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Betrayal At Falador (2008)

by T.S. Church(Favorite Author)

3.95 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0955907810 (ISBN13: 9780955907814)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Babel Interactive

series

Runescape

review 1: I actually read the third book in this series first and even coming late to the party I was impressed at Mr. Church’s ability to get me up to speed thru the course of the story. This is the first in a series based on the world’s most popular free-to-play MMO. I am normally extremely frightened of books based on video games. Several series based on video games have actually surprised me and this series will be added to video game book adaptations done well.I do not play Runescape, not because I’m not interested, but more because I know that it would ruin several aspects of my life including my marriage and my table-top gaming habit. In a way I think going into this series cold was a good thing. Granted I didn’t know the characters as well as Runescape players might ... moreknow or know of them but my lack of knowledge acted as a good expectation management tool.I will start by saying that this book will not change your life, it won’t cause you to stop doing something bad or cause you to start doing something good, what this book will do is entertain you. It reeks of classic fantasy adventure. There is a bit of mystery and intrigue, but I almost got the feeling that church didn’t expect you to solve the mystery; he just wanted you to watch other people solve it, and it worked.The characters are interesting, not unique but interesting. I actually embraced the lack of uniqueness and really appreciated it. I am tired of dark knights and anti-heroes. I want my paladins to be knights in shining armor. I want my wizards to wear robes and love books. I want that tuff sexy female barbican. I want a gruff dwarf who loves wealth. For years authors have tried and often succeeded in breaking all of these genre foundations, it was pleasant to see an author go back to the days of yore. This is a well paced interesting, meaty book. Weighing in at over 400 pages you really get your monies worth. I you enjoy books in this genre; I see no reason why you won’t enjoy this one as well. If you play Runescape I’m sure this book will feel like a good meal at the restaurant you always go to when you want a good meal, nothing fancy, just good quality. I am excited to read the second book and I will keep you posted.
review 2: Subtlety.Subtlety is an important thing in a novel. It allows the reader to at least think he or she has figured something out, like a mystery or important plot point. It allows for concepts to sink in gradually and become convincing to the reader.Subtlety is not a concept this novel is remotely familiar with.RuneScape: Betrayal at Falador is based on the most popular free MMORPG (Massively-Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game), RuneScape, which, as is becoming a redundant theme around here, I have never before played in my life.According to the back of the book: In the kingdom of Asgarnia, though the Knights of Falador defend the land a protect the people, they face threats that clamor from all sides-and from within. Enemies mass at borders, and a killer stalks the night killing innocents and slipping away unseen. When a young woman appears in the teeth of the storm, her sudden arrival launches a chain of events that endangers the very fabric of magic. And unless the knights can solve the riddle of Kara-Meir, everything they hold close may be lost. Their one hope may lie in the hands, not of a knight, but of an untested squire named Theodore...In a very cliche version of epic fantasy, Betrayal at Falador ("Betrayal"), has all your necessary components. There's the good guys, the squire and the knights, plus the dwarfs, the wizards, the druids, etc. And then there's the bad guys, the ones from out of town who want to rule over everyone in sight...for no apparent reason than having power, the werewolves, the goblins, and even the chaos dwarfs (opposite of good guy dwarfs).The bad guys want to conquer, the good guys want to prevent this, there's also a mystery of a possible traitor among the good guys...but that's what we get. Under impossible situation after impossible situation, I'm sure you can imagine who takes the cake at the end of the day.Now, I'm sure I would have enjoyed this book more if I had actually played the game, but at the same time, I'm also quite sure that that amount would only be a pittance.As I mentioned above, Betrayal is not a subtle novel. It kind of slaps you across the face with foreshadowing, almost SHOUTING at you that something is about to happen. Then, unsurprisingly, that event happens and it's really not all that great.Maybe I've been involved in the legal profession too long already, but one of an author's main responsibilities is to convince the reader that a certain action taken by a character or a certain event is not only entirely plausible in the world that's been created, but that it's also perfectly rational. I want to be convinced that under the systems set up by this world, that it was a reasonable choice that a character made or that by some type of magic something was able to happen. This suspension of disbelief has to happen or I will remain unconvinced and you've lost me as a reader.As you can imagine, this factor was not apparent in Betrayal. There were far too many moments in my reading experience where I thought, if only the author had just said, "and a spell came over them" to make the events happen in a certain way. That's all I needed and it would have been fine, and yet that never occurred.The characters likewise lack a certain kind of subtlety. They are bland and boring and ... pretty much all the same. The lead character, Theodore, is considered a brown-noser at the beginning of the story and the problem is, who likes a brown-noser? Are we supposed to relate to that and feel bad for him that no one likes him? In law school, we call those people gunners and no one likes them. No one.Why Read RuneScape: Betrayal at Falador?I'm positive that if I read Betrayal when I was around 10-13 years old, I would have loved it. Characters from all walks of life band together to defeat the bad guy, yadda yadda yadda, but now it's just too obvious, too cheesy and over-the-top, and just plain poorly done.2 out of 5 Stars (I'm probably being too generous) less

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