Product Description
The citadel of Torra Alta, won a millennium before from the indigenous dragons, is under attack. The Vaalakan army from the north, led by warrior-priest Morbak, draws near. The Runes of War, hidden for many centuries must be unearthed to protect the civilized lands of the south. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

The Runespell trilogy begins
Written as the first in a series of three novels comprising The Runespell Trilogy, this initial effort by Welch has the makings of an epic fantasy adventure. For centuries, the fortress Torre Alta has guarded the pass separating the vast northern wilderness from the civilized southern baronies. For generations, reputation alone has been sufficient to maintain the peace. But, times change and the residents of Torre Alta find themselves in the unenviable position of having to back up their reputation with action. Barbaric hordes from the north, the Vaalakans, are descending upon the rich and cultivated lands of Belbidia and focusing all their might upon breaking through Torre Alta's defenses.

As the novel opens, Baron Branwolf is preparing the fortress for the expected siege. Suspecting Vaalakan intruders in the labyrinths below the castle, Branwolf sends his younger half-brother, Hal, along with the search party but forbids his son, Caspar, to accompany them. Rashly, Spar defies his father and follows the group into the tunnels. When disaster separates the two boys from the group, they are forced to find their own way out. Instead, they find the Vaalakan spies and are taken captive, thus beginning a series of adventures with far-reaching consequences. Welch deftly uses many of the tools of traditional epics. Hal and Spar are both companions and rivals. Along the way they encounter friends and foes. What begins as a simple need to escape the enemy eventually becomes a long and intricate quest for the key to saving not just themselves, but Torre Alta and all of Belbidia from complete ruin. Treachery and betrayal, conflicting religious beliefs, inhuman evil and mysterious magic all play a role in this tale.

Welch is a vivid and descriptive author.Her characters are well drawn and finely detailed.They are also human, showing the faults and frailties we all possess.Welch even manages to make the enemy seem understandable at times.This is Welch's first published novel and it is quite good.It has some weak spots, but they did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel.However, it is important to remember that this is just the first installment in the trilogy.If you're looking for closure, you won't find it with this book.While some loose ends are wrapped up, most matters aren't truly resolved at the end; rather they just seem to pause for the next set of events. That's okay with me, I'm looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.

(...)

Flawed and Promising
I bought this because I had the pleasure of meeting the author, an exceedingly nice woman, at a get-together in Cambridge. Sadly the book isn't as charming as the person, but it's interesting enough.

I'll keep the plot summary short- like so many fantasy trilogies, it's a quest, as the young heir of a beseiged fortress meets up with an old crone and a druid-priestess-in-training on a quest to restore contact with the Mother, a forgotten Goddess with the power to repel the barbarian invaders from the North. Along for the ride is the heir's only-slightly-older uncle, and they ride north to where they think the Mother is buried.

I'll get the bad out of the way first. Early on, the book sets up a conflict between the old druid/pagan religion and the New Faith, a thinly veiled Christianity. However the conflict is rendered in extremely simplistic terms, often seeming like little more than "paganism good, Christianity bad", as the crone character takes continual digs at the New Faith with none of its adherents offering any sort of defense. The simplistic ideology picks on aspects of the New Faith (referring to God as He instead of She, persecution by its practictioners) that really aren't inherent to the belief system, and one line about the "insipid god of peace" just seems downright silly (historical evidence would show that people who worship "gods of peace" don't seem to be particularly handicapped in times of war- and in the setting itself, surely the persecution wouldn't have been so successful if the god of peace was that weak). In short it overlooks any kind of nuanced debate, though in Welch's defense it's not like she had room for such a thing in the traditional quest format. The book steps into an issue that it doesn't have the time to deal with intelligently or thoroughly. Maybe in subsequent installments the issue becomes more complex, but as a work in itself RUNES OF WAR has clearly bitten off more than it can chew.

But it's not a bad book, and if you're not turned off by the badly-rendered debate the actual action itself is fun. Make no mistake, Welch is a talented writer and the quest gets off to an interesting start, and the world- harsh, icy, and savage- does stand out in the mind. The setting description may well be the best part of the book, bringing the environment to life while avoiding mimickry of Tolkien's familiar geographical prose. The characters are broad but memorable for the most part, and the actual villains, the Valaakan barbarians (and their troll-mounts) are effective- threatening most of the time, occasionally amusing but never in a forced, comic-relief manner. There's also a dragon who manages to complicate matters well enough.

