"Road of the Patriarch" by R.A. Salvatore

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (July 10, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0786942770
ISBN-13: 978-0786942770

R.A. Salvatore concludes his serie „The Sellswords” in „Road of the Patriarch”. And I think that even though the outcome is good it could have been better.
Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri continue their adventures in Bloodstone Lands that began in the previous novel of the serie, „Promise of the Witch-King”. After their contribution in the elimination of Witch-King’s remnants they found themselves in the grace of the king Garteh Dragonsbane. But their actions lead them to a very different position and situation. And in the end is all about the inner feelings and thoughts.
Overall I liked the novel, but I think is a little under the expectations I had after reading „Promise of the Witch-King”. The pace had slowed a little, but I think is because „Servant of the Shard” and „Promise of the Witch-King” has a lot more action and „Road of the Patriarch” considers more the inner feelings of the characters and the consequences of their actions. So all together is not such a bad thing.
I thought that the first part of the book was a excuse for the final part. After I had finished reading the novel I was more impressed by the end rather than the beginning. And I think of the beginning not as a follow of the previous novel, but as a introduction for the outcome of this one. And at a personal level I didn’t liked the Heroes of Bloodstone. I found them to good to be true, without flaws in their actions. And Riordan Parnell annoyed me with his interventions.
I prefered to start with what I think that are the weaker points of the novel, because I love the work of R.A. Salvatore and the things that I liked in „Road of the Patriarch” are many more than those I didn’t like.
As usual in the author’s works, the fighting scenes are great, imposing a sense of fluidity and speed. And even if some of the scenes go to a predictable point I couldn’t wait for the outcome because that was unpredictable. For example the scene when Olwen encounters Artemis Entreri.
I loved the amusing scenes, like that of the orc courier, and I loved that the author kept the humour of some dialogues. I liked Jarlaxle as character, I liked the turmoil of Artemis Entreri and I liked that R.A. Salvatore developed this characters, going in their past and introducing their history. And this is available also for the new character, Athrogate. And I loved that the author reintroduces the thoughts and feelings of Drizzt Do’Urden in beginning of each part of the novel. Those moments I enjoyed the most in the novels featuring the renegade drow elf.
In conclusion I have to say that I liked the novel, even though a little less than the previous two of the serie. I liked the end of „Road of the Patriarch” and I will recommend this read if only that is the sole good thing. But is not the only one so I give this novel 7,5 points out of 10.
Dark Wolf

"Promise of the Witch-King" by R.A. Salvatore

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (September 12, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0786940735
ISBN-13: 978-0786940738


I fell in love with fantasy literature since I had started reading. In fantasy one of my favourite character is Drizzt Do’Urden, created by R.A. Salvatore. Through Drizzt Do’Urden I met Jarlaxle, a mercenary drow elf, and Artemis Entreri, an assassin, the arch-enemy of Drizzt, the main characters of „Promise of the Witch-King”.
In „Promise of the Witch-King”, the second novel of „The Sellswords” trilogy, Jarlaxle and Artemis arrive in Bloodstone Lands following their adventures in Calimport. Here they are hired by two dragon sisters, Ilnezhara and Tazmikella, to find some relics that belonged to the Witch-King Zhengyi. So, the two of them become part of a group of adventurers that goes in the town of Palishchuk to investigate a castle that appeared after such a relic is found and used. Inside the castle, and I will say this without spoiling your read, they will come across some very interesting moments.
The novel is basically a „dungeon crawl”, not my favourite type of story, because I think it’s predictable and limited. But R.A. Salvatore does an amazing job in „Promise of the Witch-King” and manages to keep me interested all the way to the finish. He creates an intrigue and some twists and turns that extends the limits of this dungeon crawl.
Even from the opening part of the novel, when Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri explore a tower of a lich, the pace is quick, full of action and details, and it gets better in the next chapters. The fighting scenes are great, very well described, keeping the high standard as well as the others of this kind of the author. I enjoyed this scenes very much, like I enjoyed the humour of some dialogues, amusing and entertaining, like I enjoyed the funny sequences of the Kneebreakers, a band of halflings or the way Athrogate, a dwarf, talks using rhymes. I enjoyed Jarlaxle, a character that begins to develop and is not tipical in fantasy literature.
In this novel R.A. Salvatore introduces new characters, but I think they are a little underdeveloped. Also I wondered how and why Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri found themselves in Bloodstone Lands, following the events in the first novel of the trilogy, „Servant of the Shard”. But this are minor issues considering the bigger picture, they can be easily overcome in the next novel. Adding that the author teases us with a small part of Jarlaxle’s past and that the cold and calculated assassin Artemis Entreri has an inner conflict and developes more human feelings I certainly will read with interest the third book of the trilogy, „Road of the Patriarch”.
„Promise of the Witch-King” offered me a very engaging and entertaining reading, and this novel confirms that R.A. Salvatore is one of the best fantasy writers (also I loved the cover art of Todd Lockwood). I highly recommend the novel to all fantasy lovers, but if you haven’t read the first novel, „Servant of the Shard”, it is better to start with that one, because it will help you get used to the two main characters and their actions. I give this novel 8 points out of 10.
Dark Wolf

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

Eldest is Christopher Paolini's second installment of the Inheritance series. The story continues where Eragon left off, in Farthen Dur.

Eragon and Saphira, now heros, travel to the home of the elves to continue magical training. Eragon learns not only deeper magic but becomes literate in the elven language, which is important in spell-casting.

After his training, he must join forces with the Varden and meet the Empire's army and fight.

The author branches out to 2-3 different story lines in Eldest. He follows Roran, Eragon's cousin. Roran is also being pursued by the enemy and must make difficult decisions that effect not only him, but all of his village.

Eldest has a decent storyline (if quite predictable) and the characters develop a little. The author seems to have grown in his writing, although I'd not put him in the same league with the staples in modern fantasy. I've read other reviews on big sites and, while this series gets a lot of bad reviews, I don't believe it's as bad as they say, just not world class.

The author did two things that I did not appreciate much as a reader. First, it seemed as if he had a list of a couple dozen $10 words that he wanted to slip in occasionally. His writing overall is simple (a compliment) but some of the archaic words he uses are used inappropriately. The other thing that got me was a certain chapter that started out talking about religion and ended up being a very poor and ill-placed preaching job. I personally disagree with what he had to say but besides that, it just didn't fit in the story.

I give Eldest a "C". The writing was a little more mature but he countered his gains with some weird choices that left me shaking my head.

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

Richard Cypher is a forest guide in Westland, the land west of the second magic boundary and a land devoid of magic. He meets Kahlan, a Confessor who, to protect him, won't tell him what she is. Instead, they become friends and compatriots in the quest to stop Darken Rahl, the supremely powerful and evil wizard, from collecting and activating the three boxes of Orden. If activated correctly, the owner of the boxes will gain supreme magical power and dominate the world. If done incorrectly or if the third box is not found in time, then Rahl will die, for he has already obtained two of the boxes.

Richard and Kahlan's companions in this quest are Zedd, a quirky old man who turns out to be a First Order wizard himself, and Chase, a boundary warden of Westland who is a supreme mortal warrior. In their quest, they face many impossible choices and situations, dealing with spirits, dragons, strange warriors, evil quads, torture and a very powerful witch. Zedd and Kahlan counsel young Richard, as the Seeker and owner of the Sword of Truth, that he must learn to make difficult decisions. Some of his experiences force him to choose between love of his friends and his heavy responsibility to try to defeat Darken Rahl. Will he be able to give up the lives of people that he loves for a higher purpose? The key to this story is the wizard's First Rule, which is the fact that the masses will believe what they want to hear. So a true wizard may not even need to use magic to influence the masses...or the weak, unaware or arrogant.

There's one theme in this book that I could really do without. (Call me sqeamish or whatever you want.) Violence, especially of the sexual kind, toward children is just a little twisted to celebrate in a novel. I've read lots of books that talked about violence of all kinds to people of all kinds, but I was overly disturbed by that theme. Otherwise, the pace of the book really plays to my likes. I enjoy good action scenes as well as long sections of sequel to give depth to the story. A book is only an event if you don't weave a tapestry of setting and character. Goodkind builds an incredible character in Richard, one that goes against the grain of the typical warrior.

Wizard's First Rule is the first book in the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.

The Lone Drow by R.A. Salvatore

Book two in The Hunter's Blades Trilogy

Another story in the world of the Forgotten Realms, continuing the story where the Thousand Orcs left off.

The renegade Drow, Drizzt Do'Urden has been cut off from his friends durring the battle at Shallows. Witnessing the battle from a ling distance, he watched the tower fall, seeing his greatest friend Bruenor, King of the Dwarves of Mithral Hall, fall to his doom. To his dismay, the town is destroyed by the orcs, leaving him alone in the surface world.

