Tag Archives: Fantasy

Fantasy, Review

City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett

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City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett

Before continuing, please note that this is the third book in “The Divine Cities” trilogy. Before reading this novel, it would be a good idea to have read the previous two. There is also a chance that there may be spoilers below. It has been a few years since the first book, so I’m not 100% sure. Here is my review for the first book, City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. I am a little shocked that I never posted a review of City of Blades though. I had the opportunity to meet the man himself and receive a signed ARC. If I get the chance, I will have to gather my memories and get that one up as well. If I do, I will edit this and link it here. Sufficed to say, I love the first book and really like the second as well. For now, let us move on to the third book.

Rounding out his trilogy, Robert Jackson Bennett give us City of Miracles. What a way to end the series. We return to the Continent to rejoin our favorite Dreyling, Sigrud je Harkvaldsson. It has been a number of years since the events at the end of City of Blades and Sigrud is still a fugitive, hiding away, doing odd jobs, and hoping Shara Komayd contacts him. (Okay, so kinda spoiler alert here, but not really, the following takes place in the first 10 pages, even before what I already introduced. It is on the book jacket and all previews, reviews, descriptions, etc.) While working one of these jobs in exile, Sigrud receives the news that his long time friend and partner has been assassinated. He now has one goal, the same one that got him into the predicament he is currently in, revenge. One of the most effective operatives to ever work on the continent returns from hiding to get justice for his old friend.

As one may guess from being the final book in “The Divine Cities” trilogy, Sigrud will have to tackle the divine once again, this time without direct help from Shara, the one who always the the knack for it. A spy’s job is never quick or easy though. Killing a target is simple. Uncovering what is happening behind the scenes and bringing everything to a stop will prove to be one of Sigrud’s most challenging operations yet. I feltthat this novel nicely wrapped up the series with another fantastic and epic story. The plot brought me right back to City of Stairs, with a very familiar feeling.

The characters were very well developed, even Sigrud, who we have known well through two prior books, got excellent additional depth. The world building was also very interesting. We already know many of the locations from the earlier novels, however the landscapes have changed significantly enough through advancements and industrialization, that the familiar names have all new features. With the divine, settings can (and do) change in the blink of an eye as well. The enjoyment level, as I mentioned, brought me right back to City of Stairs, and to me, was more enjoyable than City of Blades, which I also really liked. I give City of Miracles a 5/5, easily. If anyone has read any of the trilogy, you absolutely must complete it. If you have not yet begun the series, I highly recommend it.

The end of anything tends to be a little sad, but this novel, both with knowing it was over, and the actual content left me quite sad, though with a juxtaposed happiness for world and the accomplishments of the characters we grew to know and love. Those sort of feelings only come from a well written, well balanced story that creates emotional bonds between the world, the characters, and the readers. I for one thoroughly felt this bond and I will be watching out for Robert Jackson Bennett’s novels in the future, hoping for a similar experience.

 

 

Disclaimer: I received this review copy through Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Fantasy, Review

The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander

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The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander
The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander

Blending the realms of Paranormal Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Rebecca Alexander brings us The Secrets of Life and Death, the first book in her Jackdaw Hammond series. Here in the US this is pretty much a new release. We just got this novel last October from Broadway Books (a Crown Publishing imprint, part of the Penguin Random House family) with the sequel, The Secrets of Blood and Bone, released in September (Working on that review as well). The Novel however was initially published in the UK in 2013 by Del Rey UK, with the second installation published in 2014. Sorry UK readers, but its new to us.

In The Secrets of Life and Death, Alexander takes us on two journeys separated by over 500 years. In present day England, a university Professor is brought in to consult when occult symbols are found on the body of a young girl. Professor Felix Guichard is top this novel what Robert Langdon is in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Felix’s research and investigation bring him to meet Jackdaw Hammond, the titular character of the series. Jack is strange girl who holds some stranger secrets, among them that she is dead, or rather she should be.

On the other side of the story, in the 16th century we Edward Kelly, assistant to Dr. John Dee and apparently a medium for an angel. Dee is a physician, alchemist and dabbler in the occult. Dee and Kelly are actual historical figures. Dee practiced the aforementioned skills while advising Queen Elizabeth. In this story they are called to Poland to help the King’s niece, Elizabeth Bathroy, who is suffering from an unknown and virtually untreatable ailment.

Both of these women have one thing in common: they are on borrowed time. Their lives are extended by magic. The magic system here is a bit unique. The only other series I can think that uses a similar structure (though still quite different) is Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle series, of which I am very fond.  As Felix investigates, we delve further into both the accounts of Edward Kelly during his and Dr. Dee’s work with Elizabeth Bathroy, and the world surrounding Jack. These two stories turn out to be intertwined in a way that ties the novel together quite nicely.

I definitely enjoyed the book. Like 4 out of 5 stars enjoyed it. The combination of urban fantasy and historical fiction worked very well for me. It gets more interesting if you know who Elizabeth Bathory is. I will not spoil it here, but I will link to the Wikipedia article if you are interested. The magic system combined with the dark history really turns out something very different and enjoyable. I also think the characters were well developed. You get a good feel for who most of them are and why there are where they are. I find this to be true for both time periods. I have seen some criticism of the jumping back and forth, but in SciFi and Fantasy novels, jumping between characters, settings and time periods is not really unfamiliar, so I had no problem with it. The only minor thing for me was that I felt the ending was a bit predictable, but satisfyingly, so It seemed the only way to end it.

I also wanted to note that not only did I really like this book, but I was also very excited by the fact that I knew a sequel was coming. When I wrote the bulk of the review I was watching out for it. By the time I was getting back to finish his up, I already had a review copy of the next book. Now at the time of uploading this, I have already finished that book too. I hope to have that review up shortly as well.
Disclaimer: I receive this review copy through GoodReads First Reads program.

Fantasy, Review

The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller

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The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller
The Falcon Throne by Karen Miller

The Falcon Throne is the first in a new epic fantasy series (The Tarnished Crown series) by Karen Miller. It has taken me a long time to actually find the time to sit down and write this review. In fairness, it took me a long time to read it, even to get a chance to read. I received the book a little later than I anticipated so I had to move my queue lineup around, and a couple other larger reads have been shuffled around, with some breaks for smaller items in the middle. Needless to say, my review schedule was all out of whack. Luckily, while I did not write this review when I finished it a few months ago, I did write parts of it immediately then wrote down my notes so I could come back with thoughts in tact. The first note I have is that this book doubles as a weapon. It is quite large. Normally when I get print books from publishers I get a paperback review copy. A basic uncorrected proof, sometimes without even the final cover and author’s notes, acknowledgements, etc. This one came in the full hardcover retail glory. It was huge.

I had really mixed feelings about this book. The characters were very well done. I do not even know how to do justice to how well they were crafted and with how much depth. The detail that the author used was incredible. It was generally a really, really well written book. On the other hand, it takes a lot more than great characterizations and descriptions. It was really a 700 page setup book for the rest of the series. So much time was spent setting the scene that it was tiring, almost a chore. There was so much going on in power plays, but the physical action was much less that that there was little excitement. There was certainly a fair bit, it felt… diluted maybe. It is more political than action based. A lot of people are comparing it to Game of Thrones. I can see the resemblance. Several groups in different kingdoms, trying to assert dominance over each other. There is puppetry behind the scenes, good people in bad situations, bad people in good places. I just felt that it moved a little too slow for me. Not a bad story, I just wished there was more excitement.

