Rating: 
Summary: A Modern Fantasy With Heart
Review: Unlike most modern fantasy, that I feel is a bit...detached... Mr. Farland has created a setting and characters that you really, truly care about. When I dig into a large novel, I expect a Tolkein-esque jaunt through months of time in our character's lives, with long journeys and treks through dark places. This book surprised me in the fact that the entire story takes place within a few days in the lives of our heroes. And what a few days it is!I don't dare give much away, and you can read the exerpts and other reviews to get a glimpse of what the story is about. Instead, I recommend you go out and read this book. You can drink it up like cold mountain dew and be drawn into this world. You care about Gaborn and his crew, groan in pain when the supporting cast is stripped of virtues, and cry at the surprising ending. Indeed, unlike most stories nowadays, this one truly has heart. I invite you to share in the struggles of these people. I have. And it's a wonderful experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Different from other fantasy books, weak ending
Review: At first I was skeptical and didn't like Farland's new concepts for the book. But as I read on I found myself believing in a world in which they exist. That's why I liked the book, he made it believeable. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but I think that's because I need to read the second book.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: The world that David Farland has created is one unlike any that I personally have read about before. To become a runelord one takes an endowment from another person, called a Dedicate, such as stamina, sight, smell, grace, or brawn. That person will no longer be able to use the ability that they give up, thus someone that gives an endowment of sight goes blind, and someone that gives brawn becomes so weak as to not be able to move. The process is done with runes made of bloodmetal, which is very rare and expensive. Dedicates will not get their endowment returns to them unless the lord dies, and if the Dedicate dies the lord looses the endowment. Now the Earth is in pain, and the people of the world are waiting for the uprising of the Earth King, one of which has always appeared in a time of extreme need. The main character is Gaborn Orden, son of the King of Mystarria. The realms of Rofehavan are under attack by the King of Indhopal, Raj Ahten, who has taken endowments from thousands upon thousands of people in an effort to become the Sum of All Men. He has taken so many endowments of glamour that he is the most handsome man alive, and so many endowments of Voice that when he speaks, people are compelled to do anything he asks. When King Orden is killed, Gaborn must undertake the effort to send Raj Ahten back to Indhopal and keep the realms of Rofehavan safe. Also, another threat is coming into play that does not yet seem as important as Raj Ahten. The reavers, a large insect-like race that lives underground, are starting to surface. Each one is over 20 feet tall, and are difficult to kill. This has the potential to become a great series. The first book is interesting, and Farland does not shirk from taking into account the morals of recieving endowments from other people. However, the characters are a tad underdeveloped and two dimensional. This is definitely a series I plan on continuing to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Old school fantasy fiction
Review: Old school because this brings back the racist undertones (actually overtones, but I'll be generous) present in the classical fantasy such Arthurian legend, Tolkein, Lewis, and to some extent, authors like Feist, Wurts and Eddings.
But those authors wrote a decade or more ago and have long since wrote redeeming works. The fact that Mr. Farland (acutally Wolverton) feels the need to bring this style of fantasy back to life is disappointing and, frankly, pathetic. I have no problem borrowing from history and drawing historical parallels to particular races, peoples or events. In fact, I enjoy the writing more when there is some underlying message. But the kind of borrowing Mr. Farland does is completely blatant and unoriginal (I mean at least fiddle with the names a little). We haven't had the brown people play bad guys before, nor portrayed them as cruel and bloodthirsty; the West is far too fair for that.
While the book did have its high points, the undertones are far too obnoxious to continue this at-best-mediocre series.
Not reccommended.
Rating:
Summary: Imaginative
Review: This book and its series is pretty well written and very imaginative as far as the detail in every aspect of the use of runestones and their consequences. I always love a good struggle for mother earth. There is every thing a fantasy reader needs.
Rating: 
Summary: Average
Review: I found this book to be really good, but the sequel was so bad that I wasn't even interesting in continuing on to the third book. That left a very bad taste in my mouth.
Rating:
Summary: A brand new way to look at the world.
Review: The only reason I am not giving this book 5 stars is because sometimes the plot line gets a little muddled and character reasoning gets hard to follow. But if you are like me and every now and then want a good read to just sit and enjoy reading, trust me you will love this book. I do not know if it has ever been done before, but this book was the first time *I* have ever read of a magic system based on physical attributes such as stamina, wit, voice, touch, strength, beauty etc. To become a "Runelord," you need to find someone willing to give you an "endowement," they MUST be willing to give it to you or the magic doesn't work (of course if a dagger is being held to one's throat, one tends to be rather agreeable to most things). Once an endowement has been given the granter loses it. So if it was strength they suddenly become so weak they cannot move. If it was beauty they suddenly become tremendously ugly, if it was stamina they now are very frail and weak and sickly. The only way for you to lose an endowement is to die (which causes the person who gave the endowement to get it back again), or have the person who gave you the endowement be killed - which takes the endowement from you upon their death. So obviously the most jealously guarded treasure in the land is a person's endowement givers. - The storyline for the book is your standard "coming-of-age" story, set in a land where fairies and giants and all sorts of other odd critters roam the land, along with an anchient evil. Added to this are your standard elemental wizards of earth, air, fire etc. Mixing it all together brings forth (in my opinion) a VERY enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely well-endowed...
Review: In this story, you don't get borged down by long prologues or slow pick-ups. Instead, you get right into the action with an assasination turned awry and escalates into grand warfare within hours. The classic combination of dwarves and elves are replaced with creatures that are often misrepresented or portrayed stereotypically, e.g. wights, water spirits, and the Earth. For once, I see it being portrayed as the "Earth King" rather than "Mother Earth." And what caught my attention most, was the concept of giving endowments. It rings a very familiar tune to the colonial concepts of slavery. In fact, it is pretty much the same in that the "dedicates" are tied to the "endowed" for life, only difference being they are better cared for and better off than slaves, who still needed to work their lives away. The idea of receiving endowments certainly threw fresh light on what constitutes magical abilities in this world and though you walk away with a feeling that almost everyone is super-human, it doesn't seem that bad an idea. Afterall, the evil-doers are much more powerful, in this case, the reavers, which resemble the devils in Feist's Serpentwar Series in a way. I wouldn't say that this is the best I have read but certainly, it has a good dose of adventure that keeps you going and a fine mix of new ideas that makes fantasy refreshing.
Rating:
Summary: Mighty original
Review: This is a surprising fantasy book. David Farland is a great storyteller. And the story in The Runelords is worth telling. It's about Gaborn who loses his father, who was king, and has to battle for the very survival of the Earth, which is in danger because of a rival king called Raj Ahten. Luckily Gaborn is crowned the Earth king, which helps tremendously. The story has great speed and reads very easily, which is actually a good thing. There is one thing I might not like and that has to do with the world that was created. In this fantasy world of Farland it is possible to get endowments, like stamina, smelling and hearing that kind of stuff, from people who volunteer it to you. The thing I don't like about it is that it gives a person a unfair advantage over others, while he hasn't really done anything for it. That makes heroes not so heroic I think. Still, it's pretty original thinking of the autor. I might still change my mind over this.
Rating:
Summary: the most original
Review: excelent book, i couldn't put it down, and i was doing service in the army at the time. the most original book i've read in a long time, it doesn't have the usual young man discovers his unchecked powers bla bla bla... the whole magic system is new and the feats that the men and women are capable of are therefor reasonable. the only problem i had was the inconsistancy of the gos being partitioned by elements. and of course what troubles me the most is the wait i'm going to have to endure betweeen one book and the next. a must read.
|
