Back from Chaos by Yvonne Hertzberger Series: Earth's Pendulum
on October 28th, 2011
Genres: Epic, Fantasy
Pages: 298
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Klast, loner, assassin and spy, has no idea that his destiny is linked to the maid he is sent to rescue. But even before he can fulfill it he must wrestle with his own demons, and help Lord Gaelen unmask a traitor. Failure will upset the Balance that Earth, goddess, needs to provide good harvests, health and peace.
Earth has shown Liethis, true seer, that unless Klast completes his missions, more catastrophes, like the Red Fever that ravages the population, will follow. Time is short.
Ugh! I hate it when I’m in the minority regarding my like or dislike of a book. I always feel I’ve missed something, but I have found that I’m a finicky reader, much to my own annoyance. Sadly—very sadly, I might add—this book didn’t hold my attention.
This review isn’t going to be very detailed as I sadly skimmed quite a bit. The story itself was a nice idea: An invasion by a neighboring land and the transition to this new ruler, who was a very likable guy. There’s some intrigue in there, a hefty dose of betrayal, loads of romance, and an interesting back story on one of the characters. I didn’t mind the four characters this book centered around. They had some good qualities. There were some great moments in this book. However …
There was way too much repetition of emotions that it bogged down the story. On top of that, most of the story felt like a recap. There were some wonderful moments where we were actually grounded in the story, but the rest of the time it was simply a recount of events that had happened. Or either the scene itself seemed as if it were being told to me. I never became involved in the story. I never was entrenched in the scenes because they were over so quickly, then we had an explanation, some repetitive musings, and then there was another scene. These breaks just kept pulling me out of the story and made me start skimming enough that I’m sure I missed some stuff.
Based on some reviews, I guess I skipped a lot of good stuff. Tons of people love this book. It has some serious 5 star ratings, so I really feel this comes down to personal taste. It just didn’t connect with me, but it clearly connected with a lot of other people.
I enjoyed Klast’s character the most. He had some pretty horrible things happen to him, and we were privy to his story. What I didn’t like was the break from the main story to dedicate a chapter to an overview of what happened to him. I would have loved to see this worked into the story more.
So overall, I think this simply boils down to the fact that this wasn’t my cup of tea. Again, others loved it. I myself think the story had loads of potential. There were some interesting characters. I just couldn’t get into it, but I’m clearly in the minority.
About Yvonne Hertzberger
Yvonne Hertzberger has been a Jill of all Trades; actor, singer, gardener, hairstylist, and decorator. This long-time student of human nature, empty nester, retiree and late bloomer, finally found her calling writing epic fantasy. She lives with her spouse, Mark in Stratford, Ontario.
If you are interested in reading more about Yvonne or her creative process, please visit her blog. She would be happy to share any insight that she could provide to those seeking it.
Yvonne is a contributing author on the staff of Indies Unlimited, the greatest site to support and promote Indie writers since the invention of the e-reader, and on the recommended list at Preditors and Editors.