As a setup book, it was well done. I think there is a lot of interesting content coming in the future of Miller’s series that I can honestly say I am excited for. The ending left me with some things that I really wanted to see play out, but I was also glad to be done. Usually when people criticize books for being slow, I tend to disagree. The Curse of Challion gets heat on that front constantly, but I absolutely loved it and offer only praise. While The Falcon Throne had a rich and deep story, and perhaps even more action than Challion, I was not drawn in by it, not compelled. I also ended up hating all of the characters by the end. Even the “good” ones were too flawed for me to like as protagonists. Flawed characters are the most relate-able, but if they’re also hate-able, the connection to them is lost. I can’t even say that there are not-so-good, but likable anti-heroes. I hated everyone. Viscerally. I’ve read plenty of books where the author specifically went for this vibe. It was likely intended, and I can somewhat understand it, though that does not mean I like it. I gave it 3/5 stars because, as I said earlier, it was a really well written book, but I just could not get completely drawn in by it. While a 3 star review isn’t generally a strong recommendation, I think it may be worth reading this to get into a series that I personally believe has lots of potential. Besides, regardless of what I thought, you might love it.

Disclaimer: I received this book through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.

Fantasy, Review

The Slow Regard For Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

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The Slow Regard for Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard for Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

The Slow Regard for Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss was originally intended to be used as his short in George R. R. Martin’s Rogues anthology. He eventually wrote “The Lightning Tree” instead, which focuses on Bast. This was not meant to be a book or novella of its own, but it ended up way over the short story length. After showing it to some people, who all seemed to like it, Rothfuss still was unsure that it was fit for the masses, but as something he enjoyed, shared it with some more friends as well as his editor. Eventually he became convinced that maybe it was fit for publication, and DAW published it. The result was this odd sort of story than nobody can really describe, but many people love for what it is and others hate for what it is not.

If you are expecting Kvothe in this novella or anything really having to do with the actual storyline of the Kingkiller Chronicles, this isn’t it. If you want something to satiate that need for the next story in the series, this will likely not do it. If you happen to be intrigued by Auri and wanted a bit of a glimpse into her head and her life, then you’ll want to pick this up. I honestly cannot explain this story. It takes place in the same universe, at the same time as the other books, with a character from the series, but I wouldn’t even put it in the same genre.. It is one of the oddest things I have ever read. I shouldn’t like it, I know that and the author knows that, he even states that explicitly. This is not a normal book, it does not follow any real literary process, it just is. I know that this means nothing to anyone, but when(if) you read it, you’ll get what I mean.

Here is what I can make enough sense of to tell you. You get a chance to see the world (well, the Underthing at least) as Auri sees it. It is an adventure through her little nook of the world and the strange working of her mind. Unfortunately we learn basically nothing of her past, something I was sort of hoping for in this. There is a ton of emotion experienced by Auri which Rothfuss does a great job of conveying. He really paints an excellent picture of her feelings so that the reader can ride them out along with her. While we see somewhat into her mind and her feelings, I do not think we really come any closer to really understanding her as a character though. She is clearly an enigma, and a well crafted one at that. I don’t see this as a flaw in the character development, quite the opposite actually. To experience a character in this much depth and see their thoughts, yet still be puzzled by them, is not something easily achieved.

I can’t really comment much more on the character development because… well… there aren’t really other characters. That may be debatable, but not by my definitions. There isn’t and real dialogue, and at best a hint at the inkling of a plot. I can’t even rate this using any standard process because the parts are just not there. This story has been a little controversial among fans, some love it, some hate. I honestly cannot tell you why, but I liked it. It was a well written case study on an odd and troubled girl. It is very different, but it is endearing. I do not know whether to recommend it to other readers or not, but I gave it 4 stars based solely on how I felt when I put it down. I enjoyed reading it and regardless of the criteria we are supposed to look for in a “proper” story, isn’t the reader’s enjoyment or entertainment the only thing that really matters? Like I said, not everyone enjoyed it the way I did and it really may not be for everyone, but if this odd and nonsensical review made you at all curious, give it a shot.

Fantasy, Review

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

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city of stairs cover
City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

City of Stairs was an interesting book (which is due to be released on September 9th, 2014 by Broadway Books, a Crown imprint) that immediately intrigued me. I had not really been aware of it leading up to the promotional stage and though I know of Robert Jackson Bennett, I did not actually know much about him or his writing. This is actually the first chance I have had to read his work. When I looked at the description it immediately stood out as something I needed to request. The story takes place primarily on a colonized continent. The Continent was formerly a world power which wielded its’ own pantheon of gods. The gods are now long gone and a smaller island nation has colonized the Continent. More or less at the center of the Continent is the city of Bulikov, our main focal point. An even with certain political and legal implications brings our main character, Shara, over to Bulikov, and that is just the first few pages.

