DNF - Did Not FinishI held out to a little over 50% but it was impossible to keep reading beyond that. Originally I was sold on the teaser provided on Amazon which left off with a good cliff hanging hook that had me buying it right away. It was flat line and downhill from there. I can handle one idiotic narcissistic character in a story but not one where all of the characters are a two dimensional stamp collection of each other. The shallow idiocy grated my nerves every time the POV jumped from one to another, different skin... different setting same ego dumbass in every one of them, save the old retired highlander who was the only one kicking ass. Great for his redemption. But seriously, that no other character had any value or depth made this drag on and on into the predictable ridiculousness. The writing style gets painful with the more doubling up on adjectives per noun, I'm not the first to mention on this, but it sticks out like a headache no matter how much you try to let it slide, so I have to reiterate what’s been said in this perspective. I also couldn't help but notice the obvious borrowing from other writers as well: Riyria Revelations, Song of Ice & Fire, The Black Company just to name a few. There are so many things within the author’s attempt to world build: A for effort, D- for execution since there is never any clear defining of what any of it means. Including the ever growing popularity of the Greatsword / Spadone. Do yourself a favor and research these weapons before you use them. Just because it’s the biggest sword out there doesn’t mean it’s the baddest and you should throw it in. As for a reality check: an average sized man standing on the ground and pulling out a sword so long and heavy it takes even the best of warriors to use both hands only kills the scene you put it in. It’s become a pet peeve of mine to see a character wielding a sword that was never the first choice weapon of most fencers and that unless you are pushing 6 ½ feet or more you’re not swinging it like its Sunday morning. At this point I was still willing to give the book a 2 to 3 star rating.The final straw for me was the one non fictional word he used for a slandering within the story. Scull had con-lang for everything, right down to the cocaine, but to turn around and use ‘Faggot’ as the story’s only derogatory word, did more than piss me off. I over looked it the first couple of times, but as it was continuously used for no apparent reason but to show the reader an inner hate the author has and he used no other word for the effect of name calling. I was done. I won’t be bothering to see if this author ever gets better in any new releases. The Grim Company features a refreshing new fantasy setting where magic really means something, and where each character is fighting his or her own demons -- whether literal or figurative. The plot moves *very* quickly and is riddled with what I found to be truly unexpected twists, heart-breaking deaths, and provocative episodes that ruthlessly pit duty against free will, particularly highlighting the dangers of being a white knight in dark armor. Highly recommended to any who like their fantasy a little less black-and-white!
What do You think about De Donkere Broederschap (2013)?
Incredible! Absolutely loved it and can't wait for the next.
—KatnissCollins
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, can't wait for the next one!
—Althalusuk
