Customer Reviews

Wizardborn (Runelords (Numbered Prebound))

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

After reading the first two books in the series, I was eager to get my hands on the third and, though I thought it was still worth the wait, It was not up to my expectations. In this book Farland seems to draw out the plots and situations just to fill the book, which is shorter than the other two. Still, I can't be too critical about it as it introduces some enjoyable new characters and uncovers some new and unforseen twists.

In this book, Gaborn, still recovering from the diminishing of his Earth Powers, struggles to eradicate the force of reavers that attacked Carris. While this is happening, the girl Averan uncovers a plot of the reavers that could end the world. To stop this, Gaborn must travel to the underworld and confront the one true master, the greatest of all reavers. This book also looks more closly at the characters of Gaborn Raj Aten and we discover much more about them.

Even though this book was not up to my expectations, I still thought it was a good book and would recommend anyone who has read the previous books in the series to get this book. For those who havn't read the others, I suggest you do!

Normally when I get the newest book in a series, I re-read the previous books just to refresh my memory and get in the proper mood. With Wizardborn, the third book of The Runelords, I skipped that step in my desire to read it. You see, I really, really enjoyed the first two volumes of this series, and I must admit that at first glance this one appeared somewhat disappointing. It looked a lot thinner than the previous volumes, and the cover was not great. But the slenderness of the book, it turned out, was due to thin paper and not low page count, and realizing this I set to on what fortunately turned out to be another great jaunt through Farland's world.

Admittedly, this book does take a very different approach than the first two books. In Book 1, Raj Ahten was the threat to the world, and there was lots of cool action. In Book 2, it was revealed that the *real* threat was the Reavers, and Raj Ahten merely a superpowered inconvenience. Again, there was lots of action punctuated by great battles. In this third book of the series, however, the focus is more on character and plot development rather than moving forward substantially in the story. Taking place over the course of two days, Wizardborn lacks the urgency and immediacy of Runelords, and the scale of Brotherhood of the Wolf. Gaborn, with his army, is chasing the surviving Reavers from Carris, while Raj Ahten is headed south to save his people from another huge Reaver attack. Borenson, coping with his new status of eunuch, resumes his quest to find Daylan Hammer, the Sum of All Men, but is now joined by his wife Myrrima. Averan finds out that that she is an Earth Warden, and apprentices herself to Binnesman, but her ability to eat Reaver brains and learn from them turns out to be essential to Gaborn's quest to stop the beasts.

As I have noted already, the focus of this novel is more on character than action. There is one major battle even bigger than any we have seen before, but it serves more as a conduit to explore Raj Ahten's character than as a battle scene. In addition, there are several skirmishes with the retreating Reavers, who are devising tactics for better killing humans. There are several revelations, or possible revelations, in this book about the nature of the Days, but those thoughts do not really go anywhere. However, there is a lot more humor than in previous volumes, especially concerning Borenson and his "walnuts." There is also a potentially extremely interesting new character, Baron Waggit, a halfwit who, after distinguishing himself in battle, is given an endowment of wit so that he is just like a normal man. On the down side, there is very little in this book about Foul Deliverer, Fair Destroyer (or Spring). As a previous reviewer noted, the Reavers are not just monsters anymore - they are now significant characters in their own rights, with motivations and feelings. The elemental of the Darkling Glory from the previous book is back, and we find out that it was a really big player in the netherworld, an elemental that has helped in the downfall of various other worlds. In this volume, to put it simply, the plot thickens, disparate elements start to connect, and the end begins. Moreover, by the end of the book, there was no doubt in my mind that Raj Ahten's final showdown would be against Myrrima, not Gaborn as I had thought through books one and two. Read and find out.

According to Gaborn's predictions, and assuming the author keeps going at two days per novel, this series should not last more than 2-3 more books. This book, while not quite as intense as the previous volumes, is a very good addition adding lots of characters, situations, and original ideas to the mix. Definitely worth reading, despite the typical cover art.

In reviewing "The Brotherhood of the Wolf" - a book I praised rather highly - I wondered whether "Wizardborn" (the third installment in Farland's "Runelord" series) really is as disappointing as some reviews contested.

