Three ★★★★☆

 

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Title: Three
Series: Legends of the Duskwalker #1
Authors: Jay Posey
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 329
Words: 121K

Synopsis:

From the Publisher

The world has collapsed, and there are no more heroes.

But when a lone gunman reluctantly accepts the mantle of protector to a young boy and his dying mother against the forces that pursue them, a hero may yet arise.

My Thoughts:

When I read this back in '14 I wasn't even using half stars yet, officially anyway. I gave Three a “strong” 4 and waxed fulsome about it. So I went into this re-read with a bit of hesitation, as I am realizing that my first impressions that are outstandingly positive don't always hold up that well.

Thankfully, this still got a 4star rating. However, it wasn't a “strong” 4 like last time. With this re-read it was more evident to me that this was Posey's debut (I believe). Descriptions felt a little rough and simplistic, like a charcoal drawing as opposed to a number 2 pencil drawing. What really did bug me this time was just how unexplained the world was. I realize that was deliberate but I did want more and I didn't get it. So I'm going to complain.

In that regards, I had a lot more questions. The “well, what about X” kind of questions. By not knowing how things worked, or didn't, I couldn't figure stuff out on my own. My biggest question is why humanity hadn't gone after the Weir. If they are reanimated humans but something different, where do they come from, how do corpses get Weir'ized and what are their weaknesses? I could understand if the Weir were a new thing or something, but apparently they've been around for the whole of Three's life? If I were to hand you a machete and told you to cut down that 14inch oak tree, or we were going to die, you'd whack away for all you are worth. If you didn't know any better. The correct response would be to hand the machete back to me and tell me to give you the flipping full size axe I was hiding behind my back. If you know the problem, you can figure out the right answer.

I must also admit that this read has been colored by the more recent books put out by Posey. He abandoned a second series and the third one he has started did not work for me at all. I'm carrying all of that baggage this time around whereas I didn't have to on the first go-around.

Overall, I enjoyed this but it wasn't as awesome as last time. Whether that is because it really wasn't or because I've changed, etc, I can't tell. I'm going to hold off on recommending this or not until I've re-read the whole trilogy and see how the whole stands up.

★★★★☆

• Three (2014 Review)