Tome of the Undergates

Just finished this fun little jaunt of hack and slash fantasy and to be honest, words fail me.

So, in song form, how I feel about Tome of the Undergates and Sam Sykes.



Now, on a serious note. This was without a doubt one of the funniest books I have read in a long time and all those people saying that it is nothing but fight scenes and people insulting one another have obviously never a spent a weekend with any of my mates.

Tome is practically tame. There is indeed plenty of name calling and general threatening of one another but it never gets carried away and it's completely refreshing to read a novel that isn't all about politics, various nations at war and ancient mysterious powers that seem to only be remembered as parts of children's nursery rhymes.

My only issue with this book was that more than once I came to a word and went - huh? Now, I admit, simple Aussie bloke that I am, I'm not exactly well read when it comes to the dictionary, but do I really need to go and get one out every chapter? It's almost as if Mr. Sykes is trying to come off as clever - I know more words than you, so I must be extra smart.

But thankfully that was my only real issue. The rest of Tome flows with a descriptive elegance that paints a rather colourful story with tried and true cliches with just enough Sykes twist to make them thoroughly enjoyable.



*Note* This review is in no way influenced by the fact that Sam Sykes is a freaking giant and is known to hunt down and beat to death negative reviewers with a hardcover copy of his literal tome.

The Warded Man

Now to the interesting stuff, my review of The Warded Man by Peter V Brett.

Brett's debut novel paints a world where demons rise from the earth each night and humanity cowers behind painted wards with the power to keep the demons at bay but are unable to harm the creatures. It's a dark, desperate world and one that instantly pulls you in and wanting to know more.

The story focuses on the boy Arlen, who is your classic farm-boy turned hero, who leaves his tiny home town to become a messenger, one of the few that brave the night and the demons. As we are led through Arlen's life it is hard not to like the kid and I personally felt he was a very well rounded, if sometimes a little childish, character.

Eventually the story moves on to two other character POVs, a young woman named Leesha who becomes a wise woman/healer and a cripple boy with dreams of becoming a famous performer. I am sorry to say that the girl annoyed me. Although her chapters were okay, I felt the constant talk of sex a little out of place and found her to grate on me.

This is a shame, cos the cripple, Rojer, was actually a fun character. I could honestly see Arlen and Rojer getting along and having adventures. But Leesha can stay at home...

Despite being a debut, The Warded Man is very well writen with decent pacing and doesn't get so bogged down in any one place as to become boring. But at the same time this is a fault of its own as the story feels quite short and I finished it in a single weekend of reading. Many chapters were very wrenching, in particular some of the Rojer chapters really pulled at the old heart strings but then the story was rushed forward and left them feeling slightly abrubt.

Plot is fast and thick, combat is fun and flows very well. The world, if feeling a little small, is beatifully descriptive and populated with a living, breathing society that makes you believe this world could, and very well may, exsist - unlike some novels I could name where extras are trotted out whenever there is a panning shot.

The ending is fun, but I think it lacks the epic feel that Brett was going for. Though not by much and the conclussion definatly leaves you eagerly awaiting the sequel.

I definatly recommend this novel and hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

4/5 STARS!

Welcome to the Sellsword

Now you belong to me! Muahahaha! *cough*

Um, yes. Now, welcome to the Sellsword, my first foray in to the world of blogging. Here I will be reviewing novels, movies, tv shows and video games as well as the occasionaly comment on society and things in my daily life.

So let's begin with a little about me. That name's Daniel Chuter and I'm a 21 year old Australian living in the slum city of Newcastle on the east coast. I have absolutly no qualifications or right to review or comment on absolutely anything but since when has that ever stopped anyone on the internet?

I'm a fantasy fan, across the many medias and platforms that the genre spreads but particullary in fantasy novels. I am in fact working on various fantasy manuscripts but don't expect to see me on the shelves of your local Barnes and Noble or Borders any time soon.

Now on to the reviews!