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The Runelords #5
Sons of the Oak
Certain works of fantasy are immediately recognizable as monuments, towering above the rest of the category. Authors of those works, such as Stephen R. Donaldson, Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind, come immediately to mind. Add to that list David Farland, whose epic fantasy series continues now.The story picks up eight years after the events of Lair of Bones and begins a new chapter in the Runelords saga focusing on Gaborn's son, Fallion. Gaborn, the Earth King, has been traveling far from his home, to strange and unknown places. While beyond the edge of the earth, he finally succumbs to the accelerated aging that comes from all of the endowments he has taken. His death is the signal for a revolution, an attack from the supernatural realms by immensely powerful immortal beings. These forces have discovered that Gaborn's son is the resurrection of an immortal, one whose potential power is so great that he might be able to reorder the entire universe. Fallion's enemies have decided that they must control him, and failing that, destroy him. He is only a child, but he is the heir to Gaborn's kingdom, and so must flee to the ends of the earth to avoid the destruction of all that Gaborn accomplished. One of the mightiest of contemporary fantasy epics continues.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
43 people are currently reading
2086 people want to read
About the author
David Farland
155 books1,199 followersDavid Farland is the author of the bestselling Runelords series, including Chaosbound, The Wyrmling Horde and Worldbinder. He also writes science-fiction as David Wolverton. He won the 1987 Writers of the Future contest, and has been nominated for a Nebula Award and a Hugo Award. Farland also works as a video game designer, and has taught writing seminars around the U.S. and Canada. He lives in Saint George, Utah. He passed away on January 14, 2022.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidf...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidf...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
September 28, 2019
I'm of two minds with this, but mostly that's because I re-gifted my wit back to the person who gifted theirs to me.
Wait. Does this just make me one of those eternal observers?
Nah, just a reader. :)
Even though this is officially a Runelord novel, it breaks most of its ties (except a few characters and all the mechanics) with the previous four. And you know what? I like it. A lot. The stakes are a bit more off in the future and the heroes are mostly all quite young. If I didn't know any better, I would call this a YA. But since it's right in the middle of a huge arc and focusing on a new generation, it's just right. It reminds me of Feist in a good way.
Oh, and I like the baddies. We've got a good look at the biggest bad and a new and interesting lesser boss. Our hero ain't a Green Man, either. What can I say? I actually LIKE fire, too! :)
I'm hooked. No need to fret over losing our old favorites. I've got my new ones lined up. :)
Wait. Does this just make me one of those eternal observers?
Nah, just a reader. :)
Even though this is officially a Runelord novel, it breaks most of its ties (except a few characters and all the mechanics) with the previous four. And you know what? I like it. A lot. The stakes are a bit more off in the future and the heroes are mostly all quite young. If I didn't know any better, I would call this a YA. But since it's right in the middle of a huge arc and focusing on a new generation, it's just right. It reminds me of Feist in a good way.
Oh, and I like the baddies. We've got a good look at the biggest bad and a new and interesting lesser boss. Our hero ain't a Green Man, either. What can I say? I actually LIKE fire, too! :)
I'm hooked. No need to fret over losing our old favorites. I've got my new ones lined up. :)
December 14, 2017
David Farland is a master at his craft. I have never read anything by any other author that is as effectively descriptive as this book. I read the first four books of the series a few years ago, and I distinctly remember feeling sick to my stomach quite a bit while reading. Part of it was the Runelords culture: weakening someone else to make someone stronger, killing the weaklings to make the Runelords weaker.
But it is Farland's use of words that makes me respond physically. His description of human suffering is so palpable I want to close my eyes, plug my nose, plug my ears, do whatever I can to escape the agony. Conversely, his descriptions of joy and the triumph of the human spirit fills me with wonder, hope, and possibly a few tears. He doesn't use flowery language; he just uses the right words, and words can be a very, very powerful thing when utilized correctly.
Farland's characters are real and complex. He knows how to write children, teenagers, and adults, characters who are good, evil, or a little bit of both. Readers have little choice but to care about them. Farland doesn't hold anything back from his readers--whatever Farland sees, his readers see, regardless of whether they will be comfortable seeing it or not.
Obviously, this book struck a chord within me, largely becaue of Farland's gift for writing. The only part of his writing style I felt was less than effective was when he jumped from one character's head to another--not an easy thing to do, but some of the transitions were a little choppy, leaving me feeling a little disoriented.
As for the other stuff, like the actual story, well, Farland doesn't disappoint.
The writing was superb, the story was engaging, and the ending was immensely satisfying. What more could an avid reader want?
But it is Farland's use of words that makes me respond physically. His description of human suffering is so palpable I want to close my eyes, plug my nose, plug my ears, do whatever I can to escape the agony. Conversely, his descriptions of joy and the triumph of the human spirit fills me with wonder, hope, and possibly a few tears. He doesn't use flowery language; he just uses the right words, and words can be a very, very powerful thing when utilized correctly.
Farland's characters are real and complex. He knows how to write children, teenagers, and adults, characters who are good, evil, or a little bit of both. Readers have little choice but to care about them. Farland doesn't hold anything back from his readers--whatever Farland sees, his readers see, regardless of whether they will be comfortable seeing it or not.
Obviously, this book struck a chord within me, largely becaue of Farland's gift for writing. The only part of his writing style I felt was less than effective was when he jumped from one character's head to another--not an easy thing to do, but some of the transitions were a little choppy, leaving me feeling a little disoriented.
As for the other stuff, like the actual story, well, Farland doesn't disappoint.
The writing was superb, the story was engaging, and the ending was immensely satisfying. What more could an avid reader want?
June 29, 2021
Rating 3,5
It's been a loooooooong time between the last book and this one for me. In a way, it didn't really matter, because this isn't the story of Gaborn really, but of Fallion, so the details of the previous books was kind of irrelevant. Except in the case of Iome's pregnancies, because that caused me some headaches before I figured it out.
Anyway, I would have liked to give this a higher rating, but there were a few things that pulled the rating down. The least of which was the repetition that occurred enough times that it made me notice it. Not verbatim, but similar enough that it annoyed me.
I could have overlooked that, unless it was for problem #2. All the characters feel emotionally disjointed though-out the whole story. Even when lives are at stake, they say they care, but it doesn't ring true and it's not followed by the action of proving it. So I spent a lot of time thinking Fallion and Jaz ungrateful brats, the Borenson family collecting kids to spare in case of emergency and the main bad guy just randomly (but conveniently) not caring about security.
The strengi-saats feel like they're a warning all on their own. Surprisingly morbid detail in a story mostly featuring kids.
I did like it overall, though. I found myself invested in Borenson & Co, and feared for them from start to finish.
It's been a loooooooong time between the last book and this one for me. In a way, it didn't really matter, because this isn't the story of Gaborn really, but of Fallion, so the details of the previous books was kind of irrelevant. Except in the case of Iome's pregnancies, because that caused me some headaches before I figured it out.
Anyway, I would have liked to give this a higher rating, but there were a few things that pulled the rating down. The least of which was the repetition that occurred enough times that it made me notice it. Not verbatim, but similar enough that it annoyed me.
I could have overlooked that, unless it was for problem #2. All the characters feel emotionally disjointed though-out the whole story. Even when lives are at stake, they say they care, but it doesn't ring true and it's not followed by the action of proving it. So I spent a lot of time thinking Fallion and Jaz ungrateful brats, the Borenson family collecting kids to spare in case of emergency and the main bad guy just randomly (but conveniently) not caring about security.
The strengi-saats feel like they're a warning all on their own. Surprisingly morbid detail in a story mostly featuring kids.
I did like it overall, though. I found myself invested in Borenson & Co, and feared for them from start to finish.
December 11, 2009
David Farland continues his Runelords series, but introduces a new generation with new heroes, and new villains. Farland rushes to cut ties with the last book, killing off several familiar characters from the last series within the first 50 pages. He clearly wants us to realize that this is a new series.
