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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Fantasy Adventure!,
By
This review is from: The Sword of Calandra (The Winter King's War) (Hardcover)
Tristan had succeeded where hundreds of other heroes and wizards has failed - he woke the lovely sleeping princess, found the tenth ring, and discovered that he was the rightful heir to the throne of Calandra. Unfortunately, Tristan didn't get to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. There were many nobles who disputed Tristan's right to the throne and were willing to wage war to get rid of him once and for all so they could go back to their petty squabbling over who would be king. Also, in order to actually be able to sit on the throne, Tristan needed the sword of Calandra, or his crowning would also mean his death. Too bad the sword disappeared into myth and legend centuries before...In desperation, Tristan returns to the wizard's city of Kovelir to seek out Crewzel, a fortune teller to see if she could read anything more from her magical cards. But Tristan was bitterly disappointed to discover that Crewzel had disappeared without a trace, even her beloved son did not know where she was. Knowing full well that Crewzel would never go anywhere without her son, Tristan set out to find her while continuing his wizard's apprenticeship and searching the library for any references to the sword of Calandra. But time was running out and Tristan knew that he had to gamble the future of the kingdom on one desperate attempt - to forge a new sword, a sword that would mean Tristan's death or victory... The Sword of Calandra picks up where The Ring of Allaire ended, with Tristan and Elisena desperately fighting the evil forces of Nimir, the winter king. Unlike most second books in a trilogy, this book actually had a purpose and a mystery to solve and it was another fun adventure to take with familiar characters. I simply loved Dexter's characters and enjoyed seeing familiar faces and discovering what happened to secondary characters that were left behind in the Ring of Allaire. Dexter presents a simple quest in a unique and memorable fashion and her bumbling hero, Tristan, always manages to make it through his challenges, despite his lack of confidence in himself. I highly recommend this whole series, but you could read this book on its own and understand everything that is happening. Fantasy fans should definitely check out Susan Dexter's writings - she is a real hidden treasure!
4.0 out of 5 stars
A slightly flawed but enjoyable sequel,
By
This review is from: The Sword of Calandra (Mass Market Paperback)
Book 2 in The Winter King's War, "The Sword of Calandra" takes place immediately after "The Ring of Allaire." Tristan, having been named the rightful King of Calandra finds assuming the role is not so easily accomplished. He discovers that in order to physically take the throne he must recover the legendary "Sword of Calandra." Tristan decides that he must journey once again to the wizard city of Kovelir and search out the fortune teller Crewzel in hopes of locating the lost sword. Tristan knows that without the sword he can never rightfully take up the throne and attempt to halt the Winter King Nimir's icy assault on Calandra. Here my thoughts on The Sword of Calandra;
Pros + Story is well written and flows more smoothly than Dexter's initial book in the trilogy. + Thomas the cat is back in all his snarky glory. + A few new and interesting characters are introduced into the storyline. + Wizards of Kovelir are a bit more fleshed out. + Ending has a nice little twist. Cons - Map is incomplete. Dexter starts to reference places that are not on the map, leaving the reader guessing their location. I would also have loved to see maps of Castle Crogen and the city of Kovelir. - Polassar, Allaire, Elisena and Minstrel are basically absent for the majority of the book as Tristan goes off with just Thomas and Valadan to Kovelir. I found it disappointing that Dexter left out so many primary characters for most of the book. - Tristan is still overly dramatic and whiny most of the time. - Meeting Jehan was too convenient. Tristan's never going to Kinark to seek out a sword smith felt like a missed adventure and a crucial part of the story. - Crewzel continually strikes me as unpleasant and ungrateful resulting in an unlikable character. - Nimir is still a faceless character. A little insight on the villain is often good to keep the reader engaged. - Ending felt a bit rushed. - City of Kovelir is spelled incorrectly on the back of the book. Come on editors! - Bad cover art. All in all a satisfying sequel to The Ring of Allaire and a bit longer, which was good. Dexter's writing definitely improved since the first book which was great to see. My main disappointments were the fact that several of the main characters were left out of the majority of the book. Also, the fact that most of the book again took place in Kovelir. Yet another reason to provide us with a map of the city. Despite all of my gripes I enjoyed the book and eagerly started "The Mountains of Channadran" which is the final book in the trilogy. I'm looking forward to see how Dexter wraps everything up in the world of Calandra.
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable read!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Sword of Calandra (Mass Market Paperback)
Picks up where "The Ring of Allaire" left off. Now that Tristan has arrived in Crogen, he must secure the throne with a coronation ceremony that includes the former king's sword...which of course is nowhere to be found! This is a well done tale, taking what could be a hackneyed, overused plot line and making it unique and interesting. Tristan, while somewhat inept, is a likeable hero, and the story seems fresh even now in 1998, despite it having been published in 1985.
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