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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A flawed debut - but recommended, August 10, 2000
Billed (not very accurately) as a "military fantasy" this book deals with the conflict between the empire of Nar (ruled by the despot Arkus) and the peoples of the adjacent continent of Lucel-Lar (ruled, at least in a sense, by the religious zealot Tharn, whose rise to power is reflected in the opening chapters of the book). The events are portrayed mainly through the eyes of the story's central protagonist, Richius Vantran (a.k.a. The Jackal of Nar). Richius starts out as prince of the small kingdom of Aramoor (a part of the Nar empire), fighting a hopeless war in Lucel-Lar against Tharn's followers. Later he becomes king of Aramoor, if briefly. Throughout the rest of the book he is an outlaw from Nar, having chosen the side of Lucel-Lar and his beloved, Dyana.This is a debut novel, and it made quite an impact upon publication. Various established authors (such as J.V. Jones) praised its merits, calling it "well-crafted" and the like. On the other hand, if you were to bother to wade through the many reviews posted here at Amazon, you'll find there's been a lot of criticism, too. For example, Richius is described, in no uncertain terms, as ridiculously stupid. There's a very good reason for this duplicity. The first half of the book is, frankly, poor. The story stutters and jolts; the characters (especially Richius) are impossible to comprehend, let alone sympathise with. It's as if this section has been so heavily edited that the story-line's been forgotten, let alone the character progression. Once Richius has returned to Lucel-Lar, however, everything changes. Suddenly, Marco hits his stride; the second half of the book is, indeed, "well-crafted" and, in fact, quite impressive. So this seems to be a case where both the fans and the detractors are right (and wrong). Where does that leave us ordinary people? Well, I'd recommend this book. Not because I'm particularly smitten by it as a whole, but because the latter half makes clear that Marco is an important new kid on the block, once he gets his chance. His style of fantasy - which includes very little magic, and instead deals more with politics and war - isn't new, as anyone familiar with George R.R. Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire series will know. Neither is Marco the best there is in this field; again, a writer such as Martin comes to mind. But Marco's bound to mature and even this first novel, with its curious flaws, seems to make clear that he is a major new talent.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Much More than a Military Fantasy, December 4, 2000
A vast fantasy military epic would be the easy way to describe this amazing novel, which opens a fantasy sequence that rivals many of the best (Jordan, Martin, Williams, Kay) out there in terms of characters, richness, scope and storytelling. However, this novel is more than a military fantasy, the intertwining and clashing of magic and technology is done in a way that does not take away from the story, but rather is essential to the story and the characters. What was best about the magic in this story is that magic is not something that is thrown around lightly, as it is in many of the fantasies written today. The characters that are imbued with magical talents pay a dear price to wield their powerful sorcery. The conflicts range on many levels in this story: magic/technology, brains/heart, etc.John Marco has studied up on his military history and has also developed some very believable characters in his debut novel. When I say believable, they are not black and white--the ruthless Tharn is shown to have human emotions and convictions. The reasons behind his scheming is understandable from his vantage point, not acceptable, just understandable. The supporting characters that surround Tharn are vile as well, and their schemings are ruthless, and again understandable from their vantage point, just not acceptable as good behavior. Richius is a convincing character as well because while he is the 'hero' of the novel, he definitely has his shortcomings. At times he is brash and he does not always learn from his mistakes. He acts in a way that will best meet his goals, whether his goals are truly attainable or not. Throughout Richius matures while sticking to his deepest convictions of attempting to get to his goal of reuniting with his true love. Mr. Marco is descriptive while allowing enough of the readers imagination to create the vivid scenery and events in the novel. The battle scenes come to life off the page, I felt like I was actually in the battles along with Richius and his comrades. When Tharn uses his magic, I could visualize the magical weavings he was invoking. The ending was a bit abrupt, but overall this novel is sure to start a writing career that will be long, fruitful and epic. John Marco is 'an author to watch' to use another trite cliché, but it is true. If you are a fan of George R.R. Martin, give John Marco a try. The third (and final?) book of Tyrants and Kings (Saints of the Sword) should be out early 2001, this will more than satisfy you while you wait for book 4 of A Song of Ice and Fire.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Refreshing New Fantasy Title, August 27, 2000
The beauty of The Jackal of Nar lies not in having an exciting,past paced plot, which it has, or having well-crafted, detailed prose, which it also has, but in the simple fact that the characters Marco creates are beleivable. Far too often in fantasy novels the conflict is simply good/evil. Need I list Sauron, Shai'itan, Dharken Rahl, etc.? In the Jackal of Nar, Marco avoids this stereotypical conflict. He indeed initially labels numerous persons as "evil," but this evil is more of the "all communists are evil" kind, AKA nationalist war-time propaganda. But Marco has us meet these characters, one by one, and we learn that they are people, too, with basic desires and drives , such as wanting freedom, or long life. Also, it seemed to me that Marco was also trying relay the idea that the soldiers, the ones that do the killing, raping and pillaging in a war are the real criminals, the true evil. Marco's believable characters make the story. Buy it and you too will be refreshed by his original style.
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