Customer Reviews

The Road Home (A Guardians of the Flame Novel)

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

 

 

I could tell early on in this book that it was going to be a wrap-up of The Road to Ehvenor, which was excellent. After The Heir Apparent, in which Karl Cullinane died, the books have spent a lot of time re-creating the entire world of the Guardians of the Flame Series, which Karl had come to dominate. However, It did not address many of the issues that The Heir Apparent left unanswered, such as: (1) Whatever happened to Professor Deighton, whose final scene with Titania after Karl's death foreshadowed an entirely different storyline than what folloewd? (2) What about all the "strange things coming out of Faerie" that escaped at the end of The Road to Ehvenor? (3) Most Importantly, are any of the characters EVER going to come in contact with the Other Side? They seem to be getting too old and fragile (Ahira notwithstanding) to survive much longer in the Eren Regions. I guess my point is, Joel Rosenberg has told just enough and left plenty enough out so that I will ALWAYS check the bookshelves for the next Guardians of the Flame book. I have a feeling that's what he intended all along. JP

Rosenberg's flair for character interaction has produced one of my favorite characters: Walter Slovotsky. I have enjoyed re-reading the series many times. He HAS left some aspects of the series unfinished as of yet and I eagerly await their conclusion.

I finally found a copy of this and The Road to Ehvenor, and now I see what the fuss was all about.

Terrific books. Best in the series, and that's a lot to say.

This is the one that breaks all the rules and still follows them to the letter. Most sequels grow weaker as they drift away from the original work (ie: the fourth sequel being weaker than the third, both weaker than the second, etc) but The Road Home draws on it's own wellspring in addition to the previous books, combining new and strange with old and familiar to weave a tapestry stronger than it's threads.

Walter's recurring nightmares and flashbacks seem superflorous at first, but weave together into a climax that could only be created by a master craftsman such as Rosenberg.

I'd better shut up before I give away the story, but I think most readers will associate with 'The Big Car' and, like me, find themselves re-reading the showdown and reliving their own memories every time they hear Walter smiling to his enemy with the words, "You lose."

after a while. The books get progressively worse and the disappointment progressively higher. But not with Rosenberg's books. Always a pleasure. Like sitting down with old friends and catching up. And clearly, as Rosenberg matures, so does his writing. And I mean that in the best possible way. Richer, more thoughtful.