Rating: 
Summary: Great concept but something doesn't flow right
Review: I found the concept of rulers of a land could take an aspect of one of their subjects and add it onto themselves to be absolutely fascinating both intriguing and terrifying at the same time. I don't know about you but there are a few people that I would like to suck the wit out of and keep it for my own personal youth. Think about it this would be a great form of capital punishment The story itself I have read a lot of books that one could cal stereotypical fantasy and this is one the better ones. It does fall victim to one of the major pit falls of fantasy literature A. It is always difficult for an author to gauge the proper mix of action and description
If an author puts too much into the disruption you are left with a finely crafted world and no plot. If there is too much action the scenes meld together making almost no sense. The problem with this book is a typical one. The reader is waiting for the final confrination with the evil force in the story when it finally arrived I felt thrilled and cheated at the same time, it was over that quickly. It is an aspect of this branch of literature that annoys the [heck] out of me. My impression-This is a greatly enjoyable book but the concept and the pace of the story is not for everybody. If you like happy feel good fantasy this is not the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Good remedy for insomniacs
Review: After exhausting my pile of Stephen R. Donaldson and Robert Jordan books, I decided I needed to begin another epic fantasy series to keep me occupied. I ran into Farland's book at the bookstore and decided to try it out. While I admire the ingenuity that Farland put into developing his world's magic, I tripped through the first 277 pages wincing each time I predicted the next string of events. Moreover, sets of unbelievable circumstances occur at just the right places (like when an assassin kills a messenger, who is found by the good guys, dead... and TAHDAH! though the messenger was important enough to be assassinated by the bad guys, the assassin hadn't bothered to take the message, which gives the good guys a huge advantage.) The characterization is flat and dull. I was at no time convinced that I should really care about what happens to the lead characters. I struggled through the book, waiting for it to get better, but I finally set it down at page 277 and never picked it back up.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Action-Packed Fantasy
Review: The world David Farland has constructed for The Runelords is fascinating, not only in the "magic" system he has devised--wherein individuals can surrender personal traits and capacities like beauty, sight, hearing, endurance and strength to another--but also in the compelling manner in which he details the social and political impacts of such a system. All too often writers use magic as a gimmick or simply another weapon, but Farland has created a magic system with dire consequences and potential for terrible abuse. The novel is fast-paced and full of action, with characters bouncing from one confrontation to another without pause. It sounds tiring, but it works with this story, which unfolds over the course of just a few days. While some might complain that it leaves little room for character interaction and development, it seems to be rather true-to-life as to situations that require immediate action without much time for deliberation. As such, the characters are drawn in broad strokes. Still, each is clearly differentiated from the others, notably among the three kings, Sylvarresta, Orden and Raj Ahten. The Princess Iome is revealed carefully over the course of the novel; the Earth Warden Binnesman, while having great potential for future books, comes across sometimes as a token "ancient wizard who possesses vital information and saves the day at least once." By far the most compelling character is the knight, Borenson, who strives to serve as best he can, and ends up caught in an inner conflict between duty and self-loathing. My only objections--and the reason for 4 rather than 5 stars--are to several seemingly extraneous injections into the story. First, are the ferrin, small creatures who seem to appear randomly and have little part in advancing the story. Second, is the amount of time Gaborn, the main character, spends inside his own head. To his credit, Farland does not bog down the plot with heavy-handed exposition through 90% of the novel. For some reason he abandons this tack with Gaborn. All in all an enjoyable read, worthy of your time.
Rating:
Summary: Over-inflated story, underdeveloped characters.
