Physical Book Information
Publishing Information: Paperback; 374 pages
Publisher: Trapdoor Books 26 Febuary 2010
ISBN 10: 1441403620
ISBN 13: 978-1441403629
standalone
Copy: Free via iTunes
Reviewer: Tyson
Back of the book: "For Starka, an outcast priestess accused of incest, life is simple until a nightmare prophecy of the ascension of the Avatar of Darkness forces her to return to a world of intrigue and treachery. Pushed unwillingly into an epic journey with a priest who despises her, Starka finds allies in a mysterious warrior bent on protecting her, the last surviving members of two feuding nations, and a rebel wizard seeking revenge for his fallen comrades. Faced with the sweeping onslaught of the Carrion Army led by Zion and his three murderous generals, time is running out. With each battle, the ranks of the carrion swell with freshly-killed recruits. New terrors are constructed from the heights of the Great Watchtower. Ancient enemies must band together, Starka must survive the assassins within her own order, and prophecy must somehow be stopped. The price of failure is absolute destruction. The Ninth Avatar is coming."
When they announced that Todd Newton's The Ninth Avatar would be getting new cover art that would better reflect the book, I was curious. Just looking at the two covers they are literally night and day. The difference is stunning. I for one, would not have picked up the novel or even glanced at it with a woman praying on the cover. However, when I saw the new cover I had to give it a try and with it available on iTunes as a free download, there was no reason not to.
The Ninth Avatar is the debut novel for Todd Newton and it shows. The characters have interesting names to say the least. The main character Starka is portrayed as a rich girl who has lost favor with her religious sect and when a vision is given to her she is forced into action. Nearly all of the characters that inhabit Newton's Ninth Avatar have odd names. For example, Wondu, which reminded me of fondu. It was something that as I continued to listen to I constantly had strange thoughts as the names were said in the audiobook.
There were a few issues with the audiobook itself. About halfway through the reading Newton, who narrates the novel himself, starts adding sound effects to the story and the chapter's introductions. He then gives up after a few chapters. He also loses his place and only acts out the parts later on in the story as he finally gets comfortable with reading his own work. For all of its faults it adds personality to the book and you soon get over it.
The pacing is fairly well done. We are constantly swapping prospectives to keep things moving and once things get started The Ninth Avatar does not let up. For a debut novel to have this much action is impressive.
While I had issues with the novel, they were only because I think that I have grown out of this type of fantasy novel, it seems like a book perfect for individuals new to the genre or someone just leaving the young adult section of the book store. It brought back memories of reading The Dragonlance Chronicles back in junior high school. An undead army created through the use of magic to bring evil to mankind while a select few are chosen to fight on the behalf of mankind. If a young person wants a gripping novel with the same flavors of Lord of the Rings or Dragonlance they would not have to look very far as Todd Newton is there to fill in the gap. When I started to listen to The Ninth Avatar I was originally unimpressed. Later, I learned to just sit back and enjoy it. A fine debut from a promising author.
Plot 7
Characters 6
Style 7
Overall 7
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