A Book Review: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #28)

"A good plan isn't one where someone wins, it's where nobody thinks they've lost"

- Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

A long time ago, a piper, dressed in multicolor clothing, helped a town called Hamelin to get rid of their rats, and the legend of Pied Piper of Hamelin was born. Discworld has a similar, but slightly twisted version of it, and this is how it goes...

A curious looking group made its way into a town called Bad Blintz. The group, made up of a talking cat, sentient mice, and an young lad, are here for a money making scheme. What is their plan? Upon entering the town, the mice will make nuisances of themselves until the townsfolk have had enough of them and wish their riddance, at their most desperate moment, the cat (Maurice) and the lad (Keith) will offer to rid the town of the rats, at a small cost. However, Bad Blintz already has problems of its own.

This story is called, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, and it was Terry Pratcehtt's first Young Adult Discworld book.

The book itself is a parody of the aforementioned Pied Piper of Hamelin story, but it also reminded me of books such as Animal Farm and Flowers for Algernon. The book is cleverly written, it offers good humor and an exciting adventure. This novel is marketed as an Young Adult novel, but the story is one of the darker outings in Discworld. On the surface, we see a story about talking mice and cat and magic, but underneath the fantastic elements we see Terry Pratchett's realistic view of humanity, about generational clash, ethics, laws, and finding one's identity. For example, in my favorite quote from the book Terry Pratchett wrote, "If you don't turn your life into a story, you just become someone else's story". Do you agree with Sir Terry's assessment of life? I agree with him.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents is a cute fairy tale, and it also offers good moral lessons. I knew Terry Pratchett wrote a couple of YA Discworld books but I couldn't imagine how he could pitch Discworld, an adult-oriented series, for young readers while also keeping his adult readers engaged. Now that I have read one of these YA Discworld books, I want more of it.

Until the next time, happy reading!

A Book Review: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

"The battle of being mortal is the battle to maintain the integrity of one's life"

                   - Atul Gawande, Being Mortal

Imagine the following scenario: You are told by the doctor, an incurable illness is spreading in your body and you will die in 3 months' time. You have two options. The first option is to undergo a treatment. This treatment, the doctor informed you, "may" prolong your earthly existence by three additional months, but it will come at the price of great sufferings, the loss of your dignity, and high medical expenses. On the other hand, should you choose the second option, then you will die shortly, but you get to go home, spend the little time that remains with your family and friends, and live the way you want, with dignity, until your time is up.

These are difficult choices; the first one offers survival, while the other one offers well being and dignity. Which option will you choose?

From birth, aging, sickness, to death, these are all parts of the human experience. In the past, people died quickly when they became very sick. Today, even when we become very old and terminally ill, modern medicine can still keep us breathing, but such a prolonged existence often costs us our well being and dignity. Furthermore, in the developed countries, the trend of the aging population is continuing its march. Therefore, what should be the philosophy of health care and aged care? At what point, should we stop the medical treatment and just let the nature take its course? Should the doctor strive for a patient's survival, or well being? In our society that values independence so highly, what happens when that is no longer possible?

No one likes to talk about sickness and dying, but unless the medical technology can make us immortal this is a conversation that all of us must have, at some point in our lives. Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon from Boston, provided us with meaningful insights into this area, in his best-selling book, Being Mortal.

At 300 pages, Being Mortal is Atul Gawande's personal meditation, on how we can live well amongst the marching footsteps of aging and death. This book is also calling for a change in the way our society do and think about health care and aged care – that instead of focusing on survival and health, the focus should be " enabling well-being".

What does he mean by "enabling well-being"? Firstly, Atul explored the different models of aged care; that is, the traditional, multi-generational homes, as well as the new cultural norm of nursing homes. In this first part, which is thought-provoking, Atul detailed the evolution, the pros, and the cons, of our society's transition from multigenerational homes to nursing homes. Aged care is a difficult topic and it touches anyone who getting very old, or has parents who are becoming frail due to aging. In the second half of the book, Atul gave us many captivating stories, about sickness and dying, from his own experiences both as a surgeon, as well as being a son to a dying father. These stories are nuanced, they gave a dignified voice to those who are gradually losing their independence due to aging and sickness. From these stories, we get to see the world from the perspectives of those who are doing the dying, and not from the perspectives of medical professionals or concerned family members. Atul is a very good writer, he wrote evocatively and powerfully, and many passages in this book are stimulating as well as deeply moving.

