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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Crossroads of Twilight By Robert Jordan

Crossroads of Twilight (Wheel of Time, #10)Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


What more can I say about this series? What would you want to know? Am I going to keep reading it? Yes. Was this book just more of the same: too many subplots, too much political crap and only a handful of action scenes for an 800 page book? Yes. So why do I keep reading? I have hope that although Robert Jordan seems to have forgotten why he got so many readers in the first place, Brandon Sanderson may bring this series back to the incredible, epic conclusion we all dreamed of at the beginning.

Another 3 stars.



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The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice, #1)The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this book, but at the same time I was disappointed. This was an enjoyable read for me because it is right at the level that I think I need to target with my writing. At times it almost seemed too simplistic in its language and the voice Flanangan used seemed prone to state obvious conclusions, but those are the qualities that give access to younger readers, while the plot still maintains the interest of older readers. Also the scope of the conflict was adjusted to keep the key conflict interesting for older readers, but by maintaining just one key conflict, it is again available to younger readers as well.



My disappointment came from the lack of magic. It is a qualified fantasy thanks to the Medieval setting, the out-of-this-world creatures and archetypal main character, but one of the hallmarks of fantasy is the acknowledgement of a power higher than the power of man. Maybe the main character has access to it, maybe they don't, but it always plays into the story somewhere. It adds a fantastical element that leaves a gap in overall story, in my opinion.



I am going to finish out this series, and so maybe this will change in future books, and even if it doesn't, I will enjoy finding out how Will and Horace aid in the fight against Margarath.



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