More knights, more intrigue, more battles
595780
I enjoyed this book very much, and have read it twice.  I do think that it is slightly weaker than its shelfmates.  The stories of the knights are continued, and their stories are satisfying, but it is unfortunate that they all are separate.  There is a large amount of battle scenes in this book, and I would have been glad to have more human or alien interaction, and less fighting.  I was also interested to explore the questions of how the Chosen rule;  What can we learn from this story; how might an enlightened ruler rule, if we had one?  Or at least, a moral one!  I am grateful to the author for his efforts, and have had days of pleasure as a result.
3666099
I actually enjoyed this book more than the first.  To be fair, it's probably because all the foundation work had to go into the first volume of this series.  Relieved of that requirement, the reader is allowed to delve directly into the action.

 Our little band of rebels against the establishment are quite tight and relaxing into the peace they worked so hard to bring to the kingdom of Tahaerin.  No one gave any thought of an invasion from the sea on their western border.  This annoyed me at first because it seems contrived as a plot point rather than what would really occur, but it becomes a minor detail quickly enough.  The forces that descend on Tahaerin are vicious and overwhelming.  Their focus is to destroy Leisha so terribly and publicly that the invaders have no doubt that they will subjugate the entire kingdom easily.  Obviously, the invaders know nothing of the young queen's determination to preserve her people.

I came to care about the characters of the first book even more after reading this one.  Leisha's little posse continues to grow and I loved the new additions as well.  There is much more adventure and intrigue, and less romance in this volume than the first.  Yet it has it all.  I highly recommend it to those who like those features in their stories.
3641783
TEOG is a sprawling, medieval fantasy novel that looks to be the first in a new series. The seed for the next book (The Devil's Armor) is planted well in the first, and I hope more of the good than the bad from the first book carries over.
TEOG consists of three parts. (And before that, a beautiful cover--one of its very best features.) The first is basically a rehashing of Camelot's love triangle. The book does open very well indeed with excellent, fresh introductions of the scholarly King Akeela the Good; his handsome champion, Lukien the Bronze Knight; and his new bride, Cassandra, the beautiful seal on a peace treaty. However, even with the twist of Cassandra's mysterious illness and Lukien's quest to heal her, the first part fails to escape Camelot's shadow--it simply starts too squarely within it.
The second part begins sixteen years after the first, depicting how the consequences of the first have transformed Akeela the Good into the drunken, insane Akeela the Ghost. A crippled boy, Gilwyn, born in the first part, takes center stage and finds himself drawn into the tragic current of the past, which is sweeping the kingdom and a peaceful, foreign land into an even more destructive future. This theme continues in the third part, which introduces a hidden sanctuary of "Inhumans," persons born or made deformed, and the mysterious woman and spirits who lead and assist them.
Marco's main strengths are his no-nonsense writing style and ability to describe large battles. However, these are often hindered, and in places overcome, by some very poor dialogue and questionable plotting. At times, the noble/successful/intelligent characters make utterly capricious decisions that, in retrospect, seem to have been made just so that the plot could follow a fixed outline. (A minor quibble/example: over a period of years, wouldn't even the most inept husband be able to make love in total darkness to his wife? A strange question, I know, but the book's answer--for the plot's sake--is apparently not.) Sporadic grammatical errors (and some typos) also distract from what could have been so much more.
A big, beefy page-turner that's sadly on the too-raw side. Recommended as a library loan or used-paperback buy. However, Marco does have a "feel" for storytelling that makes him one to watch.
3291381
The plot thickens, and the conflict gets even hairier. A direct continuation from the last book, this one keeps piling on the drama! I read it in one sitting and am eager to get on to the third.
3697217
Knight has written yet another book full of the detail, suspense, and action that I've come to expect from him.  The story is fast paced once you get through the admittedly slow beginning, and the mayhem and violence becomes an almost perfect balancing act.  The settings within the book are so well detailed that you truly feel that you are there, and the more you read the more and more engrossed you become with the story itself.  Although I would have liked to have seen more of the deep character development that Knight portrayed in Bad Analysis, I still feel that this is absolutely a book worth reading.
1309127
In the latest installment in the epic Sword of Truth saga, Terry Goodkind  delivers a taut, exciting novel that is a more than worthy addition to the  series.  The first part of the book is a bit slow and is mostly a  pastoral interlude in which Richard, Kahlan, and Cara frolic in the  mountains of Westland while Kahlan heals. Goodkind does however spice  things up by providing some interesting insights into the mind, motives,  and past of Nicci. The story picks up when Nicci forces Richard to travel  with her to the heart of the Old World. Goodkind takes this opportunity to  flesh out the Imperial Order, which turns out to be a greyish, plodding  Stalinist entity. Goodkind is at the top of his form as he portrays a  defiant Richard rising above his grim circumstances not through magic but  simply through sheer force of character. Richard brings light into the  stale darkness of the Imperial Order simply by being himself.  While all  this is going on, Kahlan - in full Warrior Goddess mode- leads the D'Haran  Empire against the invading Order. This makes for some of the best chapters  in the novel, full of pulse-pounding action, daring strategems, desperate  couragen and- dare I say it- shocking betrayal. Goodkind does an excellent  job skteching the daily life of an outnumbered army determined to hold fast  come hell or high water.  There are a few minor flaws in the novel. The  writing is sometimes awkward and unwieldy in places, as it has been  throughout the series, but this is a small problem, and easily forgivable  :)  All in all, this is a superior novel, with well-defined plotlines, and  genuine characters you can't help but feel for. Faith of the Fallen fully  deserves best-seller status, and I cannot recommend it enough. The best in  the series since Blood of the Fold, and one of the best fantasy novels I  have come across in some time.
925660
For those of us who follow the adventure of the virtuous knights, this is an interesting series of stories that could be called "back story". They could probably stand on their own, but make much more sense in the context of the entire fantasy series. Fast read--enjoy!
665138
As we once again go back in time, Cedric of Chessington gives us the prologue. Time has moved on a little in the main book with Leinad, the major character of Books 1 and 2, now being an old man. Cedric, a peasant at that time, is not sure whether Leinad's tales of old are true of if Leinad is insane like some others believe. The Noble Knights of the time are comparable to the Pharisees. Poverty is everywhere and so is hypocrisy. Cedric and William meet an old man. Who is he? Although he looks poor he doesn't act like it. When a girl is caught stealing and her hand ordered to be cut off, the stranger steps in with his sword! Who is he? The son of the King!

