THE OBSIDIAN KEY

Author: Eldon Thompson ISBN: 006074152X 6/2006 FANTASY Publisher: EOS

The Age of Man, so quickly heralded, is already under siege. Shaken by the catastrophic war with the Demon Queen Spithaera, Pentania wrestles with a new world of possibility and potential disaster: creatures of wonder and nightmare are returning. And humanity will never be the same. In his epic battle with the Demon Queen, young Jarom became Torin, King of Alson. Now, with bitter foes on all sides, he must forge his kingdom from the ruins of an empire and begin anew. But it is too soon to forget the past entirely. For in recklessly reclaiming the Crimson Sword of Asahiel, Torin reopened a dimensional realm no longer sealed by the power of the Obsidian Key. And now from history's darkest hour pour the terrifying Illysp, foul spirits who possess the bodies and enslave the souls of men. As the enemy advances, Torin must undertake a dangerous voyage to reveal the secrets of an ancient lost people who once overcame these powerful marauders. But both enemies of old and the unknown have different plans for king and country, and even if Torin can return, it may already be too late.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

The straw that broke the horse's back... THE OBSIDIAN KEY by Eldon Thompson is that straw for me. I promise you that this is my last straight, all out fantasy book that I will review that doesn't even have one iota of romance in the plot. While reading it (and I will admit that it took me a long time to read it), all I kept thinking about was my somewhat nerdy, junior high school boyfriend who loved Final Fantasy and all those role-playing games. I should give him a call and give him this book as I'm sure he'll enjoy it more than I did (I did break up with him for a reason, you know).

THE OBSIDIAN KEY is the second book in The Legend of Asahiel, and no, I haven't read the first book titled, THE CRIMSON SWORD (and no, I don't plan to, either). Which brings me to a problem I have with THE OBSIDIAN KEY—you HAVE to read the first book so you know what's going on in this book. Plain and simple.

My take on what this book is about is pretty cut and dried: Torin, King of Alson, needs to toughen up and kick the butt of some very powerful foes. Bring it on!

Although THE OBSIDIAN KEY really wasn't a very entertaining read for me, I will say that Eldon Thompson is a talented author. I'm sure that this book and series has a great amount of followers. I'm also sure that if I read the first book, I would maybe appreciate this one a bit more (somehow I doubt that, though). Any way you want to look at it, if you like fantasy books, then this book is probably going to be a great read for you. On the other hand, if your mind starts to boggle at around chapter two, then maybe you should look for something else to read.

THE OBSIDIAN KEY by Eldon Thompson, is great for the die-hard epic fantasy reader; however, not so good for the romance reader.

Julie Kornhausl