Where Loyalties Lie Best Laid Plans Volume 1 Rob J Hayes 9781545581926 Books
Download As PDF : Where Loyalties Lie Best Laid Plans Volume 1 Rob J Hayes 9781545581926 Books
Everybody knows Drake Morrass is only out for himself. As the fires of a dying city burn on a distant shore, Drake sees an opportunity to unite the other pirate Captains under his flag and claim a crown for himself. If he is to succeed he will need allies and the Oracle named Keelin Stillwater, the best swordsman in the isles, as Drake’s right hand. With enemy ships sailing his waters and setting fire to his cities, and the sinister Tanner Black threatening to steal the throne before Drake has even sat in it, Drake must somehow convince the other Captains that his best interests are also theirs.
Where Loyalties Lie Best Laid Plans Volume 1 Rob J Hayes 9781545581926 Books
It is OK but not really interesting - Characters are just OK, there is a plot, but somehow this does not build into much tension or an arc. Things happen one after another, but perhaps because people do not seem awfully fazed, this does not somehow grip. It is pretty well written, style wise -most of the time. I try to go to details without spoilers, but continue at your own risk:Specifically to gripe, then: The sex scenes and what I call Decorative Rape. Obviously, this is supposedly gritty and so on, so sex scenes should be there, but they tend to stand out like a sore thumb, they are that unevenly written. The first one went past without be noticing it, so it was probably fine - they are not very long - but then there is one where two people have been eyeing each other for ages and the tryst has as much erotic charge as an encounter with a hoover. I do not want to be flagged by Amazon so I let you fill in the detail in your head... fill, and head, keep those on mind. The last sex scene on the other hand was forgotten to be written in, as there is a lot of ripping cloth and then it is over (odd choice when other times the act was there: in another story it would be a familiar device, 'pulling the curtain' when the couple actually couple). No-one has heard of foreplay. Sex scenes should at least be sexy, or it is not worth the time reading them.
This matter of fact way of describing sex serves the Decorative Rape well, because now we do not have to linger with it, which would be icky, it is merely fast and brutal. I thought it was handled well, but then it turns out it serves no purpose in the plot. Nothing. Zip. I expected the victim to turn to be some sort of Joker-level weird and damaged but nope, just another female who seems to mostly think about the men in her life. Plot-wise the scene has no consequences, which is what makes it Decorative Rape - something that is there just to show how edgy this all is.
All in all, the characters are not as interesting as they could be - there is a bit of character in the main pirates, but the main protagonist seemingly knows he will succeed, which is probably which saps the tension from the plot. The other main pirate captain also has some intriguing backstory, but he is rather bland nevertheless - the inner conflict he clearly has does not quite come across.
Lastly, there is the Chekhov's Necromancer - there is some magic stuff and dangerous creatures that are shown briefly and then do not intrude in the story. I quite like fantasy that concentrates on characters and action, rather than have magical special effects oozing from every page, but this is just teasing. They could have been left out and made this a low fantasy book, with just the magic the actual characters use - presumably other magics will reappear in book 2, and must therefore be established, or you'd get necromancy ex machina which is also not good, but could it not have been done with just hints and not this blunt way?
So, why even give it 3 stars, I hear you cry. Well, it still is a book, unlike many incoherent offerings on the genre, there is an actual plot, and the characters are OK if not terribly wonderful. It is the overall impression the book leaves - OK. I could have wasted my time in worse ways.
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Tags : Where Loyalties Lie (Best Laid Plans) (Volume 1) [Rob J Hayes] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Everybody knows Drake Morrass is only out for himself. As the fires of a dying city burn on a distant shore,Rob J Hayes,Where Loyalties Lie (Best Laid Plans) (Volume 1),CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1545581924,FICTION Fantasy Epic
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Where Loyalties Lie Best Laid Plans Volume 1 Rob J Hayes 9781545581926 Books Reviews
I was privileged enough to get a Advanced Reader's Copy of WHERE LOYALTIES LIE by Rob J. Hayes and feel like it'd be a good time to mention what I think of it well ahead of everyone else. Bwhahahaha! Yes, my book review will determine the fate of its success. You know, if anyone remembers what I said when it's released in may.
This book is a sequel, of sorts, set in the same world as Rob J. Hayes THE TIES THAT BIND series. Despite this, while reading the last book will enrich your experience, it is not necessary to appreciate what is inside. This works entirely on its own as a standalone story of roguish pirate Drake Morass and his decision to try to build a nation out of the various pirate fleets which exist inside the seas of the Known World.
This impressive ambition is fueled by the fact he's managed to get to the top of his game as a pirate and con man but has recently lost his most lucrative con (being the lover to the Empress of China's equivalent in the setting) as well as winning the enimity of the world's most dangerous inquisitor. Drake has the seed money and contacts to become a king, sort of, but he has the problem that everyone knows him as a scheming treacherous bastard. To that end, he has to recruit a number of individuals who might actually be able to persuade, with sincerity, pirates to believe in a dream of a nation of their own. The fact Morass doesn't remotely care about the prospect save as a means of entitling himself is one of the books ironies and underscores the author's cynical views about causes.
