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Book Review
Jul. 4th, 2012 11:52 amThe Legend of Eli Monpress
by Rachel Aaron
(omnibus edition containing The Spirit Thief, The Spirit Rebellion, and The Spirit Eater)
This volume contains the first three books in the Eli Monpress fantasy series. It is set in a world where everything (plants, animals, inanimate objects) has a spirit and magic is done through interactions and relationships with these spirits. Monpress is both a wizard and an audacious thief who undertakes spectacular thefts, motivated by a quest for fame and to acquire the largest bounty on his head that the world has ever seen. His partners in crime are Josef, the world's best swordsman and possessor of a formidable magical sword, and Nico, a young woman battling against the demonseed within her. In counterpoint to this trio is Miranda Lyonette, a powerful wizard of the Spiritualist organization, who relentlessly pursues Monpress but often finds herself on the same side as the thief.
The Legend of Eli Monpress is not the book to read if you are looking for astounding originality or the exploration of profound themes. However, it's well worth reading for the sheer fun of it. Aaron gives us a continually entertaining tale three times over, with well paced action, good swordfighting scenes, and clever flashes of humor (there's even a nice reference to a classic Buster Keaton sight gag). The characters may not be very deep or complex (at least so far), but they are likable and engaging - I never stopped caring about them or being interested in what they were doing. Aaron also deftly weaves together the stories of the three main characters while smoothly bringing in several fascinating secondary characters. And the world-building is quite good, plus Aaron does a great job with gradually revealing more about it over the course of the trilogy.
Although there are more books forthcoming, these first three can be read as a complete series.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
by Rachel Aaron
(omnibus edition containing The Spirit Thief, The Spirit Rebellion, and The Spirit Eater)
This volume contains the first three books in the Eli Monpress fantasy series. It is set in a world where everything (plants, animals, inanimate objects) has a spirit and magic is done through interactions and relationships with these spirits. Monpress is both a wizard and an audacious thief who undertakes spectacular thefts, motivated by a quest for fame and to acquire the largest bounty on his head that the world has ever seen. His partners in crime are Josef, the world's best swordsman and possessor of a formidable magical sword, and Nico, a young woman battling against the demonseed within her. In counterpoint to this trio is Miranda Lyonette, a powerful wizard of the Spiritualist organization, who relentlessly pursues Monpress but often finds herself on the same side as the thief.
The Legend of Eli Monpress is not the book to read if you are looking for astounding originality or the exploration of profound themes. However, it's well worth reading for the sheer fun of it. Aaron gives us a continually entertaining tale three times over, with well paced action, good swordfighting scenes, and clever flashes of humor (there's even a nice reference to a classic Buster Keaton sight gag). The characters may not be very deep or complex (at least so far), but they are likable and engaging - I never stopped caring about them or being interested in what they were doing. Aaron also deftly weaves together the stories of the three main characters while smoothly bringing in several fascinating secondary characters. And the world-building is quite good, plus Aaron does a great job with gradually revealing more about it over the course of the trilogy.
Although there are more books forthcoming, these first three can be read as a complete series.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.
