The Runelords - The Sum Of All Men (Hardcover)

by David Farland (Author) "Effigies of the Earth King festooned the city around Castle Sylvarresta..." (more)
Key Phrases: frowth giants, forty thousand forcibles, reaver mage, Raj Ahten, King Orden, Wolf Lord (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The Runelords is that rare book that will remind you why you started reading fantasy in the first place. Much of the setting--and even some of the story--is conventional fantasy fare, but David Farland, aside from being a masterful storyteller, has built his world around a complex and thought-provoking social system involving the exchange of "endowments." Attributes such as stamina, grace, and wit are a currency: a vassal may help his lord by endowing him with all of his strength, for instance, and in turn the vassal comes under the lord's care as his "dedicate," too weak to even walk. A Runelord might have hundreds of such endowments, giving him superhuman senses and abilities, but he then must care for the hundreds that he has deprived of strength, or beauty, or sight.

Runelords excels because this novel idea is not mere window dressing--Farland uses it to explore fundamental questions of life and morality. The story's hero, the young Runelord Gaborn, struggles to define his role in this "shameful economy" while keeping his commitments to himself, to his people, to the woman he loves, and to the earth itself. We end up asking ourselves the same questions: Should you choose your friends based on insight or virtue? Is it better to be just or good? Competent fantasy lets you escape to adventure in faraway lands, but exceptional fantasy makes sure you have something to think about when you get back. Runelords accomplishes the latter. --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly
The intriguing hook behind Farland's first novel?and launch of a new fantasy series?is a complex magical technology whereby abilities such as wit, brawn and stamina are transferable from person to person. Most royalty and high-level soldiers take or pay for some endowments, often from those in lower strata of society, but the Wolf Lord Raj Ahten intends to add, by whatever means necessary, whole kingdoms'-full of abilities to himself, becoming the Sum of All Men. His opponent, Runelord and prince Gaborn Val Orden, matures during the novel, falling in love with Princess Iome Sylvarresta, whose kingdom is overrun by Raj Ahten. Aided by the herbalist and wizard Binnesman, Gaborn makes a mysterious vow, becoming the Erden Geboren, or Earthborn, heir to a different magic. An apocalypse may be approaching, in which Gaborn's elemental kingship provides the only hope. The magic is basic to Farland's story, not just painted on, and it and the society in which it plays out are rigorously and imaginatively elaborated. The author's characters, however, are less vivid and original. And with Raj Ahten triumphant for most of the book, and with such grim sources of even the heroes' power, readers looking for uplifting entertainment, or even for particularly convincing fantasy, may be disappointed with Farland's first novel, despite its many fine qualities.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 479 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312866534
• ISBN-13: 978-0312866532
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (176 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #593,265 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Runelords Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An epic and satisfying read, February 12, 2000

By	Niclas Kockum (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sum of All Men (The Runelords, Book One:) (Mass Market Paperback)

Having read most of the reviews of this book I feel I have to make my own comment. No this is not a new Tolkien and one here compared it to junk food, which in a way is true if you do see Tolkien as a gourmet meal. But I have to say after reading this through that I became involved in this book, because it had a fast moving and somewhat complex plot, some spectacular scenarios but foremost it was epic. I love epic books such as A Song of Ice and Fire and Magician by Raymond E. Feist because they are larger than life, through them you can get lost in something out of this world. This book delivers on that part and it is an involving fantasy world and his magic system is thought through and there are enormous battles and tragic fates for many characters. One of the things that I was intrigued most by in this book is how everyone is not just made demigods without losing anything but how they truly do suffer and lose people, friends and family. There is one truly heartbreaking scene where a soldier, one of the good guys, has to kill a small, innocent and mute eight year old girl because she is his enemy's servant. Farland really makes us feel how a part of this soldier's soul dies with him when he has to do this monstrous deed. The thing that I think most people don't like with the Runelords is its simplistic writing, because it is simple in many ways, it only covers in detail the important and epic events, not how the leaves in the green forest look, which might be a turn off for some who like Tolkien writing but not for others who want the book to progress into the important, "cool" stuff. Comparing this to junk food is in a way the right thing to do, it tastes good and its not healthy getting too much of it, because you won't have much of a life to go back to and you'll keep on coming back for more. I recommend it to those who may want more quantity in fantasy and yet do want that bit of quality. This is not a book for nitpicking, no fantasy books ever hold when you start nitpicking, just enjoy it.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the BEST of the current crop of Epic Fantasy series., June 15, 2000

By	A. Lee (L.A., CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Sum of All Men (The Runelords, Book One:) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've been reading fantasy for decades, so it takes something a bit more intriguing and innovative to catch my attention. The magic system, integral to the plot and motivations and theme, manages to put this book above the ordinary. The cost of using these Runes is immediate and devistatingly obvious. It highlights what is implied in other books, that there is a cost to magic, or power of any kind; whether it's the power a leader has over his men, or the power man has over nature. This adds immensely to the meaning of all the action. --And the action is great. The story is fast-paced and the author doesn't play about with the reader, providing many confrontations between the protagonist and antagonist, and lively scenes with the supporting characters. The writing is self-assured and straight-forward, the characters are a little nebulous but show great promise of growth, the world seems vast and fascinating with well-developed and intriguing cultures. I will eagerly look forward to reading more in this series.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting concept, not so well developed, June 7, 2000

By	David Rasquinha (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Sum of All Men (The Runelords, Book One:) (Mass Market Paperback)

As in chess, so too in fantasy, a new idea is a welcome development. Farland's series is a good change from the standard creator vs. evil one genre of Tolkien, Jordan et al. The idea of a feudal economy where wealth is not just material but in the form of endowments of human attributes, with the beneficiary lord then having to care for the drained donors is intriguing indeed and Farland deserves full credit for his innovation. The magic of the elements too is well brought in. However, I always get a bit wary when authors try and push a personal philosophy too strongly, instead of letting it flow with their story and Farland comes perilously close to doing this. I hope it does not go the way of Dune where Herbert's philosophical meanderings ultimately crowded out the story itself (yes, I do know Dune is science fiction and not fantasy). My other crib is that Farland falls prey to a prevailing laziness among fantasy writers and does not explain the context of his world. No doubt, it is all clear in his mind. But as a reader, I have questions. What are the toth and duskins which vanished from the earth and whose loss carries lessons for Gaborn? Why should the earth be so concerned about humans vis-à-vis the reavers on objective principles? What exactly (description, habits) are reavers and hujmoth and glories? The book has no coherent answer and this detracts from the quality. Nor are the maps of much use either, being too sparse on details. The impact of Raj Ahten's attack on Sylvarresta and the retreat across Mystarria are lost without a proper map for the reader to follow. That said, the characters are interesting and multi-dimensional and the story moves well. A promising debut for Farland and worth a try by any fantasy fans.