In the end, Atul argues, "enabling well-being", means that we need to acknowledge, the human body will eventually decline, so instead of focusing on survival, we should adapt our society and health care to help people achieve what truly matters to them.

To quote Atul, who writes: "For many, such talks, however carefully framed, raises the specter of a society readying itself to sacrifice its sick and aged. But what if the sick and aged are already being sacrificed – victims of our refusal to accept the inexorability of our life cycle?"

Towards the end of the book, Atul briefly touched the topic of euthanasia, in which he made an argument against it. "Our ultimate goal", Atul argues, "is not a good death but a good life to the very end". What is your take on euthanasia? Must "a good life" and "a good death"be dichotomous to each other? Or, is a solution far more complex, not as clear cut, but lies somewhere in between? I don't know, and I leave my gentle readers to explore this topic.

My book club picked Being Mortal for our March reading and it is not a cheery book. Yet, this book nevertheless touched on topics that are relevant to all of us. At my book club meeting, some members who didn't finish this book were curious whether if Atul identified a solution to the problems associated with aging and bodily declines. The answer is no, Atul didn't have a quintessential solution to these problems, but he did drive home the message - we need to think about what matters to us the most, and then dedicate our actions and choices to that, accordingly. My book review, which is very brief, does not do justice to the scope and the depth of Atul's book, and this book is a great contribution to the growing body of literatures about aging. Being Mortal is a book that I would recommend to anyone who is mortal.

P.S. A word of caution, some readers may find this book too confronting, especially those who have family members facing the challenges described in the book.

A Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale is the most horrifying non-horror novel I have ever read. This book terrified me, because its dystopian vision feels both familiar and real. It is as if this book is describing a nightmarish future that can be, because it is a future that will repeat the past.  

Margaret Atwood wrote this book in 1984, and it was during the time when the Christian fundamentalists were gaining political influences in the US. Despite its contents and the historical background, this book is not targeting at any specific religious or political group. No, The Handmaid's Tale is a warning, of how easily and quickly, things can go wrong, when a group, a faction, or a person, gains too much power in the absence of accountability. Totalitarianism can go by any slogan; be it the left, the right, Hitler, Stalin etc.. you name it. Indeed, power manipulation, is the major theme in this harrowing novel, and it is even more relevant to our current time.

Synopsis:

The US government dissolved after a nuclear war and environmental destructions. In its place, The Republic of Gilead was born. This new government is founded on ideologies even more extreme than that of puritanism.The fertility rate, meanwhile, has plummeted to an all time low.

The Gilead government introduced new laws in the name of anti-terrorism and re-population. These were laws that redefined the status and the role for men and women, and giving birth to a class of women known as the "handmaids".

Inspired by the story of Rachel and Jacob in Genesis 30:1-3, a handmaid's primary function is to give birth, and her value depends solely on her reproductive power and the viability of her ovary. It was here when our story began, with a young woman known as Offred. She is a handmaid, who lies on her back once a month and hoping the Commander can successfully make her pregnant...

My thoughts on this book:

Dystopian fiction is not my forte. Admittedly, I have not even read iconic works in the genre, such as The Hunger Games, Fahrenheit 451, or Nineteen Eighty Four. So why The Handmaid's Tale? Why did I choose this book to be my first voyage into the world of dystopian fiction? Because everyone in my book club has read this book except me, and I have also read a lot of good reviews for this book, about how, its story is especially relevant to our time.

I borrowed this book from my local library, but I waited 5 months for it. This book was so popular that the moment it was returned, someone else would borrow it. When this book finally became available to me, I could not help but feel the excitement surged through me. Finally, I was going to read The Handmaid's Tale!

