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The Game and the Board
Whoever controls the Game, rules the world.
For centuries, the Republic and the Empire have been at war over the Middle Kingdom. They call it a Game. On both sides, the battles are led by the Rainbow Wizards, each color a symbol of a special talent.
The Game, the powerful boards with a mind of their own, and the figures are the link between the wizards and the magic roots of the land. Like a Phoenix, the sentient boards burn and are born again each time a King is killed in battle. But this time everything went wrong, and the last time a new board failed to materialize, a whole continent disappeared in a violent cataclysm.
Raiden’s father and Vivani’s husband were killed in the last battle against the old tyrant King. An untried young man and a mother of two, they must fight their own battles now, just to survive. Raiden could have been a Rainbow Wizard, but there was an ancient power in him, little understood and much feared by the wizards. Guided by Vivani to become a Sword-dancer, Raiden must make his own way in the world as the Rainbow Wizards are determined to kill him. His journey goes along a path filled with conspiracy, revenge, magic and death. Securing his place will not be easy. Preventing the total destruction of the Middle Kingdom will be even harder.
Enter in a dark ancient story, one that has become a legend in a world filled with dangers, lurking in the shadows, in the light, and in the colors.
For centuries, the Republic and the Empire have been at war over the Middle Kingdom. They call it a Game. On both sides, the battles are led by the Rainbow Wizards, each color a symbol of a special talent.
The Game, the powerful boards with a mind of their own, and the figures are the link between the wizards and the magic roots of the land. Like a Phoenix, the sentient boards burn and are born again each time a King is killed in battle. But this time everything went wrong, and the last time a new board failed to materialize, a whole continent disappeared in a violent cataclysm.
Raiden’s father and Vivani’s husband were killed in the last battle against the old tyrant King. An untried young man and a mother of two, they must fight their own battles now, just to survive. Raiden could have been a Rainbow Wizard, but there was an ancient power in him, little understood and much feared by the wizards. Guided by Vivani to become a Sword-dancer, Raiden must make his own way in the world as the Rainbow Wizards are determined to kill him. His journey goes along a path filled with conspiracy, revenge, magic and death. Securing his place will not be easy. Preventing the total destruction of the Middle Kingdom will be even harder.
Enter in a dark ancient story, one that has become a legend in a world filled with dangers, lurking in the shadows, in the light, and in the colors.
411 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 17, 2021
11 people are currently reading
1522 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 24, 2023
My rating 4.5
The fantasy novel "The Game and Board" by Florian Armas is very well written and a pleasure to read. The world in which the action takes place is well described, and the characters are very well developed.
The Republic and the Empire are waging an endless war in which the story is set. Raiden's father and Vivani's husband died in that war. Raiden is the only male descendant who needs to be kept alive, and his mother sends him under the protection of his sister, but during the journey, he and his entourage are attacked, luckily with the help of his powers, he manages to survive the attack. But that is the least of the problems because soon he will discover secrets that will put his life to the test. In the game of the powerful, he will have to reveal secrets, but the path is interwoven with deception and intrigue. His life is in danger, he will have to balance on the edge of the sword to stay alive, like everyone he loves.
I would recommend the book to fans of the fantasy genre.
The fantasy novel "The Game and Board" by Florian Armas is very well written and a pleasure to read. The world in which the action takes place is well described, and the characters are very well developed.
The Republic and the Empire are waging an endless war in which the story is set. Raiden's father and Vivani's husband died in that war. Raiden is the only male descendant who needs to be kept alive, and his mother sends him under the protection of his sister, but during the journey, he and his entourage are attacked, luckily with the help of his powers, he manages to survive the attack. But that is the least of the problems because soon he will discover secrets that will put his life to the test. In the game of the powerful, he will have to reveal secrets, but the path is interwoven with deception and intrigue. His life is in danger, he will have to balance on the edge of the sword to stay alive, like everyone he loves.
I would recommend the book to fans of the fantasy genre.
November 1, 2022
The Game and the Board is an interesting story of wizards and citizens who live and control things via an actual game simulation. The most interesting characters to me are Raiden and Vivani. There are some really well-written sword fights and duels in this book, and you can really feel the clash of steel as if your bones are being jarred and rattled. There are some sexual situations that get quite worrisome, as Vivani has to deal with dangerous men in her circles. Some of the drawbacks for me are the overly-long thoughts from some characters versus dialogue, and the feeling that the game board is so big that you don't always remember every function/character immediately. The story is great, and even though the magical conversion of people into bugs is weird, Armas does a great job of intricately explaining things through the eyes of humans, insects, and other beings alike. Meledek was interesting as an oversized wasp, giving me vibes of Bran from Game of Thrones, where some people have visions through animal eyes, etc. Raiden's quips and comebacks as a talented sword-dancer are enjoyable too. Overall, this has the ability to be a great series, though I wish it were a little easier to keep track of all the characters and places. Armas has included a helpful Appendix, however, that does lend a hand in this. With a little more flushing out of characters and dialogue, this looks like a promising fantasy world.
April 18, 2022
The Game and the Board is an exciting book. It took me a while to get into the style and the many characters, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.
The characters are all interesting in their own ways. I most preferred reading about Raiden, but the entire ensemble feels like real people and I enjoyed them all.
Stylewise, it's a little different from what I normally read. The narrator is omnipresent and it can at times be a bit difficult to know whose head we're in. There were also a few phrases that were worded weirdly, but you get used to the style after a while.
The setting and worldbuilding are wonderful. The author has created a great world and I love how the history and the way the world works shines through the pages. It is a bit clunky at the beginning, but other than that, the author feeds us small pieces throughout the story and it works. I soon became immersed in the world and the plot.
In conclusion, The Game and the Board is a good epic fantasy. It's a bit unpolished and starts off heavy, but once you get used to the style and get into the story, it's very entertaining.
The characters are all interesting in their own ways. I most preferred reading about Raiden, but the entire ensemble feels like real people and I enjoyed them all.
Stylewise, it's a little different from what I normally read. The narrator is omnipresent and it can at times be a bit difficult to know whose head we're in. There were also a few phrases that were worded weirdly, but you get used to the style after a while.
The setting and worldbuilding are wonderful. The author has created a great world and I love how the history and the way the world works shines through the pages. It is a bit clunky at the beginning, but other than that, the author feeds us small pieces throughout the story and it works. I soon became immersed in the world and the plot.
In conclusion, The Game and the Board is a good epic fantasy. It's a bit unpolished and starts off heavy, but once you get used to the style and get into the story, it's very entertaining.
