Customer Reviews

The Last of the Renshai (Renshai Trilogy)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For those of you already convinced that you want to read these books, but are scrambling through reviews looking for which book comes first--I've been there, this is the first book of the series.

Public service announcement out of the way, on to the review:

Like many others, I have "read a lot of fantasy", but I will not appeal to my background to either praise or pan these books; that is hardly necessary. This isn't Tolkien, Eddings, Jordan, Brooks, Goodkind, Tarr...or any of the others. This work stands on its own merits.

Reichert builds an interesting world full of intriguing characters. While I will agree with one of the reviewers who said that there was no clear protagonist or antagonist in this story, I do not see that as a flaw. It is not always clear in life who is the "good guy" or the "bad guy". In exceptional stories, the good aren't all good, and the bad aren't all bad. Is there violence in this story...yes. Again no apology needs to be made, like it or not, violence is a part of the genre. If you have a low tolerence for violence, may I suggest the Myth books or Pratchet's Discworld novels.

My only complaint with this series--and it's minor and doesn't hinder me from given this book and trilogy 5 stars--is Reichert's take on swordplay. Armor and sheilds hinder combat rather than help it? Tell that to the templars! It's an interesting combat philosophy, but if it were really used the Renshai would have been slaughtered centuries before.

That said, Reichert is a good author, with a strong grasp on character development and interesting plot twists. I fully enjoyed all three books and was pleasently surprised many times with the direction the story took.

Who the heck gave this book a 1 in its review? The critic talked about how the characters seem flawed and with sins, gee don't we all have flaws? Don't people get sick of the surreal characters and perfect people written about in books? The guy mentions the lack of antagonist in the story, gee, just like real life, we don't always know who is who, and of course, there are always TWO sides to the story, the antagonist to some is the protagonist to another. Our esteemed critic goes on.... "Each of the main characters have a moral confusion about how to react to their situation in life." (Ugh, if I'm not mistaken we all seem to do this in our lives.) "This leaves them making serious errors in judgment that get them in trouble." Damn! I love those perfect characters that never do anything wrong, never screw up and always do the right thing... doesn't that make a hell of a story? Get real! "It almost seems the author picked these heroesto be the greatest warriors, but they dont know how to use their power for a righteous cause..." "Every character seems not to care that what they do hurts others without justification." Geez! These are vikings we are talking about! The tribe was kicked out of the northlands for BEING TOO VIOLENT. What do you want... responsible daisy-picking pacifists??? "These are not heroes to be revered or respected, but to be condemned for their self-centeredness and lack of conscience." The critic just described a book about real life! People are selfish, they make mistakes, they don't always make the best decisions! He unwittingly gave a great review of the book! Compared to the droll of typical fantasy, where there is always a clear evil guy hurting the good dudes and almost beating them down, until a hidden good dude rises out of the ashes just in time to save the day for mankind, Reichert uses a class a lot of other writers don't use... because they lack imagination! Bravo! Your scathing review encourages me to read the book, not some surreal happy-town novel where "everything is gonna end-up ok." Damn, I always got disppointed with Star Trek, Next Generation for the same reason, a good story does not have to always end with a happy ending. (This one is not that unhappy either!) By the way, the whole series is very creative, and has a good thought out use of Norse Mythology. A must read for any viking fanatic, (I'm not) and a good story for those who aren't.

I was not going to leave a review until I read the last review. You know the crazy one that gave this wonderful book one star. I just would like to go over some of the troubling things that this reviewer brought up. One of his main complants was the fact that most of the characters were dishonest in one way or another. I did also notice this but I took it the way that it was supposed to be taken. No person is perfect ever. At some point all people try to get out of something and all people do somthing dishonest. It happenes in real life and because of that I believe that it makes the book that much more believable. Another one of the complants was the fact that there was no clear good guy or enemy. Again I would agree there was not. Which also made the story more believable. I mean since when in real life does the bad guy have a tatoo on there forehead saying I am a the bad guy. And now we come to the strangest thing that was complained about, the violence. Please take the time now to scroll up to the top of the page and look at the cover of the book...Welcome back. While looking at this book you saw a man swinging two swords down at people from the top of a horse. Now after seeing that could you please tell me how anyone picking up this book could not think that this was going to be violent. Yes your kids more then likly should not read it but that doesn't bring down the book for an adult. Actually I feel stupid now that I did this you should just read the book 35 out of 36 people thought that it was a great book. I personally would rank this as my favorite of all time and I have read a lot of books. (like most every one on this site)

I love this book; I've read and re-read it a couple of times. I don't understand why some have said they dislike it. The characters grow on you. The only complaint I may have is that perspectives jump, and you find yourself reading impatiently, wanting to get back to your favorite point-of-view.

