The world of Arkaria is a dangerous place, filled with dragons, titans, goblins and other dangers. Those who live in this world are faced with two choices: live an ordinary life or become an adventurer and seek the extraordinary. Cyrus Davidon finds himself far from his home in Sanctuary, in the land of Luukessia, a place divided and deep in turmoil. With his allies at his side, Cyrus finds himself facing off against an implacable foe in a war that will challenge all his convictions - and one he may not be able to win.
Robert J. Crane was born and raised on Florida's Space Coast before moving to the upper midwest in search of cooler climates and more palatable beer. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in English Creative Writing. He worked for a year as a substitute teacher and worked in the financial services field for seven years while writing in his spare time.
I found myself being torn trying to pen my thoughts down to Crusader. It was a great book, very detailed, and gave us a true insight into the actual man, Cyrus Davidson, not just the warrior. There were places in the story that gave me utter chills and I knew I could feel the characters as if they were right in the same room with me. The prologue was one of those places. I can just feel the despair Cyrus is portraying even in those few pages; as well as throughout the rest of the story. Mr. Crane has an exceptional way of describing emotions and feelings in this book without making it overly sappy (though I do like some sappy lol). There is a sense of magic to the writing style of Crane that really captures the essence of a true adventure. Crusader didn't disappoint in this area at all.
We really see a different side to Cyrus in this installment. Cyrus is for all extent and purposes, a broken man. He has confessed his love to the one he adores and she has shunned him. Of course we know it was because she was in love with him too but....isn't that how all the tragic couples do it? Deny your love, break their heart, realize your love and then demand it in return. Or something to that degree... But back to Cyrus. He just seems like a shell of what he formerly was in the beginning. Everyone tends to stay away from him except those that are truly close to him and yet even they are unsure of his nature right now. I found that Crusader was in part a soul searching novel for Cyrus; and maybe a tad for Vara as well. But I really seen Cyrus at rock bottom and then slowly lift up throughout the story to really find himself in the end. I also thought Crusader was much darker than the previous books. It just had this dark hopeless feeling to it in many areas. But that was probably because of the setting, Luukessia, which I really didn't like at all. I mean this area was just not my cup of tea. And I know there is probably a bunch of readers out there that loved the baroness -but not this reader. She just irritated me to no end! Yes, she put up with hell from her husband {jerk} and was very brave for what she does towards the the middleish -end; but I still don't like her. I just didn't. Maybe I was jealous, I don't know what it was I just did not like this woman at all. Oh and there was a lot of sex in Crusader. I mean a lot of it. Of course, Mr. Crane does the sexual scenes in very tasteful measures which is always cool with me. But I tended to find Cyrus seemed more like a teenage boy with his libido. It just seemed like a lot of the pages tended to focus just on Cyrus' thoughts on ending his dry spell as well as staring at certain women with a longing. It was funny but started to draw on my nerves a little as well. But still funny when the other characters would pick on him.
And yes the dark elves still tend to be my favorite of the species right now. Is that wrong? Don't really care. They are just that damn awesome. Aisling comes to mind right away. I did like her but this book has really made me appreciate her even more and showed me how loyal she is even though she is a dark elf. So I guess I am Team Aisling right now. To me, she has showed the most promise in the ....well you know. {Trying not to give anything away right now}
But besides the hopeless fighting, the broken Cyrus, the sex craved Cyrus, and the witty commentary from Vaste whenever we are taken back to Sanctuary in certain chapters, we do deal with some major issues that definitely bring tension between close friends and allies. All in all, Crusader is definitely a thinking novel. It has the high action fight scenes that we have come to expect from a Robert J. Crane novel; but it also has this deep thought provoking sense to it as well. We learn from Cyrus that all events have consequences and everyone makes sacrifices. I feel like this was Cryus' aha moment where he was truly tested through the betrayals that he discovered along the way. I truly hope that the next book will be Cyrus' road to understanding, if not happiness. Although, I don't know if he will get his happily ever after at all.
In book number four, Cyrus Davidon flees Arkaria, or Vara, rather, who has told him nothing can ever happen between them. On another continent, he learns that killing the god of death has had dire consequences. Meanwhile, his guild, Sanctuary, comes under siege from the dark elves. Well, here's another fine outing in a well realized fantasy world, complete with elves, humans, dwarves, dragons, trolls, etc. Cyrus Davidon still has his mystical sword in spite of the dead god of courage wanting it back badly and laying waste to a continent as he chases him to get it back.
This book is over 1000 pages so it is a long read. Most of it was pretty good and there is a lot of background information supplied. There were times that I found myself quite irritated with both Cyrus and Vara especially him. But the book overshadowed the annoying parts. Some surprises, lots of action.
While some of the battle seem excruciatingly drawn out, the overall outcome has yet to be revealed after four books. This leaves a certain desire to fill in the gaps and determine exactly what happened between "now" and "then".
I think this is the deepest journey into both Cyrus's past and soul that the author has taken so far. We get to see a glimpse of what and who made the man we know as Cyrus Davidon and it isn't pretty at all. In fact it is disheartening and might have left a slight scorch on my heart. Perhaps even enough of a mark to forgive him for the utter and total emotional mayhem he gets himself into in this book. Wait, I haven't finishing moaning yet. Apparently Cyrus woke up since the last book and discovered that he has a combination of Brad Pitt and George Clooney animalistic attraction going on, which must have been hiding in some nearby bushes, and the women are drawn to him like bees to honey. Cyrus being the honey of course. Go figure. It is that surprising that even his Sanctuary companions have a good chuckle about it at every given opportunity. Aside from that tiny issue this was a story of literally epic proportions and worth every minute of it. The Sanctuary faces its biggest threat during a time in which the companions are divided by land, sea and warfare. One group is confronted with the evil remnants of the ghost of their Xmas past and the other group begins to doubt that the Sanctuary is indestructible. Meanwhile Cyrus realises that each choice he has made comes with some kind of repercussion. One in the form of vengeance and the other in the shape of destruction. For readers who are new to the series I would suggest Defender: The Sanctuary Series, Volume One and for fans of the series this book will be an eye opener. It just keeps getting better, deeper and darker with each volume. Talking darker, the author takes us back to the Society of Arms where Cyrus spend his childhood years. Those revelations are worthy of their own book. Needless to say you can tell how much I enjoyed this read. Crane writes a wicked story, which some might say isn't so uncommon, but he also manages to create characters that you want to read about. By the way, Vara deserves better than the strumpet Cyrus has become. I received a copy of this book courtesy of the author.
I found myself skipping pages. The endless acerbic dialogue between Vara and Vaste was pointless and added very little to the story.
I found the battle of the scourge much more interesting. Finally, while Cyrus is our hero, it was completely unbelievable that battle-weaery soldiers, spent from a months-long fight, could suddenly kill 100,000 dark elves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Another installment in the excellent Sanctuary series. This book splits its time between following Vara in Arkaria defending the Sanctuary guildhall against the Dark Elves and Cyrus on another continent, Luukesia, engaging in a variety of adventures. As with the previous three volumes, I can't help but draw parallels with Dungeons and Dragons for a lot of the story elements, but that does not detract from the entertainment value of Crane's writing style.
In this story, the greatest depth is given to Cyrus, whose character is revealed through flashbacks to his past, Vara's thoughts that dwell on him perhaps more than they should given that she soundly rejected him at the end of the previous book, and the somewhat harrowing adventures he goes on. Most notable is the struggle he shows in dealing with his various relationships through the story.
Saying too much about the primary plot would give everything away, but the build-up of suspense in both story threads was very well done, and they way that they are drawn together right at the end of the book is a great payoff.
Much more lore was delivered in this book than in the previous three, partly because Cyrus was a stranger in a strange land and being told about that land. This gave me a clear view of the depth of Crane's worldbuilding, which I hadn't really noticed before. Still I like that he keeps his lore tight and to the point rather than going off on huge tangents to show off the world he has built.
Overall, I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the previous books of the Sanctuary series. Despite being longer, it is very much worth the read. For newcomers, starting here is not going to be too jarring or confusing, but I think that you will be better off starting with Defender to get the background in more detail.
What kind of book is this? Before I go on, be prepared for some spoilers, I am not going to separate them out. This book is very depressing, and boring. Constant repeats, constant dime store philosophy, and constantly trying to be a romance novel. The main character went from being very likable to not very likable in one book. He went from a clear thinking warrior to an intellectual basket case, again trying to be a romance novel. The whole book right up to the end has the 2 sets of enemies with unlimited resources and the good guys with basically nothing...sooo depressing! Guess what, after 10,000 years someone (bad guy of course) discovers gun powder! I would not recommend this book or series. It hooks you in and then falls off the cliff to awfulness. If you like a LOT of talk about feelings and insults over and over, maybe you will like this book. Oh, there is a little fighting and excitement thrown in for a couple chapters, otherwise just skimming most of the book will still keep you aligned with the plot, as silly as it is.
Overall, I feel like the author has a solid writing style and is better than many at keeping multiple story lines clear without overwhelming the reader. However, while I really enjoyed the first three books of this series, this book was depressing. It felt like nothing positive happened the entire book - even the victories at the end left you feeling depressed. And while I felt for the hardships the main character had gone through in his life, I didn’t feel like they justified his behavior throughout the book, especially the idiotic decision he made at the end. I don’t expect every book I read to be rainbows and unicorns, but I also have difficulty reading books (especially incredibly long books) that involves one depressing situation after another. It took me longer to get through this book than the first three books combined.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
what a great long book. the number of pages was worrisome. Though once you get into the book. you'll notice that its really one plot with many battles within the book. Not many dull moments. Cyrus is basically Captain America with a sword instead of a shield. such a great leader. great warrior. finally living the bachelor life in this book. The threat of the book was great(Scourge). it felt unbeatable. which is rare. Negatives are the ongoing possible relationship between the main character and another character. it kind of got solved but now I'm confused again by the ending which never disclosed the name of the visitor. so its a guessing game. Other than that another great addition to the series. I'll read a few of the side adventures before reading the 5th and 6th book.
In general I found the story very interesting, and finally something more dire happening.
However I couldn’t get over how harem-y things turned out, and how suddenly Cyrus is all about Aisling all of a sudden. It’s as if he forgot his ideals beforehand and simply gave into carnal pleasure. Way too much of this in general.
I also dislike the whole healing thing, sadly. It doesn’t feel as dramatic when someone dies as there’s always the possibility of being healed. Decapitated? No problemo.
With that being said I liked the whole White Walker-esque idea with the scourge, but not a fan of them being so overpowered they’re capable of practically killing gods.
I’m giving the next couple of books a chance, though, as the previous books from this behemoth was much better in my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
with a stone in his heart, Cyrus crosses the bridge into another land at the head of part of Sanctuary 's army. he goes to help the kingdom of a friend and to escape. and I'm running, he involves his friends in battle after battle that keeps them far from home. but what else could be do, he's a good man who cares.
and on the other side of that bridge, Alastair and Vara are holding the Sanctuary together against an unending hoard of dark elves bent on destroying everything, literally. they seemed to think the Sanctuary seemed the best way to start.
as two halves of a whole, Cyrus and Vara needed to save their people.
I am now totally engrossed in this series after being a little unsure when starting book 1 possibly because my mind was still in thrall at the the last 12 books I'd just finished by another author. The plot, characters and the mix of races in this world are fascinating and holds together with the relationships forged between them. Visualisation of the characters is easy as the author builds them vividly into your mind and I must admit that I've got emotionally attached to a number of them. The story twists and turns and I cannot second guess where it will end up. The tension wears me out at times. A fantastic read!
If you have not read this author River J. Crane and the sanctuary series you need to! This has been amazing journey for me reading these books. This was the fourth book and it had me captivated from the first chapter. The way this author world builds is magical in my eyes. He truly encapsulates you with the characters, the stories and the plot always thickens. Well I cannot forget the slow hot romance these books dibble and dabble in will leave you gawking. Such whimsical humor as well. I cannot wait to read more of this series.
I love this series of books. This is a great big read of a book and it's all about Cyrus's life and loves. It mostly covers a full year that Cyrus is away on a campaign that just keeps getting bigger and more dangerous. There are equivalent timelines that tell whats happening back at the Sanctuary guild house, which is just as dangerous for Vara and Alaric. I have downloaded all of the series plus some spin off books.
Finished reading " Crusader " by Robert J Crane. It was the 4th in the Sanctuary series. Very good read. A bit longer than I expected. The other books have been roughly 300 pages while this one was over 800. There was a lot of story to tell though. I thought it was great like every other book in the series so far. It took me a long time to finish it since I haven't taken much time to read lately.
It was a fairly fun read. Part of what made it a bit less enjoyable for me was that as an MMO player, all the books in this series read a bit like someone novelizing a World of Warcraft raid. That left me feeling torn between humor over the similarities to my own adventures in MMO raiding, and frustration/annoyance over the same similarities because it made for very redundant reading. The story premises were decent and I did get a kick out of the books, but overall they were "ok, not great".
This is the second time I'm reading the Sactuary series. There are few books I purchase to add to my collection of hard back books. These will be among them! Robert J. Crane has the rare ability to create a fantastical world, with characters that make you want to go there and visit! Yes! These books are going on my shelves with my "old friends", such as the works of Tolkien! In short, the books of the "Sactuary Series", are thunderous works of writing!
Once you can suspend belief and accept the idea that the dead can become an army hellbent on killing the living you will be well on the way to either ordering the next book in the series or taking a dose of paracetamol. My mind keeps telling me that regardless of battles won said army can only increase with the fatalities on both sides of the war.
Talk about a cliffhanger.....there are some unanswered questions that come to light at the end of this book. I hope they will be answered in the next volume in the series. This was a long book, but well written. I enjoyed it...i hope Cyrus gets himself sorted out with these women...
I think the series has actually gotten better. It has a reasonably good epic feel about it. Writing is better than many of the mass-market options out there. I care about the characters and am interested in the larger story arc. It's been a fun read so far and I plan to continue. We'll see how far I get before I get tired of it... :)
The dance of death is almost at salsa speed in this 4th book. Cyrus finally comes to grips with his fears, his loves, and his Love. Courage is believing in a specific goal so intently that fear is irrelevant.
Cyrus leaves sanctuary to aid is friend Longwell to defend his father's realm. But what he encounters is far worse than a army of men. This is a stirring adventure with plenty of action
Very interesting book, and so far, series. The take on magic is nice as,is the interracial interactions. Though I'm at the point now of wanting to grab the protagonists by the collar and giving them a good shake.
A hero with lot of angst over loves lost by rejection or betrayal, making a big mistake in killing a god, a friend turns on him, a war lost as well as a mentor. What more could go wrong for Cyrus.
Not sure I have an interest in continuing this series. Not a fan of the flashing back and forward. I just really miss my authors I grew up with and am finding it hard to find stories that interest me as much as much as their stories did.
Action packed. From two different stories in one,action in both sceneries. I figured out the ending long before I got to it. Felt good when it was right. Still ended where the story can continue.
A good book that pick where the last left though honestly it good book you should read it. Though only wish it told in it what was fonally happening but it gives more reason to read the next which im excited to do the moment i get the money to purchase it.