The Isle of Battle

Wow...this is another great book. Alliances formed and broken, romances budding, sorcery and treachery about. Lots of action and great character moments make this a great read. All the familiar faces are back, and some not so familiar but just as interesting. I can't wait for the third installment to be published. It can't come out soon enough!

I'm having trouble understanding the poor reviews that some readers have posted here. This book was thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. The characters are both interesting and believable, the dialogue is realistic (as opposed to the mechanical sort which I come across far too often in this genre) and the story becomes more engaging with every chapter. This book contains all the elements of a first rate fantasy. Intrigue, adventure, betrayal, love and war, magic that is both subtle and original, a vivid and wonderful cast of characters, a plot that is neither too complex nor too simple, a lively pace, and all of this in a mere 451 pages!! How does he do it? I've read entire trilogies where less happens! My advice to you is to simply ignore the three star or less reviews that this book has received and go out and buy it for yourself. I promise that if you are a reader with any sense of taste you will enjoy it as much as I did. Well done S.R. Well done!

Just finished reading. Awesome, really enjoyed it, but watch out for a cliff hanger at the end. There is obviously more to come. I look forwar to it! I am a pretty picky fantasy reader and this book pleased me...I couldn't put it down.

In a time out of legend, three children warred, throwing friends, children, and themselves into the battle until all were vanished. But the three children did not [end their lives], exactly. Instead they returned to the river that bore them. Now, after countless years, they are back. And their war [may] rekindle all of the violence already threatening between the noble families of Renne and Wills. Alaan, the younger brother, tries to trap Hafydd, the older brother, in a world cut off from the ordinary by magics even older than the three siblings. Yet he is badly wounded in the attempt. His sister and a strange group of inconvenient allies attempt a rescue--knowing that doing so may work to Hafydd's goals rather than their own. Meanwhile, war breaks out in the ordinary world as Wills and Renne try to determine ownership of the Isle of Battle. THE ISLE OF BATTLE is the second in author Sean Russell's SWAN'S WAR series. In THE ONE KINGDOM we were introduced to the characters and goals. THE ONE KINGDOM should almost certainly be read before starting THE ISLE OF BATTLE. THE ISLE provides almost non-stop action and fascinating world-building as the ancient history of this world impinges on its present. Russell's characters are suitably complex (with the exception of Hafydd who seems fairly straightforward) and sympathetic. Fans of epic fantasy will definitely want to add THE ISLE OF BATTLE to their must-have list.

Over a millennium ago, the great sorcerer Wyr gave himself up to the river Wynnd to sleep and dream. While he slept, two families, the Renne and the Wills family claimed the throne of Ayr. After many centuries there is no more kingdom or throne but the two feuding families and their respective families remain bitter enemies, with war periodically breaking out.For dynastic reasons Elise Wills is being forced to marry Prince Michael but rather than do it she jumps into the river and drowns. A water spirit Sianon grants her life again and the daughter of Wyr takes over part of Elise's spirit. She knows her brother Haffydd, once known as Caibre, the son of Wyr, realizes she has awakened and could stop his plans for war if he doesn't find her now. Both brother and sister, poised in a world on the brink of war, search for the mysterious Alaan because he holds the key to the kingdom's secrets.Sean Russell has brought epic fantasy to new heights. His characters are more goal-oriented than most fantasy figures. They know what they want and will go to any lengths to achieve it. Elise is the character readers empathize with the most, as she is torn between what she was and what she's become. Let's hope all the dangling threads and unanswered questions are explained in the next episode of this enchanting saga.Harriet Klausner