Pisces of Fate Drakeforth Trilogy Volume 2 Paul Mannering 9780473353353 Books
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All is not as it seems in the tranquil waters of the Aardvark Archipelago…
After the death of his parents, Ascott Pudding ran away to the ends of the Earth – that is, to the Aardvark Archipelago, which is basically the same thing. But these tropical waters hold more than just fish, and Ascott soon finds himself in the grip of an ancient mystery … and an extremely violent invertebrate.
With the help of his best friend, Shoal, and an artistically temperamental parrot, Ascott will face down a homicidal octopus, an extreme whale-based sporting event, and several varieties of pirate. Above all, though, they must unravel the ancient mystery of a treasure beyond imagining the Pisces of Fate.
Pisces of Fate Drakeforth Trilogy Volume 2 Paul Mannering 9780473353353 Books
I enjoyed the first in this series, despite the silly names, so I looked forward to reading this one. There's plenty of good stuff in it - comedy, adventure, a little bit of musing about what makes life worthwhile - but ultimately I felt it muffed the ending and didn't quite live up to its promise.(Some spoilers in the following, since I need to talk about why it missed for me.)
Partly, I think, the problem is that the protagonist, Ascott Pudding, is one of those directionless losers that you get sometimes as the protagonists of comic fantasy (Tom Holt comes to mind, and Terry Pratchett's Rincewind), and that means that he never really settles on a clear goal. Is he trying to complete his book on sea life? Well, sort of, but he comparatively easily abandons that life work (which was really a way of not facing his issues anyway). Is he setting out to build a romantic relationship with the competent Shoal Smith? Well, a bit, but he's so pusillanimous about it (and she, understandably, is so lacking in keenness on the idea) that it never really goes anywhere, just serves as a source of tension and embarrassment. Is he trying to save his friend the parrot? Definitely, and he risks his life to do so - a decision that I felt wasn't adequately motivated, and somewhat out of character for someone so lacking in physical courage or ability. But that (authentically exciting) moment is soon over, and there's still plenty of book to go.
So is he trying to find the pirate treasure? He is, using the nonsensical argument that the villains will pursue him and Shoal as long as they think they're hiding something, so the obvious thing to do is find the treasure first and... hide it. But ultimately, they're more witnesses to the denouement than drivers of it, despite taking definite, proactive steps to resolve the situation up to that point.
He's also, a bit, trying to find a way to save his sister Charlotte, even though they're not close; trying to figure out what is going on with all the gods, including the one who keeps dropping in at odd moments, occasionally as if out of a machine; and pursuing various minor, scene-level goals, such as not being killed by a highly intelligent octopus. But none of these goals (except the octopus one, briefly) drive him very strongly. Overall, he just isn't a very focussed or effective character, and I think that was the book's ultimate weakness. There are plenty of good elements - pirate treasure, the intelligent octopus, an intelligent parrot, apparently intelligent cats (who don't end up being important to the plot), a race across the backs of whales, a mystery, the meaning of life. For me, though, they didn't completely gel together into a fully successful book at the end.
Another round of copy editing also wouldn't go amiss; nothing major, but a number of "let's eat Grandma" errors (missing commas before terms of address), and a few other bits of slightly misplaced punctuation, including the dreaded interrobang. At one point, the text talks about a "brace of hairy fellas" and then, in the next sentence, about "some of" these fellas; a "brace" means two. There's also the occasional typo, about the usual number.
Overall, I'm still giving it four stars, because there was plenty of good material and I did enjoy it. I just thought it had some room to be a better book than it ultimately was.
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Tags : Pisces of Fate (Drakeforth Trilogy) (Volume 2) [Paul Mannering] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>All is not as it seems in the tranquil waters of the Aardvark Archipelago…</b> After the death of his parents,Paul Mannering,Pisces of Fate (Drakeforth Trilogy) (Volume 2),Paper Road Press,0473353350,FICTION Sea Stories
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Pisces of Fate Drakeforth Trilogy Volume 2 Paul Mannering 9780473353353 Books Reviews
*This Book Was Given To Me By The Author In Exchange For An Honest Review*
This was the second book I have read by author Paul Mannering and was the sequel to one of my favorite reads of 2015 "Engines of Empathy". This book has the same quirky attributes as the first book but it didn't quite grab me by the throat and refuse to put me down like the first book did.
With a more nautical emphasis the overall effect was just a little lessened for me but it still made for an entertaining way to pass the time.
