Runes of Battle

Sometimes the second book in a trilogy will be little more than a transition from a great opening to a thrilling close. Runes of Battle suffers no such fate.

Adelais is on the run. When she thinks she's alone, no help, no resources, things look bleak. Anakritim are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to capture her, often just a jump or two behind her, and she is far from home.

But hope is not lost. She is able to find shelter at an out-of-the-way hunting lodge that belongs to her friend Agnes, now married to Lord de Fontenay. There she finds rest and training, both in swordcraft and in the rune magic that runs in her veins.

Even though there are parts of the story that are calmer than others, Gudgion writes them in such a way that the tension of potential capture always pulls things along. Adelais is never truly safe, and it is in the moments when she starts to think she can breathe that danger catches up to her.

Ghislain Barthram is his usual driven self, intent on bringing Adelais to his version of justice. Does anyone else envision this guy when they read about Barthram?



Just me? Carry on, then.

Adelais has the opportunity to learn more about her rune magic from Elyse. I'm fascinated by the Norse mythology underlying the story, and I enjoyed reading more about Adelais' powers and seeing her start to grow into them. II appreciated that the story allowed her time to grow stronger, both physically and magically, before whatever trials she'll face in the third book.

The book offers food for thought about organized religion and the all-too-human politics that can sometimes be found at work there. We see a lot more interaction between the religious rulers and the secular, and see how they're working together to go against someone who could actually be blessed by their god, if they'd just stop to see it. It also raises the question of whether a god Adelais doesn't claim faith in can use her for his own reasons, which is interesting. Goodness knows God used lots of folks who didn't believe in Him in the Bible.

Trust and betrayal, growth and change, magic and mystery. The book is chock full of them all. What does the rest of the story hold for Adelais? Will she be the lightning that the runes foretold, the fate weaver her country has been looking for? Bring on book three and let's find out!