Fantasy book falls flat
The dust cover of “Elfhunter: A Tale of Alterra, The World That Is†by C.S. Marks gave me great hope. And the Author’s little note to me inside that said “Enjoy the Journey†caused me to snuggle down into the covers with my hot toddy and get ready for adventure. Unfortunately, all that anticipation and Bailey’s was really wasted. The book is thick but I was in the for the long haul and I figured that as the book went on it would improve but instead I found it extremely tedious.
The book is about the quest of a pair of female wood elves who work for King Ri-Aruin and are sworn to protect their forest but end up going after  after the Elfhunter, a devious creature committed to the destruction of the entirely of elfdom.  Along the way, they are joined by two mortal men who eventually discover that the forces of Evil have joined one of the Heroines and the creature together and they come up with a plan to bring everything to a head.
Now I can say that the descriptions are rich and the scenes and people come right off the page but generally the book just moves too quickly. In the first chapter the quest is presented and taken without any commission or deliberation and it made the front part of the book very jolting. This theme would prevail throughout the book and make it a disappointment.
However, if you want to take the adventure as well you can find this book at Amazon with the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Elfhunter-Tale-Alterra-World-That/dp/1420894609/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195800302&sr=8-1
1 user commented in " Book Review: Elfhunter: A Tale of Alterra, The World That Is by C.S. Marks "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackHi, Cameron!
I found your review intriguing, and it actually made me take a look at the first few chapters of EH. Y’know…now that you’ve come to know the characters in Alterra a little bit, perhaps you’d like to look at the second book in the series. This story actually goes on for quite a while. If you like the ‘long haul’ and a storyline that takes a little longer to develop, you’ll probably like it better. I’d hate to see you waste more Bailey’s (aaggh! sacrelige!) but I’d like to take you just a bit further on the journey, if you would like. Send me an e-mail if you are willing. 🙂
(It is interesting that the only major criticism of Book two that I have heard so far is that it builds too slowly and is too long and involved. Readers are different, n’est-ce pas?) I would LOVE to have your opinion on the style of ‘Fire-heart’ vs ‘Elfhunter’. If you don’t like it, I’ll spring for the Bailey’s should we ever meet in person.
–CSM
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