- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: PYR BOOKS (Oct 27 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1591027845
- ISBN-13: 978-1591027843
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 16 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 862 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #589,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"So could This Crooked Way possibly be equal to what'd come before? It is. It's the same only different. James Enge is an interesting thoughtful writer. You see him do these little things all the time in the writing that show either off-the-cuff genius or a lot of rewriting, no way to know which.This Crooked Way is definitely a keeper. I read it in two days. And now it's going to be a YEAR before the next one comes out. Blah." -- Dragons and Swords blog, November 9, 2009
Product Description
Morlock Ambrosius returns! Travelling alone in the depths of winter, Morlock Ambrosius (bitterly dry drunk, master of all magical makers, wandering swordsman, and son of Merlin Ambrosius and Nimue Viviana) is attacked by an unknown enemy. To unmask his enemy and end the attacks he must travel a long crooked way through the world: past the soul-eating Boneless One, past a subtle and treacherous master of golems, past the dragon-taming Khroi, past the predatory cities of Sarkunden and Aflraun, past the demons and dark gnomes of the northern woods. Soon he will find that his enemy wears a familiar face, and that the duel he has stumbled into will threaten more lives than his own, leaving nations shattered in its chaotic wake. And at the end of his long road waits the death of a legend.
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.9 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great second book, Dec 3 2009
By Rene - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: This Crooked Way (Paperback)
James Enge's second entry in his Morlock series ties together several pre-existing stories into a novel. Because of this, it's necessarily episodic. This didn't hinder my enjoyment of it at all. I had read some of the stories before, and enjoyed revisiting them tied into the larger context.
The context includes Morlock's interaction with the Khroi, his search for his horse, Velox, and the problem of his parents, Merlin Ambrosius and Nimue Viviana. What Merlin has done with Nimue and how Morlock intends to address it are an ongoing thread throughout the book.
Some of the sections move out of Morlock's point-of-view into those of his traveling companions, a nice contrast between how Morlock thinks of himself and how those around him do. Some of these sections are in first person (most of the book is in third,) and the voices are engagingly distinctive. The linking frame-tale, told in interludes between chapters, is from the perspective of the alien Khroi. It is a pleasure to read a convincingly alien voice, and Enge does a wonderful job with both the Khroi culture and their voice. By the end of the book, the reason that the Khroi are telling stories about Morlock becomes clear.
Without ever intending to, Morlock draws trouble, both for himself and for those traveling with him. Much of this is because he has a powerful enemy, but the blame never gets assigned where it really belongs, at least partly because of Morlock's infamous reputation.
By the end of the book, the plot threads are tied up, but not so neatly that there isn't plenty to address in the next book, to which I very much look forward. While the first book certainly informs this one, this one could be read perfectly comprehensibly without having read Blood of Ambrose.
One thing I enjoyed very much about both books was the dry wit throughout. Appendix B, which discusses the provenance of the Morlock myth is a prime example as well as a tiny window into an alternate history.
Edited to add: I forgot to mention Chuck Lucaks' stunning interior illustrations, which include scenes from the stories, a map, and a really gorgeous drawing of Morlock's sword, Tyrfing, that heads each chapter.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining quest in 12 episodes, Aug 8 2010
By Christian Colby - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: This Crooked Way (Paperback)
I really enjoyed this book. The preceding novel 'Blood of Ambrose' was good, but got rather dreary with its domination by a single mad necromancer villain. This novel focuses on Morlock, a tight-lipped recovering alcoholic with crooked shoulders, who happens to be the world's best creator of magic items, as well as a formidable swordsman (with a cursed sword to boot). Here Morlock faces off -- directly and indirectly -- against his ultra-powerful, supremely vain sorcerer father Merlin in a quest to both rescue his unique horse Velox and to unite the separated parts of his mother's being -- in order to let her, at long last, die. The variety of the different episodes lends interest and flows together well. The supporting characters, primarily a family of refugees, are well drawn. The humor is dry but funny , most notably with an incredibly narcissistic gnome, a wildly bureaucratic city and even a poke at Jack in the Beanstalk. The villains still tend toward the disgusting or appalling. Interludes on the Khroi, a parasitic race of insectoids that Morlock unwillingly devastates, are also interesting.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
2nd helping, Dec 11 2009
By LaughingLion "I am Lion, read me review!" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: This Crooked Way (Paperback)
I truly didn't know what to expect when I picked up this follow up to "The Blood of Ambrose" it's not truly a sequel, it does take place after TBA, but has very little if any of it's plot that rests heavily upon knowledge of the earlier book. For those who have read and loved the structure of Lois Bujolds "Borders of Infinity" and Mercedes Lackey's "Oathbound" you'll be right at home in this multiframed story.
Crooked is much lighter in tone than the grim Blood, and is told through more POV's, each with their own distinct voice and timbre. I like that we get a huge amount of info about universe of Morlock both in text and in appendices, I like better that in both instances the information is delivered with a deft touch that I've come to love.
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