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 Reviewed by: Bonnie 25th Jan 2004 
 


The Jackal of Nar

John Marco
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Okay, I couldn't quite make a connection with The Jackal of Nar, though I gave it a good honest shot. I think this has little to do with a successful story as much as it has to do with my personal preference in what the author hands me. I prefer character driven novels, and the The Jackal of Nar is, to begin, an action driven novel. From the opening page, a great battle is being waged, and Marco presents a great landscape of battles and lands over which those battles are being fought, but in that, he gives little to character development. I would guess that this becomes a more concentrated effort later in the novel, but my impatience won out. Having laid Marco aside, I picked up Jordan's "Eye Of the World" and "wow", 100 pages later I didn't even see the time go by. I have to confess, I've heard so many derogatory comments about this series, about its span of novels (what is it now, 10 or 12??) and how Jordan stole from Tolkien who stole from the Bible which stole from Goodkind who in turn stole from Martin, or something along that order. I expected not to like this book, but by page 30, I was totally smitten. Granted, Jordan follows the same precept all these novels seek, good vs evil with hero's and villains in wondrous landscapes where strange powers prevail. But not once in 100 some pages did I feel as though I was reading Martin, or Tolkien, or Goodkind. Jordan has created similar worlds and characters, but they're definitely his own, with his own touch and his own skillful ability to move the story along. The characters are captivating and it's hard not to become totally involved in their world. One of the complaints you'll find all over about Jordan is that he cannot keep up the momentum, that the books begin to falter and weaken with each succession. I don't know, having only read 100 some pages of the first one, but this I do know, if the next 3 or 4 are even 3/4 as good as this one, I'll be one happy little fantasy reader in the coming months. POSTNOTE: I didn't fail to leave Hobb out of the above comparisons, that was intentional, no one writes fantasy like Hobb .. no one.



See also
Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind reviewed by The Rev
Chainfire by Terry Goodkind reviewed by The Rev
Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind reviewed by The Rev
Soul of the Fire by Terry Goodkind reviewed by The Rev
Soul of the Fire by Terry Goodkind reviewed by Bonnie
Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind reviewed by The Rev
Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind reviewed by The Rev
The Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind reviewed by Bonnie
The Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind reviewed by The Rev
Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind reviewed by The Rev
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb reviewed by Fani
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb reviewed by The Rev
Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb reviewed by The Rev
Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb reviewed by The Rev
Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb reviewed by The Rev
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb reviewed by The Rev
The Farseer: Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb reviewed by Katie
Eye of the World by Robert Jordan reviewed by Fani
The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan reviewed by Fani
The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan reviewed by Fani
The World of Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan reviewed by Fani
A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin reviewed by The Rev
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin reviewed by The Rev
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin reviewed by Ee Lin
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin reviewed by The Rev
A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin reviewed by Fanoula
Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin reviewed by The Rev
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien reviewed by The Rev
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien reviewed by The Rev
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien reviewed by The Rev