So, overall, THE RUNES OF WAR is an entertaining read, but the restraints of the trilogy format make it only a taste of whatmay follow. I hope next time Welch chooses an issue she has the space to deal with.

Very Engaging
I was hooked on this series from the moment I opened this book. Meet Caspar, Hal and Brid, as alone they undertake a difficult quest to save a kingdom. It sounds unoriginal but these books are very gripping as the reader can really relate to the three main characters, each with their different personalities. Jane Welch has created a fantastical world that will prove absorbing to any reader.This a strong beginning to a wonderful trilogy, so don't stop here - read them all!

Great start by truly gifted author.
This is an excellent debut book which gives a glimpse of the authors prodigous talent, which is later realised in the fourth book, 'The Lament Of Abalone". From the moment I first picked up The Runes Of War, I couldn't put it down. The colour and descriptiveness of the writing is extremely impressive - the opening scenes of a horse and cart struggling up a steep mountain path are so wonderfully written as to be indelibly imprinted on my memory.

Here we meet for the first time brash Hal - his arrogance refreshing from the normal 'all too humble' fantasy hero, and shy Casper, struggling to make an impact from the shadows of the stronger people around him. And Brid - a wonderfully modern, heroic woman that Mary Wolstencraft would have been proud of.

The story moves along at a good pace, all the while enjoyable and refreshing - the lines between good and evil become blurred as the 'heroes' are confronted by a people dying of starvation, acting purely on the will-to-live.

An impressive first effort from a truly gifted author.

Just anoher ordinary fantasy
I have just finished this book (1 day ago) but I must admit, that there is no big surprise I have expected. May be I am overloaded with all thosefantasy series (trilogy, pentalogy or X-logy... the more, the better). Thisone showing author's inklination to celtic mythology because hidden undermain plot there is hidden battle between old-fashioned religion lookinglike celtic derivate (Mother Earth, warshipping trees, earth, water, land)and new religion which seems like Christian (cathedrals, one Lord no onehas seen him ever). There is also dark power presented as dark god of Icewho now rules barbarian hordes through their shaman Morbak. So the basicplot is adventures of young Caspar, son of the Branwolf - lord of the TorraAlta stronghold (guarding so named mountain pass). Morbak with big army ofbarbarians moving to Torra Alta. Caspar is captured with his uncle Hal bybarbarian scouts just after they have found powerful magical artifact(Moonstone) in the cavs under Tora Alta. They are moved toward Morbak whenbeautiful girl acompanied with wolverine appears and help them run away.Have I to continue? I have looked forward this book, but after reading Imust say: "Just another ordinary fantasy series..." ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (9)

Stay tuned for the next installment
The second installment of the Runespell Trilogy picks up right where the first book left off. The tired company, including Spar, Brid and Hal, have just returned to Torre Alta bearing the Runes of War, which will protect the fortress for the next nine months. However, with hundreds of thousands of bloodthirsty Vaalakans ready to besiege the fortress, the Runes of War alone are not enough. They need to reunite the Trinity of the Old Faith - the Crone, the Mother and the Maiden. But Morrigwen, the Crone, is near death and an unknown enemy horribly, hopelessly traps Keridwen, the Mother. It is up to the Maiden, Brid, accompanied by Spar and Hal, to search for the mysterious Keepers who can lead them to the Druid's Egg. Their quest takes them further south into the treacherous lands of the New Faith, where recognition may lead to a fiery death. Along the way, the travelers suffer many trials and tribulations, encountering Inquisitors, Vaalakans, and mercenaries, to name just a few. They also receive help from some unexpected quarters.

Welch pays less attention to the events taking place at Torre Alta, but some of them are key to the plot. Treachery is afoot, but the besieged people are slow to realize it. Welch gives us some tantalizing glimpses, but little seems to come of it. Frankly, I found this a bit frustrating, but I suspect that all of the pieces will be coming together in the final volume of this series.

As with her previous novel, The Runes of War, Welch's descriptions are interesting and complete. Her character development continues to improve. It quickly becomes apparent that some of the main characters are dealing with a lot of inner turmoil. Friendship, rivalry and love will all have a part to play in the final outcome. Welch also has a lot to say about the female-based Old Religion and the male-oriented New Religion, including that the influence each one has on the relationships between men and women. One thing that I did find rather implausible was the way the group always manages to come through their troubles with money and supplies intact. Despite all their problems their purses never seem to be lost, their stomachs are rarely empty, and their clothes usually survive too! The Lost Runes ends on a positive note, but there is still much that needs to be done if Torre Alta, the Trinity, and the world are to be saved. Stay tuned for the next installment.

Highly Enjoyable!
I was really delighted to find that Jane Welch could improve upon `The Runes of War' but she certainly does in this second instalment as Caspar, Hal and Brid begin their journey to find the Runes. All of the characters become even more likeable- you can really feel them growing as the book progresses - especially Caspar as he battles with Hal over Brid's adoration.I honestly sat down and read this book in one evening- it's a really good page turner for people who like a good fantasy read.

A progressive follow-up effort from a truly gifted author.
This is an excellent book which gives a glimpse of the authors prodigous talent, which is later realised in the fourth book, 'The Lament Of Abalone". Following on from the impressive debut, The Runes Of War, the story picks up pace as the author solidifies her characters and brings extra cohesiveness to the plot. Once again, the colour and descriptiveness of the writing is wonderful, making for easy suspension of disbelief and stunning mental imagery.

There is a natural and realistic flow to the development of the characters - and it begins to become apparent who the real heroine of the story is. The interaction of arrogant Hal, shy Casper and high priestess Brid is superb, with all the complexities of a 3-way relationship dealt with very skillfully.

The story develops nicely, all the while enjoyable and refreshing - with the lines between good and evil still bleary as the 'heroes' are confronted by a people dying of starvation, acting purely on the will-to-live.

A top read !

Settles Somewhat Though Problems From First Book Persist
As with a previous reviewer, I continued this series from "Runes of War" hoping this series would find itsfocus. To a degree it has: description continues to be the series' strength, and the authorhas in large partabandoned the repetitive and unevolvingself-recrimination I found so wearisome with the characters of Spar and Branwolf in the first book. However, this remains a travel-boundtext, the ongoing and apparentlynever ending quest providing anexcuse for a fair number of incidental and--in terms of plotfocus--irrelevantadventures that are left to sustain thereader's interest. After a time this plot device becomes very wearisome and predictable.

The main characters, while evolvingsomewhat, still seem essentially rooted to the characters established in the first book, with often the secondary actors, such as May orCybillia, providing the greater characterdevelopment andinterest. The primary villains remain attenuated, serving only provide theoccasionalthreat, and again we find secondary figures such asGatto providing much of the conflict within thenarrative, whilemore important characters, such as Gwion, remain mostly as phantoms. And,afterdragging himself around through much of the book to littlepurpose, the dragon simply swims away into thesunset.

There is an uncomfortable and seemingly random blend of variousborrowings from myth and religion,creating a hodgepodgecosmology incorporating Nordic, Celtic, Christian, and Greco-Romantraditionsthat at times merge uneasily, such as with theSatanic rites revolving around the worship of Lokki. All ofthisseems baldly uninventive and derivitive, lacking the imaginitive strengthof authors such as Hobb,Jordan or Tolkien, who, though theyhave borrowed, recontextualized their mythic sources enough to in large part recreate their own cosmologies, or missing the narrative purityof others such as Kerr, Marillieror Bradley, who have chosen tocreate their stories around the legends of a particular mythology. This blithe tossing about of mythic references seems contrived andcarelessly implemented.

Finally, while descriptively rich,this alone is not enough to successfully carry the story. This tale needs greater and tighter plot development, as well as depth ofcharacterization. Also, the author has a bad habitof inaptlyusing language: The repeated and inappropriate use of individualwords--insipid hair and turgidair of apprehension but two ofmany instances, these words in particular problematic in their repeated usage--create unnecessary questions as to the author's understandingof language, unfortunate whenconsidering the strength of herdescription narrative elsewhere, though, in fairness, her editor shouldhavecaught this.

While I would not dismiss thistrilogy and, if allowed, would give it a half star more, the first twobookscontain persisting problems that do much to undermine andennervate its narrative and emotional power.Tighter plot focusand greater character development will be needed in future for thisauthor's work to riseabove the ordinary.

