Review: Fun fantasy read, a little short on world building
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 11, 2013
"The Paladins" is a four-book series that focuses on two Paladins - Jerico and Darius.  The two serve rival deities and they struggle to find their way in a time when followers of one deity will rise up in power against the other.  The four books average just over 250 pages, and they are quick reads with interesting plots and enough action to keep the story moving along.Night of Wolves (The Paladins #1)- 218 pages *Clash of Faiths (The Paladins #2)- 252 pagesThe Old Ways (The Paladins #3)- 290 pagesThe Broken Pieces (The Paladins #4)- 273 pages* As of February 11, 2013, you can get the first book for free to see if you like the series before purchasing the whole omnibus.I would consider this a "sword and sorcery" style fantasy read where both magic and mortal combat come into play.  Given the title of "The Paladins", it shouldn't be surprising the author incorporates some theological elements as the two champions embody the faith and abilities of their deities.  This wasn't done in a preachy way, and I was actually a little disappointed we didn't have more world-building because I would like to have understood more about the two deities, why they were at war, their doctrines, etc.Throughout the books, the author incorporates cussing and battle violence, but the book remains clean from graphic sex scenes.  There are some rapes mentioned, but those events occur "off screen".!! WARNING!!The reviews for books 2, 3, and 4 below contain spoilers because they include story elements from the previous book(s).~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Night of Wolves (The Paladins #1)is the first book in "The Paladins" series, and it features two interesting characters - Jerico a Paladin for Ashhur, and Darius a Paladin for Karak. The two follow rival deities, but they put their differences aside to protect a village from invading wolf-men.I thought this was a solid fantasy story with lots of action, an interesting look at the two paladins and their gifts of faith, and a unique perspective as the author gives voice to the wolf-men. If possible, I would give this book 3.5 stars because it is better than average, but there were a few jarring things. One was the use of names like Bobby and Gary, which seemed out of place. Also, the story seemed to lack some details in this opening book to explain the two rival deities, and why there are opposed to each other.The book contains some cussing and battle violence, but it is free from sexual content. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Clash of Faiths (The Paladins #2)is the second book in "The Paladins" series, and it continues the story of Jerico a Paladin for Ashhur, and Darius a Paladin for Karak. This book took on a darker tone as Jerico flees and Darius struggles with his faith.The Citadel is fallen, the remaining Paladins of Ashhur are hunted and slain, and Darius is caught in a real struggle between what he thinks Karak wants and Darius' own personal feelings of right and wrong. The more we learn about Karak, he seems to be a bit of a contradiction because his followers demand Order, but it seems like their actions are more closely related to Chaos.While Darius tries to understand his faith in Karak, Jerico finds himself amidst a group of bandits where he must decide if there is a right or wrong in their struggle with King Sebastian. We learn a lot more about Karak and his followers, but Ashhur still remains a bit of a mystery. Also, I find it strange that Karak has priests, but we haven't heard any mention of the same for Ashhur.Overall, I would give this a solid 3.5 stars if allowed. Like the first book, it was better than average, but it still seemed a bit lacking. There is still an odd name or two that seems out-of-place, and I didn't care for the ending where it seemed like the author hastily skimmed over a complete storyline, which I guess will get picked up in a future book.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Old Ways (The Paladins #3)is the third book in "The Paladins" series, and it continues the story of Jerico a Paladin for Ashhur, and Darius a new convert to Ashhur.This story takes an interesting twist as Darius tries to understand what his new faith in Ashhur means, and how he can seek redemption for the things he did under the direction of Karak's prophet. It also introduces a new villain on the scene with Cyric, who is an apprentice priest to Karak, but one who is very studied in the "old ways" where faith wasn't a freewill choice, but one often a result of fear.From a theological standpoint, I struggled a little because I don't understand how Cyric functions with the approval of his god Karak given some of the things that Cyric claims. It is clear that Karak can interact with the world as he caused the flame on Darius' sword to go out even though Darius proclaimed great faith. As such, it seemed like Karak was somewhat limited.As I read in another comment, I would really like some more background on the two deities. Why is Ashhur considered good and Karak evil? Why are they enemies?Overall, I felt this one deserved the full three stars. It met my expectations, but was a little slower paced than the two previous books, and felt like the story abruptly came to an end to be finished up in book four.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Broken Pieces (The Paladins #4)is the fourth book in "The Paladins" series, and it continues the story of Jerico and Darius, two paladins of Ashhur, in their fight for survival against Karak and his dark priests Cyric and Luther.Valessa plays an interesting role in this story as she seems to be torn between two worlds and two deities.  Given the lack of background on the theological system in this series, it was kind of hard for me to sort out her abilities and what happens to her character as she under goes two major transformations.At times, the book took on a bit of an unbelievable stance as we have Darius who is an infant in his faith to Ashurr, yet he is able to battle with the strongest of Karak's followers.  It seems like this book, or the previous one would have been a great time for the author to find some quiet place (perhaps a corner of The Wedge) where Darius and Jerico could compare the belief systems of Karak and Ashurr and for Darius to grow in his faith and abilities.Overall, I think this book was an acceptable conclusion to the series.  It still left some of unanswered questions about the two deities and how the world will continue considering the diminishing forces for Ashurr versus the strength of Karak.  Perhaps that will be a book for another time...