IRA: Recommendation & Analysis

This will be my final blog for the book, Of Truth and Beasts. Overall, I enjoyed this book, as well as the series in general. Its similar to a lot of books in its general plot, but it has its own twist to it as well. There are many books that have a plot of good vs. evil, so its certainly not a new theme. Something that I like about it is the moral ambiguity, which isn't present in most characters in the vast majority of books I've read. There are characters, even one's on the side of good, who committ very questionable acts (such as murder, lying, etc.). This actually makes the story more realistic.

Also, the fact that there are various undead, gives the story more depth. They aren't caricatures of vampires. The mythology of the undead in this story is very complex and well thought out. There are many different cultures and different types of creatures (such as dwarves, elves, and humans, etc.). The fact that there are dwarves, elves, fey, undead, fey hounds and various other kinds of mythical creatures, places this book firmly in the fantasy/sci-fi category (primarily fantasy). Because of this, I would recommend this book to people who enjoy this category.

One of the few issues I have with this book and other books I've read, is the main theme (good vs. evil). This theme is used in a lot of books. The fact is, it starts to get kind of tedious. Theres a bad guy, the good guy saves the day, blah blah. We get it already! Thats not to say that they aren't good books, but its hard to write a book with this kind of theme and make it stand out. There are just too many books like it. Personally, though, I think this book and the series in general is off to a good start in making itself distinct from many others.

Another problem I have with this series is repetitiousness in the wording. This is something you wouldn't notice unless you've read the first books in the series. If you just read one book, it wouldn't be noticeable. However, most people read the first book in a series and go on from there. This brings up another related issue I have with the series. Some stuff that occurs in previous books and is already explained there, is mentioned in this book. Even if its a small mention, they feel the need to explain it yet again. Now, if you happen to acidentally start the series in the middle, this is a good thing. Otherwise, its just irritating.

Now, to sum up my analysis and give you my recommendation. This books plot is the usual good vs. evil, so if your tired of this plot, its probably not for you. Still, it does provide several twists and variations on your average good vs. evil theme, so its not just standard issue. However, if you can't stand lengthy, repetitious explanations, as well as wording seemingly copied from a previous book in the series, you'll probably become annoyed by this series. Considering the books genre, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this particular genre. That being said, I think anyone would still enjoy it.