Please disregard this review if you enjoyed the first book
However if, like me, you didn't really enjoy the first book, but you have a vague desire to find out what happens and a vague hope that the series will improve, I suggest you give up now.As in the first book, the worldis well developed, the book is well written and there are some interestingideas.But the characters continue to be annoying and the plot continuesto dawdle.I gave up on this book halfway through, which is probably theworst thing I could say about a book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (10)

Nicely Done Jane
It is rare these days to see a Fantasy series which starts out as a trilogy to actually end as one.

Even more rare is a Triology that is as fulfilling and as complete as this feels.

As this is the final in the series, I was expected this book to be a nice ending to a very enjoyable story, with all the ends nicely tied.While The Runes of Sorcery does this exceptionally well, I was thrilled that the story kept building well into the final quarter of the book without any hint of the conclusion feeling rushed.(But what happened to the little Albino dragon Jane?)

The Runes of Sorcery follows Brid - a Priestess (or witch of sorts), Caewulf - A Knight, 2 Boys - Caspar a teenage Heir to the Barony and Hal - his hot headed uncle, and Cybillia - a (less often) swooning Damsel, through the final stage of their quest. From the keepers of the old Faith in The Godess of Nature (The Mother), they seek salvation for their Country Belbidia from the Northern Hordes, currently laying seige to the boys home.Magical weapons of great power are placed into the hands of the boys whom the Mother decrees as their rightful wielders - though it seems a strange choice.In the end we love the characters all and feel satisified in their choices and pleased with the outcome.

While this trilogy does not ooze Total wonder like George RR Martin's Game of Thrones, The Chronicles of Narnia, or Lord of the Rings, it is compelling and well written, if perhaps typically feminine in style.Well done Jane: I hope there are more.

Almost five starts... but fascinanting anyway
The story of Spar, Hal and Brid continues in this third and final novel of the trilogy. At the conclusion of The Lost Runes the group had located the Keeper's cauldron and found the lost runes, necessary for locating the Druid's Egg. Unfortunately, while doing this they accidentally set loose the runes of sorcery, inadvertently freeing creatures of ominous magic. Joined by the Caldean mercenary, Ceowulf, and the maiden, Cybillia, and pursued by foes, both real and magical, the race is on for the Druid's Egg.

Meanwhile at Torre Alta, the heartstone has been stolen and the runes of war have been defaced. Their protection against the evil forces of the Valaakans is quickly waning, but the valiant defenders continue to hold the fortress. Spar and company have no way of knowing this, but they can feel the urgency to find the Egg. Not only will it provide the protection Torre Alta needs, it will help to free the Mother, Keridwen, and contain the magical creatures striving to come into being. If the Egg falls into the wrong hands, all manner of evil will become loosed in the world.

By following the clues provided by the lost runes, the group traverses much of the known world. There are many obstacles in their paths and challenges to be overcome. The knowledge that time is running out provides the group with the incentive to continue their quest.

As the story progresses, many things that were previously hinted at become clearer. Welch provides a richly detailed narrative and continues to expand on the personalities and motivations of her characters. She wraps up all of the various threads she has woven into a satisfactory, if somewhat predictable, conclusion. I must admit that I saw several of the plot twists coming earlier in this series, but Welch still managed to include an unexpected element or two. All in all, I enjoyed this trilogy and am looking forward to the further exploits of this group which are described in Welch's next trilogy, The Book of Önd.

A good read for fans of fantasy!
This series is nicely polished off in this final instalment. I was very much drawn into Welch's kingdom by this final book and I finished the series regretting I had read it so fast! It's a well written trilogy that really pulls in the reader with everything a fantasy series could hope for - dragons, swords, magic, a beautiful maiden, and the quest to save a kingdom; and also well written with absorbing characters. A definite must for all fans of fantasy who are looking for a new series to conquer.

Excellent conclusion to impressive opening trilogy.
The third book in Jane Welch's Runespell Trilogy, The Runes Of Sorcery concludes what amounts to a fantastic opening effort from this imaginative and gifted author. This is another excellent book which gives a glimpse of the authors prodigous talent - later realised in the fourth book, 'The Lament Of Abalone".

Following on from the impressive debut, The Runes Of War, and the riveting second installment, The Lost Runes, the story flies headlong to a pulsating conclusion. Once again, the colour and descriptiveness of the writing is wonderful, making for easy suspension of disbelief and stunning mental imagery.