Having now read it, I'm happy to say that, to my mind at least, it isn't.

Some have remarked on how "Wizardborn" is very different to its predecessors. It isn't. The events of this book are again condensed to just a few days; things still move at a breakneck speed.

Yes, there is a greater focus on the character of the young girl, Averan. But it would be incorrect to say the story swivels away from its central plot to shed more light on her. The opposite is true: Averan becomes sucked into the maelstrom, accompanying Gaborn as he and his army pursue the reaver army fleeing from the battle at Carris.

Yes, Raj Ahten is presented in a slightly more sympathetic light. But this is entirely consistent with the earlier volumes. Like the reavers, he flees the destruction at Carris, only to find his own kingdom is now besieged by reaver hordes. Suddenly, he's very much on the defensive. For once, he's trying to save, not destroy.

Yes, Farland does focus less on the ethical dilemmas of the giving or taking of endowments. But there's no reason he should; the plot doesn't call for this. Instead (in the characters of not just Averan and Raj Ahten, but also Borenson and Myrrima) new questions are raised and answered.

Although this might be a little presumptuous, I feel that some of the less complementary reviews aren't due to the issues raised by the reviewers but by something else. "Wizardborn" is clearly an interim novel. It's exciting, but it doesn't end with a great bang. It ends before the bang: before Gaborn enters into the reaver lairs to seek out "The One True Master"; before Raj Ahten's destinity is revealed; before Borenson comes closer in his quest to seek "The Sum of All Men".

That makes it less satisfying than "The Brotherhood Of The Wolf" (and the first volume, "The Sum Of All Men", even though I felt that book to be plagued by uneven writing), but it doesn't make "Wizardborn" bad by any means. This isn't one of those books where the plot is left simmering on the backburner. Things are gearing up, and I for one would be very surprised if the next volume wasn't something of a scorcher.

In short: if you liked both earlier volumes, I see no reason whatsoever why you shouldn't like this one.

The first thing I said when I finished was "Wow". Wizardborn is that good.

Farland surprised me with his first book. The magic and the issues it raised were all so new and interesting. The second book was good, not as good as the first, but it did delight me on many levels. I didn't know what to expect with Wizardborn, but I can honestly say that it is the best of the three.

It's one of the top fantasy books I've read. I stayed up until 1:30 AM three nights in a row. I couldn't put it down.

Wizardborn is not just a repeat of the cool fantasy adventure in the other two books. Farland keeps revealing more and more layers to the characters, plot, fascinating creatures, and the magic. The plot takes a wild turn in this book. The reavers have become more than a just some evil horde--they've become real and complex. It almost reminds me of what Orson Card did in his Speaker for the Dead for the piggies. Farland also added more humor in this one and more heft, mixing in powerful issues with all the adventure.

Wizardborn was a wonderful read. I highly recommend it.

Farland has written the best book of the series. In Wizardborn, it seems that he focuses on character development. Farland gives us insight into each of his characters. He makes them more multi-dimensional, making them more human. For example, we see Raj Ahten care for his people and risk his life for them. We are even brought to better understand the Reaver population and their motivation in attacking humanity.

Farland gives us a rich vision of his world. From the Courts of Tides to Kartish, Farland paints a picture of a wide variety of landscapes. We need this to understand the effects of the Reavers Rune of Desolation. It is painful to watch this world die.

The book spans a very short time period. Because of this, Farland can focus on plot development and development of secondary characters. We have hints of future subplots, with an opening to the underworld and a new character Waggit , an idiot who is a hero. And of course, Farland created a new Raj Ahten in the fire weaver Scathian

