The Big Peat
Darth Buddha
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2016
- Messages
- 3,760
I got First Watch because I'll have a look at pretty much anything that combines fantasy and crime.
I got a long way into it because there were a lot of interesting elements but I've gotta say, straight up, ultimately none of them worked for me. I feel bad for saying it but its true.
First and foremost would be Voice and Plot. The Voice simply felt too mannered and too cheerfully cultured for a crime book. The main character felt like someone had taken Pratchett's Captain Carrott and sent him on an English Literature course and too many of the characters echoed him in their dialogue.
Plot wise, it felt more like a series of vignettes/action scenes than a mystery or an arc of character development. Also, the main character and his trustworthy partner were nowhere near the source of dramatic tension the blurb led me to expect.
Speaking of characters - they were one of the better parts of it, but felt limited in range. Minor supporting characters came off as one note.
The Fantasy aspect felt underdeveloped, particularly with the pervasive but poorly explained magic. Best part of it was using all the races and giving each a bit of a twist.
Was there anything good about it? Yes, if you read this review thinking "But that sounds cool" Or "Eh, no biggie", there's probably a lot of good in it.
But I'm not that person. And, while its not a bad book, for me it was ultimately very far from being a good one.
I got a long way into it because there were a lot of interesting elements but I've gotta say, straight up, ultimately none of them worked for me. I feel bad for saying it but its true.
First and foremost would be Voice and Plot. The Voice simply felt too mannered and too cheerfully cultured for a crime book. The main character felt like someone had taken Pratchett's Captain Carrott and sent him on an English Literature course and too many of the characters echoed him in their dialogue.
Plot wise, it felt more like a series of vignettes/action scenes than a mystery or an arc of character development. Also, the main character and his trustworthy partner were nowhere near the source of dramatic tension the blurb led me to expect.
Speaking of characters - they were one of the better parts of it, but felt limited in range. Minor supporting characters came off as one note.
The Fantasy aspect felt underdeveloped, particularly with the pervasive but poorly explained magic. Best part of it was using all the races and giving each a bit of a twist.
Was there anything good about it? Yes, if you read this review thinking "But that sounds cool" Or "Eh, no biggie", there's probably a lot of good in it.
But I'm not that person. And, while its not a bad book, for me it was ultimately very far from being a good one.
