MONSTERS BREED LEGENDS... AND LEGENDS BREED MONSTERS. THIS IS THE WAY OF THINGS. THIS IS THE WAY OF THE RANGER.
Turned from the path of the assassin, Asher roams the world no better than a nomad, with naught to offer but his sword and grit. But woe betide the monster that believes his sword and grit will not be enough…
In a twisted chance of fate, the brash actions of Doran Heavybelly — a dwarven hunter with a lot to say — forces Asher back into the world of man. And so the ranger is brought into the light, into the gaze of Illian’s greatest crime guilds and onto the lawless island of Dragorn.
A deal must be made, and with a creature far worse than any of the fiends Asher has put to his sword. To save those who cannot save themselves, the ranger must choose between his life and theirs. Should he make such a deal, 'tis not his life that would be forfeit but the man he has worked so hard to become.
In the end, it will all come down to blood and coin…
In this second installment of The Ranger Archives, we find Asher after some time has passed since we last saw him. He spends his days hunting monsters, collecting coin for it and moving from place to place, all in an attempt to stay ahead of himself. You see, Asher is a man that's torn. Torn by visions of who he wants to be and what he's afraid he truly is. It's this dichotomy that drives this story. Can he truly find peace as a ranger or is he destined to always be nothing more than an assassin?
The book is fill with great action sequences and wonderful interplay between the characters. And speaking of characters, in this book we are introduced to Doran Heavybelly, who is one of my favorite characters and certainly my favorite dwarf of this series. Doran brings some antagonism, along with a voice of reason at times, while also bringing some much needed comic relief.
The main villain is a truly despicable character. Without going into detail, he is at the crux of Asher's journey of self discovery in this book. Mr. Quaintrell has created a character that's loathsome and fun to root against.
All in all, this is a great follow up to Court of Assassins that introduces us to some people that come into play in The Echoes Saga as well as these books. And, of course, watching Asher's growth as he struggles to define who he is at his core is always engrossing!
Next up, the final book in The Ranger Archives, A Dance of Fang and Claw. And, as always, please make sure to like this post and follow my blog if you haven't already. I'd greatly appreciate it! Until next time, my friends!
Kent
No comments:
Post a Comment