Drizzt, full of rage, slips back into his Hunter mentality. He turns into a remorseless killing machine that knows no fear. He turns his rage upon the Orc armies, attacking whenever and wherever he can, waging a one Drow war of destruction.

What Drizzt does not know is that his friend are very much alive and retreating toward the Dwarven Citadel at Mithral Hall. Bruenor lies near death and the Dwarves continue to battle on.

The Dwarven forces are joined by unlikely allies from Mirabar, a Sorceress and a Alchemist gnome. They were sent by the Marchion Elastul to sabotage the Dwarves, but they rebel against the orders and join the fight against evil.

Drizzt fights his one man war, almost seeking a suicidal end. While the Dwarves retreat from the onslaught that is Obould.

This story relies less on the history between the main characters and concentrates on the current events. It is a good read. Salvatore weaves a complex story with many separate elements that lead to a complete whole. His characters are likable, especially the dwarves. He has created an interesting society in Mithral Hall which drew me into the story completely.

The Runelords by David Farland

The Runelords is the first in newer fantasy series about a world where power flows from those who have accumulated runes or endowments from others. Ideally, these endowments are given by commoners or other citizens to their king or soldiers in order to defend their lands. Brawn, wit, stamina, metabolism, grace, voice and glamour are some of the endowments that can be given. Receiving certain endowments can have a downside. Too many metabolism runes can drastically shorten your life. If you have given endowments or are a vector for endowments, then you have lost those abilities. Losing wit leaves you an idiot. Giving up glamour makes you ugly. Giving your sight or hearing leaves you without those senses. An honest receiver of these powers (i.e. a good king) is charged with protecting those who have given their abilities to their lord. If the Dedicate (the one giving the ability) dies, the runelord loses that ability, as it will go with the Dedicate to his death. If the receiver dies, then the ability goes back to the Dedicate.

As the harvest festival gears up at at Castle Sylvarresta, the evil Wolf Lord, Raj Ahten, is massing his army to attack. Raj Ahten has also amassed many thousands of endowments to himself. By using his ill-gained Voice power, he smoothly talks his way into conquering the Castle and the kingdom without any bloodshed. Prince Gaborn, son of Sylvarresta's good friend, Orden, king of Mystarria in the south, is on his way to Sylarresta to ask for Princess Iome's hand in marriage. They are both caught in the conflict and escape.

As the kingdom's line up to fight the Wolf Lord, Gaborn has been chosen to be the Earth King, an appointment that has not been given in over a thousand years. He must grow in this new role and learn to be able to fight Raj Ahten, who has proven himself almost unbeatable.

I enjoyed this book because it almost reminds me of a role playing game in that the number of runes a person has somewhat determines if you can be defeated by another person. One theme that is common in this book is the need to take care of the earth. The oath that Gaborn takes as the new Earth King ensures that he will, if he wins, take care of the earth.

This book has many common elements of modern fantasy. Wizards, heroes, villains, and a multitude of mystical beings. Swordplay, battles, treachery and magic. I look forward to reading forward in this series.

Quest for the Trilogy by Mel Odom

With the fourth book in his Rover series, Mel has done what few authors have done, hooked me on a fantasy world. Yet again, Mel weaves a compelling tale of fantasy and adventure full of wonderful characters. The story has two parts, Jugh in the present and Second Level Librarian, Wick in the past.

Juhg is now the Grandmagister of the Vault of All Known Knowledge. He is trying to reintroduce books and reading to the world. His passion to bring this knowledge is supported by his best friend, Raisho, and his most powerful ally, the wizard Craugh. The story opens with Juhg meeting a diverse group of humans, elves and dwarves on the mainland. He is asking for help to establish the schools and libraries on the mainland. He is met with both resistance by some and open interest by others.

Juhg is attacked by bogbeasts, a new type of enemy, and launched into another quest. Craugh has recruited him to finish a quest started years before by Jugh's mentor, Wick. The evil of Lord Kharrion has not passed. Kharrion's diabolical ambitions infected the world and still fester to this day. Someone betrayed the Unity at the last battle, and that betrayal has stained relations between the races ever since. For a thousand years, the Dwarven leader Oskarr has been blamed for the betrayal and his descendents have lived with that burden. Wick left three books hidden throughout the lands for Juhg to find and finally put the past to rest.

Wick's story is told in flashbacks and starts with Wick being shanghaied, again, by Craugh and the dwarven pirate crew of the One Eyed Peggy. Craugh needs Wick to help him find and defeat Kharrion's last weapon. To do so he must recover three magical weapons lost for a thousand years and finally solve the mystery of who betrayed the Unity.

Boneslicer is a magical battle axe imbued with the power of the Earth. Mastersmith Oskarr created it and the other weapons. He eventually discovered it was cursed at the last battle and was coveted by Kharrion. He hid it to keep Kharrion from using it as part of his great weapon.

Seaspray was a great magical weapon Oskarr created with Boneslicer. Wielded by the great human hero, Captain Duluan, it is imbued with the power of the Seas. It was lost at the last battle to the goblinkin, but later stolen back and hidden by one of Duluan's heirs.

Deathwhisper was the third weapon Oskarr crafted and is the great magical bow of Sokadir, Prince of the Elves. He is the last surviving hero and still has his bow. Deathwhisper has the power of the storms. Each hit is like lighting bolt. Sokadir has left the world of elves in grief over the loss of his sons at the last battle. He is haunted by the betrayal.

Wick must recover the magical weapons and reunite them to defeat Kharrion's Wrath. With the help of Craugh, Brandt and his band of thieves, the crew of the One Eyed Peggy and some not-so-helpful talking animals Wick finds the missing weapons and defeats Kharrion's Wrath. But he cannot put the mystery of the betrayal to rest. That task is left to Jugh, his apprentice and successor as Grandmagister.

Wick left Jugh three journals, hidden for safekeeping. These journals hold the evidence of who actually betrayed the Unity a thousand years ago and how that person could destroy the future Wick, Jugh and the rest have fought so hard to bring about. Juhg and Craugh must defeat the last remnant of Lord Kharrion's evil if the races are ever to rebuild the Unity and defeat the evil goblinkin.

The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend by David Gemmell

Druss the Axeman, the Captain of the Axe, the Silver Slayer, Deathwalker, these are the names legend has given him. Druss the Legend is an indomitable warrior, armed with the great battle axe, Snaga. Snaga the Sender, the Blades of No Return, an axe possessed by a demon that gives it the power to cut anything and makes the wielder almost unbeatable.

The first book telling of Druss was called Legend. It told of Druss in his sixties, called to defend his homeland against an invasion of barbarian hordes. It tells of his death and hints and his past. He is an unstoppable warrior with an iron code. He will not do evil, nor stand still while evil is done. His world is black and white and he has little tolerance for those that attempt to paint it in shades of grey. He is a man that has lived a life of violence, but has no remorse for it. He is a warrior without peer and a friend that will never flinch or falter.

The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend tells the story of his beginning. Druss is a young man, recently married to Rowena. He lives in a small mountain village on the frontier of Drenai. He is not popular in the town. The people fear him for his great size and temper. Rowena is the only person he has ever allowed close to him and he loves her dearly.

While he is working in the mountains felling trees, the village is attacked by bandits. Everybody is killed but the young women, who are gathered as slaves. Druss uses his axe to defend himself and a young woman and they are the only survivors. He returns in time to find his dying father, who tells him where to find a family heirloom hidden in the house for Druss has a secret. He is the grandson of Bardan the Slayer. Bardan’s axe and armor are hidden in his father’s house.

Druss is devastated by the loss of his wife. He dons Bardan’s armor, grabs the axe and heads off to the rescue. Before he can leave the town, he encounters Shadak the Hunter, whose son was slain by the same raiders. Shadak offers to help him, and in so doing gives Druss his own code for life. "Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These are things for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain lead you into the pursuit of evil." Druss adopts this code as his own and it lays the foundation for his actions for the rest of his life.

Druss follows the slavers and in a nighttime raid, they attack and he kills nineteen of the raiders, freeing the women. But his wife is not among them. She was taken by the raider’s leader Collan to Mashrapur. Druss continues to Mashrapur to find her. In Mashrapur, he enters a fight contest and fights Borcha, the local champion. He meets Bodasen, a Ventrian General who is in the town to hire mercenaries to fight a war. Bodasen sets up a meeting between Collan and Druss to get Rowena back, but Collan reneges on the deal and Druss gets severely wounded. Collan is killed but Rowena is taken away on a ship. Druss finds out later that the ship is sunk by pirates under the employ of the Empire of Nashaan. Nashaan is fighting Ventria and Ventria is losing badly. Druss decides that Nashaan is his enemy and he decides to fight for them.

