O Reino Mais Além Das Ondas (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Ah, I dunno. It was a good enough read but I am left unsatisfied. Maybe it's the repetition of "X is an unbeatable opponent" and five pages later "Well, that's X sorted, what's next?"Maybe it's the mish-mash slapdash "with a mighty leap" ending. I can't describe my problems with it without spoiling everything, and i won't try. Let's just say that "things are not as they seem" is somewhat overused. That said, I found Billy and Veryann annoying several times but when it all fell into place they were just fine, and a welcome bit of variety from standard plots. Ironflanks was good throughout. As others have noted, I wanted to punch Amelia several times, and "poor Blacky" is the Jar Jar Binks of this book, even if he has unexpected bursts of competence. I admit it. I read this book because of the its cover. Unfortunately there is no indication on that cover that it is the second in a series (or at least of related books). It read like it too. Don't just start talking about "lashlites" without telling me what they are first. It took me several chapter to discern that the word did not denote a nationality or occupation but a race of sentient, flying lizard-birds. Also, it seems, "shifties" is slang for people from Quatétershift, but Hunt never capitalizes "shifties," so it just looks at first that he's describing people as deceitful or evasive.One of the quotes on the back lauded the author's world building. While there were some very interesting ideas presented, I was not impressed by the cacophony of influences that seemed to dilute the story's potential potency. If the author wants to use magic as the basis of the world's laws, go ahead; if he wants to use mechanics, or electricity, or the force—great! But don't use everything that was ever thought of in one world, unless there is going to be some sort of payoff/twist near the end that aligns what the reader things is incongruent. I had a very difficult time immersing myself in the world because it seemed like there weren't enough limitations. Along with the above, if an author is going to create a world, he should spend some time/effort making good names for things. This is an irksome issue for a number of authors, not just Stephen Hunt. Some of his names (or renaming of things) were quite satisfying, such as calling factories "manufactories"; the race of lashlites—a good word that is easy recognize and pronounce. "Carlists" instead of "Marxists," effective. "Womb mage," conjures magic and the creepy factor! But "Jackels." I read that several times at the beginning wondering if this was for real, that the main county in the story is a respelling of a wild, African dog? I imagined that there must be some reason for names like that, or Quatérshift, as there was obviously embedded references to real-world geography/legend in names like Camlantis (Atlantis), Cassarabia (Arabia). I could have forgiven all of this if there had been some sort of payoff at the end, some reason. But no, the references to real world locations were a red herring.Caveat: perhaps Hunt will continue to write in this world and will fill in gaps—maybe this is all some master plan. (But I didn't get that sense by the last page of this book.) I did like that he wasn't afraid to kill of characters—that did lend a sense of peril to the story, and I appreciate it. I also realize that the quality of naming things is not as big a deal to some as it is to me. However, I think that someone who is a writer, who has a sensitivity and appreciation for words (and how they sound and feel) should be more attentive.
What do You think about O Reino Mais Além Das Ondas (2012)?
