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Lon Tobyn Chronicle #3
Eagle-Sage
Magic sustains the sylvan land of Tobyn-Ser. For dozens of generations the hawk-mages and owl-mages known as the children of the Amarid have protected the people and the land through their magic and their bond with their avian familiars. But the decades-long peace was shattered by an incursion from the neighbouring land of Lon-Ser, a place where magic was forsaken in favour of technology. Crowded into polluted, sordid urban warrens, the millions of poor and underfed long for the unspoiled plains of Tobyn-Ser but the Children of Amarid stand in their way. The invasion begins. Meanwhile, a new sovereign rises to power in Lon-Ser who longs to turn her land from its destructive ways, only to find treachery and peril at every turn. Only an Eagle-Sage can bring harmony, and lead the two lands through the terrible times to come.
626 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
David B. Coe
66 books260 followersDavid B. Coe is an author of fantasy novels and short stories. He lives with his wife, Nancy Berner, and their two daughters on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.
He has begun writing a new historical fantasy series under the pen name D.B. Jackson. The first one is titled Thieftaker, published in 2012.
He has begun writing a new historical fantasy series under the pen name D.B. Jackson. The first one is titled Thieftaker, published in 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 22, 2021
The final volume of the trilogy brings to a fitting end the saga of the Lon Tobyn Chronicle. While the first volume took place primarily in Tobyn-Ser and in Lon-Ser for the second installment, Coe switches between both lands here in just about equal measure. In Lon-Ser, we follow the trials and tribulations of Melyor, the sovereign of Bragor-Nal while Tobyn-Ser prepares for war. The title Eagle-Sage refers to the bonding of an eagle to a mage-- something that only happens when war comes to Tobyn-Ser and has only happened three times in its 1000 year history. Uniquely, this time two mages bond to eagles-- Jaryd (our 'golden boy' from the first volume) and Cailin, the youngest mage ever. The problem is who or what the 'bad guys' are. Is there to be a civil war in Tobyn-Ser, perhaps between the two rival sects of mages? Or is the threat external, as it always was in the past...
Overall, this is an interesting trilogy to be sure and Coe tells a pretty good tale. I really liked the different cultures existing in Lon and Tobyn-Ser-- one a 'classic' fantasy setting and one industrialized/modern to a degree. You have to suspend some disbelief that such a juxtaposition could exist for as long as it has (1000 years!) and that the two societies had little to no contact with one another, but so be it. Coe creates not just one world here, but two, both fleshed out in detail (after all, each volume was a door stop of over 600 pages).
In a way, the trilogy features a classic redemption tale of overcoming various adversities by various protagonists in both Tobyn and Lon-Ser. The final volume features as well a classic good versus evil motif, with an evil 'unbound' spirit mage assuming human form once again (like a possession) in a live human mage intent on taking revenge and the various sects of mages coming together finally to stop him; Coe gives us a neat denouement here, although one not entirely unexpected.
The strengths of the series reside in the detailed characters, intricate plotting and world building; the primary weaknesses I feel are the numerous info dumps and the at times tedious retelling of events from various POVs. If you are a Sanderson fan, I think this series will appeal. If you like your fantasy darker, maybe not. All in all, 3.5 for this volume and the series as a whole.
Overall, this is an interesting trilogy to be sure and Coe tells a pretty good tale. I really liked the different cultures existing in Lon and Tobyn-Ser-- one a 'classic' fantasy setting and one industrialized/modern to a degree. You have to suspend some disbelief that such a juxtaposition could exist for as long as it has (1000 years!) and that the two societies had little to no contact with one another, but so be it. Coe creates not just one world here, but two, both fleshed out in detail (after all, each volume was a door stop of over 600 pages).
In a way, the trilogy features a classic redemption tale of overcoming various adversities by various protagonists in both Tobyn and Lon-Ser. The final volume features as well a classic good versus evil motif, with an evil 'unbound' spirit mage assuming human form once again (like a possession) in a live human mage intent on taking revenge and the various sects of mages coming together finally to stop him; Coe gives us a neat denouement here, although one not entirely unexpected.
The strengths of the series reside in the detailed characters, intricate plotting and world building; the primary weaknesses I feel are the numerous info dumps and the at times tedious retelling of events from various POVs. If you are a Sanderson fan, I think this series will appeal. If you like your fantasy darker, maybe not. All in all, 3.5 for this volume and the series as a whole.
July 10, 2009
I just finished this book last night and after reading the entire series I'm wondering why it took me so long to pick up these books and try them. I know I saw them on the shelf numerous times and almost bought them. But now that I've read them, I'm kicking myself. I should have started reading David B. Coe earlier. But at least he's got a bunch of books out now, so I have something to read next (rather than waiting impatiently for the next book to come out). *grin*
This is a good series and the third volume definitely wraps everything up in a nice way. We get to see where everyone we like ends up, and the resolution to the overall arc is satisfying. I had a few minor quibbles with the third book and the series as a whole overall, but none of those quibbles kept me from enjoying the books in any way.
For Eagle-Sage, it took a good half of the book before the real plot got moving. The first half was set-up, but I couldn't help thinking that it could have been shortened or gone faster. (I didn't spend much time trying to figure out how though.) At the end, I wasn't satisfied with how the Keepers were integrated into the final resolution. I thought they'd play a much more important role somehow, and since one of the themes of the book is that everyone needed to work together to defeat the enemy, their involvement ended up being too minimal, especially with how that ended for them.
For the series overall, my main complaint is that the familiars--the hawks and owls and eagles--were mainly just used as props. I kept wanting to see more interaction between the mages and their familiars. I wanted the familiars to come across as characters in their own right, and I wanted to see a deeper, more emotional relationship between them and thie chosen human counterparts.
But again, there is anough good stuff going on overall, especially in the writing department as well as the unique ideas of the world and how it works, that those quibbles did NOT keep me from enjoying the books. They are solid fantasies that I'd recommend to everyone. As I said, I'll definitely be reading more David B. Coe in the future.
This is a good series and the third volume definitely wraps everything up in a nice way. We get to see where everyone we like ends up, and the resolution to the overall arc is satisfying. I had a few minor quibbles with the third book and the series as a whole overall, but none of those quibbles kept me from enjoying the books in any way.
For Eagle-Sage, it took a good half of the book before the real plot got moving. The first half was set-up, but I couldn't help thinking that it could have been shortened or gone faster. (I didn't spend much time trying to figure out how though.) At the end, I wasn't satisfied with how the Keepers were integrated into the final resolution. I thought they'd play a much more important role somehow, and since one of the themes of the book is that everyone needed to work together to defeat the enemy, their involvement ended up being too minimal, especially with how that ended for them.
For the series overall, my main complaint is that the familiars--the hawks and owls and eagles--were mainly just used as props. I kept wanting to see more interaction between the mages and their familiars. I wanted the familiars to come across as characters in their own right, and I wanted to see a deeper, more emotional relationship between them and thie chosen human counterparts.
But again, there is anough good stuff going on overall, especially in the writing department as well as the unique ideas of the world and how it works, that those quibbles did NOT keep me from enjoying the books. They are solid fantasies that I'd recommend to everyone. As I said, I'll definitely be reading more David B. Coe in the future.
August 5, 2021
David Coe does an excellent job of completing the trilogy, begun in Children of Amarid, followed by The Outlanders. I had expected this final volume to bring war between the two parts of the known world: Tobyn-Ser and Lon-Ser. Afterall, the first two volumes of the trilogy seemed to be setting that up. And indeed, war seems to be coming as the plot details the arrival of an Eagle, binding to a mage which historically has only occurred when a war leader is required. But no. Coe masterfully takes us in an altogether different direction, capitalizing on major events from the first book which I had believed to be resolved.
Taken as a whole, this trilogy has truly been a hidden gem. It’s traditional fantasy to be sure but original in concept and well executed. There are no elves or dwarves, no plots derived from D&D game systems. David Coe holds a PhD in History, a background that I can’t help but feel was valuable in the world building. The social and political structures are realistic despite this being a fantasy world. The characters are well developed and engaging and even though there are a lot of them they are all genuine and memorable. I still find it difficult to believe these books were the debut novels by this author.
As a fan of the author’s Thieftaker novels and stories under the pen name D.B. Jackson I had wanted to try his traditional fantasy. Frankly, I was skeptical because the covers look like most of the other ‘80’s and 90’s fantasy tomes and I have struggled with many of those in recent years. But there is something to be said for this sort of fantasy. It’s not grimdark or dystopian fantasy and you’ll not find f-bombs littering the pages. Just an excellent fantasy story that you could read aloud to your 10-year-old or your grandmother.
Very glad I took this chance. I’ll be reading more from Mr. Coe.
Taken as a whole, this trilogy has truly been a hidden gem. It’s traditional fantasy to be sure but original in concept and well executed. There are no elves or dwarves, no plots derived from D&D game systems. David Coe holds a PhD in History, a background that I can’t help but feel was valuable in the world building. The social and political structures are realistic despite this being a fantasy world. The characters are well developed and engaging and even though there are a lot of them they are all genuine and memorable. I still find it difficult to believe these books were the debut novels by this author.
As a fan of the author’s Thieftaker novels and stories under the pen name D.B. Jackson I had wanted to try his traditional fantasy. Frankly, I was skeptical because the covers look like most of the other ‘80’s and 90’s fantasy tomes and I have struggled with many of those in recent years. But there is something to be said for this sort of fantasy. It’s not grimdark or dystopian fantasy and you’ll not find f-bombs littering the pages. Just an excellent fantasy story that you could read aloud to your 10-year-old or your grandmother.
Very glad I took this chance. I’ll be reading more from Mr. Coe.
December 27, 2023
I first read this series when I was 11 and a seventh grader with a special interest in raptor birds of all types. I remember appreciating the magic system, the character building and the relationships I forged with the characters at the time.
What I didn't pick up at the time was the deft weaving of two very different cultures and stories into something epic and cohesive. There are themes throughout this trilogy that are not usually present in fantasy and I genuinely appreciate the historian's eye cast on the impact of technology creep in a more traditional fantasy and how that could be exploited on both sides. The series doesn't chew as much on this as much as I would have hoped, and I think focusing on that and not bringing back an old villain would have made a more satisfying trilogy, but I'm not unhappy with the trilogy ultimately feeling like a redemption arc for Theryn and those associated with him.
If you like Sanderson, I think this would absolutely be worth the read. I'm glad I went back.
What I didn't pick up at the time was the deft weaving of two very different cultures and stories into something epic and cohesive. There are themes throughout this trilogy that are not usually present in fantasy and I genuinely appreciate the historian's eye cast on the impact of technology creep in a more traditional fantasy and how that could be exploited on both sides. The series doesn't chew as much on this as much as I would have hoped, and I think focusing on that and not bringing back an old villain would have made a more satisfying trilogy, but I'm not unhappy with the trilogy ultimately feeling like a redemption arc for Theryn and those associated with him.
If you like Sanderson, I think this would absolutely be worth the read. I'm glad I went back.
June 22, 2018
Great.
Rereading this book was amazing. I had forgotten how much more elaborate the plot was in this book versus the others. I highly recommend it.
Rereading this book was amazing. I had forgotten how much more elaborate the plot was in this book versus the others. I highly recommend it.
August 26, 2024
helaas het laatste deel.
July 14, 2008
Ignore the synopsis on the back of the book. Jaryd and Melyor don't have any kind of interaction in this book, direct or indirect. Their stories are related, but distantly; one of the other Soverigns of Lon-Ser is accepting gold from the Tobyn-Ser's Temples in exchange for weapons. The gold is being used to pay an insider to assassinate Melyor; the weapons are being used to defend temple-employed lumberjacks who are cutting more and more of Tobyn-Ser's forests down and selling the wood to Lon-Ser.
But that's just one of the two main co-plots. The other is that...dum-dum-dummmmm...Sartol is back! Which is the true reason that Jaryd is bonded to an eagle -- as is Caillin, who is the other person on the cover of the book. But their story takes place entirely in Tobyn-Ser, and is only tangentally related to the Melyor Lon-Ser assassin plot in that Orris and Melyor have corresponded frequently and regularly over the seven years that have passed since the end of The Outlanders.
In the end, Jaryd and Caillin have grown up quite a bit, Baden succeeds in annoying me more than a little, and Melyor and Orris end up together. The last is not entirely satisfying, and I wish there was another book that followed them rather than trying to wrap up the series on an uncharacteristic "happily ever after" note.
Overall, it's not a bad book, or series. It was engrossing enough, but I'm glad I was able to borrow them and put them back into the "abandoned book" library in my office. I don't see myself wanting to re-read these anytime soon.
But that's just one of the two main co-plots. The other is that...dum-dum-dummmmm...Sartol is back! Which is the true reason that Jaryd is bonded to an eagle -- as is Caillin, who is the other person on the cover of the book. But their story takes place entirely in Tobyn-Ser, and is only tangentally related to the Melyor Lon-Ser assassin plot in that Orris and Melyor have corresponded frequently and regularly over the seven years that have passed since the end of The Outlanders.
In the end, Jaryd and Caillin have grown up quite a bit, Baden succeeds in annoying me more than a little, and Melyor and Orris end up together. The last is not entirely satisfying, and I wish there was another book that followed them rather than trying to wrap up the series on an uncharacteristic "happily ever after" note.
Overall, it's not a bad book, or series. It was engrossing enough, but I'm glad I was able to borrow them and put them back into the "abandoned book" library in my office. I don't see myself wanting to re-read these anytime soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2014
This was an ok book, but I did not feel as though it deserved a mere 2 stars. Coe did a good job of wrapping up the series, I believe, and this was interesting at parts. Overall, though, it was kind of boring, at least for me. A few hundred pages in I started to pick up my pace of reading and got a bit more interested as the plot escaleted and thickened, but I suspect that that was in part due to me becoming super hyped after getting some good books on Black Friday that I am very excited to read.
So overall, this was an alright book. As a series over all, I'd have to say this, again, it's all right. It is obviously Coe's first series published. I'm interested in his other works, partially to see how his skills have improved, and partially because I was first interested in his second series. I picked up this one years ao (and am just wrapping it up now) because I thought that the two series may have been connected somehow.
So overall, this was an alright book. As a series over all, I'd have to say this, again, it's all right. It is obviously Coe's first series published. I'm interested in his other works, partially to see how his skills have improved, and partially because I was first interested in his second series. I picked up this one years ao (and am just wrapping it up now) because I thought that the two series may have been connected somehow.
December 14, 2010
Although I enjoyed the continuing story of characters I came to like in Children of Amarid and The Outlanders, this book was a bit annoying. The constant fighting left me frustrated; there was just too much of it. The plot could have been advanced with far less drawn out conversational conflict.
Want to read
November 21, 2008TBR
December 5, 2008
An overall really good trilogy!
September 24, 2010
See first book of the series for full review. =)
May 15, 2017
Enjoyed this so much. This series is a wonderful addition to the fantasy genre.
February 16, 2014
First act pacing was a bit funky and drawn out, but once the story got going, I couldn't put it down. Very compelling finish to a really unique and well written fantasy series.
February 17, 2008
The final book in the Chronicle, thus ends the tale of Lon Tobyn. All three books were great.
March 27, 2013
A very awesome ending to an awesome series.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews