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myfrogmonster's review against another edition
4.0
My husband is a huge fan of the Black Company series and so we picked up the Garrett books as well. I was intrigued by the storyline so gave this first book a shot. I was hooked pretty much from page 1. I grew up around D&D and this story plays right into my generation of fantasy/gaming. I look forward to the rest of this series.
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
Entertaining and funny. Very noir in its approach to female characters. Fairly intricate plot.
Not as delectable a combination of fantasy, mystery, noir and humor as I had been hoping for.
Not as delectable a combination of fantasy, mystery, noir and humor as I had been hoping for.
eldritchscholar's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mackle13's review against another edition
2.0
I went into this book not only hoping, but expecting, that I would like it. I liked the idea of the noir-style detective story in the fantasy setting, and the notion of it being different from most urban fantasy's in that it's set in a fantasy world as opposed to our own. Plus it came recommended.
But it just didn't work for me. The characters never clicked for me - I was never invested in them and didn't particularly care about either the outcome or the story or what happened to our erstwhile heroes along the way. And I never really got the humor I was told was there - except a few bits with the grolls.
And the story itself was slapdash and convoluted. One reviewer said that it felt more like short scenes stitched together instead of a fully cohesive narrative, and I think that's a really good assessment. And there were just so much going on, being thrown in almost randomly, but I never felt any real suspense or tension from the odds. For instance,
Overall, I was just disappointed in the overwhelming meh-ness of it all.
Unfortunately, I bought the omnibus but, honestly, I have very little interest in continuing with the series. *le sigh*
But it just didn't work for me. The characters never clicked for me - I was never invested in them and didn't particularly care about either the outcome or the story or what happened to our erstwhile heroes along the way. And I never really got the humor I was told was there - except a few bits with the grolls.
And the story itself was slapdash and convoluted. One reviewer said that it felt more like short scenes stitched together instead of a fully cohesive narrative, and I think that's a really good assessment. And there were just so much going on, being thrown in almost randomly, but I never felt any real suspense or tension from the odds. For instance,
Spoiler
the going into the vampire nest was built up as this hugely dangerous thing, but then seemed generally easy and anti-climactic.Overall, I was just disappointed in the overwhelming meh-ness of it all.
Unfortunately, I bought the omnibus but, honestly, I have very little interest in continuing with the series. *le sigh*
lottpoet's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dropofsunshine's review against another edition
4.0
I wouldn’t say this was anything stellar, but the sheer humor and unexpectedness of everything that happened bumped this up a star for me.
slammy90's review against another edition
5.0
Come sono vissuta io fino ad ora senza Garrett?! E Morley???
mgrey15's review against another edition
4.0
A quick, enjoyable read. I like Cook's writing style, the narrative was informative but well-paced. Humorous at times.
tralfamado's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
vandana's review against another edition
2.0
I did finish this, but felt it was written in a very disjointed way. In some places it was hard to follow the story and I think there were too many story lines for such a short story. There was also quite a bit of sexism, which I wasn't expecting. Also, a number of creatures and mentioned, but not described, and if you've never heard of them before, you really won't know what on earth they are supposed to be. It was fine but not great, I don't think I'm going to continue with this, even though, I love the premise and I own the next 2 books in the series; probably won't pick up anything else by this author either. I can understand why people would enjoy this, and I think it's written for a definitely male audience and seems to be a bit dated. Usually, this really doesn't bother me, but in this book, even though there wasn't overt sexism, you could just feel it. Also, there were some other things that seemed hinted at, but were not clearly spelled out, that rubbed me the wrong way. Anyway, it's not for me; glad I'm done.