February 4, 2022
Behind the striking cover is, unfortunately, an opening block of text that then leads into a series of giant text blocks. After the prologue, luckily, the story loosens up and focuses more on the human element and less on the world building. Even if you're not invested in the lore (which fans of Tolkien or modern day RPGs will recognize) the characters feel human enough to keep most readers' interest.
November 6, 2023
A Fantasy Epic of Magic and Destiny
This fantasy story is set in a magical world of knights, kingdoms and wizards as the latter try painstakingly to form The Board, a game that the wizards play against their rival faction using the people of the world as their pawns to seek control.
I wanted to like this book more than I ended up doing. While it was intriguing and fascinating to walk through the vast world that had been created, that same vastness in such a short book didn't work for me. There was a clear influence of Game of Thrones with a hint of Lord of the Rings, but because it was so close to the former with the plotting, the scheming, the rampant sexualisation and so on, I do feel the book could have benefited from being longer to properly explore the characters, their back stories and who they are. I also wasn't keen on the random, lengthy monologues characters would have.
There were many characters playing their own parts throughout the book but only a couple stood out as main characters as the perspective shifted so frequently between too many side characters.
Overall, it's a good read and a nice change from my usual read of science fiction.
This fantasy story is set in a magical world of knights, kingdoms and wizards as the latter try painstakingly to form The Board, a game that the wizards play against their rival faction using the people of the world as their pawns to seek control.
I wanted to like this book more than I ended up doing. While it was intriguing and fascinating to walk through the vast world that had been created, that same vastness in such a short book didn't work for me. There was a clear influence of Game of Thrones with a hint of Lord of the Rings, but because it was so close to the former with the plotting, the scheming, the rampant sexualisation and so on, I do feel the book could have benefited from being longer to properly explore the characters, their back stories and who they are. I also wasn't keen on the random, lengthy monologues characters would have.
There were many characters playing their own parts throughout the book but only a couple stood out as main characters as the perspective shifted so frequently between too many side characters.
Overall, it's a good read and a nice change from my usual read of science fiction.
August 19, 2022
I had to check the title of this book half a dozen times because I kept forgetting it — the title doesn't have much to do with the book. Yes, there is a game (of sorts), and yes, there is a board, but this is like if Pulp Fiction had instead been titled The Briefcase. But I digress. (What's in a name, anyway?)
What matters is this: The Game and the Board is thrilling. You'll find a heaping helping of fast-paced, well-choreographed swordplay in here typically involving horrible, awful people getting their just desserts. It's perhaps a little hokey that the antagonists here are so unbearably, almost laughably evil (proud would-be rapists, violent and sociopathic bandits, etc.), but it just makes it all the more cathartic when they're cut down by the book's more virtuous characters.
There are several threads here that eventually braid together. One strand has Raiden, a young novice ambassador betrothed to a beautiful young woman named Elina, secretly training as a sword-dancer in between diplomatic missions to neighboring kingdoms. After his first somewhat shaky battle, he basically becomes unbeatable — as formidable as Stephen King's Gunslinger. He approaches battles and formal duels not with worry or fear, but pragmatism about whether it's a good move politically for the other person to die. Very little is said about sword-dancers. It's unclear how they're trained, why they must live in exile (or hide their abilities, like Raiden does), or even how they're so successful in combat. They seem to break the laws of physics, a la Neo in The Matrix. But I never felt like I needed any of that — the lack of information only adds to the mystery.
Next up is Vivani, who has to fight off a very persistent suitor and his sexually violent entourage. Turns out she's also a sword-dancer, and the comeuppance on display in her chapter is the very definition of catharsis. It is delicious. Odysseus, eat your heart out.
Then you have Rivira, whose daughter is basically gifted by the King to another (and much older) man, prompting a satisfying escape. This comes with its own perils on the road in the form of bandits who can't seem to decide whether they want to rob their victims or... you know, the other thing. Thankfully, added to the fray before long are more sword-dancers, so you can probably guess how that goes.
That probably sounds like plenty of subject matter for a novel but wait — there's more! We also have several entities from another world who travel via some unknown, ethereal means and commandeer the bodies of critters like bugs and lizards and small birds. These chapters are a little muddy, honestly, but the gist is that they had to possess these lesser beings before their souls dissipated, and then work their way up the food chain one link at a time until they can finally possess human beings. A wasp, an owl, a wolf, a bear. I didn't necessarily like where this thread ended up but found the journey enthralling.
And finally we have the rainbow wizards (and my only real stumbling block for the book), who dominate the prologue and chapters 8, 18, and 20 with nearly insurmountable walls of text that never shed much light on what the game is, how it's played, what its purpose is, or why there is so much at stake. (Though it does lead to a really well-executed cliffhanger.) It struck me more like a battle map that we sometimes see military strategists using in movies like Mulan. There are... hints... along the way about the nature of the game. Some of the characters seem to briefly suffer from derealization, questioning why they made this or that decision. Other snippets are almost reminiscent of the CIA scenes from the movie Burn After Reading, where some rainbow wizards try to piece together who did what and why and what should we do next and yadda, yadda, yadda. But it feels disconnected and never really comes together. Or... maybe it does, and I just lost the thread somewhere along the way. I don't know. These chapters feel like a lecture from Professor Cuthbert Binns.
This is the third book I've read from author Florian Armas, so at this point I think I'm used to the unorthodox internal dialogue throughout The Game and the Board. Still, it's overused. Each character will say a few words out loud and then think an entire paragraph (or more!) of indecision and insults. While it's probably there to clarify, it usually just gums up the works. And worse, everyone involved with whatever conversation will share their internal thoughts one after the other, leading to pages and pages of italicized text while we hop from one head to the next. Not my cup of tea, but at the end of the day it's also not that big a deal.
The book starts off really heavy-handed, but you should really stick with it because what comes after is worth it — even if the best parts end up feeling like vignettes. The Game and the Board is an indie book, and while it may not have the consistency of a more polished fantasy novel, it has all the right ingredients and they taste great.
What matters is this: The Game and the Board is thrilling. You'll find a heaping helping of fast-paced, well-choreographed swordplay in here typically involving horrible, awful people getting their just desserts. It's perhaps a little hokey that the antagonists here are so unbearably, almost laughably evil (proud would-be rapists, violent and sociopathic bandits, etc.), but it just makes it all the more cathartic when they're cut down by the book's more virtuous characters.
