A terrible try at writing a book
934759
I really hope that the author reads the bad reviews on this site because that way he should easily figure it out that he is not meant to write books. It's sad someone let him publish one but it's never too late to stop. I was looking up free books on my nook and I came across this. Just by looking at the title anyone with a common sense can tell that it will be trash. One who would give a title like that to his book already has problems. Now I have to agree with some of the other people who say that this is not a book. It's more like random sentences somehow put in some order and then written down. Like if someone took some random notes of a persons life and then wrote them down in the order of events.. It is almost unbearably dumb. If I didn't know better I would assume that it was written by a 10 year old child who is not very good at creative writing but has a homework to write a book and he has to produce something so he doesn't get an F. The story is not the worst but I just can't see how the author or anyone as a matter of fact thought this was even worth finish reading. I can't even finish reading it. It's almost not even worth free. I wish I was paid to waste my time reading it and even then I would not do it again. And I only got through less than half of it. This is the kind of book that I would expect someone write after waking up from a coma that caused severe brain damage. Please if you value your time on earth do not read even the title.
29727
I tried mightily hard, but found it impossible to finish this egregious example of a BAD book (got as far as 68 percent before admitting defeat). I feel it had to have been written by someone who never paid attention in class when grammar, spelling, sentence structure, capitalization rules, etc., were taught. The plot is absurd; the characters are so one-dimensional as to be transparent (and unbelievable, to boot); the dialogue atrocious; and what could have been interesting was boring. There is nothing erotic about it at all...it's simply inane. Perhaps the book could be helped by employing a good editor, someone who is experienced at writing fiction (or intelligently writing anything at all, for that matter). However, I fear I am being naive if I think that will happen. Save your money -- save your reading time -- don't buy this book.
1333264
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. It has to be one of the worst attempts a writing I have ever read. Glad it was free. Just another deadbeat sailing around trying to sponge a living off of pateron and selling books. Get a job.
1373361
This may be one of the worst written books I have ever read. It's the first time I've ever decided to not finish a book.
1630522
This book feels like it was written by an amateur.  A talented amateur, to be sure, but an amateur.  Everything feels very crudely sketched, and not in an enjoyable "in medias res," learn-as-you-go sort of way, but in a "why didn't the author take the time to flesh out something that could have made this much more engaging" way.  The character portraits are mostly cliches, lack sufficient background to really grab the reader, and frankly the whole plot is utterly banal.  Evil dragons, long-lost child of a warlock must leave his job as a tavern scullion to save the world, beautiful sidekick/mentor, mysterious "great forces" at work, blah blah blah.  There's nothing wrong with trying to reinvent the wheel - this is fantasy, after all, half the reason people read it is because they already have a familiar feel for what the rules are here - but the author fails miserably.  He mentions in the foreword that he read maniacally growing up, and you can see the tropes from all those stories shining through.  But the author adds nothing to make it his own.  There are also inconsistencies and sloppy writing that I found frustrating.  For example, this line dropped by a totally unnecessary character who is a pale, pale reflection of the Rider of Rohan that obviously inspired him; "A warlock, too! So that's what happened to the drakes! The Gryphon is going all out!"  Really?  "Going all out?"  Not a very fantasy phrase, especially when the author belabors titles like "Lady" and "Lord" so much, trying to insert some kind of Arthurian vibe that never really works out.  So not only is this book lacking depth, it's not even well-scrubbed in terms of language.  There are a lot of little errors like that I've stumbled across, and they detract from the already not-so-engaging story.  Everything has that sort of sketched-out feeling, like the author only wrote down the gist so he could keep writing the story that came pouring out of his mind, but he never came back to fill in all the nitty-gritty details that make the best fantasy so good.  It's a framework, a pretty standard one, and there were times reading it when I felt embarrassed not only for the author, but for his editor - what kind of fantasy editor read this and gave it the thumbs up???

Other reviewers seem convinced that the non-stop action makes up for the faults I've described.  I don't agree.  The complete lack of detail and eye-rollingly familiar portraits of all the characters consistently manage to disappoint me at critical moments when I'm about to forgive the book its other faults and fall into the flow of the action.  I can't tell you how frustrating it is to read.

In summary:

You shouldn't buy this book if you're an entry-level fantasy reader.  It will turn you off to a genre that can be so much more than this predictable collection of half-conceived cliches.

