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| SFReader Forums > Book, Magazine, and eZine Publishers > Flashing Swords > Kern book 3. 'Songs of Victory' REVIEW | Forum Quick Jump
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Buxom Slayer
Temptress + mistress of Swords
      
Date Joined Jul 2005
Total Posts : 42
| Posted 7/31/2005 12:08 AM (GMT -4) |   | KERN BOOK 3. 'SONGS OF VICTORY' by Loren L Coleman [LLC] [Ace 2005]
Kern the very troubled young blond 'Ymirish' outsider desperately tries to unite Cimmeria before his own inner, dark, 'explosive body-clock' stops ticking..
so welcome to the latest poor quality DUNGEONS+DRAGONS [D+D] RPG fan trilogy..
it is set in a 'fantastical' version of Cimmeria [in Hyboria] filled with very well known basic D+D monsters. they are copied straight from the 'monster manual' in every exact name + detail!
so now we know why young Conan fled his native land..cos it is plagued with lots of nasty big monsters?!? [:D]
Crom! we even have Cimmerians milking Giant Spiders for their venom!?! [so no honour among that clan then? poison is the most dis-honourable + despised weapon among real warriors.][:0]
[ i would not have minded so much if most of these very rare + magical monsters had only been encountered in the remote lands north of Vanaheim + Asgard? but this book is set entirely in Cimmeria. + LLC should have at least changed some of their characteristics + given them more Hyborian style mystery by changing their names to suit the local legends? ]
basicly this book is just poor D+D style mass combats + a mixed adventurer group of mainly cardboard stereotype wimpy characters.
the book is mainly well written + most of the action/combats are good exciting + bloody grim. LLC has some good ideas + surprises but most of em are partly deflated + wasted by not making the most of them. he completely misses some great opportunities.
+ as with most drawn out trilogies there are too many chapters of pointless, dull filler.
most of the characters are boring + bland, especially Kern, + even the main evil ones!
LLC is an expert in wounds + gangrene + bandages + lard. pity he pays more attention to such details than in telling a good story![;)]
the main story/plot is poor + boring + predictable with few real surprises, + has some silly + corny bits. even the big stormy climax battle is ponderous + corny + lacks impact.
[ oh, + this OTT version of Cimmeria has Cimmerians using bows, + even horse archers + lancers?!? "bah!"]
rating= 5 /10. just average, dull, soulless, cloned poor D+D. very disapointing poor plot.
so Hyboria still waits for its 1st new book faithful to S+S, + great new hero + story? [:(]
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[ NB. i am a big fan of exciting hi-quality D+D + S+S]
[ i will discuss more details of this book in other posts in this thread later, if anyone is interested..? ][:)]
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TRtheJ
Neophyte
Date Joined Apr 2005
Total Posts : 136
| Posted 7/31/2005 6:15 AM (GMT -4) | | Wow. You paint a picture of Cimmeria I've never heard of. It sounds like Loren L. Coleman didn't even bother to research the topic before writing this trilogy. Typical.
I will give it a read anyway, being the trilogy was next on my reading list. [;)] | | Back to Top | | |
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PaulMc
Adept
Date Joined May 2005
Total Posts : 990
| Posted 7/31/2005 8:24 AM (GMT -4) | | quote:
Originally posted by Buxom Slayer
KERN BOOK 3. 'SONGS OF VICTORY' by Loren L Coleman [LLC] [Ace 2005]
rating= 5 /10. just average, dull, soulless, cloned D+D. very disapointing poor plot.
so Hyboria still waits for its 1st new faithful book + great new hero + story? [:(]
----
[ i will discuss more details of this book in other posts in this thread later, if anyone is interested..? ][:)]
Bummer. Maybe I shouldn't have bought this trilogy after all.
I still think it is a viable concept but...
1.) It would be better (or, of more interest to s-and-s fans) if the writers stuck to Howard's Hyborian Age and didn't get caught up in making these novels a RPG game tie-in. But really, that's kind of what they are (at least, that's the feeling I get)
2.) If CPI/ACE would allow single novels instead of depending on the trilogy model! Oh, I know they get money, but we get filler and I'm real tired of filler.
3.) They should not have started with the Cimmeria story. That just invites comparison to Conan, right from the get-go.
Well, I'll still read this at some point just to form my own opinion, but I have to admit that this trilogy is no longer very high on my "to be read" list, now.
-- Paul McNamee
http://writer.paulmcnamee.net
http://www.dorancoyle.net | | Back to Top | | |
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erazmus
Master
Date Joined Jul 2005
Total Posts : 4475
| Posted 8/6/2005 6:36 PM (GMT -4) | | Harsh but apparently deserved. Cuts right down to why I don't read game tie-in fiction at all. There is so much good stuff in original fiction that I miss as is it, and so little of it is worth reading. Balanced against what I miss versus what I have to wade through, its not time effective to bother.
Mike
Michael D. Turner
"Psyched Up" in _Turn the other Chick_-ed. E. Friesner-Baen books
www.baen.com
"Two Ravens" in Amazing Journeys Magazine coming Sept. 05 | | Back to Top | | |
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