There are several threads here that eventually braid together. One strand has Raiden, a young novice ambassador betrothed to a beautiful young woman named Elina, secretly training as a sword-dancer in between diplomatic missions to neighboring kingdoms. After his first somewhat shaky battle, he basically becomes unbeatable — as formidable as Stephen King's Gunslinger. He approaches battles and formal duels not with worry or fear, but pragmatism about whether it's a good move politically for the other person to die. Very little is said about sword-dancers. It's unclear how they're trained, why they must live in exile (or hide their abilities, like Raiden does), or even how they're so successful in combat. They seem to break the laws of physics, a la Neo in The Matrix. But I never felt like I needed any of that — the lack of information only adds to the mystery.
Next up is Vivani, who has to fight off a very persistent suitor and his sexually violent entourage. Turns out she's also a sword-dancer, and the comeuppance on display in her chapter is the very definition of catharsis. It is delicious. Odysseus, eat your heart out.
Then you have Rivira, whose daughter is basically gifted by the King to another (and much older) man, prompting a satisfying escape. This comes with its own perils on the road in the form of bandits who can't seem to decide whether they want to rob their victims or... you know, the other thing. Thankfully, added to the fray before long are more sword-dancers, so you can probably guess how that goes.
That probably sounds like plenty of subject matter for a novel but wait — there's more! We also have several entities from another world who travel via some unknown, ethereal means and commandeer the bodies of critters like bugs and lizards and small birds. These chapters are a little muddy, honestly, but the gist is that they had to possess these lesser beings before their souls dissipated, and then work their way up the food chain one link at a time until they can finally possess human beings. A wasp, an owl, a wolf, a bear. I didn't necessarily like where this thread ended up but found the journey enthralling.
And finally we have the rainbow wizards (and my only real stumbling block for the book), who dominate the prologue and chapters 8, 18, and 20 with nearly insurmountable walls of text that never shed much light on what the game is, how it's played, what its purpose is, or why there is so much at stake. (Though it does lead to a really well-executed cliffhanger.) It struck me more like a battle map that we sometimes see military strategists using in movies like Mulan. There are... hints... along the way about the nature of the game. Some of the characters seem to briefly suffer from derealization, questioning why they made this or that decision. Other snippets are almost reminiscent of the CIA scenes from the movie Burn After Reading, where some rainbow wizards try to piece together who did what and why and what should we do next and yadda, yadda, yadda. But it feels disconnected and never really comes together. Or... maybe it does, and I just lost the thread somewhere along the way. I don't know. These chapters feel like a lecture from Professor Cuthbert Binns.
This is the third book I've read from author Florian Armas, so at this point I think I'm used to the unorthodox internal dialogue throughout The Game and the Board. Still, it's overused. Each character will say a few words out loud and then think an entire paragraph (or more!) of indecision and insults. While it's probably there to clarify, it usually just gums up the works. And worse, everyone involved with whatever conversation will share their internal thoughts one after the other, leading to pages and pages of italicized text while we hop from one head to the next. Not my cup of tea, but at the end of the day it's also not that big a deal.
The book starts off really heavy-handed, but you should really stick with it because what comes after is worth it — even if the best parts end up feeling like vignettes. The Game and the Board is an indie book, and while it may not have the consistency of a more polished fantasy novel, it has all the right ingredients and they taste great.
October 29, 2023
The Game and the Board is a great book! I actually wasn't expecting much from it, but it came to surprise me quite pleasantly. The fight scenes in this book are written beautifully and the female characters are intriguing and unconventional. As for the male characters, Raiden is particularly interesting and fun to follow. I also love the variety of perspectives from chapter to chapter, helping to give a more in-depth view of the characters.
I do wish that there was a bit more put into world-building. It doesn't feel like there's enough background information. There are a few editing errors as well, but not many and most are barely noticeable. It didn't much hurt my experience in reading the book.
I do wish that there was a bit more put into world-building. It doesn't feel like there's enough background information. There are a few editing errors as well, but not many and most are barely noticeable. It didn't much hurt my experience in reading the book.
February 25, 2022
I love the action scenes. They are beautifully choreographed. Suspenseful, gripping. It has all the make of a fantasy bestseller. Love the map at the beginning of the book. The only thing is, too many characters all at once and readers need an introduction as to who is who. Was there supposed to be a prequel?
May 5, 2022
Raiden, a master swordsman and secretly trained by a religious-warrior sect known as the ‘sword dancers’ becomes an ambassador to the neighboring kingdom. But little does he know that he is but a single piece in a game that will determine the fate of the Middle Kingdom.
To be honest this book was tough for me and a lot has to do with personal preference. So let me put my cards on the table first. Sword and magic fantasy is not really my style and epic fantasy is especially tough for me as it includes huge worlds and lists of characters so long that I need to take notes as I’m reading in order to put it together. This has become even more pronounced as Game of Thrones has cast a large influence on both genres and a lot of the traits about that series that I tolerated have become regular features.
For a start, there were a ton of characters rolled out right from the beginning and it was really hard for me to connect with any of them enough to figure out what their motivations/ goals/ etc. were. I enjoyed Raiden’s storyline and his strange dichotomy of basically being both a pacifist and having the sword skills to be Death incarnate. His path almost reminded me of the Kung Fu series in that way. Constantly trying to avoid getting into a fight before inevitably being drawn in and decimating all in his path. Early on Vivani who suffered from an influx of suitors like something out of the Odyssey held my attention, but as the book jumped around I feel like I lost that thread and couldn’t figure out where it all connected.
In overview, a lot of the individual chapters were quite good but I never could figure out how they fit into a greater narrative. That along with a lot of scene changes and ‘head-hopping’ between characters made this a very hard book to follow. Another read-through could solve that but then we run into the question of time spent vs return.
Fans of the genre might have more luck immersing themselves in this world but it just didn’t happen for me.
To be honest this book was tough for me and a lot has to do with personal preference. So let me put my cards on the table first. Sword and magic fantasy is not really my style and epic fantasy is especially tough for me as it includes huge worlds and lists of characters so long that I need to take notes as I’m reading in order to put it together. This has become even more pronounced as Game of Thrones has cast a large influence on both genres and a lot of the traits about that series that I tolerated have become regular features.
For a start, there were a ton of characters rolled out right from the beginning and it was really hard for me to connect with any of them enough to figure out what their motivations/ goals/ etc. were. I enjoyed Raiden’s storyline and his strange dichotomy of basically being both a pacifist and having the sword skills to be Death incarnate. His path almost reminded me of the Kung Fu series in that way. Constantly trying to avoid getting into a fight before inevitably being drawn in and decimating all in his path. Early on Vivani who suffered from an influx of suitors like something out of the Odyssey held my attention, but as the book jumped around I feel like I lost that thread and couldn’t figure out where it all connected.
