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Bookworm #4
Full Circle
A new Emperor has arisen... and the Empire is collapsing into chaos.
Having escaped from the Golden City, Elaine, Johan and their friends - including some strange allies with goals of their own - race desperately towards Ida, hiding place of the ancient Witch-King. Behind them, the armies of the new Emperor – a man permanently poised on the verge of madness – give chase, unleashing monsters and spells from the long-buried past on everyone who stands in their way. Ahead of them, the Witch-King waits, biding his time as he prepares for his ascension.
As they endure terrible dangers – and figures from the past – Elaine and Johan come to realise that Elaine’s knowledge of magic and the bond between them may be the only thing standing between the Witch-King and godhood. But if they cannot prepare a defence in time, the entire world will die when the Witch-King rises from his tomb...
With Full Circle, the fourth and final instalment in the Bookworm series, the story is complete.
Having escaped from the Golden City, Elaine, Johan and their friends - including some strange allies with goals of their own - race desperately towards Ida, hiding place of the ancient Witch-King. Behind them, the armies of the new Emperor – a man permanently poised on the verge of madness – give chase, unleashing monsters and spells from the long-buried past on everyone who stands in their way. Ahead of them, the Witch-King waits, biding his time as he prepares for his ascension.
As they endure terrible dangers – and figures from the past – Elaine and Johan come to realise that Elaine’s knowledge of magic and the bond between them may be the only thing standing between the Witch-King and godhood. But if they cannot prepare a defence in time, the entire world will die when the Witch-King rises from his tomb...
With Full Circle, the fourth and final instalment in the Bookworm series, the story is complete.
387 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2015
198 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 11, 2016
Originally published at Risingshadow.
Christopher Nuttall's Full Circle is the fourth and final novel in the Bookworm series of epic fantasy novels. It's an excellent and well written sequel to The Best Laid Plans. It's fluently written fantasy entertainment at its best, because the author moves the story fast forward and reveals interesting things to his readers.
Christopher Nuttall is one of the few authors who write consistently good entertainment. Writing good entertainment is a gift - you either have this gift or you don't. Christopher Nuttall has this gift, because he creates fascinating stories and manages to entertain his readers. He has his own distinct writing style that appeals to readers who love entertaining and amusing stories. I like his novels and storytelling abilities, because he writes captivating stories filled with interesting characters, good ideas and plot twists.
Full Circle is a fast-paced and fluently written fantasy novel that will please readers who enjoy reading epic and entertaining stories. The author has done his best to write a novel that his fans will love, because the story goes full speed ahead towards the ending and contains plenty of magic.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
In the prologue, the Witch-King is worried about the threat to his existence... Charity is furious about her new position as the Emperor's slave, because she has to obey his every command. The Emperor delivers death and destruction with his dragons and conquers cities. He treats people poorly and expects absolute obedience from those who serve him. He enforces obedience by death, magic and hostages... Charity finds out that his brother, Jamal, has become a slave and saves him. Jamal becomes the Emperor's tool, because he needs Jamal to kill Johan... Elaine, Johan, Daria and Dread have reached a mid-sized town called Falcone's Nest. They're keeping their identities secret, because they're trying to hide from the Emperor and want to contact the Levellers. Soon the Emperor finds out where they are and they have to face him...
This is the beginning of an action-filled and highly entertaining novel that brings Elaine's story to a satisfying conclusion.
Here's a bit of information about some of the characters:
- Elaine is an intriguing character, because she has plenty of magical knowledge in her head because of a magical trap that gave her all the knowledge - including the dangerous and forbidden knowledge - in the Great Library. Because of what happened to her, she knows many things about magic and is capable of using it in her own way.
- Johan Conidian is an especially interesting character, because he used to be Powerless, but suddenly acquired the ability to use magic. His magic is different from normal magic. He had an extremely difficult childhood, because his family treated him badly for being Powerless. He was being kept a prisoner and was constantly tortured and teased by his siblings.
- Charity Conidian, Johan's sister, has become the Emperor's slave. She has to obey him and his commands because of the oaths she had to swear. She's furious and desperate about her situation, but can't do anything about it.
- Dread is an Inquisitor, but he has lost his powers. He's trying to live without his powers. He helps Elaine and Johan.
- Daria is Elaine's friend. She's quite different from Elaine, but their good friends who trust each other. She's a werewolf.
- Vlad Deferens is the deranged Emperor. He is a mad ruler who wants to dominate and subjugate people.
Elaine has grown a lot as a character since she gained knowledge of all of the knowledge in the Great Library. She's much more confident now and doesn't easily give up. She has learned many things and she's capable of using magic in her own way, which allows her to do certain things that others can't do.
It was interesting to read about the bond between Elaine and Johan, because Johan is Elaine's apprentice. Their bond differs slightly from the normal master and apprentice bond, because they're of similar age. They find themselves developing feelings towards each other.
The scene in which Elaine teaches things to others is entertaining, because she gets to be a teacher. She finds herself enjoying it, because she didn't have an opportunity teach anybody when she worked in the Great Library.
It was intriguing to read about Dread, because he has lost all of his magical powers. Although he has lost his powers, he's strong and doesn't show any signs of weakness to others.
I've noticed that there aren't many fantasy authors who write about bullying and its consequences on the characters. I think it's great that Christopher Nuttall examines this issues in a deep way and allows his readers to see how the characters are affected by what they have been forced to endure, because it adds depth to the story.
Reading about Johan's problems is interesting, because he has to struggle with his emotions concerning his family. His memories about the endless humiliations and sadistic tricks that his family members made him endure still haunt him. He suffers greatly from what his family did to him, because he was tormented in a cruel way.
The Emperor's madness is described in a thrilling way. The author paints a vivid picture of a man driven by madness, magic, greed and power. The Emperor treats people badly and has summoned dragons using the magic of sacrifical victims. He's more than willing to spread destruction around him to get what he wants. You can't reason with him, because he doesn't listen to anyone.
It was thrilling to read about the Witch-King and his evil plans. The author writes well about how he has nurtured his plans for centuries and has paved the way for his return by affecting the minds of certain magic users.
I enjoyed reading about how Christopher Nuttall wrote about the fate of the Conidian family. They had always been a great house, but now all of the surviving members of the family were in grave danger. In my opinion, the author writes fascinatingly about how Johan and Charity feels about what's happening, because they both have to deal with several issues.
Worldbuilding is good, because the author paints a vivid picture of an Empire that is on the brink of total collapse because of the Witch-King's evil machinations. All of the Witch-King's devious plans have finally come to fruition and the Empire is about to be torn apart. The author writes fluently about the various places and cities (Falcone's Nest, Rising Shadow, Ida etc)
I have to mention that it was fascinating to read about how many remote places that were ruled the Empire had plenty of resentment towards the Empire, because they suffered under its rule.
It's great that the author shows his readers what the Witch-King thinks about his opponents and how he deals with them. He feels that his existence is threatened by Elaine and Johan, because they could destroy him. The conversation between him and Elaine is one of the highlights of the story, because they talk about magic and Elaine finds out many things.
Just like its predecessors, Full Circle features compelling magic. Along with intriguing characters, the author's detailed descriptions about magic are the heart and soul of this novel, because he writes fascinatingly about magic and how it is being used in the world. In this novel, the author reveals more secrets about magic, so readers who love reading about magic will find a lot to enjoy in the story.
One of the most important reasons why I love this novel and the whole series is the author's ability to reveal tiny bits and pieces about characters, magic and history throughout the story. By not revealing everything at once he hooked me and made me want to read the story as fast as possible.
I found the final confrontation thrilling and well written. It will please fans of this series, because all of the different threads come together and readers find out what happens to the characters.
Now that I've read all of the novels in this series, I can say that it's been a pleasure to read the whole story. The author has created a wonderfully large story arc that has allowed him to develop his characters and has given him an opportunity to let them mature as persons.
I have to admit that it's a bit sad to say goodbye to Elaine and her companions, because it's been fun to read about them and their deeds, but all good things must come to an end. It's nice that the ending is satisfying and leaves room for possible future exploration of the fantasy world.
If you enjoy reading fantasy entertainment, Christopher Nuttall's Full Circle will provide fascinating entertainment to you. It's one of the best novels of its kind, because it features plenty of action, magic and plot twists. If you're in need of something light and entertaining to read, you can't go wrong by reading this novel and its predecessors.
My final words are:
Christopher Nuttall's Full Circle is good, interesting and well written fantasy entertainment!
Christopher Nuttall's Full Circle is the fourth and final novel in the Bookworm series of epic fantasy novels. It's an excellent and well written sequel to The Best Laid Plans. It's fluently written fantasy entertainment at its best, because the author moves the story fast forward and reveals interesting things to his readers.
Christopher Nuttall is one of the few authors who write consistently good entertainment. Writing good entertainment is a gift - you either have this gift or you don't. Christopher Nuttall has this gift, because he creates fascinating stories and manages to entertain his readers. He has his own distinct writing style that appeals to readers who love entertaining and amusing stories. I like his novels and storytelling abilities, because he writes captivating stories filled with interesting characters, good ideas and plot twists.
Full Circle is a fast-paced and fluently written fantasy novel that will please readers who enjoy reading epic and entertaining stories. The author has done his best to write a novel that his fans will love, because the story goes full speed ahead towards the ending and contains plenty of magic.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
In the prologue, the Witch-King is worried about the threat to his existence... Charity is furious about her new position as the Emperor's slave, because she has to obey his every command. The Emperor delivers death and destruction with his dragons and conquers cities. He treats people poorly and expects absolute obedience from those who serve him. He enforces obedience by death, magic and hostages... Charity finds out that his brother, Jamal, has become a slave and saves him. Jamal becomes the Emperor's tool, because he needs Jamal to kill Johan... Elaine, Johan, Daria and Dread have reached a mid-sized town called Falcone's Nest. They're keeping their identities secret, because they're trying to hide from the Emperor and want to contact the Levellers. Soon the Emperor finds out where they are and they have to face him...
This is the beginning of an action-filled and highly entertaining novel that brings Elaine's story to a satisfying conclusion.
Here's a bit of information about some of the characters:
- Elaine is an intriguing character, because she has plenty of magical knowledge in her head because of a magical trap that gave her all the knowledge - including the dangerous and forbidden knowledge - in the Great Library. Because of what happened to her, she knows many things about magic and is capable of using it in her own way.
- Johan Conidian is an especially interesting character, because he used to be Powerless, but suddenly acquired the ability to use magic. His magic is different from normal magic. He had an extremely difficult childhood, because his family treated him badly for being Powerless. He was being kept a prisoner and was constantly tortured and teased by his siblings.
- Charity Conidian, Johan's sister, has become the Emperor's slave. She has to obey him and his commands because of the oaths she had to swear. She's furious and desperate about her situation, but can't do anything about it.
- Dread is an Inquisitor, but he has lost his powers. He's trying to live without his powers. He helps Elaine and Johan.
- Daria is Elaine's friend. She's quite different from Elaine, but their good friends who trust each other. She's a werewolf.
- Vlad Deferens is the deranged Emperor. He is a mad ruler who wants to dominate and subjugate people.
Elaine has grown a lot as a character since she gained knowledge of all of the knowledge in the Great Library. She's much more confident now and doesn't easily give up. She has learned many things and she's capable of using magic in her own way, which allows her to do certain things that others can't do.
It was interesting to read about the bond between Elaine and Johan, because Johan is Elaine's apprentice. Their bond differs slightly from the normal master and apprentice bond, because they're of similar age. They find themselves developing feelings towards each other.
The scene in which Elaine teaches things to others is entertaining, because she gets to be a teacher. She finds herself enjoying it, because she didn't have an opportunity teach anybody when she worked in the Great Library.
It was intriguing to read about Dread, because he has lost all of his magical powers. Although he has lost his powers, he's strong and doesn't show any signs of weakness to others.
I've noticed that there aren't many fantasy authors who write about bullying and its consequences on the characters. I think it's great that Christopher Nuttall examines this issues in a deep way and allows his readers to see how the characters are affected by what they have been forced to endure, because it adds depth to the story.
Reading about Johan's problems is interesting, because he has to struggle with his emotions concerning his family. His memories about the endless humiliations and sadistic tricks that his family members made him endure still haunt him. He suffers greatly from what his family did to him, because he was tormented in a cruel way.
