Beyond the Pale: Book One of the Last Rune

This was bought as a gift for me and what a prezzie it turned out to be. This first book in the 'Last Rune' series starts in a backwater town in Colorado where Travis Wilder runs a bar. Everything in his life is humdrum and normal but that is about to change with the arrival of a strange travelling show, headed by Brother Cy. At the same time there is a parallel story about a young doctor, Grace Beckett who feels there is something lacking in her life. She is about to find out what. Mark Anthony has produced an excellent introduction to a series that moves between Earth and Eldh (a medieval type world). He creates an atmospheric tale that manages to be original and engrossing. His characters have depth and facets to them that make the reader care about them. Highly recommended for any fantasy fan or lover of a good story.

I picked up this book when I desperately needed something to do and had $3.00 in my pocket (enough to pay for the book at the 2nd hand shop in our strip mall). I was amazed! I don't usually go for the fantasy genre, but I was immediately drawn in by the intricate plot and interesting characters. I've remained loyal to the Last Rune series ever since. Still working on the 3rd one, but Beyond the Pale and The Keep of Fire were excellent.

This book was a wonderful read. for anyone who likes fantasy fiction, this book is for you. BEtter than Terry Brooks's the Sword Of Shannara, and better than tamora pierce's series The song of the Lioness, this novel includes symbolism, along with all other fine literary elements found in so many works of fiction, which are usually left out of fantasy. This novel, not only is a great work of literature, but it has a massive plot, which is bound together very wonderfully. Congradulations Marrk Anthony, this book is my favorite. And I have read hundreds. This book is a model, and being a writer myself, a must read. I can't wait for the next in the series (I hope there is one! ) to come out.

for all of those people who never had time to get into the sword of shannara or wheel of time or some other book series that every one else has read twice and reviewed three more times, Mark Anthony's series are perfect to start out with. small enough so you can read it on the go, yet involving enough that you can't wait to turn the next page. and for anyone who has been ignored can feel travis' pain throughout the early parts of the book. he makes the perfect hero. plus lots of very colorful charcters that you usually only read about in comic books. an excellent choice for just getting started.

This book was a great read. I normally read Fantasy novels and they are all fighting monsters and casting spells. This one had some of that but lots more to it. The idea of conspirasies was great along with the idea of making a bit of a mystery to make the reader think about who it could be and try to find some clues of their own. Personally I kept turning back pages to try and see if anything fit to gether to find out who was in the Colt of the Raven. I recommend it to anyone that likes a good adventure read and doesn't mind 620 pages of it. I can't wait until #3 comes out. I hope it becomes a great hit everywhere.