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April 2005
Reviews
I love a good adventure, and I love it even more if there is an anti-hero or knight in soiled armor. This is
not one of those stories. I thought Ballus would turn into someone worthy to care about as the story progressed.
A displaced knight with at least a shred of dignity or honor. That never happened and spoiled the book in my
estimation. I don't like reading a book about a cold hearted bastard only in it for himself. Sorry. The way in
which the 'Monument' was revealed made it seem as if there was going to be some further explanation and that Ballus
would come to the fore as a mighty hero and save the world. Prehaps the author was trying for that, but there
was never any fruit on that tree. You always knew that Ballus was more than he seemed, yet his motivations are
never explained in a satisfactory way. I have a real hard time believing that any army would throw him out for
being too blood thirsty or reckless.
This is a much different story than usual. Ballus (the Main charscter) wasn't a hero by any stretch of the imagination
and I really couldn't call him an anti-hero either. He struck me as a man that had given up on humanity but not life. A
man seeking the peace of oblivion but too afraid to commit suicide and too proud to be killed without a fight.
His lifestyle as a vagrant and thief make him immediatly distateful to many readers and his willingness to kill for selfish reasons make him repulsive to still more. But for me, his obvious skill at fighting told of a hidden past that made him more than a simple thief or vagrant. I know that the years of training a fighter undertakes is no small thing. The discipline required applies to the mind as well as the body. What could make such a skilled man forsake all of it for Ballus' current chaotic life? It made me want to know more about him and the book handled that desire well.
The author only hinted at the man Ballus used to be and every insight was only grudgingly given. Not until the climax is over and the conflict resovled does the author reveal Ballus' past.
Gripes
| Gripe #1: Keep the Weapon! | Ballus must have a strange dislike of weapons. Why else would someone's weapon of choice be a dinner knife? Every time he gets in a fight, he starts off with the damn knife! He then strips the weapon from his first kill and uses it the finish everyone else. BUT THEN HE LEAVES IT BEHIND! |
| Gripe #2: Let me sum up. | The explanation of Ballus' past was too simple. It was easy, quick, and answered most of the questions about him but there wasn't any depth to it. It was a superficial. Like reading an encyclopedia: Facts but no feelings. |
