Jennifer Fallon

As the 2nd book in the Tide Lords trilogy (?), The Gods of Amyrantha is no disappointment. Following The Immortal Prince, she builds on the characters we met for the first time. Cayal still wishes to die, yet his building relationship with Arkady Desean to some extent renews his interest in living.

Cayal, the Immortal Prince, hero of legend, was thought to be only a fictional character. Cayal sure wishes that he was a piece of fiction—anything that would help him shuffle off this mortal show more coil. But even though he longs for a final death, things in the world keep pulling him back. Such as Arkady Desean, an expert on the legends of the Tide Lords who has discovered the truth about Cayal…and captured his heart.

Yes, the Tide Lords will walk upon the earth once more and, with the power that surges through the cosmos, stand poised to wreak havoc on all that humans hold dear. Cayal will have to decide if he wants to go on living just a little longer and if he is willing to risk his fellow immortals’ wrath in order to save the world.

We meet many other Tide Lords in this volume too. It turns out that they are a flawed and petty lot – immortality should, one would think, be granted to more worthwhile people. And they are doing their darndest to end Cayal’s life and destroy the world.

This is skilfully written, with terrifically engaging characters. The only complaint I have about this book is that it ends.

Fortunately, I have book 3 ready to start right now! show less

This is the third and final instalment of Jennifer Fallon's Warlord trilogy and she ends it in superb fashion.
In this book we see the fruition of many smaller plot threads that were started in the first book. She certainly knows when and how to turn what could be a predictable plot moment into an unpredictable, often shocking, twist. Her gift for characterisation again manifests itself in Warlord . We’ve seen these characters go through trials and travails in the earlier books in this show more trilogy (Wolfblade and Warrior) and also seen them some years on in the original Hythrun Chronicles series. Here we see them continue to grow and develop and, in many cases, we see what has led them to become the adults we see later.
Damin really comes into his own in the book, becoming the character we’re familiar with from the “Hythrun Chronicles” trilogy. He’s intelligent and compassionate but scary when he’s angry. Marla is once again exquisite. She’s become the master manipulator, but Fallon also allows her to grow, and to eventually realize what she has become. Her war with Alija has taken a great toll on her, both mentally and in terms of her family and friends. She’s not afraid to do things many of us would find unconscionable, but she does it out of fierce loyalty to her family, as well as her kingdom. She has to wonder whether her lust for power (in the form of her son being king) is personal or whether it’s because she knows that Alija’s family coming to the throne would be even worse. She’s fully three-dimensional, and while she’s not always likeable, she’s always interesting to read about. The crackling battle of wits between the fierce King of Fardhonya and his high maintenance (yet stunningly canny) daughter Princess Adrina is delightful; as is the banter between Damin and his brothers. The cast of characters is too large to single any others out, but Fallon does a wonderful job with all of them.
When I finally closed the book on this series I sat back and sighed with pleasure. It was a great trilogy, fun to read and I am very glad I waited till I had all three books in my hands before starting on the journey. I simply couldn’t have waited for the next instalment – and I can't wait to see what else Jennifer Fallon has in store for us. show less

I've been a fan of Fallon since I first picked up one of her books. She provides an almost perfect mixture of fantasy and politics, and creates complex worlds and characters that really grab the attention. Warrior, the second book in the Wolfblade Trilogy, is Fallon at her best. The first book in the series, Wolfblade, starts out a little slow, especially for anybody who hasn't read the previous trilogy. Warrior starts with a bang and never lets the reader go. Fallon portrays characters we show more care about deeply, and the climax is just stunning.
Warrior has a sprawling cast of characters, all of them are distinctly three-dimensional. Fallon she succeeds in making us care about all of them (or despise them, but that's intentional). The extended Wolfblade family is firmly in the focus this time round – and an interesting crowd they are too. We see Damin, the heir to the throne, grow into a young man who still likes to have fun but knows that he is being groomed for something bigger. He's much more intelligent than he lets on; even his family members have underestimated him. Damin has learned politics at the skirts of an expert – his mother Marla. Marla, in turn, has been coached and guided all her adult life by her courtesa (slave), the dwarf Elezaar. Elezaar is a conundrum – and his "Rules of Gaining and Wielding Power" are intriguing and all-too-often true, even here and now!

The interplay between Marla and her nemesis, Alija Eaglespike, High Arrion of the Sorcerers' Collective, is fascinating. Alija has been plotting for years to place either her husband or, now, her son Cyrus, on the throne instead of Damin. Marla plays a ruthless game of politics to ensure Damin survives to inherit his birthright. When Elezaar finds out that loyalty doesn't always mean everything when family is involved, it's heartbreaking. The unexpected outcome with Leila and her common lover is also shocking. Wheels within wheels, and love just can't enter the picture when class and politics are involved. That could be the ultimate tragedy in some of the family's lives.

Everything has changed now, and Fallon sets the reader up for an edge of the seat final book in the trilogy. show less

(Third of 3: Second Sons trilogy. Fantasy)

The third and final instalment of Fallon's Second Sons, which focuses on Dirk Provin, the second son of the Duke of Elcast, and to a lesser extent Kirshov Latanya, the second and favoured son of Antonov, the Lion of Senet. The kingdom of Senet holds the kingdom of Dhevyn - of which Elcast is part - and the boys are first cousins through their mothers. Dirk, whose ambition had been to become a physician and heal people, is now unwillingly embroiled in show more politics because of Antonov's plans for him. However, Antonov is a fanatical follower of the cult of Shadowdancers which was created by their High Priestess Belagren to further her bid for power. One of her Shadowdancers is Marqel, an otherwise nameless Landfall bastard with whom Prince Kirsh is besotted, who will use any influence she can to claw her way to a position of greater security than she has heretofore enjoyed.

Dirk has also been recognised as a mathematical genius and the only other person apart from Neris Veran, who predicted the emergence of the second son from behind the first which 'miracle' Belagren used to found her cult. He plans to use the information to bring down the cult and end the rites she and her cronies created to perpetuate it which spread misery amongst the people of Senet and now Dhevyn. Marqel, while not as clever as Belagren, is just as ambitious and can see her way to using the same lies to climb to power, using anyone she can as she goes. Dirk has to manipulate these personalities and incorporate them into his grand plan to save the world, having to think on his feet when some of them have their own ideas. He is fortunate that the people who love him best trust him, even when it looks like he has betrayed them in a game they don't understand as he plays his cards close to his chest in an attempt to protect them.

While we don't see much of Kirsh, two characters we haven't seen much of before become major players in this book. One of them is Misha, Kirsh's older brother who is referred to as the Crippled Prince as his left side is weaker than his right due to a stroke in childhood.

The book rolls along at a rollicking pace and had me hooked, although I felt it tapered off a bit after the major religious event in the middle. Most people get their 'happily ever after's but some don't. The ending is quite satisfactory while indicating that life still goes on.

I found the entire trilogy gripping and I must admit to curiosity about the ruins at Omaxin, which indicate that the history of this world is linked to the future of our Earth. Worth hunting down.

"...Dear Goddess! What else is there left to do?"

"I want to find out if lions are real," he said.

I have to say I was disappointed that I couldn't get this last book of the trilogy with a similar cover to my first two. I really like the artwork on those, by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law.

4.5 stars **** show less