In town with the credentials of a diplomat  assigned to the local embassy sent to investigate recent events, Shara is actually about as far from a political player as one working for thier govenrment can get;, she is one of Saypur’s top operatives on the continent. Her true job is less diplomatic politician and more undercover spy. What sounds so far like a geopolitical drama evolves into a world with a unique magic system and a strong fantasy based story. Religious extremists, divine miracles and unexplainable events cause Shara and her associates to believe that these long gone gods may not be as gone as everyone seems to think. The plot really escalated quickly and refocuses several times. There is drama, magic, twists and plenty of action. More than enough for any fantasy fan.

I really appreciated the level of characterization and descriptiveness the author used. The characters were given not only depth, but layers. I really liked how the the layers were teased out over the course of the book, slowly revealing more and more about them and their history. I felt like I had a strong understanding of many of the main characters at the end and a really nice glimpse into their pasts and their motives. I am a sucker for strong characterization and Bennett certainly gave us that. It was not only the characters that were given full back stories, but also the regions, the deities and political structure. The world building was fantastic and unique. It bordered on fantasy world building and urban fantasy world altering. It does not end there either. The descriptions were detailed and vivid. One particular scene stands out where Shara is cooking while discussing some rather in depth Continental history. The detailed descriptions of her preparations intertwined in her conversations felt so casual yet was extremely well done, completely taking me into to scene where i could absolutely see her standing there crushing garlic and slicing meat. I do not know why that stuck with me so much, but I was completely impressed with it.

If you cannot already tell, I really, really enjoyed the book. The action scenes were great, the world building was very well done and magic system was interesting and unique. I have not talked about Sigrud at all in this review so far, but you will love Shara’s “secretary” and travel companion. I do not know if there is anything in particular that I  can point out that I  did not like. I have to give City of Stairs 5/5.  I absolutely recommend pucking this up. I would even go as far as saying to pre-order it, it liked it that much. I am not claiming that this is the most revolutionary book I have read and it will change your life. It was however damn good and fairly unique and I am confident that most SFF fans will love it. The novel was a very well balanced book. I hope we see something else in this universe. I know I will have to pull some of Robert Jackson Bennett‘s other works after this.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher, through Goodreads in exchange for a fair review.

Fantasy, Review

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

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Half a King cover
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Half a King , the recent novel by Joe Abercrombie, is the author’s first real foray into the world of Young Adult and the first book in his new Shattered Sea series. I have mixed feelings about YA in general, but with Joe Abercrombie as the author, I was going to dive in either way. On one hand I feel that YA is really flooding the market, especially in the Fantasy genre. On the other hand I love that it is out there and there is a good base to bring younger people into the literary world. I will not go into my YA feelings in any more depth right now, I prefer to take a book for what the content is, rather than how it is marketed.

At the heart of the story we have our main character, Yarvi, the second son of the King and Queen. Yarvi has no real air of royalty and is in fact studying to become a minister, having no interest in the royal life. Yarvi is young, weak and had a deformed hand. In a family and culture which prides itself on strength and warfare, he knows where he stands. Unfortunately his plans are upended and he is forced to take the throne. Whilst beginning to settle and accept a life he never truly wanted, Yarvi is betrayed in usurper’s a grab for power. He swears an oath of vengeance and to reclaim the throne he wished never to have.

Regardless of the YA billing, this is still very much an Abercrombie book. It may have been conceived for an audience younger than the average Abercrombie fan, but the loyal fans can still love this novel and get a real sense that the author has not compromised in writing it. There is still a gritty and grim feel to this book. There is enough death, blood and violence to get that familiar ‘Lord Grimdark’ feel. It is a classically styled fantasy-adventure novel. I think it is good for any age… well, maybe anyone above middle grade.

