Pitiful 2

A few words about the plot, first. It takes place in an archipelago. The Tedry Duke, reigning on the island of Yole celebrates his victory against King Carus. He is an anonymous magician, called the Man in coat. But the fate that he has used results in a cataclysmic reaction. While Tedry is haranguing the crowd, dark Yole abruptly into the sea. Only a magician Tenoctris, survives. She fished a thousand years later in the peaceful hamlet of Barca, by a Garric.

I must admit that life in the countryside is described with an incredible wealth of detail. Undoubtedly, David Drake is there in his element. But for the rest ...

The characters have an incredible lack relief, except maybe a hermit named Nonnus, which I find very interesting and enigmatic. The appearance of a magician survivor Yole is a real prodigy and this news should have a complete tour of the islands in a few days. But nothing ... Tenoctris begins a withdrawn existence in the peaceful hamlet of Barca, among farmers and fishermen. Noble survivors of a storm arrive by boat. They realize that Sharina's sister Garric, is actually an adopted child, and it descends from an ancient royal line. How Garric and Sharina react to this extraordinary story? Well, they do not react at all. They do not think anything. There are just a few that piques their mother crying spells.

Until page 250, all events happen by chance or misfortune, against the will of the characters. Garric complains and wants nothing changes in his peaceful life. Clumsy magicians cause disasters. This is the case of the Man in coat, but also Meder, one of the nobles cited above. As for Tenoctris David Drake kills telling us that it is not a true magician, he lacks knowledge, etc.

It is a pitiful world described. And even if it was written correctly! But the text is interspersed with poorly constructed sentences and impossible to understand. I give an example. Sharina is running away from demonic creatures, but the terrain makes it very difficult race. "So hard that she dared not think of a possible failure." What? What does it mean? What is the logic of this sentence? I compared the first pages in English and I concluded that John the Baptist Bernet made a faithful translation of the text. It is David Drake who can not write.

So when Bragelonne / Milady stop there to flood the French market stews Anglo-Saxon?