Helm [Mass Market Paperback]

 

 

Create your own review

"Helm" is one of the better stories I have read in a long time. It is well written, the story line is fresh, new and well thought out. The characters, other than the principal two or three are not so exhaustively deep as to boar or to slow down the work. The principals are well developed, certainly well enough for this story. This is a single self-contained story, no series, no trilogy, a great rarity these days and a welcome one I might add.

It has everything, a little action, a little romance, a little intrigue. There are parts where martial arts practice are describe in some detail and that can drag just a little, but these parts are fairly short and presented well enough to be interesting to most.

I liked this book. I liked it enough to make it part of my permanent collection and that doesn't happen every often anymore. I have found myself rereading it at least half a dozen times.

Highly recommended.

This novel, while a good story in and of itself, makes your realize the importance of a good editor, or at the least, a good proofreader. Much of it was very good, but its goodness was marred by the countless errors present in the text.

The story itself is an excellent tale of a feudal-style colony of humans descended from those colonists who were sent to this planet after a global catastrophe made earth uninhabitable. Much of the story centers on the politics, interactions and betrayals amongst the nobles, as alliances are formed and broken in the quest to control more of the scant livable land on the planet. The sendentary peoples of the continent prepare for war against the nomadic tribes of Nullarbor, and dark plans are made against friendly nations while their armies are away.

The hero of the story, Leland du Laal, the youngest son of the local ruling noble, has for whatever reason climbed the Needle, a forbidding rock spire, and donned the Helm, which is supposed to be charging in the sun in preparation for Leland's oldest brother to put on. The Helm infuses the wearer with the total of all human knowledge, and was created to help the colonists set up a good colony. After months of punishment, Leland is sent away to study Aikido, and comes back to lead an army against the nomads.

The characters in the story are well drawn out, if not totally believable. The bad guys seem a little too needlessly cruel, in my opinion. Granted, it makes it easier to hate them and root for the good guys, but some of the things they do go beyond simple conquest of a neighboring province. Leland himself is very likeable as a character, as is his second in command, Gahnfeld. The interaction between the two is enjoyable, and most of the sections about Leland's army make the book worth reading.

My main problem with the book came from all the sloppy phrasings and editing errors that were spread throughout the whole book. Twice, two supporting characters change names, as do a couple place names. Typographical errors litter the prose. Several clumsy phrasings jar the otherwise expert writing style, which could have been cleared up with a slight rephrasing. Things like, "He stood up next to the table and put his hands down on the table." Clumsy phrasings that a simple pronoun would fix. Pedantic types might not be able to get past that.

This book might take a little more suspension of disbelief than either of Gould's previous two novels. I'm not quite sure why so many people in the colony world study Aikido, but overlooking that, it's a well-created fictional future Gould has formed for his story. The book is fast-paced, and very hard to put down. I'd say it's worth plodding through the errors. The ending was kind of a disappointment, but ignore the epilogue and it's much better.

I first met up with Gould's writing in Jumper, and loved it. I then read Wildside, and fell in love with the book. Later, I bought both books, found Helm in the library, read it, loved it, and an hour after I finished the book, I bought it.

What I love about Helm, is that I have to keep telling myself that this is NOT medieval times, but about a millenium in the future. I loved the aikido scenes, and the twisting plot. Out of all of Gould's books, this has to be the most vivid and gigantic in terms of the world that Gould has to explain and forsee. I recommend anyone who even liked Helm, to read Jumper, Wildside, and Blind Waves. I myself now have three out of these books, and am thinking of buying Blind Waves.

Good luck to all, and, Mr.Gould, keep on writing!

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 17 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Outstanding
While I finished the book, I found nothing about it outstanding or unique. I felt like I had read it before; the characters, the plot, the ending--nothing above mediocre

Published on Jan 10 2000 by Andy Rector

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book -- difficult to put down!
After reading 2 of the author's previous books, Jumper and Wildside, and really enjoying them, I had high expectations for Helm -- and fortunately I was not disappointed. Read more

Published on Dec 20 1999 by Tod A. Jebe

4.0 out of 5 stars i liked it
first off i don't know the slightest thing about martial arts so many of the detailed discriptions of the moves were lost on me, but it was my fault and not that of the author. Read more

Published on Nov 17 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Once you start to read Gould's books, you just can't stop!!!
Once long ago I picked up a ragged looking copy of Jumper from a library sale and decided that I should give that book a chance. I loved it!!! Read more

Published on July 27 1999 by macleod666@hotmail.com

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Story - Eye Candy for plane trips
This is a good read and was hard to put down. I read a lot of Scifi and fantasy and am not so easy to keep hooked to a story any more. Read more

Published on April 6 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent.
While the novel was not as good as Jumper. Helm is an excellent novel. Gould shows an amazing ability to write interesting, original science fiction. Read more

Published on Mar 1 1999

1.0 out of 5 stars This book was problematic.
Gould spends entirely too much time and effort describing Aikido moves. They become the focus of the work and draw attention away from the plot and characters. Read more

Published on Feb 20 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars As an Aikido student, this was very happy reading.
Speaking as Aikidoka -- a student of Aikido -- this book brought tears to my eyes. Happy tears, tears of remembrance of my own times on the mat. Read more

Published on Feb 10 1999 by Gwen

4.0 out of 5 stars Very pleasurable and fast read
I found Helm to be as fun a read os Jumper. Gould seems to have a great talent for coming up with interesting ideas, or spins on old ones, and building a real page-turner around... Read more

Published on Feb 8 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars A quick read with both sci-fi and fantasy elements.
This is a book that I couldn't put down. It has both science fiction and fantasy elements and a plot that doesn't bog down in the middle. Read more

Published on July 3 1998

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 17 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!