The Desert Spear

February 8, 2010
In keeping with the recent trend of starting in the thick of the action, this sequel to 2009’s The Warded Man
picks up in the heat of Jardir’s conquest of the greenlands. This choice may pull in new readers but risks alienating returning ones, since series hero Arlen Bales doesn’t even appear until midbook. Jardir, who seemed to mostly be a villain in the first book, is made more sympathetic through a flashback to his childhood warrior training and the machinations of his psychically gifted chief wife, Inevera, who seems part Bene Gesserit and part Lady Macbeth as she plots his rise to power. Romantic entanglements occupy much of the book and lead to an abrupt conclusion that would benefit from a gentler epilogue, but is sure to leave fans on tenterhooks waiting for the last installment.

March 15, 2010
From the people of the desert, a warrior has arisen to deliver them from the demons that rule the night and bring terror and destruction to the land. Ahmann Jardir bears the ancient spear and crown that seem to mark him as the Deliverer, but a rivalonce a friendknown as the Warded Man challenges his claim. Now a new kind of demon has arisen, and the world's fate depends on a small group of brave souls who must rely on their combined strength to save their people. VERDICT The sequel to Brett's acclaimed debut, "The Warded Man", extends the author's panoramic vision of a world steeped in the traditions of the desert and rich in magic both good and evil. Fans of epic fantasy in the tradition of Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin will enjoy the arrival of a strong voice in multivolume epic fantasy. [Also available as an ebook: ISBN 978-0-345-51963-4; "The Warded Man" has been optioned by director Paul W.S. Anderson ("Resident Evil").Ed.]

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2010
The gripping sequel to The Warded Man (2009) opens with Jardir, whom we last saw betraying his Northern blood brother Arlen over the Deliverers legendary spear, in the South. Calling himself the Deliverer, he invades the North in the name of creating unity for the Great War against the demons. This Daylight War has not yet found Leesha and Rojer, who are training demon fighters across the North, or Arlen, who denies being the Deliverer himself because hes consumed by fears of becoming a demon. The rise of a new demon species complicates the charged atmosphere between the two cultures that, though anathema to each other, struggle to unite without destroying either. Its difficult to empathize with Jardirs zealotry and violence, especially for returning readers, who will wonder when Arlen, the previous books hero, will appear. Those willing to give Jardir his due will see him develop depth and perspective that give his inevitable confrontation with Arlen magnitude. This more brutal sequel emphasizes political and romantic intrigue without losing the urgency of the demon war.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)