So, this is a new series, but does it work? Mostly. There are a few familiar faces from the previous series who play large roles in the novel, but the cast of characters is mostly new. Our hero is no longer the Earth King from the last series, but now his son. Farland does a good job handling his protagonist, giving him just enough ties to Gaborn to make him feel familiar to the reader, but allows him the space to grow as a character, so that he isn't just another cookie-cutter cutout.
If you enjoyed the first books of the Runelords series, there's plenty here to like. It isn't the strongest book of the series, but it's not the worst either. It's great to see Farland exploring the other parts of his world, and not so fixated on the system of forcibles and endowments he's created. It's a strong entry in the series, and if you liked the previous series, this book is a good continuation.
So, this is a new series, but does it work? Mostly. There are a few familiar faces from the previous series who play large roles in the novel, but the cast of characters is mostly new. Our hero is no longer the Earth King from the last series, but now his son. Farland does a good job handling his protagonist, giving him just enough ties to Gaborn to make him feel familiar to the reader, but allows him the space to grow as a character, so that he isn't just another cookie-cutter cutout.
If you enjoyed the first books of the Runelords series, there's plenty here to like. It isn't the strongest book of the series, but it's not the worst either. It's great to see Farland exploring the other parts of his world, and not so fixated on the system of forcibles and endowments he's created. It's a strong entry in the series, and if you liked the previous series, this book is a good continuation.
April 18, 2016
No where near as good as the earth king cycle but better than anything Jordan or Tolkien ever touched. The main problem is that Fallion is a borderline Mary Sue whose special powers negate most of deeper moral and ethical decisions built into the mythos.
You are supposed to find him a hero because his powers allow him to 'Gordian knot' decisions that would have made for interesting story-lines in the first cycle. The other characters respect him for 'not making their mistakes' but he takes third options that were literally impossible for them. It's like praising a kid with a trust fund and legacy Harvard appointment for not begging.
Granted there is a reason for all this but it still feels cheap. Also why so many locus'. in the first cycle yeah there was Scathian but most evil things were just evil or am I recalling wrong.
I do have to give props for Smoker though one of my favorite characters in the series. I still intend to finish the series because I love the world and magic system but I do feel that Farland's better than this.
You are supposed to find him a hero because his powers allow him to 'Gordian knot' decisions that would have made for interesting story-lines in the first cycle. The other characters respect him for 'not making their mistakes' but he takes third options that were literally impossible for them. It's like praising a kid with a trust fund and legacy Harvard appointment for not begging.
Granted there is a reason for all this but it still feels cheap. Also why so many locus'. in the first cycle yeah there was Scathian but most evil things were just evil or am I recalling wrong.
I do have to give props for Smoker though one of my favorite characters in the series. I still intend to finish the series because I love the world and magic system but I do feel that Farland's better than this.
March 23, 2013
An interesting read from David Farland. While not reaching the majesty of his previous four books he still manages to enthrall and entertain.
This novel finds us with the children of Gaborn, the Earth King, and the subsequent consequences of being his heirs. As well, Fallion, Gaborn's oldest son is an "old soul" one reborn thousands of times throughout history and his purpose for being reborn on this plane of existence.
Though I found the pacing to be a little odd in this novel and I found it difficult to identify with a nine year prodigy, son of the greatest king and quickly made orphan, much of the world was still familiar and engaging. By the end of the book a felt the all too familiar "I got to know what happens next" feeling, so that is a good sign. The stakes are as high as they have always been and the future of this world and all the other worlds that are shadows of The One True World hang in the balance.
This novel finds us with the children of Gaborn, the Earth King, and the subsequent consequences of being his heirs. As well, Fallion, Gaborn's oldest son is an "old soul" one reborn thousands of times throughout history and his purpose for being reborn on this plane of existence.
Though I found the pacing to be a little odd in this novel and I found it difficult to identify with a nine year prodigy, son of the greatest king and quickly made orphan, much of the world was still familiar and engaging. By the end of the book a felt the all too familiar "I got to know what happens next" feeling, so that is a good sign. The stakes are as high as they have always been and the future of this world and all the other worlds that are shadows of The One True World hang in the balance.
April 29, 2008
This one was probably my least favorite book in the series. I just wasn't connecting with the new characters. and it was kind of like 'filler', waiting for something else to happen.
May 19, 2022
I expected less and got more. A decent kidnapping/chase novel.
The fifth book in Farland's Runelords series takes place eight (8) years after the defeat of the Reavers and Earth King Gaborn only appears in this novel by reference, wandering the earth disconnected from the world with not long to live, overburdened by the all the endowments he possessed. So despite fathering two sons (Fallion and Jaz) who he's not seen in years, we don't see Gaborn and only learn of his death (told not shown) secondhand early in the novel.
The focus quickly shifts as the children of an Earth King have some value in a power vacuum and we get assassination attempts, escapes, chases, pirate ships, kidnappings, and child torture. Fun times all.
Those hunting the children range from the base political to the more obviously dark/demonic (yes there's a new threat on the horizon). I particularly enjoyed how the use of endowments is treated a bit more negatively this time around, focusing more on the moral questions of the practice as well as the long-term effects (too many endowments of metabolism means you die at an earlier age).
The first 3/4 of the novel more brisk and narrative more straightfoward ("gotta get away"). The final 1/4, however, jumps forward 5 years in time where Fallion and Jaz are older and acting far more adult-ish than is probably warranted (there was a fair bit of precociousness earlier as well from the kids, which was jarring). This final 1/4 is where we have our big battle against the main demonic force intent on capturing the children and turning them to evil. It's a standard high fantasy battle sequence, competently written with some unique elements that really just exists to tie up the novel.
I'm slogging my way through the Runelords and while fairly disappointed in the last novel ("Lair of Bones"), I found myself enjoying this one quite a bit more. Here's hoping the train doesn't run off the tracks.
The fifth book in Farland's Runelords series takes place eight (8) years after the defeat of the Reavers and Earth King Gaborn only appears in this novel by reference, wandering the earth disconnected from the world with not long to live, overburdened by the all the endowments he possessed. So despite fathering two sons (Fallion and Jaz) who he's not seen in years, we don't see Gaborn and only learn of his death (told not shown) secondhand early in the novel.
The focus quickly shifts as the children of an Earth King have some value in a power vacuum and we get assassination attempts, escapes, chases, pirate ships, kidnappings, and child torture. Fun times all.
Those hunting the children range from the base political to the more obviously dark/demonic (yes there's a new threat on the horizon). I particularly enjoyed how the use of endowments is treated a bit more negatively this time around, focusing more on the moral questions of the practice as well as the long-term effects (too many endowments of metabolism means you die at an earlier age).
The first 3/4 of the novel more brisk and narrative more straightfoward ("gotta get away"). The final 1/4, however, jumps forward 5 years in time where Fallion and Jaz are older and acting far more adult-ish than is probably warranted (there was a fair bit of precociousness earlier as well from the kids, which was jarring). This final 1/4 is where we have our big battle against the main demonic force intent on capturing the children and turning them to evil. It's a standard high fantasy battle sequence, competently written with some unique elements that really just exists to tie up the novel.
I'm slogging my way through the Runelords and while fairly disappointed in the last novel ("Lair of Bones"), I found myself enjoying this one quite a bit more. Here's hoping the train doesn't run off the tracks.
July 21, 2023
I'm loving every moment of my journey through this fantastic series of The Runelords. David Farland's world is so intoxicating, and I just can't get enough.
Sons of the Oak is the fifth book in The RuneLords series, The story picks up eight years after the events of Lair of Bones and begins a new chapter in the Runelords saga focusing on Gaborn's Val Orden son, Fallion.
Reading this series of books, it takes you on a fantasy world of heroes, villains, and monsters. The book reads easy, nicely paced, and holds your attention, and it is very hard to put the book down.
This is the first book in the Fallion-led storyline and begins with an end to the previous plotline involving Gaborn Val Orden. It takes you so much deeper into different stories and mythologies with a very addicting plot.
David Farland has managed to create a fleshed-out world full of wonder and life and a very disturbing and unique magic system that some readers may not like, but I loved it.
The Earth King, Gaborn Val Orden, has roamed to the ends of the known world to preserve his people, but the life-draining powers he has embraced have finally taken their toll. His death leaves his young son Fallion at the mercy of his enemies.
But Fallion is no ordinary prince, but is a reincarnation of an immensely powerful immortal. Known as the torch-bearer. Fallion is fated to engage with an ancient evil across the many ages of his existence.
At stake is not just a single world and Gaborn’s hard-won legacy of peace, but the very foundations of creation itself. At a very young age, Fallion must take on the mantel of being the hero and keep those close to him from the evil that's set on revenge.
It's a truly wonderful series that still has some of my favourite characters from the earlier books. If you haven't read this series yet, I very highly recommend...😁🔥🗡🖤
Sons of the Oak is the fifth book in The RuneLords series, The story picks up eight years after the events of Lair of Bones and begins a new chapter in the Runelords saga focusing on Gaborn's Val Orden son, Fallion.
Reading this series of books, it takes you on a fantasy world of heroes, villains, and monsters. The book reads easy, nicely paced, and holds your attention, and it is very hard to put the book down.
This is the first book in the Fallion-led storyline and begins with an end to the previous plotline involving Gaborn Val Orden. It takes you so much deeper into different stories and mythologies with a very addicting plot.
David Farland has managed to create a fleshed-out world full of wonder and life and a very disturbing and unique magic system that some readers may not like, but I loved it.
The Earth King, Gaborn Val Orden, has roamed to the ends of the known world to preserve his people, but the life-draining powers he has embraced have finally taken their toll. His death leaves his young son Fallion at the mercy of his enemies.
But Fallion is no ordinary prince, but is a reincarnation of an immensely powerful immortal. Known as the torch-bearer. Fallion is fated to engage with an ancient evil across the many ages of his existence.
At stake is not just a single world and Gaborn’s hard-won legacy of peace, but the very foundations of creation itself. At a very young age, Fallion must take on the mantel of being the hero and keep those close to him from the evil that's set on revenge.
It's a truly wonderful series that still has some of my favourite characters from the earlier books. If you haven't read this series yet, I very highly recommend...😁🔥🗡🖤
December 19, 2022
This is another series that I started on audible and couldn't walk away from. I enjoyed it a lot.
Bulk Input Day.
Bulk Input Day.
January 8, 2023
YES!!! I am so glad I stuck this series out so far! This is heading in a great direction, and I am really starting to enjoy this!! The series is good from the beginning, but up until now, that's all it seemed to be for me... just good. Until now! A few new characters are introduced, and some old ones are not here, and it feels fresh.
I really hope the rest of this series follows through with the formula David Farland created with this book!
I really hope the rest of this series follows through with the formula David Farland created with this book!
April 21, 2015
I read the first four books of David Farland’s Runelords series years ago and enjoyed them a lot. I remember finding them exciting and full of fun action scenes and memorable characters, if not the smoothest of prose.
Here’s the problem. David Farland writes like a first-time novelist in some ways and like a veteran writing ninja in others. His word choices and awkward sentences feel so contrived and amateur that they are occasionally worthy of a cringe and usually elicit a wince or two.
It’s the parts that he does well that save the whole thing. His world-building, for one, is top-notch. His magic system is fascinating with some very real and painful consequences. The Runelords are people who, with the help of certain runes, can take endowments from others giving them extra strength, speed and endurance as well as sight, smell and hearing or beauty. The downside is that that same quality is removed from the person who gave the endowment so Runelords are forced to maintain secret keeps of invalids who have given up their stamina or strength or health to their lord. The other consequence is that the only way to beat a Runelord is to kill his or her dedicates — murder rooms full of helpless victims. As you can imagine endowments give a person great power but come at a high moral cost. There are also other forms of magic that require the constant vigilance and control of an elemental of either Earth, Fire, Water or Air. A wizard that has control of his element is truly powerful, but when he loses control the destruction is intense.
The characters are all believable and likable — though they felt somewhat mature for their ages most of the time, I suppose you could argue that they were maturing fast because of their traumatic circumstances. The problem with the characters is that Farland is so uneven in his use of them. This might be just me but characters that I really liked were the ones that got killed, usually without a second glance. I understand that death in real life rarely contains allegorical meaning and feels satisfying to those left behind but in fiction I believe it should (unless, of course, you’re going for utter realism, which is fine but it feels out of place in the light-hearted voice of David Farland).
My other complaint about this book, and probably my biggest one, is that it feels like a fantasy retelling of Ender’s Game. There’s no battle school but Fallion is only eleven years old at the beginning and he fights demons, battles evil Runelords and learns the ways of a fire wizard all with a cold and calculating demeanor that felt very reminiscent of a certain world saving science fiction hero.
The writing quality bothered me more than I expected it to. I found myself rereading sentences on nearly every page in order to parse what the author was trying to say. It felt like it badly needed the hand of a good editor. On the other hand, I still finished it and am almost convinced to read the next book in the series.
Here’s the problem. David Farland writes like a first-time novelist in some ways and like a veteran writing ninja in others. His word choices and awkward sentences feel so contrived and amateur that they are occasionally worthy of a cringe and usually elicit a wince or two.
It’s the parts that he does well that save the whole thing. His world-building, for one, is top-notch. His magic system is fascinating with some very real and painful consequences. The Runelords are people who, with the help of certain runes, can take endowments from others giving them extra strength, speed and endurance as well as sight, smell and hearing or beauty. The downside is that that same quality is removed from the person who gave the endowment so Runelords are forced to maintain secret keeps of invalids who have given up their stamina or strength or health to their lord. The other consequence is that the only way to beat a Runelord is to kill his or her dedicates — murder rooms full of helpless victims. As you can imagine endowments give a person great power but come at a high moral cost. There are also other forms of magic that require the constant vigilance and control of an elemental of either Earth, Fire, Water or Air. A wizard that has control of his element is truly powerful, but when he loses control the destruction is intense.
The characters are all believable and likable — though they felt somewhat mature for their ages most of the time, I suppose you could argue that they were maturing fast because of their traumatic circumstances. The problem with the characters is that Farland is so uneven in his use of them. This might be just me but characters that I really liked were the ones that got killed, usually without a second glance. I understand that death in real life rarely contains allegorical meaning and feels satisfying to those left behind but in fiction I believe it should (unless, of course, you’re going for utter realism, which is fine but it feels out of place in the light-hearted voice of David Farland).
My other complaint about this book, and probably my biggest one, is that it feels like a fantasy retelling of Ender’s Game. There’s no battle school but Fallion is only eleven years old at the beginning and he fights demons, battles evil Runelords and learns the ways of a fire wizard all with a cold and calculating demeanor that felt very reminiscent of a certain world saving science fiction hero.
The writing quality bothered me more than I expected it to. I found myself rereading sentences on nearly every page in order to parse what the author was trying to say. It felt like it badly needed the hand of a good editor. On the other hand, I still finished it and am almost convinced to read the next book in the series.
November 18, 2017
This would be my favorite in the series if it weren't for all the ridiculous plot holes. Story wise, I have absolutely no complaints. Couldn't put it down. It's almost as if Farland took no notes on his previous books or simply forgot various details. Baron Waggit remembers his name in book four. We never learn it. Borenson is branded with a will forcible. It's never mentioned again. Duke Paldane? Dies twice. Queen Lowicker comes back from the dead...there's more but that's all I can remember off hand. I don't think I've ever been so frustrated with a book I absolutely adored.
