The Renshai Trilogy 2: The Western Wizard Mass Market Paperback – 27 Aug. 1992

I'm enjoying these way more than I expected.So this starts off pretty much where book one finished but it spans a much longer timeline. The first part is the restoration of Sterrane but soon enough there is a jump of ten years. The first book was Rache, Mitrian and Garn as our main POV's and we do get some of them again but this book is pretty much all Colbey and I loved it. Colbey has a lot to deal with in this book, from re-examining his beliefs somewhat and what the new Renshai should be, to his own fate in relation to the consequences to that meeting with the Western Wizard and the realisation that he has become so skilled he might never die in battle and attain Valhalla.Colbey is such an interesting character. He is the last true Renshai and was brought up when they were at their most ferocious. He has been training with the sword every day since he was a toddler and by the end of this book he is in his seventies so now his skill is balanced with wisdom. There is more to him than meets the eye and by the end of book he is pretty broken. It is refreshing to read about a much older warrior and his longevity is explained mostly in the book though I think there are a few more things going on that haven't been revealed yet.The world has opened up more in this book and we learn more about the Cardinal Wizards and their part in maintaining the balance set up by Odin. It's also a pretty melancholic book in that the author is not afraid to kill of characters, sometimes in the most brutal and tragic way. She's ahead of her time in this sense. The gods still haven't played too much a part as of yet but I am convinced the stakes are going to be raised even more in the next volume.There are a few things off, the pacing is a bit off in places and one character seems to have only been introduced to provide a dilemma for Colbey and plant doubts in the relationship between Colbey and Shadimar. Other than that though I really enjoyed it and have been making time every evening to read which I haven't done for a while. Very much looking forward to the conclusion.4.5 stars rounded down.

This is my second time around for these books. My first time around was library rental !!! Fantastic story.

ok

Great book

This is an excellent book, and a very entertaining read. The adventures of Colbey keep you on tenderhooks until you find out what happens. Well worth the money.