What do you think?
Rate this book
Legends of Karac Tor #5
The War of Swords
Having laid his noose around the neck of Karac Tor, Kr’Nunos now begins to tighten the rope. A vast armada sails south, ravers press toward Midland, and an ancient enemy rises from the west, forcing Arthur’s beleaguered armies into a devastating multi-front war. From Portaferry to the critical naval blockade at Seabraith, the Outlanders and the children of the Vanír use every shred of their arcane power to bolster strategic defense points. Yet the Horned Lord has left nothing to chance. Soon it becomes clear that his ultimate goal is not merely to eliminate his foes, but to vanquish history itself—to purge not only the lineage of men, but the memory of Aion, and everything good. In such a desperate hour, faith will be sorely tested. Sacrifices must be made. On the brink of despair, does the Ravna’s Riddle hold one final hope? And even if it’s true, will there be anything left to save?
436 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2014
3 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
D. Barkley Briggs
19 books38 followersDean "D. Barkley" Briggs is happily married to Jeanie, the proud father of eight grown children and two grandchildren. A New Covenant storyteller, Dean loves the magical power of words. He dreams, prophecies and prays across the world, speaking and preaching on the great story of God. His novels include two medical thrillers, The God Spot, and The Most Important Little Boy in the World, and the acclaimed, 5-part YA fantasy series, The Legends of Karac Tor. He also has number of non-fiction works, including Ekklesia Rising and The Jesus Fast, co-authored with Lou Engle. A new novel, The Withering Tree, is soon to be released.
———————————
DeanBriggs.com |
Facebook/Twitter @ DBarkleyBriggs
———————————
DeanBriggs.com |
Facebook/Twitter @ DBarkleyBriggs
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 21, 2015
The War of Swords is the fifth and final installment in The Legends of Karac Tor. I am reticent to say, since it may be a spoiler to some, but the world of Karac Tor is homophonic for the theme and purpose of the series and I am embarrassed to say that I didn't pick up on it until reading this fifth volume.
The story centers on four brothers and their father who have lost their mother and wife to cancer. In their grief they find passage to the world of Karac Tor and its desperate plight as the Devourer seeks to dominate and destroy the world. By the time of the climactic book, all seems lost. There has been great loss, much death, rampant evil embodied in vampire-like and zombie-like beings and family separation as well as newly-discovered gifts, great courage, fierce challenges overcome, new friendships and harrowing escapes. This makes it a little darker than a series like Narnia, but the reason is that it is not just about Karac Tor but the development of Carac Ter.
One of the most unique and improbable, yet ingenuous, turns in the story is the coming of King Arthur. He awakens in Karac Tor and finds a Lancelot-type character named Corus who must do penance for the harm he has done to Arthur. Arthur becomes the king of the realm as he leads the remnants of armies and barely-armed conscripts of farmers and merchants into an unwinnable final battle.
Spoiler alert of sorts! The final chapters culminate with the return of Aion, the promised rescuer of the world and obvious Christ figure. This type of return has seldom been attempted, especially with a re-creation of the world. Even Lewis ended Narnia in destruction and did not attempt to describe the new heavens and new Narnia. Briggs does a better job of describing this re-creation than anything I have read in this type of fantasy genre.
I heartily recommend the series as young adult fantasy literature. It deserves much wider exposure than it has received. After his publisher declined to publish this last volume, Briggs had to work hard to find the funding to bring it to print.
The story centers on four brothers and their father who have lost their mother and wife to cancer. In their grief they find passage to the world of Karac Tor and its desperate plight as the Devourer seeks to dominate and destroy the world. By the time of the climactic book, all seems lost. There has been great loss, much death, rampant evil embodied in vampire-like and zombie-like beings and family separation as well as newly-discovered gifts, great courage, fierce challenges overcome, new friendships and harrowing escapes. This makes it a little darker than a series like Narnia, but the reason is that it is not just about Karac Tor but the development of Carac Ter.
One of the most unique and improbable, yet ingenuous, turns in the story is the coming of King Arthur. He awakens in Karac Tor and finds a Lancelot-type character named Corus who must do penance for the harm he has done to Arthur. Arthur becomes the king of the realm as he leads the remnants of armies and barely-armed conscripts of farmers and merchants into an unwinnable final battle.
Spoiler alert of sorts! The final chapters culminate with the return of Aion, the promised rescuer of the world and obvious Christ figure. This type of return has seldom been attempted, especially with a re-creation of the world. Even Lewis ended Narnia in destruction and did not attempt to describe the new heavens and new Narnia. Briggs does a better job of describing this re-creation than anything I have read in this type of fantasy genre.
I heartily recommend the series as young adult fantasy literature. It deserves much wider exposure than it has received. After his publisher declined to publish this last volume, Briggs had to work hard to find the funding to bring it to print.
Read
July 14, 2016I'm…still trying to comprehend this book.
November 18, 2021
How to rate this? It was a fitting, bittersweet end to the series, with fewer typos than previous installments. However, it felt like we were always lingering on the boring bits and skimming over monumental pieces, such as Hadyn and Asandra's travels through Quil. I am glad I read the series, even if it fizzled a bit toward the end, and it will always have a special place in my heart.
January 7, 2015
Warning: the following is more an expression of feels than an actual review. Read at your own risk.
I waited for this book for two years. That's not a lot compared to how long I and others have waited for other books, but it's still a lot. When I got it for Christmas, I was excited- and scared. Would The War of Swords be as good as I hoped? What if it disappointed me?
Short answer: It was. And it didn't. Also, the feels. (But more on that later.)
Long answer: I'm dividing this into Awesomeness and Not-So-Awesomeness for the sake of easy fangirling. And I think I'm stealing someone's format by doing this, but . . . sorry.
Awesomeness:
-Cruedwyn! I have been waiting since the end of Song of Unmaking to learn of his fate. And now I finally have and when I first read what became of him, I didn't know whether to rejoice or mourn or both.
-We actually heard from all the Barlow brothers (and other important characters) on a regular basis, as opposed to The Ravaged Realm, where we heard mostly from Gabe, Arthur, and Mr. Barlow with a little bit from Ewan and Garrett and NOTHING from Hadyn. That was greatly appreciated.
-The FEELS. Oh the feels. Briggs's writing doesn't enrapture my emotions as much as that of some other authors, but he still knows how to play with my emotions. And let's face it, any book that sets me yelling at the characters/pages about how that's not supposed to happen; you're not allowed to die/do that! is definitely producing some significant emotions.
-Reggie and Odessa. There isn't as much of them together as in The Ravaged Realm, for obvious reasons, but there's enough to make me grin. And there's one scene towards the end of the book where
-The ending. Seriously. It was beautiful and triumphant and just a touch bittersweet and just . . . yes.
-POV. I didn't notice until my recent Legends of Karac Tor marathon leading up to War of Swords, but the series is written in omniscient POV, which not many authors (particularly YA authors) do, and Briggs pulls it off pretty well.
The Not-So-Awesome:
-Random typos here and there. I suspect it's because The War of Swords was self-published (or so I've heard). Nothing too bad.
-Odessa's gift.
-It ended. 'Nuff said.
Overall, though, The War of Swords was definitely awesome. I'm sad that the adventures in Karac Tor are over, but if they had to end, this book was a fitting conclusion.
I waited for this book for two years. That's not a lot compared to how long I and others have waited for other books, but it's still a lot. When I got it for Christmas, I was excited- and scared. Would The War of Swords be as good as I hoped? What if it disappointed me?
Short answer: It was. And it didn't. Also, the feels. (But more on that later.)
Long answer: I'm dividing this into Awesomeness and Not-So-Awesomeness for the sake of easy fangirling. And I think I'm stealing someone's format by doing this, but . . . sorry.
Awesomeness:
-Cruedwyn! I have been waiting since the end of Song of Unmaking to learn of his fate. And now I finally have and when I first read what became of him, I didn't know whether to rejoice or mourn or both.
-We actually heard from all the Barlow brothers (and other important characters) on a regular basis, as opposed to The Ravaged Realm, where we heard mostly from Gabe, Arthur, and Mr. Barlow with a little bit from Ewan and Garrett and NOTHING from Hadyn. That was greatly appreciated.
-The FEELS. Oh the feels. Briggs's writing doesn't enrapture my emotions as much as that of some other authors, but he still knows how to play with my emotions. And let's face it, any book that sets me yelling at the characters/pages about how that's not supposed to happen; you're not allowed to die/do that! is definitely producing some significant emotions.
-Reggie and Odessa. There isn't as much of them together as in The Ravaged Realm, for obvious reasons, but there's enough to make me grin. And there's one scene towards the end of the book where
-The ending. Seriously. It was beautiful and triumphant and just a touch bittersweet and just . . . yes.
-POV. I didn't notice until my recent Legends of Karac Tor marathon leading up to War of Swords, but the series is written in omniscient POV, which not many authors (particularly YA authors) do, and Briggs pulls it off pretty well.
The Not-So-Awesome:
-Random typos here and there. I suspect it's because The War of Swords was self-published (or so I've heard). Nothing too bad.
-Odessa's gift.
-It ended. 'Nuff said.
Overall, though, The War of Swords was definitely awesome. I'm sad that the adventures in Karac Tor are over, but if they had to end, this book was a fitting conclusion.
March 13, 2015
This is the end to an incredible series. In some ways it ended exactly as I expected, but in many ways, it didn't. The changes in the characters, their growth and development, is beautiful and fun to read. The author managed to make my heart drop several times and wonder if the main characters would actually win a few times. How he managed to end the book is perfect.
March 1, 2015
So sad the series is over. I really enjoyed all of these books, and will be reading them all again! :)
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews