Synopses & Reviews
The first book of the saga of The RunelordsYoung Prince Gaborn Val Orden of Mystarria is traveling in disguise on a journey to ask for the hand of the lovely Princess Iome of Sylvarresta. Armed with his gifts of strength and perception, Prince Gaborn and his warrior bodyguard stop in a local tavern along the way. Immediately, they spot a pair of assassins who have their sights set on Princess Iome's father. As the prince and his bodyguard race to warn the king of this impending danger, they realize that more than the royal family is at risk, the very fate of the Earth is in jeopardy.
Review
"The magic is basic to Farland's story...and it and the society in which it plays out are rigorously and imaginatively elaborated."
Publishers Weekly
Review
"A bloody, violent, grim saga, with thoughtfully devised magics, and a well-turned plot: overall, reasonably satisfying and involving."
Kirkus
Review
Praise for The Runelords"This rich, complex page-turner features a likeable protagonist and a fascinating new fantasy world."
--VOYA
"The intriguing hook behind Farland's first novel--and launch of a new fantasy series--is a complex magical technology whereby abilities such as wit, brawn and stamina are transferable from person to person. The magic is basic to Farland's story, not just painted on, and it and the society in which it plays out are rigorously and imaginatively elaborated."
--Publishers Weekly
"A bloody, violent, grim saga, with thoughtfully devised magics, and a well-turned plot: overall, reasonably satisfying and involving."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Farland gets a prospective series off to a dynamic start with a compelling, action-packed story set in an intricate created world in which magical powers are unusual and convincing."
--Booklist
"The author's inventive approach to magic and his skill at depicting complex, believable characters make this tale a good choice for most fantasy collections."
--Library Journal
"A new series, set in a world of mages and earth wardens, kings and knights equitable, glamors and Voices, endowments and Dedicates, force horses and reavers. Swords flash. Cruelty abounds. Men and women obey their lords and die for it, or worse, do deeds so terrible they cannot bear to live with them. [Farland] explores the very nature of virtue and finds disturbing contradictions at the heart of every moral question. Good men and women find themselves serving evil for good reasons; people who long served evil waken and discover their honor. Love can be noble and self-sacrificing; it can be lusty and filled with pleasure.
"When I reached the end of this first volume, The Runelords, and saw grace arise from a devastating battlefield where too many great hearts lay dead, Farland had earned the tears that came to my eyes. It was not sentiment but epiphany."
--Orson Scott Card, author of The Seventh Son
"The Runelords is a first rate tale, an epic fantasy that more than delivers on its promise. Read it soon and treat yourself to an adventure you won't forget."
--Terry Brooks
"In The Runelords David Farland has created a vivid, detailed, different world that becomes perfectly believable. The characters are real, the action fast, and the sum a brilliant and engrossing novel."
--David Drake, author of The Lord of the Isles
"With The Runelords, David Farland breaks new ground in fantasy fiction and
wakes up anyone who thought they'd read everything the genre had to offer.
Definitely a new name to watch in the field."
--Kevin J. Anderson
"David Farland is a consummate stylist, and his characters are so alive they walk right off the page. The Runelords is a wonderful fantasy novel."
--Robert J. Sawyer
Review
"When I reached the end...and saw grace arise from a devastating battlefield...It was not sentiment but epiphany."
Orson Scott Card
Review
"Farland gets a prospective series off to a dynamic start with a compelling, action-packed story."
Booklist
Review
"The Runelords is a first rate tale, an epic fantasy that more than delivers on its promise."
Terry Brooks
Review
"A vivid, detailed, different world that becomes perfectly believable....A brilliant and engrossing novel."
David Drake
Review
"Farland breaks new ground in fantasy and wakes up anyone who thought they'd read everything the genre had to offer."
Kevin J. Anderson
Review
"The Runelords is a wonderful fantasy novel."
Robert J. Sawyer
Synopsis
In this precursor to "Brotherhood of the Wolf," readers meet the young Prince Gaborn, who is traveling in disguise on a journey to ask for the hand of the lovely Princess Iome. When he spies a pair of assassins out to get the princess's father, Gaborn races off to warn the king, and comes to realize the whole Earth is in danger. Reissue.In this precursor to "Brotherhood of the Wolf," readers meet the young Prince Gaborn, who is traveling in disguise on a journey to ask for the hand of the lovely Princess Iome. When he spies a pair of assassins out to get the princess's father, Gaborn races off to warn the king, and comes to realize the whole Earth is in danger. Reissue.
Synopsis
The first book of the saga of The RunelordsThe very Earth is in pain. Its wounds must be healed. There must arise a new king: the Earth King must be reborn. Only then will humanity have a chance to survive.
"David Farland is the single greatest discovery of my professional career."-Algis Budrys
"The characters are real, the action fast, and the sum a brilliant and engrossing novel."-David Drake, author of The Lord of the Isles
About the Author
David Farland, the author of the best-selling Runelords series, lives in Saint George, Utah.