The quest of the Seven Swords kills anyone foolish enough to seek its secret. Ridmark Arban is the Shield Knight, but he is the only Swordbearer in the realm of Owyllain. That means he is the only warrior capable of defending Owyllain from the forces of dark magic. But the powers of darkness have servants in Owyllain, servants who are more than willing to put a dagger in Ridmark's back...
Standing over six feet tall, USA Today bestselling author Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair of a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.
He has written the DEMONSOULED series of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write THE GHOSTS sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the COMPUTER BEGINNER'S GUIDE series of computer books, and numerous other works. His books have sold over one million copies worldwide.
This series, like the previous one just goes from strength to strength. It picked up from the previous book and all of its story lines, even the subplots and deftly weaved them into the narrative of the current book. The action picked up from the first page, and kept me hooked right up to the long and drawn out climax, which while contained something that I've been waiting for since the first book of this series, the main characters could have had better timing! I can't wait to continue this series.
And the bloodletting and betrayal and bladed weaponry continue their songs! Lots of magical mayhem and deadly, deadly battles keep this story pumping along. Could have used an editing cleanup, lots of grammatical errors scattered about, alongside everyone's blinking. Really hope they get their eyes under control in the following books. But keep building and playing that mystery - it's a good one!
The perils never end for Ridmark and Calliande and the books never fail to be great. This book is followed by a quick short story - Third’s Tale which doesn’t have to be read before the next book.
Once again I am caught up in the adventures of Ridmark and Calliande. I don't seem to ever tire of these characters or the mishaps and fortuitous events that befall them. There seems to be an endless stream of different enemies for them to fight. There is one character who just won't go away and die. I imagine he will figure prominently in the future. Still don't quite understand who or what the New God is.
I am going to be somewhat petty here and remark on the various editing errors that keep cropping up. There are not a terrible amount but I do feel the urge to contact the author and point them out. The most glaring to me in this book was when Ridmark was pondering trying to find Rhodruthain without the aid of King Hektor. He muses about he, Calliande and Gareth setting out on this dangerous path. What about Joachim? He isn't included.
Glad Morigna is still popping up in dreams.
I am a little skeptical of Calliande being able to channel the power of the Well that is located in Andomhaim. If she can do that, wouldn't there be a way to contact the Magistri?
It seems like Ridmark is not confident that they will be able to return to Andomhaim. If he was, I don't think he would be contemplating Gareth becoming a page in King Hektor's court once the war is won. If and when that time comes, he should be focused on locating Rhodruthain and "forcing" him to return Ridmark and his family home.
Despite my whining, I am very much looking forward to the next book that will be coming out in December.
Ridmark finally put Kalussa in her place. Finally. I have a feeling that Kalussa and Tamlin will end up together, but we shall see. I enjoy how Jonathan Moeller creates layers of antagonists, with one antagonist being subservient to another, stronger antagonist. It was an interesting reveal that Justin knows what this New God stuff is, and how he knows that he will be betrayed. He seems like a ruthless character, and it will be interesting to see if he will fight against Ridmark or eventually ally with him.
Mr. Moeller has taken off with a gusto like no other. I didn't have a chance to rate the first book in this new series, but would have given it four stars. This book reared back and blew the doors off. Have a good time living in this new continent across the sea. Magic is so much fun, as long as it is good white magic.
Jonathan, I absolutely loved reading this book (The second in the series). The characters are outstanding and exciting action fill out this book and series. I highly recommend reading this book to anyone interested in reading a great story. Thanks for the entertainment!
This is a non stop action addition to the series. Ridmark and Calliande have arrived at the capital of Hektor Pendragon. But even here they are faced with many foes and must battle to save there son's and the king from the servants of the new god. A real page turner onto book 3
A little more gritty than this series has been up to this point, nice change of direction with being transported to another far off land . Very good mix with new characters and settings , as well as a little more adult story lines...very much enjoyed it
Summary: A dark book, very little joy to be found, but interesting characters, a comprehensive premise and a plot that moves on nicely. Just more of the same. Its crying out for a few diversions
Plotline: Well thought out and moves along pretty quickly
Premise: Interesting magic and magical artifacts
Writing: Pretty good, good descriptions
Ending: One feels this will go on for ever, but a nice victory
Battles and Glory in an heretofore unknown sister kingdom
Continuing adventures of Ridmark and Calliende without their usual crew in an unknown kingdom. Where they are the exception to the warriors, not the rule.
I can't wait for the next one! If you like fighting and fantasy, this series is for you! If you are a gamer that plays fantasy wargames, this series is for you!