The Paradise War by Stephen R Lawhead

The Paradise War (Song of Albion, #1)

by Stephen R Lawhead

Wolves in Oxford; extinct beasts in Scotland: the barriers between our world and the Celtic Otherworld are breaking down. Two men are drawn into Albion, and changed for ever.

Reviewed by ladygrey on

3 of 5 stars

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Definitely just the first act in a larger story, [b:The Paradise War|617086|The Paradise Snare (Star Wars The Han Solo Trilogy, #1)|A.C. Crispin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328111695l/617086._SY75_.jpg|2112698] is good. not great. but definitely good.

I have to admit I didn't love the writing or the description. Even in trying to give words to an astounding world I felt like the description was trying too hard, or I was trying too hard to understand. The language is simple and uninteresting, until in brief moments when his words ring absolutely true and then I liked it a lot!

I didn't like the central character much; he was petulent and hard headed in understanding things. But that was kind of the point. The characters are all so wholly formed you can witness and recognize the shifting within them. The transformation of the characters is interesting precisely because of who they were when the adventure began.

The thing I liked so much were the ideas underneath the whole of the world, more than the things themselves (you might say the Form of the forms), and that those ideas held sway over events and characters and were forces in their own right. I love when [a:Stephen R. Lawhead|28083|Stephen R. Lawhead|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1247321485p2/28083.jpg] is describing the Otherworld and the manifest world. When Lewis is learning about fear and kingship and sovereignty, of the power and importance of the bard to the fabric of the land.

I suppose I liked the story and I didn't dislike the way it was told at all. But I certainly didn't love it either, when I could have, I think.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 11 April, 2010: Finished reading
  • 11 April, 2010: Reviewed