Although it does go above the YA classification, it does keep strongly to the YA formula. A young protagonist, usually teenage, either becomes a leader, or is thrown into a tough situation (usually a combination as it is here) and has to work through it and grow up quickly. Not to say that I do not enjoy the books, but too many really do fall into that narrow scope. The only other slight criticism I had was the “twist” as it has been labeled by other reviewers. I don’t know how much of a twist it really was. From early on I though “hey I can tell this is going to happen,” and I was just waiting on the reveal. It could be that I was expecting a twist and this was the most logical theme, or that I’ve watched to many bad-guy of the week TV shows that I always look for things. Many others have written about their shock at the twist and I am sure that added to their enjoyment. I, on the other hand, felt that it was a fairly blatant thing and it even helped me better understand one of the secondary characters a bit better as I was reading.

The novel as a whole was a very well done classic story by Joe Abercrombie. It is certainly a must read for any fan and certainly a recommended read as an introduction to this author for any fantasy reader who is not yet a fan. I give Half a King 4.5/5 with the only caveat for me being the predictability. I think being surprised or have a more unexpected ending would have made it that much more enjoyable and moved it well into the 5/5.

Fantasy, Review

The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains

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The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains (Enhanced Multimedia Edition): A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds
The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains (Enhanced Multimedia Edition): A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds

This review is going to be a little different. This is mainly because the item I am reviewing is a bit different. Back in August of 2010 Neil Gaiman read one of his short stories at the Sydney Opera House in a multimedia event. Images were created from the prose and displayed on a screen while a string quartet played to the mood of the story. Last week I found out that this was going to be recreated at Carnegie Hall and that really excited me. Unfortunately I was not working in the NYC office that day, I was working out of HQ on LI and working late. I did the next best thing and bought the published version which came out June 17th 2014. While this story itself has been available online, Neil Gaiman only just released a multimedia version. That, as much as the “book” is what I will review.

Before I continue I have a word or warning to anyone looking for this hybrid version: read device support from your vendor. For example, the Kindle version only works on Kindle Fires and iOS devices. It does not work entirely with standard e-ink Kindles, Android apps or the PC. You can still read it, but not hear it. The same goes for the Nook edition, Nook devices only. I ended up with the Google Play enhanced eBook so that I could see it in color on my Nexus tablet and listen to it. That, obviously, is the version I will review.

The format of this special enhanced, multimedia… thing… was nice, unique, but could use refinement. It was different for sure. I did like the images with the story. It had a feel like a graphic novel at some points, specifically when text balloons were incorporated in the scenes.  One thing I do enjoy when reading is creating the scene in your head, but it is nice to know that you are picturing what the author intended, so the guided images were a pleasant change. The audio included was a mixed experience as well. On one hand it felt like an read along audio book with Neil’s reading from the original event. I will discuss my thoughts on audio books at a later time, but I do like the idea of it having a combined presentation. I can see where some people might not love the idea, but both reading and listening are options and not mutually exclusive. The other side of the audio is that behind the reading is the string quartet. On some level I wish there was a separate track, but I realize that without being timed to the reading, it loses the effect. My major criticism is that the audio stops playing if you do anything. Go to the page that continues the text still being read and the audio stops. You cannot follow completely along. This may be different on other editions, but I cannot confirm. Overall, it was a nice experience, but that did bug me a few times.

On to the story. I am, admittedly, a biased Neil Gaiman fan. I know absolutely nothing of the story other than it was done by MR. Gaiman and that was good enough for me. Since it is a short story that can be read in about 90 minutes I really cannot discuss much without spoilers. In essence this is set on the Scottish countryside  where one man enlists the help of a guide who has a known reputation, to find a cave in a hidden island filled with treasure. The story is absolutely fantasy based, with several twists, and really any interesting tidbits will give the story away. I considered and deleted even a single adjective a dozen times while writing this, trying to decide if it gave too much away.