In overview, a lot of the individual chapters were quite good but I never could figure out how they fit into a greater narrative. That along with a lot of scene changes and ‘head-hopping’ between characters made this a very hard book to follow. Another read-through could solve that but then we run into the question of time spent vs return.
Fans of the genre might have more luck immersing themselves in this world but it just didn’t happen for me.
February 22, 2022
It took me a while to get into this story, but once I was able to place characters and kingdoms, I began to enjoy the novel. The plot was intricate, with many sub-plots which kept me trying to guess who the villains and real heroes were. My favourite characters (one of whom was Raiden) were easy to empathise with and had me rooting for them throughout the story, which was full of action. Lovers of epic fantasy will surely love this intriguing novel that will keep one guessing till the end.
May 24, 2023
The Game and the Board by Florian Armas is a captivating novel about a world where power and control are centered around scheming magic users. At some point, fate will be more determined by a mysterious Game, but that is yet to come. Armas skillfully weaves together multiple storylines, with the most fascinating following the journeys of Raiden, a young man with latent power. The characters face daunting challenges and navigate a landscape filled with conspiracy from shadow masters and Wizards. The book's dark and ancient setting creates a sense of intrigue, while leaving room for future installments in what promises to be an enthralling series. Armas' storytelling shines through with his intriguing time jumps that make his fantasy and adventure very fun to read.
June 14, 2022
Really good
I received this book free from Goodreads.
This is a really good story. At times it does get hard to follow the characters. UT there is good character development. I only wish the book stopped at the conclusion instead of in the middle of all the stories. However, I will get the next book.
I received this book free from Goodreads.
This is a really good story. At times it does get hard to follow the characters. UT there is good character development. I only wish the book stopped at the conclusion instead of in the middle of all the stories. However, I will get the next book.
October 31, 2022
The backdrop of this saga is the centuries-old war between The Republic and The Empire over the Middle Kingdom. The war is like a chess game played by the Rainbow Wizards. The chess board is the sentient projection of the country’s roots, and once the king falls, the Game’s board is to re-emerge like a Phoenix from the flames. That is—if all goes according to plan. In this fantasy world, a single mother and an inexperienced young man are trying to survive the murderous intentions of the Wizards, who fear his ancient power, harnessed by the powerful, magical art of Sword-dancing. Florian Armas’s epic storytelling is ambitious and sometimes bombastic, but he knows how to engage the fantasy lover with his mix of dark magic, empathically rendered characters, and riveting action. The end of the book is somewhat sudden and leaves the reader curious about the next installment. However, I did feel that the plot could have been more compact as it seemed that the author has almost too many ideas for only this one book.
December 22, 2022
The Game and the Board: The War of the Rainbow Wizards by Florian Armas is an intriguing story with good worldbuilding. Some parts are very well written. Armas is very creative and a talented writer, which is why I’ve given the book four stars. It was a bit much for me, though, but epic fantasy is not my favorite genre. I found the many characters hard to follow, and wasn’t sure how some parts of the book fit in together. There is definitely talent here, so perhaps you need to read the book to see what you think for yourself.
June 25, 2022
Well plotted and epic, characters could be more developed.
I’m so impressed with the writing, and the storytelling! The cast is large, the scope too The title is perfect because this reads (to me) like lit-RPG. I feel I am seeing a virtual reality video game play out on the page.
I do want more from the characters, and more immersion in the setting. I’d love to more about personal inner battles, flaws, emotionality. I’d love to smell the campfires, to hear the crunch of dry leaves underfoot, feel the pain of being sliced with a blade. There are plenty of visual cues, but not many smells or feeling against the skin.
But, if a sprawling epic fantasy is your thing, I give this five stars. Good writing, ambitious storyline. It’s clear this is not the author’s first time around the block, and it feels like the author got a lot of good feedback on the story, which feels solid. Strong plotting. Good dialog. The worldbuilding holds its own.
I’m so impressed with the writing, and the storytelling! The cast is large, the scope too The title is perfect because this reads (to me) like lit-RPG. I feel I am seeing a virtual reality video game play out on the page.
I do want more from the characters, and more immersion in the setting. I’d love to more about personal inner battles, flaws, emotionality. I’d love to smell the campfires, to hear the crunch of dry leaves underfoot, feel the pain of being sliced with a blade. There are plenty of visual cues, but not many smells or feeling against the skin.
But, if a sprawling epic fantasy is your thing, I give this five stars. Good writing, ambitious storyline. It’s clear this is not the author’s first time around the block, and it feels like the author got a lot of good feedback on the story, which feels solid. Strong plotting. Good dialog. The worldbuilding holds its own.
April 21, 2022
Ambitious. Entertaining in places, confusing in others
The Game and the Board tells the story of several characters as they battle for survival in the Middle Kingdom. There is plenty of action and politics with many fantasy elements and characters to keep track of.
The world building is thorough. There are lots of good fantasy components – Sword-dancers, magic, etc. – but some of it gets very confusing. I found the chapters focused on beings from another world and the Rainbow Wizards hard to follow and understand. There is a lot of violence in the book, including sexual violence; the good guys always win in these situations … eventually.
The two main characters, Raiden and Vivani, are well developed and easy to emphasise with and I enjoyed most of the scenes that focussed on them. There are a lot of other characters in this book, and I found it challenging to keep track of them all. The switching alliances are intriguing, but again, I sometimes found it difficult to remember who they were aligned to in the first place. It would have been helpful to have a character list.
The pacing is varied, with some chapters bogged down with blocks of text and others flowing quickly. The action scenes are entertaining. The book contains internal dialogues (in italics). The scenes with spoken dialogue often include extensive internal dialogue after each spoken sentence - I found this made the scenes disjointed and they lost their momentum. It was also difficult at times to work out who the thoughts related to.
I hovered between a 3 and 4 star, due to the pacing and the confusing elements (Rainbow Wizards, beings from another world), but I’ve rounded up to a 4.
The Game and the Board tells the story of several characters as they battle for survival in the Middle Kingdom. There is plenty of action and politics with many fantasy elements and characters to keep track of.
The world building is thorough. There are lots of good fantasy components – Sword-dancers, magic, etc. – but some of it gets very confusing. I found the chapters focused on beings from another world and the Rainbow Wizards hard to follow and understand. There is a lot of violence in the book, including sexual violence; the good guys always win in these situations … eventually.
The two main characters, Raiden and Vivani, are well developed and easy to emphasise with and I enjoyed most of the scenes that focussed on them. There are a lot of other characters in this book, and I found it challenging to keep track of them all. The switching alliances are intriguing, but again, I sometimes found it difficult to remember who they were aligned to in the first place. It would have been helpful to have a character list.
