Orphan's Quest Book One of The Chronicles of Firma
by Pat Nelson Childs
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Book Summary Information
Author: Pat Nelson ChildsEdition: Paperback
Published: 2007-06-01
ISBN: 097959121X
Number of pages: 332
Publisher: Glynworks Publishing
Book Reviews of Orphan's Quest Book One of The Chronicles of Firma
Book Review: Interesting plot, could have been better developed.
Summary: 2 Stars
This book has quite a few good/great reviews, so I bought it expecting an epic fantasy of the Lynn Flewelling, David Eddings, Raymond Feist, Mercedes Lackey, etc. sort...and I was disappointed. It falls well short of other adventure fantasy novels/series.
The story is intriguing. It has some wonderfully thought out plot points, a fairly interesting world setting and a wonderful casat of characters. Yet for all that I really wanted to enjoy it, I felt that the writing fell down on the job. It's underdeveloped. The story feels shallow, lacking the emotional depth to draw me into wanting to connect with the characters and read more. Events go from A to B way too fast and the development of character interactions (particularly in the beginning) are very abrupt. Despite people sometime saying that things should happen more quickly in stories, there is always a need to develop an atmosphere, setting, etc. and not always state things directly. I struggled though it as the story just didn't have any sort of realistic feel to the development of events and character interactions.
When I buy gay fantasy novels, I sort of expect a higher quality of writing. At the same time I bought this book, I bought Ginn Hale's "Wicked Gentlemen" and Sarah Monette's "A Companion to Wolves". Both of these books left me wanting more. Even though Hale's is quite simple and written in the style of a couple of short stories, it holds a certain depth and emotional appeal not found in Orphan's Quest, and the dark realism of Monette's characters' trials is superb. Orphan's Quest certainly holds no candle to series like Flewelling's "Luck in the Shadows".
Unfortunately, the novels writing style is just not mature enough, although in saying that this might make it more appropriate for a younger teenage audience (<15).
Summary of Orphan's Quest Book One of The Chronicles of Firma
Rokey, a poor orphan, has lived his entire life sheltered within the walls of the Noble Contemplative Monastery. Growing up, he never dreamt anything would haunt him more than the riddle of his parents' identity. But at seventeen, Rokey is discovering that while his roommate, Ely, can think only of girls, his own feelings draw him toward other boys instead. Soon the question of whether or not he is a "samer" is occupying his mind to the exclusion of all else. But when a tragedy results in his expulsion from the only home he has ever known, and an unknown enemy begins trying to kill him, Rokey's mind abruptly returns to the mystery of his parentage. Solving that puzzle, he determines, could mean the difference between life and death. On the road, Rokey soon meets up with a charming elf named Flaskamper. Captivated by the handsome young man, the elf promptly volunteers his help, as well as that of his three unlikely companions. Before long, the five become swept up in the effort to solve the riddle of Rokey's origins and to find out who is trying to kill him, and why. Along the way, Rokey endures some harsh lessons about disappointment and betrayal, but also delights in the joy and excitement of first love. Foiled in initial attempts, Rokey's enigmatic foe escalates the attacks. As the young orphan and his new-found friends pursue the trail of clues that leads them across the land of Firma, they find themselves battling an ever-deadlier array of assassins. When they finally do uncover the truth, it is in the last place Rokey had ever expected to find it.Gay Books
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