The Sum of All Men (The Runelords, Book One:): Farland, David: 9780812541625: Amazon.com: Books

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The Sum of All Men (The Runelords, Book One:) Mass Market Paperback – April 15, 1999

by David Farland (Author)

470 ratings

Book 1 of 8: Runelords

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The first book of the saga of The Runelords

Young Prince Gaborn Val Orden of Mystarria is traveling in disguise on a journey to ask for the hand of the lovely Princess Iome of Sylvarresta. Armed with his gifts of strength and perception, Prince Gaborn and his warrior bodyguard stop in a local tavern along the way. Immediately, they spot a pair of assassins who have their sights set on Princess Iome's father. As the prince and his bodyguard race to warn the king of this impending danger, they realize that more than the royal family is at risk, the very fate of the Earth is in jeopardy.

Book 1 of 8

Runelords
Print length

624 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Tor Fantasy
Publication date

April 15, 1999
Dimensions

4.2 x 1.33 x 6.79 inches
ISBN-10

0812541626
ISBN-13

978-0812541625
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A developer of properties for the gaming industry and a science fiction author (Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia) under his real name, Dave Wolverton, Farland once again proves himself a wizard at storytelling in this third installment of his epic fantasy series, The Runelords. Against a medieval-like diorama, Farland has established a social system around the magical exchange of "endowments" from vassals to lords. A Runelord might have thousands of endowments, acquiring attributes (vision, strength, stamina, beauty, grace, wit) from willing donors, who become weakened Dedicates, crippled by the loss yet a Runelord must care for those who make his superhuman abilities possible. The Runelords: The Sum of All Men (1998) introduced Mystarrian prince Gaborn Val Orden, a Runelord who battled the powerfully endowed, near-invincible Wolf Lord Raj Ahten. With Gaborn newly crowned Earth King, defeated archvillain Ahten renewed his attacks in Brotherhood of the Wolf (2000). Now Ahten, Gaborn and Gaborn's wife, Iome, return to face the Reavers, huge monsters with "crystalline teeth like scythes" that pose a grim threat to Ahten's empire. In his role as "mankind's protector," Gaborn, despite dwindling powers, senses the impending doom of an all-out Reaver war, and Averan, a wizardborn girl with magical insights into Reaver consciousness, aids his hunt for the creature hordes. This latest is certain to summon past readers of the series back to bookstores.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The world of fantasy has a new king. David Farland is already one of the best fantasy writers there has ever been!"--John Jarrold

"Farland gets a prospective series off to a dynamic start with a compelling, action-packed story set in an intricate created world in which magical powers are unusual and convincing."-Booklist

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Fantasy (April 15, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0812541626
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0812541625
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.2 x 1.33 x 6.79 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #940,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11,273 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
- #21,090 in Epic Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
470 ratings

About the author

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David Farland

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David Farland is an award-winning, international best-selling author with over 60 novels in print. He has won the Phillip K. Dick Memorial Special Award for "Best Novel in the English Language", the Whitney award for "Best Novel of the Year" and the Hollywood Book Festival, Grand Prize. He is best known, however, for his New York Times best-selling fantasy series The Runelords, which will soon be made into a graphic novel and, likely, a movie.

Farland has written for major franchises such as Star Wars and The Mummy. In the video game industry, he has been both a designer and scripter and was a leader on the design team for StarCraft: Brood War.

As a writing instructor, Farland has mentored dozens who have gone on to staggering literary success, including such #1 New York Times Bestsellers as Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time), James Dashner (The Maze Runner) and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight)

Farland judges L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future, perhaps the largest worldwide writing competition for new fantasy and science fiction authors. He has worked in Hollywood greenlighting movies and doctoring scripts. He set the Guinness World Record for the largest single-author, single-book signing.

David Farland has been hailed as "The Wizard of Storytelling" and his work has been called "compelling", "engrossing", "powerful", "profound" and "ultimately life-changing".

"I still use the writing techniques he discussed, and constantly reference him and his instruction when I teach creative writing myself. . . His explanations led me directly to getting an agent, and subsequently, my first book deal."

Brandon Sanderson,

#1 Bestselling Author of Way of Kings

"He understands storytelling and writing on a freaky level. All of us feel like we owe a huge debt to him."

James Dashner,

#1 Bestselling Author of The Maze Runner

"Aside from being a talented writer, David Farland is an excellent writing teacher. Hearing him teach live and reading his written advice has helped me focus many of my own thoughts about the writing process. Those who would like to learn more about the craft of writing would be wise to pay attention."

