Rating: 
Summary: Good series which starts out well but dwindles at the end
Review: (This review refers to the whole 5-book series, so there may be some spoilers.)I enjoyed this series quite a bit. Coming from the intricacies of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire and Robin Hobb's books, I was looking for more of the same: political intrigue, unique and well-developed characters, and a weblike plot which examines the myriad consequences of individual actions. This first book, Hawkwood's Voyage, hints that the major plot will revolve around the character Captain Hawkwood and the expedition he is forced to lead across the unknown sea, sort of a Columbus of the times. Actually, though, there's a lot more to it. The world is a fantasy version of Renaissance Europe plus the presence of magic, but in this world the Christ figure lived only 500 years ago. The major plot lines revolve around not only Hawkwood's voyage, but power struggles within the Church, between the Church and some of the nations, (there are burnings a la the Inquisition), and, of course, the invasion force of Moslems, er, "Merduks" that threaten the western world. Indeed, the book opens with the fall of Aekir, the major city of the western world, to the marauding Merduks. All very promising, and the next few books ratchet up the interest and excitement -- but by simplifying the complexity, possibly a consequence of the size of the books (all of them run fairly short for epic fantasy -- around 300 pages). This is not necessarily a bad thing -- witness Jordan's thousand-page debacles -- but it tends to undercut the complexity that the first couple of books set up. The main emotional satisfaction comes from following the character Corfe, who goes from deserting the Torunnan army at the fall of Aekir to being a renowned war leader. Corfe figures larger and larger throughout the series, and his victories and rise to power form the heart of the series. Unfortunately, that is also the series' main failing. Because it eventually (in the 3rd and 4th books especially) latches onto this one military leader and his battles, it shortchanges everything else -- from plot lines to believability. There's hardly a mention of Hawkwood's voyage in the 3rd book. Another example: The discovery of the true origin of Ramusio (the Christ figure) later in the series brings about the reconciliation between Merduk and western peoples, but this feels very hollow in the midst of, say, the Israeli and Palestinian struggle in our reality. Recognition of common religious origin is NOT enough for peace, and the author's assumption that it is makes him that much less believable. Some characters are simply cut out. They lose screen time, so to speak; they start behaving predictably. Motivations are not explained. Some characterizations, at the end, lapse into mere conveniences. We are told early on, for instance, that fellow Church novices Albrec and Avila will change the world, but when it finally comes around to that, Avila's not even around and we meet Albrec only briefly, through Corfe's eyes. The essence of this story is in the more straightforward military setting: the battles and the rise of Corfe. Here Kearney excels; but, having spent my youth reading Superman comics, battle after battle starts to feel old to me. Overall: The series begins with satisfying complexity and ends somewhat simply, but well-written enough to get me through. (I would have been satisfied being finished at the fourth book, if not for the whole Western Continent plotline; but the last book turned out to be a poorer follow-up.) Read it and pay attention to Corfe.
Rating:
Summary: Good series which starts out well but dwindles at the end
Review: (This review refers to the whole 5-book series, so there may be some spoilers.) I enjoyed this series quite a bit. Coming from the intricacies of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire and Robin Hobb's books, I was looking for more of the same: political intrigue, unique and well-developed characters, and a weblike plot which examines the myriad consequences of individual actions. This first book, Hawkwood's Voyage, hints that the major plot will revolve around the character Captain Hawkwood and the expedition he is forced to lead across the unknown sea, sort of a Columbus of the times. Actually, though, there's a lot more to it. The world is a fantasy version of Renaissance Europe plus the presence of magic, but in this world the Christ figure lived only 500 years ago. The major plot lines revolve around not only Hawkwood's voyage, but power struggles within the Church, between the Church and some of the nations, (there are burnings a la the Inquisition), and, of course, the invasion force of Moslems, er, "Merduks" that threaten the western world. Indeed, the book opens with the fall of Aekir, the major city of the western world, to the marauding Merduks. All very promising, and the next few books ratchet up the interest and excitement -- but by simplifying the complexity, possibly a consequence of the size of the books (all of them run fairly short for epic fantasy -- around 300 pages). This is not necessarily a bad thing -- witness Jordan's thousand-page debacles -- but it tends to undercut the complexity that the first couple of books set up. The main emotional satisfaction comes from following the character Corfe, who goes from deserting the Torunnan army at the fall of Aekir to being a renowned war leader. Corfe figures larger and larger throughout the series, and his victories and rise to power form the heart of the series. Unfortunately, that is also the series' main failing. Because it eventually (in the 3rd and 4th books especially) latches onto this one military leader and his battles, it shortchanges everything else -- from plot lines to believability. There's hardly a mention of Hawkwood's voyage in the 3rd book. Another example: The discovery of the true origin of Ramusio (the Christ figure) later in the series brings about the reconciliation between Merduk and western peoples, but this feels very hollow in the midst of, say, the Israeli and Palestinian struggle in our reality. Recognition of common religious origin is NOT enough for peace, and the author's assumption that it is makes him that much less believable. Some characters are simply cut out. They lose screen time, so to speak; they start behaving predictably. Motivations are not explained. Some characterizations, at the end, lapse into mere conveniences. We are told early on, for instance, that fellow Church novices Albrec and Avila will change the world, but when it finally comes around to that, Avila's not even around and we meet Albrec only briefly, through Corfe's eyes. The essence of this story is in the more straightforward military setting: the battles and the rise of Corfe. Here Kearney excels; but, having spent my youth reading Superman comics, battle after battle starts to feel old to me. Overall: The series begins with satisfying complexity and ends somewhat simply, but well-written enough to get me through. (I would have been satisfied being finished at the fourth book, if not for the whole Western Continent plotline; but the last book turned out to be a poorer follow-up.) Read it and pay attention to Corfe.
