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Title: The Woad to Wuin: Sir Apropos of Nothing Book 2 by Peter David ISBN: 0-7434-4832-4 Publisher: Pocket Star Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (14 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Tongue in cheek fantasy
Comment: The Woad to Wuin, by Peter David, is the second book in the Sir Apropos of Nothing series. The title of the book makes it obvious that this is a tongue in cheek book, and David delivers very nicely. It's not as good as the first book, but it is definitely a worthy successor to it. Only a weak middle part of the book mars what otherwise is a funny and interesting take on the fantasy genre.
Apropos is not your typical fantasy hero. He's self-centered, always looking after his own interests before others'. That's what I've always loved about Peter David's writing: he always does the unusual. I wouldn't want to read about this type of character all the time, but it is a nice change of pace. In The Woad to Wuin, David takes Apropos on a journey of discovery, as he finds the depths of his self-centeredness, as well as what little moral sense he has. It's an interesting relationship the he builds with Sharee, as they are companions of necessity more than anything else. They don't really like each other much, but they are both outcasts and so share a certain kinship. Deep down, though, there seems to be a grudging respect between them, despite their animosity. Apropos saves her life a few times when he knows that it involves risking his life. When his men capture her, he goes out of way, risking his power, to try and set her free. He constantly regrets these actions, however, when she continually spurns his help because she knows the type of man he really is. I found watching the two of them fascinating, and thought the book lost a little during the sequences when she wasn't there.
The other characters in the book are interesting as well. There aren't that many, really, but all of them are well-rounded with intriguing bits about them. There's Kate, Apropos' lover while he's the Peacelord. She seems like just a stereotypical ditzy blonde, but she has a hidden depth to her that's revealed in time. Warlord Beliquose is aptly named, as he speaks in nothing but shouts, the volume of his voice shaking everything around him. All of his conversation is in capital letters, which anybody who is familiar with the Internet already knows is considered shouting. The men in Apropos' army aren't quite as well done, but even they have one or two little quirks that make them interesting. The most fascinating of them all, though, is Bicce, the hound (part woman, part creature) who Beliquose uses to track them. Even though she is mostly a beast, she has a certain nobility about her, especially toward the end of the book where she turns into something you don't really expect. I found her the most intriguing of the minor characters, and David does a good job in portraying her.
The plot is also fairly interesting, though it desperately drags in the middle. When Apropos wakes up, you spend a lot of time wondering along with him about what has happened to him. Then he starts doing some horrible, nasty things. While he does suffer attacks of conscience, it is still very jarring for the "hero" of the book to be doing all of this. It can get a bit unpleasant, actually. Then, as this goes on and on, it starts to get rather boring. There's still the mystery there, and Apropos slowly learns some things about himself, so it's still valuable, but it's not very interesting. It's not that the section can just be excised, though, as it's very important to the development of the plot. It's just a slog to get through, as it's not very interestingly told. Things start to pick up again as things are finally revealed and you find out what's really going on. Suddenly, the book explodes into a breakneck pace with revelations occurring right and left and the book gets exceptionally good again.
It's a shame that the book is disjointed in this fashion. I really struggled to get through the middle part of the book, and that's not something that usually happens with David's writing. With this exception, the book is a wonderful exploration of a self-centered character who has had nothing but hard knocks in life. He is the product of the rape of his mother and his mother is then killed by somebody else who was also in the process of raping her. He does find some information in this book about who that person may have been, but it's left unclear whether or not this is a symptom of the alleged perpetrator's madness or if it's really true.
I want to read more about Apropos, and I can't wait for the next book. I hope we learn more about what happened with his mother and the person who allegedly killed her. I just hope that it's a bit better than this one was.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great humor in a story, and great Depth in a character.
Comment: This book, as the first Apropos novel, is simply a joy to read. You love and hate Apropos throughout the book. Mr. David has written a well balanced book. There are pitched battles, quiet love interludes, comedy, and my favorite ' great amounts of introspection and philosophy from our self-professed cynic, Apropos.
The reader is guided through Apropos' life, by Apropos. This way we get to see everything from his point of view, and at the same time we get to see that view evolve. Apropos is a character who becomes loved by the reader because he is so easy to hate at times. He is honestly one of the most "human" characters I have read in a book in a long while. He is very real.
The story is great and driven. There are twists and turns and you never quite know what the whole plot is because you only get a little at a time. Mr. David savors it like a good New York Strip steak, giving us one bite at a time. The dialogue is also great, very witty and humorous.
From the mind of a man who reinvented DC Comics' Aquaman, with the Time and Tide 4-issue mini-series, and the subsequent 50 issues that came later; and from the mind who gave a voice to many of the sidekicks of DC's favorite heroes in Young Justice, comes a great story about a man who would not let Destiny/Fate/whatever rule him. A man who would definitely not ride through life as a sidekick.
I love this book and cannot wait for the third. If you have not picked up this book or the first I suggest you do so. You will love it.
Keep up the good work Peter!
Rating: 5
Summary: Can't put the series down
Comment: I've searched for a novel that would catch my interested, and then keep my interest-this series does it for me. It only took me a couple of weeks to finish Book One and the second was no different.
Apropos is one of the most unlikely heros one will ever see in a novel. He's selfish and cowardly yet his own battle between his conscience and his heart show he can be a hero if he wanted to be.
The book begins where the last left off and goes directly into a quick and concise spoof of Lord of the Rings where Apropos finds the ring which "rules them all." After battling that he comes back to face his companion Sharee and to hopefully explain what happened but he finds out that she is attempting to strike him with lightening, being a weather weaver. His quest goes on and he settles nicely in Bugger Hall. That all ends when a Visionary (one who can see the future) comes in to tell him that his life will change very soon and someone would ask for his help. As the story goes on he is stuck once again, lost everything he owned, and is onthe run from a gargantuan man who is after something his friend stole. On the verge of death in the Tragic Waste he dies and then opens his eyes to realize something is very wrong. He is not dead and has just slain someone who had would naturally ran from in a heart beat. He has become everything he feared and has no clue how it happened.
As the mystery of what happened to him while he was unconscious unravels the story begins to deepen and conspiracy is just a page away.
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Title: Sir Apropos of Nothing by Peter David ISBN: 0743412346 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Tong Lashing : The Continuing Adventures of Sir Apropos of Nothing by Peter David ISBN: 0743449126 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Knight Life by Peter David ISBN: 0441010776 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 24 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: One Knight Only by Peter David ISBN: 0441010571 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: Gods Above (Star Trek New Frontier) by Peter David ISBN: 0743418581 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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