Review by Randomgold -- A Kingdom Forgotten
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Randomgold
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- Latest Review: "A Kingdom Forgotten" by Charles W. McDonald Jr.
Review by Randomgold -- A Kingdom Forgotten
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Kingdom Forgotten" by Charles W. McDonald Jr..]
3 out of 4 stars
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In A Kingdom Forgotten by Charles W. McDonald Jr., there are many worlds, and many times. Many people and many places. Things lost and things found. And there are no real coincidences to be seen. People play with powerful forces and the fates of not only nations, but entire planets are at stake in the coming battles that play out.
Charles W. McDonald Jr’s A Kingdom Forgotten is a complicated book. This is evident from the very first page, when the author gives a brief guide to the grammatical structure that will be used in the book. That should tell a reader how complex the story is. There are nearly a dozen characters of varying importance, and most of them get at least one chance in the limelight during the story. This works both for and against the book. It benefits the book by giving it a deep, rich narrative without most of the normal conventions of literature. There is, for example, no real protagonist, although there is an antagonist, technically speaking. Likewise, there is, as is said in the book, no real good or evil, only agendas. This gives the story moral complexity and depth, where it would normally be easy to fall into the “good versus evil” trope so commonly used in high fantasy books.
However, given that there are so many characters, it can be difficult to keep track of some of them, particularly those who show up only once or twice. The most important characters are presented better, but still not quite as well as they could have been. The end result is that the reader has little empathy for the plights of the story’s cast, even when it is clear that such an emotional tie should be present.
The way characters are introduced can also be problematic at times. Many are introduced seemingly at random with no leads, clues, or any other reason for their being present. There is simply a new character present, and at occasionally odd times. Some characters seem to have no purpose at all for being in the story, as they have no influence on the plot, characters, or even the setting. These incidental characters are rare, limited to the single digits, but the fact that they are there can be confusing at times.
The overall complexity of the book is likewise both beneficial and detrimental. The story is one big, gripping, complex mystery. It leaves the reader wondering why a character is doing something and what his or her motivations are. Most characters have their place in the plot, and impact the story, even if it takes quite some time for this to happen. By the same token, some plot points leave the reader wondering why in a bad way. Plot points can be simply confusing, unneeded, or even contradictory at times.
Plot twists are presented subtly. They are woven into the story in ways that can make the reader re-read a line, just to make sure what happened did, in fact, happen. This makes the story flow much better than had it taken the time to explain each twist and action, but it can also leave the reader wondering if the twists actually make sense, given what happened previously and what was already known.
Story and world building are handled in the same subdued, quiet method. Images are vivid, beautiful, and frequent. Although the reader may be confused by what they are seeing at first, most of the blanks in the reader’s knowledge are filled in with minimal exposition, and done organically over the course of the book. Some aspects of the world building are left woefully under presented though, and there are gaps in reader knowledge that linger from start to finish, and some aspects of the world simply pop up at the last moment and are never addressed.
A Kingdom Forgotten by Charles W. McDonald Jr. is a highly complex book that leaves the reader wondering in both good and bad ways throughout the entire book. Its good and bad points are well balanced most of the time, but the vivid world and well thought out—albeit confusing—plot make the good outweigh the bad just enough to give it a 3 out of 4 stars. This book is worth a look, but be ready to question what is going on, in both good and bad ways.
******
A Kingdom Forgotten
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like Randomgold's review? Post a comment saying so!
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
In A Kingdom Forgotten by Charles W. McDonald Jr., there are many worlds, and many times. Many people and many places. Things lost and things found. And there are no real coincidences to be seen. People play with powerful forces and the fates of not only nations, but entire planets are at stake in the coming battles that play out.
Charles W. McDonald Jr’s A Kingdom Forgotten is a complicated book. This is evident from the very first page, when the author gives a brief guide to the grammatical structure that will be used in the book. That should tell a reader how complex the story is. There are nearly a dozen characters of varying importance, and most of them get at least one chance in the limelight during the story. This works both for and against the book. It benefits the book by giving it a deep, rich narrative without most of the normal conventions of literature. There is, for example, no real protagonist, although there is an antagonist, technically speaking. Likewise, there is, as is said in the book, no real good or evil, only agendas. This gives the story moral complexity and depth, where it would normally be easy to fall into the “good versus evil” trope so commonly used in high fantasy books.
However, given that there are so many characters, it can be difficult to keep track of some of them, particularly those who show up only once or twice. The most important characters are presented better, but still not quite as well as they could have been. The end result is that the reader has little empathy for the plights of the story’s cast, even when it is clear that such an emotional tie should be present.
The way characters are introduced can also be problematic at times. Many are introduced seemingly at random with no leads, clues, or any other reason for their being present. There is simply a new character present, and at occasionally odd times. Some characters seem to have no purpose at all for being in the story, as they have no influence on the plot, characters, or even the setting. These incidental characters are rare, limited to the single digits, but the fact that they are there can be confusing at times.
The overall complexity of the book is likewise both beneficial and detrimental. The story is one big, gripping, complex mystery. It leaves the reader wondering why a character is doing something and what his or her motivations are. Most characters have their place in the plot, and impact the story, even if it takes quite some time for this to happen. By the same token, some plot points leave the reader wondering why in a bad way. Plot points can be simply confusing, unneeded, or even contradictory at times.
Plot twists are presented subtly. They are woven into the story in ways that can make the reader re-read a line, just to make sure what happened did, in fact, happen. This makes the story flow much better than had it taken the time to explain each twist and action, but it can also leave the reader wondering if the twists actually make sense, given what happened previously and what was already known.
Story and world building are handled in the same subdued, quiet method. Images are vivid, beautiful, and frequent. Although the reader may be confused by what they are seeing at first, most of the blanks in the reader’s knowledge are filled in with minimal exposition, and done organically over the course of the book. Some aspects of the world building are left woefully under presented though, and there are gaps in reader knowledge that linger from start to finish, and some aspects of the world simply pop up at the last moment and are never addressed.
A Kingdom Forgotten by Charles W. McDonald Jr. is a highly complex book that leaves the reader wondering in both good and bad ways throughout the entire book. Its good and bad points are well balanced most of the time, but the vivid world and well thought out—albeit confusing—plot make the good outweigh the bad just enough to give it a 3 out of 4 stars. This book is worth a look, but be ready to question what is going on, in both good and bad ways.
******
A Kingdom Forgotten
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like Randomgold's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "A Kingdom Forgotten" by Charles W. McDonald Jr.
