Publishing Information: Paperback; 400 pages
Publisher: Titan Books; 12 October 2010
ISBN 10: 1848567227
ISBN 13: 978-1848567221
Series: Book 1
Copy: Provided by Publisher
Reviewer: Tyson
Back of the Book: "In the kingdom of Asgarnia, though the Knights of Falador defend the land a protect the people, they face threats that clamor from all sides-and from within. Enemies mass at borders, and a killer stalks the night killing innocents and slipping away unseen.
When a young woman appears in the teeth of the storm, her sudden arrival launches a chain of events that endangers the very fabric of magic. And unless the knights can solve the riddle of Kara-Meir, everything they hold close may be lost.
Their one hope may lie in the hands, not of a knight, but of an untested squire named Theodore..."
As a huge gamer I have to admit that I have never bothered to play Runescape. It has always been under the radar for me, with that said, I have no idea if this novel stays true to the gaming series. So, I read this book with little to no background knowledge on Runescape.
Betrayal at Falador starts out with a mystery. An injured young girl suddenly appears in front of the knights of Falador through the use of a special ring. How she obtained the ring and her origins are unknown which sets a young squire on a quest which quickly unravels in this first book set in the Runscape Universe.
The young squire, Theodore, sets off on his quest only to encounter another mystery as a beast is roaming the countryside murdering the villagers and travelers.Theodore's personality really shines as he is more than your typical squire as he is shown to protect his charges and while he uncovers this new threat is really put in a difficult situation as he known he must finish his mission but is also trying to find a way to appease the citizens that are plagued with murder on their doorstep. Once the young girl awakens from her injuries, Kara becomes the real protagonist as her future holds many opportunities and while her past is still a mystery she grows as a character quite quickly. In some regards this was a little off putting as she gains skills a little too quickly and good fortune seem to fall into her lap as the story progresses. However, the action does not let up very often and that may have been the real issue I had. With everything that is going on I found it hard to see where she found the time to attain the skills she receives. As Theodore and Kara become closer allies they are joined by your typical adventuring group, they have a hard-headed dwarf, a young magician, a troubled youth with unnatural strength, and a failed magician turned scientist. The majority of the cast is well crafted. A few secrets are left to be sorted out in future novels in the series which I think is a great idea as the mysteries that were left did not deter my enjoyment of the book.
As the story progresses we learn who the creature is that is killing the people in the countryside. I will not spoil who or what it is but I will say that it becomes a central character to the novel and that it's scenes in the novel where the most enjoyable. It was a minor shock to learn what it was and the quest that it is on is also interesting and I am curious to see how it all unfolds.
The plot is nothing new. The god representing evil is making a play against the god of good and it is something we have seen hundreds of times. There is also a god of neutrality which to me reminded me of Dragonlance but, the spin that Church adds in Betrayal at Falador makes the world his own.
Aside from the fact that Kara comes into her abilities a little too quickly the only other issue I had was that the book takes an ominous tone just past the halfway point and then just when you think things are bleakest the book takes another turn and then everything is quickly resolved which I would have liked to have seen the book continue down the path it was going and then seeing everything resolved in a later book as it was progressing nicely and then it turned the page so to speak just a little to quickly. With that in mind the book could easily be read as a standalone but, the sequel Return to Canifis will be released on March 22, 2011.
Betrayal at Falador was a nice light read with some interesting characters and great action, the pacing is also quite good. As a person with no previous knowledge of Runescape I had no problem entering the world that was presented to me and enjoyed my time there while I read it. A nice introduction to Runscape and a fun read.
Plot 7
Characters 7.5
Style 7
Overall 7/10
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar