Another swords and sorcery novel, but a cut above most others... From the blurb (which I read only after I read the novel) I discovered that TALION--REVENANT is Stackpoles very first published work. Wow! I can hardly wait to see what the man comes up with once he has mastered his writing craft if this is his first effort. I give him an A plus for TALION!
From back cover: Justices--the select of the Talion, endowed with fearsom magick and lethal martial skills--roam the Shattered Empire, crushing the lawless and championing the oppressed. Their word is law and their judgment binding on highborn and low.
Nolan is a Justice born in what once was the free nation of Sinjaria. Orphaned in the war of conquest with the nation of Hamis, he traveled to far Talianna and secured the right to become a Justice. Now, years later, the Master of all Talions has a dangerous assignment for Nolan: he is to guard the life of the king who destroyed Sinjaria and slaughtered his family. Alone, Nolan ventures into the political maelstrom that is the court of Hamis to stop an assassin even his Masters think cannot be slain.
From back cover: Justices--the select of the Talion, endowed with fearsom magick and lethal martial skills--roam the Shattered Empire, crushing the lawless and championing the oppressed. Their word is law and their judgment binding on highborn and low.
Nolan is a Justice born in what once was the free nation of Sinjaria. Orphaned in the war of conquest with the nation of Hamis, he traveled to far Talianna and secured the right to become a Justice. Now, years later, the Master of all Talions has a dangerous assignment for Nolan: he is to guard the life of the king who destroyed Sinjaria and slaughtered his family. Alone, Nolan ventures into the political maelstrom that is the court of Hamis to stop an assassin even his Masters think cannot be slain.
This book follows Nolan in his work as a Justice Talion; a warrior who is also a source of Justice and sometimes fear. It flips back and forth between what happened then and what happened now and sometimes that can be annoying, but as it unfolds, you begin seeing the whole picture. I keep looking for a sequel because the end of the book definitely leaves all sorts of hints that a sequel COULD happen.
I offered this as a bookclub choice and even people who said they disliked fantasy genre books enjoyed this one.
I offered this as a bookclub choice and even people who said they disliked fantasy genre books enjoyed this one.
