Jon of Dun Add has created a civilization where before there had only been isolated pockets of humanity in a shattered cosmos.
Young knight Pal is one of the most respected members of Lord Jon’s Hall of Champions. But Pal’s greatest talent lies not on the field of battle, though he’s no slouch there. He is also a Maker, one who can repair the tools the Ancients had left–sometimes. Moreover, he has learned to use his warrior dog’s ability to predict motion better than any human could, an ability that has saved his skin and won the day more than once.
Now, Pal will need all his talent—as a fighter, as a Maker, as a Champion—to deal with the monsters the Waste throws at him—and to deal with his fellow humans. For there are those who would destroy Dun Add, and Lord Jon’s vision of a humanity united in peace, from within….
The Serpent is the third and final book in the Time of Heroes series and a sequel to “The Storm.” The series is based on the early Arthurian tales filled with all manners of adventures and challenges. We continue to follow Pal as he continues his adventures through the Commonwealth.
This is a sci-fi future setting in which reality has shattered and mankind is scattered through small pockets or nodes of safety. Surrounding the nodes is the Wasteland filled with dangerous creatures and the unknown. The Commonwealth of Mankind is attempting to unite these nodes of safety by sending out their Champions to settle feuds, slay monsters, and discover pathways between the nodes.
You are still following Pal, who is essentially a knight on a quest. It reads a lot like the old ballads and tales where you skip the whole journey and just get the juicy parts.
The first two books in the series were good, however I did not enjoy this nearly as much. It’s a short, fast, fun read, but it lacks the depth of the other two books. There are way too many characters for a book this short, and the whole book almost feels like it is an outline for something bigger. Perhaps these were stories he had to cut out of the other two books? Overall, your main character does not advance or learn anything. There is no real progression in Pal’s journey and the overall story arc has no advancement.
My biggest problem in this was the editing. It seemed choppy and the proofreader missed a lot of errors.
Written by: David Drake
Cover Art by: Todd Lockwood
How we rate our Books
1 = We finished the book with effort
2 = Readable, but more fluff than substance
3 = Good
4 = Pretty Good and worth passing on to your friends
5 = We couldn’t put the book down
