 |
Following the events of Exiled, Jack is living with the Claws. Now a respected warrior of the tribe and married to the chief’s daughter Anjolina, he has a place of power and admiration but cannot stop the yearning of his soul to travel north and return to the Kingdom to be reunited with Princess Linnie and his mother Anna. Having recovered an ancient map that shows the path he can take to return to his homeland, Jack sets out alone, breaking Anjie’s heart in the process. Jack discovers that the compulsion he felt to go north has led him to a cave in a mountain with only a dead body and a sword. Touching the sword, he blacks out from pain only to be greeted by the gods of the land, bequeathing the God Stone Sword to him if he will agree to be tested and found worthy.
Jack’s story has all the makings of a classic epic: a young man torn between what he has earned and what he feels he deserves, favor from the gods, legendary battles, and a full hero’s journey home. In this second installment, the author clearly delivers on a vision for these books. This is not merely a bridge between the introduction and the resolution but instead offers its own fascinating adventure on the road to Jack’s ascendancy. Filled to the brim with swords, sorcery, warriors, man-beasts, legends, and lore, this is a story that any lover of the fantasy medium will take immense joy in reading. Turning up the intensity until the climax, Jack’s quest is one that hooks the reader early, and every time it shows signs of resolving, it reveals the next great adventure right around the corner.