Now I have to ask if you've played the game "Destiny." Reminded me of that a lot—in a good way.
I liked the immediate dynamic between Adolphus and Draven. You can really feel the craven Lord's trepidation that his little project went *too* well. Then, for me, the scene of Draven fitting into his gear like he was sliding into an old favorite car got me invested in the guy immediately. Made it clear we weren't gonna have a chapter or two of him fumbling about getting up to speed, but the reactions from everyone around him still gives him that "wind up" for a different kind of challenge he'll be dealing with.
Oh, that so many of us feel shame about that phase of our lives... 😆
Issues with the game aside, it was certainly one of the most interesting sci-fi settings I've ever seen. I'm still proud to have one of those lore grimoires they produced.
I mainly stuck around to see what happened with Uldren/Crow, and once they wrapped up his redemption storyline I lost interest. Final Shape was a nice endpoint and I have no reason to go back.
Is Draven a man or monster? Either way, he's a compelling character. Through his POV, one can see Draven has a moral code, or he would have killed those soldiers threatening him in the barracks. I also like that he has a mind/will of his own and not completely in thrall of Lord Adolphus. Based on the spiritual torment he went through in the chapter's beginning; I have suspicions about what he was prior to his reawakening.
Writing-wise, you did a great job of "showing" instead of "telling"--something most writers (including myself) struggles with.
Draven's robot companion, with his "useless facts", is an excellent way of avoiding exposition while simultaneously explaining this amazing world you created to amnesiac Draven and the reader. Well done!
Now I have to ask if you've played the game "Destiny." Reminded me of that a lot—in a good way.
I liked the immediate dynamic between Adolphus and Draven. You can really feel the craven Lord's trepidation that his little project went *too* well. Then, for me, the scene of Draven fitting into his gear like he was sliding into an old favorite car got me invested in the guy immediately. Made it clear we weren't gonna have a chapter or two of him fumbling about getting up to speed, but the reactions from everyone around him still gives him that "wind up" for a different kind of challenge he'll be dealing with.
I am ashamed to admit that I was a massive Destiny 2 fan for several years. It may or may not had influenced a few things in this story. :-)
Oh, that so many of us feel shame about that phase of our lives... 😆
Issues with the game aside, it was certainly one of the most interesting sci-fi settings I've ever seen. I'm still proud to have one of those lore grimoires they produced.
I mainly stuck around to see what happened with Uldren/Crow, and once they wrapped up his redemption storyline I lost interest. Final Shape was a nice endpoint and I have no reason to go back.
Is Draven a man or monster? Either way, he's a compelling character. Through his POV, one can see Draven has a moral code, or he would have killed those soldiers threatening him in the barracks. I also like that he has a mind/will of his own and not completely in thrall of Lord Adolphus. Based on the spiritual torment he went through in the chapter's beginning; I have suspicions about what he was prior to his reawakening.
Writing-wise, you did a great job of "showing" instead of "telling"--something most writers (including myself) struggles with.
Draven's robot companion, with his "useless facts", is an excellent way of avoiding exposition while simultaneously explaining this amazing world you created to amnesiac Draven and the reader. Well done!
Thanks! The real fun of this book is figuring out how the Mark and Sylvia plot fit together with the Draven plot.
Draven, Revenant man of mystery!
I adore the little robot!