I understand the direction they were trying to go, but the whole thing disappointed me.
There is a great deal of hype around this book. Admittedly, fantasy is not one of my main genres of choice, but the description intrigued me. That being said, it should come with a warning: good only for preteens and teens. In the hands of a different, more experienced author, this plot might have worked, but the writing seemed juvenile to me. It purports to happen MANY thousands of years in the future. There are even goofy sketches of items "found" in archeological digs that are "estimated to be" 2500 years old, etc. Beyond that, there is NO future scenario given, with the exception of the mysterious "Power". Cars are being driven, reporters have passes and cell phones and cameras, and report to the likes of CNN and the BBC. There was even reference to a pay phone! There's plenty of religion and war. The countries that are hot spots in the world remain Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Eastern Europe. As in Ukraine. The people have Russian names at times. The crime syndicate is still running drugs and ruling the "Family". As if that isn't enough, the author drops the F-bomb at frequent and unnecessary intervals where they do not fit in. I'm presuming for the shock value, and to make it sound more grown up. Someone else might enjoy it immensely, but I would not ever recommend it. There are much better books out there. Don't waste your time.
