A review of "Fire-Heart"

Song of the day: "Crazy" by Patsy Cline again.

I'm cheating on the blog today, and will post a book review I wrote for C.S. Marks' "Fire-Heart" instead.

On my own 1 to 7 star review basis, I'm going to give this one a solid six. Hah.

* * * * * *


Someone found her groove!

I’m going with six stars for this fine piece of fantasy because it hit almost every note that is necessary in any good story.

As part two of C.S. Marks’ “A tale of Alterra, the world that is” series, Fire-Heart follows Elfhunter, which I stumbled upon after chatting with the author online. Since reading part one, and then winning part two in a mini contest, I just hadn’t gotten around to reading it.
I’m glad I did.

Writing style:
As stated above, Marks definitely found her groove with this one. Where Elfhunter held a nice narrative with interesting aspects of what was an inspired idea, part two managed to capture and effectively hold me throughout yet another quest through a world of elves, dwarfs and man. Where the narrative was almost stiff in some places in part one, Fire-Heart showed a tremendous growth in this author, whose “voice” relaxed and settled into a pleasant flow that steered me through Alterra on an exciting roller coaster ride.
Though there were some inevitable typos and repetitions, none of it took away my pleasure of reading this particular tale.
Concise and detailed in thoughts, appearances and actions, and sometimes wonderfully “old tongue” (if that makes any sense), Marks got it just right.

Setting:
If I were hard pressed to express a negative aspect of this story, I would have to voice a very personal opinion that I like this realm of man less than I did that of the elves. Though colorfully and even beautifully described, Fire-Heart lingers long within the deserts with all its perils and its often-time oppressive people. But such a thing is subjective, of course. Once they got to their final destination, I was in much better spirits.

Plot:
There are three, for as far as I could discern. Refreshingly straightforward and effective in every way: one quest, one rescue mission, and revenge (continuing on from the foundation that was laid in the first of the series). Fire-Heart, basically being three stories in one, kept me vastly entertained as the author led me capably from one plot-line to the next.

Characters:
Like the writing style, Marks got her characters on the pages with a definite flair. Though likable before (after a time) I had no trouble reacquainting myself with the hunter scouts Gaelen and Nelwyn who had found their loves in part one. Though an old enemy lurked in the back ground once more, both elves showed their loyalty and dedication as they traveled to a world unknown to them…as was in character.
Though there were plenty of familiar faces, Marks managed to insert a nice selection of new characters that kept everything interesting.
On the most part, it was a pleasure seeing the whole “company” back again, albeit through trials and tribulations that made me wonder if Marks was going to off one or two of them. Rather than spill the beans, let’s just say I had happy moments of relief and choked up moments along the way, and leave it at that.
Romantically speaking, Fire-Heart definitely suited more of my requirements than part one, that’s a fact. It was sweet, enduring and a wonderful additional ingredient in the tale.

The Villain:
There were several in fact. Gorgon from part one, of course; still harboring malice towards the poor company, and Gaelen, who has sworn vengeance upon him. Also a couple of new dangers to face, naturally, one of which a slimy traitor set on mischief and an evil dragon of old. Vastly entertaining, in a most villainous way. There were some changes I didn’t see coming in good ol’ Gorgon, but they do hold a promise for more in the next story of Alterra.

Violence:
Marks remained consistent in her descriptions of it, (detail, but tasteful) even though some of her characters appeared to be a bit more blood-lusty than I remember. Since it suited them (and the story) well, it didn’t bother me in the least.

Conclusion:
If you liked Elfhunter, you’ll undoubtedly love Fire-Heart. If you didn’t like the first, I think you should give this one a shot anyway, just to make sure if Marks’ style doesn’t grow on you after all. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone who is in the mood to submerge into a fantasy world that is an absolute pleasure to travel through.

My last and only real grievance with Marks’ Alterra series is definitely that I will just have to buy part three now as well. Darn it!

End Review.

Other than finishing this particular book, the past couple of days haven't been all that busy, so I will just save my descriptions until the next one.
I'm free, Free, FREE!
*snort*