4 out of 4 stars
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The Brotherhood of Merlin, by Rory D. Nelson, is about good and evil. Dante, a boy, was attacked along with his family by messengers of the Falcon. Fortunately, Merlin and the other knights of the Brotherhood saved him. Sadly, a blow to his head has rendered him blind. Now, Merlin, who is a powerful knight with preternatural abilities, sees Dante as a special kid. Hence, he ensures Dante gets admitted to the school that births knights, and unknown to him, Herod Antipaz, a councilman, is the Falcon. Herod is a traitor scheming to eliminate the Brotherhood and topple the king of Gilleon. Dante's sightlessness does not affect him in any way, and he is extremely intelligent. Will he pass the crucial tests to become a knight, especially with the presence of his tormentor, Maximus, who is a fellow recruit?
Being the second novel in a series, this narrative stands alone. Even though you've not read the first book, you can easily follow the plot. I'm not a fan of science fiction and fantasy books, and oftentimes, I steer clear of them because I find it difficult to understand a lot of them. However, I chose to read this particular one because it's been a while since I read a sci-fi story, and I was glad I did. Written in archaic and modern English, this narration is easy to read and comprehensible. It's suspenseful, gripping, and full of twists. You just can't guess what's next, and I enjoyed reading every chapter.
The tale has diverse characters. For example, there are humans, the Orachai (massive creatures with humanlike expressions), and beautiful wolves, who are companions of the knights and recruits. The author provided sufficient details about all the personae, who are plucky, realistic, and relatable. Also, most of them are greedy, arrogant, and evil. My favorite characters are Merlin and Dante. Both of them are blind but gritty heroes. They are powerful and benevolent. The worst character is Felinius, a vicious man, but my heart warmed toward him after, for the first time, he did an honorable act at the end of the book.
This fast-paced narration consists of many scenes revealing bloodbaths, and it's not a read for the fainthearted. Featuring fistfights and gun battles, it's fascinating and engaging. It ended satisfactorily, and having a solid plot, there's a lot to be revealed in the next novel. In addition, a few acts of magic are included, and there is a mention of a rape victim. Serious injuries were inflicted on teenagers during training and by messengers of the villain. I see that's for the furtherance of the tale.
Finally, the text was professionally edited since I noticed a few grammatical and typographical errors, such as "Addams' apple" and "our common enemy is our there." The narration is coherent, alluring, entertaining, and full of action. Therefore, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars, and it'll be a special treat for fans of science fiction and fantasy novels.
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The Brotherhood of Merlin
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