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The Book of Deacon #4
The D'Karon Apprentice
The D’Karon Apprentice is the long awaited sequel to the acclaimed epic fantasy, The Book of Deacon Trilogy. It is a direct follow up to The Battle of Verril.
It has been months since the Chosen finally defeated the D’Karon and the Perpetual War came to an end. Once warriors, Myranda, Deacon, Ivy, and Ether must now take on the role of diplomats in the ongoing task of preserving the unsteady peace between the lands of Tressor and the Northern Alliance. Generations of war have left a deep distrust between the people on both sides of the border, and any sign of treachery or hostility could cause a new war to flare. If that happens, the weakened Northern Alliance will have little hope to survive against the military might of their neighbor to the south.
A mysterious figure, long slumbering and forgotten, has stirred in the wake of the Chosen triumph. She is not pleased to find the D’Karon no longer answer her calls, and she sets out to find them once more. This woman, a powerful necromancer with deep knowledge of D’Karon magic and little concern for the world and its people, spreads chaos wherever she goes. Her bloody swath through the southern lands is just the spark the volatile world needs to take to flame once more.
To keep their lands from descending back into a war that will claim the lives of untold thousands, Myranda, Deacon, and Myn must venture into the heart of Tressor. Escorted by a Dragon Rider named Grustim and surrounded by fear and distrust, the road ahead will not be difficult, but the chosen have fought too hard and lost too much to lose it all to this dark apprentice…
It has been months since the Chosen finally defeated the D’Karon and the Perpetual War came to an end. Once warriors, Myranda, Deacon, Ivy, and Ether must now take on the role of diplomats in the ongoing task of preserving the unsteady peace between the lands of Tressor and the Northern Alliance. Generations of war have left a deep distrust between the people on both sides of the border, and any sign of treachery or hostility could cause a new war to flare. If that happens, the weakened Northern Alliance will have little hope to survive against the military might of their neighbor to the south.
A mysterious figure, long slumbering and forgotten, has stirred in the wake of the Chosen triumph. She is not pleased to find the D’Karon no longer answer her calls, and she sets out to find them once more. This woman, a powerful necromancer with deep knowledge of D’Karon magic and little concern for the world and its people, spreads chaos wherever she goes. Her bloody swath through the southern lands is just the spark the volatile world needs to take to flame once more.
To keep their lands from descending back into a war that will claim the lives of untold thousands, Myranda, Deacon, and Myn must venture into the heart of Tressor. Escorted by a Dragon Rider named Grustim and surrounded by fear and distrust, the road ahead will not be difficult, but the chosen have fought too hard and lost too much to lose it all to this dark apprentice…
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First published November 10, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 15, 2015
The D’Karon Apprentice is the long awaited sequel to the acclaimed epic fantasy, The Book of Deacon Trilogy. It is a direct follow up to The Battle of Verril.
It has been months since the Chosen finally defeated the D’Karon and the Perpetual War came to an end. Once warriors, Myranda, Deacon, Ivy, and Ether must now take on the role of diplomats in the ongoing task of preserving the unsteady peace between the lands of Tressor and the Northern Alliance.
A mysterious figure, long slumbering and forgotten, has stirred in the wake of the Chosen triumph. She is not pleased to find the D’Karon no longer answer her calls, and she sets out to find them once more. This woman, a powerful necromancer with deep knowledge of D’Karon magic and little concern for the world and its people, spreads chaos wherever she goes. Her bloody swath through the southern lands is just the spark the volatile world needs to take to flame once more.
To keep their lands from descending back into a war that will claim the lives of untold thousands, Myranda, Deacon, and Myn must venture into the heart of Tressor. Escorted by a Dragon Rider named Grustim and surrounded by fear and distrust, the road ahead will be difficult, but the chosen have fought too hard and lost too much to lose it all to this dark apprentice
I got an advance copy of this book to do an honest review.
It was a well written book but didn't grab me was slow to get into and in places to long. I felt like the story had been ruined as I felt the first there books done the story justice and didn't need to be continued, I wanted the characters to live out re build there kingdoms be happy and just live no more bad stuff after the last deacon book. I think if I read all four books at same time like a block it would of been better but because I read the first 3 and it ended well and was complete, then it came back my heart just weren't in it sadly, but was as always well written and detailed which can be both good and bad as you get very long scenes and it took away from the story as each chosen is in different places in the kingdom.
