Roger Bellini

This collection is difficult to review. I didn't dislike it, but on the whole, I found entertaining just half of the stories, and it took me really longer than usual to finish reading. I usually like anthologies because I can discover new authors, or read short stories by authors I know, in this case, Mark Lawrence. The introduction is both intriguing and ambitious and raises up your expectations, but the stories themselves are very different and of various lenght, this is a bit disorienting. Also, but this is a personal opinion, the best tales are in the second half of the book. The price is fair, the leitmotiv nice (look at the growing tree!), most of the authors are to be discovered, if you are looking for a no-frills fantasy anthology give this a try. Also, no gore and swearing that I can recall, that makes for a peaceful reading.… (mehr)

This collection is difficult to review. I didn't dislike it, but on the whole, I found entertaining just half of the stories, and it took me really longer than usual to finish reading. I usually like anthologies because I can discover new authors, or read short stories by authors I know, in this case, Mark Lawrence. The introduction is both intriguing and ambitious and raises up your expectations, but the stories themselves are very different and of various lenght, this is a bit disorienting. Also, but this is a personal opinion, the best tales are in the second half of the book. The price is fair, the leitmotiv nice (look at the growing tree!), most of the authors are to be discovered, if you are looking for a no-frills fantasy anthology give this a try. Also, no gore and swearing that I can recall, that makes for a peaceful reading.… (mehr)