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The Price Of Spring (2009)

by Daniel Abraham(Favorite Author)

4.04 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

076531343X (ISBN13: 9780765313430)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Tor Books

series

Long Price Quartet

review 1: While I loved the final novel of the series, and found it an excellent capstone to it all, it lacked a bit of the oomph of the more excellent second and third books.I will say the arc of the series as a whole is really amazing. Seeing the two main characters change from somewhat careless youths to old men, yet staying vaguely recognizable as their former selves, is a feat I haven't seen accomplished in any other series.And the ending isn't too surprising, but I like how the epilogue wraps things up nicely, with some details not fully filled in, but hinted at enough to give you a comfortable picture of what the world will look like in the future.A few things I didn't like much, though:First, the pace felt pretty slow. I definitely took much longer getting through this book ... morethan the previous three.Second, I missed the inclusion of a strong female narrator, something that was used to excellent effect in all three other books. Yes, there are still strong female CHARACTERS (stronger than the men, as usual for this series), but you don't get to hear things from a female perspective until the epilogue. It seems like an odd oversight, since two major female characters are intimately involved on both sides of the plot.Third and final, the climax of the story wasn't as gripping or exciting as I think Abraham tried to make it. It had a bit of tension, but the end felt so telegraphed that I almost yawned my way through.None of these criticisms take away the book's general effectiveness, or the amazing quality of the series as a whole. Give the whole Long Price Quartet a read... you won't regret it!
review 2: (Review for whole series)The Long Price Quartet is an entirely unique take on high fantasy, with no dragons, no different races other than humans humans, no magic… instead Abraham creates the concept of the “andat”, concepts and words bound into a physical shape and used by the person who bound them, known as poets. It’s unique, strange, complicated, and interesting as hell. The story focuses on one man throughout his life, each book skipping about 10 years in between. The novels are engaging with court intrigue, plots of murder and assassinations, backstabbing, and the andat and their complicated origins. The books can be slow to progress, focusing more on the characters and their movements, like a game of chess, rather than an action-filled fantasy. Because of this pacing, it can be hard to move through but is still definitely worth reading, especially for its one-of-a-kind story and direction. The characters give dynamic a whole new meaning, as we see the characters develop over 50 years throughout the series. The main protagonist starts the novel around the age of 20 and you see him age, mature, and develop concerns and wants that weren’t the same as they were before. The characters around the main character also grow and change, leaving, dying, marrying, and having children. There is the first generation of characters who grow old and their children who balance them out. The full scope of this cast is there to be seen and involved with and it’s truly unrivaled with anything else I’ve ever read. The writing is elegant, poetic, and engaging but can be a tad wordy as explanations or inner dialogues are meditated on. Despite the slower pace and lengthy internal ruminations, this series is an incredible work of high fantasy fiction that deserves to be read by anyone looking for a unique and engrossing story. less

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