Most helpful customer reviews
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book., Jan 6 2000
I agree with the first reviewer: this book is excellent. Very dark, descriptive but not too wordy (for those of you who couldn't stand Peake), not formulaic at all. Makes you stop and think, makes you stop and feel gloomy, but leaves you satisfied, wanting more. (Keep some sugar handy in case the gloom gets to your head and you need to perk up, though.) About a "boy coming of age in a dark time" alright! :) Buy it, if you can get your hands on it; disregard the terrible paperback cover you may see at some used bookstores. You can tell Hazel graduated from Yale. The guy's a genius.
|
|
|
2.0 out of 5 stars
Ugh. I am saying this for your sake: don't bother with it, Jun 29 1998
By A Customer
I am a Welsh/British/Celtic mythology nut, and I LOVE stuff like that. So when i saw this book! I went nuts. I couldn't find it at the bookstore, so I got it from the library (thankfully) Here's what I thought: I HATED IT!!! The character, Finn (Herwad, whatever) had no personality at all. The plot was unsure of itself. The other characters were wanting. When I first read the part about the talking crows, I thought it would be fun and fantasy-ish, but instead it was boring. I know that when you write stuff like this, you need to stay within the boundaries, but not much is known about this stuff, so Mr. Hazel could have made it better. I had to pull through the rest of the book. Finn was kinda dumba nd weak-minded, to me. That's just my opinion. The whole story seemed dark and foreboding, and it was hard to follow. I will definately look for other books. I am SO glad I did not buy this book. If you're looking for GOOD stuff, read/buy _The Mists of Avalon_ by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It changes Celtic mythology as we know it a bit, but stays within the boundaries. It's really good, and it follows the Arthruian legend rather well. Though this book did not satisfy me, I may look for other Paul Hazel works, because if he wrote a bit more cheerfully, the books would be magnificent. I think he should try for other books, and don't get me wrong, some parts of the book were okay, and I DO NOT blame the author.
|
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Book, why is it out of print?, Jun 26 1998
By A Customer
I thought this was a good book. Why the heck is it out of print? I think most of the fantasy genre is really crappy formula written. Everything since Tolkein has the same Tolkeinish plot, except Yearwood, which is not so much an epic about fantasy and killing the great evil plague. It was about a young boy coming of age in a dark time. Can't wait to read the other two books.
|
|
|
|