The Emperor's madness is described in a thrilling way. The author paints a vivid picture of a man driven by madness, magic, greed and power. The Emperor treats people badly and has summoned dragons using the magic of sacrifical victims. He's more than willing to spread destruction around him to get what he wants. You can't reason with him, because he doesn't listen to anyone.
It was thrilling to read about the Witch-King and his evil plans. The author writes well about how he has nurtured his plans for centuries and has paved the way for his return by affecting the minds of certain magic users.
I enjoyed reading about how Christopher Nuttall wrote about the fate of the Conidian family. They had always been a great house, but now all of the surviving members of the family were in grave danger. In my opinion, the author writes fascinatingly about how Johan and Charity feels about what's happening, because they both have to deal with several issues.
Worldbuilding is good, because the author paints a vivid picture of an Empire that is on the brink of total collapse because of the Witch-King's evil machinations. All of the Witch-King's devious plans have finally come to fruition and the Empire is about to be torn apart. The author writes fluently about the various places and cities (Falcone's Nest, Rising Shadow, Ida etc)
I have to mention that it was fascinating to read about how many remote places that were ruled the Empire had plenty of resentment towards the Empire, because they suffered under its rule.
It's great that the author shows his readers what the Witch-King thinks about his opponents and how he deals with them. He feels that his existence is threatened by Elaine and Johan, because they could destroy him. The conversation between him and Elaine is one of the highlights of the story, because they talk about magic and Elaine finds out many things.
Just like its predecessors, Full Circle features compelling magic. Along with intriguing characters, the author's detailed descriptions about magic are the heart and soul of this novel, because he writes fascinatingly about magic and how it is being used in the world. In this novel, the author reveals more secrets about magic, so readers who love reading about magic will find a lot to enjoy in the story.
One of the most important reasons why I love this novel and the whole series is the author's ability to reveal tiny bits and pieces about characters, magic and history throughout the story. By not revealing everything at once he hooked me and made me want to read the story as fast as possible.
I found the final confrontation thrilling and well written. It will please fans of this series, because all of the different threads come together and readers find out what happens to the characters.
Now that I've read all of the novels in this series, I can say that it's been a pleasure to read the whole story. The author has created a wonderfully large story arc that has allowed him to develop his characters and has given him an opportunity to let them mature as persons.
I have to admit that it's a bit sad to say goodbye to Elaine and her companions, because it's been fun to read about them and their deeds, but all good things must come to an end. It's nice that the ending is satisfying and leaves room for possible future exploration of the fantasy world.
If you enjoy reading fantasy entertainment, Christopher Nuttall's Full Circle will provide fascinating entertainment to you. It's one of the best novels of its kind, because it features plenty of action, magic and plot twists. If you're in need of something light and entertaining to read, you can't go wrong by reading this novel and its predecessors.
My final words are:
Christopher Nuttall's Full Circle is good, interesting and well written fantasy entertainment!
November 22, 2016
What an amazing ride this series was. It was such fun to read and I loved the world and the characters, good and bad.
I was afraid I wasn't going yo like this one as much as the previous three but it redeemed itself within pages of me thinking so.
There was a huge twist that I didn't expect so that was cool.
I'll definitely be seeking out other books by this author.
I was afraid I wasn't going yo like this one as much as the previous three but it redeemed itself within pages of me thinking so.
There was a huge twist that I didn't expect so that was cool.
I'll definitely be seeking out other books by this author.
November 17, 2017
This will be a long rambling review.
This book is a more common adventure tale. Its a mad dash to stop the wars a kill the bad guy, I have taken a dislike to those stories the more of them I read but it works for this final book. It works because the characters POV is never to far from each other. POV being Charity, Yohan and Elaine. Through Charity we see how the new Emperor is destroying the empire. The reveals are exactly that; reveals, not nonsense twists. They wont surprise you, its something that could have been figured out.
