Title: Gauntlet Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil
Author: Richard C. White
Publisher: ibooks
Pages: 398
I found this book at Barnes and Noble. I chose it because it was marked half off and the cover art was very interesting.
This book takes place in a fantasy world that is sent in a Dark Ages like time period. The story focuses on four heroes, a wizard, an archer, a warrior and a valkyrie. Their goal is to protect the world from the demonic powers that are raging war on the land. The heroes Morgan, Layla, Kore and Orlando have to travel to distant lands to destroy the demon generals that are reaking havoc on Viridus. In their first adventure they travel into the woods to stop the demon Yfel who is corrupting the inhabtants of the forest and turning them into slaves. When they find Yfel they chase him into a cave and pursue him to a dead end at the tunnel. At first it appears as if Yfel will win, but Kore is able to stun him with her stronger bow and Morgan throws a potion onto the spider demon that seers off his flesh and kills him. The heroes return home to find that their kingdom has lost contact with the neighboring province of Themis. The warriors journey to Themis to find that most of the citizens have become undead zombies and are trying to kill the townspeople who are uninfected, and when they reach the castle they find that the king and the royal family have been killed and a lich demon Ashiroth has taken control. The hell spawn appears that he will be able to kill the warriors, but Morgan and Kore go into a magically induced state and gain a form of super strength and kill Ashiroth. The tale ends with the warriors returning to the kingdom and realizing that their adventure is far from over.
This book is intended for a somewhat younger audience, such as Lord Of The Rings, due to the fantasy setting and the large level of detail.
The author’s writing style is very descriptive. He uses many adjectives to create a setting that immerses you in what is occurring. It helps complement his over the top fantasy style he is trying to create. “Confused, the lich backed up only to find its path blocked by a bird headed creature floating above the rooftop, flapping gossamer gray wings. The sword in its hand glowed a slight blue as the elven runes on it became visible (386).”
“Driven by necromancy, these attackers would not stop until they were destroyed or achieved their goal of destroying the chapel and those within (232).” This passage greatly characterizes the foes that the warriors encounter throughout the book. It greatly displays their determination to destroy the land. It is a dramatic passage, as it symbolizes how strong the protagonists must fight to overcome such a strong foe.
“Besides I need you well rested. There’s much more to be done before this nightmare is over. (204).” This passage displays the large scale conflict the humans are involved in. It acts a symbolic message to emphasize the scale of the conflict. The passage also indicates the opportunity for a sequel.
“The storm scourged everything in its wake, driving the rain against the manor’s outer walls. The darkness and misery were all encompassing for the dew guards who had to man their post out in this torrent and they were the lucky ones. (397).” This passage is a symbolic message for the devastation on the world. It shows how even though many people have been saved, there is still much more to do if the warriors want to save Viridus.
I found this book to be one of the most encompassing and involving adventure books I have read so far. The team dynamic used by the four warriors was very different from a usual story that utilizes a single protagonist. It was somewhat surprising how the author was able to develop all four characters within a single book. The lucrative descriptions were somewhat overwhelming at times, as they would slow down the story at points where you wanted to keep moving. This book makes a strong impact in the realm of adventure books, it showed how in order to accomplish a large task you need a group of people with individual skill, not a single hero that can do everything. Overall, this book took an interesting turn with the old adventure/fantasy story formula.
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I can tell you right now i would NOT read this book. I dont like anything that has to do with the dark ages. I like girly romatic books for the most part. Its cool Jeff liked this book. It seems like there is a lot of struggles in the book.
ReplyDelete-Rachel Vas
This book appears to have a lot of adventourous characters and actions-packed scenes. The book seems very interesting but seems to be too long and complicated for me. The description the author uses makes the book seem very hard to understand. You did a great job showing your interaction with the book.
ReplyDelete-Kyle Grumoli
I would not read this book. I don't think it fits me. I like more romance books or really scary books. I think that he did a good job though with all the different passages. It looks like a really good book for people that like books like that.
ReplyDeleteAshley McAdaragh
Brielle Premont- This book sounds intresting. I wouldn't normally pick out something like this to read but it seems cool. I liked your quotes. I'm sure it must of been exciting to find out that their kingdom was saved.
ReplyDeleteThis book seems interesting. There seems like there is a lot of action going on throughout the book. I like books like that because I hate reading through a lot of pages of descriptions. I like the third quote. It gives a good picture of what is going on.
ReplyDeleteI think Jeff really did a good job in promoting this book. It sounds really interesting how it takes a different angle on the regular adventure,middle aged novels that we read so much. It reminds me a lot of Lord of the Rings. it takes a group of people and sets them against one large scaled conflict. It is unfortunate that the author got too descriptive at points of interest. it is always a bummer when you are reading a fat paced action scene and the whole set is killed by too lengthy of a description. All in all this book sounds interesting and strikes me as a very appealing read.
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