- I put this on my TBR list years ago and finally got enough points through PaperbackSwap to order the series.
I also recommend:
- Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Summary from GoodReads:
First in a bold, magical trilogy of a world living in the shadow of an ancient prophecy of war. Enemies band together to attack the Renshai, the mightiest, most hated and feared of all warrior races. One Renshai escapes, determined to keep the memory of his people alive and to claim his vengeance on the slayers of his race.
My Review:
I’ve been reading fantasy books my whole life – but I read the same books over and over. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were everyday staples in my reading life. So when I signed up for PaperbackSwap I decided to start exploring other authors and series. I started requesting science fiction and fantasy titles that were 5, 10, 15.. sometimes 20+ years old and I start mapping out time on my calendar to begin to read them.
The Renshai books by Mickey Zucker Reichert head up the list. These books have been on my TBR for years, but libraries didn’t have them and I didn’t want to buy them new, just in case… I was needlessly worried though, because, frankly, this book rocked my socks off.
Brilliantly written, Reichert forms her world around North, South, East and West Wizards. The Northern Wizard stands for goodness, the Southern for evil, and the East and West balance. Reichert goes further into the “balance” thing – but that’s later in the series and I’ll save that for my review of the third book (because yes, I kept on reading!).
In The Last of the Renshai we’re introduced to a ruthless, killing tribe of folks. The lore they have and the Gods they believe in are Norse mythology – Modi, the son of Thor being their chosen god. The Renshai are skilled, remarkable swordsmen and women (yes, women! And such a woman!) with a unique outlook on what exactly it means to be Renshai. Reichert’s sword descriptions, the maneuvers, the fighting sequences – they were so elegantly written I could see the patterns forming in my imagination and smell the sweat of the warriors – it was incredible.
As a paperback, this book is a tome. It’s 600+ pages with a glossary in the back. But.. it’s worth the read and the aching hands from holding it. If you are a fantasy lover and are looking for a new series to invest in, I highly recommend this one.
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