Official Review: The Siege of Laronto by Neil Jopson

[LivreAmour217]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Siege of Laronto" by Neil Jopson.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The Siege of Laronto is the first instalment of Neil Jopson's Storm of Nations series. The small but prosperous Barony of Laronto finds its peaceful existence shattered when the ruthless Slavodorian Empire appears upon its doorstep. Outnumbered and unprepared to face the vicious conquerors, the Baron sends a plea for help to the King of Valecia, the only nation powerful enough to challenge the Slavodorians. Meanwhile, a small band of knights led by the mysterious Sir Walter arrive in Laronto and offer their services to the endangered nation.

With only one-hundred forty pages, The Siege of Laronto is a fast-paced read that doesn't come up short on action. The author doesn't beat around the bush, but instead throws the reader right into the conflict. The Slavodorian invasion is alarmingly quick, and the plot contains a few unexpected twists that keep the reader engaged.

The novel is written in the third person, and interchanges between several characters. The author executes the point-of-view changes smoothly and without any confusion to the reader. I enjoyed experiencing the differing perspectives of the characters, ranging from the Baron's daughter to a simple farmer who finds himself drafted into the military. The author included a few Slavodorian perspectives as well. These diverse viewpoints made the conflict seem more realistic and illustrated how the invasion effected all parties involved.

The writing itself was strong, with minimal errors. The few typos that I came across were minor and can be easily fixed. There were also a few places in the novel that I thought could be more descriptive, but as a whole, the novel provided adequate enough detail for me to build solid mental images of the characters and settings.

I have only one minor criticism of the book: The Siege of Laronto is classified under the sci-fi/fantasy genre, yet there were virtually no science fiction or fantasy elements within the story. In fact, the story was very rooted in reality, and seemed more like historical fiction at times. The only references to anything fantastic came in a few brief conversations about the pagan gods that used to be worshipped by the Larontians, but they never make a definitive appearance. However, this being the first book of the series, I am holding onto the hope that future instalments will live up to the expectations of the genre.

The Siege of Laronto is a promising start to what will most likely be an interesting series, and I give it 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to fans of the genre, but with a warning to not write the book off for its lack of "classic" sci-fi/fantasy elements. The book might also appeal to readers who are new to the genre and don't want to be overwhelmed.

******
The Siege of Laronto
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like LivreAmour217's review? Post a comment saying so!

[gali]

Great review! I am glad you enjoyed the book.

[LivreAmour217]

Great review! I am glad you enjoyed the book.

Thanks! It was enjoyable!