The Sword and the Flame

These books were in great condition and they came when they were supposed to. Thanks so much.

As I said in the title place, the first and second book of the Dragon King Trilogy was better; they both had excitement and action. The third was good too, but didn't have much action in it. I like books with adventure in it so that might be the reason I didn't give this book 5 stars. But I still enjoyed it. To enjoy this book properly, I think it is better to read, "In the Hall of the Dragon King" and "Warlords of Nin" first.Quentin is now the Dragon King. He has 3 kids,two girls and a boy. His wife Bria is now the Queen. Mesandor had enjoyed peace for a long time. With his legendary sword, Shaligkeer the Shining Sword (I forgot to tell about it in my "Warlords of Nin" review. "Warlords of Nin" is the second book.), which was made from the precious stone called lathrinil. Quentin soon faces a severe test as his son is kidnapped, his most trusted couselor, Duwin the Holy Hermit, is killed, and when he hears that his archenemy Nimrood the Necromancer had returned. (I was so shocked at the part where Durwin died!)Quentin is filled with grief and frustration that he does not know what he is doing. He murdurs one of the kidnappers mercilessly and loses his great sword, the Shaligkeer. King Quentin loses, as it seems to him, everything he holds dear and plunges into despair. It does not help that one of his lords, Lord Ameronis was full of ambition and leaped at the chance to become King. Soon Mesander fights with one of his lords and the whole land is thrown into turmoil as the common people and also the knights, lords, and nobles of the King, hears rumores that Quentin had lost his sword and that it was because he followed the Most High God that he was punished by other gods.What will happen to King Quentin? What did it mean that Nimrood the Necromancer, assumed dead, came back?Quentin learns a valuable lesson in this book, that when it seems that God was not with you, it was because you had drawn away from Him. Not because He had left you. This book was interesting and at the same time, some parts were exciting. Especially the part where Quentin's son is kidnapped and the last part. I can't tell you how the last part is or it'll be telling the whole story. :) I suggest that you would read this because it would finish the Dragon King Trilogy and also because this book is a good book.

"The Sword and the Flame" is the third title in Lawhead's "Dragon King" Trilogy, the series which propelled him to success. Quentin has assumed the throne, with Bria his queen, and is now the father of three children. The kingdom firmly established, he is busy building the King's Temple, a temple dedicated to the Most High. And he is armed with the enchanted sword, "The Shining One", whose "flame was the symbol of the god's presence with the King, and more." (p.94)But enemies old and new are fiercely opposed to Quentin's overturn of the old gods. The evil necromancer Nimrood returns to collaborate with the defenders of the old gods - the priests at the temple of Ariel, who see the construction of the King's Temple as an inevitable sign of the destruction of their own High Temple. Suddenly, the peace of Quentin's kingdom becomes overshadowed by darkness. A close friend of Quentin is killed, his son kidnapped. Quentin must face open hostility from his enemies, and! even conflict from his own people, and treachery from his own supporters. But worst of all the flame of the sword goes out, and the hopes for the kingdom appear to be extinguished along with it: "One fell thrust and the fire of the white lanthanil blade had been quenched. The awful significance of what had happened struck him like a thunderbolt...the hand of the Most High was removed from him." (p.77-8) Is there any hope for Quentin or his kingdom?The ensuing struggle makes this book the most emotional of the series. Certainly we are treated to lots of Lawhead excitement and action, one of the highlights being the intrigue and conflict of a castle under seige. But "The Sword and the Flame" doesn't quite have the same blazing glory of battle as the previous volume. It is far more introspective, as it focuses on Quentin's loneliness, his deep, dark and total despair, which nearly extinguishes his faith. "Now there was only darkness. In the space of half a day he had los!t his son, his trusted friend, and - worst of all - the favor of the Most High. His mind reeled at the enormity of his trouble, his heart ached with sorrow, his body throbbed with grief and exhaustion." (p.85) Lawhead treats this subject with raw and gripping emotion, precisely the ability later developed and fine tuned which made the "Pendragon Cycle" so powerful. Perhaps even more compelling than the glory of a kingdom, is the tragedy of a fallen king, who is so distraught that he rejects the Most High (p.166) and tumbles into the depths of despair.Yet this personal struggle of the king occurs in the context of a great struggle for his kingdom. Does the extinguished flame of the enchanted sword mean that the Most High no longer is to be trusted? The people of the kingdom are convinced that the old gods are humbling their king for having chased after a new god (p.159). Yet in the end, even when the people are ready to lose faith in the Most High, the Most High is fait!hful. "It is not the One who forgets us, but we forget

This is a great finish to the series that Lawhead developed. You can start with this book, but I would recommend reading the previous two first. Quinten again is matched against the evil Nimrod. He loses his son, his sword, and his wife has left him, to seek advice from the God most High, in his most needful hour. The book weaves in Christianity in a mysterious way and still has a great story line! What more can you ask??

Lawhead has written a masterful conclusion to the Dragon King series. The involving plot and emotional ties kept me thinking about the book through the day. I've never read a book with such an unusually complex -yet accurate- dipiction of God in a fantasy adventure series. The movement from the old gods into the God was so facinating. With a powerful, meaningful end, Lawhead never let the story down nor left any plots incomplete. This was not the story I expected to end the series. "The Sword and the Flame" was not a drug-out I-want-to-write-a-third-book conclusion, but rather it was a great story on it's own