Review by MellieBellie -- Korian by Giorgio Garofalo
1 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "Korian" by Giorgio Garofalo.]
I chose to review Korian by Giorgio Garofalo. I expected to like it because I enjoy Science Fiction\Fantasy stories, and I was not wrong. I did indeed enjoy this book greatly.
It takes place on another planet very similar to ours with people also very similar to ours. The people used to get along well, but that changes when evil shows up. Life becomes horrible for most people. There is a prophecy about a savior who will help defeat the evil. The book starts with events before that, however, giving us a bit of backstory. There is a LOT of history of the people, but it isn’t just dumped on us. The author does an excellent job of giving us what we need to know when we need to know it.
We follow Korian, the savior, from his mother being rescued, to him being rescued and raised. He meets people from whom he learns what he needs to know to fight the evil. We also follow the other people who come together at the end with Korian to fight the evil, and the paths of some of the evil people themselves.
As to be expected in a story like this, there is a lot of violence, and it is not just hinted at, but it is described in a matter-of-fact way, rather than luridly or salaciously. There is death, too. There are no sex scenes; only one that is portrayed as love-making, and is hinted at, rather than blatantly described. There is no cursing at all.
I felt this was very well-written, with a good balance of telling each person’s part of the journey to the final showdown. Each character had their own part to play in the story, as well. It was also very well edited. There were several typos or errors, but they were so minor as to be almost unnoticeable; mostly a missing comma or end quotation marks.
There were so many things I like, I can’t think of one that I liked most. One thing I really liked was a transition where we follow a linen handkerchief on a journey of its own. It wasn’t personified, but the scene was a respite from all the action that had just taken place. I just found it very charming. Another one I like was later in the story we have a flashback told as a frame story, which is a literary technique I really enjoy.
The only thing I actually disliked was that there weren’t very many female characters, and the ones there were seemed to be accessories for the story, rather than having a major role. Many cultures do have narratives that are more male-oriented, so it isn’t something I would consider a major flaw in this one.
I’m rating it 4 out of 4 stars because it’s a great adventure told very well. I feel the few flaws are so minor as to be inconsequential. This book combines elements of both Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so would appeal to fans of those genres, as well as fans of adventure stories. Obviously, people who dislike those genres might not be interested, nor would people who prefer a less male-focused story. It would be fine for teenagers, as well as adults, but the descriptions of violence and evil might be too frightening or triggering for some children.
This is the first in a series, and I am planning to continue reading more.
******
Korian
View: on Bookshelves
I chose to review Korian by Giorgio Garofalo. I expected to like it because I enjoy Science Fiction\Fantasy stories, and I was not wrong. I did indeed enjoy this book greatly.
It takes place on another planet very similar to ours with people also very similar to ours. The people used to get along well, but that changes when evil shows up. Life becomes horrible for most people. There is a prophecy about a savior who will help defeat the evil. The book starts with events before that, however, giving us a bit of backstory. There is a LOT of history of the people, but it isn’t just dumped on us. The author does an excellent job of giving us what we need to know when we need to know it.
We follow Korian, the savior, from his mother being rescued, to him being rescued and raised. He meets people from whom he learns what he needs to know to fight the evil. We also follow the other people who come together at the end with Korian to fight the evil, and the paths of some of the evil people themselves.
As to be expected in a story like this, there is a lot of violence, and it is not just hinted at, but it is described in a matter-of-fact way, rather than luridly or salaciously. There is death, too. There are no sex scenes; only one that is portrayed as love-making, and is hinted at, rather than blatantly described. There is no cursing at all.
I felt this was very well-written, with a good balance of telling each person’s part of the journey to the final showdown. Each character had their own part to play in the story, as well. It was also very well edited. There were several typos or errors, but they were so minor as to be almost unnoticeable; mostly a missing comma or end quotation marks.
There were so many things I like, I can’t think of one that I liked most. One thing I really liked was a transition where we follow a linen handkerchief on a journey of its own. It wasn’t personified, but the scene was a respite from all the action that had just taken place. I just found it very charming. Another one I like was later in the story we have a flashback told as a frame story, which is a literary technique I really enjoy.
The only thing I actually disliked was that there weren’t very many female characters, and the ones there were seemed to be accessories for the story, rather than having a major role. Many cultures do have narratives that are more male-oriented, so it isn’t something I would consider a major flaw in this one.
I’m rating it 4 out of 4 stars because it’s a great adventure told very well. I feel the few flaws are so minor as to be inconsequential. This book combines elements of both Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so would appeal to fans of those genres, as well as fans of adventure stories. Obviously, people who dislike those genres might not be interested, nor would people who prefer a less male-focused story. It would be fine for teenagers, as well as adults, but the descriptions of violence and evil might be too frightening or triggering for some children.
This is the first in a series, and I am planning to continue reading more.
******
Korian
View: on Bookshelves
You are not logged in. Please log in or sign up to view members replies, participate in the discussion, and access more features.
