War of the Usurper, Part 4, Ch. 10-11: Royalty

[JMack]

Here is the part 4 discussion thread for War of the Usurper.

Have at it!

[Justan Henner]

Finished this morning. Enjoyed the book overall. Wasn't quite expecting every chapter to be a different character. Even so, Eli's done a good job of tying a common thread that makes it work. Having so many characters was something of a risk, but overall I think it was pulled off nicely. However, I was a bit sad that we didn't get to see more from some of the characters. Would have been nice to see more from Beren's perespective since I grew pretty attached to him in that first chapter.

Comparing this to the Call, this is certainly the stronger. It's clear that you've grown as an author, Eli. Loved several of the characters in this book, my favorites being Chana, the scout, Beren, Geon, and the partisan. Was surprised not to see a chapter from Chana's perspective, but I think that shows how well written she was, that I liked her even in brief glimpses.

I think the only major drawback of the serialization was that some of the events seemed unimportant to the larger plot of the book, despite being great chapters. I think the Scout being the perfect example. It's this great, compelling scene where he finds the Ancient's ship, filled with wonder because of this relic floating in the midst of nothing, then you add in the parasitic corpses and him fleeing for his life, the whole chapter was great, but his success didn't seem to carry much forward to the plot as a whole.

Otherwise the book was excellent. Glad I participated this month.

[Eli_Freysson]

Whoa, @Justan Henner, I totally missed your post. Sorry about that.

Comparing this to the Call, this is certainly the stronger. It's clear that you've grown as an author, Eli. Loved several of the characters in this book, my favorites being Chana, the scout, Beren, Geon, and the partisan. Was surprised not to see a chapter from Chana's perspective, but I think that shows how well written she was, that I liked her even in brief glimpses.

Yeah, it's funny that. Sometimes minor characters, simply there to fill a support role for bigger ones, take on a life of their own. I often don't feel like a creator so much as a conduit.

I think the only major drawback of the serialization was that some of the events seemed unimportant to the larger plot of the book, despite being great chapters. I think the Scout being the perfect example. It's this great, compelling scene where he finds the Ancient's ship, filled with wonder because of this relic floating in the midst of nothing, then you add in the parasitic corpses and him fleeing for his life, the whole chapter was great, but his success didn't seem to carry much forward to the plot as a whole.

Well, I couldn't make every story a galaxy-shaking event. But he DID provide the coordinates that gave the loyalists an edge in the fighting that followed.

Otherwise the book was excellent. Glad I participated this month.

Glad to hear it, and thanks for participating.

Would you be so kind as to post a review on Amazon, however brief?