Master and Fool

Prophecy, sorcery, politics, and war dominate the Known Lands though for many, they just want to survive. Master and Fool is the concludes J.V. Jones’ The Book of Words series that finds Jack, Melli, and Tawl working together to bring about the end of Kylock’s burgeoning empire.

The dark elements that Jones has been delving into through the series continued, but it felt that she really went hard on the classical fantasy tropes than in the two previous installments of the series. Jones also stealthily revises Melli’s arc by getting her pregnant by the Duke just after their wedding which gives her a pregnancy arc to deal with especially after she is captured by Kylock’s agents and his to endure his insane sadistic treatment of her show more until her rescue by Tawl and Jack. The two male protagonists’ finally meet—becoming insta-friends soon afterwards—and go on a road trip with Nabbler first to Larn then back to Bern destroying the first and saving the second as well as Melli via Tawl beginning the Knights of Valdis’ redemption. Kylock’s military genius—or the ineptitude of his enemies—is on full display along with his madness which is enhanced thanks to Baralis giving him a sorcery suppressing drug. The endgame was well written, though given the dark elements Jones had been weaving throughout the series if a protagonist had not made it after the final showdown, it would have worked just as well if not better.

Master and Fool finishes off the trilogy very well, but J.V. Jones’ decision to go with more tropes and putting in revisionism from how the previous book ended were enough to make this the “weakest” of the books though a very entertaining one. show less

Jack, a baker's boy, harnesses newfound magical power, and Tawl, a disgraced knight, race to save Melliandra from the sadistic King Kylock and avert worldwide catastrophe.

The Known Lands face ruin as the mad, power-hungry King Kylock and the sinister wizard Baralis expand their reign of terror and sadism across shattered kingdoms. After being captured by Kylock's agents, Melliandra, widowed and pregnant, endures torture at Kylock's hands while awaiting rescue.

Tawl and Jack unite to rescue Melliandra, traveling to the forbidden island of Larn. Jack must learn to master his latent magical abilities to fulfill an ancient prophecy and confront Kylock.

I enjoyed this series, and the final book was not a disappointment. Jack the common bakers boy has finally had to acknowledge that he is a powerful wizard, and with his few allies has to stop running and confront the evil forces in the kingdoms. No shockers and no cliffhangers in this one, and for once, a trilogy actually ends in 3 books. Good reading. If you've already read the Wheel of Time or Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, you'll find this a little flat, but still good.

Het is bijna gedaan met de geniale koning Kylock. Schuldgevoelens, verraad en buitensporig gebruik van roesmiddelen drijven hem naar de grenzen van de waanzin. Dat hij daarbij geheel in de greep is geraakt van de zwarte tovenaar en raadsman Baralis, die in werkelijkheid zijn vader is, is voor hem slechts bijzaak.

Alle hoop is gevestigd op het ongeboren kind van Melliandra. Misschien kunnen Jack, de bakkersknecht die over een groot magisch talent beschikt, en Tawl, de in ongenade gevallen ridder, Melliandra beschermen om zo de genadeloze Baralis de voet dwars te zetten. Maar of dat zal lukken...