Who does the Prince call? The Noble Knights? No! He calls Cedric, William and others willing to serve him. Allegorically we are now in the New Testament. The opening is definitely not as exciting as the first two books plus we have to deal with the sadness of losing Leinad to his well-earned place across the sea. The book does pick up though. The Prince is training his knights (disciples). He starts with the sword and then on to the shield (Ephesians). Very easy to see the allegorical symbols for Jesus: little children coming to him, feeding the thousands etc.

Following the Prince's death and resurrection there is despair on behalf of the knights. Commissioned to train more knights, Cedric and William are nearly killed in the city of Chandril where the people are extremely hostile. Saved by two Silent Warriors, Keef and Ramon, this is where Keef tells the story of the Dark Knight's fall and the fight between him and the Prince.

What happens when Alexander Histen, the governor, take control of the people? Most people believe him when he says it is necessary!

Well-written, third book in the series for youngsters. Plenty of action to keep a high elementary/middle schooler wanting to read more. Yes, there is violence but that is the nature of the story. It is made very clear who has won the ultimate victory. We read this aloud on our Kindle. There are questions (and answers) available for each chapter. In the paperback version these are very easy to access BUT on the Kindle it is a pain as there is no link at the end of each chapter so you have to go to the beginning of the section and scroll through to the chapter that you want. It would be great if this feature could be improved. Thanks, Liz
1918449
Keladry, now a squire, waits to be chosen by a knight who will be her mentor for the next year. She is impatient and a bit worried--after all, most of the other squires have already been selected. Will her gender once again make her life difficult?
 This novel traces her life over the next year as a squire. And there is so much to learn: how to fight in tournaments, how to negotiate the emergence of romance in her life, and how to deal with battle--and the mayhem and death that it brings. It has a rich detailed plot, with some new and interesting characters.
 One could read this book on its own, but I would recommend reading the prior books first: it will add depth to this one!
3562582
Lots goes on in this story. Lots of main characters, lots of plotting and action packed battles. Spoiler Alert: the only con I found with the story is how they made Ner'Zhul's small group seem like they would be able to take over all these different worlds when all they had was a small group left and this made turalyon so frantic about stopping them. Either way, it's a great story and must read.
356714
Gael joins his master and Lord to go to the aid of another lord who is besieged by barbarians . They are joined by a strange being, the last of his race, and a young boy . Once there the battle begins. Characterizations and place settings are done very well in this medieval fantasy .  The plot is quite engaging and the action scenes are particularly convincing .
4327166
The story line continues to built, with big reveals, lots of fighting and tons of magic both light and dark
1643434
This tale continues to get better and better.  The characters have depth and reality to them and the battle scenes are exciting and spellbinding.  Many of the punctuation, grammar and gaffs have faded making the series much easier to read.  Now if Hechtl would just get off his duff and get a couple of more tales out
3511882
I chose 4 rating because this book, the second in the War of the Blades Series, moved at a much brisker pace than the first, introduced more dragons/riders and a better plot.
1015481
The combination of a contemporary action adventure with an historical mystery has me hooked on this series.  And this one has has the Knights Templar.  Why were the suppressed? (history)  What was the secret of their influence? (Mystery and speculation)  What happened to their wealth?  And if the order survived, what would it look like today?  Intriguing speculation wrapped in a good story.
4275544
I was in the mood for some dark ages shenanigans after playing the excellent new video game, For Honor. This is exactly what I wanted. Beginning in 1088 AD, this book charts the beginning of the most famous and mysterious order of Knights, the Knights Templar. This 548 page epic is only the first third of that story, and what a vivid and living portrayal it turned out to be.

This is the first book I have read by Jack Whyte, and its excellence makes me want to track down his other series about King Arthur, Camulod. Im guessing that series is just as vibrant and exciting as this one.

I don't know much about the actual Knights Templar, so Im guessing that most of this is made up fanciful imaginings. But Ill tell you what, fiction or not, it is fascinating. A wonderful retelling of the time period, well rounded and complex characters, unique and unexpected plot twists, ferocious battles, matters of the heart, even humor abound. This guy knows how to write a story. Imagine my dismay when I realized I only own the first two books and not the third! I probably refused to buy it because I hadnt yet read the first two, big mistake. If you are a fan of historical fiction and see a book with Jack Whytes name on it, just go ahead and pick it up, chances are you are already in love with it.
8831
The Fountain of Youth, Knights of the Round Table, and the Reaper make for another exciting story. More questions answered, more details given and more intrigue coming in the next book. Can't wait!!!!