Over the next four nights, I read this book from the start to the finish. While I cannot say I "enjoyed" The Handmaid's Tale, but the book is thought provoking. I liked this book, but I could not enjoy it because it was too disturbing and terrifying. This is not a story that was meant to be "enjoyed" as one would enjoy, say, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea or Harry Potter. No, The Handmaid's Tale is the stuff of nightmares, and it is scary because every horror and curel act in this book is grounded in our very own history.

Yes, the terrible stuff in this book did not come from the author's own imaginations, but they were inspired by our history. This is why, a sense of familiarity, like deja vu, will creep up your spine while you read it. I have read some essays arguing if the scenario in The Handmaid's Tale can happen in today's world. I think those arguments are missing the point. Personally, I think the value of this book is not dependant on whether if it can accurately predict our future. No, I think this book is relevant to our time because it is sending us a warning, about power manipulation. It warns us about the danger of zealously subscribing to an ideological camp while abandoning independent thoughts. Indeed, our society has a growing trend, where independent thinking is dying slowly. People are no longer evaluating and judging a proposal based on its own merit. Instead, more and more people are identifying themselves by ideological camps and tribes, where they tick the "doctrinal checkboxes" of the particular tribe/faction they wish to belong to. That, I opine, is severely undercutting and killing the civic democracy. Why? Because once you identified yourself with a tribe and think you are on the "good" side, then even if your tribe is doing something wrong you will not see it. This is how totalitarianism can manifest and grow.

Aside from its major theme about power manipulation, The Handmaid's Tale also explored other themes such as; women's bodies as political instruments, language as a tool of power, and how we become complacent. Each of these themes is fascinating and worthy of exploration. I will leave the would-be readers to explore them. It suffices to say, in the mere space of 300 pages, Margaret Atwood weaved a story that is simple on the surface, but complex and thoughtful underneath. Her prose captured, vividly, the details in every scene, as well as the character's thoughts and emotions. This is a character-driven book, and its characters will leave lasting memories on your mind.

So far, I have praised The Handmaid's Tale, but there is one thing I disliked about this book. When it comes to speculative fictions, I (personally) prefer a novel to have the following structures - An introduction by worldbuilding, followed by the main story, before finally reaching the climax and the conclusion. The Handmaid's Tale, however, doesn't follow this structure. Instead of building the whole world at the beginning, this book was doing worldbuilding throughout the entire story. Even at the end of the story, it was still giving us worldbuilding information. This is not a big issue, but a matter of personal taste, and it did dampen my fondness for this book slightly.

The Handmaid's Tale is a disturbing novel and it is not for the light hearted. Yet, it is an important book. Its themes are especially relevant to our time. It warns us to be forever watchful of power manipulation, especially of those factions and tribes we dearly trust. This is because totalitarianism can go by any name and slogan. My gentle readers, I highly recommend The Handmaid's Tale to you.

A Book Review: The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker (Prince of Nothing #3)

“Set aside your conviction,” Moënghus said, “for the feeling of certainty is no more a marker of truth than the feeling of will is a marker of freedom. Deceived men always think themselves certain, just as they always think themselves free. This is simply what it means to be deceived.”

        -R. Scott Bakker, The Thousandfold Thought

Written by R. Scott Bakker, Prince of Nothing trilogy reached its conclusion in The Thousandfold Thought. This saga, began with The Darkness That Comes Before, is a fantasy epic, and a vehicle, to explore the consequences of certainty and the human conditions. The story is set in an ancient world not dissimilar to our own pasts, vibrant with history, cultures and religions. Yet, just like our own violent history, Bakker's world is also bloodied by horrendous acts, committed by faithful, pious men and women out of sincerely held beliefs.

The Thousandfold Thought is remarkably shorter than its two predecessors. This book stands at a reasonable length of 481 pages. The question, did this book deliver a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, or was it a let down? To me, this book was hit and miss, while the book had its moments of brilliance, but overall, I opine the book is leaning more to the side of disappointment.