While it was fairly interesting, I felt that the story was flat. It started very slow and mostly progressed the same way. There were a few big moments, but not enough to really make the story. The end felt right, but a little rushed considering how much the story felt teased out. There were some images as well as the cover that made me think it would be freakier than it was. The story was fine, but it does not really live up to what I have come to expect and love out of Neil Gaiman. Perhaps that is unfair, to judge on the author’s merits, not the sole story, but I honestly feel my rating would be the same either way. I would rate this 3/5 considering all aspects of the multimedia experience as well as story content.

Though Neil was already here in NY and in San Francisco, he can still be seen this week in the UK, in London on 7/4-7/5/14 and Edinburgh on 7/6/14. See his site, http://www.neilgaiman.com/, for details.

Fantasy, Links, Preview, SciFi

Previews

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A week has gone by since BookCon and I have been inundated. Unfortunately most of the books I picked up are not being released until the fall and the publishers request reviews not be posted until a certain period prior to release. The time varies by publisher, but basically nothing I have right now can be posted. Instead of a new review, I figured I would throw out a couple of previews until I get through a book I can actually write about.

First from Tor, something I am personally excited for, Is John Scalzi’s new book, Lock in. In the near future, a virus spreads through the world’s population. Everyone reacts differently with some people experiencing nothing worse than a headache or flu symptoms. The more severe cases result in acute meningitis, and only one percent gets “locked in” and are unable to move or respond, but are still conscious. This is unfortunately a real phenomenon called Locked In Syndrome. It is generally unrepeatable and the person has almost no ability to communicate, with a few notable cases trying to have interfaces where patients could at least answer “yes” or “no”.

In Scalzi’s book, however they have devised a virtual reality system where those suffering could “ride” a licenses body and once again interact with the real world. The story builds based on what actions are taken with these “loaner” bodies. Tor has released the first 5 chapters on this up coming book. Check here for links to each chapter as well as other related information. Lock In comes our August 26th 2014.

The next link I have is an excerpt from the new anthology edited by George R.R Martin, Rogues. Rogues contains stories from Neil Gaiman, Pat Rothfuss and Mr. Martin himself as well as many other authors in this genre. I know I am excited for some of these stories such as Neil Gaiman’s story “How the Marquis Got His Coat Back” which is based in his Neverwhere story. Martin’s story is based in the “Game of Thrones” universe (so calm down, you’re getting a new story), and of course Patrick Rothfuss has a story with Bast from “The Kingkiller Chronicles”. It is that story I happen to have found an excerpt of on Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist. Suvudu has also posted Scott Lynch and Joe Abercrombie reading from their stories. The release of Rogues is right around the corner on June 17th and is being published by Bantam. I really wish I had gotten a chance to review this book earlier, but I promise to try to squeeze it into my TBR list.

Luckily there are tons of great books coming  out and I don’t even come close to scratching the surface. Stay tuned in to your favorite publishers, authors and blogs for the latest.

Fantasy, Preview, Review

Elder Scrolls Online

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So first off, this is my first non-book post. Normally I would not do this, but since it is a preview, I thought some book fans might like to hear about it before it comes out. I felt that the content is strongly fantasy themed and there is a large crossover between fantasy readers and gamers.I received beta access without any expectation from the developer of any review (in fact, at the time I was under an NDA). The exchange was while I got to play the beta, they got the the results and feedback they needed. I write this with an unbiased and honest view.

Exactly one week ago the final scale beta for Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) completed. Luckily I had the opportunity to participate in a few of the test sessions. These beta weekends have been going on for several months, in conjunction with Zenimax’s own internal testing. The sessions I was involved in were primarily meant as stress tests to see what their servers could handleand what needed to be tweaked for public release. Up until the second to last beta there was a strict nondisclosure agreement (NDA) preventing us from writing any reviews or previews. Now that the testing is done and I have a free moment, I would like to share some details of the game. I took some videos and screenshots and while they came out well, I felt they they were not helpful in describing the game-play, so for now I will let my words do their thing. If you really want to see any of it, just ask me. There are many hours of ESO on YouTube already and tons of screenshots floating around. Reddit even has and ESO subreddit.

