The Author's Blood

It all begins at the Castle of the Pines. And then the suspense grows. Capture. Escape. Capture. The Book of the King. And, of course, the picture of the Dragon on the front of the cover doesn't help make your adrenaline not pump so much.

In THE AUTHOR'S BLOOD, Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry complete the Wormling series by bringing together a bevy of characters from the Highlands and the Lowlands. As the two worlds become intertwined, secrets and hints are revealed, and readers will be surprised (happily) at how specific characters from one world are reflective of a counterpart person in the other. This rapid-paced saga begins with the Queen's sentencing at the Castle of the Pines, where the Dragon and his council now reside. As the Dragon's entourage continues making preparations for the coliseum (where the ultimate battle will unfold), the Dragon instructs the Queen to bow her knee to him and live. Once the Queen refuses, the Dragon orders her to be taken to Perolys Gulch with other diseased outcasts. As this scene plays out in the Lowlands, Owen, who was taken captive after re-entering the Highlands, is facing a quite different challenge as the minions continue to hunt their prey and he calls out to Nicodemis for help. Owen needs time to understand what the Book of the King says, and he finds some aid and clues from his old teacher, Mrs. Rothem. But before they have the chance to discover all they need to know, the Dragon's revellors attack them and Owen again is on the run. He searches for Clara and Connie, who steal away in hiding as Connie continues to age under the sting of the minion. Encouraged by the prophecy, Owen returns to the Lowlands only to learn that his closest friends have died in battle. As he grieves, words from the Book of the King continue to offer comfort and consolation. Once the battle is contained entirely in the Lowlands, Owen summons his forces, and inch by inch he gets closer to fulfilling his destiny as the son of the King who will destroy the Dragon. Along the way, each and every character chooses whether to engage in the battle for good or retreat in defeat. Readers will be intrigued that even some of the Dragon's agents begin doubting their leader and start seeing with new eyes. By the final chapter, Owen has achieved his goal and every portion of the prophecy has been fulfilled...to some imaginative and surprising ends. THE AUTHOR'S BLOOD proves to be a satisfactory ending to this whirlwind fantasy journey. --- Reviewed by Michele Howe