Review: Lots of Words
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2012
This story about an alternate world where magic rules is not a particularly  original idea, but it is very well done. Kevin and a selected group are translated from Earth to Terah, where Kevin is destined to become the Master Sorcerer because he is the (displaced) son of Badec, the current Master who is dying. The characters are well defined, interesting and likable, and include many mystical magical characters as well. The group arrives in Terah where they face many trials and a steep learning curve in order to survive prior to Kevin taking his rightful place.This is a BIG book, well written and entertaining. A portion of the book's strength is the detail that adds believable texture, but frankly, some of the prose could be shorter and crisper without impact, and on a few occasions I found it dragged. For example, the first 20% or so of the book is filled with excruciating detail about how the group is selected. The same is true about the cross country trek. Later, as more magical characters are introduced, I found I had trouble remembering who they all were, and had to flip backwards to refresh my memory.A few interspersed chapters are dedicated to the bad sorcerer, Rolan, but they didn't add much. There is no mystery here.The story ends with Kevin becoming the Master Sorcerer, but without resolving how he maintains his position and presumably defeats Rolan. I hope the sequel is just as good and deals with the many open issues - I look forward to it.