Customer Reviews

ERETZEL: Book two of The Sword of Fire trilogy

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

That title should cull the herd a bit...

Join Prince Daniel of Asulon as he introduces some old-fashioned heroism to the exotic land of Eretzel, joined by giants, a dwarf, a cynical swordsman, and an ancient miracle-worker. But he faces mysterious and evil forces beyond imagining, even beyond death itself.

Your guide on the trip is William McGrath, who clearly likes to research. (Yes, you may learn something. Quit whining! Knowledge can build character.) When he makes an aside about weapons, fighting, architecture, religion, whatever, he has studied it thoroughly. He weaves mythic threads as adroitly as Tolkien or Rowling, and he also tips a few sacred cows in the process.

My only warning is that you should read Asulon first. You can figure out what's going on without it, but it's easier and better to begin at the beginning.

Bill McGrath does it again! Daniel of Asulon returns in the continuing journey of finding his path in the world. This time he's with his love-the princess, his uncles, his instructor, and a wizard priest. You'll have to read to find out how his view of the world changes and becomes more focused! It's a can't put down read. I definitely look forward to the third and final book in the series.

I study English language and attempt to improve it by reading a lot of literature and

In my humble opinion McGrath is the best modern writer, and this novel - definitely worth to read.

Much various people will find a plot intriguingly grasping.

Eretzel is the second book in William R McGrath's Sword of Fire trilogy. A nicely imagined future history (see volume 1) leads to a world part-familiar, part-strange, filled with Biblical and modern-world allusions. Angels have walked and hidden among men; but now the end-times approach, not as modern enthusiasts have imagined, but still intriguingly based on the Book of Revelation. As if in an Americanized Narnia, Emperor Antiochus seeks to solidify his power by riding a unicorn, while young Daniel wonders how to regain the affections of Rachel, and giant Anakim are roused from slumber. "Politics here is a strange mix of God's Word and man's philosophy," says an oddly perceptive and powerful priest, fiction's strangeness reflecting that of an American take on recent history.

The novel holds some interesting surprises and fascinating interpretations. Biblical references form an intriguing background while modern political explanation seems almost as deceptively alluring as the words of a false Messiah. Fascinating details of such wide-flung skills as sword-making and meat production add verisimilitude to a tale that would stand well next to Joseph Girzone's Joshua stories on a young adult's bookshelf. But without book three, the story's still incomplete. Readers should probably start with book one and plan to read the whole set.

Disclosure: I read this ebook in the science fiction section of DanPoynter's Global eBook Awards.

Being the follow-up to to Asulon, this review assumes that you already read the first book in the series. Eretzel has all the same elements that were great in the first one: interesting characters, very good pacing, detailed action sequences, and educational information as part of the story (ex. There is a part that describes different sword tempering process and even though the names of the areas where such process are used are fictional, you can easily understand the real-world equivalent).

Contrary to Asulon, the story now focuses on more characters including the "bad guys" which give you a bigger scope to the story and more things to ponder about. The storytelling is as good as ever and with the book being longer than Asulon, you get to enjoy it for a longer period of time. Finally, being the second book in a trilogy, don't expect any closure at the end of the book. And, like me, you will be really looking forward to the final book in the trilogy.

Overall, if you loved the first book, Asulon, you will definitely love Eretzel.

Eretzel was a book I couldn't put down, and when it ended it left me looking forward to reading the final part of this trilogy. I enjoyed the fresh thoughts and ideas McGrath presented regarding the unfolding of the End Times. I think that is part of what made this book such a page-turner; I really couldn't wait to see what fresh perspective was going to unfold next. Interestingly, my teen-age son who has read the Book of Revelation (Holy Bible) numerous times through, and has also read both Asulon (part One of this trilogy) and Eretzel (the book being reviewed here), as well as countless other fantasy works, did not detect a biblical or Christian end times story line in The Sword of Fire books. I think this proves the point: McGrath brings in such a fresh perspective to the biblical narrative of the history of the earth (start to finish) that anyone from any perspective can thoroughly enjoy reading Eretzel. I do recommend reading Asulon (part One of The Sword of Fire trilogy) before reading Eretzel.

I liked "Eretzel" a lot. First of all, the story and imagery are mastered quite well. In "Eretzel" the author managed to create an atmosphere of something terrible and great approaching, and this premonition casts its shadow on the heroes' motives and actions whether it is understood by them or only intuitively felt. Best of all, this atmosphere can be felt by the reader. Many characters and ideas in the book are quite novel, they keep the plot fresh and the reader captivated. The book is full of maxims, adages and simply interesting observations; and, by the way, the author is not afraid to put those in the mouths of not so savory characters.

Perhaps some characters could be developed more. I would've loved to follow a character study to see what makes Anakim, Simon, Moor, Nathan and even Immanuel to stand out (besides their obvious attributes like ancestry, size and strength). For example, how do they perceive themselves, how do they think? However, I admit I might have some of these concerns because I haven't read "Asulon", the first book by Mr. McGrath.

I am really glad I came across "Eretzel". It is a good, smart book; I would call it a thinking man's fantasy prose and recommend it as such.

On the surface Eretzel, by William McGrath, seems like a simple fantasy, well maybe not quite that simple. He has incorporate a number of lands and characters who, even the Anakim (giants), seem to fit quite normally into things. You think you know where the story is going, but do you?

Be not deceived. There is much more to Eretzel than one may notice at first. To say Eretzel is simply a fantasy would be like saying an onion is just an onion. Well, my friends, if you would study that onion you would notice that beneath the skin of that onion lies many layers that actually make up what an onion is. In the same way, beneath the "skin" of what looks like a mere fantasy, lies layer upon layer of different truths brought out in different way and seen by different perspectives. These layers are not simply layers either, for they are somehow woven in and through one another in a way an onion's layers cannot exist. The result is a full-bodied, action-packed story with complex and intertwining stories hidden just beneath the surface. Only the key elements of the story bare resemblances to much of modern fantasy. Under this is something much more compelling and much more interesting than many others who write in the same genre.

This is the 2nd book in The Sword of Fire trilogy, and while the story can stand by itself, it would be better understood if you read Asulon, the first book in the installment beforehand. Then the true richness of this genius can be truly appreciated.

David Brollier

author of The 3rd Covenant

[...]

This is the second volume in The Sword of Fire series, a worthy sequel to ASULON. The story revolves around Prince Daniel of Asulon and those who travel with him. In the first book, Daniel escaped his enemies after they assassinated his father, heading for his grandfather's court in Logres. Woe upon woe, just as the ship arrives in the port at Logres, his grandfather Anak, last of the earthbound angels of old, is also assassinated by the Antichrist figure Antiochus. The remaining sons of Anak rush to escape total destruction of their household and join the travelers from Asulon, stealing away as quickly as possible to regroup in safety. The ship heads for Eretzel, home of the Abramim (read Jewish) Rachel who is traveling with them.

The Anakim, or sons of Anak, play a major role in Eretzel. As sons of an angel, these men are powerful giants with life spans and strengths far beyond those of ordinary men. For them, the first priority is revenge for the death of their father and loss of their kingdom, and so their time in Eretzel is spent mainly in carefully plotting a course of action. Everyone is afraid of them, but they begin to win the hearts of many by going out to the villages and helping those in need.

In Eretzel the residents are constantly at odds with the neighbors who wish to destroy them, and so live in ever-vigilant wariness. There are plots and subplots, numerous skirmishes and full blown battles. Overshadowing everything else is the ever increasing malevolence of Antiochus, self-proclaimed emperor of Unicornia, a man totally controlled by evil spirits. He is the Antichrist, bent upon destroying the chosen ones of God and ruling the entire world. With his machinations set in place at last, it looks like nothing and no one can stop him.

This is a fantasy that could probably be described as alternate history, setting the final days of Revelation in a setting where the cultures of the world are basically still like they were a couple of thousand years ago. Bill McGrath has made some interesting choices for his place names and names of people groups, choices that are often based in antiquity. Logres in a name for Briton that I had come across while reading the Arthurian legend. Abramim is an obvious reference to Abraham. Russia is called Magog, as it is in the Bible. I don't know where he got the names Asulon and Eretzel, but McGrath pulls from an amazing storehouse of knowledge to fill this story with allusions to Scripture, political tendencies around the world, historic and modern day events, and various mythologies and religious beliefs from the present as well as the past. The fictionalization is often a very thin veil for McGrath's own stance on any number of matters, including the Illuminati and the Jewish-Muslim conflicts.

When I reviewed Asulon, I suggested that it would be a good read for teen guys as well as adults. Eretzel is not quite as accessible for the average teen, I think, but it is rich in material for those who enjoy delving into cultural conflicts, the end times, social commentary, philosophy and history. Bill McGrath, the martial arts instructor and practitioner, is also a deep thinker. His thoughts are what make Eretzel stand apart from the average fantasy/end times novel. This one is sure to stir discussions as well as entertain.