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The Last Stormlord

Posted by Vanessa On Monday, August 23, 2010

Call me spoiled if you want. After the likes of epic fantasy writers Erikson, Sanderson, and Butcher (and others), I've gotten used to the current trend of jumping right into the middle of the story. You could say I'm a girl who likes her some action. Ahem.

Alas, not all epic fantasy writers have gotten the hint. THE LAST STORMLORD, by Glenda Larke, reminds me of the epic fantasies of 20-odd years ago because the pacing is similar in its devotion to world-building without a visible purpose. There's the standard young boy being trained whose abilities will change the world. A girl on the verge of womanhood, trapped in a life not of her choosing. I probably wouldn't have minded STORMLORD if I haven't already read it, like, one thousand times before in its various incarnations.

The Quartern is a land where water is life. Inhabited by four different cultures, they rely on stormlords--men and women who can manipulate water--to bring the needed water to the cisterns they use for drinking, bathing, and irrigation. Only instead of the usual dozen stormlords to bring water, there's one, and he's dying.

Terelle is a young girl, sold into slavery in a brothel, and when she's old enough she'll begin earning her water tokens like the other girls. But she doesn't want that life, and makes plans to escape. Shale is a water sensitive in the middle of the desert, where magic is considered dangerous, and does his best just to survive. The rainlords of the main cities of the Quatern have spent years trying to find more water sensitives among the populace, but none of them are strong enough to be stormlords. Time is running out, for when the last stormlord dies, there be will be a return to the time of random rain and millions will die as a result.

There's enough action that STORMLORD shouldn't have been boring, but the pacing, flow, and expositional dialogue negates the spurts of excitement--the 670 pages could have been pared down by another 100 to make the novel a smoother read. But despite this wordiness, periods of time are glossed over during the six years the book covers as Slate and Terelle grow up. Larke also glosses over important interactions between our characters, and lacks realistic insight when describing her characters and their interactions. For example, when Slate and Terelle finally cross paths three-quarters into the novel, they develop a relationship, but we never actually see this happen, we just have to take the narrator's word for it. And when the PoV characters do think about their relationship with the other, it's cheesy, which makes me sad because I'm a girl who likes some mushy romance, but this was just lame.

The most fascinating character is Highlord Taquar, one of the city rainlords, whose motivations are twisted and yet just. You aren't really sure if he's doing what he must for power, or a real desire to save the people of the Quatern from a horrible fate. Too bad the protagonists aren't as interesting, and instead the other rainlords are cliche in their dialogue, actions, and personality.

Larke tries so very hard to create a gritty and dark setting, but her writing lacks the subtly necessary to pull it off without sounding corny. In the last hundred pages we're treated with revelations using melodramatic dialogue so cliche I laughed out loud.

STORMLORD has a clever setting and a culture that revolves around a lack of water: it affects what is planted, how people live, what kind of animals exist among them. The magic is a large part of the culture, affecting who rules the Quatern, which could be anyone as long as their water sensitivity is strong enough. There's a lot of potential for the magic with the way it's set up, and I sincerely hope there are big plans for future installments. Unfortunately, spending an entire book devoted to world-building is boring, and could have been better executed.

World-building is important, but so is plot--and it's even better when story and setting intertwine to enrich each other. Unfortunately Larke doesn't really have a story to tell here...not one with an end, anyway. Nothing resolves, and instead we're left with cliffhangers and are forced to continue the next book, STORMLORD RISING, if we want to see any satisfaction. It remains to be seen whether an entire book dedicated to world building and plot set-up is worth the time it has taken to read it.

Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Mild.
Violence: Yes, when there is some action it can be bloody, but there aren't many violent events.
Sex: Implied and some innuendo.

6 comments

  1. Anonymous Said,

    Ugh, glossing over important character growth...it killed me in "The Warded Man"...the part I waited through the whole book for, and he SKIPPED IT.

    Posted on August 23, 2010 at 10:26 AM

     
  2. Anonymous Said,

    everytime I see this title, all I can think of is Neil Gaiman's Stardust. Oh no, wait, that was Stormhold. Regardless, this sounds like some fantasy to skip.

    Posted on August 23, 2010 at 4:48 PM

     
  3. Dan Smyth Said,

    @ebilvampyre,

    That concept of skipping over integral character growth is what killed Lamentation by Scholes for me. It's literally the only book I've made it all the way through that made me want to chuck it across the room and into the garbage bin. That was over a year ago, and still I get all worked up when I think about it. Should probably give the series another try, as it was his debut novel, but it'll probably take me a while to do so.

    Posted on August 23, 2010 at 5:01 PM

     
  4. Unknown Said,

    If you care about character growth in a novel...how can you be a fan of Erikson? He does not character building at all. His characters are the same at the end as the beginning. no arc. nada.


    sigh.

    Posted on August 23, 2010 at 8:53 PM

     
  5. Dan Smyth Said,

    @ B:

    In the instance of Lamentation, the entire setup of the book was aimed toward the main character's change and the reason driving it, but when that single-most important point of impact arrived, any and all page-time was curiously and completely absent. That's what killed that particular book for me.

    Erikson's novels (from those that I've read so far) aren't always built on the single concept of character change (like Lamentation was), but include all sorts of other fun stuff as well. Some of Erikson's characters do have change arcs, just not all of them. Not all of them need change arcs though because the books aren't just about character. They encompass so much more. I used to think the same way as you about his books, before I really got into the series. You can ask Steve about that. :) It took me until the end of book 3 (Memories of Ice) to realize just how amazing Erikson's books are, and how much character strength there is in those many pages that he's written.

    So, yeah, Erikson is a fav of mine, but I don't think that conflicts at all with my opinion of Lamentation. Hopefully that helps. :)

    Posted on August 23, 2010 at 11:57 PM

     
  6. Unknown Said,

    thanks for the comments Dan.

    I'm currently on Midnight Tides. And like you it took me till till the end of book 2 beginning of 3 to appreciate what Erikson offers.

    I'm not saying he's a bad author by any means, but I am confused as to why all the reviewers on this site are in love with him and rank him so high when they also always seem to rank characterization and growth so high. IMO, Eriksons strength is world building, and that is what his books are in essence...and that's almost all they are. He falls flat on characters and plot.

    anyways... way off topic for comments on The Last Stormlord. my apologies and feel free to delete this is you feel so inclined. And as always thanks for the time and effort everyone on this great site puts in.

    Posted on August 24, 2010 at 8:26 AM

     

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