WARLORD'S DOMAIN

Book of Years #4

by Peter Morwood

A WIZARD'S QUEST
has become the only path of honor left to Aldric Talvalin, an Alban high clan-lord betrayed into enemy hands by his own king. Now swearing loyalty only to himself, his lady--the beautiful warrior woman Kyrin --and his foster father, Wizard Gemmel, Aldric will venture into the very heart of dark sorceries, the city of Drakkesborg, citadel of the evil Warlord, in search of the talisman of power which can end Gemmel's long exile from his homeland.

But ranged against Aldric and Kyrin are skilled assassins sent by both his former liege lord and his deadliest foe. And even if they survive attacks by these treacherous blades, Aldric and Kyrin may only be trading a quick and easy death for the endless torment of a demonic destruction summoned up by the dread wizardry of the Warlord himself....

Genres: Fantasy

288 pages, Hardcover

Published March 15, 1990

About the author

Peter Morwood was an Irish novelist and screenwriter. He is best known for his Horse Lords and Tales of Old Russia series. He lived in Ireland with his wife, writer Diane Duane, with whom he co-authored several works.

Reviews

[Shaitarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fourth and last of the Aldric Talvalin books. Betrayed by his king, Aldric and his lady Kyrin find themselves alone and friendless in the Empire. At the request of his foster-father, the wizard Gemmel, Aldrin seeks one thing before returning to his own land: a powerful jewel used as a token of office by the Grand Warlord of the Empire. But he is unaware that the new Warlord is none other than his most hated enemy: the sorcerer Voord, the former head of the Imperial Secret Police.

This would've been a four star read save for two things: a clumsy bit of reconning regarding who was responsible for the murder of Aldric's family in the first book, and the ending.

Aside from that, it was a good read; I was fascinated by the details of the Empire and would've liked to have learnt more about life there. The world building was good, I liked the characters and the fight scenes are particularly good. Peter Morwood certainly isn't a grimdark writer, but he doesn't slide away from gruesome details when necessary the idea of the Warlord having his wounds sewn together by silver thread.

With all that in mind, I still like this series and recommend it to readers who like older stories with plenty of action.

[Stuart Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really 3 1/2 stars because the book was very linear and had no surprises in it whatsoever until the final 15 pages where we saw the life, death, afterlife, life, then near death of Aldric and something similar to Voord. Morwood must have thought, rethought, and thought some more about that ending before he finally penned it. In fairness, the ending made the book for me as a fitting end to this series. Just a note that apart from the ending, the rest of the book was very predictable, and I was getting very concerned that it would flop compared to the rest of the series, but it held my attention barely long enough to make it to the good part. This series ends here for sure.

[Eric Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. Hadn't read the previous books, still an interesting story. Would probably have had to read the first three to say this fairly, but would have liked to have seen a bit more of what happened with the supporting characters.

[Ian Lloyd-williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

found this 4th in the series recently and sorry not a patch on the prior 3. ok but not the ending I would have liked

[Lurple · Rating 1 out of 5]

A disappointing end to a great series (Horse Lord, Demon Lord, Dragon Lord). Morwood manages to wipe away everything that made the other books nifty, and for no apparent reason. Wish I'd just read the first three (which I do recommend).

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic last book in the series. Well developed characters and a complex world setting make this series a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dying isn't that much fun