An engrossing read that’s a solid addition to the fantasy genre.
Evil forces empowered by the Dark Writings threaten to destroy the Realm in Schmutz’s debut fantasy novel.
Schmutz’s first book in a planned trilogy introduces a world of heroes and villains, prophecies and magic. Davian Ul, an ambitious, ruthless man whose presence pervades the novel like the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien’s wizard Sauron, will stop at nothing to win control over the Realm. He’s in possession of the Dark Writings—a collection of sinister secrets employed by “the most powerful man who ever walked the earth”—and has learned the power of the Dark Ways, including the ability to control minds and wipe out entire villages through the use of powerful magic. Standing in the way of Davian Ul’s total domination is the Alliance, a partnership led by the kings of the Realm. Concerned about Davian Ul’s growing power, the Alliance decides it has no choice but to wage war and attempt to overrun Davian Ul’s fortress at Tar Belg. At the center of the story is a prophecy foretelling the arrival of three brothers, separated at birth and divided, “One to Greatness / One to Strength / And One to Serve the Dark.” Schmutz swiftly links three boys to the brothers of the prophecy, as each side of the war struggles to decode and fulfill the prophecy’s larger meaning. Schmutz’s Realm is a vivid world, full of clearly drawn lands and people, and the ambitious novel uses several hundred pages to effectively explore its politics, religion and traditions. The large web of characters is initially confusing, but the story soon takes shape and becomes easier to follow. Though the prophecy feels vaguely like a J.K. Rowling plotline, and the willingness to kill off central characters is a page from George R.R. Martin, Schmutz’s work presents unique, nuanced characters and unexpected plot twists. Fans of the genre will eagerly devour the tome, and the cliffhanger ending is sure to leave readers wanting what’s next.
An engrossing read that’s a solid addition to the fantasy genre.Pub Date: July 3, 2013
ISBN: 978-1453865316
Page Count: 593
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
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