good overall but long and winding
920175
Not that much action took place...good literature but it's not the kind of book you're excited to pick and read until the end of the book
3609264
I generally liked the book but felt it took way too long to get to the crux of it. Author spent a bit too much time on the weakness of the protagonist. But I would recommend
4737551
This was an enjoyable book but went on far too long.  It could have been shortened in places.  Also, toward the end I felt the use of names such as "mom", "old man", etc. seemed out of place.
258226
This is a good yarn with some easy to relate to current events and an interesting plot line. The hero is an unlikely chap but one who is admirable for his ability to think big and see most of the consequences of his actions. There is a  theme of rugged individualism that resonates with me however it gets bogged down in endless engineering talk that could be greatly reduced without sacrificing anything in the story this results in a relatively slow pace. Overall I enjoyed reading the book and I do recommend it. God bless, Mike
2185619
This yarn-spinning is pretty good...and it's a good way to while away a few hours.
But there is something tiresome, after a while, as you listen to all his little adventures made large with John always being the hero. I  suspect he's a better writer than he is a captain.
There was a little  too much testosterone in the bilges of his boats for me to have too much  respect for some of his actions.
3849423
This novel is too long, but some beautiful writing, and interesting although not very sympathetic characters.  I did read the entire book in a few days, and I was not bored, although parts of it dragged.  It is one of those novels that weaves together seemingly un-related characters who obviously have significant links to each other that are slowly revealed.  Saying that,  for some reason the characters didn't really come to life like I had hoped.  It's hard to explain, but it was difficult to feel empathy for any of them.  The most likeable portrait is the dog who shows up in the last pages of the book!  I don't have to like characters to admire a book, but I have to care about them and it was a stretch for me here.  Also - what is Franzen's deal with masturbation?
84219
A good story and well written. I found it to be a page-turner. But I do find long dialogue and descriptions rather tedious when they don't add much to the story. In an action novel I like 'shorter and sharper' best;  Still, its a good yarn.
4598281
Good book, but hard to track the multitude of characters, but for me the books pleasure kicked in about the halfway point.
4435555
This novel is a lengthy (616 pages plus back matter) historical fantasy divided into three books.  It covers a time frame of about twenty years (1184-1204) and is centered on the life of William FitzEllen.  Readers learn of his mother Ellenweore, a woman sword smith, and William's childhood in an earlier book, THE COPPER SIGN.

Ellenweore wants her son to learn to be a sword smith, but he fails terribly at the tasks she has him try.  Just as she didn't want to be an ordinary wife and mother, William doesn't want to be a sword smith, but a falconer.  He does indeed show the skills and talents to become an excellent falconer.  Though Ellenweore shows some disappointment, she does allow her son to seek his own path.

But the path is not easy.  An enemy is out to get William from the beginning - and sometimes nearly succeeds in ruining William.  Robert, a man William sees as a best friend, has a confession to make to him - one that would be difficult to make even in the twenty-first century, much less the twelfth.

Fox clearly states in the back matter that this is a work of fiction, and her goal is to try to paint a view of the times through the characters' eyes, not the whole known world's.  I believe she is successful here.

The style seems simple, but I don't  believe that this is a translation problem from Fox's original German to Aubrey Botsford's English; I believe that Fox and Botsford are trying to help us see things better through William's eyes - and, like so many of his time, William's reading and writing skills were low to nonexistent.

The simple style does not mean that this book is for younger readers.  First off, there is some intense violence and some sexuality.  Also, there are themes (such as the one I hint at concerning Robert) which are for adults.

The one catch is the rather uneven pace of the story and uneven length of the chapters.  Some chapters are a very short five pages long; others are closer to thirty.  Sometimes the plot seems to move almost too quickly - as if Fox is trying to fast-forward - and at other times it seems a little slow.

The third book of this trilogy, THE GOLDEN THRONE, is due out in the fall of 2014, and I eagerly await it to see what will happen and which familiar characters - and new ones - readers will meet from here.  Particularly with works of this length, the author and translator should take my "I want more!" as high praise.
3342575
Good book  however it was a bit too long. The detail  was very moving but needed less.
2659190
.....but it often goes on too long for me.  Stories within the novel are quite good.  Uplifting, resilient lead character. Other characters very interesting.
1843645
A good interesting yarn.  Would have been 4 stars if it didn't contain so many highly detailed pages of unnecessary info that just padded the book and slowed down the story.
924011
Overall, an interesting story. A woman finds herself on a street corner with pockets full of cash, a dress covered in blood, and no memory. And you spend the entire book wondering if she's descending into insanity or if her husband is up to something evil...and wondering why.

But while I did like the book, it was also a little longer than it needed to be. Sometimes it felt really repetitive...I mean, I understand why--the woman is trying to figure out what happened to her and she's constantly mulling it over--but I wish the editors had trimmed a bit more.
604643
I am somewhat at a loss to explain how I feel about this book. I thought it was well written with a good plot but for me it had too many recitations of prayers in full. There would be pages and pages of muslim prayers to the point that I sometimes wondered (if not for the plot) if the author was trying to convert people. I think it would have sufficed for the author to just explain that the character was praying and for what he was praying. I actually started skipping these passages. Meanwhile the core of the plot was actually very good and I wanted to keep going to see what finally happened. However, the ending then leaves you uninspired. Everything is left up in the air. You know the dangers still exist, the protagonist is called back into action but to what end, and too many loose end are just left untied. I gave this 3 stars but had the author tied up the loose ends and not made such a large portion of the book more like religious reading I could have given it 4 or possibly even 5 stars.
2933114
A little too much narrative, but still a good read.
3204963
This was a long and complex story and it took awhile for me to get into it.  In fact, I almost stop reading because the book seemed to drag as the different back-stories unfolded; but then it began to come together.  Astra, Kim, Carmella, Constantin and Lucy:  the intersection of evil over the millennia and the impact of love.

The antagonist dominated this story which touches on the subject of life after death, reincarnation and whether or not you "do over" if you don't do it right the first time.  Good concept, dark tale.  There were parts which I thought added words without value and could have been eliminated without any loss to the story (the relationship issues between Tom & Ellen, some of the doctor/patient sessions).  This caused the story to drag and occasionally I would skip-read, but overall most of the sidebars provided insight into the characters.

The eventual battle between good and evil was suspenseful but the ending was a testament to love; a predictable outcome with a tender and soft landing.  Good book, controversial theme, could have been shorter but interesting reading.
2711496
Excellent yarn in the line of the Hornblower saga but  hundred of years in the future. Lots of space battles and a interesting heroine.
Howewer, long chapters are lost with long and boring "political" discussions. I like science fiction and Weber writes good one, but he deviates with "political science 1.o1" of future star kingdoms.