The Grand Crusade

Wow...To some extent I am speechless, but I won't let that prevent me from typing this entry! :-) I just completed The Grand Crusade, the final book in the DragonCrown War Cycle. It was well, nay very well, worth the read and the time spent on it. My earlier fears related to the evil overlord list were assuaged. Timing is everything.

The volumes to contain many descrptions of battles, and here they often were not glamorized as much as they could be.

The scattered Aurolani infantry fell swiftly. It occured to her that bards might suggest they were ripe wheat before scythes, but that analogy was simply too pristine. Wheat stalks did not scream when an arm hung by a ligament. They did not bleed or whimper and they certainly couldn't leap at a warrior, drag him down, and bite his throat out. That would ever be the way of it, though--that bards would sanely describe the utter insantiy of war.

There were many battle scenes, but also intersperced were comments such as I reproduced above. It was a grand quest at times, but not without trial and heartache. This was no mere painless campaign against evil, it was more human than that and showed a truer understanding of suffering and sacrifice. However, I would offer one caution besides the violence. There were a few PG-13 scenes that could definately have been left out--but regretably they were not.

Ah, I cannot rave enough about these books. I have enjoyed other fantasies before, but so rarely have I enjoyed a series so much. I think the last such might be Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince and Dragon Star trilogies. It is rare to find authors that so truly understand politics and human nature that they can craft a truly believable story. Leaders do not merely band their armies together because they are "good" and they're fighting the forces of evil. In truth they may have to be bribed, "guilt-tripped," or forced to do what is right. Stackpole definately recognizes this and creates real characters that live, breath, fight, and die on the page but live on in fond memories.

Now I no longer have to look at my time at work as so interminable, keeping me from these books. However, I am taking Talion: Revenant to work with me today--it was Stackpole's first novel, though not published until after some of his first works were out. I'm looking forward to seeing how he handles a single volume work.

~Matt

PS Reading the reviews at Amazon is very interesting. I happen to believe that most of the top reviews under the book are dead wrong. They consistantly assign one, two, or perhaps three stars to the book. However, many of the things they complain about are what I love. Beware there are significant spoilers therein that I've avoided here in case any reading this want to read the books. But part of the reason I enjoyed these books so much was not only that Stackpole is a great writer but because he defies so many conventions. Because his books are different I think that many were disappointed and couldn't see the books for the excellence that they are. Well, at least that is my two cents, and I'm not changing 'em. :-)