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The Ninth Avatar (2010)

by Todd Newton(Favorite Author)

3.17 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

098420704X (ISBN13: 9780984207046)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Trapdoor Books

review 1: I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.The premise of this story is wonderful: Outcast priestess receives prophetic dream of armageddon. She collects companions on her journey to save the world from the encroaching army of darkness. Unfortunately, the execution is lacking.The world Todd Newton creates is too large, and I never found my way into it. We start off in the midst of battle, and through my skimming, I never found the motivation for such, other than evil must conquer all. I confess, I did merely skim most of this novel. It just couldn't capture and hold my attention for anything more. The parts I read seemed superficial, and I just kept wanting to know more. More background for the world and the characters. Who are they and what is the mot... moreivation for their actions? I don't need this information up front, but a fleshed-out flashback scene now and then would be helpful. For example, DaVille tells Starka of his past, but we see only a brief outline. We don't get to hear his tale for ourselves. Show me, don't tell me.Disappointing, and while I think Newton has good ideas, I don't think I'll bring myself to try reading his work again.
review 2: I got this book as a first-reads giveaway. It is Todd Newton's first book and I hope to read more from him in the future. Story-wise, the book has a lot going for it. The Carrion soldiers are a pretty original idea, maybe modeled a bit after the Orcs. The characters are interesting and the plot moves along with a sense of urgency. The point of view switches between characters very clearly. I do wish there had been more description of the people, the places they travel to, the individual buildings, ships, and landscapes they see. I started to get the cities mixed up because I couldn't tell them apart from the descriptions. And it's a little disconcerting to have an image of a character in your head and then many chapters in have to change it when more detail about them is finally given. Still, it was an enjoyable read.Technically, I had some issues with it. Many times I found myself reaching for my pencil to correct questionable word choices and errors. Most of the character names are elegantly indicative of who they are and where they come from (Starka, DaVille, Wan Du, Bathilde). However, naming one of the rulers "Ettubrute" seems almost insulting. Luckily, he's only a passing character in the story, so I was able to get over it quickly.Fantasy book lovers, you will find a lot to like in this adventure of traveling survivors seeking to take their world back from the hands of evil warlords. Give it a read. less

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