Customer Reviews

Swords of Talera: Book One of The Talera Cycle

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

 

 

Talera is swashbuckling high adventure. Swordplay, alien races, beautiful maidens, this book has it all!

Ruenn is a two-fisted hero capable of going toe to toe with any of the heroes of Pellucidar, Mars, Cimerra, Atlantis or the jungles of Tarzan's Africa. Rannon is noble, beautiful and tough as nails herself. One almost expects her to step out of a Frazetta canvas.

This is a tale well told. The characters are vivid, true to life, and stay with the reader long after the final page is turned. I can't wait to read the rest!

I found this book to be a real page-turner, as I kept picking up the book every time I sat down, even for just a few minutes. I really enjoyed the John Carter of Mars series and this gave me a new dose of that 'sword and planet' genre. The author does not quite go into the depth of world building that Edgar Rice Burroughs did (Burroughs was a master at it and few authors can match him), but the story and the heroic adventure moved along well, and there was enough world building that I was very satisfied.

Gramlich proved to me he understands this genre and I will definitely buy the next book in the series when it comes out.

All kinds of awesome to be found here. I'm not all that well read in the Sword and Planet genre, but I've read some Edgar Rice Burroughs ... and this is better, far better. Swords of Talera could easily be considered a modern equivalent to A Princess of Mars. All the right ticks are there ... 19th century male protagonist, unknown world, a little sorcery, monsters, alien races, female love interest and more ... yes, it's all there. But it's also all different. The world is different, as are the protagonist and the love interest, and I mean different not only in a technical sense but that they are thematically different, as well. The writing is modern, yet hearkens back to the likes of Burroughs. For anyone who is interested in Sword and Planet fiction, or any of the sub-genres of old-school pulp fantasy, you need to read this book. It's better than the originals. Burroughs would be proud, and perhaps a little concerned about keeping his throne as king of S&P fiction.

Swords Of Talera harkens back to the days of my youth when I discovered John Carter of Mars, Carson Napier of Venus, and Tarzan of the Apes. All of course by Edgar Rice Burroughs. In this new novel, Mr. Grammlich's character is transported to another world of exotic people and exotic creatures, forced to battle his way across it in search of his brother. If you ever liked these interplanetary romances, this is the book for you. It's well worth buying. Do yourself a favor and get it.

Charles Gramlich has written a richly layered, compelling novel in Swords Of Talera. He is himself a highly erudite man who is extremely versatile in his range as a writer. This is exemplified in this excellent novel.
It explores the myth structures we inhabit as well as the tribalism inherent in social structures. And it does so through a highly readable story.
Ruenn Maclang is transported from Earth to Talera. There he encounters a range of alien monsters. He has to fight his way back and in doing so discovers the secrets of Talera.
The narrative voice contains a deep humanitarianism that balances the martial action. It is full of rich lyrical descriptive passages that alternate with dramatic action.
Behind it is the psychologically revealing mytho-poetry. Charles Gramlich is himself a psychologist and he brings his insights to bear on his characters while letting them live and breathe.
I was reminded of HG Wells by the narrative tone and style of the storytelling. Gramlich manages to make you care about the protagonist. There is also an old style warrior code, a sense of medieval honour implicit in it.
I will definitely be reading the sequel, Wings Over Talera.

Sometimes as my reading choices spread out over the literary landscape, whether it is new genres of fiction or my wide interests in nonfiction, it's easy to forget how much I still love the stories that were formative in my early years as a reader. I grew up on Swords and Sorcery, with some Swords and Planets stuff thrown in, but haven't read a lot of it in years. That changed earlier this spring when I read Gramlich's short story collection Bitter Steel. Now having read the first book of his Talera Cycle, I'm back in the throes of wishing I could take up a brand and lead a motley crew to glory!

This book tackles all the things that make the genre exciting. Honor, friendship, loyalty. Bravery in the face of impossible odds. Even a little redemption. It moves fast, and Gramlich's voice as the narrator/hero Ruenn Maclang is convincing. I enjoyed this book very much, and will definitely move on to books two and three!

When I heard Charles Gramlich's Swords of Talera, and its sequels would remind me of Robert E Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs, I couldn't resist. Swords of Talera blends fast paced action with exotic locales and peoples very reminiscent of Howard and Burroughs. I was immediately caught up in Ruenn Maclang's plight on the world of Talera, where Maclang wins the loyalty and respect of warriors he reluctantly commands to defeat the slaving race of Klar warriors. Throw in sword wielding Princess Rannon, and Priests dabbling in magic, to round out a captivating adventure.

I just reread this book today (in one 5-hour sitting.) Not only does this novel bring to mind (& surpass,) the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, etc., but it includes a strong woman & a noble hero, both refreshing changes compared to most modern media messages!