The Forever Knight
by John Marco
- Hardcover: 356 pages
- Publisher: DAW Hardcover; 1 edition (April 2, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0756407516
- ISBN-13: 978-0756407513
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0
Book Description
Release date: April 2, 2013 | Series: Books of the Bronze Knight
Lukien is the Bronze Knight, beloved by his kingdom and renowned in battle throughout his world. After betraying his king and losing his beloved, he wishes only for death, but rather than die, Lukien is given a chance for redemption: to be the protector of the Inhumans—those fragile mortals who live deep in the desert, far from the prying eyes of their world. These remarkable individuals have been granted magical powers in exchange for the hardships and handicaps life has handed them. And Lukien, now immortal himself, must be their champion. But how can one man, even an immortal warrior, protect hundreds from a world of potential enemies?
Review:
Lukien is a nearly immortal knight who feels guilty for past betrayals and losses. He lives in a community of ‘Inhumans” where spirits help the disabled by providing gifts for the things they are missing, like sight or hearing. Lukien’s spirit, Malator, dwells in the Sword of Angels that Lukien carries and this spirit heals him from what would otherwise be deadly injuries.
Lukien is loved as the Bronze Knight and a protector, but he is bored with his purposeless life. His friend and leader decides to send him out as a knight errant to preform good deeds. Lukien has a young friend, a fourteen old girl, Cricket, who can not remember her past. Lukien agrees to take her as his squire to the outland kingdom where they think she came from.
Malator tries to tell Lukien that it is too dangerous to take Cricket but Lukien is very stubborn and Cricket is very insistent. As they near the area they pass refugees fleeing the destruction of a terrible King, Diriel, who wants to become Emperor by using an army of dead, mummified soldiers.
Lukien’s fame precedes him and he is led to a neighboring country where he is asked to kill a horrible monster. Although he faces the monster he is unable to kill it. Meanwhile Diriel wants to control the monster and is threatening to march his armies to take over this community too.
Lukien drags Cricket into dangerous and awful situations. She is a brave, bright, fun companion but reckless too. Before the adventure is over Cricket wants to find her memories, Lukien wants to find his purpose and a desperate band of allies will make a last stand against the rotten legions of the madman king.
To be honest I was conflicted as I had a hard time really liking the characters. Lukien has special strengths but he rushes into dangerous situations without thinking or planning. This behavior works with the possible motive that he wants to kill himself. I also couldn’t embrace Cricket who is self-centered which is not uncommon for a selfish, teenage girl. Even Malator was not completely loveable as he conveys only partial information to Lukien and often speaks in riddles.
The writing is good and moves well although there were some phrases that did not seem to fit with the world/time period. For example, Cricket saying “let’s make some tracks” seemed out of place. I enjoyed the creative world of beings and the action of the tale. The last 80 pages the story became more focused and I was pleased that Lukien began to accept a purpose and used his head to strategize. Apparently this is a third or fourth book in a series and I wonder if reading the prior books builds a better rapport for the characters. All in all it is an entertaining read especially for those who love fantasy adventure.
I received this book for an honest review as part of TLC book tour;
About John Marco
John Marco is the author of seven previous books. His debut fantasy series, Tyrants and Kings, earned him a Barnes and Noble Readers Choice Award and has since been translated into numerous languages around the world. His first three novels of Lukien, The Eyes of God, The Devil’s Armor, and The Sword of Angels have received high praise. In addition to his work as a novelist, he is also a proud and avid nerd and blogs at his website, thehappynerd.com. He lives on Long Island with his wife and young son.John’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, April 2nd: The Arched DoorwayWednesday, April 3rd: Bibliophilia, Please!
Thursday, April 4th: A Daily Dose of R&R
Tuesday, April 9th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, April 10th: Poisoned Rationality
Thursday, April 11th: A Daily Dose of R&R
Monday, April 15th: What She Read … - joint review
Tuesday, April 16th: Books Without Any Pictures
Wednesday, April 17th: Ageless Pages Reviews
Thursday, April 18th: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Monday, April 22nd: Reviews by Martha’s Bookshelf
Wednesday, April 24th: Just a World Away
Thursday, April 25th: Beauty in the Ruins
Monday, April 29th: Reading Reality
Tuesday, April 30th: Curling Up by the Fire
Wednesday, May 1st: Dreaming About Other Worlds
Monday, May 6th: Geek Banter
Wednesday, May 8th: In Bed with Books
I have a John Marco book in my bedside stack - different series. His books consistently have great covers. I think if I track down this series, I will start with Book 1, because as you say there would probably be more story to bolster the characters in this book.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you were able to enjoy the book even though it won't end up being a favorite for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour.