| $@%&! level: Low “Bedroom” level: Medium-Low (the wedding night is very tastefully done) Violence level: Medium Back Cover: “Finally the knight Sparhawk had come to possess Bhelliom, the legendary jewel of magic. With it, he frees Queen Ehlana from the crystalline cocoon that preserves her life, but Bhellion carries dangers of its own. And now Sparkhawk is being stalked by a dark lurking menace that is only the beginning of his troubles....” |
But, even if it is a bit unusual, it's still really well done. Yes, the characters still have this strange belief that no one could possibly overhear them if they're talking inside a tent, but by the third book you've gotten more or less used to the idea of sound-proof tents. And the way the story develops is particularly satisfying. Watching Ehlana snaring Sparhawk is especially good, of course. It's a slightly surprising love story, since he drags his feet every step of the way, but I doubt she'd have gotten him to admit he loved her any other way. He's that kind of character.
And then there's the next journey quest and final confrontation, which manage somehow to not seem tacked on at the end. I think the secret of that really is that it's been brewing while they dealt with the more immediate problem, so that you sort of know from the beginning that eventually they're going to have to deal with this. I think my very favorite part of the whole book was the maze that leads to the big showdown. That's got to be the cleverest use of a maze I've ever seen, and I'm surprised no one else ever thought of it.
Altogether, a worthwhile trilogy to read. My only real complaint (aside from the thing about tents) is that I don't feel quite as emotionally invested in these characters as I like, and since I don't know why that is, it's not something that I can offer real criticism about.