June 2, 2013
I hate to give bad reviews to books. Honestly this is one of the worst put together books I have read in a long long time. I read similar reviews before trying this one out and thought "Surely they jest." However that isn't the case. I have rarely ever put a book down and not finished it, this one almost made it. I think the saddest thing about this book is that it has such great and unique ideas to build from. Once of the most original magical systems in books in a long time, imho, is what the author introduces in the first part of the series, namely the taking of runes for obtaining powers from donors. Pure genius. The series starts out promising but then starts to struggle towards the end.
What I was really hoping for in this new set was a brand new start of revisiting the same promising ideas and themes. What I felt I got was a story that was stitched together and no believable plot/struggle for the characters to go through. The main character, while still a child (9 years old) behaves much much older than he possibly could. Many of this thoughts and ruminations deal with supposed years of training, tutelage that he draws on (again only being 9). Its sad that such a mundane thing like a characters age and behavior becomes the most fantastical and unbelievable thing about a book.
Further the point of view switches so often and most of the time within the same paragraph that you have to do a double take to verify whose head you are in at the moment. I account this to just poor execution. Lost of books will switch between the thoughts of various characters for various reasons. In Sons of the Oak it seems to happen purely randomly and quite awkwardly. I found myself lost many times and wondering "Why would they suddenly think that?" only to figure out, wait no itself someone else.
Lastly, I think some of the material was just disturbing in the wrong ways.
***Slight possible spoiler alert - Non plot impacting ****
In one part of the books he details the rape of several female children ages 5-9. These rapes result in the impregnation by cat like creatures with the cat's offspring. It just was weird and again strangely out of place. I am no prude at all, and have read many authors with disturbing material, this one though just felt forced and inappropriately strange. He then revisits this several other times in the book.
I believe the author to be talented for sure, and certainly don't review this from some sense of "I could do better" or that I am some expert on the subject of good fiction writing. That beings said, I'm sad to say this is one of the worst written books I have read in a long long time.
What I was really hoping for in this new set was a brand new start of revisiting the same promising ideas and themes. What I felt I got was a story that was stitched together and no believable plot/struggle for the characters to go through. The main character, while still a child (9 years old) behaves much much older than he possibly could. Many of this thoughts and ruminations deal with supposed years of training, tutelage that he draws on (again only being 9). Its sad that such a mundane thing like a characters age and behavior becomes the most fantastical and unbelievable thing about a book.
Further the point of view switches so often and most of the time within the same paragraph that you have to do a double take to verify whose head you are in at the moment. I account this to just poor execution. Lost of books will switch between the thoughts of various characters for various reasons. In Sons of the Oak it seems to happen purely randomly and quite awkwardly. I found myself lost many times and wondering "Why would they suddenly think that?" only to figure out, wait no itself someone else.
Lastly, I think some of the material was just disturbing in the wrong ways.
***Slight possible spoiler alert - Non plot impacting ****
In one part of the books he details the rape of several female children ages 5-9. These rapes result in the impregnation by cat like creatures with the cat's offspring. It just was weird and again strangely out of place. I am no prude at all, and have read many authors with disturbing material, this one though just felt forced and inappropriately strange. He then revisits this several other times in the book.
I believe the author to be talented for sure, and certainly don't review this from some sense of "I could do better" or that I am some expert on the subject of good fiction writing. That beings said, I'm sad to say this is one of the worst written books I have read in a long long time.
March 22, 2011
I am honestly quite shocked how much this book has drawn me into it. In the first hundred pages, it had me attached to characters...and then killed them off or holding my breath in suspense, thinking "Please don't kill them!" while reading to see what happened. My eyes have fogged with tears, and I've felt with the characters. There is a strange combination of limited narration with omniscient that works well.
I've been edging between giving this a 4 and a 5. THe first 200 pages flew by, I didn't know where they went. Those were amazing! After that it slowed a little but was still excellent. At page 320 of 400 I was completely floored. It seemed as if the book should have ended right there, but the only thing that happened was a chapter break, and the first line "It had been five years..." This part is what knocked the book down to a 4 (well, 4.5) instead of 5. Though this last part of the book was still pretty good...it doesn't hold a flame (pun intended) to the rest of the novel. It is a bit rushed, it felt. Because 5 years of time gets skipped, there are characters that had just been introduced that you can't get the emotional connection with.
The first part of the book, it took about a sentence to get emotionally connected with one character or another: almost crying in fear of that character dieing! But the latter part of the book has a lot of death and less emotional depth.
I would still highly reccomend this book to anyone who likes fantasy. It is a bit more adult as there is talk of basically demon rape, lots of death, and child murder etc. It is incredibly well-done, however, and not gratuitous. The main characters of the story are completely appalled at these actions, and nothing is over done or told in horrible detail.
Even though this is the 5th (I think) book of the series, it starts a completely new plot arc, so you don't have to have read the first half of the series (I didn't). Anyone who has any experience with fantasy and magic will have no problem with jumping into a series with wizards that serve the Elements, or Runelords that pull 'endowments' from others (e.g. strength, grace, glamour, sight, hearing) leaving their "Dedicant" without those things, whilst giving it to the Runelord. That's about all the background you need.
I've been edging between giving this a 4 and a 5. THe first 200 pages flew by, I didn't know where they went. Those were amazing! After that it slowed a little but was still excellent. At page 320 of 400 I was completely floored. It seemed as if the book should have ended right there, but the only thing that happened was a chapter break, and the first line "It had been five years..." This part is what knocked the book down to a 4 (well, 4.5) instead of 5. Though this last part of the book was still pretty good...it doesn't hold a flame (pun intended) to the rest of the novel. It is a bit rushed, it felt. Because 5 years of time gets skipped, there are characters that had just been introduced that you can't get the emotional connection with.
The first part of the book, it took about a sentence to get emotionally connected with one character or another: almost crying in fear of that character dieing! But the latter part of the book has a lot of death and less emotional depth.
I would still highly reccomend this book to anyone who likes fantasy. It is a bit more adult as there is talk of basically demon rape, lots of death, and child murder etc. It is incredibly well-done, however, and not gratuitous. The main characters of the story are completely appalled at these actions, and nothing is over done or told in horrible detail.
Even though this is the 5th (I think) book of the series, it starts a completely new plot arc, so you don't have to have read the first half of the series (I didn't). Anyone who has any experience with fantasy and magic will have no problem with jumping into a series with wizards that serve the Elements, or Runelords that pull 'endowments' from others (e.g. strength, grace, glamour, sight, hearing) leaving their "Dedicant" without those things, whilst giving it to the Runelord. That's about all the background you need.
May 23, 2016
With the fourth book seemingly wrapping up the series I didn't know what to expect in this novel so I approached this installation with equal parts curiosity and worry. By the time I finished the first third of this book I knew I had a few more books to read. A few things changed with the book, obviously the central protagonist has shifted though his influence (though his bloodline) continues to play a central role. Another change is the pacing which was pretty much minute-by-minute in the first novels and now moves to a more traditional approach which actually skips days between events. It's impressive to me that both approaches worked for me.
One of the things I enjoyed about the first books was a moral question dealing with the central magic theme. As the books progressed this question remained one approached from a variety of angles. Should a person take (or accept) an attribute from another even if the giver does so willingly? Does the aggregation of these attributes into super warriors which can defend the interests of a nation better justify this practice? As the books progressed the question was approached from a variety of angles but always present. This book seems to have moved these questions more to the periphery while the central struggle between good and evil has become central. Like many epics who wins will ultimately decide the fate of humanity. It's a journey I'm willing to see through to the end, no matter how cheesy the cover art becomes.
One of the things I enjoyed about the first books was a moral question dealing with the central magic theme. As the books progressed this question remained one approached from a variety of angles. Should a person take (or accept) an attribute from another even if the giver does so willingly? Does the aggregation of these attributes into super warriors which can defend the interests of a nation better justify this practice? As the books progressed the question was approached from a variety of angles but always present. This book seems to have moved these questions more to the periphery while the central struggle between good and evil has become central. Like many epics who wins will ultimately decide the fate of humanity. It's a journey I'm willing to see through to the end, no matter how cheesy the cover art becomes.