The pacing is varied, with some chapters bogged down with blocks of text and others flowing quickly. The action scenes are entertaining. The book contains internal dialogues (in italics). The scenes with spoken dialogue often include extensive internal dialogue after each spoken sentence - I found this made the scenes disjointed and they lost their momentum. It was also difficult at times to work out who the thoughts related to.
I hovered between a 3 and 4 star, due to the pacing and the confusing elements (Rainbow Wizards, beings from another world), but I’ve rounded up to a 4.
April 21, 2022
The Game, played by two opposing sets of Wizard Orders, kingmakers with mysterious magical powers, is at the heart of this story. They have color-coded names like Violet in addition to their common names, but everything they do is shrouded in secrecy.
If you like that type of plot, then you might like this book.
It's hard to review since commenting on plot points would be too spoilery, but I can say that a lot of complications arise, and a lot of things happened unexpectedly.
I took off one star since I couldn't really engage with the characters. I mean, I understand their motivations, and there's nothing wrong with them, but I wasn't really empathizing with them much while I was reading. It was more about the plot than the characters for me.
Loved the ending. It's a cliffhanger, but the good kind that makes you want to read more.
If you like that type of plot, then you might like this book.
It's hard to review since commenting on plot points would be too spoilery, but I can say that a lot of complications arise, and a lot of things happened unexpectedly.
I took off one star since I couldn't really engage with the characters. I mean, I understand their motivations, and there's nothing wrong with them, but I wasn't really empathizing with them much while I was reading. It was more about the plot than the characters for me.
Loved the ending. It's a cliffhanger, but the good kind that makes you want to read more.
August 25, 2022
MILD SPOILERS
This is the opening installment of an epic fantasy series, and it’s fun. It’s fast-paced, and it has all of the elements you’d want in a Game Of Thrones type story: there are sword fights, there is intrigue, there are betrayals, there are escapes, there are ambushes, There are moments of improvised strategy, and there are several surreal scenes involving magic and wizards. There is even one curious thread, late in the book, involving magic-folk who enter the realm and are stuck inhabiting the bodies of small animals – (wasps, owls, wolves etc). What’s very noticeable throughout, is that all the scenes in the book are very lean. This is epic fantasy for people who are happy to leave the massive books to GRR Martin.
The series’ main idea is that a council of wizards routinely set up a new game of conflict between kingdoms every time a ruler dies, and the people of the world have to live with the consequences. A King has recently died, and for most of this book, the wizards are having a tough time getting the next game to form. After the story has ended, readers are given a few chapters of the next book in the series, and we find that the new game may be different than those that have come before, and that the wizards, and the world itself, may be in for massive trouble.
In this first book, we meet a wide cast of characters, and for the most part, we meet them in moments of high drama: say, seconds before a sword fight, or when there is a knock at the gate, and “friends” arrive to throw someone’s life into upheaval. The character most focused upon in this first book is a young noble named Raiden. Raiden is a youth with a few tricks up his sleeve – he has all the talents of a smart, healthy young man, but he also has a dose of “Sword-Dancer” skills, and a nagging sensitivity to magic that sometimes functions as an early warning system. Raiden hasn’t fully come into his own, and there is no telling what the author has in mind for him, but in this book, he makes for a very adept, and likeable hero.
The women of this story have a much harder time. The book’s most intense scene comes when a Countess must accept visitors to her home, including the visitors’ accompanying soldiers, and then, with the snap of a finger, she has to contend with a plot that puts all the women of her estate (and her own daughters) at extreme risk. I was actively worried the entire time I was reading this scene.
Each scene in the book is easy to follow, and rewarding in the way it intends to be. In a first read, I did have trouble seeing the significance of each specific move, and in only a few cases was I able to see what a scene meant to the story as a whole. I trust that the moves add up to schemes, but in a first, casual read, I wasn’t able to play along. However, I still enjoyed every scene in the book. This is one instance where film has an advantage over prose. If you see the characters and the design motifs of the different groups, it is easier to see who is acting against who, and to remember the players as objects, even before you remember them as characters. In a book of prose, aiming for speed, this is harder to achieve, though avid readers of the genre may have no trouble spotting the various moves and countermoves. Even a second read would be a very different experience. I’m sure most of the plots would be very evident. I’m just a casual reader.
So yes, I highly recommend this book for fans of the genre. At first, it seems like its brevity may be its main appeal, but with the hints given of the story to come, this series may get WILD. It should easily win devoted fans of its own. When you find yourself between releases in whatever epic fantasy series you are currently following, slip this one in, and add a new series to the mix.
This is the opening installment of an epic fantasy series, and it’s fun. It’s fast-paced, and it has all of the elements you’d want in a Game Of Thrones type story: there are sword fights, there is intrigue, there are betrayals, there are escapes, there are ambushes, There are moments of improvised strategy, and there are several surreal scenes involving magic and wizards. There is even one curious thread, late in the book, involving magic-folk who enter the realm and are stuck inhabiting the bodies of small animals – (wasps, owls, wolves etc). What’s very noticeable throughout, is that all the scenes in the book are very lean. This is epic fantasy for people who are happy to leave the massive books to GRR Martin.
The series’ main idea is that a council of wizards routinely set up a new game of conflict between kingdoms every time a ruler dies, and the people of the world have to live with the consequences. A King has recently died, and for most of this book, the wizards are having a tough time getting the next game to form. After the story has ended, readers are given a few chapters of the next book in the series, and we find that the new game may be different than those that have come before, and that the wizards, and the world itself, may be in for massive trouble.
In this first book, we meet a wide cast of characters, and for the most part, we meet them in moments of high drama: say, seconds before a sword fight, or when there is a knock at the gate, and “friends” arrive to throw someone’s life into upheaval. The character most focused upon in this first book is a young noble named Raiden. Raiden is a youth with a few tricks up his sleeve – he has all the talents of a smart, healthy young man, but he also has a dose of “Sword-Dancer” skills, and a nagging sensitivity to magic that sometimes functions as an early warning system. Raiden hasn’t fully come into his own, and there is no telling what the author has in mind for him, but in this book, he makes for a very adept, and likeable hero.
The women of this story have a much harder time. The book’s most intense scene comes when a Countess must accept visitors to her home, including the visitors’ accompanying soldiers, and then, with the snap of a finger, she has to contend with a plot that puts all the women of her estate (and her own daughters) at extreme risk. I was actively worried the entire time I was reading this scene.