Brandon Mull,

New York Times Bestselling Author of Fablehaven

Learn more at: https://mystorydoctor.com/

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

470 global ratings

5 star		66%
4 star		21%
3 star		7%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Revisiting a Classic and it Did Not Disappoint

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2023

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I remember reading this series 20 years ago (or more). The writing, character development, and rich background were perfect. Lots of action, well told. A PG game of thrones type series well before anyone heard that term. A lengthy, engrossing read that captivated me for weeks and I did not want it to end. Easily worth the price. A premium reading experience that's stands head and shoulders above the best free offerings on my unlimited subscription. On to the next book in the series.

How did I miss Farland and his fantasy for so many years?

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2014

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As I said in my review of On My Way to Paradise, I don't know how I missed Dave Wolverton back in the late 1990s, but I'm sure it had something to do with starting college, doing more homework and reading fewer novels, and, probably, girls.

Whatever it was that distracted me at the time, I've found Wolverton, or Dave Farland as he goes by for his fantasy novels (and which name I'll use from here on out since this is a fantasy novel), and I feel like I've discovered some kind of not-so-hidden local restaurant that, for whatever reason, no one ever told me had amazing sandwiches. And everyday, right about the same time, I can't help but want to trek back over to try a new sandwich.

Farland is just like that. I read On My Way to Paradise, and loved it, but I couldn't help but ask: was it a one-hit wonder? Since it had been a while since I'd read any epic fantasy, I decided to pick up The Sum of All Men. I finished the late-Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series back in January, and I hadn't touched the genre since. Books in epic fantasy tend to be door stoppers, and it takes some commitment to pick up a new series (just ask George R.R. Martin fans who have endure not only long periods of time between installments in his Song of Fire and Ice series, but the very real possibility that the good guys just won't win in the end...or even in the middle, for that matter. But I digress). After putting it off to finish one thing and another, I finally dug in, started reading, and soon found myself lost between the pages.

A lot of reviewers and readers will note that The Sum of All Men breaks new ground, manages to come up with a magic system that is fresh and original, and it's true. However, this isn't what I liked so much about The Sum of All Men, though it's clearly a clever system of magic. On the contrary, for me the magic system, something of a "shameful economy," as I think one of the characters calls it, creates conflicts and conundrums for Farland's protagonists while empowering their enemies. No, it isn't the magic that I find so interesting, though clever it may be, nor the fantastical creatures, bloody battles, or imaginative world. It's all very fascinating and contributory to a great tale, but clever ideas are a dime a dozen in fantasy.

Rather, what I like is Farland's writing and the way his characters resonate with me. Because although set in a land that has more in common with medieval Europe and crusade era Arabia, the characters face quandaries and decisions and complex relationships that are human and natural and believable. They act like real people, not pawns of a writer's pen, and whether it is the power of the story, the deft and gentle use of symbolism, or the interweaving of myth, Joseph Campbell-style, by the time I had finished The Sum of All Men I felt as much for the characters as I might for people I really know.

I even sympathized with the apparent villain. Yes, he was "the bad guy," but it wasn't so black and white why he was the villain. Not unlike On My Way to Paradise, it was in the grey and difficult to see decisions that made the characters live on the page.

Ok, I know. It's silly to care about the fictional, ink on paper people that fill a novel. And there are a lot of good books out there that can make readers feel, so to speak. But what is good reading but a way to understand and see through the eyes of another for a while? It doesn't matter whether it's on a ship hurtling through space between the planets, a farmer trying to eek out a subsistence on a Depression era farm, or a bevy of sisters trying to catch the eye of the newly wealthy, and very handsome, Mr. Darcy: when a book can make you feel, believe in the imaginary characters, it's worth the time and it's worth finding more of it.

Farland is, for me, a newly discovered secret, and I can't wait to share the secret with others, not to mention read more. I've got his Nightingale, one of his more recent books, waiting next to the bed, and I've just put in an order from Amazon for Brotherhood of the Wolf, and I can't wait to start both.

If Michael Bay Wrote Fantasy Novels (Spoiler Free Review)

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2009

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This is an epic quest in a creative world, but if you pay attention to the details, you'll start finding errors all over the place. If you never get tired of Dark Lords and you absolutely have to read another series with one, this will do.

Story:
A Dark Lord tries to unite the kingdoms through violence in order to defend its border against a rival nation. The story begins with the Earth King Festival in Sylvarresta. By now, everyone knows that you just can't have a festival with a Dark Lord around. It always gets ruined. After an assassin is discovered, the Dark Lord's plot begins to unfold and the people must take ACTION!

Characters:
The characters are a mixed bag. They all do their part. For some, their motivations are clear, but others just seem to fill in the blanks. Most of the characters don't have any emotions and when they do, they change from one extreme to the other. One character actually goes from deranged and suicidal to jovial in 10 seconds because another character performed an impression of an eccentric Marquis. I know what you're thinking, "That must have been some impression..." but it wasn't even that good. It's really hard to get motivated to root for the characters because none of them act like real people. Not even those lunatics on reality shows.
You can overlook this if you just want epic fantasy ACTION!