There is a continued natural flow to the development of the characters - the interaction of arrogant Hal, shy Casper and high priestess Brid is superb, with the ever-building complexities of a 3-way relationship dealt with very realistically.

The plot itself concludes skillfully, all the while enjoyable and refreshing as harsh choices and self preservation weigh down on the heroes much as the glacier on Keridwen.

A must-read book!

A good first attempt
Well, I can't really overshadow that review up the top there, because it is very comprehensive, and most of the time, completely correct. But regardless, I hate to leave a story unfinished, so I read the rest of the series. I've never been a major critic, basically immersing myself with the story of the book, but this series had some really fatal flaws. The main problem, in my opinion, was the lack of character development. Throughout the entire series (bar the last 100 pages), the characters were entirely predictable, and in all essence, the same, static personalities. The second major problem was the repeated use of the same adverbs and adjectives, such as raven-haired youth, or auburn, stoically, and laconically. After reading them all enough times to make you scream, it becomes a really tedious read. Thirdly, the lack of happening in the plot was very annoying. The entire of the first book seemed like a prelude to the story, until it was realised that it was just like the next... The overall idea of a quest was dragged out for far too long, and by placing in so many diversions that really didn't add to the story, the author seemed to be simply waffling on. Fourthly, the lack of historical knowledge about the world was evident, as many things were added in on the spur of the moment. Compared to many other books that I have read, there was a largely insecure backing by the legends and histories of the past. Fifthly, inconsistensies were rife throughout the whole series. These include in the plot, what people say, and the map. Really, these should have been picked up by the editor, but... Lastly, the lack of innovation and invention was fairly apalling. Many of the place names, and people's names were almost, if not straight copies from other books, myths, and legends. The idea of the inquisition period was fine, but too many references to other things were included.

However, the love story, as all fantasy books have to have, was charming. Although it was seemingly incomplete, as it was not the protagonist who got the girl, the story was prolonged enough to make the final "I love you" seem very satisfactory indeed. But then again, I guess I always fall for the love stories...

The series was a good first attempt for a new author. Although only slightly above the run-of-the-mill fantasy book, the last 200 pages showed some talent that could easily be harnessed and put to great use.

However, I must let you make your own judgements, and if nothing else, enjoy the book. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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Wonderful Insight
I had Jane Welch Williams as an art history professor at the University ofArizona. She knew her subject so well, and loved to share her knowledgewith others. History wasn't just something that happened long ago, it wassomething real. She passed away this Spring, she will be missed. ... Read more

Product Description
Title: Biographic Clinics: the Origin of the Ill-Health of George Eliot, George Henry Lewes, Wagner, Parkman, Jane Welch [!] Carlyle, Spencer, Whittier, Margaret Fuller Ossoli, and NietzscheVolume: 2General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1903Original Publisher: P. Blakiston's Son and Co.Subjects: EyestrainEyeEye-strainNotes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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The first book in a new epic fantasy trilogy by British author Jane Welch.Prince Rollo's world is shattered by the death of his mother, Queen Ursula. But even before he can grieve he faces the bitter disappointment of being overlooked as his mother's heir in favour of his younger sister; as only the female line in Artor's Royal family inherit the magical power to control the Great Bears of Artor (a talent every sovereign must possess). Seething with self loathing, grief and disappointment Rollo focuses his anger and resentment upon his father.Deeply concerned for his son Spar decides to leave his daughter, now Artor's Queen, and take 13 year old Rollo half way across the world to Torra Alta, his barony in Belbidia, to claim the only birthright left to him.But fifteen years have passed since Spar left Hal and Brid as guardians of his remote fortress and in the intervening years, many things have changed. Beasts of legend have grown in strength and will. A huge golden dragon plagues the mountains and swarms of Hobs ransack the fertile plains of Belbidia.Fourteen years ago the Chalice of Ond, was lost.A sacred artefact with the power to transfer the magic of one object to another the chalice is the only explanation for the rising threat. If this powerful weapon has fallen into the wrong hands the dawn of a dark age will come to Belbidia. ... Read more

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466 pp, Contains index to vol. I-XXIII of the proceedings & vol. I-V of the quarterly. Contents include "The Niagara Frontier", "Old Fort Niagara", "Buffalo and the Presidents", "Suffern's Tavern", "The United Empire Loyalists", "Biographical Sketvh of Horace A.Moses",and more. Illustrated by Photos and map. ... Read more