Looking through “The Black Prism”

So, I just did the math, and it looks like I read an average of 1,000 pages a month.  Granted, if all I did was read, I could probably do that in half a week, but since it’s not all I’m doing, I’d say 1,000’s not bad. 🙂  Also, that’s not including the pages I edit, the pages I write, the pages of scripture I read daily, or my pages of various research.

Anyway, this last week I finished “The Black Prism,” by Brent Weeks.  I was suggested this series by a new friend and I listened to it on Audible while I finished a cross-stitch I’ve had since high school (I finished the book first 😛 ).

What did I think of the book?  First of all, it caught me off guard.  That’s hard to do, so seriously, Good job Mr. Weeks.  I never really knew what would come next, and as much as I speculated the twists, they still surprised me.  It definitely did not go the direction I thought, but the twists were intriguing and added to the story.

I also really enjoyed the characters. They’re well thought out with deep backgrounds and personal reactions.  They’re realistic, as good guys have problems and bad guys have reasons, and really, I’m not sure who I want to win in the end.

There is a system to the magic based on drafting from colors, but I never really grasped it enough to explain it.  Thankfully, you don’t really need to keep track of the particulars, since Mr. Weeks explains what you need to know as it works in the story.

Why this isn’t a 5 star:  First of all, it poked at my morals bubble a bit.  Not so much that I wanted to stop listening to it, but it’s definitely an adult book with scenes of brief nudity, sexual innuendos, violence, and frequent cursing.  Still, if it were made into a movie with today’s standards, it would probably only be PG13.

Next, there was no stopping point on the learning curve.  Even through the action and the resting points, as a reader, you are constantly learning about the histories of the world, cities, society, magic, and characters. The crazy thing is, as much as Mr. Weeks tells you, you know he’s holding back information, and there’s still more to learn.

There’s also no stopping point in the plot either.  One crazy thing leads right to another.  Also, with characters in different situations and areas, you’re involved in multiple places and problems at once.  The pacing is a bit unrealistic, because seriously – why is everything crazy happening at once, and why do the characters just happen to run into each other at perfect moments?

At the end of the day, I range it on the high end of ***3.5*** stars.  I liked it.  Brent Weeks is obviously a skilled writer and it’s likely I’ll pick up the sequel from the library.