has been imprisoned, the number of sorcery-repelling charms on the gates of the city have increased from one to six. The fear doesn't diminish, but grows. The White Tribunal takes more and more, and is never satisfied.

Over all, recommended.

All of the other criticisms of this book are pretty much on target. The story _did_ have a skimpy sort of vagueness to it remarkably similar to the foggy description given to the city of Liz Folaze. There were some plot holes too. For example, how did Yarune the Bloodless become such a terror to behold when the amount of power given by Xyleel was so limited that Tradaine used it all up in a matter of weeks? And if magical items continue to consume power with each use (as did the Vigilance created by "Dr. Flambeska"), how did the enchanted projection of Autonn keep working a century after the sorceror's demise?

But these problems can be excused when considered against the sheer force of personality of the liGurvohl character (I was actually scared of him!), the vividness of the torture scenes (I could feel the heat of the cauldron and imagine the suffering), and the black mood the author conveyed with the surety of Tradaine's awaiting torment when the last grain of his power fell. The finitude of magic in this world was a nice touch, as it paved the way for a character forced to consider each move carefully, and who must be preoccupied by his own unavoidable personal hell. Anyone who has ever been bullied or impelled by circumstances beyond their control would appreciate a tale such as this, where a weaker character pays the ultimate cost for the mastery of his destiny, if only for a short while. While many of the deeper existential issues broached here are never really explored by the story itself, I continued to mull them long after I turned the last page. I'll remember this one for some time to come, and will try some of Volsky's other works.

To all who devoured the "Count of Monte Cristo", this ought to be fun. It's all here: betrayal, incarnation, an old man who supplies all needed information, and at last: the discovery that revenge is not worth it. It's here, but now the magic supplies the revenge instead of an endless sourse of money. It doesn't really matter: the count of Monte Cristo was always a fantasy anyway.

Is it a great book? No. But it does keep you hooked, and some scenes have real power (such as the steward's--I cannot pronounce his name--death scene, and Astines nightmares). The characters are reasonably good, though the relationship between Glannian and Tradain was too sketchy and stereotyped. Also, the moral was apllied a little too heavely. Let us enjoy the book, and figure out the moral for ourselves.

Still, despite it's flaws, it was a very enjoyable book.

Having read "Illusions", I was unprepared for the lack of substance in this book. The city and culture of Lis Folaze never comes across. The only characters that are truly fleshed out are the antagonists. One fails to find sympathy with the protaginist. His need for revenge, while justified comes across more as a child with a tantrum. The character of Glennian is cardboard. Her offering to the presence Xyleel is ludicrous and poorly written. Likewise is the "love" that wilts between the two.

Oddly, the best written scenes are those of the torture. They come to life in shocking vividness. While it is the best part of the novel (as far as believability) it is out of place in the vagueness that composes the rest of the novel.

I'm going to be real honest here and admit that the reviews I read for this book made no sense for me-I bought it purely because of who the author is. Turns out that was a good decision because this just might be the best of Paula Volsky's books.

As basically every other reviewer has said, the premise of this book is based on the "Count of Monte Cristo"-now I said the premise-the whole book is not, and I say that having read the aforementioned book. The main character, Tradain, is the youngest son of a noble family. At the beginning of the book he's out exploring the ruins of an old house-the mansion of an old sorcerer killed by a mob for his crimes (hint hint HINT!!!!!) predictably for Tradain, he's followed by young Glennian, a noble daughter of another house, the daughter of his father's best friend who in spite of the fact that she's a musical prodigy and completely eidetic (photographic memory) tends to follow him like a puppy. The girl warns him her father is leaving the country the next day in fear of the white tribunal (a sort of witch hunting agency/inquisition for sorcerers.) Surprise, surprise when in the middle of the night our hero wakes up to his whole family (except the stepmom) being arrested by the soldiers of the light-even him, even though at 13, he's a minor.

The next part is almost strait out of "Count of Monte Cristo", we have a prison on a rock in the water, an old, old man with helpful intentions, a secret stash of power with great consequences behind it-and a never ending quest for revenge. But the thing about revenge is, if you let it consume your life, if it becomes the only thing you are, the only thing you care about, what happens when you finish your work?

Throw in a short time line measured by a magic hourglass (it shows how much power our hero has expended) a romance, a country in uprising against unfair use of the justice system and what do you get-a good book. Is it at as tightly written as "illusion"-no, it's not. And as usual with Volsky, the romance needs serious editing, but it's also not as bland in spots as "The Grand Ellipse." And the religion is just fascinating!

You see sorcerers get their power from beings that the people in this book call "malevolence's" these are considered to be of the same species as their god, who is seen as an anomaly among the species who fights against these evil gods to protect humanity. Humans can barter their souls to the evil gods and get magical power-but it's limited and illegal and seen as hurting the good god. Just keep in mind while you're reading this book that all religion is based on the assumption that you can place total faith in something can that can never be proved-only in this case you can reach out and communicate with the gods-if you happen to be a sorcerer. So only those who commit acts abhorred by society can really know anything-true or false-about the accepted religion.

Interested yet?

Ignore the bad reviews, this is worth your time. Four point five stars. (I'm deducting half a star for the very last sentence-which was horrible. I don't know why anyone would allow a book to be published with that at the very end. The ending overall was good, but the very last sentence was bizzare and stupid. In fact, I can quote it without making any spoilers. This book ends with: "I don't know." See what I mean?)

But my expectations were pretty low. Basically the Count of Monte Cristo vs. the Spanish Inquisition, "The White Tribunal" keeps a good pace and has some vivid scenes, although this is not the book for readers who like to explore unusual fantasy realms. (And I'm not one of those readers)

There's a problem when two of the three villains of the piece are more complex and compelling than the protagonist, and that the third (least interesting) villain is the most powerful. It also doesn't help that so much is predictable, such as the budding romance, or the manner in which Tradain's "soul" is saved. Still, it was a fun read, if a little slight, and went down smoothly.

A sorry cliche for a sorry novel. The White Tribunal fails to live up to the standard Ms. Volsky first introduced with Illusion. Lis Folaze is a world not realized by the author, and therefore not realized by the reader--being neither connected to her previous world of Illusion, The Wolf of Winter and the Gates of Twilight, nor being fully realized as a World unto itself. To replace the abysmal lack of the first necessity to Pure Fantasy (i.e. worldbuilding), Ms. Volsky supplies graphic horror. This bloodiness is indeed inventive, but does not further either the characters or the plot. The enemies are to be pitied, the heroes not well loved. Were the sense of place and objective better, the involuted character play would have been more apropos and intriguing--as it is, the obscurity bogs down the entire work. Ms. Volsky also enlightens us further to her "planar" concept of God, or gods, or Higher Astral Beings, or higher astral excrement as the case may be. This too is disturbing and distasteful. The love between the two main characters is superficial, the dialogue is heavy, the action skittish. Ms. Volsky has "sold out."--Emily C. A. Snyder

This book is an entertaining read, overall. Ms. Volsky has written a well-paced, readable story, if a story lacking some crucial background, plot, and character development. The book is basically a fantasy-retelling of "The Count of Monte Cristo", with minor plot changes. "Count" is very much a plot-driven book, and the same can be said for "White Tribunal." The story moves along briskly, and includes some vivid narration (the torture scenes are particularly brutal). Unfortunately, the characters are mostly one-dimensional, resulting in a lack of depth of feeling in the novel. Also, the plot resolution is too brief, too sudden, poorly realized, and a bit silly. Ms. Volsky's world contains some tantalizing elements that, sadly, are not developed in the novel. The city scarred by the Sortilegious Wars is a promising setting for a story--and since "White Tribunal" did not fully take advantage of this promise, I can only hope a novel covering the earlier history of this city will be forthcoming. The all-too-brief references to the city's background are far more interesting than the story Ms. Volsky tells in this novel. All in all, not a bad book, but one that promises more than it delivers.

i feel like all of the people who said that the characters are flat weren't thinking of real people.

One problem I have is that Tradain sort of *is* the book. We get a veiw of thrid person limited from the antagonists almost soley when we are watching his magic. I think that if there were atleast a prologue building Gnaus as a character, and highlighting his break from liMarchborg and liTarngrav that would have improved out sense of the character. More history on how and why the witch-hunts grew so visious, and why people were so afraid to come out against them might have been nice too. Maybe she was afraid of ripping off illusion.

As far as complaints about Tradain.... what kind of character would you expect after what he goes through? I'm familiar (to a degree) with the psych of trauma. He shows some of the traits beautifully.

The person who suggested that reading the Compte of Monet Crisco may have been right that you need some sort of background that most people don't have to appreciate this book.

As far as Glennian goes I don't attribute her offer to Xyleel to the budding romance... I attributed it to her ideals, and her demonstrated impulsitivity.
That she doesn't, on her own, recognize Kwieseldt for the treachery he committed makes sense based on numerous theories across various feilds of psych and soc. Even if she did think about it she would probably just have assumed that he agreed with someone else's statement to avoid getting himself thrown in the pot-- much against his will. Some fuel for his paranoia did included that he had been among the most loyal of servants.

I think people didn't like this book because it didn't have a happy ending.

All that aside, I just plain LIKE the book, though i would have given it a 4 if there weren't so many horribly negative reviews.

If you haven't read Alexandre Dumas's novel, "Le Comte de Monte Cristo", this book will seem like a fairy tale with a shallow plot and a cliched moral. If you haven't read it. Paula Volsky has retold the tale that Dumas wrote just after the Napoleanic era of France, once again putting it in a fantasy setting. And she does it with panache, if at times degenerating into young adult novelhood. On the whole, I really liked this book, but then again, I adored "The Count of Monte Cristo".