3 out of 4 stars
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Will has never felt comfortable staying in towns for long periods of time. He gets restless and feels the call of nature dragging him back into the woods and his world of herbs. Although he can barely remember her, his mother’s last words – a warning to stay away from others and not to attract attention at all costs – ring in his ears. This is especially true when Will finds himself in possession of a magical coin that gives him the ability to use amazing powers – or rather, enhances the powers he always had. With no mentors to teach him how to use his new abilities, Will decides to go after the Draoi Manuscript, a tome written for magic users such as himself. However, the only remaining manuscript is in the capital city of Munsten, and the journey there is long and arduous. Will’s curiosity and yearning to learn more about his past leaves him no choice but to set off into the unknown.
Duilleog is the first novel in Donald D. Allan’s New Druid Series, and it introduces Will and his powers, as well as the current political landscape in the novel. In the novel’s setting, there is a power struggle between the Church and the Word. Followers of the Church, although few in numbers, are aiming to overthrow the Lord Protector and resume control over the land. Also, once they track down Will and kill him, they will have wiped out the last of the druids.
I have to say, I was quite pleased by the beginning of the book. Will is a very likeable and relatable character, and there was a good balance between action and explanations. However, Will’s story basically ended after the first 150 pages. The next 100 pages covered completely different characters and included flashbacks and backstories to flesh out their importance to the plot. We didn’t see Will again until the “Epilogue” of the novel, and even then he had only made it to the next town over.
I was fine with the change in perspectives at first. After all, it’s great to known what’s going on in the town Will is heading to before he actually gets there. However, I lost interest when things dragged on and on. Although some of the characters were genuinely interesting, too many were introduced at once, and it was hard to keep track of who followed the Church and who followed the Word, or why they were so against a particular person. I was attached to Will and his journey, not these people. I much rather would have stopped in to see how he was doing every few chapters, rather than split the stories into two separate chunks. It felt very much like the book’s plot took a very long detour, only for it to end a block away from where it started.
Donald D. Allan has an interesting writing style, and I think people with more patience would finish this book and be eager to see where its sequel takes them. However, I personally can only give Duilleog 3 out of 4 stars, and I can’t say that I’ll be reading any of the sequential novels any time soon. I would recommend this book to lovers of historical and fantasy fiction, especially those with complicated background stories and political settings. However, if you’re like me and you prefer simple, fast-paced novels, then Duilleog may not be your cup of tea.
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Duilleog
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