scribejack's review against another edition
4.0
I read the first two books in this series about ten years ago. I wasn't overly impressed at the time and the rest of the series ended up on the eternal back burner. A decade later I've read far deeper into the genre and coming back to the series I have a new respect for Farland and the Runelords. Not only was I able to fall back into the world almost seamlessly despite my hiatus, but I really appreciate more what Farland has done with this series. It stands out against older and newer fantasy I've read and it is very well written and always exciting. I couldn't quite bring myself to give it 5 Stars because there were a few things that I personally couldn't take seriously, mainly the use (over use) of bungholes and walnuts, but with this book, the Runelords series has jumped from eternal back burner to must read ASAP. Very impressed!
kurt's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure if I'll be continuing with this series. Don't get me wrong, it's a good story, and great writing. It's just not my type of fantasy. Maybe I'll revisit it in a year or two, considering I own almost the entire series. We shall see.
trsclee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
readerreborn's review against another edition
4.0
I read the first two books in this series about ten years ago. I wasn't overly impressed at the time and the rest of the series ended up on the eternal back burner. A decade later I've read far deeper into the genre and coming back to the series I have a new respect for Farland and the Runelords. Not only was I able to fall back into the world almost seamlessly despite my hiatus, but I really appreciate more what Farland has done with this series. It stands out against older and newer fantasy I've read and it is very well written and always exciting. I couldn't quite bring myself to give it 5 Stars because there were a few things that I personally couldn't take seriously, mainly the use (over use) of bungholes and walnuts, but with this book, the Runelords series has jumped from eternal back burner to must read ASAP. Very impressed!
storyphoria's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
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This book IS enjoyable, though it feels a bit like an Empire Strikes Back moment in the larger storyline...Only Empire Strikes Back is arguably the BEST film of that trilogy whereas this book isn't the standout by any stretch.
There is some nice character development, a build in the scope and intensity of the threats faced by our hero's, and the very real race against time, but the book suffers SOME from a bit of a "Travel-Chase-Battle-Despair" rinse and repeat cycle feel that drags it down a little. Without spoiling anything, the impact of this book won't be felt until the end of the next book in the series, which doesn't help this book shine on its own, but this one is still fun and worth journeying through as part of the series.
Get subscribed to the Storyphoria podcast where you can hear my full thoughts, SPOILER FREE, on this and many others! Or subscribe to the newsletter if you prefer to read them!
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This book IS enjoyable, though it feels a bit like an Empire Strikes Back moment in the larger storyline...Only Empire Strikes Back is arguably the BEST film of that trilogy whereas this book isn't the standout by any stretch.
There is some nice character development, a build in the scope and intensity of the threats faced by our hero's, and the very real race against time, but the book suffers SOME from a bit of a "Travel-Chase-Battle-Despair" rinse and repeat cycle feel that drags it down a little. Without spoiling anything, the impact of this book won't be felt until the end of the next book in the series, which doesn't help this book shine on its own, but this one is still fun and worth journeying through as part of the series.
wokawoka's review against another edition
3.0
I'm on my 2nd reread of this series, and while I'm going to give this book 3 stars again, I feel it may be for a different reason than the first read. initially I gave 3 stars because I felt as if nothing really happened in this book until the very last chapter, however on my 2nd journey into "Wizardborn" I have become more sensitive to the character development that occurs for almost all of the characters of the novel. I've come to appreciate the art of weaving a story about why a character does something far more than I did nearly 10 years ago when I first read this book. This sensitivity is what causes my main issue with the book. The main character acts out of character. From the first two books, I'm lead to believe he is intelligent, yet shortsighted when it comes to the wants of the Earth. He was warned about this and continued down a path that lead to personal hardship.
For much of this book, we are allowed to see the inner most thoughts of this character, to see how he reflects on his past actions and the repercussions, yet he makes the same mistake again, seemingly without consequence. This caused me to question the initial action. Was it really a mistake, or simply a plot device to pull back on a seemingly overpowered character that would be able to solve the issues he will face in the future without a struggle.
Now, I understand that without a struggle, there isn't much of a story to tell, but if the struggles he faces happen for no reason, or don't need to happen do they really need to be in the book. I still care what happens. I still want to know the outcome. But I'm starting to dislike the main character, for his lack of growth. I don't want him to die, like it wanted Harry Potter to, but I find my wanting to yell at him more and more each chapter that I read.
For much of this book, we are allowed to see the inner most thoughts of this character, to see how he reflects on his past actions and the repercussions, yet he makes the same mistake again, seemingly without consequence. This caused me to question the initial action. Was it really a mistake, or simply a plot device to pull back on a seemingly overpowered character that would be able to solve the issues he will face in the future without a struggle.
Now, I understand that without a struggle, there isn't much of a story to tell, but if the struggles he faces happen for no reason, or don't need to happen do they really need to be in the book. I still care what happens. I still want to know the outcome. But I'm starting to dislike the main character, for his lack of growth. I don't want him to die, like it wanted Harry Potter to, but I find my wanting to yell at him more and more each chapter that I read.
vaderbird's review against another edition
3.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
kagedbooks's review against another edition
3.0
This book was alright but it was really just more of the same of the last two books. Some interesting things happen but those things could have just been spilt into the end of [b:Brotherhood of the Wolf|144112|Brotherhood of the Wolf (Runelords, #2)|David Farland|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312232130s/144112.jpg|1166994]and the beginning of [b:The Lair of Bones|144110|The Lair of Bones (Runelords, #4)|David Farland|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349031728s/144110.jpg|679146]. The rest of the story was like blah blah blah reavers kill, we kill reavers, chase them down, oh i'm a wizard (yeah we know it wasn't a surprise).
On a side note this series really picks up after this book, so don't give up on it.
On a side note this series really picks up after this book, so don't give up on it.
dmalmond's review against another edition
5.0
If it were not for the events of the last two weeks I probably would have ripped through this in a couple days. 2020 Pandemic aside, this was my favorite book in the series thus far. The pacing kept you reading, the character development was fun and intriguing and the stakes are getting higher and higher for humanity. I'm really looking forward to the fourth volume now.