Book Review: The Tyrant by Michael Cicso

It took me a long time to get into this book, and even then I wasn’t entirely convinced that I enjoyed it.

The concept is intriguing and unique, but it took me a long time to work out what the concept even was. This novel creates a very strange universe and I would have appreciated some more time spent telling me about the world I was in before delving into the story.

There was very little dialogue throughout the novel. It was heavy on descriptive passages, yet somehow managed to give me very little imagery of the physical places described in the book.



One rule of writing that I’ve heard on a number of occasions is to avoid too many unnecessary adjectives. The Tyrant had no problem breaking this rule and I found myself having to reread passages to mentally cut out the extra adjectives and clauses to actually understand what was going on. To compound this the use of commas to separate adjectives or clauses within a sentence seemed optional. Sometimes they were there, but most of the time they weren’t. If I have to bring my own punctuation to the party, I’ll be heading home early.
“One of his charging infantrymen is cut down in the instant he’s cut down his image detaches still charging-she can see the black gape of his silently roaring jaws glint of his sabre in the air blinding glare of his eyes in dark sockets.”
I think the author is trying to speed things up and give a sense of urgency, but the actual effect was the opposite as I had to slow down and decipher what was happening.
Perhaps because I grew used to the writing style or because I'd figured out a bit more about the world in which it was set, or more likely a combination of the two, the second half of the book was more enjoyable. I started to feel a connection to Ella and wanted to see her reunited with the Tyrant.
The lack of world building and explanation of the mechanics of the supernatural elements of the book make me wonder if it's part of a series or a spin off of some kind. It would explain why I felt like I'd been dropped in the middle of something without any compass to tell me what to expect.
I found the concept of the story unique and interesting, but I can’t get past the poor execution.

2 out of 5 blocks of gelatin.

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