Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: Based on earlier reviews, I had high hopes for this book. The jacket cover made it seem promising. I was very disappointed. There was never a time when the book caught my interest - nor made me wish to finish the book. At page 100 I put it down to pursue other books. If you are a Christopher Rowley fan, you may like this one too - but if you are not, I recommend that you stay away.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the most impressive fantasy novels I have ever read
Review: Christopher Rowley's The Ancient Enemy: The First Book of Arna is a work of masterful fantasy at its very best. What begins as a story of one character's personal journey from youth to manhood evolves into an epic tale of warfare, bravery, and survival. The writing is magnificent throughout, thoroughly captivating the reader and drawing him completely in to the world Rowley has created. In the land of Arna, man is a distant legend who has not been seen for thousands of years. In this world, mots and mors (monkey-like beings) live a life of peace and harmony alongside one another, enjoying the benefits of a rich, intelligent, and highly spiritual culture. Awful stories are told of Man the Cruel, who poisoned the land and died out long, long ago in the early mists of time. A mysterious race of ancient scholars called the Assenzi oversees the workings of the politics and economies of the various villages in Arna, working to maintain social and environmental balance in all things. Such things as war and slavery mean nothing to these people, but things change in a hurry when Man the Cruel suddenly returns and immediately sets out to annihilate the lowly "monkeys" they encounter in their effort to colonize this verdant new land. The main protagonist in the story is Thru Gillo, a mot whose dreams of taking a wife and starting a new life on his own farm are shattered when he finds his beloved consorting with another man, one who - unlike Thru - is wealthy . In an effort to get past the heartache this causes him, Thru makes the journey to Highnoth in the northern mountains to study under the wise Assenzi. Here he learns much about the Spirit, history, and life in general. He also begins developing a remarkable talent for mat weaving, a skill he chooses for his livelihood when he later settles in the village of Dronned. It is here that he meets and falls in love with a modern young mor named Nuza, a gymnast with a traveling troupe of performers. Thru faces many setbacks at this particular time in his life, most of them spearheaded by his sworn enemy (the man who stole his first love away from him), but his spiritual training in Highnoth serves him well in overcoming all obstacles. This first half of the book is a very personal story that takes us far into the mind of Thru and paints a vivid picture of the vibrant world in which he lives. Thru's happy new life comes to an abrupt end, though, when he and Nuza are among the first mots and mors to discover a tranquil coastal village in fiery ruins. A mound of decapitated heads by the waterfront reveals the horrible truth that the villagers were not only slaughtered but were eaten by their attackers. One of the few survivors of the carnage delivers the unbelievable news that Man the Cruel still lives and has now returned to the land of Arna. The personal aspects of Thru's story soon fall by the wayside as the final section of the novel concentrates on the preparation and beginning of war between the mots and the destructive forces of man. At the same time, we are presented with the story of Simona, a young lady whose world in the human city of Shasht was suddenly ruined when her family was ordered by the emperor to accompany the colonists sailing out of the resource-drained Shasht to colonize a new land across the seas. The story as told from Simona's viewpoint makes for a very insightful read, for through her we are given personal and meaningful viewpoints of both the human culture she has come to question and grow ashamed of as well as the previously peaceful mot society she comes to respect and care for. Fighting a war for nothing short of survival, the mots quickly learn from their early losses and really take the battle to Man when his forces attempt to establish a landing site. The second half of this novel is incredibly exciting, filled with truly remarkable accounts of fierce fighting and heroism on the field of battle. The Ancient Enemy numbers among the best fantasy books I have ever read, and Rowling's descriptions of the bloody battles between man and mot are so vivid and realistic that I felt like an actual observer of the events. Thru Gillo is a fascinating character, and the emotions and intense conflicts that populate the pages of this novel are truly gripping. Best of all, this novel is only the beginning of a series, one which promises to furnish untold riches and joys to the reader who enters the vivid world borne of Rowland's imagination.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most impressive fantasy novels I have ever read
Review: Christopher Rowley's The Ancient Enemy: The First Book of Arna is a work of masterful fantasy at its very best. What begins as a story of one character's personal journey from youth to manhood evolves into an epic tale of warfare, bravery, and survival. The writing is magnificent throughout, thoroughly captivating the reader and drawing him completely in to the world Rowley has created. In the land of Arna, man is a distant legend who has not been seen for thousands of years. In this world, mots and mors (monkey-like beings) live a life of peace and harmony alongside one another, enjoying the benefits of a rich, intelligent, and highly spiritual culture. Awful stories are told of Man the Cruel, who poisoned the land and died out long, long ago in the early mists of time. A mysterious race of ancient scholars called the Assenzi oversees the workings of the politics and economies of the various villages in Arna, working to maintain social and environmental balance in all things. Such things as war and slavery mean nothing to these people, but things change in a hurry when Man the Cruel suddenly returns and immediately sets out to annihilate the lowly "monkeys" they encounter in their effort to colonize this verdant new land. The main protagonist in the story is Thru Gillo, a mot whose dreams of taking a wife and starting a new life on his own farm are shattered when he finds his beloved consorting with another man, one who - unlike Thru - is wealthy . In an effort to get past the heartache this causes him, Thru makes the journey to Highnoth in the northern mountains to study under the wise Assenzi. Here he learns much about the Spirit, history, and life in general. He also begins developing a remarkable talent for mat weaving, a skill he chooses for his livelihood when he later settles in the village of Dronned. It is here that he meets and falls in love with a modern young mor named Nuza, a gymnast with a traveling troupe of performers. Thru faces many setbacks at this particular time in his life, most of them spearheaded by his sworn enemy (the man who stole his first love away from him), but his spiritual training in Highnoth serves him well in overcoming all obstacles. This first half of the book is a very personal story that takes us far into the mind of Thru and paints a vivid picture of the vibrant world in which he lives. Thru's happy new life comes to an abrupt end, though, when he and Nuza are among the first mots and mors to discover a tranquil coastal village in fiery ruins. A mound of decapitated heads by the waterfront reveals the horrible truth that the villagers were not only slaughtered but were eaten by their attackers. One of the few survivors of the carnage delivers the unbelievable news that Man the Cruel still lives and has now returned to the land of Arna. The personal aspects of Thru's story soon fall by the wayside as the final section of the novel concentrates on the preparation and beginning of war between the mots and the destructive forces of man. At the same time, we are presented with the story of Simona, a young lady whose world in the human city of Shasht was suddenly ruined when her family was ordered by the emperor to accompany the colonists sailing out of the resource-drained Shasht to colonize a new land across the seas. The story as told from Simona's viewpoint makes for a very insightful read, for through her we are given personal and meaningful viewpoints of both the human culture she has come to question and grow ashamed of as well as the previously peaceful mot society she comes to respect and care for. Fighting a war for nothing short of survival, the mots quickly learn from their early losses and really take the battle to Man when his forces attempt to establish a landing site. The second half of this novel is incredibly exciting, filled with truly remarkable accounts of fierce fighting and heroism on the field of battle. The Ancient Enemy numbers among the best fantasy books I have ever read, and Rowling's descriptions of the bloody battles between man and mot are so vivid and realistic that I felt like an actual observer of the events. Thru Gillo is a fascinating character, and the emotions and intense conflicts that populate the pages of this novel are truly gripping. Best of all, this novel is only the beginning of a series, one which promises to furnish untold riches and joys to the reader who enters the vivid world borne of Rowland's imagination.
