A year ago, a couple of boys (Merthyn and Tim) and senior lecturers at Culver were attacked by mystical forces. They found out that it was a pair of fanatical ‘Rebel’ Indians who were trying to bring back to life a ‘Death Goddess’. Through ancient Indian lore and the power of Excalibur, the boys and lecturers were able to defeat them.

In the present, it seems that the ‘Rebel’ Indian pair are back and want revenge on Merthyn, Tim and the senior lecturers, but first they attack more unknowing students at Culver. Very fortuitously a Buddhist nun was visiting Culver and she helped to prevent serious harm, but the Indian pair are more cunning than their last failed attempt. How will the boys with the help of this Buddhist nun defeat the Indian pair once and for all?

The Buddha at Culver is the sequel to Swords at Culver written by Richard Gwyn Davies. I had reviewed Swords earlier in the year with a mixed review but the book held some interest, especially in ancient Indian lore. As I picked up the book, it had almost the same cover as the last book except with a Buddha on it, which made me worry as the Indian lore I expected to be in there would be replaced with Chinese lore.

As I read on, I immediately recognised the improvement in editing which I was critical of in the first instance. This made reading a lot more enjoyable, but that was where the enjoyment ended. My first dislike was introduction of 3 brand new ‘main’ characters. The first book was only approx. 220 pages which I felt wasn’t nearly enough to help you get a feel for all the characters. Now to add 3 more new characters in another 220 page book, makes the characters thin. The more I read on, the more repetitive the book got. The Buddha at Culver was Swords at Culver repeated 4 times. Not once…not twice…three….but four times! Boy gets injured…needs spiritual healing, girl gets injured…needs spiritual healing etc… etc…

The ending to the book is almost identical to swords. Deus ex machina are not the best of endings. Swords at Culver at least sets up for one, but The Buddha at Culver just sneaks it in there at the last moment.

This book was very disappointing, considering the potential it could have by extending what was in Swords at Culver. I think Richard Davies has the ability to write better fantasy but I feel he needs to read more recent fantasy to get a feel for it. C.S Lewis and Tolkien are very good, but fantasy has moved on so much since then; even young adult fantasy moves in different circles (i.e. Bartimaeus Trilogy, Percy Jackson Series).

Good luck to him.

Review written for Best Fantasy Books by Enchanté (a.k.a) Jon Snow from Sleeping With Books

Two boys, Tim and Merthyn study at Culver Academy. Avid lovers of fantasy, they were very eager to visit the sword display at the Academy’s library, among the swords were the famed swords Excalibur and the Sword of El Cid. Unbeknown to the boys, an ancient evil had arrived around the same time they happened to be viewing the swords. What would the two boys do? What else could two lovers of fantasy do? They break the cases containing the swords and fight their way out!

Swords at Culver is the first of a series of books written by Richard Gwyn Davies. It is a fantasy novel set in modern day times. A lot of real references are used to help the reader relate to the book. The story has 4 main characters, Tim and Merthyn (the boys) who stumble upon the evil, and Mr. Meek and Mr. Davies, two teachers at the Academy, whom together help the boys in dire straits.

At the first mention of Excalibur I couldn’t help myself but groan, but as I read on, the focus was more on Native American Indian lore, which intrigued me. Yet that one thing that interested me, wasn’t explained in detail, everything seemed rushed as if the Davies thought it would bore the reader. With the main characters being teenage boys and the length of the book being short (225 pages), perhaps Davies was targeting YA readers, and this is how I treated the book when I read it.

What I have learnt from reading many YA books is that a successful YA book contains young characters, they have special powers, it is fast paced and readers can relate to the main characters. I think Davies has the first three done, but the last one I am not so certain of. Yes, readers can relate to the books, as it is set in modern times but relating to the boys or the teachers? I’m not too sure of.

Davies has a sequel to this book called Buddha at Culver, which I will read and review at a later time as I am hoping for more ancient lore.

Review written for Best Fantasy Books by Enchanté (a.k.a) Jon Snow from Sleeping With Books

Paul Hoffman’s The Left Hand of God is a new book that’s been garnering mixed reviews. Some people absolutely love it, some are lukewarm about it, and some despise it.

I liked it and quite a lot actually. It’s a rough gem, but in my opinion, still a gem.

So what’s so good about this book, in a genre where there is a lot of good fantasy books.

So let’s get to a bit of the plot.

The world explored in The Left Hand of God is a pretty damn dark one. Cale, the protagonist, starts life out in a monastery. But this isn’t your normal fantasy monastery. The monks, you see, don’t worship love, hope, peace, and all that stuff, but worship (and relish) pain. And Cale, as an acolyte of this order, basically endures a life of pain and physical torture. Not exactly an appealing place to grow up.

But Cale’s destiny turns out to be more than just the whipping boy for a bunch of sadistic monks.  Those who like reading about a baass hero (and don’t we all?) will find Cale interesting indeed.

The Bad

Now this is Hoffman’s first book and there are some flaws. The plotting is a bit uneven and the protagonist Cale occasionally vacillates between being a super badass with no fear with always a couple aces up his sleeve to a trembling whiny kid with a bad case of emoism at certain points in the novel – something that will make you just want to reach into the book and give the kid a couple hard slaps.  Sometimes you get the feeling the author simply throws in some of the plot conventions just because he was told that “a good fantasy book should have them.” This makes them feel forced rather than natural.

The author tries to inject a pseudo real-history/religion into the novel – it’s set in a sort of standard fantasy middle ages with the usual fantastical religions, but the author bizarrely tosses in a few references to Jesus Christ and Jews out of the blue.

The Good

The setting is pretty interesting. Cale’s childhood is pretty vicious and the author really pulls you into this disturbing world. As soon as you start reading, you get sucked into Cale’s life. The author doesn’t just throw out all the details about who the protagonist is, but gradually doles Cale’s life…and abilities slowly. It’s a nice build up – something that reminded me the way The Warded Man was set up. The action, when it happens, is fast, vicious, and glorious.

This book is…different. It’s not your standard fantasy novel that publishers churn out like a butcher churns out ground beef. Ok, bad analogy, but it stand out. The plot buildup, the visceral action sprinkled throughout the book, and the twists and turns that take place make it a very enticing read. You won’t be bored.

If you like the intensity, plot, and action of books like The Warded Man or the adventure present in The Name of the Wind, you certainly won’t be disappointed with the Left Hand of God. Those who don’t like violence, death, and torture might want to give this book a skip, but if you relish action, adventure, heroism, romance, and a dark tone, this books is for you.  Just don’t start reading before you go to bed – you won’t end up sleeping.