Much like 100 Years of Solitude, these books deserved their own individual, full-on reviews… but I am a big slacker and put it off too long to do them justice. I suppose it’s not quite as big of a slight as it was for 100 Years… after all, these books are just fantasy, not literature. But enough justification: the reviewing!
Jennifer Fallon is the new Robin Hobb. Those of you who have read some Robin Hobb will know that means Ms. Fallon is a Mistress of Angst. Oh gods does she ever know how to set up the impossible situations and pluck the heart strings. Couple that with a very interesting story, a solid world, great characters and enough wit to make you chuckle from time to time… and you’ve got an excellent trilogy. Several excellent trilogies, if you want to count her older work. Did I mention that I love her take on The Gods?
My only complaint: you know when I complained in my review of The Gunslinger about authors wishing they could go back and revise previous works? I specifically had Jennifer Fallon in mind. This trilogy falls chronologically before her Hythrun Chronicles, even though the latter was written first. The Wolfblade Chronicles also deal with a lot of the secondary characters from HC. And to be frank… some of them feel very different than the initial impressions I got in the HC – a danger of prequels, I fear. It’s not a big deal, but since I brought it up recently, I thought it worth a mention.
The Bottom Line: If you haven’t read any Jennifer Fallon, pick up The Second Sons trilogy (Lion of Senet, Eye of the Labyrinth, Lord of the Shadows) first, because it’s a bit better than this trilogy. Still, The Wolfblade Chronicles are definitely interesting and worth the read.
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