Synopsis:

Anasûrimbor Kelhus, the Warrior Prophet, is now the supreme leader of the Holy War. From the army camp to the besieged city streets, men and women sang praises for this new messiah, they look upon him with eyes full of wonder and awe.

"Hail Kellhus, the infallible prophet".

"Hail Kellhus, our Aspect Emperor".

The Holy War marches on, while the chants and songs for the Warrior Prophet shake the heavens. Their destination – The City of Shmieh, where the Holy War will finally confront and destroy their enemy, the Cishaurim.

My thoughts on this book:

Prince of Nothing trilogy is among the most thoughtful works in the fantasy genre. These books laid bare, the truth about belief systems, and the role they played in the history of a world that is very much like our own. Some parts of this trilogy reminded me of the crusader history, while other parts reminded me of the disturbing stories I read about from religious scriptures. There are so many take aways from these books, especially the first two installments; they were wonderful.

Yes, the first two installments in the trilogy were marvellous, but what about the last book?

The truth is, I did not enjoy the third book as much as I did its predecessors. The first half of this book maintained the pace, and the gripping story, from The Warrior Prophet. In this half, Bakker continued the stories of Kellhus, Achmain, Esmi, and Cnaur. There were many plot twists and shocking revelations. By the second half, however, Bakker suddenly departed from the narrative style in the first half (and the previous books). Instead, the storytelling began to jump from one POV character to the next, in very short successions. In the second half, each POV character's "segment" average to about 3 to 5 pages, and it made the book very confusing and difficult to follow. To make matters even worse, these characters weren't the major characters that we (the readers) have become familiar with. No, in the second half, Bakker introduced dozens of new characters, and new locations, to establish his new POV narratives. As a reader, I found it really difficult to keep track of these new characters and places, and the second half of the book often confused me. The last 150 pages, in particular, was the most confusing part of the book, and I am still not quite sure what I was reading.

It was only after I finished reading this novel did I discover, a massive, 150+ page appendix at the end of the book. I am guessing the author intended his readers to consult the appendix for the galores of new characters and locations that he introduced in the second half. Fair enough, so there is an appendix. In my opinion, if a story requires its reader to constantly consult the appendix by flipping to the back of the book, then it is not good storytelling.

Indeed, the storytelling, it is the bane for The Thousandfold Thought. Don't get me wrong, I still liked Bakker's prose and his characters, but in this book, the storytelling was especially poor and disjointed. Furthermore, the ending in this book was a let down. Why? Well, the previous two books, both massive in sizes, built up a promising and rich story, but this (arguably) concluding volume ended the story at a cliff hanger, with many threads unresolved. It felt like the author was kind of saying, "oh look, by the way, this ending is actually giving you a taste for my second trilogy".

This book may be disappointing, but it does not mean the whole trilogy is not worth reading. No, I think Prince of Nothing trilogy is intelligent. In our world, there are many people trying to sell us, certainty, in the guise of philosophy, but what they are truly selling us is philosophy with questions left out. True philosophy is a position of humility, it should ask more questions than providing answers, so it is the opposite to certainty. In many ways, Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy has good philosophy; its story is a vessel, for exploring the consequences of certainty, and it does so by asking great questions.

A Book Review: The Warrior Prophet by R. Scott Bakker (Prince of Northing #2)

"Most men would rather die in deception than live in uncertainty. "

     

   - R. Scott Bakker, The Warrior Prophet

In The Warrior Prophet, fantasy novelist and philosopher, R. Scott Bakker, continued his sprawling epic and exploring the consequences of certainty. This book has a holy war, fought in a fictional world rich with history, culture, and religion. Indeed, religion; for what else can symbolize certainty better than religion?

Synopsis:

The Holy War is marching to the city of Shimeh, but deceptions are threatening to tear down its massive ranks from within. Among the factions of the Holy War walks Anasurimbor Kellhus, a charismatic individual seeking to extend his dominion over the entire army. It appears, that Kellhus would either make, or break, the Holy War. On the outside, Kellhus is benevolent and preternaturally intelligent, but what is his true purpose? Is he the Warrior Prophet and the voice of the solitary god? Or is he a blasphemer?