The ending is not one where everything is resolved, the good guys don't become rulers by virtue of winning or get a parade, simply because its too dangerous for them. The world is still in chaos and abuse by magic, does not end, in fact the may get more powerful, but the Mundane organization "The Levelers" will continue their work. Charity, being a slave to the emperor does change because of the horrors she sees, and in the end she tries to patch things up with her brother, its footnote really. She wants Yohans future kids to visits and obviously Yohan doesn't given how he was treated, she vows that it will never happen again, giving hope that the younger sibling will be raised better, but an apology was never given, maybe because it would not be matter. They just had a family dinner. It felt like a goodbye, he took the high ground, but regular family gathering may be too much.
Mentions of Yohans casual cruel treatment was constant through 3 of 4 books not, he is not emotionally stable and has nightmares, pranks to them were torture to him. Turning someone into an object or animal is a prank we see in many magic stories, but those people can fight back, or have friends maybe some caring family, or at least the acceptance by society that this is frowned upon. He was a prison in his home and had 6 sibling taken part. Being a doll is not funny when its lasts a week and not one of 6 sibling bothers to change him back. The realization that his father maybe wanted one of these pranks to kill him by accident so the family magic wont retaliate against the house.
He is told to move past it and that revenge will make him a monster and we know its true but I felt a burning desire for him to do something to make them hurt more.
I feel for the powerless in this World because Yohan knows what Elaine,Dread an Cass don't; that his around 9 year old sister is a god compared to how he was, able to take his ability to move and speak and be free. Charity even mentioned that repeated compulsion causes permanent damage, she only now thinks of this when she is under slavery. They feel angry about his treatment but don't fully get it. There is only one small but effective moment that shows that his younger sibling really don't understand what they have done, Chime, the youngest ask if Yohan is loves them like Charity; Charity of course doges the question.
I think I would like to see more fiction on broken families/siblings trying to fix things,their case is difficult because there was 1 main victim and a bunch of kids who were raised badly.
I spend so much of the review on this because I don't care about witch king or empire wars but how these characters live their lives and deal with problems. Though I talk much about Yohan, that because he suffered a form of bullying that is not obvious or mustache twirling. Elaine and others are not ignored. While Yohan thinks much about his past he does not whine, and Eliane has already done alot of growing, she is not a confident person but she is competent. here Werewolf BFF is a stalwart ally, and Dread is super capable.
I will miss this world but it author ended it at a good place, so I can only hope its inhabitants come out of future struggles OK.
This book is a more common adventure tale. Its a mad dash to stop the wars a kill the bad guy, I have taken a dislike to those stories the more of them I read but it works for this final book. It works because the characters POV is never to far from each other. POV being Charity, Yohan and Elaine. Through Charity we see how the new Emperor is destroying the empire. The reveals are exactly that; reveals, not nonsense twists. They wont surprise you, its something that could have been figured out.
The ending is not one where everything is resolved, the good guys don't become rulers by virtue of winning or get a parade, simply because its too dangerous for them. The world is still in chaos and abuse by magic, does not end, in fact the may get more powerful, but the Mundane organization "The Levelers" will continue their work. Charity, being a slave to the emperor does change because of the horrors she sees, and in the end she tries to patch things up with her brother, its footnote really. She wants Yohans future kids to visits and obviously Yohan doesn't given how he was treated, she vows that it will never happen again, giving hope that the younger sibling will be raised better, but an apology was never given, maybe because it would not be matter. They just had a family dinner. It felt like a goodbye, he took the high ground, but regular family gathering may be too much.
Mentions of Yohans casual cruel treatment was constant through 3 of 4 books not, he is not emotionally stable and has nightmares, pranks to them were torture to him. Turning someone into an object or animal is a prank we see in many magic stories, but those people can fight back, or have friends maybe some caring family, or at least the acceptance by society that this is frowned upon. He was a prison in his home and had 6 sibling taken part. Being a doll is not funny when its lasts a week and not one of 6 sibling bothers to change him back. The realization that his father maybe wanted one of these pranks to kill him by accident so the family magic wont retaliate against the house.
He is told to move past it and that revenge will make him a monster and we know its true but I felt a burning desire for him to do something to make them hurt more.
I feel for the powerless in this World because Yohan knows what Elaine,Dread an Cass don't; that his around 9 year old sister is a god compared to how he was, able to take his ability to move and speak and be free. Charity even mentioned that repeated compulsion causes permanent damage, she only now thinks of this when she is under slavery. They feel angry about his treatment but don't fully get it. There is only one small but effective moment that shows that his younger sibling really don't understand what they have done, Chime, the youngest ask if Yohan is loves them like Charity; Charity of course doges the question.
I think I would like to see more fiction on broken families/siblings trying to fix things,their case is difficult because there was 1 main victim and a bunch of kids who were raised badly.
I spend so much of the review on this because I don't care about witch king or empire wars but how these characters live their lives and deal with problems. Though I talk much about Yohan, that because he suffered a form of bullying that is not obvious or mustache twirling. Elaine and others are not ignored. While Yohan thinks much about his past he does not whine, and Eliane has already done alot of growing, she is not a confident person but she is competent. here Werewolf BFF is a stalwart ally, and Dread is super capable.
I will miss this world but it author ended it at a good place, so I can only hope its inhabitants come out of future struggles OK.
May 25, 2017
This is for Bookworm III & IV which I read one after the other without pausing for breath. When I think of how many writers turn out a brilliant first volume of a trilogy and then limp home dragging their feat, I am all the more impressed by the way Christopher sustains interest and quality all the way to the end of a fourth volume. I was worried a couple of times that we might be veering into Piers Anthony territory, but that was avoided, thank goodness, and all in all it was an enjoyable and enthralling read.
January 16, 2023
A Worthy Completion of the Saga
The fourth and final book of the Bookworm saga lives up to its title as Elaine, Johan, Daria, and Dread indeed come full circle back to the Golden City. Elaine both achieves and, ultimately, rejects her heritage. Johan reconciles with his remaining family, then leaves his sister as the family head. Dread, after commanding the Empire's remaining army through the final battle, leaves his former Inquisitor colleagues to marry the woman he fell for in the first book. And Daria returns to her pack as its new alpha.
The fourth and final book of the Bookworm saga lives up to its title as Elaine, Johan, Daria, and Dread indeed come full circle back to the Golden City. Elaine both achieves and, ultimately, rejects her heritage. Johan reconciles with his remaining family, then leaves his sister as the family head. Dread, after commanding the Empire's remaining army through the final battle, leaves his former Inquisitor colleagues to marry the woman he fell for in the first book. And Daria returns to her pack as its new alpha.
June 7, 2017
A decent conclusion to another fantasy series
I have come to enjoy Nuttall's fantasy stories. While this series is probably my least favorite of zero blessing and SIM, it was still entertaining and well thought out. Really the only problem I had with it was how many named characters had to die, and the way the ending was kind of weak. That so much had to be destroyed. Like I said though, still fun to read.
I have come to enjoy Nuttall's fantasy stories. While this series is probably my least favorite of zero blessing and SIM, it was still entertaining and well thought out. Really the only problem I had with it was how many named characters had to die, and the way the ending was kind of weak. That so much had to be destroyed. Like I said though, still fun to read.
January 30, 2023
An excellent series, but it had stiff competition because I read two other series shortly after that I ended up loving more. Still good, especially if you want to read books in a library theme. The main character's powers were really cool and Nuttall did a great job of handling it without making her too overpowered or having everything be super easy for the characters.
September 18, 2017
Great ending
It was an enjoyable read. The witch king makes his appearance and the aftermath and battle was befitting the main villain behind the entire series. Im glad that some of the main characters got a befitting ending.
It was an enjoyable read. The witch king makes his appearance and the aftermath and battle was befitting the main villain behind the entire series. Im glad that some of the main characters got a befitting ending.
November 16, 2017
not a bad book but the author keeps contradicting his own rules from book to book. In one book he will declare a thing impossible and the next he will casually do just that with no justification. Things will work one way in one book and a different way as the author finds it convenient later.
March 22, 2018
Great ending for the quadology
Enjoyed the ending. Nicely wrapped up the series, lose end tidy, characters settled, problems resolved. Mostly. Would love to see the world again in print.
Enjoyed the ending. Nicely wrapped up the series, lose end tidy, characters settled, problems resolved. Mostly. Would love to see the world again in print.
July 19, 2020
Another excellent series from Christopher Nuttall, almost took a star off this book for the unbelievable relationship but the action and world building were so good.
Love and recommend all the 'Magic world' series with their consistent underlying theory of magic
Love and recommend all the 'Magic world' series with their consistent underlying theory of magic
August 7, 2017
All in all a bit meh and without the most satisfying conclusion one way or another.
October 31, 2016
A satisfying conclusion to a series that improved along the way.
October 11, 2015
This is the fourth and, apparently, last book in the Bookworm series by Christopher Nuttall. It is a good book with plenty of action and the writing is as good as always from this author. The book is a wee bit on the dark side though including the ending which, although it concludes the story and deals with the main bad guy, does leave the world in quite a bit of turmoil.
In the book we get to follow Elaine in her final journey to stop the Witch-King. Needless to say it is a perilous one which includes a number of assassination attempts while the Witch-King’s pawn ravages the countryside as well as a full scale siege with dragons an all. The odds against Elaine seems quite insurmountable.
It is an enjoyable adventure indeed. As I wrote above, Mr. Nuttall’s writing is the usual one, that is good. There is plenty of good action. I Especially liked the siege of Ida where Elaine and company finally get to fight back and fight back effectively much to Deferens surprise.
The book ends with a rather spectacular showdown against the Witch-King in the Golden city. Unfortunately it tears much of the city and the old institutions apart. What remains after the dust has settled is pretty much a world in shambles where much of the old ways are gone forever. These kind of endings always saddens me a bit even though the bad guy got a whooping.
Nevertheless it was a enjoyable read and a good ending to the series.
In the book we get to follow Elaine in her final journey to stop the Witch-King. Needless to say it is a perilous one which includes a number of assassination attempts while the Witch-King’s pawn ravages the countryside as well as a full scale siege with dragons an all. The odds against Elaine seems quite insurmountable.
It is an enjoyable adventure indeed. As I wrote above, Mr. Nuttall’s writing is the usual one, that is good. There is plenty of good action. I Especially liked the siege of Ida where Elaine and company finally get to fight back and fight back effectively much to Deferens surprise.
The book ends with a rather spectacular showdown against the Witch-King in the Golden city. Unfortunately it tears much of the city and the old institutions apart. What remains after the dust has settled is pretty much a world in shambles where much of the old ways are gone forever. These kind of endings always saddens me a bit even though the bad guy got a whooping.
Nevertheless it was a enjoyable read and a good ending to the series.
October 15, 2015
A few thoughts:
The long term planning of the bad guy blew my mind. When I say long term, I mean a thousand years. That's foresight.
I really love the world the author created in this book and his Schooled in Magic series. The magic, the interactive wards, the creatures, the social hierarchy, the politics. All intriguing.
The characters were so dynamic, haunted by emotions from the past but growing and changing. Elaine was low on power, but her knowledge and ability to reason her way through complex problems brought her out on top. Johan's emotions and past abuse made him a very sympathetic character, but he, too, was able to step up when needed. Daria added a different side to the story. Dread was my favorite. He was formidable, with or without magic, but he also cared enough to sacrifice himself for his friends.
Overall, this was an enjoyable series. It is pretty much YA (only the occasional curse word, and the physical relations are skimmed over), but still very complex.
The long term planning of the bad guy blew my mind. When I say long term, I mean a thousand years. That's foresight.
I really love the world the author created in this book and his Schooled in Magic series. The magic, the interactive wards, the creatures, the social hierarchy, the politics. All intriguing.
The characters were so dynamic, haunted by emotions from the past but growing and changing. Elaine was low on power, but her knowledge and ability to reason her way through complex problems brought her out on top. Johan's emotions and past abuse made him a very sympathetic character, but he, too, was able to step up when needed. Daria added a different side to the story. Dread was my favorite. He was formidable, with or without magic, but he also cared enough to sacrifice himself for his friends.
Overall, this was an enjoyable series. It is pretty much YA (only the occasional curse word, and the physical relations are skimmed over), but still very complex.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2016
This is a very satisfying conclusion to the series. There are very few loose ends. Although I do feel that the one is a large one. Still, it basically ties up neatly and was a very enjoyable read. The only problem is that there were some editing errors that pulled me up short. The one that pops into my head is reading along and the sentence didn't really make sense. I quickly realized that the word 'take' was used where the intended word was probably 'make'. As that word actually made the sentence make sense. But there were a other cases of that and a few strangely worded passages that just didn't work well. The first few books of his I found a lot of editing errors. But the last few books were so well edited that the half dozen or so error in this book were surprising and really stood out. On the whole, Christopher Nuttall gets better with every book I read. It is very easy to give this book 5 stars.
