Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Look, I'm sorry, it's just not working for me anymore. It's not you, it's m... Well, OK, it really is you. I mean, what happened? It was good between us! We had a great thing going for a while there. You were sexy and funny and beautiful, baby! You were amazing! I told all my friends how lucky I was to have found you! Then... This. I'm sorry, but the magic's gone. It's gone stale. It's just not the same. Where's the love? Really, did the world need yet another Tolkien clone? I mean, come on, at times it was just embarrassing. A King of Men named Aracus/Aragorn, a group of Elves called Rivenlost/Rivendell, a leader of the Elves named Elterrion/Elrond... What, did you write this while watching "The Two Towers" DVD? And let's not mention how much of the plot seemed to be lifted straight from David Edding's "Belgarion". A dark god in rebellion against his six siblings takes up a stone of power, which wounds and disfigures him. Then the world is split into two continents, and the dark god flees to a city that he shields in permanent darkness, where makes takes three humans his immortal disciples. Mortals take up the war of the gods, and there's a prophecy that only when the dark god is defeated by the Godslayer will the world be made whole again. A motley crew of plucky mortals from every corner of the world gathers together to form a company on a quest to fulfill the prophecy. I love you, Jacqueline Carey, but I wouldn't come to your defense in a copyright lawsuit. Now, granted, the book does get better further in, but unfortunately that's canceled out by the below-average prologue and the depressingly average first third of the book. Compared to most of the schlock out there, the writing is pretty good, but compared to Carey's earlier work, it's like "See Spot Run." My advice to Carey fans who buy this book? Forget that Carey wrote it. Sad but true, you can only be disappointed if have any high hopes for "Banewreaker." At least if you don't have any expectations, you can't feel cheated by the book's mediocrity.