Official Review: Nagamaru: The Cursed by P.G. Fogarty
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Dphaber
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Official Review: Nagamaru: The Cursed by P.G. Fogarty
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Nagamaru: The Cursed" by P.G. Fogarty.]
Nagamaru: The Cursed, by P.G. Fogarty, is a fantasy story about a young boy whose village is destroyed and his family killed by a malevolent spirit- a spirit which then comes to dwell within him. It’s a route that has been taken before in literature, and often, but Fogarty manages to make it work by taking a direction that is less common. Unlike many works along the same lines, the boy isn't all-powerful (or more powerful in any way, really) as a result of the spirit’s presence. The main character, who shares a name with the book, happens to be a rather ordinary peasant boy. He can’t tap into the spirit’s vast power, and never does much in the way of actual fighting.
An important part of my scoring decision was the book’s rocky start. It is, frankly, in need of a thorough edit. There is missing punctuation, extra punctuation, and various spelling errors. The rhythm of some sentences and usage of commas feels fairly awkward. As the book continues this greatly improves, but the initial impression a reader gets is of a novel that really isn't finished yet. I would encourage patience, however, as Fogarty quickly redeems himself.
The main antagonist of the novel is a prince who, thanks to some rather glaring character flaws and poor decision-making, has managed to enrage the people of his kingdom. They are in fact so against his future rule that his claim to the throne is at risk to prevent open rebellion. There are three main points of conflict in this story. The spirit, trapped as it is within the boy, wishes to feed off his strength and regain its own form. The prince wants to allow this to come to pass and bend the resulting beast to his will. It’s never so much as implied that has any sort of actual plan for doing so, and given the man’s track record it’s not unreasonable to assume that he doesn't have one. A travelling companion of Nagamaru’s, jealous because the boy has so many willing protectors and friends, wishes to kill him and take the spirit into his own body in a misguided attempt to gain its strength.
Nagamaru: The Cursed is, perhaps before all else, a book about the relationship between a father and a son. Again and again characters’ motivations are tied to this dynamic. As Nagamaru travels through the Southern Kingdom with his ragtag band of guardians, the most important sub-plot is that of his finding the father figure that his own birth father failed to be.
This novel, as previously stated, has a pretty rough start. Once a reader makes it past this start, however, the book really picks up. I feel that it goes on to earn my score of 3 out of 4 stars.
(Thanks to the start and occasional awkward language, however, on a scale of 5 stars I would still give it a 3.)
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Buy "Nagamaru: The Cursed" on Amazon
Nagamaru: The Cursed, by P.G. Fogarty, is a fantasy story about a young boy whose village is destroyed and his family killed by a malevolent spirit- a spirit which then comes to dwell within him. It’s a route that has been taken before in literature, and often, but Fogarty manages to make it work by taking a direction that is less common. Unlike many works along the same lines, the boy isn't all-powerful (or more powerful in any way, really) as a result of the spirit’s presence. The main character, who shares a name with the book, happens to be a rather ordinary peasant boy. He can’t tap into the spirit’s vast power, and never does much in the way of actual fighting.
An important part of my scoring decision was the book’s rocky start. It is, frankly, in need of a thorough edit. There is missing punctuation, extra punctuation, and various spelling errors. The rhythm of some sentences and usage of commas feels fairly awkward. As the book continues this greatly improves, but the initial impression a reader gets is of a novel that really isn't finished yet. I would encourage patience, however, as Fogarty quickly redeems himself.
The main antagonist of the novel is a prince who, thanks to some rather glaring character flaws and poor decision-making, has managed to enrage the people of his kingdom. They are in fact so against his future rule that his claim to the throne is at risk to prevent open rebellion. There are three main points of conflict in this story. The spirit, trapped as it is within the boy, wishes to feed off his strength and regain its own form. The prince wants to allow this to come to pass and bend the resulting beast to his will. It’s never so much as implied that has any sort of actual plan for doing so, and given the man’s track record it’s not unreasonable to assume that he doesn't have one. A travelling companion of Nagamaru’s, jealous because the boy has so many willing protectors and friends, wishes to kill him and take the spirit into his own body in a misguided attempt to gain its strength.
Nagamaru: The Cursed is, perhaps before all else, a book about the relationship between a father and a son. Again and again characters’ motivations are tied to this dynamic. As Nagamaru travels through the Southern Kingdom with his ragtag band of guardians, the most important sub-plot is that of his finding the father figure that his own birth father failed to be.
This novel, as previously stated, has a pretty rough start. Once a reader makes it past this start, however, the book really picks up. I feel that it goes on to earn my score of 3 out of 4 stars.
(Thanks to the start and occasional awkward language, however, on a scale of 5 stars I would still give it a 3.)
***
Buy "Nagamaru: The Cursed" on Amazon
Latest Review: "The Icarus Prediction" by RD Gupta
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Scribble85
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Hi there!
I'm the author of this book. Thanks for your review! I am looking forward to returning to this work and revising it. Having gained some more experience over the last few years, I'm confident that I can improve it in the areas that you have suggested.
Also, I'm glad that the novel picked up for you, and became somewhat interesting. I have had a very similar review, so I definitely need to pay close attention to the opening chapters.
Thanks for your honesty. Take care.
I'm the author of this book. Thanks for your review! I am looking forward to returning to this work and revising it. Having gained some more experience over the last few years, I'm confident that I can improve it in the areas that you have suggested.
Also, I'm glad that the novel picked up for you, and became somewhat interesting. I have had a very similar review, so I definitely need to pay close attention to the opening chapters.
Thanks for your honesty. Take care.