Rating: 
Summary: Original and Entertaining
Review: Fantasy novels these days are usually very cliched and it seems that author's feel that they have the right to steal plots from other authors. Because of things like this, fantasy can get boring. In Paul Kearney's "Hawkwood's Voyage" this is not the case. This is a very original novel that is entertaining right from the prologue. War is raging in the Five Kingdoms and the Merduk army is the main cause of this. The holy city of Aekir, what was the holiest city in the world and was supposed to be one of the strongest cities, has fallen. This is where the novel opens up. Now, the king of Hebrion is starting a voyage to go across the Great Western Ocean to start a whole new colony. The voyage will be lead by mariner Richard Hawkwood. This voyage was done twice before but failed. This is the basic plot of a very original fantasy novel. This book has lots of main characters which makes this book similar in a way to George R.R. Martin's series. This novel takes place all over the world. Places included are Richard Hawkwood's boat in the middle of the ocean all the way Ormann Dyke, a city that is under the threat of attack. This novel is politically and militarily oriented. The politics are that of the standing of the Five Kingdoms and how the Kings react to what is going on in the world. Military wise, you are taken to battle plannings and actual battles themselves. This book is not cliched is very suspenseful. This was fun to read while I am waiting for the next book in my favorite series, a series by George R.R. Martin. While this book isn't as detailed as that series it still embodies some of the same attributes as that series, such as good characterisation, good plotting, and suspense. This book would be good for a GRRM fan in addition to anybody that is looking for a highly original book. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Happy Reading!
Rating:
Summary: A VERY enjoyable book.
Review: I am an avid reader of fantasy novels but I must say that I am getting tired of, and bored with, the SAME OLD WORLDS. It just seems that every author imagines the same place, and describes it in the SAME way. Paul Kearney has done an excellent job in creating a "NEW" world for his characters. He uses excellent description to compliment his wonderful writing style. I have never had a book pull me in as much as this one did. I would sit in my bed and dream of this world that Kearney has so thoughtfully put together. Kearney has done an excellent job with this novel, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the Monarchies of God series!
Rating:
Summary: Random Surprise
Review: I picked this book up totally at random. I didn't expect anything exceptional, but my low expectations were undeserved. The book is well written and imaginative.
You get a nice world were Mr. Kearney pulls facets from our own history. On one hand there is a storyline resembling the clashes between Islamic and Christian nations in the middle ages, on the other a feudal society clashing with a new native continent, and on another strife within a corrupt religious hierarchy.
The characters are engaging, the politics solid without being overly complex, and the magic, while fairly standard, slightly creative and unintrusive.
Rating:
Summary: a wargamers dream series
Review: let me qualify my review prior to starting. I am a military veteran, lover of all things nautical, and avid historian. I enjoy fantasy books, but often find them lacking some element, aimed at the over the top trials of a hero or teenage protagonist. I stumbled across Paul Kearney without preconception. I have been very impressed. Hawkwood's Voyage is the initial book in Kearney's "MoG" series. He writes of a gritty, realistic fantasy world, an exotic, but familiar place. It is a world of magic, but there are no wizards washing dishes with spells. It is a land of demons, but the scheming and savage humans who call this world home are far more dangerous than werewolves or spirits. In short, it is very "real", with magic dancing on the edges rather than flaming in the center. I found this series to be a perfect fit to me. Kearney is a master of depicting military campaigns, and pulls no punches when describing the horror of war. His sailing scenes are true to that genre, and if he chose he could weave a tale of sword and sail better than any 21st century Author I have read save perhaps Lamden. If you are looking for a low-fantasy world, gritty and harsh, with a hint of magic and a dash of seafarer's spice, pick up this book. You will not be let down.
Rating:
Summary: a wargamers dream series
Review: let me qualify my review prior to starting. I am a military veteran, lover of all things nautical, and avid historian. I enjoy fantasy books, but often find them lacking some element, aimed at the over the top trials of a hero or teenage protagonist. I stumbled across Paul Kearney without preconception. I have been very impressed. Hawkwood's Voyage is the initial book in Kearney's "MoG" series. He writes of a gritty, realistic fantasy world, an exotic, but familiar place. It is a world of magic, but there are no wizards washing dishes with spells. It is a land of demons, but the scheming and savage humans who call this world home are far more dangerous than werewolves or spirits. In short, it is very "real", with magic dancing on the edges rather than flaming in the center. I found this series to be a perfect fit to me. Kearney is a master of depicting military campaigns, and pulls no punches when describing the horror of war. His sailing scenes are true to that genre, and if he chose he could weave a tale of sword and sail better than any 21st century Author I have read save perhaps Lamden. If you are looking for a low-fantasy world, gritty and harsh, with a hint of magic and a dash of seafarer's spice, pick up this book. You will not be let down.
Rating:
Summary: Imaginative, well-written, mature, but repetitive
Review: So far I have read the first three books in this series, and I have rewritten this review to reflect that. If you've read other of my reviews, I am trying to introduce more helpful, balanced reviews of fantasy novels, rather than the misleading "5 star" reviews which overly dominate. What are the 5 star reviews correct about? First of all, this is a delightfully mature novel. There is sex when sex is appropriate, but without pruriance. The characters are mature figures. I have never enjoyed fantasy novels with juvenile characters (even when I was child). Kearney apparently agrees. The characters are mature wizards, young but wise and knowledgeable kings, an experienced merchant sailor captain, a mature noble woman, middle aged clerics, and so on. People act and think maturely. Secondly, the novel is extraordinarily well-written. Kearney has an excellent touch, with descriptive prowess, clear dialogue, and extremely (almost encyclopedic) informed jargon. He weaves in battle realism taken from his study of medieval warfare -- it's utterly accurate. Thirdly, the novel is imaginative, with a believable, fully fleshed out world, centered around political intrigue. Originally I gave this book 3 stars, but I am revising that upwards based on the later books in the series. The weakness with the first book is one of the things that others rave about: the main orientation of this first novel is political intrigue, mainly between the Church and the Kings. But what is at first refreshing and well done, becomes repetitive. The relationship among The Church (which is grabbing for power), the Kings, and the peasantry, is not too hard to understand. Scene after scene repeats the mantra. At the same time, action grinds to a halt. Though Kearney can write great action scenes, relatively little happens toward the end of the book. In fact, now and then a shape-shifter or other interesting character pops up, but for the most part almost all of the characters could have stepped out of 14th century Europe. I became frustrated that such an exciting world ended up so little used. I was hoping that in the next books some of the imaginative promise would be fulfilled, and I was not disappointed. The repetitiveness found in the first book disappears afterwards. The second book increases the imaginativity found in the first book, as Kearney develops the story of the Western continent. Church and state politics is embedded now in character-driven action, not setup. The third book is almost unbelievable in its action: pure action, briskly paced. I couldn't believe it was Kearney. It might be the most exciting fantasy book I've ever read, judged in terms of ratio of action to pages. You will not be disappointed by this series, but don't get bogged down in this first book.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Series....
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite series. New to the U.S., it originally published in Britain. There are currently 4 books out and I am eagerly anticipating the 5th and final book. Wonderful to have in paperback, however, you know how you have your favs and you must also collect in hardcover?-- prepare to search cause you will want them. Fascinating characters, eye-popping creature fixes, great descriptive passages, wizards, strange lands, mysteries, love interests, ah well, what more could you ask for? I'm not going to give you the plot, let's just say I'm a discriminating reader and this series will rule your fantasy world. BEGIN THE VOYAGE-- you won't want to come back.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Series....
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite series. New to the U.S., it originally published in Britain. There are currently 4 books out and I am eagerly anticipating the 5th and final book. Wonderful to have in paperback, however, you know how you have your favs and you must also collect in hardcover?-- prepare to search cause you will want them. Fascinating characters, eye-popping creature fixes, great descriptive passages, wizards, strange lands, mysteries, love interests, ah well, what more could you ask for? I'm not going to give you the plot, let's just say I'm a discriminating reader and this series will rule your fantasy world. BEGIN THE VOYAGE-- you won't want to come back.
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