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Runesword Volume One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six : Outcasts, Skryling's Blade, Dark Divide ReviewThis review is a compilation of the reviews I wrote for all six books of the series individually.
Outcasts (Rune Sword, Vol. 1)
"Outcasts" is Book 1 in the Runesword fantasy series. Written by Clayton Emery (later known for his Magic the Gathering and Forgotten Realms books), Outcasts is a standard cookie cutter YA Fantasy. It begins the story of four unlikely companions forced together by the Norse God "Vili" to recover and destroy a series of magical Runeswords before the ever popular "Dark Lord" obtains them with his army of evildoers. The group of unlikely heroes consists of Caltus (an extremely young wandering warrior in search of military guidance), Elizebith (yes that's how it's spelled, runaway daughter mage of a powerful and wicked sorceress), Hathor (a vegetarian Troll who's forsaken the cruel and carnivorous ways of his kin) and Endril (your stereotypical brooding, silent, serious-minded and mysterious elf). Quickly banded together by a lesser deity (Vili, brother of Odin) they set off on their quest against the Dark Lord and his minions to find the fabled Runeswords. Here are my thoughts;
Pros
+ Quick and easy read.
+ Uses Dungeons & Dragons as a reference for the writing. Everything from the spells (Enlarge, Ignite, Light, Levitation etc.) to the descriptions of certain characters such as magic users/spell casters.
+ Cover art by renowned fantasy artist Larry Elmore.
Cons
- Characters are clearly in a traditional fantasy setting yet continuously evoke the names of gods from Greek, Egyptian, Norse mythos among others. I find that borrowed cultural and religious references break the epic fantasy immersion even though the characters have been tasked with their quest by the Norse god Vili.
- Bith and Cal's constant bickering is tiresome. I understand that they're teenagers but the constant arguing makes them seem a lot younger than they are which doesn't lend well to the "peril" of the quest they've undertaken. They both just come off as a whiny and petulant.
- Trust is gained and given too easily between characters. The "Outcast" group forms almost immediately with no distrust or suspicion. Then when betrayal occurs they seem shocked!
- Both the names and nicknames of the characters were groan worthy. Hathor the troll (Thor), Elizebith (Bith), Caltus (Cal). Luckily the elf is named Endril and only ever Endril.
- No world map.
The entire time I was reading this book I had to remind myself that I was not the demographic the author was focusing on when he wrote the book. That being said, it's a simple diversion if you're looking for a mindless and cliché fantasy read. Unless you're a fan of average YA fantasy you could probably skip this short 6 book series.
Skryling's Blade (Rune Sword, Vol. 2)
"Skryling's Blade" is the second book in the Young Adult fantasy series, Runesword. The story is continued by two completely new authors, Rose Estes (known for her early D&D Endless Quest and Greyhawk novels) and Tom Wham (board game designer). New authors for each book seem to have been the theme for this series in efforts to quickly crank out more stories. While the authors may be different, the characters pretty much remain the same. Cal the warrior, Bith the sorceress, Hathor the troll and Endril the elf are all back together again on their second adventure. The Norse God Vili (Brother of Odin) once again tasks them (somewhat indirectly) in finding and destroying the second Runesword, known as Sjonbrand the Skryling's Blade. Cal takes center stage in this story while Bith, Hathor and Endril take more of a backseat in the tale. Here are my thoughts on Skryling's Blade;
Pros
+ Quick and easy read.
+ Introduction of the dwarf character Gunnar Greybeard is a welcome addition to the cast, although I had some concerns (see Cons).
+ Cover by Larry Elmore.
Cons
- Half the cast is imprisoned early on in the book leaving them largely absent from the story.
- Refers more heavily to Norse mythos compared to the first book. The characters even run into Thor himself on their adventures.
- The "Dark Lord" is still largely faceless and not really a character, just a name.
- Gunnar's character description sounded more like a garden gnome and not at all like the dwarf depicted on the cover art. Also, Gunnar's magical items and abilities were just too convenient and plentiful allowing the characters to travel and escape harm with little to no risk.
- King of the Skrisung awards Cal with magical items aplenty after Cal helps him defeat the creature tormenting his people. Why weren't the king and his people using these magical items to fight the beast wiping out their population?
- Bith and Cal's squabbling is still persistent and annoying.
- Abrupt and cliché ending.
- No world map.
Skryling's Blade was pretty much on par with the first book in the series. The story is loosely connected and the authors do make mention of the Outcasts previous adventure. My main issue with this series is believing the group of four characters stays together. Sure they're united at the beginning of each book by the god Vili to recover another Runesword, but beyond that it's sometimes difficult to see them adventuring together. Regardless, the books are short, easy reads so I'm continuing the series to see what the other authors can contribute.
The Dreamstone (Runesword, Vol. 3)
"The Dreamstone" is the third book in the "Runesword" series. Written by two different female authors under the pseudonym J.F. Rivkin (responsible for the excellent but largely unheard of and underappreciated Sword & Sorcery series, Silverglass) it details the further adventures of our four Outcasts; Bith a young human sorceress, Caltus a young human warrior, Hathor the vegetarian troll and Endril the world weary elven archer. In this installment the group learns that their reoccurring wizard nemesis Schlein has been given a powerful artifact called the Dreamstone by his master, the aptly named Dark Lord. With this stone Schlein can attack the heroes while they sleep and make the danger of dreams a reality. Here are my thoughts on The Dreamstone;
Pros
+ Quick and easy read.
+ Had a bit of a darker tone than the previous books. You can clearly see the more adult Sword & Sorcery influence of the authors while still trying to balance the book for a younger audience.
+ Cover art by Larry Elmore.
+ Doesn't continue to rely heavily on Norse mythos.
+ The "Dark Lord" actually begins to take on a form and is partially described.
Cons
- Bith and Cal's squabbling is still present and continues to annoy. To quote the elf Endril at the end of the first chapter, "Did I say you were behaving like a green girl? Forgive me. I was incorrect. Both of you are behaving like nursery brats."
- Extremely abrupt ending. Just when the story was shaping up it ended.
- Story didn't really follow the group finding and destroying a Runesword as commanded by the god Vili in the previous books. While a sword with runes on it was destroyed while Cal was fighting a demon it's never explained that it was a Runesword. Nor does Vili appear to commend them on the completion of their quest.
- As in the previous books things move along rather quickly and often without purpose making things feel loosely strung together.
- No world map.
The Dreamstone, in my opinion is the strongest Runesword title that I've read so far. However, that's not exactly a difficult feat to achieve. There were parts that I really enjoyed reading while there were other areas, such as the YA influence, that slowed things down for me. It's too bad that the J.F. Rivkin authors weren't hired to write more of the series as I think it would have helped fill in the storyline a bit more. However, I still felt some things were left unfinished, especially regarding the god Vili and the destruction of another Runesword. In any case it was still an acceptable and refreshing read despite its slight story tangent.
Horrible Humes (Runesword, Vol. 4)
"Horrible Humes (i.e. Humans)" is the fourth book in the "Runesword" series Written by Stephen Billias. It continues to detail the further adventures of our four Outcasts; Bith a young human sorceress, Caltus a young human warrior, Hathor the vegetarian troll and Endril the world weary elven archer. In this installment the group learns of a breach in the Mistwall where a frigid new villain uncreatively dubbed the Ice Queen is forcing her cold will on the denizens of the North. So, in true hero fashion the Outcasts set out once again to thwart evil. Here are my thoughts on Horrible Humes;
Pros
+ Quick and easy read.
+ Had a bit of a darker tone (for Hathor at least) than the previous books.
+ Cover art by Larry Elmore.
+ The Wind-Websters were an interesting society.
Cons
- Contained one of the most ridiculous and laughable premises for a fantasy book ever. Hathor the troll is captured by the Ice Queen because she believes his vegetarianism is a threat to all evil races because he's not a blood-thirsty meat eater. Are you kidding me??
- Extremely abrupt ending.
- Story didn't really follow the group finding and destroying a Runesword as commanded by the god Vili in the previous books. In this book there's no Vili, no Runesword and no Dark Lord.
- Ice Queen villain was...Read more›
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