Review of The Staff and Sword Trilogy

[mrs_lady]

A Cast of Stones was written by Patrick W. Carr and is the first in an amazing trilogy. This is an unbelievable underdog story that will take you on a wild ride as our hero discovers that there is more to himself than anyone ever expected. The story is set in something similar to the middle ages, in another world, much like our own, but where magic is common. The hero is a young drunkard named Errol Stone, everyone either pities or despises Errol for his ways. Errol is an orphan who never knew his real parents, only his adopted father who tragically died when Errol was a very young boy. The last name Stone is a way to let everyone know he is an orphan with no real family name as he was stripped of his adopted father's name after he died and Errol fell into the ale barrel.

Errol goes on many dangerous adventures in the hopes of saving his home the beautiful kingdom of Illustra and discovers he is far more special than anyone ever imagined. Patrick Carr paints amazing pictures with his word that make the reader feel as though they have fallen into the pages. You feel as though you are standing right beside Errol as he fights for his life and the lives of the very people who despised him. This is a trilogy that one could read over and over and never get bored with. It is incredible how Carr can really make the story come to life. The second book is The Hero's Lot where Carr takes you further into the heart and mind of Errol Stone and shows you that anyone can be a hero if they have the strength, courage and the sheer will to survive. This is probably my favorite of the three books because you can really see Errol growing into a strong, capable man.

Errol faces many advisories who fear his strength or simply want to own him and use his special gifts for their own personal gain. The foes that he must face are given in such startling detail that one could almost believe they are real. The final book is A Draw of Kings. There are more gruesome battle in this books than in the other two so if you enjoy fight scenes then this will be your favorite. It has such a surprising ending that there one can only guess how it ends and still be shocked when you see how the story unfolds. I was sad when I finished the trilogy and read all three books again just so I could walk beside Errol again and walk beside him as he made his remarkable journey from the town drunk to the hero of Illustra. I have to give this trilogy 5 out of 5 stars. This is an amazing book and I encourage anyone who enjoys books like this to read it.