Review: I think publishers are confusing "epic" with "wordy". After getting over the Runelords magical gimmick, the transfer of abilities from one individual to another, there really isn't much else here in the way of fantasy. Giants comprise the biggest, no pun intended, unearthly role but in a world where it seems every other human has the strength and stamina of 10, who needs them? The forcibles concept just doesn't hold water. Why would anyone give up his or her life so someone else could defend that life? It's equivalent to saying, "I want to live so badly, I'll kill myself". One person defends thousands? Wouldn't it be better to have thousands defend thousands? Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. It all seems more of a hindrance than help. I would think someone with the cumulative sight of two thousand men could see right through his own eyelids. Thousands of endowments of wit from conflicting sources would lead to insanity, not clarity. Raj Ahten gets fooled on a regular basis. He's not even smart enough to use his endowments properly. The love story is weak. Gaborn and Iome seem to fall in love for no apparent reason other than they mutually decides they will. There is precious little feeling behind the main characters. The secondary characters are thin and stereotyped (the wizard, the warrior, the traitor) even for a stereotyped genre. I will not be picking up any future books in this series. It's not a horrible book, only lack-luster. Want well-thought fantasy? Stick with Harry Potter.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing Action-Packed Fantasy
Review: The world David Farland has constructed for The Runelords is fascinating, not only in the "magic" system he has devised--wherein individuals can surrender personal traits and capacities like beauty, sight, hearing, endurance and strength to another--but also in the compelling manner in which he details the social and political impacts of such a system. All too often writers use magic as a gimmick or simply another weapon, but Farland has created a magic system with dire consequences and potential for terrible abuse. The novel is fast-paced and full of action, with characters bouncing from one confrontation to another without pause. It sounds tiring, but it works with this story, which unfolds over the course of just a few days. While some might complain that it leaves little room for character interaction and development, it seems to be rather true-to-life as to situations that require immediate action without much time for deliberation. As such, the characters are drawn in broad strokes. Still, each is clearly differentiated from the others, notably among the three kings, Sylvarresta, Orden and Raj Ahten. The Princess Iome is revealed carefully over the course of the novel; the Earth Warden Binnesman, while having great potential for future books, comes across sometimes as a token "ancient wizard who possesses vital information and saves the day at least once." By far the most compelling character is the knight, Borenson, who strives to serve as best he can, and ends up caught in an inner conflict between duty and self-loathing. My only objections--and the reason for 4 rather than 5 stars--are to several seemingly extraneous injections into the story. First, are the ferrin, small creatures who seem to appear randomly and have little part in advancing the story. Second, is the amount of time Gaborn, the main character, spends inside his own head. To his credit, Farland does not bog down the plot with heavy-handed exposition through 90% of the novel. For some reason he abandons this tack with Gaborn. All in all an enjoyable read, worthy of your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay story.........badly told
Review: Anyone who likes traditonal Fantasy, be it Lord of the Rings, Shannara, or Recluse, will find this book dull. The story is fast paced...but I couldn't get really involved in what the characters were doing. So much is put on describing magic and it's abilities...the characters are not developed as much as they should be.
I bought the first two books thinking the series will be good due to other reviews. I will not be reading book two or the others to follow. I WARN you to be careful with this book. You will either enjoy it or hate it.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun fast read
Review: The Runelords is the first in a series of four books that really are all one volume split into 4. The following books pick up exactly where the earlier books end. No passing of time happens between volumes. In fact, i believe the entire 4 books take up approximately 2 weeks of time. (Which perhaps stretches even fantasy imagination somewhat). To get to an 'endpoint' you need to read all 4. While books 1 thru 3 end in the sense that there are no more pages, the stories do not end in any sense of the word. As many here have noted, the magic system used in these books is a fascinating departure from the norm. Also somewhat unusual to fantasy writing is how the whole concept of good and evil is handeled. It is by no means unique, but is a different approach than you'll find in the typical run of the mill fantasy you get from Jordan et al. I still have some question about how the magic works in certain situations, but Farland does cover most of the bases at some point in the 4 books. If you are puzzeled about it early on, keep reading and chances are it is explained at a later point. The books move along at an incredible rate. The main characters rush from one major scene or event to another with barely a moment to breathe or to really get to know the characters. Overall, expect a very good story line, unique magic system, some very good storytelling, but do not expect major character development or fantastic writing. These are some good books that you'll read quickly, will enjoy a good deal, but it is unlikely that much will stick with you for long after you've read the stories besides the magic system, there just isnt enough development of the characters for you to identify with them for to long.
Rating:
Summary: A comic book
Review: I try not to be negative, so I'll start with a number of positive things about the book. First: I didn't put it down. The pace and action keep you on the edge of seat, or couch or wherever you read. Second: The story is creative and entertaining. And third (and this is important) the book is well written.
I am choosing not to continue to read the books in the series, however. I found that the story is more about the mechanics of the magic system (in which one person may take abilities such as strength and stamina from another) then the characters of the story. Having some experience with RPG games I felt as if the story was as much about the characters stamina, strength and intelligence scores as about their thoughts, development and personalities.
Many times the Runelords has an overblown 70's comic book like quality because of the protagonists' heightened abilities. Y'know, like when the Hulk punches Thor and Thor goes all the way through the mountain. To me it made the story ridiculous. This concept makes the people that Farland is writing about as easy to identify with and care about as the gods on Olympus.
Rating:
Summary: alright in the begining, but fails quickly
Review: Typical fantasy fare, though better suited to DAW publishers rather than Tor. I find this world's magic very interesting though. Watch out for this guy. His real name is Dave Wolverton, AKA The Man Who Ruined Star Wars (The Courtship of Princess Leia). He is the reason George Lucas won't do the last three Star Wars movies now. GRRRRRRRR.
Rating:
Summary: Alright....
Review: Review of The Runelords, by David Farland.
08/27/2003 Having read the Runelords, I will review it and detail its components and rate them individually, and then seek to take the sum of its parts. The Runelords is a fantasy and as such, its defining trait is the world in which it takes place. This is comprised mainly by the fantastical portion of that, namely the rules of the world. The Runelords is called such because the most interesting element of its world are the Runelords themselves, who become Runelords by receiving endowments from other men or women, and in some cases, from animals. An endowment is a transfer of some power or characteristic from one to another, achieved through the use of special runes of power, branded on forcibles which are an expensive commodity. The concept of endowments is that someone can give his hearing for example, to his lord, and though he loses it, his lord would have hearing capacity roughly double in ability that he had previously. The general traits that are transferred are grace, glamour, brawn, wit, and all of the senses, as well as metabolism, which speeds life up, speeding perception and the rate of cellular operation, and in doing so halving the life span of the endowee. This concept is of tremendous interest, for it is both original and thought provoking. It raises questions of ethics and morality in agreeing to take an endowment at the price that it comes to the giver, known as the dedicate. Additionally, The Runelords has other forms of magic that are elemental in nature. All the four elements that joined to create life are powers on their own and have their own followers. This means that we get to see the power of earth wizards, flame weavers and water wizards, and undoubtedly in the future we shall discover what an air wizard can do.
Elemental magic well done is a wonderful thing, and generally adds to the excitement of a fantasy. That aside, we come to Plot which is of course the main element in any tale. The plot of the runelords is not terribly original, it is one of a horrible superpower that is attempting to take on the world while our main characters who pale in comparison struggle to defeat it, while learning their own strengths. In the background, we have a threat to he entire world in the form of a hostile foreign race, an idea that George RR Martin uses to great effect in his Song of Ice and Fire series. Now while that in itself is not terribly original, seldom is a general plotline. The individual twists and turns of the book were not unpredictable but not too predictable to ruin the reading experience. Next up is characterization, an area where Farland needs some expert advice. His characters are not real enough. They have some substance, but not enough flexibility and real inner struggle to make them more human. A lot of their decision seem to be like stock decisions. The quality of verse in the book is passing fair, not shabby at all, even if it isn't tear-jerkingly beautiful. In summation, the book is a good entertaining read, but its lack of great chacters does not keep the reader attached to the series enough. It is great characters that will make a book.
EW grade: B
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