So my feelings aside......
All the characters return in this book (apart from lain) and are starting to rebuild there lives and continue with there duties to the kingdoms. As well as some new characters I enjoyed that the chosen all came together again and reading from each of there points to defeat the dkaron.
I did enjoy the opening chapter of when Turiel awoken it was very gripping and well written I loved the way motley came together so randomly but it also seemed right in a crazy way.
Skull of a jackal. Where is the jaw? Here. Good, good. One of its legs too. Don’t need the toes. A few rat spines, yes. Ah, perfect, a serpent skeleton. Intact, save the head. That will do nicely.” Like a child with a new set of building blocks, she merrily began to fit the bits of carcass together. Under her breath she uttered arcane words, conjuring black tendrils that fused the bones to one another. After a few minutes she had assembled a creature that could only have been born of madness
I think this saga would appeal to fans that enjoy long journeys fantasy type
February 19, 2016
I don't normally ready fantasy but, because I really liked Lallo's Big Sigma series I went on to read his Deacon series, of which this is book 4. I am sure other review summarize the story and those who want to know the plot to decide whether to read it should look at those. I enjoyed this story and the other Deacon books as well.
As normally a hard science fiction reader, I think these stories sucked me into their world because of the author's story-telling style. Lallo's strong suit is his character development. He presents his readers with characters who have depth, who are not always clearly good and bad, who even when bad I find myself feeling sympathetic toward them because in their own crazy mind they are acting out of love, fear, and the desire to obtain knowledge. One of our heroes, a dragon named Myn, is a wonderful combination of human and animal characteristics and behaviours yet clearly and intelligent being and hero in her own right. He creates a believable world that I can easily picture in my mind, naturally working into the story the description of plants, animals, caves and landscape.
One of my favorite things about science fiction is the manner in which is comments on social and political issues. The D'Karon Apprentice brings this strongly into the fantasy world as we watch how easily peace can be destroyed because its reality is doubtful and hate is hard to let go. Ether's struggle to understand how people move forward in life when they have lost their purpose is poignant and her struggle was one that resonated with me. For me, the magic is not in the spells, it is in the characters growing into their new roles as diplomats and the exploration of the bonds that create and nourish family.
As normally a hard science fiction reader, I think these stories sucked me into their world because of the author's story-telling style. Lallo's strong suit is his character development. He presents his readers with characters who have depth, who are not always clearly good and bad, who even when bad I find myself feeling sympathetic toward them because in their own crazy mind they are acting out of love, fear, and the desire to obtain knowledge. One of our heroes, a dragon named Myn, is a wonderful combination of human and animal characteristics and behaviours yet clearly and intelligent being and hero in her own right. He creates a believable world that I can easily picture in my mind, naturally working into the story the description of plants, animals, caves and landscape.
One of my favorite things about science fiction is the manner in which is comments on social and political issues. The D'Karon Apprentice brings this strongly into the fantasy world as we watch how easily peace can be destroyed because its reality is doubtful and hate is hard to let go. Ether's struggle to understand how people move forward in life when they have lost their purpose is poignant and her struggle was one that resonated with me. For me, the magic is not in the spells, it is in the characters growing into their new roles as diplomats and the exploration of the bonds that create and nourish family.
April 6, 2019
The 10th book in 'The Book of Deacon' series.
Wow, i really, really enjoyed this book. The series just keeps getting better.
In this episode we finally find out how the D'Karon got into the world in the first place, and also why. And so, once more, 'The Chosen' have to get together and do their thing to try and stop it happening all over again, while all the time trying to prevent the war between the Alliance and Tressor from re-igniting.
And while all this is going on Myn's found herself a boyfriend, sweeet.
This for me is the best bit about this book as, other than a brief time with Solomon who is only a handbag dragon, Myn has never met a real dragon before. So Myn, not doing anything by halves, finds herself a big, manly, battle dragon to play with. It's funny, it's sweet, it's everything a first crush should be -- just with two rather large and very dangerous dragons.
And Ether's having her own crisis of existence at the same time.
Brilliant stuff.
Wow, i really, really enjoyed this book. The series just keeps getting better.
