A Book Review: The Sacred Vault by Andy McDermott (Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase #6)

My reading habits go through cycles. At times I feel like reading sci-fi/fantasy books, on occasions I crave for historical and literary fictions, and some nights I just want to loose myself in a nail-biting thriller novel. With the arrival of March, a craving for thrillers came knocking at the gate to my reading world. I trekked to my local library, seeking a good thrill, and Andy McDemott's thrilling tale, The Sacred Vault, waved at me from a bookshelf.

Initially, I was hesitant, unsure if I wanted to read The Sacred Vault. You see, this book belongs to the 6^th installment in a series of thrillers featuring; archeologist Nina Wilde, and her ex-military husband, Eddie Chase. At my mentioning of the word, archeologist, you can likely form an idea for what sort of books are these. This series is what I would call, treasure hunt thrillers. A classical treasure hunt thriller smells and tastes like an Indiana Jones adventure; its story usually involves a race against the baddies to uncover a lost secret from some ancient civilization, its plot is then served up with an overdose of octane-driven, impossible action sequences.

I usually like treasure hunt thrillers. A few years back, I devoured some James Rollins and Dan Brown novels, and this sort of book opened my appetite for this genre. Since then, thrillers has been one of the main courses in my literary diets. But I am just not head over toes for Andy McDermott novels even though I have read 5 of them in the past 2 years. I did end up loaning The Sacred Vault from the library, not only because it was the sole thriller novel available at that time, but also because I wanted to give this series another go. Unfortunately, The Sacred Vault could not change my opinion about this series.

Don't get me wrong, The Sacred Vault is indeed, a fast-paced action romp that comes packed with loads of suspense and feats of daring-do. The story opened with a series of art thefts, these events quickly instilled mystery and suspense into the book. From there, the story moved at a neck-breaking pace, where Andy McDermott threw scenes after scenes of epic action scenes at his readers; gun fights, fist fights, car chases, and fiery explosions. Yet, none of these crazy actions were enough to make up for this book (and the series') persisting weakness – that is, cartoonish characters. The villains in this book have these.... unrealistic motives. In fact, their villainous intentions are so unbelievable that I thought they were borrowed from some 1980's cartoon program. Furthermore, other than their appearances and nationalities, the villains in this book are almost interchangeable with the ones from the previous books. There is nothing memorable, or distinctive, about the villains in this book, it's almost as if the author just baked these villains from one cookie cutter.

Aside from villains who lackluster, The Sacred Vault also feels formulaic. Its structure followed the same formula as its predecessors, which can be summarized in these 6 stages: 

1) The bad guys are scheming to take over the world with an ancient secret X, 

2) Nina and Eddie are playing heroes to stop the baddies, 

3) Nina is kidnapped by the baddies, where the evil overlord reveals the plan to her, 

4) Eddie rescues Nina, and the wife-husband duo races the baddie to uncover the ancient secret X in some forgotten tomb, 

5) Nina and Eddie uncover the ancient secret X, only to have the baddies intrude and steal the secret from them, 

6) Nina and Eddie track the baddies to his evil hideout (usually in some remote location), where they kill the baddies and recover this ancient secret X, mere seconds before the world is destroyed.

Yes, The Sacred Vault just recycled the plot structure from the previous books. But my biggest qualm against this book (and the series), is that the evil overlords are really dumb!

I mean, if I was an evil overlord, when I capture the heroes, I will immediately shoot them in the heads. As an evil overlord, I would NEVER reveal my evil plan to the heroes, let alone wasting time telling them about it and risking the chances that my stupid henchmen might slip, letting the heroes escape with the knowledge of my master plan! But this sort of trope occurred book after book in this series. Seriously, this is just unrealistic and cartoon like.

Despite all these flaws, The Sacred Vault is not without its charm. Nina and Eddie remained very likable protagonists. This husband and wife duo bickered constantly throughout the whole book, and some of their dialogues are quite funny. Furthermore, the action sequences blew away the pages in this book with a cinematic quality. As an indication, I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I like the character of Nina and Eddie, and I have a genuine like for this genre. This is why, I will be reading the sequel, Empire of Gold, because I still want to give this series another go. Hopefully, at the next time, I will be giving the sequel a higher rating.

A Book Review: The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #27)

In boxing, there is a saying that every great fighter has one last fight left in him. In Discworld, a similar principle applies; every great hero has one last deed of heroism left in him. The time has come, for the Disc's greatest heroes, Cohen the Barbarian, and his band of ultra-experienced warriors, to undertake one last quest, a quest so grand that it's likeness is yet to be seen in the history – they are going to return the fire to the gods!

When the news of Cohen's latest endeavor reached Lord Vetinari's ear, it had the patrician holding his throbbing head in both hands. Why? Should Cohen and the Silver Horde succeed, it will unmake the magic of the Disc, effectively bringing the world to an end. Being greatly concerned about the fate of the Disc, the ruler of Ankh Morpork consulted the eccentric wizards at the Unseen University. Together, they decided to send a small task force and preventing Cohen's quest from coming to fruition. This task force consists of three extra-ordinary individuals; the cowardly wizzard Rincewind (spelt with double z), the charismatic watchman Carrot, and the genius inventor Leonard of Quirm. But anything involves Rincewind is sure to attract misadventures like the gravity pulls apples to the center of the earth. If you are a veteran of Discworld, then you know what is coming your way, when Rincewind is involved.

The Last Hero is the 27^th novel in Discworld series. In this book, Sir Terry parodied every fantasy trope known to the humankind (in particular, tropes for barbarian heroes), and this humorous story will make you bend over at the stomach and laughing uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Sir Terry also made sure his story will send an invitation to your hungry mind, to be a guest at his table of philosophical dinner, where he treats you with a banquet of food for thoughts.

If I may call The Last Hero a Discworld fable, then this fable, 160 pages in length, is witty, exciting, and though-provoking. Aside from telling us a fantastic tale, The Last Hero also treats us with beautiful illustrations, provided by artist Paul Kidby. Mr. Kidby has illustrated a number of book covers for Discworld novels, but The Last Hero is fully illustrated. When I say “fully illustrated”, I mean it. Mr. Kidby lavished The Last Hero with wondrous artworks on every page. These illustrations captured, vividly, the mood, the looks, and the witty charms of Sir Terry's timeless creations. While parody and philosophy are key ingredients to any Discworld novel, but ultimately, these books are so good because they are very human. (minor spoiler ahead) The last few pages in this book moved me deeply, I do not think there is a better way for Cohen and his silver headed warriors to walk into the legend.

This book belongs to a sub-series in Discworld, featuring the cowardly wizard Rincewind. While I like every book about Rincewind, but I don't like them as much as other Discworld novels featuring Death, City Watch, and the Industrial Revolution. This is because Rincewind novels usually narrate the stories incoherently, the stories are too random. The Last Hero, though, is an exception. The narratives in this book is easy to follow, the storytelling is cohesive, and it was a joy ride. Despite being one of the shorter Discworld novels, but I think The Last Hero is among the best of the Disc.

Having said the above, I do not recommend reading The Last Hero until you have read the other Rincewind novels. The story in this book is an expansion from the previous Rincewind novels, it helps to have some knowledge of Rincewind's past adventures. Otherwise, I believe The Last Hero is a must read for anyone who already has a loving taste for the Disc.

A Book Review: Wrath by John Gwynne (The Faithful and the Fallen #4)

Look to the picture on the left, can you see a giant war hammer dominating the artwork? If anything, this book cover should stir, and make you feel, the story hidden underneath it must be an epic tale of blood and thunder. This book, called Wrath, is the fourth and the concluding chapter to The Faithful and the Fallen series. 5 nights ago, I read the first page in Wrath, and its opening transported me back in John Gwynne's fictional world. I tread in the middle of a titanic struggle, where songs of courage, and poetries of grief, reached into the sky.

Time stopped in those nights when I read Wrath. I willed myself to read it slowly, because I did not want this story to end. Alas, I failed miserably! The story in Wrath is too gripping and I devoured this 700 page book in the space of 4 sittings.

Reluctantly, I shelved Wrath next to 3 of its bookish kins; Malice, Valor, and Ruin. I sighed deeply, a mood of bitter and sweet filling my mind, then I sat down to write a review for Wrath.

Synopsis:

The god war is sounding its gong; the end is near.

The seven treasures, having marched from all corners of The Banished Lands, come to be united at the legendary fortress of Drassil. Cladius, deep in his scheme, summoned the full force of the Black Star to Drassil, to protect the treasures while he performed an abominable ritual to bring Asroth, the lord of destruction, into the world of the flesh.

Meanwhile, Corban, his friends and allies, gathered in the forest heart of Forn. They have all suffered, lost families and friends, to Cladius and the Black Star. Now, Corban and his allies are going to unleash wrath upon their enemies, for vengeance is theirs.

The fate of The Banished Lands dangles in the air. At the towering gate of Drassil, the Bright Star and the Black Sun will collide in a bone-shattering battle. But who will win?

