2 out of 4 stars
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A Kingdom Forgotten is the first book of A Throne Of Souls by the author Charles W. McDonald Jr.
This book left me with more questions than anything. I found it hard to read, not only because of the many errors, but for the way McDonald writes as well.
I was almost halfway through the book and I felt like I missed something all along. So I started again from the beginning paying more attentions. Nonetheless I felt like there was something missing: a tread connecting all the glimpses in different worlds and times the author was describing.
We have a very short glimpse on Graelon in the prologue: a world technologically advanced, with humanoids and sophisticated machines. Then another short glimpse of it about halfway through the book. At the end, humanoids walk through the portals and since Graelon is the only planet to have them, I take it they come from this world.
There’s Perion and Kaleion, which are kind of rural worlds where magic and witchcraft are still working.
Perion is the home world of Radin, a young man that with his beloved and his friend Kerrich, try to discover the origin of a strange amulet he found.
Kaleion is the home planet of Damon, the characters that connects all the worlds and times, which is intent on the realization of his Master Plan. Damon is a powerful, immortal lamean, he seems to be the bad guy of the story, he goes to any length to see his plan complete. Which turns out to be not so bad.
Then we have old good Earth, caught in a conflict that will doom the whole planet.
All the worlds have either a prophecy or events that lead to the destruction of themselves. But Damon has a finger in bringing about all the catastrophic developments. Again, so he can realize his Master Plan.
The author seems to be in love with the word “unto”, he used it so many times I lost count. Same as “silken tights/body/clothes” and “herringbone”. He seems to put more importance on clothes that on character traits.
This is something that definitely ruined the story for me: I prefer to like or dilsike a character based on what he/she does and thinks instead on what he/she wears.
All the women appearing in the book are more or less the same: beautiful, powerful, seductive, intelligent and strong. They are all power driven and very generous in giving their body to whomever.
The men are more or less the same: beautiful, powerful, strong, etc. Damon in particular is so very talented in every way. He is grieving for his first wife Mira but take every woman in his bed without a thought. For no particular reason either.
We have Elise, for the first half of the book she is the wife of Earth’s British King Michael Day, then we find her in Perion with Radin and a powerful mage. Where is the connection?
Why does Kellen call Damon “Day” like the British King of Earth?
There are more dubious things, but I hope in the next book all will make sense.
What I like about the book is the way the story is put together: the different stories of distinct persons in their own worlds and times all converging on the main event.
This way to get to know places and people is enticing even if complex. Some linearity in the telling would have been more rewarding while reading instead of mixing many parts in a messy order.
It’s hard to give a rating to this book: the plot has the potential for a very interesting epic fantasy, but between the repetitiveness of words, the errors, the many questions left unanswered and the difficulty to follow the events, I give it 2 out of 4 stars.
I find that the story needs a stronger central idea to keeps all the bit and pieces together and I wouldn’t recommend it to young readers.
The author says in his foreword that the second book will explain the capitalization of some word; I hope it explains a lot better the whole thing and maybe give us something to get warm at least on some of the characters he is writing about.
I am no professor or such, and English is not even my first language, but keeping in mind that a review is meant to help the author, I take the liberty (and apologize for this) to say that McDonald should take all the books about this story and reorder the events and the telling line so that the reader may have at least an idea where the story is going and keep his/her attention right from the beginning.
A through proofreading would make the reading experience a lot better as well.
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A Kingdom Forgotten
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