Series: Book #1 (?)
Authors: Travis Perry & Mike Lynch
Genre: Adult Fantasy/Multiple Dimensions
Rating: Craft—1, Content—3,
Overall—2.5 out of 5 stars
Booktrailer:
Lehkahn’s
eyes were half-open in the dreamless sleep of the elves. Dreamless, he
nonetheless saw something not there—something part imagination, part memory.
His wife stood before him, smiling, holding their infant son.
Something
moved in the corner of his right eye. Before his heart’s next beat, he was on
his feet, his sword yanked free of its sheath, ready to destroy whatever enemy
prowled this place.
“Hold
it, hold it,” whispered Char in the common tongue. “It’s just me.”
“Char,”
Lehkahn said in a soft voice, sheathing Eleutherotes—called in the Black
Rock speech the Liberator. “I didn’t hear you. No son of men has ever
approached me before without me hearing him.”
“You
were sleep.”
“True.
Yet your stealth increases. Well done.”
The Craft:
The Crystal Portal is
one of those stories that promises so much . . . and fails to live up to
expectation.
The unusual combination of characters and worlds set the stage by providing an intriguing premise. The settings built are complex, unique, and vivid. The cast, while not providing an instant connect, are still varied, for the most part, and likeable. There is even a decent plot with potential for plenty of tension.
But all the potential is lost beneath choppy writing and
poor scene construction. The opening chapter confused me, not setting clearly
(at least for me) which character I was supposed to be interested in. Far too
much of the story summarized, told rather than shown. Important events are
summarized in narrative. Many of the flashbacks were unnecessary; the plot
could have been arranged to show them in sequence and in real time. The scenes
shown in real time often are slow, even boring, and far too frequently
recapping events already covered. In short, I was jerked around the story and
never able to sink into the experience of the events. On top of this, the
ending doesn’t satisfy. Rather than concluding, it just . . . stops. More than
that, it ended at a time when I felt the story was just starting to gel.
As a result, I walked away disappointed and unsatisfied with
my reading experience, truly wishing I could say otherwise.
The
Content: The Crystal Portal has some good thematic
material about standing against evil, following through with what God has asked
of you, and the need for each other. Unfortunately, just like with the great
premise, the choppy writing causes these and the other good things this story
has to say become lost, impacting the reader very little.
Summary:
The Crystal Portal is a story of great potential, both in craft and
content. Unfortunately, that potential goes unfulfilled due to poor
storytelling.
Rating:
Craft—1, Content—3, Overall—2.5 out of 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment