The Black Prism by
Brent Weeks
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
'You gotta read this! No, really. C'mon, there's a maa-aap.'
Yes, I am one of the sad saps who read to the end of the acknowledgements.
OK, so I'm not entirely certain how I feel about some of the characters. But, I did feel rather attached to one in particular (and even him I'm not totally sure about how perfectly moral he is ... but, mostly he tries, and that counts for a lot). Would I like to read the next one? Yeah, I'd be tempted to give it a go. Only problem I see is if my fave character bows out too early. But, I can see a chance he might make it a bit longer. If so, then I'm sure I could go the whole trilogy.
I really like this idea of magic based on light - the visual imaginings were fun (picturing people with bright lights of varying colours flashing out of their hands and the like). Yeah, it was cool.
It could have been a huge risk having a super powerful protagonist, but he has enough issues going on around him that he has the potential for everything to come crashing down any minute . . . that's a pretty big weakness.
Kip, I didn't totally gel with. Don't know if I ever will. But, maybe his recklessness can be put down to his being a teen. I don't know. I think what bothered me most was how quick he went from "Poor me" to "Die you bastards" several times ... and it just seemed to happen. As the book progressed we got a little more internalization that let us see the switch, but there were a few times I missed it, and it threw me off kilter as far as Kip goes.
And, I wish that Dazen wasn't called Dazen. I can't pronounce it in a way that sounds sexy to me at all. And I so, so wanted to . . .
When I finished this book, I didn't want it to be over. I carried it around with me almost everywhere I went and reread a few favourite passages. I read it to my son (who's only now very nearly 20months . . .). I'm over it, now, but I'm looking forward to feeling that way about the next two books.
95 relatively short chapters still adds up to a lot of words. But, there was a point in there where I didn't want them to stop . . . and, yes, I am going to miss one or two of these guys while I wait on the next volume. So, I consider that a victory for Mr Weeks. Well done, that man.
P.S. Mr Weeks? Don't feel bad if you have to take it out to four books. I really, really wouldn't mind.
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