March 15, 2016
Overall an OK finish, but along with the thickets of excess verbiage that I've complained about for previous volumes (do we really need to be told FIVE TIMES of Charity's worry that her brother Jamal would end up in the mines?) I thought that the fates of both Jasper and the Witch King were handled in disappointingly anticlimactic ways. Also, there cannot be a reader on the face of this Earth who is going to be surprised by the way the relationship between Charity and Deferens comes to an end, and the Elaine/Johan sex scenes? Just...no. Not to mention that the latter will keep this series out of the children's section of the library where they could have been handed to John Flanagan fans.
An editor might also have helped with this line: "But wrenches weren't expected to do anything more than hand out the beer...."
An editor might also have helped with this line: "But wrenches weren't expected to do anything more than hand out the beer...."
November 2, 2016
I liked the characters as well as the story line of the series. I feel the sex was not needed, and keeps me from recommending this series to any readers under 21. The sex just wasn't needed at all. The other complaint of this series is if the author is going to write a number of book based on this universe, dimension, or what ever it is, a time line and complete history and outline needs made like Anne McCaffrey did for her Pern series. I feel there were conflicts in time line, inventions, and rulers between the 3 series I have read about this dimension. I like this arthur's story line, magic users, and plots, just think he throws sex in to show he is a male sex obsessed teenager, and possibly appeal to the like minded. Wish he would grow up.
May 8, 2016
Exciting conclusion to this four-book series. It wasn't flawless, but I sure did enjoy it. Compelling characters and a fascinating plot line. I really admire and appreciate Christopher Nuttall's ability to create intricate, realistic worlds and to weave complex, engaging stories. There were a few thin spots, gaps here and there, and what I assume must have been minor contradictions that crept in as the books were edited. But, really, overall it was great. I will say that I would have been happier to do without the few R-rated bits again in this fourth book, although they weren't explicit or gratuitous. Everything else was excellent and enjoyable. Worthwhile series for adults.
November 5, 2015
ookworm IV: Full Circle (ebook from Elsewhen Press) completes the tale of the librarian who had the contents of the full magical library dumped in her head. Racing the mad emperor to the tomb of the wizard king, Johan and Elaine hope to stop the magically alive king from rising from his tomb. Alas they fail and only with the full magic of the capital city and Elaine’s full understanding of magic, can he be stopped . Fun ending.Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press
March 10, 2016
An excellent conclusion to an enjoyable series. I didn't realize the author had been a librarian, but it does make sense, as the primary focus in the Golden City was the library and one of the two main characters was the librarian. Dread came out well, which also pleased me greatly. A delightful series. I highly recommend it!
January 7, 2016
A great read but a good ending - sadly. I liked the characters and story line and world. A happy note there may be a future book set in the same world. Mr Nuttall continue to write books faster than I can read them. A great writer with a huge talent. Have yet to read a bad book by him. Quality writing, quality story telling can't ask for more.
December 25, 2015
Took me a while to read this because of a busy season. But every time I came back to it I was wrapped up again in the characters and story. I was expecting a merging of powers, but the actual ending works too. Lots of inventive details.
Still bothered by "hell". Doesn't seem necessary, seems out of style, and inconsistent with the theology.
Still bothered by "hell". Doesn't seem necessary, seems out of style, and inconsistent with the theology.
October 24, 2015
Nuttall brings the Bookworm saga about the librarian who got all the magic knowledge in the library dumped into her mind to conclusion.
Good action, love, a little dragons and an evil undead witch king.
Good action, love, a little dragons and an evil undead witch king.
October 4, 2015
Great ending to a great series.
Book 4 brings the series to a satisfying conclusion with enough twists and turns to make for a great read. Highly recommended.
Book 4 brings the series to a satisfying conclusion with enough twists and turns to make for a great read. Highly recommended.
December 11, 2015
I'm sorry to have completed this series because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm glad it's come to the end because I couldn't put the books down. :-)
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