Comparisons to Pirates of the Carribean are inevitable with the fact this is a supernatural pirate story with the calculating lead and his more straight-laced associate Keelin Stillwater. In fact, the similarities highlight the differences as Drake only has a heart of gold if he ripped it out from someone else's chest. He's charming, yes, but in the same way a snake is and the book makes no bones about his sociopathy. Keelin, by contrast, is desperate to be a good man but the fact he's a pirate makes all his attempts at righteousness ring hollow. The fact he wants a measure of redemption through leaving his current long-time pirate lover for a more "innocent" girl also shows the fundamental hypocrisy at the heart of his desires.
Tanner Black, the book's primary antagonist, is an interesting take on the mythological Blackbeard. While Edward Thatch may have had his downer points, he wasn't the embodiment of cruelty and causal horror which Rob J. Hayes has created in his "villain." The irony of the character is he's right about everything, particularly that Drake Morass is going to get them all killed for his own ambition. His mind is an interesting place to be as well since his treatment of his daughter and son approaches Tywin Lannister levels of abuse (then passes everything but Tyrion's "moment") yet believes he loves them. By the end of the book, it was definitely my desire to see him destroyed as I can say about few fantasy villains--even though I hated Drake in a "love to hate" sort of way.
My favorite character in the book is probably Elaina Black, though, who has much of the appeal of the literary Asha Greyjoy and would very much work as the star of her own novel. Elaina desperately wants to please her father and be with her lover Keelin in a life of blood, sweat, and rum but this just isn't in the cards. Neither man is worth her devotion and it's clear she probably would be the best Pirate Monarch-but there's the issue of both her gender as well as her father's untrusworthinss standing in her way. Also, sadly, the fact she'd rather help those she loves than rule herself.
Make no mistake, despite the Caribbean-like environment, this book is grimdark. There's a horrifying scene in the book where a major character is "punished" which strips away any pretense the antagonists are decent people while the protagonists have the benefit of merely being slightly less monstrous. If you don't have a stomach for George R.R. Martin levels of violence and angst then this might not be the book for you. Fans of the Ties That Bind, for example, may remember that Drake was a VILLAIN in the previous book and did something most would consider irredeemable.
Even so, there's a kind of jolly (roger) energy to the book which propels its story forward. Even though we, the audience, know this is all a con, it's very easy to get swept up in the idea of a nation for the underdogs. The historical pirates of Nassau had the belief they could create an equal society for all before their dream collapsed due to, well, piracy being a poor method of creating a nation. It's really more of a supplementary income sort of thing unless you're Francis Drake at least. There's a good sense of humor to the book, too, which contrasts nicely against the somewhat grim protagonists of his previous book.
In conclusion, I strongly recommend this book and consider the duology (yes, I read the sequel too) to be Hayes' best work and up there with Mark Lawrence as well as Joe Abercrombie.
10/10
It is OK but not really interesting - Characters are just OK, there is a plot, but somehow this does not build into much tension or an arc. Things happen one after another, but perhaps because people do not seem awfully fazed, this does not somehow grip. It is pretty well written, style wise -most of the time. I try to go to details without spoilers, but continue at your own risk
Specifically to gripe, then The sex scenes and what I call Decorative Rape. Obviously, this is supposedly gritty and so on, so sex scenes should be there, but they tend to stand out like a sore thumb, they are that unevenly written. The first one went past without be noticing it, so it was probably fine - they are not very long - but then there is one where two people have been eyeing each other for ages and the tryst has as much erotic charge as an encounter with a hoover. I do not want to be flagged by so I let you fill in the detail in your head... fill, and head, keep those on mind. The last sex scene on the other hand was forgotten to be written in, as there is a lot of ripping cloth and then it is over (odd choice when other times the act was there in another story it would be a familiar device, 'pulling the curtain' when the couple actually couple). No-one has heard of foreplay. Sex scenes should at least be sexy, or it is not worth the time reading them.
This matter of fact way of describing sex serves the Decorative Rape well, because now we do not have to linger with it, which would be icky, it is merely fast and brutal. I thought it was handled well, but then it turns out it serves no purpose in the plot. Nothing. Zip. I expected the victim to turn to be some sort of Joker-level weird and damaged but nope, just another female who seems to mostly think about the men in her life. Plot-wise the scene has no consequences, which is what makes it Decorative Rape - something that is there just to show how edgy this all is.
All in all, the characters are not as interesting as they could be - there is a bit of character in the main pirates, but the main protagonist seemingly knows he will succeed, which is probably which saps the tension from the plot. The other main pirate captain also has some intriguing backstory, but he is rather bland nevertheless - the inner conflict he clearly has does not quite come across.
Lastly, there is the Chekhov's Necromancer - there is some magic stuff and dangerous creatures that are shown briefly and then do not intrude in the story. I quite like fantasy that concentrates on characters and action, rather than have magical special effects oozing from every page, but this is just teasing. They could have been left out and made this a low fantasy book, with just the magic the actual characters use - presumably other magics will reappear in book 2, and must therefore be established, or you'd get necromancy ex machina which is also not good, but could it not have been done with just hints and not this blunt way?
So, why even give it 3 stars, I hear you cry. Well, it still is a book, unlike many incoherent offerings on the genre, there is an actual plot, and the characters are OK if not terribly wonderful. It is the overall impression the book leaves - OK. I could have wasted my time in worse ways.
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