World:
The World itself is a medieval realm with castles, horses, knights, creatures, and wizards. The book features an interesting magic system where Runelords can steal the attributes of others through a ritual. If they take one's strength, they are twice as strong, and the donor is nearly bedridden. They can take speed, metabolism, beauty, stamina, voice, sight, hearing... etc... If the donor is killed, the Runelord loses that bonus. If the Runelord is killed, the donor gets their abilities back. As the book goes on, the rules get a bit more interesting and complex. The magic system is original and fun. The creatures of `Runelords' are refreshingly unique. (No Orcs) Overall, the world is creative, but it doesn't really come to life because the writing style is so simplistic.
Which is good because you don't have to think too hard if you want ACTION!

Writing Style:
The style is very simple and lacks the poetic depth of a Tolkien or a Jordan. If you just want simple descriptions instead of paragraphs of densely verbose details so you can get to the action, then this works in your favor. The Pacing is a bit off, but for the most part, it's not bad. The descriptions are also somewhat anachronistic. One magically aided character "runs 140 miles per hour" and they attacked the casle at "10 O' clock." Yet nobody has a radar gun, or a watch... However, this is very easy to visualize and that may work in your favor because you don't have to decipher alien calendars, standards of measurements, or units of time. You won't have to read too much to get to the ACTION!

Action:
There are some exciting action scenes and some creative battle tactics. However, many of the resolutions to the battles are sudden and pointless. If you think too hard, the ACTION gets ruined.
Don't think too hard.

Details:
The Book takes place over 5 days, which completely ludicrous. Characters walk hundreds of miles and fight in battles. Everyone falls madly in love with people that they just met. Most of the action is pointless. There are inconsistencies with powers. The more you think about this book, the more you're going to get a headache... So don't think too hard.

Maturity:
There's violence and some love making, but it's not excessive. This book would be ok for teens.

Overall:
This is an average book. If you really want a simple Dark Lord Story with Epic Action and can overlook a lot of errors, then you can enjoy this! It's easy to read and there are some good scenes.

If dangling prepositions, anachronistic descriptions, characters who are all over the place emotionally, and pointless events bother you, then you should skip this book altogether.

Personally, I think the only thing that I'm going to remember about this book three weeks from now is the magic system and some of the ACTION!

9 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2022

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As it stands this story has alot of potential. I do feel like the characters need some developement. I feel like i am just expected to connect with characters in this story but am left just not really caring about them. I really enjoy the concept but not so much the delivery. Worth a read and i will read the next in the series.

Amazon Customer

Great fantasy without the filler!

Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2022

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I really enjoyed how there was a clear world in place that naturally unfolded without overwhelming amounts of exposition which plague most fantasy. I'd reccomend this book to those seeking compelling adult action and a uniquely relatable magic system. I gave the book a 4 out of 5 because a few cliche additions that ort of detracted from the wealth of originality within.
R.I.P. to an outstanding writer.

Top reviews from other countries

Andy Angel

Interesting ideas

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

This series has been on my radar for many years but for some reason I never got round to starting it.................oh, you foolish, foolish person! Turns out I've been missing a real treat.

Although the story is fairly standard fantasy stuff there are two things that really stand out;

1) The magic system, whereby people can be empowered by taking enhancements from people - making the person recieving the the enhancement more powerful but leaving the donor a wreck. At times this can be quite horrific or saddenning, depending on the situation, whether the enhancement is taken by force or freely given and as a plot device it is really well used.

2) The description of the world. Right from the very first page this land jumps off the page. It feels real and alive. For me, this makes a story all the more enjoyable.

All in all, quality storytelling and characterisation, set in a believable land - It took me a while to start this series but I'm really glad I did.

4 people found this helpful

NJK

Mediocre

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2021

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Not the best writing in the world and needs some serious editing. Couldn't get past the first few chapters.

One person found this helpful

Ricky Dee

Still great!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2021

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I read this book as a teenager 20 years ago and thought I would revisit it to see why I enjoyed it so much. I have to say that it's still a fantastic read. It doesn't really slow down and keeps you turning pages, hungry for more. This should be picked up by Netflix immediately!

Mathew

Great even 2nd time round (& several years on!)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2018

Verified Purchase

A really great fundamental concept with a lot of great extra stuff thrown in there.

Been a few years since I first read it but the concept stayed with me. Great read second time round.

One person found this helpful

Philip

Very good story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

For this fantastic story I would give ten out ten if I could, I have been waiting for book nine to be released on kindle then I'm going read the hole eight again

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