When Sarin Valon, the corrupt secondus of the conclave, flees Erinon and the kingdom, Errol Stone believes his troubles have at last ended. But other forces bent on the destruction of the kingdom remain and conspire to accuse Errol and his friends of a conspiracy to usurp the throne.
In a bid to keep the three of them from the axe, Archbenefice Canon sends Martin and Luis to Errol’s home village, Callowford, to discover what makes him so important to the kingdom. But Errol is also accused of consorting with spirits. Convicted, his punishment is a journey to the enemy kingdom of Merakh, where he must find Sarin Valon, and kill him. To enforce their sentence, Errol is placed under a compulsion, and he is driven to accomplish his task or die resisting.
Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.
My Impressions:
The Hero’s Lot is the second book in Patrick Carr’s The Staff And The Sword series and as such should be read only after you read his first novel, A Cast of Stones. But that’s a really good thing, because this series is excellent! (You can read my review of A Cast of Stones HERE.) Book 2 continues the story of Errol Stone, now Earl Stone, a reformed drunk, now epic hero. Errol is under compulsion by the church to kill the traitorous Sarin Valon, a feat that most in the kingdom see as a death sentence for Errol. But Errol is not easily done away with, especially when he has so many that want to keep him alive.
The Hero’s Lot is a quest for truth — of secrets of the past and secrets of God. The nature of God and His relationship with His people are major themes as contrasted with the restrictions humans place on that relationship. Favorite characters from book 1 are in force here, and they become more complex. A few new characters are added that deepen the spiritual dimension of the story. The novel is set in a medieval world with a very familiar feel to it. The language, people and geography seem very real. This actually made the book more enjoyable as I tried to figure out just where the action could have taken place. (Is that Egypt they are traveling to?) Please note that there is another book yet to come in the series, so the novel leaves loose ends.
All in all, I think Carr’s series is great for Young Adult and Adult readers, and I heartily recommend it. And I definitely cannot wait to read book 3, A Draw of Kings, due out in February 2014.
Recommended.
I received The Hero’s Lot from the publisher and NetGalley in return for a review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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