Review: A satisfying conclusion to the 'Tormay' trilogy...3 1/2 to 4 Stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 25, 2011
"The Wicked Day" is the third book in the 'Tormay' trilogy by author Christopher Bunn. This is a Kindle e-book that is a 670 Kb download and is price at $ 2.99.SPOILERS (general theme only...no specific detail given)This final book follows Jute (and several others) in his quest to understand and develop his special gift...his ability to summon and control the wind. His difficultly in grasping the use of this wondrous skill has come at an inopportune time as the land of Tormay, as  the region has drawn the undivided attention of a very powerful and sinister demon. A dark creature who has bidded his time for centuries and has now decided the conditions are ripe for him to take this peaceful land for his own.END SPOILERSThe Pros:1.) author Bunn has possibly some of the best descriptive talent I've read. There are several treks in this novel...on land, through underground passages, dungeons and castles etc. and they all simple ooze with tension, atmosphere and a sense of foreboding. Spine tingling!2.) lots of action and intrigue leading up to a great finale! A battle of epic proportions.3.) the book finishes with a short narrative of what happened to several the main protagonist, after the final battle i.e. what they did with the rest of their lives. Being the sentimentalist I am, I've always liked this type of finish for aging heroes and heroines; it was used in both Tolkin's "Lord of the Rings" and Dennis L. McKiernan's "The Iron Tower" trilogies with good effect...and it's used with good effect here. Touching in many ways.4.) a great map...a hearty thank you from all of us fantasy lovers who appreciate this bonus feature.The Cons:1.) dialogue...as great as the descriptive skills of Christopher Bunn are, there is something amiss in many of his characters dialogues. Is it simply the fact that the main hero is a 14 year old boy who is immature and unsure of himself or is it more a global issue? I fear the latter as several other characters get caught up is some questional conversations...many of which have a quality that reminds me of writing intended for a Young Adult (YA) audience. Somewhat contrive, immature and often forced.2.) as interesting and important as Jute was to the overall novel, I never really felt I got to know his character very well. It might be that he was 14 years old and at times (well most of the time) acted as such. He had such and important and vital role in the trilogy and I just never felt very attached to him. Even the ghost, who could be incredibly annoying at times, seemed to have more personality. If I'd any wish, it would have been that Jute would have been older...less immature, less adolescently troubled. I really wanted to like him, but couldn't.Impressions:Overall a big improvement over the second book. There was still some animal talk but a least in this book the amount was reduced and it seemed appropriate for where it occurred and what was taking place at the time. It was able to remain within the context of believability (within a fantasy setting).This story seemed more focused that the last book, and events seemed to  move along in a timely fashion. Also the amount of time devoted to several of the main participants seemed about right to me. No one (except Jute) appeared to occupy center stage more that he/she should, and yet all the other characters were able to contribute important and interesting side stories that were related to the main quest.Conclusion:A satisfying 3rd and final book in this series.Christopher Bunn is a talented writer whose skills will continue to unfold...I eagerly look forward to his future efforts within the fantasy genre.As it is...3 1/2 to 4 Stars.Ray Nicholson