Watchtower (Chronicles of Tornor)

Rating:
Summary: Robotic Feminism
Review: A northern keep is overthrown, and a captured soldier and his prince scheme to take it back. Bluntly, this book was atrocious. It is rare for the prose in any book to be so poorly put down as to interfere with my appreciation of the book as a whole, but Lynn's style is unforgivably robotic. But lack of style and general writing ability are hardly the only issues. Lynn's world is a very small place, where the protagonists traipse from wintry mountain keeps with their pale-skinned inhabitants, to southern climates and their dark natives in four days' time. Everyone has either heard of, or personally knows, everyone else. There is no depth here. Only the protagonist evoked a weak interest, but his story quickly took back-seat to the wooden flopping about of the other players. I felt I was reading an outline of the real thing. Add to these things the underlying feminist message that men should be ruled by women, and we have a book that leaves a foul taste in the mouth. That Watchtower won the World Fantasy Award mystifies me.

Rating:
Summary: Robotic Feminism
Review: A northern keep is overthrown, and a captured soldier and his prince scheme to take it back. Bluntly, this book was atrocious. It is rare for the prose in any book to be so poorly put down as to interfere with my appreciation of the book as a whole, but Lynn's style is unforgivably robotic. But lack of style and general writing ability are hardly the only issues. Lynn's world is a very small place, where the protagonists traipse from wintry mountain keeps with their pale-skinned inhabitants, to southern climates and their dark natives in four days' time. Everyone has either heard of, or personally knows, everyone else. There is no depth here. Only the protagonist evoked a weak interest, but his story quickly took back-seat to the wooden flopping about of the other players. I felt I was reading an outline of the real thing. Add to these things the underlying feminist message that men should be ruled by women, and we have a book that leaves a foul taste in the mouth. That Watchtower won the World Fantasy Award mystifies me.

Rating:
Summary: Demanding Presence`
Review: As an avid Star Wars fan I rarely read anything else, except stuff for school. This summer I found the second and third books in this trilogy and could not find the first one, BUMMER. When I fimally ordered the book, my anticipation was so high that I was sure that it was going to be a disapointment. "Watchtower" took me to another time and place. It allowed me to escape my body and experience the world of Arun. The second and third books hardly copmare to Lynn's Thrilling novel. Lynn creates a demanding presence with all of her characters that keeps reading this book right at the top of your things to do list.

Rating:
Summary: sorry, had to drop it.
Review: I just couldn't finish reading this book. When I had read half of it and I still didn`t see where the point of the story was, I had to quit. I did not care about the characters (in fact I knew little about them, they are so sketchy)and the scenery was so dull and lacking in detail that it was impossible to be conjured by imagination.In fact, up to the point in mid-story where I dropped it, the whole story seems aimless and without a real sense of an obvious conflict that has to be resolved. As for the writing style, the sentences ar too short, which makes the rythm artificial and strained. Really, I can't see why this novel got the world fantasy award.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not outstanding
Review: I picked up this book because it had won the World Fantasy Award, and for the life of me I can't figure out why. The characters are bland, and the story seems a bit pointless. There's almost no excitement or drama, and the end is a let down. Still, the author does attempt to offer something more than the typical quest fare, and for that alone it's interesting. If you're looking for something serious, give it a try. Just don't expect too much from it.

Rating:
Summary: subtle, laconic fantasy
Review: Quite enjoyable. Lynn's laconic style of writing is a welcome change from the more popular self-conscious and overwritten kind of fantasy. This is a very subtle story of love, and revenge. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: More than meets the eye...
Review: The entire trilogy deals sensitively and intelligently with the issues of sexual identity of numerous characters woven through the plotlines. For readers who want complex and transformative images of their queer selves in literature, i recommend lynn's ouevre.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but very sad
Review: This is a beautifully written tale, filled with interesting ideas. But I found the ending unbearably sad - the warrior who gives his all for the prince, looks after him while he is imprisoned, and helps win back his lands, and who loves him (contrary to the dictates of his culture) is discarded. I suppose I'm a softy, and I know the ending was artistically sound, and probably (let's face it), realistic. But I ached with sadness for hours afterwards. It's a mark of the author's skill that I got so involved with the characters. Read it, it's good - but keep a copy of Tanya Huff's "Fire's Stone" to read afterwards. It is not quite as well written, but has a wonderful, happy ending, leaving you with a warm feeling of satisfaction and pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: A good break.
Review: Very relaxing book. There were no high spilling emotins. You don't hate the villian; none of the charactars are really annoying or irritating. The story doesn't exactly plod, it unfolds. Though sometimes you wonder where it's heading. It's a good break from any intense or over emotional fantasy books. The end was a bit of an anti-climax after all the hue and cry. But overall, refreshing.