#tbt - Deborah Chester’s The Sword, The Ring, and The Chalice Trilogy
Deborah Chester’s The Sword, The Ring and The Chalice trilogy has everything a great high fantasy story needs: impressive magic, true love, ultimate betrayal, heroes you can relate to and villains you despise.
The Sword
In the first novel we briefly get to know Tobeszijain, King of Nether and father of the trilogies hero, Faldain. A desperate king who has to make world-shattering decisions without much forethought, Tobeszijain, struggles to do the right thing for his family and his kingdom. But a kinsman’s betrayal pushes Tobeszijain into doing something he’s been warned never to do and the consequences are worse than death itself.
Skip ahead a few years later and we meet a small, young boy with mixed blood dashing desperately through the forest he and his sister have called home for as long as he can remember. Searching for food and help for his wounded sister, Dain, comes across nobles in the woods hunting and tries to stealthily snatch some food. Things don’t go according to plan and soon the nobles hunt again, this time for Dain. Luckily a nobleman intervenes and takes pity on Dain and Dain does not forget. Left with nothing and no one in the world he can call family or friend Dain tries to seek out the nobleman’s hold in hopes he can find a home there. Will the nobleman give Dain, a not entirely human boy, a chance to live and work on his lands? Would other people accept him among them, especially the nobles who once hunted him as an animal? Does the boy Dain, ever come to realize that he is in fact Faldain, missing King of Nether?
The Ring
Having taken pity on Dain, the nobleman, Lord Odfrey not only has Dain training to be a knight of the realm but hopes to adopt him as his son and heir. There are many people, including his rival Prince Gavril who will try and stop Dain from reaching the ranks of nobility. But Dain’s adoption isn't the only thing he must worry about. Dark forces are on the move. The same forces that caused his father to loses his kingdom and his life. Will Dain be able to fulfill Lord Odfrey’s hopes of becoming his heir? Can Dain stay true to himself and become the man he was born to be? When it is revealed what his true birthright is, can Dain accept his fate and win back his kingdom? Who will stand by Dain’s side during the darkness to come?
The Chalice
Accepting his fate as the uncrowned King of Nether, Dain starts the arduous task of uniting the forces on rebels loyal to his father to reclaim his throne from his evil uncle. Upon his travels with his loyal companions Dain encounters a rebel and uncrowned princess, Alexieka, who both helps and hinders the young king in his quest to reclaim his throne. Can Dain unite the scattered rebel bands of fighters under his banner? With so much dark power at his evil uncle’s command can Dain succeed or will he be destroyed as his father before him? And just what is the Princess Alexieka hiding from Dain?
PROS:
– Wide variety of races and unique magic
– Characters you can relate to to share in their ups and downs
– Beautiful detailed world that unfolds exquisitely
– Captivating, hard to put down
CONS:
– the only issue I take with the book is the romance that develops at the end of the trilogy with Faldain seems really rushed. Very lopsided buildup.
Honest opinion: I enjoyed this trilogy. It was very action packed which I like since there's nothing worse than a lull in a fantasy book. Ithis wouldn't be the first books I'd recommend to a friend but it was an easy enjoyable read. The end definitely seemed rushed at the end between Faldain and his true love.
I'd love to hear others opinions on what you guys thought.