Each scene in the book is easy to follow, and rewarding in the way it intends to be. In a first read, I did have trouble seeing the significance of each specific move, and in only a few cases was I able to see what a scene meant to the story as a whole. I trust that the moves add up to schemes, but in a first, casual read, I wasn’t able to play along. However, I still enjoyed every scene in the book. This is one instance where film has an advantage over prose. If you see the characters and the design motifs of the different groups, it is easier to see who is acting against who, and to remember the players as objects, even before you remember them as characters. In a book of prose, aiming for speed, this is harder to achieve, though avid readers of the genre may have no trouble spotting the various moves and countermoves. Even a second read would be a very different experience. I’m sure most of the plots would be very evident. I’m just a casual reader.
So yes, I highly recommend this book for fans of the genre. At first, it seems like its brevity may be its main appeal, but with the hints given of the story to come, this series may get WILD. It should easily win devoted fans of its own. When you find yourself between releases in whatever epic fantasy series you are currently following, slip this one in, and add a new series to the mix.
November 18, 2023
I haven't read anything by the author, Florian Armas before, however I do love reading fantasy, especially epic fantasy, so I picked this up on KU.
The writing is excellent. It paints pictures and describes the world well as we are with the characters. While reading, I found myself excited to find out what's happening and wanting to discover more. The plot is unique. The story starts with Rainbow Wizards, plotting a game. Akin to a game of chess, moving characters as if they were pieces on a board, into place through a lot of political manoeuvrings. However, they face a problem, they cannot get the board to materialise. We are introduced to the main characters, Raiden who at the start is 14 but then 16. He's the son of a duke and is going to be trained at court. He is also trained in secret to become a Sword Dancer. Viani, she's a widow and as it turns out her husband and Raiden's father lost their lives fighting together. She is also secretly a Sword Dancer.
There are elements of show in the story and you are drawn into parts of the world and the politics, however there is also a lot of telling going on too. For example, Raiden is tricked into a duel through politics, the duel against Terin is built up, especially since we are told Terin is a good fighter, one of the best in the kingdom. But, then it cuts the scene and we are told Raiden won 4-1. There is also a lot of exposition telling us what is going on and I get the feeling that the book needed to be much longer. There is too much story and so it suffers through exposition.
On the whole, the characters are fine. Raiden has the potential to go places with the skills he has. He's mature for his age and is a good strategist and we see this in several scenes, especially in the planning of some battle scenes. Vivani is the best character in my opinion and she has agency in her actions, however she is underutilised due to the large number of characters.
This is a good story and the world has a lot of potential. The book is intriguing but there are far too many characters so your time with the main characters are diminished. You spend a lot of time with secondary characters who are mainly plotting. The main character, Raiden doesn't really act. He spends much of the time reacting to developments, but as this is a setup novel for a series, this is not too much of an issue as it seems he's beginning to understand what is happening to him.
Overall, I feel this is a solid read with an interesting world and plot.
The writing is excellent. It paints pictures and describes the world well as we are with the characters. While reading, I found myself excited to find out what's happening and wanting to discover more. The plot is unique. The story starts with Rainbow Wizards, plotting a game. Akin to a game of chess, moving characters as if they were pieces on a board, into place through a lot of political manoeuvrings. However, they face a problem, they cannot get the board to materialise. We are introduced to the main characters, Raiden who at the start is 14 but then 16. He's the son of a duke and is going to be trained at court. He is also trained in secret to become a Sword Dancer. Viani, she's a widow and as it turns out her husband and Raiden's father lost their lives fighting together. She is also secretly a Sword Dancer.
There are elements of show in the story and you are drawn into parts of the world and the politics, however there is also a lot of telling going on too. For example, Raiden is tricked into a duel through politics, the duel against Terin is built up, especially since we are told Terin is a good fighter, one of the best in the kingdom. But, then it cuts the scene and we are told Raiden won 4-1. There is also a lot of exposition telling us what is going on and I get the feeling that the book needed to be much longer. There is too much story and so it suffers through exposition.
On the whole, the characters are fine. Raiden has the potential to go places with the skills he has. He's mature for his age and is a good strategist and we see this in several scenes, especially in the planning of some battle scenes. Vivani is the best character in my opinion and she has agency in her actions, however she is underutilised due to the large number of characters.
This is a good story and the world has a lot of potential. The book is intriguing but there are far too many characters so your time with the main characters are diminished. You spend a lot of time with secondary characters who are mainly plotting. The main character, Raiden doesn't really act. He spends much of the time reacting to developments, but as this is a setup novel for a series, this is not too much of an issue as it seems he's beginning to understand what is happening to him.
Overall, I feel this is a solid read with an interesting world and plot.
June 25, 2023
The Game and the Board: The War of the Rainbow Wizards is the first book in an fantasy series by Florian Armas. There’s a lot going on in this story, but the overarching plot involves a game played by a council of wizards that incites conflict between kingdoms, and their people are the game pieces.
The book has two strengths: the well-written, well-orchestrated sword fights & battles scenes, and the world building. The characters inhabit an imaginative, deeply detailed realm of kings, princesses, evil bandits, ancient religions of sword-dancers, other worldly beings that possess insects and reptiles, and of course, meddling wizards. You can see how a series will be built within it, and the premise of the wizards’ game starting and ending with every death of a ruler is inspired.
I struggled at times to follow along though. Each chapter abruptly changes to a new cast of characters and I often didn’t see a connection to the new characters with the previous set of characters. Some of the chapters start tying together toward the end, but not entirely. The narrative is written with multiple character point-of-views, which probably added to the confusion. Personally, I think if each chapter was tied a little stronger into the overarching plot of the wizards’ game and was written from one character’s point-of-view who had some link to the characters or events of the preceding chapter, the entire book would be elevated to a very good fantasy novel.
At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book. The writing got in the way of allowing me to get swept into a great read, but the story itself is excellent. I had to think about the book for a few days after I finished it before I really started seeing the big picture. I think fantasy readers will find a lot to love and enjoy delving into this world.
The book has two strengths: the well-written, well-orchestrated sword fights & battles scenes, and the world building. The characters inhabit an imaginative, deeply detailed realm of kings, princesses, evil bandits, ancient religions of sword-dancers, other worldly beings that possess insects and reptiles, and of course, meddling wizards. You can see how a series will be built within it, and the premise of the wizards’ game starting and ending with every death of a ruler is inspired.
