Live In Bonn - Barclay James Harvest

Advantages: Four very good tracks
Disadvantages: Last BJH album where pros may outweigh cons

...Barclay James Harvest sought success through a mixture of progressive pomp and pastoral melodies. Their investment in tours with a full orchestra and the mystifying lack of success had meant a gradual shift of styles in search of a hit. The band even recorded a single under a pseudonym but anyone who heard the B side would have known whodunit. By the time XII came along the band were clearly at a crossroads. Their search for success meant a move towards recording shorter, punchier songs. This was the last record featuring keyboard maestro Woolly Wolstenholme.His departure changed the musical outlook of the group, and led to a hybrid of pomp and disco which gave them some success in Germany and other parts of the continent but made their old fans groan with dismay. The album kicks off with "Loving Is Easy". It's a promising... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: deep characters, non-stop action
Disadvantages: slightly simplistic in comparison to other authors

...Ever since my early teens i have always been fascinated by fantasy novels, I read the hobbit and Lord of the Rings in my early teens and have slowly worked my way through the world of fantasy fiction. Eventually i was recommended James Barclay by a friend so went out and bought Dawnthief and with it dissapeared three days of my life. To say this book is addictive is to underestimate how good it really is. It is gripping, character driven, fantasy action at its very finest. The plot revolves around an aging mercenary party known as the Raven who found themselves thrown reluctantly into saving the realm of Balaia from the evil Wytch lords and with it get entagled in the petty politics of the colleges of magic. The characters are well put together and even from the very start you feel a connection to the characters that drives you to see... Read review

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Advantages: Well written, expands the Raven's universe.
Disadvantages: Lacks the impact of the original

...'Noonshade' is the second book featuring 'The Raven' - a band of mercenaries who save their planet on a regular basis. 'Noonshade' picks up where 'Dawnthief' (Book 1) left off, making it a little hard to follow if you haven't read the original. In true fantasy tradition, the act of saving the world in book one has brought about a new cataclysm, one that only the band of heroic misfits that is the Raven can prevent. This sounds pretty mundane, but what make this book great is not the plot, but the way in which it is written. The action is vivid and fast paced, and the characters are multi-faceted, very believable personalities, who it is easy to identify with. 'Noonshade' vastly develops both the characters from the last book and a few new ones, and extends our understanding of the world they inhabit. It's a furious page turned... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful