Review by Eileesh Lightowler -- A Kingdom Forgotten
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Eileesh Lightowler
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- Latest Review: "A Kingdom Forgotten" by Charles W. McDonald Jr.
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Review by Eileesh Lightowler -- 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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Usually, I can tell if I will like a book just by the first page. Writing style, pacing and the form of introduction on the first page are all clues as to the quality of the book. That being said, A Kingdom Forgotten by Charles W. McDonald is one of only three exceptions to this rule (so far). While I found the readers guide to be at best patronising, with its over explained key for changes in setting and time period, I overturned my usual first page rule and reserve my judgement for the true first page.
After moving on from the readers guide I found a map - an essential feature for a fantasy novel! This improved my outlook somewhat. The prologue followed next and from that first page I thought I’d been hooked. A strong introduction of the book's main character, Damon, left me enthralled and eager to find out more. The language used was evocative and described for me the scene in such detail I hardly had to try to picture it in my head. The next few pages followed suit until there was a scene break and I was thrust into a new story. I was prepared (having read the over explanatory readers guide) but this shift in scene seemed like in belonged to an entirely different book. I’m not a fan of mixing the genres of sci-fi and fantasy and this jarring change of pace had thrown me off. The scene changes again two pages later and yet another seemingly unrelated storyline appears, I enjoyed reading this section though at the time I failed to see the relevance of it.
The main body of the book followed this pattern of shifting in time and dimension and I began to enjoy it. This enjoyment came from the fantastical story lines and sheer diversity in settings and also from the understanding that in order to tell this magnificent story in full there was no other way for it to be done. Damon’s story and indeed his character could not just be confined to one timeline or one dimension. The more of this book you read the more you understand about what you have previously read and I feel that is one of the most rewarding things you can get from reading.
The main underlying plot is the destruction of civilisation as it is known. The concept that “seven seals” being broken would lead to some catastrophic event creates a link to many religious themes, and it has been a central storyline for several novels. The anticipation of the breaking of the seals is a focal point in this book.
Our main character Damon, appears to be thoroughly despicable from the details we learn about his actions over the centuries. Over the course of this novel, Damon is scheming in order to achieve some secret but important goal. He utilises a seemingly endless array of powers in order to protect his progress. There are other main characters in many other dimensions, but for me the stand out was Damon.
I found a common theme in most fantasy and sci-fi genre (good vs evil) was missing in this novel. Characters seemed to work to their own agendas whether their actions while doing this can be both good and bad. I would say in place of this common theme; the theme of selfishness takes over. Within this fostering theme the character development was incredibly well paced. I enjoyed the plot over all though it could be a little befuddling at times and no doubt when I read it again I will notice so many more important details that I have missed.
If you are wanting a relaxing and easy read then this is certainly not the book for you. As someone who relishes a good challenging read, I found myself struggling at some point to piece together all the separate stories and that lengthened my reading time to just over five hours. That being said, if you are used to the complexity that this novel and want something that will keep you thinking after the book is done then you will thoroughly enjoy this read!
I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. After a shaky start this book really pulled through for me, but I feel that it would be wrong to give it a perfect score because of its inaccessibility to less accomplished or more relaxed readers.
******
A Kingdom Forgotten
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like Eileesh Lightowler's review? Post a comment saying so!
3 out of 4 stars
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Usually, I can tell if I will like a book just by the first page. Writing style, pacing and the form of introduction on the first page are all clues as to the quality of the book. That being said, A Kingdom Forgotten by Charles W. McDonald is one of only three exceptions to this rule (so far). While I found the readers guide to be at best patronising, with its over explained key for changes in setting and time period, I overturned my usual first page rule and reserve my judgement for the true first page.
After moving on from the readers guide I found a map - an essential feature for a fantasy novel! This improved my outlook somewhat. The prologue followed next and from that first page I thought I’d been hooked. A strong introduction of the book's main character, Damon, left me enthralled and eager to find out more. The language used was evocative and described for me the scene in such detail I hardly had to try to picture it in my head. The next few pages followed suit until there was a scene break and I was thrust into a new story. I was prepared (having read the over explanatory readers guide) but this shift in scene seemed like in belonged to an entirely different book. I’m not a fan of mixing the genres of sci-fi and fantasy and this jarring change of pace had thrown me off. The scene changes again two pages later and yet another seemingly unrelated storyline appears, I enjoyed reading this section though at the time I failed to see the relevance of it.
The main body of the book followed this pattern of shifting in time and dimension and I began to enjoy it. This enjoyment came from the fantastical story lines and sheer diversity in settings and also from the understanding that in order to tell this magnificent story in full there was no other way for it to be done. Damon’s story and indeed his character could not just be confined to one timeline or one dimension. The more of this book you read the more you understand about what you have previously read and I feel that is one of the most rewarding things you can get from reading.
The main underlying plot is the destruction of civilisation as it is known. The concept that “seven seals” being broken would lead to some catastrophic event creates a link to many religious themes, and it has been a central storyline for several novels. The anticipation of the breaking of the seals is a focal point in this book.
Our main character Damon, appears to be thoroughly despicable from the details we learn about his actions over the centuries. Over the course of this novel, Damon is scheming in order to achieve some secret but important goal. He utilises a seemingly endless array of powers in order to protect his progress. There are other main characters in many other dimensions, but for me the stand out was Damon.
I found a common theme in most fantasy and sci-fi genre (good vs evil) was missing in this novel. Characters seemed to work to their own agendas whether their actions while doing this can be both good and bad. I would say in place of this common theme; the theme of selfishness takes over. Within this fostering theme the character development was incredibly well paced. I enjoyed the plot over all though it could be a little befuddling at times and no doubt when I read it again I will notice so many more important details that I have missed.
If you are wanting a relaxing and easy read then this is certainly not the book for you. As someone who relishes a good challenging read, I found myself struggling at some point to piece together all the separate stories and that lengthened my reading time to just over five hours. That being said, if you are used to the complexity that this novel and want something that will keep you thinking after the book is done then you will thoroughly enjoy this read!
I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. After a shaky start this book really pulled through for me, but I feel that it would be wrong to give it a perfect score because of its inaccessibility to less accomplished or more relaxed readers.
******
A Kingdom Forgotten
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like Eileesh Lightowler's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "A Kingdom Forgotten" by Charles W. McDonald Jr.
