Reviewed by Eil Adelholm
When I requested this title from Netgalley, I did notice the shortness of the work, 150 pages is hardly a novel, and that it said EPISODE ONE in capital letters on the cover. That did not bother me. I love TV series, don’t I? So why shouldn't I also like serialised books?
A Promising Beginning…
The Last Quarrel is a high fantasy with a bit of
mystery. It has some interesting themes and some great contrasts. The conflicts
are easy to comprehend and very believable. The world is alive with poverty and
superstition; brewed and enhanced by the greed and uncaring mercilessness of
those who should be their beloved leaders. Still, the thing that makes the
words come alive is the characterisation.
There aren't a lot of characters, which is good
considering how short it is. There are two major ones and a careful cast of
minor personalities surrounding each of them, and I like the contrast between
these, representing each their world.
There is the middle-aged sergeant serving in a poor
fishing village and then there is the crown prince who lives in the shadow of
his father, the king.
When mysterious forces begin to make people disappear
both men take it upon themselves to figure out what is going on – and all the
while the reader sits and waits for the two could-be-heroes and their worlds to
clash.
It is an interesting beginning, promising a great
story.
Sadly, that is all this book has to give. Expectations
and premonitions. This – in itself – is neither a particularly great nor
satisfying read. It lacks depth and excitement – and a feeling of getting
somewhere.
What was the problem then?
The main problem here is probably a fundamental
disagreement about what a novel being serialised should entail.
In my mind a regular novel and a serialised novel should
be two completely different entities. You cannot simply take a regular novel,
slice it into four equal parts and release them each a month apart. It does not
work.
You probably all know how a lot of fantasy books tend
to start out really slow – and a bit boring – because you need to be introduced
to the whole new world and its situation and so on. This book was no exception,
though it did show potential to become an interesting adventure – until that
moment, just when it was about to
pick up speed and become interesting, when it ended. Abruptly. In the middle of
the first real action we were about to see. Oh dear, was I disappointed?
The reason why tv-series work is because each episode
generally has its own little story within the greater plot line, complete with a
beginning, a middle and an ending. Or even if they don’t have this, each
episode at least have to have its own climax.
In contrast, The Last Quarrel only had a beginning and
was cut short before it had a chance to climax. I was a bit like a man coming
too early in bed; ultimately extremely unsatisfying.
This was my first experience with a serialised novel
and has it made me a fan? Not at all. I hate it. I absolutely want to throttle
whoever came up with the idea.
How Bad Was It, Then?
Would I be interested in picking up the next part of
the novel? Yes, I probably would, but… I would also worry about the next part
leaving me just as disappointed toward the end. Honestly, I would leap at the chance for a review
copy, but if I had to spend my money on it, I think I would hesitate.
I am only tolerating this disappointment because I got
the book as a free review copy and because I hope that the publisher will
listen to these words. If I had spent my own money on this book, I would have
felt cheated.
So How Does One Rate the Beginning of a Book?
Well… One doesn’t. I mean, how could you?
When I finished this episode I actually had a lengthy
debate with myself whether to review it or not, but then I figured that a
reviewer has two roles; that of a judge (rating it), and that of a passionate
reader (sharing your opinions on it). Even if I cannot do first one, I can still
do the other.
Therefore, I will refrain from rating any of the
episodes until – or indeed if – I get to read all of them. I cannot rate
something that is not finished. The Last Quarrel is not a full story in itself
and until I have an end, all I can do is offer my thoughts as a passionate
reader and let the judgement await further substantiation.
For now, my only verdict will be that this book has certainly
suffered an injustice. It could be a good book. But it isn’t. I think the
publisher really screwed up with this one.
Source: Advance copy from Netgalley
Recommendation: The Last Quarrel is an interesting beginning to a
potentially very epic fantasy novel. Whether or not you will be less displeased
with the serialisation of this novel is up to you to find out.
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