Wizardborn is the third book in the Runelords series by David Farland, and on the whole I think below par. Farland made an excellent start with the first book in the series, basing it on an original idea and excellent characters. Wizardborn continues the adventures of Gaborn and friends as they have to fight the triple threat of the Reavers, Lord Anders who is devoted to air, and Raj Ahten.
The weaknesses of the book stem in part from the format; there are so many characters in that epic that even a lengthy book is not enough to cover them all; add to that that the focus, shifting as it is between so many of them, does not make things easier. It would have helped if Farland had confined the story to two or three main characters, instead of fragmenting it all over the place, but of course he is trying to emulate Jordan or Martin with his multiple plots. Sorry, but he is simply not talented enough to get away with that washing down of the story.
Another thing is that the series seems to be heading towards a confrontation-or a collaboration- of the elements with Myrrima standing for water, Binnesman and Averan for earth, Anders for air and Ahten for fire. Aside from being a staple of fantasy by now, this made the end, on the whole, fairly predictable.
Also, it is frustrating that the whole book seems to be less of a complete story than a juxtaposition of episodes furthering the plot. At some points in the narrative you really do get the feeling that you are in the middle of a serial, which is annoying enough on TV, but unbearable with books. I am aware that this is a common enough procedure in fantasy, and that many authors use this, but unfortunately for Farland you are not caught up enough in his story not to notice that.

I didn't have the reaction a few of the other reviewers here had. This was not plain awful, and there were occasional moments that held my interest. But David Farland is falling into the rut of continuing a story that could have been finished as a trilogy, or even really in a single book, and dragging it out to make it better for his own bottom line. THere are fewer pages, or so it seems, perhaps it's merely thinner paper, but over all this book is disappointing, both in its appearance and its content. The character of Gaborn is not interesting enough to put through the same permutations that Terry Goodkind is putting Richard Cypher [oh no! He's lost his magic!} and Farland is not a good enough writer to sustain interest in the world cobbled together from other writers' oeuvres.

Read this if you must, if you can find a library that carries it.

Farland continues the tone and feel of the first two books in this one. While it doesn't have the structure of a build up to a massive battle at the end that the first two books had, the pace remains swift and the characters continue to grow. I had but a few concerns, all pretty minor.

First, the author must have a thing against horses. Throughout this series more horses have been killed in more gruesome ways than I can remember. Sure, they're going to get killed in battle, but he makes a point to detail the slaughter of almost all of them.

It seems awfully easy for the characters to get endowments when they want them. The characters decide that they need an endowment of stamina and in the next chapter, they have it and they're riding off somewhere. It seems to me it should be a much bigger deal to get an endowment, especially when you are pretty much a nobody like some of the characters are.

The characters travel across massive distances in no time. Even on force horses, it seemed like it should have taken much longer for the characters to get around. They go back and forth across entire countries in less than a day. Of course, with all of this travelling, their horses are going to get tired and probably die in some horrible way.

Farland is starting to lose track of a few threads. The Days and Borenson's search for a historical hero are still pushed to the back. They seemed to be big points in the first book, but not much has happened with them. I hope he ties them together in the last book.

It's difficult to look cool when you're walking around with a book with a goofy looking giant on the cover. Whenever I set the book down, I set it face down so I wouldn't get questions.

Ultimately, I recommend it, especially if you've already read the first two books. You really don't have anything to lose at this point.

The latest book in this series was written in too many short chapters, making the action very choppy. In the first book, the chapters were longer, contained several scenarios, but the continuity was better. Farland seems to try to hold our attention by giving us shorter areas to focus on, but in my opinion, this "tv" approach doesn't work. The book was informative and enjoyable; I wonder when the next one will be ready to read.

This book has many things to recommend it. You learn more about reaver culture and even a little sympathy for them and especially for those who don't lead. Averan becomes a major character, as does Myrrima. Actually some of the best writing in the book is the few lines of text that start each chapter as proverbs usually. You can see how powerful this form of writing is.

The fact that I am still reading these books is a recommendation in itself. The whole ideal of runelords is completely morally disgusting to me and I suppose to most readers. The book itself is not disgusting, no dwelling on blood or gore at all, and it is in fact quite philosophical. But the world is morally repellant to the nth degree, the ideal of runelords. In the first two books, Farland had the characters deal with the moral implications and justifications of the whole endowment process, he does that less here at least explicitly, leaving the reader to try and come to grips with what is going on themselves. It is not an easy thing to do, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.