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The Tides of Artalon

By K. Scott Lewis

IR_Star-black
IR Rating:
3.0
Overall, THE TIDES OF ARTALON is a fitting end to the series. The resolution for the characters makes the story worth reading for those who have been following the adventure.
A fitting end to Lewis’s rich high fantasy series, THE TIDES OF ARTALON wraps up the character arcs for all of the series’s numerous characters.

THE TIDES OF ARTALON picks up immediately after where Covenant left off and tells of the events following Aradma’s capture, Athra’s reincarnation, Tiberan’s return, and the revelation about the truth of the gods. Once all of the characters are situated, Lewis jumps forward in time by a decade to where the world these characters cherish is falling to ruin as the many peoples of Ahmbren fight over the city of Artalon and thus the future of the gods. The characters of Anuit, Arda, Tiberan, and Aradma must work together to overcome the black dragon Klrain and the control he has over Aradma and her daughter. Then, in order to truly thwart the gods and regain balance in Ahmbren, the four seals of Light, Dark, Life, and Time must join and find the Stag Throne.

THE TIDES OF ARTALON covers a lot of ground, which while impressive in terms of the amount of world-building and character development, is also the novel’s downfall. It is simply too long for a single installment and the pacing suffers. Lewis addresses the thoughts and feelings of every major character, of which there are many. The novel jumps around between multiple points of view, occasionally spending more time on one character than is necessary. At this point in the series, it’s not so much a matter of being confused as to who is who as it is a general feeling of exhaustion. All of the characters serve a purpose, but there is too much going on for one book. The entire subplot of Seredith, the revenant, and her apprentices seems extraneous and as if it doesn’t affect the main plot at all. The other plots all feel relevant, but maybe drag on a little too long. It’s not that the book should be split, because it is a cohesive story; it’s just that some of the arcs could use pruning.

Despite the excessive length, the characters that Lewis has created remain fascinating examples of the author’s control over his world. All of the characters have greatly evolved over the series, learning to accept themselves with all of their faults and master their powers. The last third of THE TIDES OF ARTALON moves quickly because it focuses on Lewis’s strength, the emotions of the characters and their reactions to the worlds around them.

Overall, THE TIDES OF ARTALON is a fitting end to the series. The resolution for the characters makes the story worth reading for those who have been following the adventure.

~IndieReader.

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