I've been in need of a new fantasy series since finishing the Wheel of Time earlier this year. When I saw that Michael Kramer gave voice to this new series I was all in. He could read the phone book or the Book of Numbers and make it riveting and he does not disappoint. If you are considering this as an audio book, you can't go wrong.
I leave it to publishers and others to give a summary of the plot or synopsis. Check it out here. http://www.amazon.com/Circle-Reign-Dying-Chronicle-Volume/dp/0692246738. The story itself is well crafted and follows a somewhat non-linear pattern that builds anticipation and gives depth to the world Cooper is building. Unlike many books that rely on tons of exposition or build-up before anything significant happens, this book gets right to the action and the tension keeps building. The balance of action and character/story development is well done. The action sequences are very well written and easy to visualize. Cooper does a great job of creating a big-budget movie in your head.
This is not fantasy with Elves and Dwarfs and Magic Users. There are no sets of companions on a quest. So put away all of the LOTR and D&D rip-off concerns aside.
The characters in this book tend to be more black/white than grey which gives the story more of a classic good vs. evil feel. Any why not? Many of the best works of fiction do this. Ultimately life is a struggle between good and evil. Stories that delve into the battle for hearts and souls mean something to all of us. Of course all of the characters have nuisances that make them enjoyable and by the end of the book I felt like I was really getting to know them.
One thing that has me interested in the next book is the magic system or the Illuminatus. Its not spells per se, but more like tapping into power that enhances your will and actions. Of course, this may change as the series progresses, but in my opinion its a refreshing new angle on magic/super powers.
As I mentioned earlier, I got interested in this book due to Michael Kramer and wanting a new series after Wheel of Time. There are some parallels. Light vs. Dark theme, ancient civilizations that fell or were destroyed and the return of evil to end the world. Cooper even seems to champion a book with female characters set to pass the Bechdel test. However, the pacing of this book, its non-linear style and action make this book a pure pleasure to read after plodding through the WOT series.
Are there weaknesses in this book? Not many, but I could have used some more humor. Hard to do when its the end of the world. There are some occasions when it seems to take the good guys way to long to react, but perhaps I missed some things burning through the audio book.
Ultimately this book made me care about the characters and where the story is going. The stakes are high and the battle for Valeria is set to find another gear at the end of this book. Even if you are not a fantasy person, you will enjoy this book. It avoids many of the cheesy tropes that turn people off, but embraces the best of the genre; taking it to places I have not seen before, but am anxious to follow.
Finally on a personal note, any book that has a character named Fletch in it already goes down in my pantheon as one of the greatest books of all time. I was literally laughing out loud so hard that I nearly crashed the car. Thanks for making my day Mr. Cooper.