4 stars and well worth the read for any Douglas Adams fans for the scrabble spelling octopus alone!
V""V
***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official.***
Following on from the highly chaotic and entertaining, "Engines of Empathy", Paul Mannering takes us to a tropical island in the Aardvark Archipelago. Here we meet Charlotte's brother, Ascott Pudding. Ascott has been hiding from the world, pouring all his time and energies into the study of the Archipelago's unique sea fauna. However, that is about to change when a retired god turns up with some bad news Charlotte is dying, but before he can go to her, Ascott has some serious business to sort out.
Serious business in the form of pirates, a lost treasure, a kidnapped parrot, a murderous octopus (of uncanny intelligence and ability) and, not to forget, the fully-capable and slightly fierce, young lady, Shoal. As can be expected, more madcap and somewhat surreal craziness ensures.
Whilst perhaps not quite as engaging as its forerunner, "Pisces of Fate" is a whole-heartedly fun read, in the spirit of Douglas Adams with a touch of Jasper Fforde.
The scene with the octopus is so, so funny! An enjoyable read.
A great followup to Paul's first book on empathic engines.
I too was reminded of Jasper Ffforde when reading this - that same feeling of straight-faced absurdist alternate reality. Very amusing, despite my low tolerance for puns, and nice characterisation. Its biggest weakness was a vague ending - presumably we have to wait for book 3 before the strands of books 1 and 2 come together.
A great follow up to Engines of Empathy with plenty of hilarious one-liners. A few of my favourites
"The pause that followed went so far beyond pregnant it saw its offspring graduate high school."
"the Smiths listening with the polite but reserved interest of people sharing a dining table with an escaped mental patient"
"The sound rose in pitch until it became the shrill whistling scream of someone being disembowelled with a dinner plate."
I enjoyed the first in this series, despite the silly names, so I looked forward to reading this one. There's plenty of good stuff in it - comedy, adventure, a little bit of musing about what makes life worthwhile - but ultimately I felt it muffed the ending and didn't quite live up to its promise.
(Some spoilers in the following, since I need to talk about why it missed for me.)
Partly, I think, the problem is that the protagonist, Ascott Pudding, is one of those directionless losers that you get sometimes as the protagonists of comic fantasy (Tom Holt comes to mind, and Terry Pratchett's Rincewind), and that means that he never really settles on a clear goal. Is he trying to complete his book on sea life? Well, sort of, but he comparatively easily abandons that life work (which was really a way of not facing his issues anyway). Is he setting out to build a romantic relationship with the competent Shoal Smith? Well, a bit, but he's so pusillanimous about it (and she, understandably, is so lacking in keenness on the idea) that it never really goes anywhere, just serves as a source of tension and embarrassment. Is he trying to save his friend the parrot? Definitely, and he risks his life to do so - a decision that I felt wasn't adequately motivated, and somewhat out of character for someone so lacking in physical courage or ability. But that (authentically exciting) moment is soon over, and there's still plenty of book to go.
So is he trying to find the pirate treasure? He is, using the nonsensical argument that the villains will pursue him and Shoal as long as they think they're hiding something, so the obvious thing to do is find the treasure first and... hide it. But ultimately, they're more witnesses to the denouement than drivers of it, despite taking definite, proactive steps to resolve the situation up to that point.
He's also, a bit, trying to find a way to save his sister Charlotte, even though they're not close; trying to figure out what is going on with all the gods, including the one who keeps dropping in at odd moments, occasionally as if out of a machine; and pursuing various minor, scene-level goals, such as not being killed by a highly intelligent octopus. But none of these goals (except the octopus one, briefly) drive him very strongly. Overall, he just isn't a very focussed or effective character, and I think that was the book's ultimate weakness. There are plenty of good elements - pirate treasure, the intelligent octopus, an intelligent parrot, apparently intelligent cats (who don't end up being important to the plot), a race across the backs of whales, a mystery, the meaning of life. For me, though, they didn't completely gel together into a fully successful book at the end.
Another round of copy editing also wouldn't go amiss; nothing major, but a number of "let's eat Grandma" errors (missing commas before terms of address), and a few other bits of slightly misplaced punctuation, including the dreaded interrobang. At one point, the text talks about a "brace of hairy fellas" and then, in the next sentence, about "some of" these fellas; a "brace" means two. There's also the occasional typo, about the usual number.
Overall, I'm still giving it four stars, because there was plenty of good material and I did enjoy it. I just thought it had some room to be a better book than it ultimately was.
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