In this, the finale of the Book of Deacon Trilogy, Myranda and the Chosen face their greatest challenges yet. Time is running out, and the Generals are growing desperate. Through victory and defeat, reunion and betrayal, neither the heroes nor their foes will rest until they have seen their task through to the end. The only question is, will it be the end of a war, or the end of times?
Ah, the end has come…..and now I am sad. It’s been a long time since I started this trilogy. I first reviewed The Book of Deacon and then The Great Convergence. Both were excellent books with a gripping cliffhanger into the 3rd and final installment, The Battle of Verril. I was pissed to say the least….
I don’t want to give up any details but I can tell you that in The Great Convergence (book 2 of 3) there is a great loss. We lose a character from the cast that…..well, it just SUCKED to see this character go. I was so afraid when I went into the Battle of Verril that there was no way of coming back from that. I started reading not really sure where the story was going to take me and I was quickly reminded of why I fell in love with this story. *wink wink*
I am going to stick to the basics with this review because this is such an epic story that I don’t want to ruin it for anyone.
Our characters that we have grown to love – or grown to love to hate, whichever the case may be – get run through the gauntlet in The Battle of Verril. Myranda started out as this lost girl just struggling to survive day to day life has become a serious force to be reckoned with. She’s so much fun to read because from the start of this journey, we learn right along with her as we read. We understand the fine line that she’s walking between confidence and self doubt and that’s a dangerous line to be walking when you’re trying to save the world. Lane is ubermysterious and deadly. How can that NOT be fun?!?!?!? Oh! I am going to stop myself right there with the character list because you may not know who we lose in book 2…..
The Battle of Verril is a classic way to wrap up this amazing journey. The Book of Deacon trilogy brings together fantasy and fairytale, magic and myth, mystery and intrigue and the writing is simply wonderful. The description that Mr. Lallo uses in his writing is something to be envied. In my eyes, the true test of how well a writer is with description is how clear the book plays out in your head – characters, scenery, events, etc. – and how long the memories of those things stick with you. I don’t mean the memory of reading a book. I mean the memory of watching it happen in your mind. This entire series, from beginning to end, is clear as crystal in my head.
As I said above, I am sad to see the trilogy come to an end but I assure you that this trilogy will be one that I read over….many times, I’m sure.
Although there wasn’t a lot of battle scenes in The Book of Deacon, we started to get a smattering in The Great Convergence. Well, The Battle of Verril was no exception. Lots more action scenes to this one. Again, very well written and each battle scene has a higher purpose. There is no unnecessary scenes written in. Everything has a reason for being.
For all the parents out there, another great thing about this trilogy is that you can let your kids read it. As long as you’re ok with your kids reading epic fantasy, this entire trilogy is good to go. Sexual content and language are 100% NOT and issue. I would have no problem at all with my 11 year old daughter picking up The Book of Deacon.
Overall, I am giving The Battle of Verril 5 magical stars! I was incredibly impressed with this series! I highly recommend it to anyone out there who is a die hard fan of traditional epic fantasy. Mr. Lallo’s style is a little Piers Anthony-esque – although 100% unique at the same time. I look forward to getting a look at his other books as well!!!
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THE BOOK OF DEACON
Book of Deacon Trilogy #1
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(paperback version features a quote from my review on the back cover!!!)
THE GREAT CONVERGENCE
Book of Deacon Trilogy #2
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[…] the folks at Pure Textuality saw fit to pick up the final book of the trilogy and write a review. You can check it out here. My continuing thanks to the folks at that site for their continuing interest and enthusiasm for my […]
I’m with you all the way. I still run the scene when Deacon is kicking some major butt. I think it is one of my favorites. I cried, probably when you did, felt like my heart just caved in. This is by far my new fav series. (sorry Stephanie M). The detail, characters everything about it was fantastic. It is written much, much better than other series I’ve read…(again, sorry..) I can’t wait for the rest to hit print, my boy will LOVE these!
[…] The Battle of Verril (Book of Deacon Trilogy #3) […]
I just hit the ‘cry’ part of book 2.. or lets say the ‘pissed’ part.. my heart tells me there is a way back for that loss so I’ll just read on to see.. if no recovery, i’ll be double p’o’d.. Still like his writing style though.. a cross between Terry Brooks, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Ugh! It’s horrible isn’t it. Sigh…. so sad….