GoodKingJayIII
First Post
Haven't heard much about this author on these forums. Wondering what some of you have thought of him, if you've read him.
I read Jackal of Nar and really enjoyed it. Very dramatic, and I thought it addressed the problems and pains of war quite nicely. I also thought the characters were, overall, very interesting. Characters like Biagio and the Emperor appear to be standard, puppy-kicking bad guys, but we learn more and more about them as the book progresses. I also enjoyed the protagonists' flaws as well. No one's really perfect, and during wartime it's hard to know who's "right." I also found Richius a difficult protagonist to like. This could be viewed as a good or bad thing, but he makes many mistakes throughout the book, and his sometimes obvious naivete can be irksome. I thought Marco addressed that nicely as well, whether intentionally or not.
I had my problems and reservations about later books, The Grand Design and Saints of the Sword. I was a little disappointed when Marco made Biagio a bisexual, then suddenly dropped the idea when Biagio became more of a protagonist. Plus the latter two books in the Tyrants and Kings trilogy didn't really grab me the way the first did. I felt like Marco was just sort of writing out of his ass, whereas in Jackal he seemed to have a good plan.
I didn't enjoyEyes of God all that much, and I haven't read his new one. I believe it's called The Devil's Armor or something like that. But I think Marco has some really strong points, perhaps his biggest being interesting characters. He falls into stereotypes at times, but he makes you sympathize with his antagonists and occassionally loathe his protagonists. I also thought his first three books dealt with some very interesting themes prevalent in our world today (war, expansionism, and the rights a gov't has over its people). So overall I think he's a good fantasy author. I'm still waiting for his newer stuff to grab me like Jackal of Nar. It may never happen, but I think he's capable of doing it again.
I read Jackal of Nar and really enjoyed it. Very dramatic, and I thought it addressed the problems and pains of war quite nicely. I also thought the characters were, overall, very interesting. Characters like Biagio and the Emperor appear to be standard, puppy-kicking bad guys, but we learn more and more about them as the book progresses. I also enjoyed the protagonists' flaws as well. No one's really perfect, and during wartime it's hard to know who's "right." I also found Richius a difficult protagonist to like. This could be viewed as a good or bad thing, but he makes many mistakes throughout the book, and his sometimes obvious naivete can be irksome. I thought Marco addressed that nicely as well, whether intentionally or not.
I had my problems and reservations about later books, The Grand Design and Saints of the Sword. I was a little disappointed when Marco made Biagio a bisexual, then suddenly dropped the idea when Biagio became more of a protagonist. Plus the latter two books in the Tyrants and Kings trilogy didn't really grab me the way the first did. I felt like Marco was just sort of writing out of his ass, whereas in Jackal he seemed to have a good plan.
I didn't enjoyEyes of God all that much, and I haven't read his new one. I believe it's called The Devil's Armor or something like that. But I think Marco has some really strong points, perhaps his biggest being interesting characters. He falls into stereotypes at times, but he makes you sympathize with his antagonists and occassionally loathe his protagonists. I also thought his first three books dealt with some very interesting themes prevalent in our world today (war, expansionism, and the rights a gov't has over its people). So overall I think he's a good fantasy author. I'm still waiting for his newer stuff to grab me like Jackal of Nar. It may never happen, but I think he's capable of doing it again.