In this episode we finally find out how the D'Karon got into the world in the first place, and also why. And so, once more, 'The Chosen' have to get together and do their thing to try and stop it happening all over again, while all the time trying to prevent the war between the Alliance and Tressor from re-igniting.
And while all this is going on Myn's found herself a boyfriend, sweeet.
This for me is the best bit about this book as, other than a brief time with Solomon who is only a handbag dragon, Myn has never met a real dragon before. So Myn, not doing anything by halves, finds herself a big, manly, battle dragon to play with. It's funny, it's sweet, it's everything a first crush should be -- just with two rather large and very dangerous dragons.And Ether's having her own crisis of existence at the same time.
Brilliant stuff.
August 30, 2017
I read this stand-alone, and it worked fine that way. However, it had a flaw that colored much of the story. Very general, character-based spoilers ahead.
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The antagonist has some genuine, good person qualities wrapped in insanity, which means that some of the heroes hesitate to harm her, and sometimes she doesn't choose murder herself. All of this prolongs the story unnecessarily, and leads to annoying waffling.
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Non-spoiler summary: some characters' traits lead to repeatedly dragging out the story when it seems close to a conclusion.
Otherwise, it's a decent post-war setting, with an uneasy peace being built, struggles with distrust and past loss. Also, some very cool dragons!
*
*
*
*
*
The antagonist has some genuine, good person qualities wrapped in insanity, which means that some of the heroes hesitate to harm her, and sometimes she doesn't choose murder herself. All of this prolongs the story unnecessarily, and leads to annoying waffling.
*
*
*
Non-spoiler summary: some characters' traits lead to repeatedly dragging out the story when it seems close to a conclusion.
Otherwise, it's a decent post-war setting, with an uneasy peace being built, struggles with distrust and past loss. Also, some very cool dragons!
March 18, 2019
I loved the Book of Deacon trilogy and was excited to read its sequel. I enjoyed revisiting the characters, including the potato-loving dragon, Myn. I was a bit disappointed that this book was at a much slower pace for the first half of the story. The characters became ambassadors in the new time of peace. I still very much enjoyed this story, but I felt the trilogy had a terrific ending as it was. It does leave room for a story for Azriel and Turiel.
August 7, 2017
I was mostly disappointed with this one. Previous books in the series had adequate action that kept me entertained. This one started soooo slow. It somewhat redeemed itself in the latter third, but it just took too long to get there.
September 13, 2017
While I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I did the first three, it was still an okay read. I didn't particularly like the direction of the story but it was interesting to read if the world in the events post book 3.
July 9, 2020
Audible Delight!
I read the trilogy to my granddaughter six years ago and listened to them on Audible again. The story and especially the edits for Audible were perfect. Can't wait to start The Crecents.
I read the trilogy to my granddaughter six years ago and listened to them on Audible again. The story and especially the edits for Audible were perfect. Can't wait to start The Crecents.
November 16, 2020
Kept me up until 2:00 this morning. Highly recommend, but start at the beginning of the series, not here.
August 17, 2019
nice way to get you back into the world you love!!
I like the Apprentice .. amazingly developed character.
I like the Apprentice .. amazingly developed character.
December 14, 2015
While the story is compelling and the author didn't skimp on the word count, I find that this installment fails to deliver the same organization and energy of the original trilogy. All of Lallo's books have great pacing, but I find that the characterization has become a bit blunt and formulaic. Fantasy, especially epic fantasy trilogies, are already in great danger of falling into trope land, so I recognize the difficulty of the task... but the third person omniscient narrative feels a bit too easy. Some of the main characters seem to repeat the same things every time they speak, and since the reader knows what each character is thinking, the speech starts to feel mostly pointless. Someone will think a guess as to what is happening and then immediately be proven right in the next line of dialogue. As with all of his work, there is some great plot and imagery. His world building is very clear and easy to understand. Mostly, all of the right people are annoying and I root for all of the heroes. Mostly. Every now and again i see a place where the heroes really did poor job of using their innate gifts or working as a team and it's frustrating to feel like I could easily do a better job with their skills than they could. They just don't come off as particularly smart, other than Deacon. I don't really look up to them as examples of battle hardened heroes, but as characters they seem human enough because of their flaws. Maybe it's the false sense of urgency created by everyone being totally out of mental, physical, etc. energy as soon as the battle begin, but the tension really drives the plot. I did, however, spend most of the book wondering where where all of the characters' accumulated knowledge and mystical power went. Magic is not described nearly as thoroughly as when the characters are first learning about their abilities or how to cast, so it feels a bit like a throwaway plot device. Whenever everyone is in trouble, there is a spell someone happens to know, etc. I do like some of the ways that spells are changed or created, but I'd like a little more insight about how. The ending seemed bit quick, but it alludes to the possibility of sequels, so we shall see how things develop in the future. Not his best work, but still a welcome addition to the series. (Also needs minor editing for typos etc. but generally pretty good compared to other self published stuff)
November 25, 2015
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I could not WAIT to get my hands on this book. I had thoroughly enjoyed the fantasy world Lallo puts before us in his trilogy – The Book of Deacon. So let’s discuss his world.
