No where near as good as the earth king cycle but better than anything Jordan or Tolkien ever touched. The main problem is that Fallion is a borderline Mary Sue whose special powers negate most of deeper moral and ethical decisions built into the mythos. You are supposed to find him a hero because his powers allow him to 'Gordian knot' decisions that would have made for interesting story-lines in the first cycle. The other characters respect him for 'not making their mistakes' but he takes third...

I read the first four books of David Farland’s Runelords series years ago and enjoyed them a lot. I remember finding them exciting and full of fun action scenes and memorable characters, if not the smoothest of prose.Here’s the problem. David Farland writes like a first-time novelist in some ways and like a veteran writing ninja in others. His word choices and awkward sentences feel so contrived and amateur that they are occasionally worthy of a cringe and usually elicit a wince or two.It’s the

Wow! What a kick to start the new series! I had read enough going in to know that Gaborn wasn't going to be around long, but to see Farland do a sweep out of many of the old characters, and he didn't mess around about it either! Just brutal!I liked the change from Gaborn to Fallion. One of the criticisms that I read about Gaborn is that he was too perfect, and there was really little chance that he was actually going to turn to "the dark side," while I doubt Fallion will either since he's a Flam...

Listened to this book on audible, and it is a good continuation to David's Runelord series. Admittedly, this was not my most favorite book overall, however I definitely related to Fallion, one of the main protagonists in the story. He reminds me of my book-in-forever-progress's protagonist a bit, as they have a bit of a similar middle middle story. However, as the story goes, this one is not for the faint of heart in a few spots, and you are either going to be like me and wish there was a little...

I'm of two minds with this, but mostly that's because I re-gifted my wit back to the person who gifted theirs to me.Wait. Does this just make me one of those eternal observers?Nah, just a reader. :)Even though this is officially a Runelord novel, it breaks most of its ties (except a few characters and all the mechanics) with the previous four. And you know what? I like it. A lot. The stakes are a bit more off in the future and the heroes are mostly all quite young. If I didn't know any better, I...

David Farland is a master at his craft. I have never read anything by any other author that is as effectively descriptive as this book. I read the first four books of the series a few years ago, and I distinctly remember feeling sick to my stomach quite a bit while reading. Part of it was the Runelords culture: weakening someone else to make someone stronger, killing the weaklings to make the Runelords weaker.But it is Farland's use of words that makes me respond physically. His description of h...

Rating 3,5It's been a loooooooong time between the last book and this one for me. In a way, it didn't really matter, because this isn't the story of Gaborn really, but of Fallion, so the details of the previous books was kind of irrelevant. Except in the case of Iome's pregnancies, because that caused me some headaches before I figured it out.Anyway, I would have liked to give this a higher rating, but there were a few things that pulled the rating down. The least of which was the repetition tha...

David Farland continues his Runelords series, but introduces a new generation with new heroes, and new villains. Farland rushes to cut ties with the last book, killing off several familiar characters from the last series within the first 50 pages. He clearly wants us to realize that this is a new series.So, this is a new series, but does it work? Mostly. There are a few familiar faces from the previous series who play large roles in the novel, but the cast of characters is mostly new. Our hero i...

An interesting read from David Farland. While not reaching the majesty of his previous four books he still manages to enthrall and entertain. This novel finds us with the children of Gaborn, the Earth King, and the subsequent consequences of being his heirs. As well, Fallion, Gaborn's oldest son is an "old soul" one reborn thousands of times throughout history and his purpose for being reborn on this plane of existence.Though I found the pacing to be a little odd in this novel and I found it dif...

This one was probably my least favorite book in the series. I just wasn't connecting with the new characters. and it was kind of like 'filler', waiting for something else to happen.

This would be my favorite in the series if it weren't for all the ridiculous plot holes. Story wise, I have absolutely no complaints. Couldn't put it down. It's almost as if Farland took no notes on his previous books or simply forgot various details. Baron Waggit remembers his name in book four. We never learn it. Borenson is branded with a will forcible. It's never mentioned again. Duke Paldane? Dies twice. Queen Lowicker comes back from the dead...there's more but that's all I can remember of...

I hate to give bad reviews to books. Honestly this is one of the worst put together books I have read in a long long time. I read similar reviews before trying this one out and thought "Surely they jest." However that isn't the case. I have rarely ever put a book down and not finished it, this one almost made it. I think the saddest thing about this book is that it has such great and unique ideas to build from. Once of the most original magical systems in books in a long time, imho, is what the

I am honestly quite shocked how much this book has drawn me into it. In the first hundred pages, it had me attached to characters...and then killed them off or holding my breath in suspense, thinking "Please don't kill them!" while reading to see what happened. My eyes have fogged with tears, and I've felt with the characters. There is a strange combination of limited narration with omniscient that works well.I've been edging between giving this a 4 and a 5. THe first 200 pages flew by, I didn't...

With the fourth book seemingly wrapping up the series I didn't know what to expect in this novel so I approached this installation with equal parts curiosity and worry. By the time I finished the first third of this book I knew I had a few more books to read. A few things changed with the book, obviously the central protagonist has shifted though his influence (though his bloodline) continues to play a central role. Another change is the pacing which was pretty much minute-by-minute in the first...

It is always difficult to review a book that is middle in a long series. I obviously like the writing and world enough to keep going. But, I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't started the series yet. I also don't typically review the same things I do in other books (like Setting, Plot, Conflict, Characters, and Text). Instead, I focus on what keep me reading and what knocked me out of the story in general.With book five in this series, Dave is actually starting a new set of a...

Oh David Farland. You have such potential. I know you can write amazing stories. I've read them...it's just so sad that this isn't one of them.This book continues the story of the Runelords, now starting a new arc following the children of Gabor Val Orden and Iome Sylvaresta. This book particularly focuses on Fallion and his journey as the new "Hero" of the world...the "Son of the Oak".This book had some fantastic moments. The opening sequence, roughly 40 pages, was horrifyingly epic, and felt m...

Bad writing pisses me off. Actually no. Lazy writing pisses me off. Bad writing and you're just talentless (see the Magic: The Gathering novels). Lazy writing and you're wasting your potential.The book has potential, the idea of forcibles and endowments is really novel. The first book in the series is really phenomenal. But instead of building his world, Farland just wants to keep adding new things like 'sea apes' and 'burrow bears' with little explanation. There's more to building a world than

The fifth entry of author David Farland’s The Runelords series opens with Asgaroth sending his consciousness across the universe, ultimately finding what remains of the One True World and coming before his master, Shadoath. The main text mostly follows the primary protagonist Fallion, son of the Earth King Gaborn, and is alongside his mother Queen Iome Sylvarresta in mourning. Fallion and his companion Jaz prepare to embark upon a journey, with the former being certain to bring along his pet fer...

Sons of the Oak is an odd one. After saving the world in Lair of Bones, Gaborn and Iome are loaded with enough metabolism to curse them to die in the next few years--which ends up happening relatively early on. That of course leaves a power vacuum. There are those who would love to see the Earth King's son take the crown--and just as many who'd rather see him dead and take power of their on. On top of that, there's a whole new level of darkness in the world. From Loci to strengi-saats, it's an e...

I always worry about major character shifts; which is what I would consider the change between Gaborn and Fallion. The passing of the torch was smooth and makes sense, it followed the same route that Lair of Bones laid out, which was nice. I thought it would be abrupt and more of a hard start but Farland made it smooth by keeping other characters alive and thriving. I feel like this is a wonderful way to start off a new trilogy in the same world. It gives us something new but leaves some familia...