Druss fights for Ventria, becoming the Emperor Gorben’s champion. Druss leads attack after attack and his status as a warrior grows, but the killing gives the demon that possesses Snaga power. The power of the axe drove his grandfather insane and it is starting to get to Druss, too. Druss’ iron code and indomitable will hold the madness at bay and Druss uses the power to lead the defeat of Nashaan’s armies.

Along the way he finds out that his wife is not dead, but suffers from amnesia. His hunt begins again. He finally finds her, but with her memory loss, she has married the General of the last Nashaanite army, Michanek. In the final battle, Michanek dies and Rowena attempts suicide. A priest saves her from the poison but her spirit is lost in the netherworld. Druss enters the netherworld to bring her back. Ultimately it leads to a confrontation with the demon in the axe. Druss defeats the demon and Snaga is no longer possessed. Rowena and Druss are reunited after seven years and they return home.

The last part of the book tells the story of Druss in his forties, standing with his countrymen against the Empire of Ventria. The Ventrian Emperor, Gorben, has been given a sword that is possessed by another demon, but has given in to the insanity. He has attacked and invaded the other countries and has turned into the same kind of evil that Druss helped him defeat years earlier. Druss stands against the Empire, fighting men that he calls friends. Druss and a handful of warriors defeat the Ventrians at Skeln Pass in a battle reminiscent of the Spartans defeating the Persians.

This book is more a series of short stories than a whole story. Each part is a self contained whole the only common thread is Druss’ search for Rowena. The last part seems a bit abbreviated, but still it does what it meant to do, which is tell the back story of Druss. I enjoyed the book and recommend it along with all the Drenai Tales series. Gemmell’s world is richly created and inhabited by wonderful characters. I actually feel saddened when I reach the end of his books, because I want more to read. Gemmell died last year, so there will be no more Drenai Tales written.

The White Wolf by David Gemmell

The White Wolf by David Gemmell is one of the books in The Drenai Tales series of books. It introduces a new protagonist, Skilgannon the Damned. Another dark hero, he is a man in search of redemption, which is a common theme in Gemmell's books. Skilgannon was the greatest General and swordsmaster in the army of Queen Jianna, who walked away from his life when he discovered he could not live with the guilt of destroying an entire city.

As he left her service, he took with him the magical Swords of Night and Day. Jianna has put a price on his head for his defiance of her will. This is difficult for the two of them as they are old friends and love each other.

He becomes a monk in a distant monastery, changing his name to Brother Lantern. He spends three years trying to live up to the nonviolent ideals of the Source Priests. Eventually, the song of peace is disrupted by encroaching violence. A new evil has lifted its head and pull Skilgannon back into the world of power and politics he has tried so hard to leave behind.

Skilgannon is joined in this story by Druss, the Legend. Druss is the subject of previous Gemmell books. He is an unstoppable fighter, an axe wielder who deals death and violence with little remorse. But Druss lives by an iron code.

"Never violate a woman, nor harm a child.

Do not lie , cheat or steal.

These are things for lesser men.

Protect the weak against the evil strong.

And never allow thoughts of gain lead you into the pursuit of evil."

He imparts this code into Skilgannon and helps set his feet onto the path of redemption. Together with Druss and a small band of heroes they take on the source of the evil and destroy him. Skilgannon eventually meets and makes up with Jianna after he has found the inner peace he has been needing.

Lord of the Libraries by Mel Odom

Lord of the Libraries finishes the story begun in the Rover and Destruction of the Books. Be prepared for some surprising plot twists as Mel fills you in on the real story behind the wars to destroy the old world and all the libraries.

It finishes the story in grand fashion. Juhg defies the typical dweller stereotype and becomes a true hero, finding the four pieces to the Book of Time and rescuing Wick. Juhg fulfills his destiny to bring reading, writing and books back to the world, allowing the races to break out of the stagnant rut they had been in for thousands of years.

This is a much more mature book than the Rover. It has a darker feel to it, but it is also much more interesting and compelling. I had a hard time putting it down. Yet again, Mel's characters and world are rich and vibrant and his story telling superb. A must read for fantasy lovers.

