| The Runelords is the story of Prince Gaborn Val Orden, the son of the King of Heredon. In Gaborn's society, a commoner can grant "endowments" to a noble or a wealthy merchant, such as wit, glamor, smell, sight, or any other attribute. While the lord's vision, intelligence or charisma will be doubled, the now helpless commoner will lose the trait he has given and become that lord's Dedicate, and the lord assumes responsibility for protecting and providing for them.
Gaborn is traveling to the kingdom of Sylvarresta by the will of his father, and to ask Princess Lome to marry him. However, as he is in the country, it comes under attack by the megalomanical Raj Ahten, ruler of Indhopal. Raj Ahten is a Wolf Lord, or a Runelord who forces people to give him endowments rather than granting them to him or buying them. He has literally thousands of endowments that have made him all but invincible. Gaborn knows that Raj Ahten will not stop until he is the master of the entire world, and he escapes from Castle Sylvarresta and flees back to Heredon to help with his homeland's confrontation with the Wolf Lord. Along the way, he encounters a wizard who believes that Gaborn is the Earth King reborn, the man who can heal the wounds of the Earth and ensure that mankind has a chance to survive. While the book sounds fairly conventional (youngster becomes a great warrior of prophecy in order to destroy a bloodthirsty villain) the book is helped immensely by the fascinating nature of society, and there are even thoughts on the morality and justice of the process of taking endowments from others. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book - sensitive (sigh....) FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past Coming of age Yes Youngster becomes - great warrior Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Cultural problems, alien culture Yes Descript. of chases or violence - 30 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20 % Intense exploration of society's culture? Yes Main Character Identity: - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's If magical mental powers: - super strength - is very quick Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 20's-30's Profession/status: Has magical powers? Yes Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - mind control - super strength - can cast all sorts of spells - is very quick Eccentric: Yes How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters Setting Terrain A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society Planet outside solar system? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - explicit references to deaths scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed Sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references only How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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