This month's tome took all month to read. Actually, I think I borrowed it at the end of March, got a few chapters in, and then came back to it after a hiatus. I had to renew the loan when I was around the halfway point. This 600-page behemoth took actual concentration to get through. In some ways, it felt like work.
This is book three in a four-book series, and I've been waiting for its release since absolutely devouring the third book in March 2023. I really like this series, and I've grown attached to the characters. I have some gripes, but overall I enjoyed this book and I loved the ending. I'm so excited to see how everything wraps up in book four, which is due out...who knows when.
A Dragon of Black Glass by James Rollins
Despite reading the last book two years ago, I was able to easily pick up the threads of where we left off. The cast of characters is sprawling, and there are three plots going on at once in three different locations, so the fact that I could keep this all straight is a testament to good storytelling. Unfortunately, I only really cared about one of the plots for most of the book; but, because they're so interconnected, I couldn't skim or skip anything, which is for the best, really. Again, this book is huge but it isn't very fluffy. Most of what's in there is necessary for the payoff at the end.
My main gripe is that we spent a lot of time early on setting things into motion, and then Rollins seemed to run out of time at the end. Problems that should have taken time to unwind were miraculously solved by the characters having convenient insight or making really lucky educated guesses.
The other issues I had were about craft stuff. And honestly, I wish I could turn this part of my brain off and just enjoy stories, but the more I work on my own writing, the more I notice flaws in published books. In this case, it was the repeated use of "still," at the beginning of sentences.
"Still, with the threat of moonfall drawing ever closer, they dared not wait," and, "Still, her fingers tightened on her reins, accepting what was equally certain"...and on and on.
There are four instances in chapter one alone, but it gets much more noticeable as the book goes on. According to Kindle, there are literally hundreds of examples.
The other word Rollins is enamored with is ravening, and it was used so frequently I actually found myself laughing when he'd finally use a different word. I think the issue here is that there are some very abstract magics that Rollins tries hard to make concrete for the reader, and ends up overexplaining and relying on words he's used previously to help make that connection. I wish he had just let the magic be abstract.
This kind of repetition should have been caught by an editor, but very successful authors don't really have to listen to their editors. I wish things like this didn't impact my enjoyment of a book, but they do.
There are a few too many death fake-outs for my liking in the last fourth of the novel, too.
All that said, I struggled through this book until the 3/4 mark, and then I absolutely flew through the rest. I don't think this was an issue with the book; more-so, it was an issue with my attention span and ability to focus on such a dense fantasy.
This review comes off as critical, but I am absolutely looking forward to the 4th and final installment of the Moonfall series, and I hope I don't have to wait two more years for it.
Ali
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