The reviewer found Tigana to be a well-written but ultimately disappointing book. They appreciated the vivid world-building and lyrical prose but felt detached from the story, which lacked immediacy and emotional engagement. The book felt more like a historical account than an enthralling fantasy novel.
The reviewer approached Tigana with high expectations, given its rave reviews and the author's reputation. They found the book to be technically superb, with vivid world-building and lyrical prose that made the setting feel real. However, the story felt detached and lacked the immediacy and emotional engagement that the reviewer hoped for. The characters, while well-crafted, often sounded similar, and the dialogue sometimes felt like a summary of history rather than natural conversation. The reviewer felt that the book told rather than showed, which made it feel more like a historical account than an enthralling fantasy novel. Despite appreciating the book's strengths, the reviewer was left feeling disappointed, as they had hoped for a more gripping and emotionally resonant story.
Quick quotes
The problem was, it felt somewhat bland at times; like reading a textbook, it was something that had to be done, rather that something I wanted to do.
The prose often felt cold and clinical, even lacking in emotion.
It’s a book that tells rather than shows and — for me, personally — this is the reason it disappoints.