The Chosen are together, attempting to rebuild their world with the truce between Tressor and the Northern Alliance. This is not an easy endeavor with decades of mistrust. One avenue they go down is to send/accept Ambassadors into each other’s territories. Although this is a somewhat natural role for Myranda and Deacon; it proves very challenging for Ivy and Ether. Each Chosen, including the Tressor Ambassadors, have their own emotional baggage to carry. It is this Ambassador mission that our lovely Myn meets Garr, the stately warrior dragon from Tresson whom Myn attempts to best at every turn. This adversarial relationship between the two dragons ultimately develops into something deeper. The three entourages tour the lands and began to sense something amiss. Sure enough, hence the title of the book – the presence of a D’Karon Apprentice is revealed. I was unable to put the book down – it kept me up far too late at night. Unfortunately, I got sick and couldn’t finish it timely. But when I did, holy cow! Wizard against necromancer, soldiers against skeletons, dragon against necro-made creature – what more does a fantasy lover want? This book is a continuation of the Deacon series story, I highly recommend you read that first to enjoy this amazing world and continuing saga to its fullest.
I could not WAIT to get my hands on this book. I had thoroughly enjoyed the fantasy world Lallo puts before us in his trilogy – The Book of Deacon. So let’s discuss his world.
The Chosen are together, attempting to rebuild their world with the truce between Tressor and the Northern Alliance. This is not an easy endeavor with decades of mistrust. One avenue they go down is to send/accept Ambassadors into each other’s territories. Although this is a somewhat natural role for Myranda and Deacon; it proves very challenging for Ivy and Ether. Each Chosen, including the Tressor Ambassadors, have their own emotional baggage to carry. It is this Ambassador mission that our lovely Myn meets Garr, the stately warrior dragon from Tresson whom Myn attempts to best at every turn. This adversarial relationship between the two dragons ultimately develops into something deeper. The three entourages tour the lands and began to sense something amiss. Sure enough, hence the title of the book – the presence of a D’Karon Apprentice is revealed. I was unable to put the book down – it kept me up far too late at night. Unfortunately, I got sick and couldn’t finish it timely. But when I did, holy cow! Wizard against necromancer, soldiers against skeletons, dragon against necro-made creature – what more does a fantasy lover want? This book is a continuation of the Deacon series story, I highly recommend you read that first to enjoy this amazing world and continuing saga to its fullest.
December 14, 2015
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. (Better late than never!) I do not want to give too much away, so I plan on only hitting on a couple pro's and con's.
In all honesty, it took me awhile to get through this book. I kept losing interest. Unlike his previous books in this series, this one was not as fast paced.
The main issue I had was the large amount of time focusing on the political stand point between both lands. I understand the reasoning behind the need to explain the unstable peace between the two and what an important role that plays with the characters and trials throughout the story. But my personal preference is for action and adventure (along with a good plot and memorable characters). There were just too many stale points throughout this book.
Now, onto the praise.....I love how Joseph Lallo creates such deep characters. One of my favorite parts of this book was the evolution in Ethers character. I was able to tap into her strong personality in his previous books, but this one dabbled more on the side of femininity and empathy. I have been fascinated with the depth of her character and I have loved watching it evolve throughout this series.
Over-all, Joseph does not disappoint when it does come to a great plot. The story, in and of itself, was not disappointing in the least. If you are a fan of his previous books in this serious, this is definitely worth your time.
In all honesty, it took me awhile to get through this book. I kept losing interest. Unlike his previous books in this series, this one was not as fast paced.