September 13, 2010
It is always difficult to review a book that is middle in a long series. I obviously like the writing and world enough to keep going. But, I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't started the series yet. I also don't typically review the same things I do in other books (like Setting, Plot, Conflict, Characters, and Text). Instead, I focus on what keep me reading and what knocked me out of the story in general.
With book five in this series, Dave is actually starting a new set of adventures. In fact, many of the characters so prominent in the first four books are leaving the story as time and death take them. In many ways, this book felt like a stand-alone novel. I could stop here and be satisfied with what I've read. I do want to know what happens to this world, and I've come to expect lots of fun twists and surprises along with a well-developed and well-thought magic system, though.
This is the story of the growth and maturing of the sons of the Earth King. I was impressed with the solution to the Dedicates problem in this one. I would not have thought of that.
I also liked the hints about Averan and what she was doing with the seal.
We got to visit a new part of this world and meet some very interesting "pirates".
I was saddened to say goodbye to old friends, but also like the spunk and pluck of this new generation.
With book five in this series, Dave is actually starting a new set of adventures. In fact, many of the characters so prominent in the first four books are leaving the story as time and death take them. In many ways, this book felt like a stand-alone novel. I could stop here and be satisfied with what I've read. I do want to know what happens to this world, and I've come to expect lots of fun twists and surprises along with a well-developed and well-thought magic system, though.
This is the story of the growth and maturing of the sons of the Earth King. I was impressed with the solution to the Dedicates problem in this one. I would not have thought of that.
I also liked the hints about Averan and what she was doing with the seal.
We got to visit a new part of this world and meet some very interesting "pirates".
I was saddened to say goodbye to old friends, but also like the spunk and pluck of this new generation.
October 15, 2025
Legacy, Light, and the Rise of New Heroes — Let’s Talk Sons of the Oak by David Farland! 🌳⚔️✨
Hey, my lore-loving legends! 😍🌌 I just finished Sons of the Oak, book five in The Runelords saga, and WHOA—this one completely reshapes the world as we know it! 💥📖 It’s a story of rebirth, renewal, and rediscovering hope after the fall of an age. 🌿🔥 If The Runelords was about the cost of power, Sons of the Oak is about what comes after—how to rebuild from ashes and find the courage to start again. 🌅💎
A New Age Begins, My Earthbound Souls! 🌍✨
The old world of kings, runes, and endless war is gone. 💔 Now, a fragile peace trembles beneath the weight of old magic and new beginnings. 🌳⚔️ The Earth still remembers the scars of the past, and darkness simmers beneath its roots. 😱🔥 The tone is both melancholy and hopeful—a world trying to heal after generations of ruin. 🌙💫 You’ll feel the echoes of the old legends even as fresh ones rise. 🌿📜
Enter Fallion Orden — The Heir of Fire and Fate! 🔥👑
Fallion, the son of Gaborn and Iome, finally steps into the full weight of his destiny—and it’s epic. 😍⚡ He’s young, idealistic, and caught between two worlds: one that reveres his parents’ legacy and one that fears his growing power. 💔🪄 Watching him grow into himself is beautiful and brutal—he’s thoughtful, compassionate, and haunted by everything he’s lost. 🥹💫 Fallion gives big “new guardian of the world” energy, but with a vulnerable, very human heart. 🌌💖
Magic Like You’ve Never Seen Before! 💎🌋
Farland reimagines the magic system in this book—expanding beyond runes into elemental and spiritual forces that feel ancient and alive. 🌍✨ There’s fire, light, and a deep undercurrent of earth’s own will at play. ⚡🔥 The result? Magic that’s wilder, more unpredictable, and more cosmic. 💫 Every spell feels like a whisper from the gods themselves—mystical, dangerous, and soul-stirring. 🪶💎
New Enemies, Old Shadows, Endless Struggle. 😈🌑
Peace never lasts long in Farland’s world. 😅⚔️ Sons of the Oak introduces new villains—dark powers rising from the ruins, creatures born from corrupted magic, and forces that threaten to unravel reality itself. 💀🔥 It’s not just about fighting monsters anymore—it’s about confronting the legacy of old sins and the darkness inside humanity. 🕯️⚖️ The stakes? Literally the survival of the world’s soul. 🌌😱
The Feels Hit Hard, My Rune-Bound Fam! 💔🌕
This story is drenched in emotion—grief, hope, faith, and rebirth. 🥹✨ You’ll ache for what’s been lost but also cheer for what’s beginning. 🌱💖 Fallion’s relationships—with his friends, his family’s memory, and his own destiny—are layered and heartfelt. 💫 The balance between sorrow and renewal makes this book glow with quiet, powerful beauty. 🕯️🌿
The Tea, My Magic-Seeking Crew! ☕🌟
This one feels different from the first Runelords books—but in the best way. 💫 It’s gentler, more spiritual, and full of mythic undertones. 🌌🔥 Think less “war epic,” more “rebirth of the world’s soul.” 💎 It’s slower, yes—but every page is loaded with meaning, heart, and the promise of something greater. 🪄💖
Final Vibes, My Legendary Dreamers! 🌙⚔️
The Sons of the Oak is a rebirth of The Runelords universe—haunting, heartfelt, and brimming with elemental magic. 🌿✨ It bridges the old and new with grace, pain, and hope, crafting a tale about what endures after the heroes fade. 🌅💎
Bottom line, my rune-marked crew: It’s mythic, emotional, and luminous—a story of legacy, light, and the unstoppable spirit that keeps the world turning. 🌳🔥📚
Hey, my lore-loving legends! 😍🌌 I just finished Sons of the Oak, book five in The Runelords saga, and WHOA—this one completely reshapes the world as we know it! 💥📖 It’s a story of rebirth, renewal, and rediscovering hope after the fall of an age. 🌿🔥 If The Runelords was about the cost of power, Sons of the Oak is about what comes after—how to rebuild from ashes and find the courage to start again. 🌅💎
A New Age Begins, My Earthbound Souls! 🌍✨
The old world of kings, runes, and endless war is gone. 💔 Now, a fragile peace trembles beneath the weight of old magic and new beginnings. 🌳⚔️ The Earth still remembers the scars of the past, and darkness simmers beneath its roots. 😱🔥 The tone is both melancholy and hopeful—a world trying to heal after generations of ruin. 🌙💫 You’ll feel the echoes of the old legends even as fresh ones rise. 🌿📜
Enter Fallion Orden — The Heir of Fire and Fate! 🔥👑
Fallion, the son of Gaborn and Iome, finally steps into the full weight of his destiny—and it’s epic. 😍⚡ He’s young, idealistic, and caught between two worlds: one that reveres his parents’ legacy and one that fears his growing power. 💔🪄 Watching him grow into himself is beautiful and brutal—he’s thoughtful, compassionate, and haunted by everything he’s lost. 🥹💫 Fallion gives big “new guardian of the world” energy, but with a vulnerable, very human heart. 🌌💖
Magic Like You’ve Never Seen Before! 💎🌋
Farland reimagines the magic system in this book—expanding beyond runes into elemental and spiritual forces that feel ancient and alive. 🌍✨ There’s fire, light, and a deep undercurrent of earth’s own will at play. ⚡🔥 The result? Magic that’s wilder, more unpredictable, and more cosmic. 💫 Every spell feels like a whisper from the gods themselves—mystical, dangerous, and soul-stirring. 🪶💎
New Enemies, Old Shadows, Endless Struggle. 😈🌑
Peace never lasts long in Farland’s world. 😅⚔️ Sons of the Oak introduces new villains—dark powers rising from the ruins, creatures born from corrupted magic, and forces that threaten to unravel reality itself. 💀🔥 It’s not just about fighting monsters anymore—it’s about confronting the legacy of old sins and the darkness inside humanity. 🕯️⚖️ The stakes? Literally the survival of the world’s soul. 🌌😱
The Feels Hit Hard, My Rune-Bound Fam! 💔🌕
This story is drenched in emotion—grief, hope, faith, and rebirth. 🥹✨ You’ll ache for what’s been lost but also cheer for what’s beginning. 🌱💖 Fallion’s relationships—with his friends, his family’s memory, and his own destiny—are layered and heartfelt. 💫 The balance between sorrow and renewal makes this book glow with quiet, powerful beauty. 🕯️🌿
The Tea, My Magic-Seeking Crew! ☕🌟
This one feels different from the first Runelords books—but in the best way. 💫 It’s gentler, more spiritual, and full of mythic undertones. 🌌🔥 Think less “war epic,” more “rebirth of the world’s soul.” 💎 It’s slower, yes—but every page is loaded with meaning, heart, and the promise of something greater. 🪄💖
Final Vibes, My Legendary Dreamers! 🌙⚔️
The Sons of the Oak is a rebirth of The Runelords universe—haunting, heartfelt, and brimming with elemental magic. 🌿✨ It bridges the old and new with grace, pain, and hope, crafting a tale about what endures after the heroes fade. 🌅💎
Bottom line, my rune-marked crew: It’s mythic, emotional, and luminous—a story of legacy, light, and the unstoppable spirit that keeps the world turning. 🌳🔥📚
May 23, 2021
Oh David Farland. You have such potential. I know you can write amazing stories. I've read them...it's just so sad that this isn't one of them.