First, there has been some decent changes between betas, so I am not sure how much of this will hold up between now and release time. The starting area actually changed in the last beta, which I felt was a positive change, but it also shows that anything I talk about here is no guaranteed to be in the final product. The main thing people seem to want to know is whether this is more like Skyrim or like WoW. Well, I don’t play WoW, so I can only guess. It really is somewhat unique though. The PvE does feel like an Elder Scrolls game… ish. It obviously is different from Skyrim in many ways, but the landscapes, exploration and general content make you feel at home in an Elder Scrolls world.  The creatures, both enemy and benign, are call backs to previous games and help you settle into the familiar lore. The biggest differences for me are the magic system and (the elephant in the room) the multitude of other players surrounding you.

Unlike Skyrim and Oblivion, magic is not a weapon slot item. it it a quickslot action. This give it a more MMORPG feel. Most RPGs use a system like this, but it does take something away from the ES spirit a little. The people around surprisingly are not as distracting as i though. Even playing the lone wolf, not playing with friends or finding a group, other players can be helpful. Exploring a dungeon, even above your level, is enhanced when players can watch each others backs. Loot is given to all participant who kill an opponent so there is no scrambling to pick it up, and in PvE you cannot harm other players. The one bad thing is certain objectives are world based and not instanced so you are sometimes scouring for a bit before you find something other players did not take/use/kill.

PvP is a different animal altogether. This is more like Guild Wars 2 with an Elder Scrolls edge. There is still a good deal of exploring and questing to be done, but the real meat of Cyrodil is the Alliance war. Combat is faction based and you can only fight opposing alliances. You fight for control of keeps, for various assigned objectives, and for possession of Elder Scrolls.  The factions are a large central point in this game. There is the Ebonhart Pact with the Argonians, Dunmer (Dark elves) and Nords. The Daggerfall Covenant with Bretons, Orcs and Redgaurds. Finally the Aldmeri Dominion with Altmer (High Elves), Bosmer (Wood Elves) and Kajit. The races are bound to the factions, unless you ordered the Imperial edition where you can choose what group to be in. You also get an addition race: Imperial, and some other extras. Each groups have completely different game-play. They exist in different areas of Tamriel, the quests are mostly unrelated, though guild quests are fairly similar, and your home area in Cryodil (PvP) all depend on what faction you choose.

As in all games of this type, the race and class strongly impact your character’s abilities and grow, more so than in some other Elder Scrolls games. The skills are class and race specific, not available elsewhere. In Skyrim it mostly have you boosts and affinities, in ESO, skill trees are unique.  I created a number of alt characters to test this, and it really makes a difference. Dragonknights make good fighters or tanks, Nightblades are generally assassins and rogues, Templars can be tanks and healers and sorcerers are, well, mages. The abilities are very different. Guilds and PvP also give you access to other skills trees that unlock based on your progression in those aspects. I would say to play around, because my usual character choices did not feel right. I went a little out of what I generally liked and really enjoyed my play times as they synergy of skills really spoke to my play style. While I felt my usual go-to Dunmer Assassin to be underpowered and frankly a bit boring, the Altmer Mage, I created when the Ebonheart quests got stale do to bugs my first session, quickly became my favorite and I stuck to it through the remaining sessions.

Now, this was a beta test, so there were a lot of bug. No, really, a LOT of bugs, frustrating at points. Some quests were fatally broken and I had to play areas way above my level, giving rewards I was not powerful enough to equip, just to progress. Walls disappeared, characters did not spawn, I fell through the sky a few times. I am hoping they have a lot of fixes at work on the private test servers, or hidden up a sleeve, because it was a bit rough, and with early release a week away, it would be a lit of work from what I last saw to be ready for launch. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the game and if you are OK with the $15/mo fee, I highly recommend this as a really nice MMO with fresh look and feel. I just hope they have it polished a bit more for paying customers.

I could bore everyone to death listing the details of the game that are out there, but there are many sources of this already. I just want to share my experiences. Typically I am drawn to single player games. To me they tend to have a richer story. Also I rarely have enough time to get anywhere near as good as serious core gamers. I am not quite a casual, but time is becoming more difficult to find for gaming and single player games move at your own pace. I could put hundreds of hours into a game, but it may take me more time to do it than many others, I spent all of my time in the first beta and half in the second beta only playing quests. I liked the quests quite a bit. They were very much like typical Elder Scrolls type quest, with only the slightest generic RPG feel. There really were not man, kill 50 of these, find 20 of those, style quests which have plagued games recently. I thought I could be content with PvE for a while. That being said, the PvP is really fun. I felt like it could not give proper feedback on the  game without trying everything and I was glad I did. When you find a large group rush attacking a keep, it is really quite entertaining. The siege weapons are really a nice touch as well. These experiences are really more immersive than I would have thought. Enemies are also scaled. When you may be level 20, fighting a level 50 enemy, it is still do-able.

Crafting, I did not love. I didn’t hate it, but it was nowhere near as good as in Skyrim. I did fairly well, got up to decent levels, but I can’t see spending as much time smiting or crafting in this as I did in Skyrim. Same with enchanting, really different, and not nearly as enjoyable. Again, not terrible, just not as good.

The group dungeons and Skyhooks are another great addition, but they really require groups. Groups are easy to find or join, but this is a big departure from Elder Scrolls play and really a more typical MMO type of activity.

Overall I was please with the game. the bugs were frustrating, but it was a beta, they are expected. I have high hopes for this game. I would recommend it to ES players looking for a more expansive world, or MMORPG players looking for something fresh. If you have any questions about the game, let me know. I will have a new book write up later this week as well.

Fantasy, Links, Preview, SciFi

Links & Stuff

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We are almost halfway through March and it has been quite a month already.  This month saw some highly anticipated books (such as Words of Radiance and Tropic of Serpents) with even more to come.

If there weren’t enough new books out there for you, Storybundle.com has a great “Epic Fantasy Bundle”. Those who are familiar with the Humble Bundle will know the format. You choose the price, and if it is over a certain amount, you unlock the other books. Basically (as of this writing) if you pay $12 or more you will get 9 epic fantasy novels by authors such as Neil Gaiman, Brandon Sanderson and Tracy Hickman. All are DRM free and a portion will go to a charity of your choosing. Hurry though because this expires in 14 days.

Going back to new books, I have put together a couple of links with excerpts  for upcoming novels. You can read a little bit and get a preview before it comes out.

First (because it comes out in 2 weeks on 3/25) is Lockstep by Karl Schroeder, published by Tor. This space opera is about a 17 year old boy who is stranded in a dead galaxy. He wakes up unexpectedly on a thriving planet… 14,000 years later. So far people have really enjoyed Schroeder’s world building in this. Take a look and see if it interests you.

The next book is Defenders by Will McIntosh, which is being published by Orbit on May 13th. Earth was invaded by telepathic aliens and the human response was to create genetically engineered super-soldiers with inherent resistance to psychic attacks. Once the war is over, what becomes of these defenders who were created with the sole purpose of being soldiers a psychic war? Will it be a Sci-Fi version of Rambo: First Blood? Perhaps an allegory for current veteran status? The only sure thing as that this looks interesting. Check out the prologue over at io9. Also check out Will McIntosh’s website.

Now to take a step away from books for a second. I know many Fantasy fans are also gamers. An immersive fantasy environment is naturally appealing. With this in mind, I did want to point out that The Elder Scrolls Online is right on the verge of the PC release. I mention this because I have been involved in the last few ESO beta sessions, so between working, reading, and the beta on alternate weeks, I have neglected some of my updates here and on twitter. At first I could not mention anything due to Zenimax’s strict Non Discolsure. After the NDA was lifted 2 weeks ago I was planning to write up something with screen caps and some videos, but I think I will wait until next week, as the beta this weekend will be a better version with some extra content. Check back here for that post.