Sons of the Oak

I tend to be reading several books at once at any given time. A new David Farland novel, however causes me to immediately drop what I am doing and read it exclusively. The Runelords series is packed with action and excitement as well as insightful retrospection. The actions and motives of the characters in Sons of the Oak gives me plenty of cause to examine my own actions and motives, fully immersing me mentally and emotionally into his world and thus making the book, and indeed the entire series to this point, intensely satisfying.

This is a great book! Finished it in just a few days and am awaiting the realease of the next book.

I bought this for my hubby since he loves the Runelord series. He read the whole book in a matter of days. He said he loved it and that he can't wait for the next one to come out (in Sept '07). He said if anyone enjoyed or read any other part of the series, they will like this book just as much.

His parents are dying and Fallion, son of the Earth King, is too young. Fallion may be too young, but the world, and indeed all worlds, need him. His earth has become a center and there is a chance that the one true world, a world that was shattered a million million years earlier, may be recreated. Whether it is recreated for good or evil remains to be seen--and Fallion will play a role. But first, he must survive. A former guard, now without any of the endowments which gave him his strength and speed, a water witch, and an aging assassin attempt to take Fallion and his younger brother beyond the end of the world, to a place where they can escape the might of enemies who seek to control him, seek to turn Fallion's power to their own use. The temptation is great. Even as a child, Fallion is powerful. He is a fire mage--the same type of talent that was the great enemy his father faced. And the fire is always there, always asking, always tempting, always giving the same answer--destruction. Fallion knows that, ultimately, he must make the same choice that his mentor made--to destroy the dedicates--those who give their strength, their life force, their wit, their sight, to his enemy or to lose. Neither choice can have any satisfaction. Defeat is unthinkable--but the murder of innocents is no way to bring about a new and better world. Author David Farland launches into the next generation in his creative RUNELORD series. Farland's RUNELORD universe is rich with its elemental mages (earth, water, fire, air), its runes of power, and especially the ability to transfer talents from one individual to another. The 'Force Warriors' who can move many times faster than ordinary humans create fascinating problems for Fallion to overcome--without sacrificing his ideals. Farland's strong writing, the fascinatingly complete world he draws, and the complex dilemmas his characters face make SONS OF THE OAK a fantasy worth reading. It isn't necessary to have read the earlier books in the series to get the full enjoyment from this one, although many characters and the rules of magic continue forward. I'm happy to recommend this fantasy novel.

When Shadoath in her persona of the One True Master tried to put all life under her control, the One True World shattered into a thousand thosand worlds each a pale reflection of the glory of the One True World. Also lost is the master rune, but on one of the worlds is where the runelords exists the knowledge will be regained and the worlds will join together into one. The torch-bearer, an immortal reborn as Fallion, the Earth King's son, doesn't know his true nature although his sire has some idea. When the Earth King dies, the country of Mystarria is attacked by its enemies. Fallion, his brother and some trusty allies escape and make their way to the docks to find a ship that will take them to Landsfallen which is what Fallion's father told them to do. Captain Stalker plans to ransom them to the pirate Shadoath but changes his mind when he comes to know and care for Fallion. However, a betrayal causes Fallion and his brother to be captured and only by using his latent powers of fire and have his allies discover where they are do they have a chance of escaping and going inland, giving Fallion a chance to grow into his powers. This is the fifth book of the Runelands with the action taking place eight years after the events of THE LAIR OF THE BONES. David Farland's latest work involves the next generation of warriors who must fight the forces of darkness in the form of locus, sentient parasites that attach themselves to people and control them, while bringing light into a world made better by the earth king. Fallion has the seeds of greatness within him but he must be wary of using his power in a dark manner otherwise he will be no better than the evil beings that want dominion over the world. SONS OF THE OAK is a great fantasy with complex and compelling characters. Harriet Klausner