This book continues the story of the Runelords, now starting a new arc following the children of Gabor Val Orden and Iome Sylvaresta. This book particularly focuses on Fallion and his journey as the new "Hero" of the world...the "Son of the Oak".
This book had some fantastic moments. The opening sequence, roughly 40 pages, was horrifyingly epic, and felt much like the feeling I had reading the previous Runelords novels. I felt I was in for a real treat. Unfortunately, the entire middle portion of the book, about 250 pages, was incredibly boring. Most of it took place at sea(a location I don't care to read about), and just couldn't live up to it's predecessors. The plot didn't feel big enough or important enough for this universe.
That being said, Farland picked it up quite a bit near the end. The last 100(ish) pages of the book were fantastic, and I really was on the edge of my seat. Farland was able to set up the future books while at the same time truly finishing this book. Farland has an ability to make really bitter sweet endings, something that's very had to do effectively, and I did appreciate this one. I never feel happy or sad, but rather a mixture of both.
I think that the characters here are great and have enormous potential, but didn't do what I needed them to do. I really think that Fallion, Jaz, and Rhianna were fascinating and had compelling character arcs. I want certain things to happen in the future that I believe Farland is setting up, so he did a good job hooking me on this arc...I just don't feel he did a good job with this particular book.
Part of the problem that this book faces is that I as a reader am used to 500-700 page books from Farland, epics with huge stories and casts, that feel like smaller versions of the Wheel of Time or the Cosmere. This book is much smaller, and focuses only on 2-3 characters, and I'd say roughly 60-70 percent of the story is from Fallion's perspective. This makes the book almost a YA story. I still like it better than most YA stories, but it gives me more of a Shannara feel(which I do enjoy) instead of an epic Fantasy/WOT feel(which I expected). Maybe the characters will mature and the story will get bigger in the future, but this book wasn't what I wanted or expected.
The villain in this book was ok, but needs some serious work. It was great seeing Myrrima and Borenson again, but they felt more like side characters, and almost like extended cameos, despite being in the whole book. The whole Runelords series seems to be Borenson's story, but he just didn't get much here.
Overall, I feel "Meh" about the book. The opening and ending were great, but the middle was incredibly dull and boring, almost to the point that I put the book down. That bad. However, I am still excited to read the next book, which is the ultimate point of a first book in a series, so it succeeded on some level. 5.3 out of 10.
*The opening is so horrific that I almost had to pace myself. None of these books is for kids, but this book might give the appearance as being for kids. Let me warn you, this is definitely not!
This book continues the story of the Runelords, now starting a new arc following the children of Gabor Val Orden and Iome Sylvaresta. This book particularly focuses on Fallion and his journey as the new "Hero" of the world...the "Son of the Oak".
This book had some fantastic moments. The opening sequence, roughly 40 pages, was horrifyingly epic, and felt much like the feeling I had reading the previous Runelords novels. I felt I was in for a real treat. Unfortunately, the entire middle portion of the book, about 250 pages, was incredibly boring. Most of it took place at sea(a location I don't care to read about), and just couldn't live up to it's predecessors. The plot didn't feel big enough or important enough for this universe.
That being said, Farland picked it up quite a bit near the end. The last 100(ish) pages of the book were fantastic, and I really was on the edge of my seat. Farland was able to set up the future books while at the same time truly finishing this book. Farland has an ability to make really bitter sweet endings, something that's very had to do effectively, and I did appreciate this one. I never feel happy or sad, but rather a mixture of both.
I think that the characters here are great and have enormous potential, but didn't do what I needed them to do. I really think that Fallion, Jaz, and Rhianna were fascinating and had compelling character arcs. I want certain things to happen in the future that I believe Farland is setting up, so he did a good job hooking me on this arc...I just don't feel he did a good job with this particular book.
Part of the problem that this book faces is that I as a reader am used to 500-700 page books from Farland, epics with huge stories and casts, that feel like smaller versions of the Wheel of Time or the Cosmere. This book is much smaller, and focuses only on 2-3 characters, and I'd say roughly 60-70 percent of the story is from Fallion's perspective. This makes the book almost a YA story. I still like it better than most YA stories, but it gives me more of a Shannara feel(which I do enjoy) instead of an epic Fantasy/WOT feel(which I expected). Maybe the characters will mature and the story will get bigger in the future, but this book wasn't what I wanted or expected.
The villain in this book was ok, but needs some serious work. It was great seeing Myrrima and Borenson again, but they felt more like side characters, and almost like extended cameos, despite being in the whole book. The whole Runelords series seems to be Borenson's story, but he just didn't get much here.
Overall, I feel "Meh" about the book. The opening and ending were great, but the middle was incredibly dull and boring, almost to the point that I put the book down. That bad. However, I am still excited to read the next book, which is the ultimate point of a first book in a series, so it succeeded on some level. 5.3 out of 10.
*The opening is so horrific that I almost had to pace myself. None of these books is for kids, but this book might give the appearance as being for kids. Let me warn you, this is definitely not!
April 13, 2019
Wow! What a kick to start the new series! I had read enough going in to know that Gaborn wasn't going to be around long, but to see Farland do a sweep out of many of the old characters, and he didn't mess around about it either! Just brutal!
I liked the change from Gaborn to Fallion. One of the criticisms that I read about Gaborn is that he was too perfect, and there was really little chance that he was actually going to turn to "the dark side," while I doubt Fallion will either since he's a Flameweaver (or potential one), I see it as a much stronger possibility than it ever was with Gaborn. It'll be interesting to see him struggle to control it as his powers develop in the next few books. It's definitely refreshing to see a much more conflicted character, much more likely to allow desires for revenge his enemies come to fruition.
The new pacing was interesting as well. The entirety of the first four books took place over a two or three week period. This had frequent jumps of months or even years with little to no coverage of the intervening time. It was ok, but it seems the polar opposite of what Farland did in the previous books. I'll have to see if I like it though the next few books.
One problem I found was in believing Shadoath's powers. After reading four books of an almost invincible Raj Ahten who couldn't be taken down, it was hard to see how she was even more evil and more powerful than him, supposedly. It's kind of like saying -50 degrees vs -60. At that point the distinction becomes meaningless. to top that off, she is then beaten by a child who had absolutely no endowments, while a lesser Runelord held off another with hundreds of endowments. I get to a certain degree that Fallion is some great being, but given how important taking Endowments are, to now make it totally meaningless kinda negates it. And then to have this seeming out of nowhere solution to prevent children from being slaughtered wholesale, seemed kind of a cop-out as if he was afraid the reader might now follow him this far.
Despite these criticisms, this is the beginning of a worthy continuation series. I was worried about liking it with a new cast of characters, and so many gone because several places I've seen that readers didn't take to them. I, however, enjoyed them, and look forward to the continuation of the story.
I liked the change from Gaborn to Fallion. One of the criticisms that I read about Gaborn is that he was too perfect, and there was really little chance that he was actually going to turn to "the dark side," while I doubt Fallion will either since he's a Flameweaver (or potential one), I see it as a much stronger possibility than it ever was with Gaborn. It'll be interesting to see him struggle to control it as his powers develop in the next few books. It's definitely refreshing to see a much more conflicted character, much more likely to allow desires for revenge his enemies come to fruition.
The new pacing was interesting as well. The entirety of the first four books took place over a two or three week period. This had frequent jumps of months or even years with little to no coverage of the intervening time. It was ok, but it seems the polar opposite of what Farland did in the previous books. I'll have to see if I like it though the next few books.
One problem I found was in believing Shadoath's powers. After reading four books of an almost invincible Raj Ahten who couldn't be taken down, it was hard to see how she was even more evil and more powerful than him, supposedly. It's kind of like saying -50 degrees vs -60. At that point the distinction becomes meaningless. to top that off, she is then beaten by a child who had absolutely no endowments, while a lesser Runelord held off another with hundreds of endowments. I get to a certain degree that Fallion is some great being, but given how important taking Endowments are, to now make it totally meaningless kinda negates it. And then to have this seeming out of nowhere solution to prevent children from being slaughtered wholesale, seemed kind of a cop-out as if he was afraid the reader might now follow him this far.
Despite these criticisms, this is the beginning of a worthy continuation series. I was worried about liking it with a new cast of characters, and so many gone because several places I've seen that readers didn't take to them. I, however, enjoyed them, and look forward to the continuation of the story.
March 29, 2020
Bad writing pisses me off. Actually no. Lazy writing pisses me off. Bad writing and you're just talentless (see the Magic: The Gathering novels). Lazy writing and you're wasting your potential.
The book has potential, the idea of forcibles and endowments is really novel. The first book in the series is really phenomenal. But instead of building his world, Farland just wants to keep adding new things like 'sea apes' and 'burrow bears' with little explanation. There's more to building a world than simply throwing new things in it every 50 pages. It is also beyond frustrating when he establishes something and then just changes the rules in order to conform to the plot. Like there are these creatures called graaks which are only big enough to carry children. This is established, but then, because he's too lazy for plot he just writes in a line 'the antagonist was quite a petite woman' and then makes it so she can ride one to follow the children. Doesn't fit. Doesn't work and suddenly you realize you're reading a book and you are no longer in the story.
Or establishing a pirate barron as amoral and cutthroat and then making him one of the good guys, without any sort of arc because it was convenient and necessary for the plot.
And worst of all - typos and using the wrong character name at least twice. I don't know how that was missed in editing, but when you suddenly start calling Jane, "Sue" or Jack, "Bob" mid paragraph you clearly are half assing it.
And let's just pause here - he's writing a 9 year old protagonist as if said protagonist is 16+ including having a sexuality and drawing on years of experience. That's not 9.
Disappointing because I really liked how it could suck me away from life and I could get into this high fantasy adventure. But the laziness kills the immersion. I read high fantasy to get away from the world and when it's lazy you just can't get involved in the story. He's clearly making this up as he goes along rather than having a clear idea of a beginning, middle and end.
Farland needs to put in a bit more effort if he wants to live up to what he can do.
The book has potential, the idea of forcibles and endowments is really novel. The first book in the series is really phenomenal. But instead of building his world, Farland just wants to keep adding new things like 'sea apes' and 'burrow bears' with little explanation. There's more to building a world than simply throwing new things in it every 50 pages. It is also beyond frustrating when he establishes something and then just changes the rules in order to conform to the plot. Like there are these creatures called graaks which are only big enough to carry children. This is established, but then, because he's too lazy for plot he just writes in a line 'the antagonist was quite a petite woman' and then makes it so she can ride one to follow the children. Doesn't fit. Doesn't work and suddenly you realize you're reading a book and you are no longer in the story.
Or establishing a pirate barron as amoral and cutthroat and then making him one of the good guys, without any sort of arc because it was convenient and necessary for the plot.
And worst of all - typos and using the wrong character name at least twice. I don't know how that was missed in editing, but when you suddenly start calling Jane, "Sue" or Jack, "Bob" mid paragraph you clearly are half assing it.
And let's just pause here - he's writing a 9 year old protagonist as if said protagonist is 16+ including having a sexuality and drawing on years of experience. That's not 9.
Disappointing because I really liked how it could suck me away from life and I could get into this high fantasy adventure. But the laziness kills the immersion. I read high fantasy to get away from the world and when it's lazy you just can't get involved in the story. He's clearly making this up as he goes along rather than having a clear idea of a beginning, middle and end.
Farland needs to put in a bit more effort if he wants to live up to what he can do.
October 28, 2020
The fifth entry of author David Farland’s The Runelords series opens with Asgaroth sending his consciousness across the universe, ultimately finding what remains of the One True World and coming before his master, Shadoath. The main text mostly follows the primary protagonist Fallion, son of the Earth King Gaborn, and is alongside his mother Queen Iome Sylvarresta in mourning. Fallion and his companion Jaz prepare to embark upon a journey, with the former being certain to bring along his pet ferrin Humfrey. Fallion embarks upon a ship, the Leviathan, which needs repair for most of the book.
Fallion also hones his fencing skills with Borenson, and notices a black ship during the voyage, headed by the Pirate Lord Shadoath. Fallion finds himself tempted by a flameweaver termed Smoker, and Captain Stalker ultimately finds his nephew, whom Fallion had at one point rescued, missing. Fallion and Jaz are captured and tortured briefly, and spends the latter part of the narrative in healing from his wounds. Shadoath had been seeking Fallion for five years, taking endowments for an eventual confrontation, and at the end, Fallion makes it a point to know his father better.
In the meantime, King Anders of South Crowthen gives himself to a locus, a creature of the netherworld, and is lost to darkness, and Rhianna also spends a sizeable chunk of the text at sea, for several chapters turning into a sea ape that still has verbal communication skills. All in all, I definitely enjoyed this story, which is generally more straightforward than many of its predecessors given its great focus on Fallion, although some readers might take surprise at the time leap since the previous novel in the series. Regardless, I definitely don’t regret reading it.
Fallion also hones his fencing skills with Borenson, and notices a black ship during the voyage, headed by the Pirate Lord Shadoath. Fallion finds himself tempted by a flameweaver termed Smoker, and Captain Stalker ultimately finds his nephew, whom Fallion had at one point rescued, missing. Fallion and Jaz are captured and tortured briefly, and spends the latter part of the narrative in healing from his wounds. Shadoath had been seeking Fallion for five years, taking endowments for an eventual confrontation, and at the end, Fallion makes it a point to know his father better.
In the meantime, King Anders of South Crowthen gives himself to a locus, a creature of the netherworld, and is lost to darkness, and Rhianna also spends a sizeable chunk of the text at sea, for several chapters turning into a sea ape that still has verbal communication skills. All in all, I definitely enjoyed this story, which is generally more straightforward than many of its predecessors given its great focus on Fallion, although some readers might take surprise at the time leap since the previous novel in the series. Regardless, I definitely don’t regret reading it.
December 7, 2022
3.75 Stars
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It’s hard to kick off the “next phase” of a series, especially when the first four books can really stand alone so well. But Farland was determined to tell more of his story of Mystarria and so we get a nice 8 year time jump with most of our familiar characters serving as the plot device to introduce the main characters(I presume) for the final 4 books of this series.
It’s a fun romp that FEELS like a fairly solid continuation of the Runelords saga we’ve come to love so far.
However, and this is a BIG however, if you thought the plot armor was heavy handed before… let me tell you what. As they say, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet”.
But this book, Sons of the Oak, was very just “ok” for me. Not bad - there is a fun adventure happening with cool new magics and threats to challenge all of our new characters. We also get, in a sense, a final farewell to just about all of our beloved characters from the first 4 books in this series. While it faces an incredibly difficult challenge in trying to basically continue a series at book 5 while also essentially introducing an all new story plot and set of characters, it relies heavily on plot armor to force the action to stay fast paced and hold our interest.
Get subscribed to the Storyphoria podcast where you can hear my full thoughts, SPOILER FREE, on this and many others! Or subscribe to the newsletter if you prefer to read them!
https://solo.to/storyphoria
It’s hard to kick off the “next phase” of a series, especially when the first four books can really stand alone so well. But Farland was determined to tell more of his story of Mystarria and so we get a nice 8 year time jump with most of our familiar characters serving as the plot device to introduce the main characters(I presume) for the final 4 books of this series.
It’s a fun romp that FEELS like a fairly solid continuation of the Runelords saga we’ve come to love so far.
However, and this is a BIG however, if you thought the plot armor was heavy handed before… let me tell you what. As they say, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet”.
But this book, Sons of the Oak, was very just “ok” for me. Not bad - there is a fun adventure happening with cool new magics and threats to challenge all of our new characters. We also get, in a sense, a final farewell to just about all of our beloved characters from the first 4 books in this series. While it faces an incredibly difficult challenge in trying to basically continue a series at book 5 while also essentially introducing an all new story plot and set of characters, it relies heavily on plot armor to force the action to stay fast paced and hold our interest.
September 25, 2023
I really hate the way Farland writes about his female characters. He hyper focuses so much on their appearance, they are either the most drop dead gorgeous being in existence or the ugliest old hag who was probably ran over by a freight train. There is no in between. And he does it every time one appears he always has to make a comment on their appearance. But also poor Borenson didn’t escape the scrutiny, because every-time this man appeared I was reminded of how Fat he had gotten.
Overall while a lot of action happened in this, it was honestly so boring. The death of Gaborn was….anticlimactic. The death of Iome, while supposedly meant to be sad and heartbreaking was more numb then anything. The countless shock value death of children became numbing after awhile. The action didn’t entertain me, and maybe it’s because the beginning was bombarded with it, mixed with the lack of care I had for anyone it just didn’t hit.
And of course the amount of information that was repeated over and over and over again. This man spends so much time telling me over and over again how many endowments someone has and how they got them, and like dude I know already!! You don’t need to tell me so many times, it’s frustrating.
This book clearly built up more story, that I’m not going to see because I’m not reading any further, this is the last one I owned, and honestly I don’t think I’m missing out.
Overall while a lot of action happened in this, it was honestly so boring. The death of Gaborn was….anticlimactic. The death of Iome, while supposedly meant to be sad and heartbreaking was more numb then anything. The countless shock value death of children became numbing after awhile. The action didn’t entertain me, and maybe it’s because the beginning was bombarded with it, mixed with the lack of care I had for anyone it just didn’t hit.
And of course the amount of information that was repeated over and over and over again. This man spends so much time telling me over and over again how many endowments someone has and how they got them, and like dude I know already!! You don’t need to tell me so many times, it’s frustrating.
This book clearly built up more story, that I’m not going to see because I’m not reading any further, this is the last one I owned, and honestly I don’t think I’m missing out.
November 22, 2021
Sons of the Oak is an odd one. After saving the world in Lair of Bones, Gaborn and Iome are loaded with enough metabolism to curse them to die in the next few years--which ends up happening relatively early on. That of course leaves a power vacuum. There are those who would love to see the Earth King's son take the crown--and just as many who'd rather see him dead and take power of their on. On top of that, there's a whole new level of darkness in the world. From Loci to strengi-saats, it's an ever darkening world, with the Torch of Humanity having been passed down to the next generation.
I don't think I've actually finished this book before. The time skip made it hard to read and I just moved on. But this time around, I've actually really enjoyed it. We'll have to see how it continues. I think reading it as an audiobook has helped. It just keeps going unless you actually stop rather than stopping unless you push on.
Full review:
https://blog.jverkamp.com/2021/11/18/...
I don't think I've actually finished this book before. The time skip made it hard to read and I just moved on. But this time around, I've actually really enjoyed it. We'll have to see how it continues. I think reading it as an audiobook has helped. It just keeps going unless you actually stop rather than stopping unless you push on.
Full review:
https://blog.jverkamp.com/2021/11/18/...
November 5, 2017
Listened to this book on audible, and it is a good continuation to David's Runelord series. Admittedly, this was not my most favorite book overall, however I definitely related to Fallion, one of the main protagonists in the story. He reminds me of my book-in-forever-progress's protagonist a bit, as they have a bit of a similar middle middle story. However, as the story goes, this one is not for the faint of heart in a few spots, and you are either going to be like me and wish there was a little more, or you are going to go that was enough. Just depends on your fantasy hunger.
If you have read any of the Runelord series, you will find that David has a great ability to describe the scene, and this is no different. You are going to really feel how Fallion has acheive his objectives, and you are going to relate to him a bit as he speaks to the Fallion that exists in everyone fairly well.
If you have read any of the Runelord series, you will find that David has a great ability to describe the scene, and this is no different. You are going to really feel how Fallion has acheive his objectives, and you are going to relate to him a bit as he speaks to the Fallion that exists in everyone fairly well.
November 30, 2021
I always worry about major character shifts; which is what I would consider the change between Gaborn and Fallion. The passing of the torch was smooth and makes sense, it followed the same route that Lair of Bones laid out, which was nice. I thought it would be abrupt and more of a hard start but Farland made it smooth by keeping other characters alive and thriving. I feel like this is a wonderful way to start off a new trilogy in the same world. It gives us something new but leaves some familiar things so the comfort factor isn't lost. If you have made it this far in the series and enjoyed it I would recommend continuing with Sons of the Oak.
June 21, 2022
A beautiful book, that continuez a beautiful series. The author keeps growing and evolving it’s world, moving to the next generation. The characters are compelling, well-written, and the themes are dark.
As with the other books, this is not a « pleasure shot ». This is a complex work that questions the fabric of society, and the choices we make. Like most works of it genre, it sadly remains very much heteronormative, but that is the only default I see with it. The rest is the best fantasy I’ve read in ages. I love tous series and I will continue reading it, as long as the author keeps challenging its reader.
An enjoyment that I fully recommend.
As with the other books, this is not a « pleasure shot ». This is a complex work that questions the fabric of society, and the choices we make. Like most works of it genre, it sadly remains very much heteronormative, but that is the only default I see with it. The rest is the best fantasy I’ve read in ages. I love tous series and I will continue reading it, as long as the author keeps challenging its reader.
An enjoyment that I fully recommend.
April 13, 2018
I enjoyed the first four books of this series, and it culminated in a strong finish with mostly happy endings. This books revisits this world with the Next Generation, and for some reason it doesn't feel as strong to me. While I appreciate the imagination and the action, the protagonist feels a little flatter than previous heroes, and I sense a desire to replace true drama with a "kill your darlings" attitude. Also, while the antagonist is supposedly even more deadly and evil, she somehow seems less threatening. Still, it's sparked my curiosity so I'll keep reading.
August 12, 2018
When I finished the 4th book I thought that would be a good place to end, a good break to make 2 quartets of books for an 8 book series. I was wrong. This book seamlessly picks up where the 4th book left off and follows our new young protagonist Fallion as he tries to escape from the underlying antagonists of the first 4 books, the loci. I'm curious to see how Fallion's adventures will mirror and differ from those of his father, which we followed in the first half of the series and where they will take him.
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