Rache believed that he was the last of his kind. A race of undefeatable swordsmen who kill on average of six enemies for everyone one of there kin slain. As the last of his kind Rache does have the right to teach his skill to others. But who?

His chocies are twofold

A psychotic gladiator that hates his guts
Or the daughter of the local lord

Before this becomes a problem Rache life changes for the wrost. Rumors begin to grow of a war of wizards and Rache hears stories that he may not be the last of his kind after all.

My impression-I have always been a sucker for these vast sweeping epics. My fasination began with the 13th Warrior. This is a great serise, if you can get through the dull part but the book always heats up agian.

I really enjoyed The Last of the Renshai, and the books that come after it. Reichart's best strength in the two Renshai series is her clear understanding of her characters - their personalities, their strengths, their weaknesses, their morality. The plot for the first 3 books isn't anything exceptional - the "standard" mixture of heroes, villains, prophecies, and the-world-is-going-to-end treatment - but there are some nice twists, and there is enough depth in the characters and in how they handle their struggles to make even the tired good-vs-evil, law-vs-chaos conflicts remain interesting.

However, any comparison to Tolkien is a bit, well, ridiculous. Tolkien, Jordan, Donaldson, and other writers in that vein were/are very much world builders, writing sagas that span millenia and encompass large numbers of characters and vast, complex storylines. At the very simplest level, it's a matter of scale, and while I highly recommend The Last of the Renshai and the related novels, it's a different kind of fantasy than that written by Tolkien and company.

The closest "emotional" comparison between Reichart and another author that comes to mind is with R.A. Salvatore. It's just kind of an impression, not anything I can justify logically. I think maybe b/c I enjoyed The Drow Elf trilogy on the same level I enjoyed these books. (As an aside, IMO, Colbey could be naked and unarmed, facing off against an angry Drizz't, and Colbey would TAKE Drizz't's scimitars and whip him like a red-headed stepchild, and THEN he would REALLY educate Drizz't in how to fight with two swords....)

This is the first book that pretty much focusses on the use of swords as a religion. Sure there have been other series that use swords throughout, but never with such intensity such as the way Reichert presents it.
I am reading the sequel to it, The Western Wizard, right now, and to tell you the truth, I am doing it only because I am bored. These are great books, but there isn't all that much action that makes you hold on to them every second. However, this is just my opinion, and I might be looking for something different in a book than you. So, to brief it up, I think this book is definately worth it to read, is has some great characters, and makes you think. If you don't like it, then no harm, just don't continue the series.
Reichert does a good job, and I congratulate him for this book.

It was an incredible book. It made my imagination soar and keep me wondering what is going to happen next. I am not into books but when I pick this up I couldn't put it down. I feel in love with the characters, chared with they're victories and moarned they're losses. The book also developes characters that become main characters in two other excelent books. The actions is intense and the story line is amazing. It would be a loss if you did n't give this book a chance.

I hope my review of 5 stars knocks that prude's one star right out of contention, making the average review for The Last of the Renshai 5 stars, as it should be. Reichert writes with a style all her own, and should be commended for it. Her heroes are not pompous do-gooders out to save the maiden, but the realistic and inevitable creations of a warrior's upbringing. I respect Reichert for that. I also like the fact that this is a female writer, whose epic tales easily match those of male writers like Tolkien, Jordan, and Moorcock. I am male, but I liked reading a fantasy epic written by a woman for a change. Especially one without the fluff found in many novels by women. I strongly recommend The Last of the Renshai, Reichert's finest novel. As for old "one star" down there, well, who are we to argue with someone who writes a calm review despising the fact that Reichert's heroes aren't Messiahs, and then launches into a frenzied and foamy-mouthed tirade against both Reichert's integrity and her writing ability? Who knows, maybe Reichert did "kiss bottom". I for one, am very glad she did. I'm glad this novel was published, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it.

The Renshai books, both trilogies, are some of the best fantasy books I have ever read.

The author creates characters that are not only memorable, but normal enough that the reader can relate. The plot is complex, in the traditions of Tolkien and others...the badguys...I wanted to kill the bad guys myself. They were truly evil!

The second trilogy is a masterpiece of its own right.

In a nutshell, the fictional world of these books is based on Nordic mythology. Odin, Thor, Loki, and others all have a hand in the Renshai books.

The world itself is a mix...but primarily consists of glorified Nordic people...romanticized...but done extremely well.

There is plenty of action, sword play, and violence to balance out the complex storyline...unlike other fantasy authors, she does not go too far in one direction or the other.

Ma'am...write MORE Renshai books!