You shouldn't buy this book if you're an experienced fantasy reader looking to add a worthy new series to your shelf. It's totally disappointing.  Everything is familiar, nothing seems fresh, and reading it gives me none of the urgency to reach the next page that top-tier series produce.  To me this book contains only pale imitations of characters and events from series like The Lord of the Rings, The Wheel of Time, Forgotten Realms (i.e. Drizzt Do'Urden), The Belgariad, Gotrek & Felix, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, and others. I highly recommend taking a look at any of those series before this; if you've already covered them all, keep looking, because this isn't worth your money, I promise.

The only scenario I can see it being worth your money to purchase this omnibus is if you're a fantasy fan desperately needing something new to read on your 12-hour plane ride.  If you're not about to leave for the airport, then I suggest you forget about Legends of the Dragonrealm.
1186996
This is a very poorly written book, not sure how some people become authors.
3398291
I throw up my hands.  At 6% on my Kindle, I cannot read any more.  The introduction was the most atrocious writing I have ever seen.  Was this edited?  Was it even proofed?  It sounds like an essay written by a seventh grader in class.  At first, I thought maybe it was an in joke at the expense of Brooklynese.  But when you start every sentence thinking, "where is the error going to be in this sentence?" it  detracts from what could be a great book.

I am so disappointed.  If you struggle through it, skip any observation the author makes.  They run from the banal to the inane.  Look for the material that has been cut and pasted in.  That might be worthwhile.  I don't know if I have the stomach to pick it up again.  I am not a stickler.  I read a book or 2 a week on Audible and maybe a dozen on Kindle and some hardcover books every year.  I occasionally don't finish a book, but usually because I got involved in another book.  I am always looking for the book I cannot put down.  I cannot remember another time when I put down a book out of exasperation with the author.

They should recall this book.  Burn every copy, and hire a professionjal writer to work with this aspiring author, who apparently breathed too many fumes from the Gowanus.

That this was a recommendation of the NY Times Book Review gives me pause.
4047393
I tried to like this book, but I couldn't get past the first two chapters. Editing is non existent, which makes reading difficult, and I soon realized that hoping to enjoy this book would be futile. I hope this was a free book, that's all it is worth in the present condition.  Maybe the author will go back and edit it, and then get someone else to edit it, maybe by then she will have a good book.  Please do this soon, before you lose any more potential future customers.
2575565
Honestly, I think that anyone who gave this book 5 stars must be getting paid by the publisher or author. I realize this book has been out a while and I'm a little late to the game, but that doesn't excuse the lack of updating that needs to be done to make this book good. I read the sample of the book and thought it was worth the chance for the grand old price of $0.00. So I went ahead and sent it to my kindle.

I was clearly wrong.

First, there are quotes (") everywhere and not in the right places. This book NEEDS an editor. Or an author who can at least attempt to proof-read. Second, this story line has absolutely NO flow. It's like jumping into a child's mind that flits from one little thing to the next.

I thought the idea of the story was okay but it's too vague and some details don't do anything to add to the book. As much as I'm interested in where the cliffhanger leads I can't subject myself, or my wallet, to another doomed failure.
3679088
As even the author admits, this was a poor first effort at writing.
665605
While the author shows outstanding writing potential, style, and use of language, this book failed to showcase that in a way that will propel her to future fame.  This book is incredibly difficult to follow and does not flow in a way that makes the reader want to try to follow along with where this story is going. I am not one to give up easily on a book, especially from a writer with such potential, but this book was too much even for me; after only 70 pages, I was ready to throw the book in trash.  This seems to be an example of a great writer forcing a story about NOTHING.  I hope to see her produce some notable pieces of literature in the future.
197862
I really hate giving a book a low rating, but i couldn't get past the first chapter in this book before I had to put it down in revulsion. The writing technique in this book is so bad it will make your head hurt. It might be for you, but this book is not for me.
600602
I hate to give bad reviews, but this book needs a lot of work. The entire book (which is very short, couldn't be more than 100 pages) is written awkwardly with the main character constantly having an internal dialogue. No character development at all. Seems like it could be an interesting story but needs to be rewritten.
2911477
This book is truly the product of a novice writer.  The lack of editing done by the editor of this new writer shows horribly and does a disservice to the  aspiring writer.  I didn't go into the book expecting what I read, as it seemed more thought went into the picture on the cover than what content the novel contained.  The lack of English deftness by the author truly gets in the way when trying to read the novel.  Those who are adept in the English language will feel the pain I felt as well, with the constant use of simple pronouns at the beginning of almost every sentence making it truly impossible to figure out which "He" the author is referring to.

No great intellect wrote this novel and I would not recommend anyone waste their time struggling through the seeming stream of consciousness that this author is throwing to the page. Going into detail on meaningless observations by characters in the novel are just distracting and if I were the editor for this book it would be quite the challenge to not cross out every sentence written.  When you think of proper stream of consciousness novels like Joyce's Ulysses, the format adds in showing the thought process of the characters and makes such a novel something that is considered a masterwork.  When I say stream of consciousness in regards to "Eyes of the Dead" it isn't intended by the author and causes a great struggle to the reader to make heads or tails of plot and causes great boredom to the reader in the process.

I received a free review copy of this book through Librarything.com.
762813
How did this book ever get published? The writing style is that of a freshman in a remedial class.  The dialog ranges from one word to at most five.  The sentence structure is unvaried and dull, except when the author gets lost in the structure and adds commas to compensate: "She met Dan, which affirmed that her suspicion that she was not, herself, smart, was well founded. Dan was smart."  Neither the plot nor the characters have any redeeming qualities.  All I can see is that this is a prime example of how NOT to write a novel.
2318177
Mark Helprin's latest 700-page tome is difficult to get through. I really wanted to like this book, and felt encouraged by the lovely prologue. Unfortunately, the prologue is, to this reader, the best writing in the book. The author is a highly successful author and accomplished professional, however his recent book is surprisingly boring and desperately in need of serious editing. The plot meanders every which way, making it hard for the reader to focus on the characters given the circuitous direction in which the author weaves his story. In addition, Mr. Helprin's prose is ridiculously romantic and simply not well constructed; I found myself reading sentences over and over, in disbelief that a writer of such repute and education could write so shockingly poorly. Finally, In Light and In Shadow could easily have been half the length given Mr. Helprin's propensity to communicate in a single  paragraph that which could easily, and more interestingly, been conveyed in a sentence or two; it's almost as if he was incentivized by his agent or publisher to be paid by the word.

  This novel was given as a gift and is the first Helprin novel I've read; were it not for the critical acclaim for his other writings, I would never bother to read any of his other works. That said, I will try once more to read one of his novels (from the library, however) in the hope that In Light is just an example of poor writing for an otherwise illustrious writer. For my sake--and for his--I hope so.
4592734
The book started off as a quaint pallet cleanser (I just got off of ready a very heavy and depressing book so this was supposed to be light upbeat fantasy).  It started off well enough until I started noticing problems with the author's writing style:

Problem 1:  Timing.  This book would be loads better if the words or phrases of "a few months later"  or "at the end of summer".  The author uses nothing to suggest that time is passing and thus the book with all this action and travel seems to take place in 3 days.  With that idea in mind whenever someone laments over their best friend failing, (or succeeding) you always wonder "why do you care? you've only known each other for 36 hours.

Problem 2:  Everything in this book happens suddenly.  Walked into a room and suddenly a chair fell over, suddenly a butler arrived to straighten the chair, suddenly a waiter appeared to place food at the table, suddenly a drink appeared, suddenly dessert was ready.

Problem 3:  (similar to problem 2) Everything that happens the lead character finds embarrassing.  This may be an attempt to show that 14 years old (the age of the main character) is a socially awkward stage.  But embarrassed and righteously angry are the only two emotions this kid ever seems to have.

Problem 4:  I must admit this one is what made me put down this book and not finish...about 75% of the way through the characters find themselves at a bar.  The main character is embarrassed (see problem 3) because he's never even had a beer before and his friends of 48 hours (problem 1)  are giving him a playful ribbing about it.  The author clearly forgets  that at about 40% of the way through the book the character wakes up with a hangover after drinking to passing out drunk at a festival.

Minor nitpicking point that bothered me, but technically nothing wrong with it.  The main character is named Thor.  We already HAVE a literary Thor.  Whenever Thor whines or cries or fights or blows his nose or whatever, I keep imaging the Norse god of thunder.

In the end the rough outline of the story could be interesting, and I'd like to read it again in about 3 rewrites...perhaps these problems clear themselves up in the following books.