A.J.Kilbourn has given us a fantasy novel worthy of its sword and sorcery roots, with just enough magic to keep our interest fuelled, but not so much as to cause a reader to throw the book away in complete disbelief. It is full of mystery, suspense, action and adventure without the handicap of a wizard with such great powers that everyone knows he will save the day with one twist of his favorite magical wand.
Roedel is a sweet kid, not too bright and more clumsy than Grandma’s half-deaf three-legged dog. No matter how hard he tries, he doesn’t seem to fit in. He is saved from catastrophe more than once by his perfect older brother. I can just imagine Kilbourn shaking her head as she wrote this character saying ‘Roedel is a good kid, bless his heart…” Now an army of non-corporeal dead, ghostlike creatures who can materialize just enough to kill, but not enough to be killed, is overrunning the land. How in the heck can this bumbler Roedel be the savior of all living creatures when he can’t get up from the dinner table without knocking over his glass of milk? Who in their right mind would send him off with a small group of strangers to find a teacher to show him how to use a magical power that he doesn’t even know he has?
Kilbourn has a smooth, well thought out style that gives us the story in nice clean sequential logical order. I highly recommend this book, as any reader will be more than pleased with this writer’s storytelling ability.