4 out of 4 stars
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The Knights of Nevertheless: Escape from the Shadows Volume 1 is a fantasy novel written by R.A. Mc Clure.
Told in the third person perspective, the story was about Ava and her two sons, Stranth and Onar, as they escaped the dark kingdom of Terra Dombren. Terra Dombren was a baleful, gloomy and hopeless land ruled by the evil warlord Cam. It was separated from the peaceful and prosperous land of Menetoy, ruled by King Agathos, by the Great Wall of Fire.
When Ava confirmed that her husband, Les, completely succumbed to the allure of darkness, she decided to flee the land with her two sons. During their flight, they were guided by Archer, a kind guardian of the Seekers, who saved Ava earlier from the attack of a ferocious fowl. Seekers were those who wish to escape Terra Dombren in search of light and peace, and Archer was commissioned by the king of Menetoy to guide them through the Wall.
The story was a fast-paced, action-packed adventure, complete with fighting scenes and monstrous creature attacks. There was no dull moment nor was there any irrelevant scene or character. The author successfully created a woeful and sinister land inhabited by hapless citizens and savage creatures like fowls and dongrels.
In addition, the book was teeming with endearing characters. Ava was a brave and strong-willed woman and a loving and protective mother. The older son, Stranth was brave, wise and caring while the younger, Onar, was fearless and perceptive. Both boys were good with weapons and both were skilled hunters. Archer was the upstanding guardian, loyal to his mission and gentle with the woman he loves.
However, I encountered a few problems with the book. First was the indeterminate time. It was narrated in the first chapter that ‘..it was the time after time’ and there were passages like ‘Every structure built by the hands of men had fallen into heaps of rubble..’ which can be taken as post-apocalyptic era. However, the use of sword and bows and arrows were indicative of medieval period. Second was the extent of Archer’s abilities. He was portrayed earlier as someone who can see through people but, he was unable to detect the malicious intent behind the invitation of their hostess later in the book. I took it, though, as a result of the darkness prevalent in town that limited his ability. Finally, I noticed some sentence fragments and other errors.
Regardless of those, however, it was an engaging book with a very moving ending which made the reader want to read Volume 2 at the soonest possible time. In view of that, I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to those who love fantasy, action and adventure novels. It is a story about love, hate, light, darkness, faith and hope.
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The Knights of Nevertheless
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