Review: Some gems in the set
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 26, 2014
I enjoy these collections as introductions to new authors. Overall, I am happy with the purchase and will continue on to the subsequent books for five of the seven authors in the collection. Below are my thoughts on the individual books.DEFENDER (The Sanctuary) - Robert J. CraneThis book explores what life would be like if MMO's were real--live in a guild hall, spend your time adventuring, and your motivation is to get loot and better gear. Throw in guild politics and you'll have a good idea what this book is about. This book was not for me... I couldn't finish it and skipped to the next one.THE WHITE TREE (The Cycle of Arawn) - Edward W. RobertsonI found this book to be a gem. The morality of the main character could be hard to relate to at times, but the story got better the more I read.THE DARK CITADEL (The Dark Citadel) - Michael WallaceThis book was also not for me. I once read that heroes should face adversity, not tragedy, and for me, this book crossed that line. Well written, and others may enjoy it more than I.WEIGHT OF BLOOD (The Half-Orcs) - David DalglishBy the authors admission, this is an exploration of just how dark an anti-hero can be. Perhaps not as dark as Gerrand Tarrant from the Coldfire trilogy, but still very dark. I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would.A LEGACY OF LIGHT (The Dragon War) - Daniel ArensonThis book had several nice twists on the usual fantasy novel and I enjoyed it.SWORD OF THE ARCHON (Shader) - D.P. PriorI had a very hard time when I first started to read this story--I got the distinct impression that the author was keeping secrets hoping for a big reveal. I never quite felt that there was a big reveal, but once I was half-way through, I understood enough of what was going on to enjoy the rest of the story. I am glad that I stuck with this one and read it to the end and I will read more in the series.RAVENWOOD (Tanyth Fairport Adventures) - Nathan LowellI think they saved the best for last. I really enjoyed this story. Well written with a nuanced fantasy world that I found compelling.