I just read The Warlock, and the only word to describe it is infuriating. Absolutely nothing happened in the book. And I mean it. Absolutely nothing. By the end, only two things had changed. One of them should have happened two books ago, and the other one was entirely predictable. And then there was a ridiculous plot twist at the end that simply didn't make sense. Shock value only lasts as long as the shock.

Okay, I'll try to organize my thoughts a bit better. The worst problem with the book is that the story has become so schizophrenic. Every chapter jumps from storyline to storyline, leaving no time to actually develop any of them. Besides that, the entire plot has become stagnant. The drive of the first two books has been replaced with a series of scenes where characters sit around waiting for something to happen. The characters no longer have personalities, mostly because there is so little time to develop them, another product of the many storylines. The one character that is actually developed is the author's "Mary Sue" Virginia Dare, who continues to be better than everyone else, and, wait for it -- even flies. Because it's apparently a secret that air pressure can lift things up.

The carefree magic of the beginning of the series has been apparently depleted. There's nothing there -- every once in a while a little bit of aura will float off, and about every other scene someone encases their hands in magical gloves, but there is nothing that makes me say, "Wow. I wish I could do that."

The biggest problem with this book is that the author no longer seems to have a vision; instead, the story seems to be made up as he goes along. Gone is the icy focus of the first book or the fun of the second. Everything about the book suffers because of this stem problem: the book goes nowhere, it has too many plot branches and too many characters, and the characters who were previously introduced become far less interesting. The one plus side is the fact that we learn a lot more about the past of this world; the unfortunate side effect is that it loses its mystery. That sort of content belongs in a prequel instead. By the end of this book we have lost the purpose of the series, and we have no idea why the characters continue doing what they are doing (what's going on in the past? Why did they have to send people back there in order to... change the past to what it already is? WAT? What are the Dark Elders actually planning? Why do they even care about our planet? All of these questions are essential, yet none of them are remotely answered.). Basically, the book feels like a fantasy fulfillment: the author created a world that he thought was really cool, so he continued to make things he thought were really cool while letting the story suffer. That's where Virginia Dare, Alcatraz being a monster prison, the whole of Danu Talis, the awesome-armor-I-can-make-out-of-vanilla-and-orange, and practically everything after the first book comes in. GAGHGAJFdjlfa. /RANT

Don't tell me, I haven't read it! You should edit that post, many people who haven't read the book might read the post.

*scratches head* I don't think I really spoiled anything, except perhaps the whole flying thing. Anything else is simply opinion that doesn't reveal what actually happened or could be read on the flap of the book. o.o

Flying thing? I didn't read it. It just seemed to me from the beginning and the large post that you were talking about events in the book.

Well, I don't actually talk about the events of the book except in extremely broad terms, i.e. the plot twist at the end was stupid. And the flying thing, but that's not relevant at all to the actual story.

Okay. From what I saw, it seemed like you were revealing stuff about the whole book.

Well, I wasn't.

Oh, Darke is finally out! Well, it's probably been out for a few days, but I finally got it!

Really? It's not supposed to be out until June 7th. I guess it's out earlier wherever you live.

I just read Anne Bishop's Twilights Dawn and it was a good addition to her Black jewels series. The characters have depth and there were some interesting plot twists. Some of the earlier books in the series are more r rated, but she has an interesting style.

@iPink - Really? Well, it's possible that I got it early becase I ordered it.

EDIT: Oops, it turns out what I got was the Warlock, sorry.

Please add me in the list since I love Septimus Heap, Monster Mission and Araminta Spook!

Warlock spoiler (highlight if you've read the book): AUNT AGNES IS AN ANCIENT BEING?!

Uh, sorry. I finally started the Warlock. I haven't finished it, so don't tell me anything, except this. Are the torbalan called Sack Men because they have unusual, powerful things in sacks, or because they're made of sacks?

Don't tell me anything but what I just asked for, even what exactly is in their sacks if it's the former.

It's because they've got sacks. And you don't find out what's in the sacks, because the author was not creative enough to create something horrifying enough for someone to say "you really don't want to know" multiple times.

Okay, then. As for the 'you really don't want to know', it's a common writer's trick. If it's supposed to be something so horrible or wonderful it can't be described, it's not.

BTW, Virginia was the one who said that.

I know it's a typical writers' trick, but that doesn't make it any less annoying. XP If you can't come up with something, then don't pretend it exists.

I thought it was Virginia that said that. She's probably my current favorite character because she's perhaps the only particularly intelligent character in the last book, she's subtle, and she has a real personality. Maybe she'll turn good. Then I can genuinely like her character.

Actually a lot of them are intelligent and good at plotting and planning. I don't think Virginia will turn good, though. Machiavelli and Billy probably will did.

BTW, Flanagan...uh...didn't make them up. They're a form of Bogeymen, and...well, it's not that the sack contents are too horrible to describe. Virginia was right; if Josh knew, he really wouldn't want to. Torbalan are said to collect children in sacks.

Then how come the items in the sacks were vaguely referred to as weapons or at least dangerous? It's kinda strange.

I don't remember that. I just remember Virginia saying Josh really didn't want to know.

EDIT: I can answer the questions in your earlier rant.
1) They need to change he past to what it is because Isis and Osiris are trying to change it to what it isn't.
2) The Dark Elders are planning to trick the humani (that's us ) into worshipping them by defeating their own monsters. If we worship them, it'll be easier for them to make us slaves.
3) They want our world because it's the strongest Shadowrealm. Since all the magic in existence holds it together, killing or weakiening them won't destroy it. Plus, it's the original home of Danu Talis.

Have you finished it yet? If so, please tell me that you at least thought the plot twist at the end was stupid and ridiculous. It simply doesn't make any sense. >: (