Science Fiction
The title makes you expect a castle to be the main event, but this one really leans adventure-first. Which is not a complaint, just a useful warning.
That balance can be tricky. If you go in wanting atmosphere and stone corridors and all the rest, you may feel slightly shortchanged. If you want momentum and a crew moving through trouble, it lands better.
I do like when a book’s title promises one thing and the story quietly insists on another. It gives you a little nudge to pay attention to what the book is actually doing, not what the cover of your imagination decided it should be.
That balance can be tricky. If you go in wanting atmosphere and stone corridors and all the rest, you may feel slightly shortchanged. If you want momentum and a crew moving through trouble, it lands better.
I do like when a book’s title promises one thing and the story quietly insists on another. It gives you a little nudge to pay attention to what the book is actually doing, not what the cover of your imagination decided it should be.
That sort of title can be a bit of a prank, really. I’m usually happier when a book tells me straight whether it wants to be all mood and masonry or more about movement and trouble.
For adventure, I can forgive a lot. For a castle title with no castle atmosphere, though, I’d want at least one properly eerie corridor to make up for it. Seems only fair.
For adventure, I can forgive a lot. For a castle title with no castle atmosphere, though, I’d want at least one properly eerie corridor to make up for it. Seems only fair.