Palace of Kings

Loremasters of Elundium #2

by Mike Jefferies

Once King Holbian's loyal messenger and now the leader of the Warriors of Underfall, Thane embarks on a perilous quest in search of his nightmare enemy, Krulshards

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

432 pages, Paperback

First published December 7, 1987

About the author

Mike Jefferies is a British screenwriter, film producer, and author. Jefferies founded the media and publishing group Mondiale in 1991 which he sold to the Daily Mail in 1999 after winning the HRH Queens Award for Enterprise in 1998.
He was born in Liverpool and now resides in Los Angeles. When he is not working in Hollywood, he is writing fantasy novels.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something refreshing in reading a fantasy novel where you already know what's going to happen a hundred pages before it does. The author gives the reader no surprises as far as the characters' motivations either. But what I enjoyed most about this book was how the characters negotiate their world and each other. There's a sort of subtle beauty in Kyot and Eventine's interactions.

I can understand why this series isn't as popular as others. It's lackluster, predictable, and a bit horrific (especially what happens to Martbel). But I'm into it, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

[Lorewarden]

I enjoyed this second Elundium novel even more than the first. It has the same tone, more a legend being told in a tavern by a bard than a straight prose fantasy novel, which is fun. What's better is that it expands the world of Elundium past a single road with a couple outposts on it. It's easier to get emotionally involved for a fictional world when the evil threat feels like it's endangering an actual world. The ranks of heroic animals is expanded past horses/owls/wild dogs to also include stags and swans as well.

This novel picks up right where the abrupt cliffhanger of the first novel left off, but ends in another cliffhanger that makes me look forward to the next volume.

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Thane continues in this second volume of the Loremasters of Elundium. This novel continued in the same style as the first, and introduces us to even more wonderful characters - human and beast. That is one reason this series has struck such a cord with me. It's taken a leaf out of mythology and given life the animals - they are lords in their own right, and they stand together with humankind.

While the action is predictable, and most of the outcomes feel already decided before you reach the end of each section, this story still captivates me. Again, in this way it reminds me of David Eddings.

The one thing I found distracting this time is the inappropriate moments when characters laugh or shout out an oath or pledge. There are moments when a characters is horrified, and the next sentence laughs. I don't see how both reactions are connected, and it bugged me during this novel.

[T J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thane comes down out of the mountain and finds Krulshards is ravaging his world. It will take all he has learned and all his friends to track him down. Great second book and it is one to the third to see what is next for our brave hero.

[Devi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second volume of the Loremasters of Elundium. It's a good story - Tolkien lite - and a good read that moves along at a good pace.