Doom's Break

Christopher Rowley's Books of Arna number among the best works of fantasy I have ever read; these are books full of rich characterization, vibrant personalities, great evil, even greater heroism, stunning military conflicts, love, hope, redemption - the list goes on and on. Doom's Break: The Third Book of Arna takes the series to a stratospheric new level, as readers witness the long-awaited battle that will decide the fate of not only Arna but Shasht (the enemy's homeland) itself.Arna is a peaceful land inhabited by mots, mors, and other intelligent creatures, but the invading armies of Man came seeking the annihilation of the "fornicating monkeys" and the colonization of their fertile land. The mots and their kind have lived in peace since the most ancient of days, knowing nothing of war beyond the legends told of Man the Cruel. They do not even know that men still exist anywhere on their world, for the ancient texts state that the men of old disappeared, having polluted and destroyed their environment while killing themselves off in a series of never-ending wars. Some mots now question the old legends, asking if man ever really existed. For these reasons, the mots of the land are woefully unprepared for any attack, especially from a well-trained, experienced, and murderous party of men. Our principal protagonist, Thru Gillo, wants nothing more than to establish himself as a gifted weaver, marry, and settle down with Nuza, the mor he loves. The war brought to the Land by the men of Shasht changes Thru's world drastically. As this third book in the series opens, the war has entered its fifth, dramatic, and decisive year. Thru Gillo, one of the Land's best warriors, is on his way back from captivity in Shasht alongside his female human friend Simona of Gsekk and the brother of the Shashti emperor. Another fleet carries the emperor himself (recently overthrown by the priests who, under the command of the mysterious and powerful Old One, really run the land of Shasht) as well as Thru's lost love Nuza. The emperor and his supporters come to Arna to stop the colonial war of extermination, after which point they plan to return home to destroy the priests and restore the imperial government. Suddenly, man and mot must put aside their mutual hatred of and work together to thwart a common enemy in the form of the Old One, his malicious priests, and an arsenal of unconventional weapons that neither mot nor man has ever faced before. Once the final battles get underway in the land of Arna, the reader is treated to a vivid, fascinating description of the bloody conflict that leaves many dead on both sides. The strategies employed by the opposing forces and the constant movements of soldiers to alternately attack and then hold the lines are mesmerizing in their detail and visual clarity. I felt as if I were there on the battlefields myself watching the epic struggle take place before my very eyes. There are many wonderful characters to be met

This book is further evidence of Rowley's brillance as a writer. In his third book in this series he raps everything up in a brilliantly done military campaign. Upon Thru and his frineds return to the Land they find themselves leading a new massive fleet of warriors to their homes. Through lots of work the humans and people of the Land must band together to fight this new enemy fleet. But internal strife may destroy their army and chances before the Old One can. But I won't spoil the book too much for you. So you'll just have to read it if you want to know more. I just had to give this book a five star review since Rowley did do a magnificent job rapping this series up. He also stayed true to his fans by making this a very big military book with edge of your seat action from front to back. Definetly the best book in the series, and a must read for Rowley fans.