Rating:
Summary: A gripping tale of inter-species warfare
Review: I have always been a fan of Christopher Rowley's dragon and dragonboy books -- the Bazil Broketail series -- but I enjoyed the ride to this fascinating new world of mots, chooks and those beastly men. It's about what happens when a medieval culture of "animals" who practice careful husbandry are in invaded by "man" -- an enemy they thought was long-gone. Having despoiled his own land -- he's back! Gripping stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Compensation for the loss of Bazil Broketail
Review: I was quite unhappy when I found out that the last chapter of Bazil Broketail had been told. Indeed, I have quite the mind to re-read that series again -- I tried to before, but I went through one of those episodes where you lose the book and have forgotten about it by the time you find it again. Though I was saddened, I swiftly forgave Christopher Rowley and grabbed his next book -- this. I feel a sort of kinship with the main characters of his books. It is quite amazing, as in some (if not most) aspects, I cannot relate to them at all; they're very distant. However, they're just so well crafted that I can't help it. Christopher Rowley is one of the authors daring enough to reawaken more modern ideas. In series like Dragonlance, the Gods are forged with Chaos, the very essence of the father of the gods in Greek mythology. In Rowley's books, we have not one, but rather three examples of monotheism. Few in our realm have dared to actually use one God; it's bland. Rowley doesn't fear this, but instead weaves this idea with many other new ones (cruel colonization of an empire via wiping out the continent's inhabitants; chi, aka kyo; dinosaurs living in a 'lost' continent; foreign diseases such as malaria; surgeon(s) conscious of the existence of germs... the list goes on. Rowley rips us away from our worlds where the one who made the world (Thor) favors the dwarves, drinks heavily and has a hammer and beard. He hides from us our illusions of polytheism, powerful magic and clerics. He, instead, gives us horribly weak (AND more realistic) magic, one god and clerics better known as "men wielding bandages." I applaud Christopher Rowley. Beyond his reawakening of truth, he expresses further greatness; he creates; he picks up where truth left off. He uses his creativity to build upon his columns of truth. He invents. His books are an alloy of reality and creativity. Rowley also has the ability to describe situations as they are, not as he wishes them to be. In his great battles, where 1000's march against 1000's, there's never a massacre! The enemy retreats, and Rowley gives a realistic number of the dead and a realistic number of the injured. The first book of Arna is the first book that should be on your bookshelf. If you don't believe me, just ask my talking toaster.
Rating:
Summary: This author knows how to write grat speculative fiction
Review: In a world where Man is the enemy and has not been seen in aeons, a young watermot grows up with no more dreams than to be a farmer and marry his love. When his love betrays him, Thru Gillo takes his life in a new direction by studying with the Assenzi. But fate has even more changes in store for him. Suddenly he finds himself in a battle, not only for his life, but for the very survival of his race. And who is he battling, but the ancient, awful enemy, Man. Man believes the watermots are dumb animals, no matter they have a civilization, a language, arts, and scholars. But Man is about to find out that the watermots are much, much more than they seem. Christopher Rowley fills his books with war and battle and adventure. He writes as if he is himself immersed in the fight. Compelling and dynamic, The Ancient Enemy, the first book of Arn, showcases Rowley's dramatic talent. Rickey R. Mallory
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing.
Review: Just spent a weekend immersed in Chris Rowley's newly created "world." I've been a fan since THE VANG and the Fenrille books! And as always, he gives you characters you care about and a wonderfully imagined and detailed fantasy culture. Not to mention a powerful set piece battle at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing.
Review: Just spent a weekend immersed in Chris Rowley's newly created "world." I've been a fan since THE VANG and the Fenrille books! And as always, he gives you characters you care about and a wonderfully imagined and detailed fantasy culture. Not to mention a powerful set piece battle at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Was this written by a child?
Review: The language is incredibly simplistic (it starts with the equivalent of "Once upon a time"), the story is full of stock characters, and the book never held my interest for a minute. Don't waste your time or your money.
Rating:
Summary: Was this written by a child?
Review: The language is incredibly simplistic (it starts with the equivalent of "Once upon a time"), the story is full of stock characters, and the book never held my interest for a minute. Don't waste your time or your money.
|
