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Wardragon by Paul Collins |
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The Jelindel Chronicles have finished with this, the fourth and final book in the series, bringing it to an interesting conclusion. The heroes, Daretor, Zimak and Jelindel, continue to struggle against some of their old foes, Fa’red and the Preceptor, as their world fights to maintain its belief in magic. It is a complex story and moves between a number of paraworlds and locales as the friends split up, re-unite, split up again, re-unite and so on. It becomes a bit confusing as Daretor and Zimak had their bodies switched in the last book and this adds to the overall humour in the storyline as they abuse each other for the manner in which their host bodies get treated.
Jelindel emerges as the true hero and this would be an interesting way into the series. While her two sidekicks are stereotyped as the honourable swordsman and the devious thief, she holds the true power, controlling the magic and the overall direction of the storyline. They are now battling the Wardragon itself; it has awakened and assumed control of a series of hosts as it attempts to destroy magic and introduce cold science to the various worlds it moves across. As the main force of good and magic, Jelindel becomes the target of its evil and eventual saviour of her home world. The final confrontation is the equal of many fantasy battle scenes and will satisfy most readers.
Like other books in the series, there is some “mature content” and the nature of Jelindel’s relationship with the two men becomes complex as she struggles with her own desires. For the reader who has finished the Quentaris Chronicles and wants something that is similar but with a consistent style and a “series feel”, these books would be perfect. There are a range of action sequences, including a torture scene, some spell/magic sequences, mild romance sequences and large battle scenes. The pace slows every now and then for some exposition and then rapidly swings back into action. Overall, an enjoyable read and one which fans of the series will be looking forward to. |
