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A review by the_midwest_library
The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This is a complicated review to write.
I firmly believe that I am simply not the target demographic for this series. I think there are aspects of the series that some readers will absolutely adore, but I really think that the formatting and the presentation of the series is going to be a barrier for a lot of readers.
Book one reads like a history textbook the characters in this fantasy world would read in class. While extremely well written, technically speaking, it is not the most traditional in format and felt very clinical to read.
Book two takes a complete 180 and gives us a more traditional narrative style but retains a lot of the coldness from book one. This entire series, in my opinion is "tell" not "show." While there is so much going on throughout the book, and while each of those individual stories can be interesting in their own way, the grand story that's being told is extremely lackluster from my perspective. And I truly think it's a product of the presentation of the book alone because the story itself on its face is interesting. I think it's a combination of the narrative device being used, and the fact that the entire series is written in a way where you are kept at arm's length from the characters and the world.
There are some fantastically written characters in this book, but I feel like I know nothing about them. There are unique political sequences throughout this series, but you're never shown them.
I enjoy Fantasy worlds that are extremely character driven, where you are really understanding the mindset and the emotional state of the characters as they progress through the plot. This series is not going to give you that.
If you are looking for an exceptionally creative fantasy world, a really unique way to read fantasy blending science fiction elements in a very strange yet compelling way, you might enjoy this. This isn't a series I would never recommend, but it is a series that I would cautiously recommend depending on who the reader is.
I don't know at this point in time if I'm going to rush to continue in this world. I have read hundreds of pages at this point, and while I can appreciate what the author has done, I don't think the format works for me.
I firmly believe that I am simply not the target demographic for this series. I think there are aspects of the series that some readers will absolutely adore, but I really think that the formatting and the presentation of the series is going to be a barrier for a lot of readers.
Book one reads like a history textbook the characters in this fantasy world would read in class. While extremely well written, technically speaking, it is not the most traditional in format and felt very clinical to read.
Book two takes a complete 180 and gives us a more traditional narrative style but retains a lot of the coldness from book one. This entire series, in my opinion is "tell" not "show." While there is so much going on throughout the book, and while each of those individual stories can be interesting in their own way, the grand story that's being told is extremely lackluster from my perspective. And I truly think it's a product of the presentation of the book alone because the story itself on its face is interesting. I think it's a combination of the narrative device being used, and the fact that the entire series is written in a way where you are kept at arm's length from the characters and the world.
There are some fantastically written characters in this book, but I feel like I know nothing about them. There are unique political sequences throughout this series, but you're never shown them.
I enjoy Fantasy worlds that are extremely character driven, where you are really understanding the mindset and the emotional state of the characters as they progress through the plot. This series is not going to give you that.
If you are looking for an exceptionally creative fantasy world, a really unique way to read fantasy blending science fiction elements in a very strange yet compelling way, you might enjoy this. This isn't a series I would never recommend, but it is a series that I would cautiously recommend depending on who the reader is.
I don't know at this point in time if I'm going to rush to continue in this world. I have read hundreds of pages at this point, and while I can appreciate what the author has done, I don't think the format works for me.