Empire of the East by Fred Saberhagen

Fred Saberhagen is an icon in the world of fantasy and science fiction writing. Some of the first sci-fi I read was his work. His style has evolved since the fist book in this trilogy, the Broken Lands.
The Broken Lands tells the story of Rolf, a farm boy whose family is murdered by the Eastern Empire army that has conquered his homeland. Rolf, while searching for his missing little sister. In his journey he joins the small resistance and gets swept into the search for the Elephant, a mythical beast prophesied to help free them.
The Elephant is part of the Old World. The story revolves around the fact that the world of technology was destroyed and the world of magic arose. The Elephant is a relic of the old world that still works, a nuclear powered tank that has remained hidden in a secure bunker for thousands of years. Apparently, technology from the Old World is far advanced of what we have today.
Rolf and his allies defeat the local Satrap of the East, but in the process, they lose the Elephant and all it's power. The book ends with the resistance preparing for a larger war against the Empire.
This first book has a fast pace, but leaves a lot of the details unexplained. It is a little unbelievable, but the pacing and characters are good, so it is a pleasant read. Luckily the next two books are much better.
In the Black Mountain, the Eastern Empire's local lord is Som the Dead. He is an undead sorcerer that has been given control over the Western lands. In this book, you see just how evil the East is. It is full of political infighting and deceit.
The story is told from Rolf's point of view as well as Chup, a former Satrap of the East who was captured by the resistance in the last book. Rolf and the resistance go up against Som and his demon minion, Zapranoth. In this book you see more of the technology and get a better idea of the fall of the Old World. The characters are much better defined and written. There is plenty of action, which I like.
This story is also about redemption. Chup turns from the path of evil and defects to the Western armies. To be honest, I like Chup's character the best. Chup has an iron code of honor and a blunt honesty that is admirable. He turns out to be the hero that defeats Zapranoth.
In Ardneh's World, we meet the Emperor of the East, an immortal named John Ominor. He has command of the most powerful wizards and demons on the planet. We also meet Ardneh, the Godlike being indirectly supporting the West. This book is the ultimate confrontation between the two.
The power of the east is anchored in the might of the demon Orcus, the most powerful being in existence. The story tells of the creation of magic and demons by the Old World.
There was a great nuclear war in the past. The scientists of the Old World developed a technology against nuclear war that changed the rules of physics. This change caused advanced technology to stop working and brought into being the powers of magic. Orcus was created by a nuclear explosion that went off at the same time that the rules changed. Any act of violence that happened at that exact moment created a demon. The more violent and powerful the act, the more powerful the demon. But the rules of magic were not fixed, and have slowly been sliding back to where science works again.
Which is where Ardneh comes in. Ardneh is a self aware computer designed to reverse the change and allow science to come back into ascendancy. Ardneh is a benevolent being who stands for all that was good from the Old World. He has set his course against the Empire of the East and all the evil that supports it.
Rolf is recruited by Ardneh to assist in the final battle against Orcus and the Eastern Armies. The story ends with the rules being partially reversed and Orcus is turned back into the nuclear explosion that birthed him. But the rules did not totally reverse. They are now equal. Science and magic powers coexist in the New World.
This story is a prequel to Fred's massively successful fantasy series The Books of Swords. It tells the back story of Ardeh and Draffut that figure so much in that series. Now that I have reread this trilogy, I am ready to reread the Books of Swords.

The Destruction of the Books by Mel Odom

The Destruction of the Books takes place many years after the Rover, with Wick as a supporting character. Mel puts Juhg, Wick's apprentice as the main character, with a rich supporting cast. Wick is a Dweller from the Island of Greydawn Moors, where the Dwellers are kept safe, along with the Vault of All Known Knowledge. Jugh was a slave in the Goblin's mines on the mainland. Since this book is told through Juhg's eyes, the world is a very different place.

Where the Rover was quite a bit more light hearted, the story here is more dark and foreboding. Mel's story telling is top form, his world is told in rich, broad strokes, filling in the details necessary to the story, but leaving much of it to the reader's imagination. An important note is that Mel has intentionally left off a map of this world. He wants you to use your imagination.

The Rover was young adults book. The Destruction of the Books is more mature. It deals with many issues that are darker and grimmer. The sociological points brought up in the story are well thought out and surprised me at the depth they impact the world and its history.
There is less action in this book as opposed to the Rover, but it is important to set up for the next book, Lord of the Libraries.

I enjoyed the book. It had a good balance of all the parts, good flow, and as always with Mel's books, great characters.