Alyanorne reviewed Scroll of Years by Chris Willrich
Review of 'Scroll of Years' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Before you read this book, note that this is the story of characters Mr. Willrich introduced in a series of short stories. I also discovered after reading the book, that one of those short stories is in the back of the book. You might want to read that first.
At the beginning I was a bit lost or felt less invested in the two main characters because there is no background given. The story begins with you being plunged in without knowledge of why these two are together, their history in the place they are visiting, or why they are being pursued. I guess it's assumed you've read the short stories.
As the story moved on, it improved as a new plot opened and gave me something to hang on to. I like the ideas and world building, but it does still read a bit like a series of related …
Before you read this book, note that this is the story of characters Mr. Willrich introduced in a series of short stories. I also discovered after reading the book, that one of those short stories is in the back of the book. You might want to read that first.
At the beginning I was a bit lost or felt less invested in the two main characters because there is no background given. The story begins with you being plunged in without knowledge of why these two are together, their history in the place they are visiting, or why they are being pursued. I guess it's assumed you've read the short stories.
As the story moved on, it improved as a new plot opened and gave me something to hang on to. I like the ideas and world building, but it does still read a bit like a series of related back-to-back short stories. I'm interested in reading more from Mr. Willrich as he continues to grow as a writer, because I see great potential. This story was entertaining, but I'd like to see more depth of character and a less episodic story style. It seems there is a sequel coming by the nature of the book ending, so we'll see.
In summary:
Writing style: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
World building: 3/5
Characterization: 2/5
Re-readability: 1/5
Light reading while eating lunch or riding the bus, no objectionable material that I recall. Swashbuckling action and violence, but nothing graphic. Don't recall any foul language.