When I was a teenager, I used to love all these wonderfully descriptive novels, full of characterization and pages and pages of laments and inner reflections. But when I read them now and the spark is gone.This feels like a book I should've read years ago, when there was many fantasy novels out there that explored various fantasy tropes. But I've come to enjoy the pacing of current fantasy novels, and I feel that the majority of this book suffers from this methodical approach that might be called Tolkien-esque. While it may appeal to many, I wasn't that person.But I continued reading it, because I saw somewhere hidden in the pages the book I wanted to read. Because I became invested enough to find out how it ends. Because I wanted the character resolution that comes in the final pages. And there were portions of the book that I did enjoy, they were surrounded by much of what I didn't care for. A brave young man, famous for his skill as a warrior and as a lover, leads the guard of his home town. One day he sees a pretty girl and one thing leads to another, leaving him scarred from a duel. The scar becomes his curse and he must learn to cope with his new affliction. This book was recommended based of a list. I picked it up expecting a fantasy adventure story, but put it down really having enjoyed a story about a character finding himself. In part, this book is a long story all about character development with long, slow sections of descriptions and inner thought dialog, but it was also a surprising look into the mind of a character dealing with a curse. At times it felt like the story wasn't going anywhere, but then there would be a subtle change or an interaction that once again captured my interest. By the end, I couldn't put it down until I discovered what happened. In short I did enjoy this book, but it is probably not a good choice for everyone, especially those who didn't don't like slower novels with little action.
What do You think about Szrama (1996)?
An ok book. I expected the book to be better from reading the reviews.
—Vasu
Not your typical Russian novel. I enjoyed reading this story.
—tsh
Really different fantasy novel. Very well done and engaging.
—Gordon
This book was good, but kind of surreal and dreamy.
—bonemilch
