Mismatched Bookends: THE QUOTE, THE REVIEW, THE LIST for February 5, 2014

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

THE QUOTE, THE REVIEW, THE LIST for February 5, 2014

A BOOKISH QUOTE

My advice is this. For Christ's sake, don't write a book that is suitable for a kid of 12 years old, because the kids who read who are 12 years old are reading books for adults. I read all of the James Bond books when I was about 11, which was approximately the right time to read James Bond books.
-Terry Pratchett

THE REVIEW

THE DREAMTUNNEL SEQUENCE
by Mark E. Lacy

KIRKUS REVIEW

Two warriors unexpectedly touched by sorcery go on separate quests in an attempt to defeat a great evil.

The resari, trained to read the Weave that makes up the past, present and future, have been reduced to just four members. They have determined that a terrible threat lies ahead. A sorcerer named Raethir Del is looking for the Gauntlets, magical gloves that can make him the most powerful person in the world. Then Del tricks a resari named Benshaer into revealing the location of the Gauntlets, which belong to Enkinor, a lake tribesman who doesn’t even know they’re enchanted. Del stages an attack on the tribe that results in horrible carnage, but Enkinor confronts the sorcerer and nearly kills him. Realizing at last that the Gauntlets are special, Enkinor remembers the words of his grandfather—to seek out the resari for answers: “That’s what Grandfather told me to do if I ever needed help.” Meanwhile, Enkinor’s friend Visylon receives a vision telling him to find Enkinor and help him with his quest. But before the two can meet, Del places a curse on Enkinor, trapping him in the Dreamtunnel to be tormented by nightmares. Visylon, the resari and their ally Longhorn race to find Enkinor and help him escape the Dreamtunnel before Del can find a way to kill the tribesman and take the Gauntlets for himself. Lacy’s debut novel is action-packed but slow to develop its characters, which at first makes it difficult to care what happens to them. Del in particular is a typical villain with no redeeming qualities. However, as the story develops, the heroes begin to flesh out and become more realistic. The final battle between good and evil is somewhat poetic, and the conclusion brings the tale to a fairly satisfying resolution.

Solid writing and a twisting plot make for a decent high-fantasy debut.