The Road Home

after a while. The books get progressively worse and the disappointment progressively higher. But not with Rosenberg's books. Always a pleasure. Like sitting down with old friends and catching up. And clearly, as Rosenberg matures, so does his writing. And I mean that in the best possible way. Richer, more thoughtful.

This is the one that breaks all the rules and still follows them to the letter. Most sequels grow weaker as they drift away from the original work (ie: the fourth sequel being weaker than the third, both weaker than the second, etc) but The Road Home draws on it's own wellspring in addition to the previous books, combining new and strange with old and familiar to weave a tapestry stronger than it's threads.Walter's recurring nightmares and flashbacks seem superflorous at first, but weave together into a climax that could only be created by a master craftsman such as Rosenberg. I'd better shut up before I give away the story, but I think most readers will associate with 'The Big Car' and, like me, find themselves re-reading the showdown and reliving their own memories every time they hear Walter smiling to his enemy with the words, "You lose."

I finally found a copy of this and The Road to Ehvenor, and now I see what the fuss was all about.Terrific books. Best in the series, and that's a lot to say.

Rosenberg's flair for character interaction has produced one of my favorite characters: Walter Slovotsky. I have enjoyed re-reading the series many times. He HAS left some aspects of the series unfinished as of yet and I eagerly await their conclusion.