No Return Zachary Jernigan
First, let me specify that this is a novel for adult readers! Okay, now that we all have our big boy pants on the reviewing shall commence! Zachary has created a dark and gritty fantasy world that will tickle Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans alike!
The books premise is refreshingly unique. The two warring factions, the Adrashi and the Anadrashi, garb their champions in suits that enhance the abilities of their wearers. They then partake in battles to prove the superiority of their ideologies. However, the flaws of these teachings become evident to the protagonist, Vedas. We are then able to watch him as he grows from a mere drone to his cause into a fully fleshed out free thinking person.
The development of the characters was amazing! Their thoughts are made accessible throughout the book. I greatly enjoyed getting to not only view their growth, but to experience it with them as it formulated from within. This allowed me to easily invest into the characters and care for them on their journey across Jeroun.
In my opinion, this novel is more of a philosophical treat than a gladiatorial-style action story. However, the story still possessed more than enough brutal fights to remind me that Jeroun was a dangerous and enjoyable world to explore. The combat is handled marvelously, embracing quick bone crushing brutality rather than drawn out action sequences that seem to go nowhere. Often times in books I find fights scenes are unnecessarily prolonged. Zachary opts instead to show a more realistic approach in the pacing of fights that I came to appreciate.
The only part of this book that I struggled to get through was the highly sexualized nature of many of the characters within this world. The scenes are written well and at times are necessary for the development of a character, but I found the sheer number of scenes portraying their perverse nature to be jarring from the overall story narrative. This was hardly a deal breaker; it just seemed unneeded at times.
Overall, this is a great read! It was evident the book left a significant impression on me as I found myself wanting to discuss it with people in my workplace but unable to for fear of spoiling, and there's a special place in hell for those who spoil a good book. The world is impressively full and rich with color and texture. The steady pacing made it read smoothly. Lastly, the ending left me satisfied yet also longing for the stories continuation. I'll be impatiently waiting for book two.
4.5 Stars!!!
This book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review - AND I BOUGHT A COPY AFTER!!!!
No Return is very well written. The characters were well developed and the story line was quite compelling. I am looking forward to the sequel.
BalasHapusMy head has been in a cloud with all these great far future tails lately. No Return is yet another one. Thinking to the saying that science, sufficiently advanced, would be indistinguishable from magic, one could imagine that there is underlying science behind the magic in this tale. The co-existence of the humans with an elder post-human race creates an interesting story line. The characters are unique and all have their own stories and issues that blend well. Occasionally the story gets rather steamy. :-) I hope that there will be a sequel, the book cries out for one.
BalasHapusOh yes, this is one for the ages. No Return is a dazzlingly original work of fiction, a defier of genre, and a story of deep relevance and emotion.
BalasHapusAs I could tell by the jacket blurb, promising such things as outbound mages and a man made of metal spheres, there is nothing like No Return. The world of Jeroun abounds with before unseen innovation and spectacle, all portrayed with vibrant imagery and language. Mages craft spells from the ground up corpses of ancient aliens, the god Adrash rearranges his giant metal spheres of the Needle by hand, and the numerous distinct races and cultures each worship or villify Adrash in their own way. It is, in fact, so original that when I read the jacket blurb, I thought it was science fiction. While reading it, I thought it was fantasy, and now that I have finished it, I realize more than ever that the two terms are meaningless, and neither can encompass No Return.
The book definitely isn't for everyone, though. It has some stern words for religious fanaticism, which, as an atheist, I could not help but agree with. A major theme is overcoming things that hold us back, namely, guilt, authority, religious indoctrination, and of course, God (or Adrash, one might say).
No Return is also overtly sexual. There are some very graphic scenes of intercourse, heterosexual and homosexual both, masturbation, a rape scene or two, and several detailed descriptions of chiseled male anatomy. There were times when even I was a bit put off, and if you don't have the stomach for this sort of thing, you had best steer clear.
As for the writing itself, the only flaw I could perceive was the occasional lull in pacing. Particularly, I found the scenes with the outbound mages more interesting than those concerning Vedas, Churls, and Berun, as the latter seem concerned, for the first half, at least, with the trials of their journey to Danoor. It seemed to me that it switched from the former to the latter at rather inopportune times.
Nevertheless, No Return is easily the best book I've read this year, and I'd be hard pressed to find another one quite as good. I anticipate a return to this setting, and I eagerly await it.
No Return is a dark and psychological stroll through Jernigan's damaged psyche, and I loved it. Twisted, powerful, and poetic, it's a great read for those looking for something different. Another Night Shade masterpiece.
BalasHapusWell technically, if I were you, you'd have already read it. This is a good book, the majority of it falling under the Fantasy genre with some Science Fiction. If you're expecting a book full of violence and little plot, this isn't that book. There is a good bit of violence in there, but there's definitely more to it than that. The novel was entertaining, some good world building, and it's a rare story which allows gods to be seen and known to exist by all and challenged by anyone who can reach him. Looking forward to reading some more from this author.
BalasHapusI loved this book! I live for scifi and having a new fantastical world to explore has made my year. The world, characters, storyline, and histories are so meticulously detailed and planned out it is easy to have a perfect image of it all in your head while reading. The characters move you to empathy, passion, and anger keeping your nose in the book and passed out at work from sleep deprivation the next day. Each chapter leaves the reader wanting more. I was just as excited about where the end of the story took me as I was saddened that there was no more to read. I can't wait for Zachary Jernigan's next book!
BalasHapus