Novel: Heroes Die: Confused narrative tense

[Jaqhama]

I just wrote a warning missive about Heros Die over at Amazon.com

The narrative tense really bugged the heck out of me.
I thought I was buying a book written in first person, present tense, but it turns out I was mistaken.
I feel a bit ripped off, to be honest.
That free sample chapter on Amazon is very misleading...and I can't believe that out of 54 reviews...not one of those reviewers made mention of the weird narration structure.
Maybe you have to be a writer to get it, I don't know.

Here's what I wrote at Amazon:

The majority of reviews for this novel were positive.
I read the first chapter via the free sample available on Amazon.
I knew I was going to enjoy the book as I'm a great fan of action/adventure stories written in the first person present tense perspective.
I order the book.
So my paperback duly arrives and I re-read chapter one...then I get to chapter two and discover that now I'm reading about the same character in the third person past tense.
Third person past tense goes on for a few chapters and then switches back to first person present tense again.
I've nothing against a story where the first person narrative switches to third person for other characters, but when the main charater switches willy nilly between first person present and third person past tense...that's just confusing and annoying.
None of the previous reviewers made mention of this, I don't know why, as it's a very unusual style of writing structure.
It was enough to stop me reading after the first couple of chapters. I just couldn't stand the main character narration slipping in and out of the two different tenses at odd times. It's almost like the author couldn't make up his mind what tense he wanted to write in. I gather he wrote Heroes Die over several years. I'm guessing he originally started in one tense, discovered first person present tense isn't that popular a reading medium and changed to mainly third person past.
As I gave up reading Heroes Die early on in the piece I am not in a position to say that it is, or is not, a good novel.
I wrote this note merely to inform other potential readers of the odd narration structure, so that they will be aware of it before they purchase the novel, as I was not. The confusing narrative structure certainly spoilt the book for me.

I just couldn't keep up with the on and off again first person present to third person past narrative tense of the main character.

I wish reviewers would make mention of what tense a book is written in. To me that's important and I always mention it in my own reviews.

[Christopher_Heath]

Yeah, I agree. Sounds like it would get a little strange and annoying.

I experimented with changing tense on purpose, but I did it in short story format and structured it. I broke the story up into sections, and at the beginning of a section I had an italicized intro in first person, but switched for the actual story. I guess it worked, as it was accepted from a slush pile for Pill Hill Press's Kingdoms of Shadow and Light II.

When dark shadows spread their wings and evil lurks near, it is then that one feels most alive, nerves set on edge and each breath a gift. I have felt this in the beat of my heart, in the blood of my veins. It is in the presence of death—in the death of one that you hold dear—when life feels most valuable.

Sir Artenni Rahhn moved like a wraith down the wide, slick cobblestone avenue bordered by skyscrapers of blue-gray stone. The thick mist clung to his broad form as tendrils of fog churned at behest of his heavy, long black cloak. A tattered three-cornered hat rested upon his head, pushed forward, nearly meeting the leather neck wrap extending just above his mouth. Hard-soled boots made but the slightest noise upon the poorly lit road, the sound changing subtly in timbre as he stepped onto an arched overpass known as Drowgen’s Bridge.

[Jennifer P]

Changing tense gets to me too, but ANYTHING can work if its done well. The trick is to do it well, which is why novice writers are best served by sticking to the 'rules'.

[Dave]

I really enjoyed Heroes Die - I liked the mix of SF and Fantasy. For me, it sorta had echoes of Piers Anthony's Apprentice Adept series, which I read oh-so long ago.

As for Stover, I liked the Caine books, and thus tried his Barra & Co. cooks (Iron Dawn, Jericho Moon, Heart of Bronze). I made it through teh first two here, but was lukewarm to these.

There's another Caine book scheduled for release in 2012-