The most obvious one in The Riddle being the “Oh no, my companion is dead, but I won't go look for a body, because I'm too distraught. Description is a wonderful thing, but it should be vital and necessary, not simply a chance for the author to use words like “dappled” and “archaic.”Īdditionally, Alison Croggon reverts a little too often to literary tropes. Far too often I found myself skipping whole paragraphs, even pages, and being able to continue on without having missed anything.
Sadly, in my opinion, the book falls down in its storytelling. Croggon has put a valuable emphasis on the ethics of power, as well as making that same power necessary to be tamed and wrought with control. Instead of simply having a wealth of power within oneself, and blasting it out like a Green Lantern, Barding requires actual study and knowledge of not just the basics of the magic itself, but of the worlds balance between the Light and Dark. The story further opens up the world of Barding, an interesting and intelligent take on the stereotypical “magic-user” in fantasy books. It's a nice feeling, considering that many books are both rushed, and leave me with a mass of information to digest. But the story never feels rushed, and leaves me simply wishing there was more. On top, was Alison Croggon's The Riddle.īook two in a quartet, the first being The Gift which I reviewed a few months ago, continues the story of Maerad, a 16 year old Bard, and fulfilment of an age old prophecy.Ĭroggon is writing the series within a very short space of time, with only months having passed since we are first introduced to Maerad.
However at the completion of Darksaber, I decided to make myself a pile of books that I was to read. Sometimes it all just gets too much, and I have to revert to my Star Wars novels. As happens from time to time, I have recently found myself ignoring the copious amount of fantasy books on my shelf.
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