Review: Solid and enjoyable story
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 6, 2012
The author here created an elaborate and interesting world.  Despite in being a fantasy world with no machines, the main government is abusive to its citizens, paranoid in the extreme and able to control large portions of the land through terror.  Into this mixed up world a pair of fraternal twins discover that they are descended from a sorceror who fought on the losing side in the great war that helped found the nation they now live in.The world is detailed.  Characters, even ones who don't appear in many scenes feel like more than simple place holders, and the main characters have detailed motivations and personalities.That said, the story isn't perfect.  The male twin is excessively annoying at times, acting a bit more like a ten year old than a fourteen year old.  There are more than a few moments that I wonder how anyone could survive in a world as hostile as this one is described with his level of petulance and stubbornness.  The villians are a bit on the two dimensional James Bond villain types.  Very pewerful and capable except when facing the heroes, where they suddenly start making mistakes that are warned about in the Handbook for the Evil Overlord.The ending is also a bit incomplete.  the author did wrap up one major plot point, but level several others open.  this story screams "sequel in work." which is something that I usually try to avoid.  I've run into too many "series" that are never completed.  In this case, the author did find a good stopping point, and there is at least partial closure of the storyline, but he could have tacked  "to be continued" at the end and no one would be surprised.Still one of the better independent writers I've run into.  This story is definitely worth the low price of admission.  It won't become an instant classic, but it's a good read for lovers of magical fantasy.