My thoughts on this book:

A good novel can kidnap time, and Wrath does exactly that. Counting to 700 pages, this is by means a small tome. When I was reading this book, time disappeared; nights became hours, and hours became seconds. This story spreads power and fury. The tale seized me, and willed me to fly through its pages like a Formula One car thundering down the race track.

Wrath sets the stage for the final battle in The Banished Lands. As the book drew back the red curtains, my favorite characters walked on the stage, together they played the last act in The Faithful and the Fallen quartet. This final chapter is dark and grim , but with truth and courage, the heroes lighted the gruesome battlefield against the onslaught of darkness. I punched the air at moments when the heroes triumphed, I swore black curses whenever the villains gained the upper-hand, and I sighed in lamentations when tragedies struck. 

The last sentence in Wrath came and left, not all of my favorite characters made it, even the survivors walked away badly scathed. The closure tastes both bitter and sweet, but this is what made this book so good. It delivered such a satisfying end, and it made me feel that an event, grand and majestic, just sunset in my reading world.

Beyond this, I shall keep my lips sealed about Wrath, lest I spoil the story. This is why my review for Wrath is uncharacteristically short. But I will say this – The Faithful and the Fallen MUST be on your TBR list, especially if you like reading fantasy fictions.

A Book Review: Ruin by John Gwynne (The Faithful and the Fallen #3)

Two nights ago, I sat my on my couch and stared, mouth agape, at the last page in Ruin. This is the 3^rd installment in The Faithful and the Fallen series. After a few moments of silence, my hands reached, frantically, for Wrath, the fourth and the final volume in the series. But before I head into my next bookish adventure, let's just say Ruin blew my mind. When this series began in Malice, the story started with the classic tropes of the fantasy genre, but it pulled me in with well rounded characters. By the time my eyes settled on the last 200 pages of Ruin, it was evident that John Gwynne took those tropes and turned it on its head. It is dramatic, it is full of twists, and this is one of the best modern works of fantasy fictions and I love it!

Synopsis:

High King Nathair now possesses the cauldron, the most powerful of the seven treasures. On the back of Nathair's might marches legions of Kadoshim, advised by Cladius, who is as devious as he is cunning. Meanwhile, his ally, Queen Rhin, conquered the western regions in The Banished Lands and she rules it with an iron fist. Together, Nathair and Rhin are plunging the lands into an ocean of blood and fire, where Asroth's return seems inevitable. Has the fate of the lands been decided already?

No, the torch of hope is yet to be extinguished. Queen Edana and her small warband is marching, back to Adran, to reclaim their home; and she encountered unexpected allies in the shadowed swamps. Meanwhile, Maquin, an old warrior built with the savage economy of a desert wolf, is wrecking havoc in Tenebral.

Finally, Corban has embraced his responsibility and duty as the Bright Star of Elyon. The young warrior sets his mind on fighting Nathair and the Kadoshim. Friends and allies have gathered around Corban, and he marches them to the legendary fortress of Drassil, where the Bright Sun and the Black Star shall clash in one final battle. However, a secret, buried deep in the sand of history, is about to resurface and change the face of the god war...

My thoughts on this book:

Ruin ended with a cliff hanger. When you close the last page of this book, it will leave you dazed, with your mouth hanging open and dry. When you recover from the shock, you will run to your bookshelf like a star athlete and then scooping up the sequel as if it is the last piece of food on earth. Yep, this story is that good and the reviews on Goodreads bear testimonies to its awesomeness.

No spoilers, no spoilers, and I will not tell you why Ruin shocked me or how it ended. I will just tease you by saying this book will punch you in the gut. Then I will tell you how good the characterization is in this book. Every character in this book, from our beloved heroes to the despised villains, John Gwynne depicted all of them vividly with great depth. Are you a miniature painter? If you are, then you will know in miniature painting, the more layers you paint on it, the more realistic the miniature will appear to the eyes. This is how John Gwynne depicted his characters, not only in Ruin, but for the whole series. He piled layers after layers of stories, qualities, and personalities on every character. Yet, the complexity of these characters never complicated the story. Nope, the story in The Faithful and the Fallen remains smooth, fast-paced, and every easy to follow.

Indeed, the pace of Ruin beats at a rhythm just as lively and furiously as its 2 predecessors, Malice and Valor. When I said the pace in Ruin is furious, I REALLY mean it. This book, 750 pages in length, continues to divide its story into short chapters narrated in the style of 3^rd person POV. In this book, treachery is afoot and bravery echoes loud, the life of your favorite character will be hanging constantly on the balance. There are battles, many battles, in this book, and the death defying battle scenes will make your heart pounding against your chest. Yet, atop the raging actions and the mounting suspense, Ruin allowed ample times for developing its characters, world building, and all the while, it is telling a compelling story about truth and courage.

Yes, truth and courage! With truth and courage Ruin ended, and with truth and courage it will open the series' final chapter in Wrath. As I am writing this review, I am already 40% into Wrath and so far it is spectacular! Do you like fantasy novels? If you do, then put on your armor, dust off the sword in its scabbard and fasten it to your back, then set out on a quest to your local library or a bookshop to acquire these powerful tomes known as The Faithful and the Fallen; it will bring a magic most powerful in any fantasy reader's bookish domain.

A Book Review: Valor by John Gwynne (The Faithful and the Fallen #2)

In Valor, fantasy novelist John Gwynne continues his sweeping tale of The Faith and the Fallen. This sequel, 650 pages in length, expanded the scope of the story, introduced more characters, and painted shades of grimness and darkness into its telling.

Synopsis:

In a Blitzkrieg, High King Nathair stormed The Banished Lands with a formidable army, hammering his opponents to the ground. In its aftermath, Nathair forged a powerful alliance with Queen Rhin, who is ambitious, cunning, and as sly as a fox.

Who can stand against the might of Nathair? Still, the secret identify of the Black Sun remains shrouded in mystery, waiting to unleash the power of Asroth upon this troubled land.

Meanwhile, together with a band of exiles, the young warrior Corban fled his destroyed homeland, seeking refuge in the realm of Domhain. In order to arrive at their chosen sanctuary, however, Corban's small warband must cut through the heart of peril, where giants, wolvens, and Rhin's warriors await in the forest dark. Yet, Corban is still to face his greatest challenge; he must become the man who everyone believes him to be – the Bright Star – destined to be the avatar of Elyon, marking a return of the absent god.

My thoughts on this book:

Valor retains the same fast paced, character-driven storytelling from Malice, where every chapter is narrated in 3^rd person POV. Other than a few newly introduced characters, many beloved characters from Malice returned in this book, and they played central roles in the story. Needless to say, the character development in Valor is top notch. From the villains to the heroes, every character is portrayed vividly in great depth. In Valor, they are wrestling with the past events from Malice, while those circumstances gradually shaped their characters and became a part of who they are. In this book, Corban is no longer a naive boy from Malice; he has experienced losses and sufferings, and Corban is starting to grasp his responsibility as the Bright Star.

Surprisingly, my favorite character is not Corban. Instead, as the story unfolded its curtain, a character called Maquin stood out and grabbed my attention. Maquin is an old warrior past his prime, who is seeking vengeance for his murdered young lord. When Maquin first appeared in Malice, he did not stand out in any special way. However, as the story unfolded in Valor, Maquin began to display qualities, qualities that made me root for his character. Without loitering into the spoiler territory, let me just say in this book, Maquin's tale twisted and turned in the most unexpected way – a dozen story moments made my stomach churn, left me hanging and worried for this grizzly old wolf. After I read Valor, Maquin is now my favorite character in this series, hands down.

Meanwhile, Veridas's character continues to fascinate me. This young warrior, honest and courageous, is misguided by lies, and he is deceived into fighting for the wrong side. Yet Veridas bears such fine qualities so I keep the flame of hope afire for him. I am still hoping Veridas would eventually discover the evidence, showing him that through deception, Asroth's agent has manipulated him into serving the bad guy.

Speaking of Veridas, this is where Valor (and this series as a whole) shines with brilliance. At the first glance, the story in The Faithful and the Fallen appeared to be a rehash of good vs evil. And yes, at its vein, this fantasy series is exactly that. But where this series excels and differs from other Tolkien-like fantasy novels, it is well-rounded characters. In this series, while the distinction between the good side and the bad side is as clear as black and white, but the author gave every character a believable motive, strengths and flaws, making them very human. Through masterful strokes of characterization, Gwynne is telling us an epic story about how, despite having the best of intention, some people can still land up championing for a harmful cause. I believe many readers would root for a character such as Veridas, and eagerly anticipating his redemption.

With excellent characterizations, a compelling story, and picturesque depictions of battle scenes, Valor proves itself to be a worthy sequel to Malice. The story in Valor darkens with a shade of violence, some characters unexpectedly met their tragic ends. When I turned to the last page of this book, for a few minutes, I felt scared and worried about the fate of my favorite characters, so I hesitated at reaching my hands for its sequel, Ruin. But of course I am continuing this series, it is irresistibly good! If you like fantasy novels in the vein of A Song of Ice and Fire, then make sure to add The Faithful and the Fallen to your TBR list.

Until the next time, happy reading!