Last Rune series review

One thing I'm going to use this blog for is to put out reviews of the books I read. I like to fantasize about a career where I'm paid to read what I like to read, say as an editor or somesuch. (Gosh, can't imagine that from someone who works in a library, can you?) What follows is to that end.

I recently completed Mark Anthony's series, The Last Rune. This is a six book series that I picked up on a complete whim, and they surprised me in how much I liked them! The premise is a little hokey, involving parallel worlds, time travel, and various forms of magic. The overall plot is good, but a couple of the individual books (particularly the second one) fall short. The writing is well organized, with good flow; the characters are well-developed and likable; the humor is well mixed with the drama, and just enough suspense is added to keep everything interesting. There are elements drawn rather strongly from David Eddings, an author I read growing up held very dear to me. Anthony tends towards a little more serious than Eddings, but I think the books are comparable in quality.

The series starts by introducing Travis, a bartender, and Grace, a doctor. Both of these people are transported to Eldh, a magical medieval world somehow connected to Earth where they learn they each have previously unknown powers of magic, which they use to save Eldh from domination by the evil Pale King. That all happens in the first book, which is a full stand-alone novel. (Kind of confusing for those of us versed in high-fantasy epics. What happens in the rest of the series if you tell the story in the first book?!) The second book also stands fairly well on its own, but introduces some elements that become important later in the series. It's plot follows the standard overused fantansy template: heros given quest, encounter problems, minor characters die, quest fulfilled and everyone goes home happy. Books three through five make a nice little trilogy, and are the best of the series. The plot presented here is finally what the author wanted to tell us, and there's more intrigue, more action, more overall interest in these three books. Sadly, I think you'd be lost if you read these three without the setup done in the first books. Complete resolution is reached in the sixth book, with the entire series put to rest. That's something of a rarety in my experience; a lot of fantasy authors seem to leave their stories open. It's nice to see a series that is complete, which doesn't leave you wanting to know what happens when Good finally does triumph over Evil, which doesn't leave the door open for additional stories or new interpretations.

One of my favorite things about this series is the fact that it touches upon a topic not often found in high fantasy: homosexuality. Without being explicit or inappropriate, Travis builds a relationship with another main character. The books touch on ideas that everyone ought to be allowed to live the lives they want to live, and shouldn't be judged for it. This is presented in a gentle, only slightly awkward and occasionally preachy way. I would reccommend this series to any open-minded fantasy reader looking for something light and enjoyable.

'Til next time,
Brian