War of the Spark: Ravnica (Magic: The Gathering) Kindle Edition

I have been following MTG lore loosely since 2014 and very closely since 2015 (end of Tarkir block and into Origins and Battle for Zendikar). My gut-level reaction to this novel was similar to many of the 1- and 2-star reviews. It seemed like there was much that I didn't like and much to complain about. However, most of those negative feelings didn't hold up to scrutiny. Thus, my final review more generous than if I had written it last night.As a whole, I think that Weisman did a good job. The action, while fast-paced, made for an exciting read. I read from page 80-220 in one sitting because I was hungry for what would happen next. The personalities of the main cast was consistent with their Magic Story characterizations, and that's not always true from the Magic Story installments. There was emotional involvement with many of the characters and I genuinely cared about who lived/died. The plot twists would have been much better if the novel had been released before the card spoilers, but I knew the risks by following the daily spoilers. Keep in mind that I'm no literary scholar, just someone who knows how hard it is to write something comprehensible to other readers. I read this book purely for entertainment value. I was not disappointed.My only major complaint about Weisman's writing is that the pacing was too fast for the first ~100 pages. I think we needed another 50-100 pages of anticipating Bolas' arrival. The construction of the statue, pyramid, and obliteration of Jace's quarters happened a bit too quickly for my tastes (-1 star). There were things I would have done differently as well, like placing Gideon's after-life scene as the first epilogue (the actual epilogue becomes the second epilogue) and giving Bolas a more active role in battling the planeswalkers (though let's face it, if he was very active in the battle then the book would have been over in 50 pages).My biggest issue with the book had nothing to do with Weisman's writing. It has to do with the near-impervious plot armor that WOTC grants to major and minor characters. That may seem like a silly statement since an untold number of planeswalkers were murdered in this story. And that's exactly my point: red-shirt planeswalkers without names and total rando's in the streets were a vast majority of the casualties. There must have been over 50 named characters with a history in the MTG universe. They all fought in an epic battle with hordes of undead beasts that could kill half of them by mere touch. You would think that the named characters were in terrible danger. In the end, only THREE of them died: Domri, Dack, and Gideon (even Bolas and his lieutenants were spared!). That's completely unrealistic, yet consistent with how WOTC handles their major/minor characters depicted on cards. I think only one minor character died in BFZ block (vs Eldrazi titans), only one major character in Shadows block (vs Eldrazi titan), and only three characters in this novel (vs Bolas' grand plan). Such near-impenetrable plot armor removes nearly all of the tension from major conflicts. The battles have no stakes. Bad stuff might happen, but both the heroes and the villains will survive. In order to tell better stories I think that WOTC must be willing to sacrifice some characters to prove that the characters are in real danger. This story would have been more compelling if we lost more characters, like 1-2 guildmasters, 1-2 Ravnica personalities, and 4-5 minor planeswalkers (of which there were many to choose from).

Let me get this out in front: do not make this your first entry into Magic's lore. On their website there is a "story" section that contains a lot of free reading, which is really necessary because without it this book loses a lot of its oomph. If you just want to read enough to catch up with what's going on in this book, I recommend reading the following story blocks on the website:Battle for Zendikar/Oath of the Gatewatch (details the formation of the Gatewatch, the main heroes of the novel)Shadows of Innistrad/Eldritch Moon (not super necessary for the novel but bridges the Gatewatch story and brings another main character into fold)Kaladesh/Aether Revolt, Amonkhet/Hour of Devastation, Ixalan/Rivals of Ixalan, and Dominaria (more Gatewatch adventures and starts directly laying the groundwork for the novel)There's other lore interspersed there that is interesting and will add some context to the novel but is not strictly necessary. But without this primer, you're going to be underwhelmed when characters like Ugin or Nissa show up on the page without introduction and start doing their thing.As for the novel itself, as a Magic fan I found it to be an enjoyable read. Nicol Bolas has been laying the groundwork for his master plan over the past several years of story and it's really neat to finally see all the pieces interlock. There is a satisfying conclusion to this particular story arc (if you're up to date on the lore anyway, otherwise it feels out of left field), and you see a couple seeds planted for where the story can go from here. Don't expect The Next Great Novel, but if you've been enjoying the lore posted on the website, you'll enjoy War of the Spark because it's written in the same style.A lot of characters get name-dropped to the point where you're keenly aware they're being named-dropped and, perhaps more infuriatingly, the Sorin/Nahiri feud, one of the great conflicts in the current lore, is explicitly pointed out and then is promptly forgotten about. We're introduced to several new characters, some of whom are only in a couple paragraphs (like The Wanderer) and some who are central characters in the story (Teyo).The novel also glosses over a huge lore point between Jace and Vraska that had been built up as a key to the Gatewatch's plans, only to have it hand-waved away here. I found that happening a little more than I would have liked in that it feels like there was a lot of threads were left basically unused. The core story is pretty good, but I can't help that if a few of those threads had been tugged a bit more it would have been excellent.Overall, if you're an existing fan of Magic lore, this won't rock your world but it's a satisfying continuation to the story and the conclusion of an arc that's been set up over the past several years. But as the first novel to come out in quite some time, it doesn't make a good entry point.

i first found the card game and then the video game and now theres a book how much stuff is there. the books are really good and they are for begginers up to pros.

It's very clear that the author has only limited experience writing higher quality literature or just doesn't aspire to do so. This book doesn't even begin to compare to the other Magic the Gathering materials out there, like the free chapters on the Ixalan Story. Most characters feel very weird and talk in a way not at all appropriate to who or what they are - as if the author would only write based on a very superficial understanding of them.+ Solid representation for LGBT+ characters in the story+ Solid plot (I guess?). It's the culmination of the MtG storyline.- Awful, awful writing.- Very low in detail. If you're hoping to actually see your favorite characters/cards/whatever in action, this isnt the place- Most characters act out-of-character all the timeDon't waste your time. Pay for it only if you really want to support MtG.

Arrived on time / within the expected period. Item was protected nicely, and did not have any damages. Book is 5/5, perfect for Magic players looking to get into the lore surrounding Bolas and his plans @ Ravnica.

敵として戦う相手で人格を持っているのがニコル・ボーラスだけです。ボーラス以外の敵は、無人格なゾンビ、永遠衆です。プレインズウォーカーの登場と打ち倒される永遠衆ばかりのシーンがひたすら続き、物語としてはさして面白くはないです。英語は優しく、読みやすいです。

A poor excuse for a novel (which calling it a novel is a stretch, it is more like fanfiction you would find on the internet. Scratch that, you can find better written fanfiction than this tripe). Characters are one-dimensional stereotypes, there is little to no description and the plot barely makes sense. As a huge fan of both the game of Magic the Gathering and the stories and lore behind it, you would have thought that Wizards of the Coast would have hired an actual professional to write what is quite possibly their most story driven set yet. Chapters are about 1 to 2 pages long, mostly due to lack of any description, and the phrasing, punctuation and wording is terrible. Exclamation points are used liberally and in regular sentences such as "and then he exploded!". This made it feel like I was reading a child's story, and yes while this may have been aimed at a younger market to boost sales, it is no excuse for poor writing. The word "literally" is used so frequently I thought that if I took a drink every time I saw it I would be catatonic by page 50.If you are a fan of Magic the Gathering content, avoid this book at all costs. You can get more character depth and stronger plot points from the 15 word flavour text found on the cards themselves from this set.