My thoughts on this book:

I liked The Warrior Prophet more than TheDarkness That Comes Before. The previous book, The Darkness That Comes Before, was a difficult read, it had me puzzled over its strange character and location names. By the time I was reading The Warrior Prophet, however, I was more familiar with this fictional world and its people, and so I was able to appreciate the story better. Having said this, I think The Warrior Prophet would have been a stronger novel if it was shortened by 100 pages.

R. Scott Bakker wrote well in this book. Although I would say his characterization is better than his storytelling. In my opinion, sometimes Bakker dwelled too much into a character's thoughts, and it hampered the storytelling as well as bogging down the pace. On the other hand, Bakker's characterization was top notch. There were 4 major characters in this book; a sorcerer called Achmain, a barbarian chieftain called Cnaur, a prostitute called Esmi, and finally, Kellhus, the mysterious prophet. The story is built upon Kellhus and his deeds, but it was mostly narrated from the perspectives of Achmain, Cnau, and Emsi, and this is where the book became very interesting. Allow me to explain.

Almost every religion has holy scriptures, scriptures describing the ministerial lives and the teachings of its founder. This founder was usually charismatic and inhumanly intelligent (and wise). However, the scriptures were often written from the perspectives of the followers and the admirers of that founder, and not by the founder himself. Therefore, not only do we lack the complete information about the founder's entire life, but more importantly, how do we know, what were the founder's real thoughts and desires underneath his benevolent exteriors? In this regard, The Warrior Prophet provided an interesting thought experiment. As mentioned, this book is mostly narrated from the perspectives of three characters, and each of them represents a different view/take on Kellhus and who he was. Achmain was in awe of Kellhus' preternatural intelligence and abilities, Cnaur, who knew Kellhus the longest, saw him as a monster to be feared and hated, while Esmi admired Kellhus' benevolence. Meanwhile, Kellhus himself was more like a force of nature in this book. The narratives, and these characters' viewpoints, brought an an interesting dynamic and tension into their relationships. On the other hand, as readers, we are given an omniscient view of the story, and therefore we were handed the truth about Kellhus himself. It suffices to say, I found Kellhus a most fascinating character, but I also found his true purpose, and his moral centre, deeply disturbing.

Overall, Bakker's characters were tormented and flawed. There was authenticity in the way he depicted the human conditions. Bakker also did an excellent job at depicting every faction in the Holy War. No one was "good", but no one was "bad", each faction was simply doing, in accordance with their faiths, what they believed to be righteous.

The results of these "righteous" acts were horrible, and they also felt familiar, as if they are echoes from our own violent pasts. For example, one of the major scenes in this book was a city invasion, it was a massacre, and it was depicted in the form of a military report, blow-by-blow accounts, detached of emotions. However, this type of "fact-driven" narrative was curiously effective, it felt more brutal and terrifying despite its lack of embellishments. This book was about a Holy War, the city siege/massacre scenes in this book were disturbing, just like the Old Testament is disturbing (such as the Canaanite conquests). This is a very dark book, but it provokes its reader to think, not just about religion and beliefs, but more importantly, about certainty. The world of Earwa is much like our world, it is rich with history, culture, and religion. Yet, just like our world, Earwa is also full of deeply flawed people who did horrible and nasty things to each other, out of deeply and sincerely held beliefs.

This book reminds us of the importance of doubt - Doubt begets understanding, understanding begets compassion; it is the conviction that kills, hurts, and destroys. Sadly, a lot of people would choose certainty over doubt, even if the things they are certain about is a lie.

The Warrior Prophet is a very good fantasy novel. The book's storytelling may have some shortcomings, but its realistic and suffering characters will hook you into the story. The tone in this book is very dark, very grim, and it has a world inhibited by deeply flawed people. But it reminds us of our own violent history. It reminds us of why doubt is essential and certainty breeds tragedies. This book (series) may not be for everyone, but if you are a fantasy enthusiast, and you like to think about the human conditions, then I would highly recommend this trilogy to you, starting with the first book, The Darkness That Comes Before.

