The Third Magic (Forever King Trilogy)

Rating:
Summary: Pray this is the last book in this series
Review: Having read The Forever King and The Broken Sword, I would never have believed a book could be so bad, if for no other reason than the editors would refuse to publish it. Wrong.

Major characters from previous books, such as Beatrice in the second book, simply do not exist in the book or are completely marginalized, such as Zack. The knights who are at least knightly in the first book are reduced to glorifed Rednecks in this one.

I would complain about the plot line, but first there would have to be one. I would say the character development was shallow, but this makes "shallow" look deep. This book is to a good read as Velveeta is to fine cheese, as Spam is to prime rib as... well, I think the point is conveyed.

If you should get the "opportunity" to buy this book, don't. You will be incredibly disappointed.

By all means read the first book, The Forever King. And then stop, as the characters and plot degenerate rapidly afterwards.

If it were only possible to give negative scores, this book would most certainly qualify.

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe my disappointment
Review: I have read The Forever King many times and always loved it and shoved it at everyone I knew. The second book in this series' The Broken Sword was...well, not awful, but had some plot problems and certainly didn't compare favorably with the first novel. Well, I just completed the debacle that is The Third Magic and can't believe how many problems there are. Inconsistencies abound, sometimes within the same paragraph. I honestly have to wonder if Ms. Cochran even reread her first two books in the series before she sat down to pen this one. She doesn't seem to remember accurately most of what had gone before. I had waited on this novel for so long and my disappointment is huge. If you have to know what happens in this book because you have read the first two, borrow it, don't buy it

Rating:
Summary: Hard to accept- but worth the effort.
Review: I really enjoyed the first books, THE FOREVER KING and THE BROKEN SWORD, but this one was very hard for me to read. Not that it was a difficult read, but because you know that the choices made by the characters will ultimately lead to great pain. The cold blooded violence was disturbing. The sacrifice and deep love that were woven throughout the story were sometimes heart wrenching. Arthur is maturing in this life as well as "thru the ages". With maturity comes great change and it is very difficult to accept. Especially for the readers who loved the boy Arthur was in the previous novels.
Any writer who makes you feel such complex emotions, that you fear finishing a book, has done a good job. You cry for the Arthur you loved, but you celebrate the ending as a new beginning for all.

Rating:
Summary: Pathetic
Review: I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, "The Forever King" and "The Broken Sword". I was looking forward to reading this book, but what a disappoimtment. Ms Cochran doesn't even remember the plot elements of her earlier books or ignores them.

Rating:
Summary: Is this even the same series?
Review: I was really looking forward to reading this book, and it was one of the biggest literary letdowns of my life. It has almost nothing to do with the other two books. It is completely inconsistent with the plot of the second book in particular, and the overall tone is nothing like that of the first two. It feels like it comes out of an entirely different series of books, as if the author completely ignored the fact that it was a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Fine third modern day Arthurian saga tale
Review: Merlin and Hal Woczniak keep young Arthur Blessing safe as he moves closer to regaining his Pendragon powers though the lad is a media sensation. Hal, better known as Galahad, happens to also loves Arthur's aunt Emily. The rest of the old team of Knights of the Round Table belongs to a motorcycle gang.

When Arthur drinks from a spring containing the Holy Grail, he gains the ability to heal people. However, the spring is part of the home of Gwen Ranier, his beloved Guinevere, who must die if Arthur is to succeed. With other problems and the obstacles posed by enemies and lunatics in his way, Arthur's return as the once and future king seems less likely with every passing moment.

The third entry in this modern Arthurian saga is a strong tale that ties up much from the previous novels (see THE FOREVER KING and THE BROKEN SWORD). However, new fans would be better off perusing the former novels to obtain the full flavor of this charming tale. The cast remains strong making Arthur and his cohorts believable in the twenty-first century and turning a fast-paced and action-packed story line into a great time.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Fine third modern day Arthurian saga tale
Review: Merlin and Hal Woczniak keep young Arthur Blessing safe as he moves closer to regaining his Pendragon powers though the lad is a media sensation. Hal, better known as Galahad, happens to also loves Arthur's aunt Emily. The rest of the old team of Knights of the Round Table belongs to a motorcycle gang.

When Arthur drinks from a spring containing the Holy Grail, he gains the ability to heal people. However, the spring is part of the home of Gwen Ranier, his beloved Guinevere, who must die if Arthur is to succeed. With other problems and the obstacles posed by enemies and lunatics in his way, Arthur's return as the once and future king seems less likely with every passing moment.

The third entry in this modern Arthurian saga is a strong tale that ties up much from the previous novels (see THE FOREVER KING and THE BROKEN SWORD). However, new fans would be better off perusing the former novels to obtain the full flavor of this charming tale. The cast remains strong making Arthur and his cohorts believable in the twenty-first century and turning a fast-paced and action-packed story line into a great time.

Harriet Klausner