The main issue I had was the large amount of time focusing on the political stand point between both lands. I understand the reasoning behind the need to explain the unstable peace between the two and what an important role that plays with the characters and trials throughout the story. But my personal preference is for action and adventure (along with a good plot and memorable characters). There were just too many stale points throughout this book.
Now, onto the praise.....I love how Joseph Lallo creates such deep characters. One of my favorite parts of this book was the evolution in Ethers character. I was able to tap into her strong personality in his previous books, but this one dabbled more on the side of femininity and empathy. I have been fascinated with the depth of her character and I have loved watching it evolve throughout this series.
Over-all, Joseph does not disappoint when it does come to a great plot. The story, in and of itself, was not disappointing in the least. If you are a fan of his previous books in this serious, this is definitely worth your time.
September 11, 2016
It left a lot more questions unanswered than the first book, but you can tell he's gotten better at writing (not that the first books were substandard, but he has progressed). The story was gripping and tense with the same amazing characters, but Ether has changed a lot (for the better) and i'm sure will continue to do so. Really liked it and i'm eagerly waiting for more!
November 13, 2015
(Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
Having read all of the other Book of Deacon novels, I was very excited to see how the story of the Chosen continued after the main series. This one picks up a few months after the Battle of Verril and we get to see how things have progressed since the end of that book. It's great to see the characters to continue to grow and adapt to the changes in the world. You get to see new sides of a few characters and get to know a few more. The story does start out a bit slowly, but starts to really ramp up as it nears the conclusion.
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the main series, and the early books should definitely be read prior to this one.
Having read all of the other Book of Deacon novels, I was very excited to see how the story of the Chosen continued after the main series. This one picks up a few months after the Battle of Verril and we get to see how things have progressed since the end of that book. It's great to see the characters to continue to grow and adapt to the changes in the world. You get to see new sides of a few characters and get to know a few more. The story does start out a bit slowly, but starts to really ramp up as it nears the conclusion.
I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the main series, and the early books should definitely be read prior to this one.
February 26, 2016
I love this series, and the latest installment was no exception. All of our old friends our back, with some new allies and a new enemy. It's action packed, fraught with emotion and full of those funny moments that I've come to expect where you laugh out loud. We learn more about our heroes and I must say, it's so nice to see Myn meet her match. If you've not yet read this series , do yourself a favor and download the first one. It's my favorite fantasy/action series that I've read to date.
December 30, 2015
Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion
Having read other works from this subtle, including earlier books in this series, I was excited to get my hands on this book. This definitely starts off a lot slower than I would have liked. There are many long descriptions, which were well done but maybe unnecessarily drawn out.
Overall a solid addition to the series.
Having read other works from this subtle, including earlier books in this series, I was excited to get my hands on this book. This definitely starts off a lot slower than I would have liked. There are many long descriptions, which were well done but maybe unnecessarily drawn out.
Overall a solid addition to the series.
August 2, 2016
A nice addition to the Deacon Series! While not as action packed as the trilogy, the character development does gives the reader a look into how the Guardians are faring after their efforts to end the war. And when evil rears it's soul-sucking head, there's still a lot of fighting left to be done. I hope we get more from this series!
December 4, 2015
Another great book! Just when I think I can't get to know more about the characters that I have fallen in love with... I get surprised! This series is one I will never tire of. well done Joseph Lallo on another brilliant book!
January 14, 2016
Really enjoyed the series
I like this series, I developed a connection to the characters. The story telling was enough for me to get a good mental picture. I am sad to see an end, and hope in the future the author decides their story isn't finished
I like this series, I developed a connection to the characters. The story telling was enough for me to get a good mental picture. I am sad to see an end, and hope in the future the author decides their story isn't finished
October 15, 2015
Review to come at later.
December 26, 2015
A very worthy follow up to the Book of Deacon trilogy .
December 17, 2015
Little hard to get into but it got really interesting!
July 31, 2016
Awesome!!
December 24, 2016
Am I a stan? Yep, I'm a stan, but these books are good. Solid follow-up to a series I haven't read in a few years.
May 1, 2017
i must say much better story here. i really enjoyed this book.
great series. cant wait fot next one. need to see what turiel is up to. and myn hooking up with garr
great series. cant wait fot next one. need to see what turiel is up to. and myn hooking up with garr
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews