3 out of 4 stars
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The Aduramis Chronicles: The Definitive Collection by Harrison Davies is a fantasy trilogy consisting of Destiny of the Wulf, Underworld and The New World.
Orcs and trolls from Madorine raid the village of Arrom, angry that they have not received their supply of fish from a village elder after assisting the village the previous winter. Young boy Coinin (7) and his brother Marrok (10) lose their parents in the violence. Their dying father sends them to live with their uncle, Draken. Over the years, Draken works them hard but also trains them in swordplay and the magical arts. Ten years later, he takes them to see a dwarf, Trenobin, who transports them to an island and the Temple of Rindor. Here, their uncle Draken's treachery unwittingly unleashes a goblin army on the enchanted city.
Legend states that the two boys will help The Brotherhood of the Wulf rid the world of Er'ath of injustice and a threat to their existence. Coinin soon discovers that Death (Mort) wants to challenge the ruler of the gods, Rindor, to rule in his place. If the Swords of Cerathil are not joined together in a ritual once every thousand years, Rindor's brothers and sisters are free to challenge him to rule. With five years remaining, Coinin takes up the role of Curator to lead the search for the swords. Marrok becomes Coinin's general, to command his troops.
I am always impressed at how fantasy writers craft entire worlds from scratch. While they do draw from familiar character types and settings, it is the detail that captures the reader and enriches the tale. Davies does descriptive detail exceptionally well. One gets the sense that he sees each scene and setting vividly in his mind as he writes. I enjoyed his writing style from the beginning. His prose is easy to read and never boring. The overall plot of the trilogy is quite complicated, with a plethora of characters, but the story moves continually forward, with plenty to hold the reader's interest. I quickly became immersed in the world of Er'ath.
The characters are interesting and complex, with no "all good" or "all bad" stereotypes. For example, a couple of orcs (usually violent) are friendly and compassionate. The reader even feels some sympathy for Lordich Secrecar, the "evil" wizard, who has been blinded by his hatred for The Brotherhood, whom he believes failed him at a crucial moment, causing the deaths of his wife and daughter. Characters also grow and change throughout the books. Coinin and Jericho, a general, are driven by their grief at losing loved ones, while Draken finds his true love, bringing him back to Rindor and causing him to repent his past evil acts.
The first book features a great cliffhanger ending, as Marrok is kidnapped by sky pirates on the Blackheart, the most feared of all pirate airships. There are plenty of supernatural occurrences and elements of horror, especially about Death, war and frightening creatures such as orcs and dragons. The dialogue remains true to character types, such as coarse speech and slang from pirates, and particular idiosyncrasies for children.
The major theme in the trilogy is religious faith. Both Marrok and Draken Wulf find their way back to the god Rindor through repentance of sin after earlier denouncing their faith. Another theme is racism, such as a "purebred" elf guide who has disdain for the impure elves living in his city. Coinin - the trilogy's "moral compass" - finds this racism abhorrent, believing every living being has equal value.
The only negative aspect of The Aduramis Chronicles is a lack of professional editing. The most common issue is missing or incorrect punctuation, such as commas in unnecessary places. Apostrophes are sometimes used incorrectly in plurals, and not used to indicate ownership. There are also many sentences which could be reduced in length, though this is probably a fine line to tread since fantasy is by nature very descriptive. Also, the third book, at almost half the length of the entire trilogy, felt a little drawn-out at times. I believe it could afford to lose a hundred or more pages of subplot without sacrificing the main plot.
I rate The Aduramis Chronicles: The Definitive Collection 3 out of 4 stars. With professional editing, it would easily be 4 stars. The world is beautifully constructed, the description is excellent and the characters are believable. The climactic battle scenes are powerful and engaging, and the plot has enough to keep the reader turning the page. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This trilogy would appeal to any devotee of the fantasy genre, but it is a lengthy journey, so definitely not suited to those who lose patience with longer books.
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Editor's Note: This book was professionally edited. The few lingering typos noted by the reviewer have since been fixed as well.
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The Aduramis Chronicles: The Definitive Collection
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