Stayed tune for my next post, where I will be reviewing the conclusion to Prince of Nothing Trilogy, titled, The Thousandfold Thought.

A Book Review: The Darkness That Comes Before, by R. Scott Bakker (The Prince of Nothing #1)

"The thoughts of all men arise from the darkness. If you are the movement of your soul, and the cause of that movement precedes you, then how could you ever call your thoughts your own? How could you be anything other than a slave to the darkness that comes before?” "
          - R. Scott Bakker, The Darkness That Comes Before

Do our thoughts "come" to us ? Or, do our thoughts occur when we "want" it to? And what precedes our thoughts? While Friedrich Nietzsche could (perhaps) offer us some insights into this philosophical question, but R. Scott Bakker, a philosopher and a fantasy novelist, wrote Prince of Nothing, an epic fantasy of three parts, to explore, not only the question of what comes before, but also the consequences of "certainty".

Over the past decade, Bakker's fantasy trilogy has gained great renown in the genre (especially in the Grimdark fantasy community). A number of Bakker's fellow writers, and fantasy enthusiasts, are citing this trilogy as the example for what fantasy can offer – a vehicle to explore philosophy, beliefs, politics, and the human condition.

The Darkness That Comes Before is the genesis for this trilogy.

For 2 years, this trilogy sat on my bookshelf and I did not read it. I put this this series on hold because it has a reputation for being a heavy read and overly complex. With the arrival of 2018, however, I made a resolution; I said to myself that this year, I will read this trilogy.

With much fear, trembling and excitements, I opened the first page in The Darkness That Comes Before. After five moonless nights, I finished reading this book. What are my thoughts? Well, it is... complicated. Let me begin my review with a synopsis for the story.

Synopsis:

Two thousand years ago, an apocalypse scarred the world of Earwa. Two thousand years later, hundreds and thousands are gathering to fight in a holy war. Many faithful souls vouched to die, for what they believe, to be the righteous cause. This is a time of great violence, but it is also a time for great opportunities.

Indeed, opportunities. Out from the desert came a mysterious traveller - Anasûrimbor Kellhus. He is a warrior, a prophet, a sorcerer, and his charismatic presence can charm thousands of followers. What is Kellhus' mission? Is he the messiah or a tyrant? This is a question that can only be answered by the man himself, in due course. What we do know, however, is like all histories, the history of this great event will have its conclusion written by the survivors.

My thoughts on this book:

It is very difficult to review this book. A quick search on Google shows those who read this book have divisive opinions about it. Some people absolutely loved it, while some people couldn't stand it. My own opinion about this book lies somewhere in the middle; I liked this book, sure, but I didn't love it.

I was really surprised that I only liked this book but didn't love it. I mean, this book promised an epic story, set in a grim, dark world. It has top notch characterizations, it explores philosophy, beliefs, and the human condition. Onset, almost everything in this book ticked my checkboxes. Yet, I just didn't enjoy this novel as much as I thought I would.

Why? A few reasons. Firstly, let me discuss the worldbuilding in this book. I love the world that Bakker has built here. The world of Earwa is unlike any other world in the genre. Instead of the pseudo, medieval European world so common in fantasy, Bakker gave us a world that felt Middle Eastern, and at times, Byzantine. When I was reading this book, I felt its world was living and breathing. It was a world inhibited by nasty, nasty people, but it was also rich in culture, religion, history, and lores.

Despite the greatness in Bakker's worldbuilding, but I just couldn't cope with the names for the places and people in this book, because those names were too alien. It is a norm in fantasy books to have characters and places with weird names, but this book took the genre convention of "alien names" to a whole new level, and this level is just too much for me. Take, for example, the name for one of the major characters; his name (as mentioned), is Anasûrimbor Kellhus. Meanwhile, his father's name is Anasûrimbor Moënghus... Tell you what? This book has dozens of characters and places with this type of strange names. The two names I mentioned are just a taste, to give you an idea of what I am talking about here.

It suffices to say, while I was reading this book, the overly strange names often had me confused about who is who, or where is where (and sometimes I confused "who" with "where", and vice versa).  Furthermore, the first 100 pages were difficult to absorb because it was full of infodumps. Make no mistake, Bakker's writings were superb. His prose was well written and lyrical. The problem, though, he dumped too much worldbuilding information, such as the history and geography details, into the first 100 pages. When this "infodump" is compounded with really strange character and location names, then as a reader, I felt the rest of the book was cumbersome and unwieldy.

Despite the problems I mentioned above, I did like this book. I liked Bakker's narratives, of how, he explored the human conditions via his complex, and tormented characters. I also liked how the philosophy, about the origin and the nature of belief, was explored and blended into the overarching story. The Darkness That Comes Before is very smart, very complex, but it is also an entertaining story.

Hopefully I haven't scared you off from trying this book. Yes, The Darkness That Comes Before is not an easy read, but it is not as difficult to read as Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon. The chances are, if you are a veteran to the fantasy genre, then you will be fine  as long as you remain attentive during your readings. Who will I recommend this book to? I believe, those readers who are fantasy enthusiasts (especially of the grimdark genre) may like this book.

Stay tuned for my next post, where I will review the sequel, The Warrior Prophet.

A Book Review: Morningstar by David Gemmell

David Gemmell, best known for his epic fantasy novel, Legend, is a seminal author in the genre. A decade after his passing, Gemmell's stories, about noble heroes, are continuing to attract legions of readers and admirers. He wrote very good fantasy novels. Anyone who likes this genre should read Legend.

In Morningstar, David Gemmell gifted his readers with a pleasant surprise. In contrary to the usual story about an exemplifying hero, he gave us a Robinhood-like story, it is the journey of an anti-hero coming to be a hero. In the end, the readers are left with a question – Does the past of a hero really matter?

Synopsis:

What makes a hero?

Stay a while and listen, to the story of Jarek Mace, also known, as Morningstar. Most people believe, Morningstar was the very incarnation of honor itself, but very few souls know the true history of Jarek Mace; before he became Morningstar, Jarek was once a thief and a soldier of fortune.

So, how did Jarek become Morningstar? Or, perhaps the whole story about Morningstar is but romances and fictions, invented and sung by tavern bards in exchange for a few coins? If you want to know the truth, then listen to the accounts of Owen Odell. Just remember, sometimes the truth is stranger than fictions.

My thoughts on this book:

Morningstar was written in the first person narrative and told from the perspectives of Owen, who, was a comrade of Jarek Mace (who would become Morningstar). The story borrowed from the tale of Robin Hood, and it took on the structure of a forest bandit taking on a tyrannical king. The difference being, while Robinhood was (sort of) noble, Jarek Mace was very far from being a shining example of virtue. No, if you read this book, the chances are that initially you will dislike (or even despise) Jarek Mace.

Through the course of the story, as if by pure luck, whenever Jarek Mace did something to further his own interests, he somehow ended up looking like an honorable hero and so his reputations grew. It was almost as if the title of Morningstar was thrusted upon Jarek against his will. As the book went on, however, the events gradually changed Jarek and his companions. Was Jarek redeemed in the end? Read this book and find out for yourself. But I think this book explored a fascinating question – What matters more? What makes a hero more, or less, of a hero? I leave the would-be readers to explore this story and decide for themselves. As for me, I parted from Morningstar's bitter sweet end, with questions and thoughts that lingered on my mind for many days afterward.

In terms of the writings, I found Morningstar a very well written and a compact book. This novel, a stand alone story, counts to only 280 pages. Yet, in such short spaces, David Gemmell depicted such a lively world, and his characters were very colorful. This book was also very well paced. Among the gallons of sword and sorcery actions, this book also left plentiful of spaces for worldbuilding and character developments. I think fans of David Gemmell would find many things to like about this book.

It is rare to find a stand alone fantasy novel, and it is even rarer to find one that is also thought-provoking and somewhat unique. Morningstar is both, and it is among David Gemmell's finest works. I highly recommend this book to those who are fond of epic and heroic fantasy books.

Until the next time, happy reading!