The Hammer by KJ Parker - DNF

The colony was founded seventy years ago. The plan was originally to mine silver, but there turned out not to be any.


Now an uneasy peace exists on the island, between the colonists and the once-noble met’Oc, a family in exile on a remote stronghold for their role in a vaguely remembered civil war. The met’Oc are tolerated, in spite of occasional cattle stealing raids, since they alone possess the weapons considered necessary protection in the event of the island’s savages becoming hostile.

Gignomai is the youngest brother in the current generation of met’Oc. He is about to discover exactly what it is expected of him; and what it means to defy his family.


This is the first one in a long time that I couldn't finish.  I put it aside, went back to it, retried reading it, but in the end I just didn't care about the characters as none of them seemed "real".  It felt like I was reading a fantasy filled with stock characters, living stock lives in a stock world. Nothing stood out, nothing jarred and it was annoying as the start held such promise, as did the set-up of the bandit-lords on their mountain/hill top.  But it fizzled out and I just couldn't motivate myself to pick it up and finish it.

I feel quite bad about it, and would like to offer this to the first person who replies to this blog who would like to try it out and tell me I'm being full of it.  I can post it out to you tomorrow should any of you be keen to try it out.  Please note this offer is open to UK people only, as I'm paying postage. Also note that comments are filtered, but the time-line still stays correct.

PLEASE NOTE: this offer has now expired and the The Hammer will be going off to MaryOM whose husband is keen to read this and tell me off.  *grins*