I struggled at times to follow along though. Each chapter abruptly changes to a new cast of characters and I often didn’t see a connection to the new characters with the previous set of characters. Some of the chapters start tying together toward the end, but not entirely. The narrative is written with multiple character point-of-views, which probably added to the confusion. Personally, I think if each chapter was tied a little stronger into the overarching plot of the wizards’ game and was written from one character’s point-of-view who had some link to the characters or events of the preceding chapter, the entire book would be elevated to a very good fantasy novel.
At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book. The writing got in the way of allowing me to get swept into a great read, but the story itself is excellent. I had to think about the book for a few days after I finished it before I really started seeing the big picture. I think fantasy readers will find a lot to love and enjoy delving into this world.
February 9, 2023
Sword and sorcery meets a touch of sci-fi in this epic fantasy. A new game board is about to start, but no one knows when, leaving four kingdoms scrabbling for positions of power while they wait. A young king must prove himself worthy as he dodges assassination attempts and hones his own fighting prowess. Noble women must use their wits to navigate themselves past the powerful, dangerous men who would use them. A scouting troupe seeks to establish themselves, hoping the world awaiting the new game will be their safe haven.
The Game and the Board introduces a world full of tension and danger. Overall, I enjoyed this book and found myself eager to learn what would happen next. There are many characters with their own goals, but once I became familiar with them I was drawn into the story. That being said, there are some scenes I would describe as intense. The scenes are well written and handled in such a way as to create mounting tension, but it’s worth noting for anyone who may be sensitive to the aforementioned women dealing with dangerous men.
I would recommend this book to readers who like fight scenes, battle strategy, and seeing characters work their way out of complex situations.
The Game and the Board introduces a world full of tension and danger. Overall, I enjoyed this book and found myself eager to learn what would happen next. There are many characters with their own goals, but once I became familiar with them I was drawn into the story. That being said, there are some scenes I would describe as intense. The scenes are well written and handled in such a way as to create mounting tension, but it’s worth noting for anyone who may be sensitive to the aforementioned women dealing with dangerous men.
I would recommend this book to readers who like fight scenes, battle strategy, and seeing characters work their way out of complex situations.
December 22, 2022
The King is dead, and the game has begun anew. This tale is reminiscent of a Game Of Thrones. The overarching theme is a game played by a council of wizards using inhabitants of the world as the pieces and pawns — and they must live with the consequences of the gamemasters’ actions. Every time a ruler dies, a new game begins, and of course, the book begins just after the death of the king. There is a plethora of characters, and keeping them all straight can be a challenge. The world-building is great, but the complexity of the setting also makes things hard to follow. There are lots of richly detailed action scenes, which are fun to read. However, I found the book very spotty – it was hard for me to understand how the events in one chapter flowed into the next. Also, there was a lot of head-hopping between the various characters and long passages of introspection, which sometimes became tedious to read. In the end, I still wasn’t sure how everything was tied together. However, that may have been the author’s intention—this is a series, after all. Fans of epic fantasy will find much to enjoy.
October 3, 2023
This is the first book in a new fantasy series, and the author obviously has great ambitions for this story. I enjoyed how well the world was thought out, with its different kingdoms and factions, conflicts and characterization. Where the story was less successful was simply in its very ambition. Too many characters with too many plot lines for me to keep in my head, and more exposition, especially one character telling another what they both know, for my taste. The confusion arose in various ways. For instance, it took me a while to realize both Wizard orders use color to name themselves. So, which Green is this, now? And, are the invading demons good or evil? In fact, though, one thing I most liked about this book was the fact that few characters are cartoon good or bad; they struggle with their decisions, they have shades of grey, including those aforesaid demons. All in all, a worthwhile book.
September 10, 2022
I won this kindle book in a drawing & while the premise sounded interesting, unfortunately this book was a huge disappointment. I only made it through 43% of the book & by then I should have had an idea of where the story was going. I can tell this author wants this book to be an epic tale, a kind of grand opus but it is woefully lacking. The book suffers from too many characters introduced too quickly w/o enough back story or world building & keeps shifting perspectives w/o fully explaining the last one or how this world works. I slogged through 43% of the book before giving up once I realized it was never going to come together or explain anything. If you knew me, you would know I usually finish a book regardless & can follow along pretty well. This was one drawing I wish I hadn’t won. I will never get those hours of my life back. Actual rating 1.5 stars.
June 12, 2023
The Game and the Board by Florian Armas is an epic fantasy on a grand scale or should I say large game board? And quite a complicated game it is. Consider a game of chess between Dungeons & Dragons and Jumanji. Two groups of color-coded wizards vie for control of the Middle Kingdom and use the mostly sentient figures to play out the game and compete in the action-packed, fantastical medieval setting. There are many characters involved in the game; King-makers, druids, kamis and Gods to name a few and it’s sometimes hard to remember who is who and how they are connected to the game. The games ends when the King is killed and the game board burns and a new game begins; but something goes wrong and the new game does not start and part of the Kingdom is lost. Raiden, a young wizard must discover his true colors and place in the game in order to survive and save the Middle Kingdom. Armas is skilled in his craft and has created an ambitious world of magic, menace and mystique. Well done!
November 27, 2023
This book is by turns intriguing with compelling scenes that are extremely easy to follow, and too opaque with scenes that don't provide enough context to understand what is happening. I enjoyed following some of the characters' stories, such as Raiden, Vivani and Ravira.
I admire the author's obvious passion for the story.
There's an appendix at the end with a little bit of information about the society that would have been much better woven into the beginning of the story. It was too late to aid my comprehension by the time I found it.
Overall I enjoyed reading the story.
I admire the author's obvious passion for the story.
There's an appendix at the end with a little bit of information about the society that would have been much better woven into the beginning of the story. It was too late to aid my comprehension by the time I found it.
Overall I enjoyed reading the story.
July 14, 2022
A lot of intrigue & political maneuvering, rather disjointed
This book has a lot going on: political and personal intrigue, magic, and mysteries. The kingdoms are dealing with the aftermath of the overthrow of one of the kings. The various remaining nobility and royalty are engaged in intrigues and conspiracies. And mysterious groups of wizards and other magic wielders, with varying types of magic, pursue their own agendas. All these elements of a sprawling epic fantasy story are here.
Unfortunately, those elements didn’t quite come together to produce the compelling story of “whoever controls the Game, rules the world” that the blurb described. Vignettes presented the events of the story with little to no transitions to link them and often poorly-signaled significant jumps in time. Those features made it hard to connect with the multitude of characters and follow how the vignettes fit into the overall story. The story didn’t feel cohesive, but rather just a collection of events that were happening.
The book quickly introduced many characters, who as quickly became confusing and hard to distinguish from each other since their personalities, motivations, flaws, and goals remained almost completely hidden from the reader. Large blocks of text, often just background information, tended to stall the reading momentum, along with odd phrasing, typos, and missing words, which often required re-reading to figure out what was going on.
While the premise of a Game and a magical Board was intriguing, sadly those pieces were mostly absent from the story. Near the book’s end, some of the disjointed story elements did begin to connect, but an abrupt cliffhanger concluded the story, with really nothing resolved, not even in an interim form. Unfortunately, I have to say that I found the story unsatisfying.
Actual rating: 2.5
Prospective readers should be aware that the story contains violence and several attempted rapes.
This book has a lot going on: political and personal intrigue, magic, and mysteries. The kingdoms are dealing with the aftermath of the overthrow of one of the kings. The various remaining nobility and royalty are engaged in intrigues and conspiracies. And mysterious groups of wizards and other magic wielders, with varying types of magic, pursue their own agendas. All these elements of a sprawling epic fantasy story are here.
Unfortunately, those elements didn’t quite come together to produce the compelling story of “whoever controls the Game, rules the world” that the blurb described. Vignettes presented the events of the story with little to no transitions to link them and often poorly-signaled significant jumps in time. Those features made it hard to connect with the multitude of characters and follow how the vignettes fit into the overall story. The story didn’t feel cohesive, but rather just a collection of events that were happening.
The book quickly introduced many characters, who as quickly became confusing and hard to distinguish from each other since their personalities, motivations, flaws, and goals remained almost completely hidden from the reader. Large blocks of text, often just background information, tended to stall the reading momentum, along with odd phrasing, typos, and missing words, which often required re-reading to figure out what was going on.
While the premise of a Game and a magical Board was intriguing, sadly those pieces were mostly absent from the story. Near the book’s end, some of the disjointed story elements did begin to connect, but an abrupt cliffhanger concluded the story, with really nothing resolved, not even in an interim form. Unfortunately, I have to say that I found the story unsatisfying.
Actual rating: 2.5
Prospective readers should be aware that the story contains violence and several attempted rapes.
January 6, 2024
Convoluted beyond comprehension
May 5, 2024
The title describes the book: it's about a great game played by groups of characters. There are two groups of Wizards known by their colours, a bunch of humans in a quasi-medieval world, and a group of mysterious beings who are called Druids or Alchemists. The humans interact with one another, mainly ignorant of those who use them as gaming pieces, although at times Wizards drop into the action in disguise. Gods are mentioned by members of all the groups, but they hover above the games rather than joining them. There are also vague beings called Kamis, which appear on occasion.
Deception, betrayal, and violence are used by almost everyone. The medieval world is full of people galloping around, often "without colours," but armed with swords and bows. (Colour is important throughout the book.) Some individuals are secretly trained as Sword Dancers, a fascinating group, two of whom wear librarian badges. (I would have liked to learn more about them!)
Point of view zips from one character to another within a scene, often between paragraphs. Many of the characters are similar, and some use more than one name or title. Three chapters in I was mixing them up and wondering who was who. A list of characters would be helpful, I thought, and indeed there is one, but it is hidden at the end of the book, under the title of "Appendix," which I did not discover until I had finished reading.
Recurring themes involve evil designs by men toward young women, who are fortunately defended by their mothers. There are two duels, much strategizing over wine, and scenes of flight and pursuit punctuated by armed combat. At least one character appreciates music and poetry; scenes in which people dance are among the ones I found most interesting.
Also interesting are chapters about disembodied non-human intelligences who have entered the world called Mitval (which resembles Earth) through a portal. They must find a succession of creatures whose bodies they can inhabit. Eventually they need to take over human bodies in order to do what they need to do.
This is where the book did not work for me: I never discerned an overall compelling objective in the plot. The Rainbow Wizards need to create a board for the next game. If they cannot do this, some sort of disaster will ensue. Various humans need to avoid being raped or killed. The disembodied intelligences need to find suitable bodies. Near the end of the book, there are vague mentions of monsters from a realm called the Darkness Deep. There are multiple threats floating around, but few resolutions. I note this is the first book in a series, so presumably answers lie in future books, but I found this one to be a confusing and unsatisfying welter of questions with no answers, only hints and portents.
It is clear that the author cares deeply about this fictional world and its characters. Unfortunately, the complexity, multiplicity of characters, and lack of a clear purpose made it difficult for me to appreciate it. The many typos and errors didn't help either. For example, in one chapter, a mention is made of "masara warriors." In the next chapter, there are "samara warriors." Things like this are irritating.
I suspect I would get more from the book if I read it a second time, but I am not inclined to do so.
Deception, betrayal, and violence are used by almost everyone. The medieval world is full of people galloping around, often "without colours," but armed with swords and bows. (Colour is important throughout the book.) Some individuals are secretly trained as Sword Dancers, a fascinating group, two of whom wear librarian badges. (I would have liked to learn more about them!)
Point of view zips from one character to another within a scene, often between paragraphs. Many of the characters are similar, and some use more than one name or title. Three chapters in I was mixing them up and wondering who was who. A list of characters would be helpful, I thought, and indeed there is one, but it is hidden at the end of the book, under the title of "Appendix," which I did not discover until I had finished reading.
Recurring themes involve evil designs by men toward young women, who are fortunately defended by their mothers. There are two duels, much strategizing over wine, and scenes of flight and pursuit punctuated by armed combat. At least one character appreciates music and poetry; scenes in which people dance are among the ones I found most interesting.
Also interesting are chapters about disembodied non-human intelligences who have entered the world called Mitval (which resembles Earth) through a portal. They must find a succession of creatures whose bodies they can inhabit. Eventually they need to take over human bodies in order to do what they need to do.
This is where the book did not work for me: I never discerned an overall compelling objective in the plot. The Rainbow Wizards need to create a board for the next game. If they cannot do this, some sort of disaster will ensue. Various humans need to avoid being raped or killed. The disembodied intelligences need to find suitable bodies. Near the end of the book, there are vague mentions of monsters from a realm called the Darkness Deep. There are multiple threats floating around, but few resolutions. I note this is the first book in a series, so presumably answers lie in future books, but I found this one to be a confusing and unsatisfying welter of questions with no answers, only hints and portents.
It is clear that the author cares deeply about this fictional world and its characters. Unfortunately, the complexity, multiplicity of characters, and lack of a clear purpose made it difficult for me to appreciate it. The many typos and errors didn't help either. For example, in one chapter, a mention is made of "masara warriors." In the next chapter, there are "samara warriors." Things like this are irritating.
I suspect I would get more from the book if I read it a second time, but I am not inclined to do so.
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