Gareth Otton's Reviews > The Antiheroes

This book just scrapes its way into getting 4 stars, mainly because I can't bring myself to give it anything less. For the most part it is well written, the characters felt real, the world building was interesting, and the pacing was quite good. However, there was one thing that is just holding me back from loving this; a lack of investment.

The main cause of this problem is a lack of character motivation. That's not to say that the character motivation isn't there, but rather that it isn't as engaging as it needs to be to keep me hooked in the story. As the protagonist and his allies are assembling in order to go on an impossible mission, I was left wondering why why they were doing so beyond what was on the surface level.

There are hints at deeper character motivations that somewhat reminds me of the characters in the novels of David Gemmell. Aging heroes pass their time who are pulled into events that they should probably leave to younger adventurers, and the younger adventurers with promise but who are naive to the ways of the world. These are the kind of things the great characters are made of, but unlike David Gemmell who was a master at writing characters, there's something about the character work here that just stops those traits from fully blooming to where they need to be.

This results in characters that are not quite finished baking and aren't ready to be served to the reader. Without that vital element, this story about anti-heroes who don't really have a reason to be invested in this mission fails to invest me in that mission as well.

Maybe the protagonist could be trying to make up for a lifetime of dark deeds and wants to leave the world knowing he did at least one good thing. Maybe his giant friend who had been little more than slave to his immediate desires all his life realises that he has squandered his best years without anything to show for it and he is fighting for that one last chance at meaning. Maybe the young assassin is looking to prove herself to the people who wrote her off in the past because of her inability to do her job thanks to a quirk of nature. Maybe the young druid is trying to prove the world that he is not as mad as everyone thinks he is, and maybe he can finally connect with other people and end a lonely existence.

These are traits that the writer in me wants to project on these characters as I believe the foundation has been laid. However, other than some small hints at that character direction, there's no real commitment and therefore the story felt a little flat.

I'm hoping the next book gives me more of those character moments because I think that will elevate this story to the next level and will truly get me hooked in the series.

** UPDATE **

After reading the next book in this series, I can confirm the author does deliver on developing these characters to become people I cared far more strongly about, and the story was much more rewarding as a result. Therefore I am no longer hesitant in offering a recommendation for this series as I think it's well worth a read.