Mike Jefferies-The Loremasters of Elundium-I'm scared!!!!

[danlo]

Published by Harper in 1986 The Loremasters of Elundium was written by Mike Jefferies a British author I've never really heard of before. The first book, which I just purcashed for the astounding price of 26 cents (I have a paperback exchange acct.) is titled The Road to Underfall. This the 1st book in a trilogy followed by Palace of the Kings and Shadowlight.

My instincts are pretty good about picking out the right book when I know nothing about it-but the blurb on the cover immediately scares me and promotes skepticism: "Classic fantasy in the great tradition of Tolkien and Donaldson" Well, that's a danger sign right there! Images of Brooks and the crappier Dragonlance books come crawling out of the shadows...

I've read about 10 pages so far and it's choppy, but seems to hold promise. The cover is extremely cool but they fail to list the artist. It actually sort of looks like a cross between Mordor and Revelstone, if such a thing is possible. Has anyone heard of this guy Jefferies? Has anyone read this stuff? Shall I be adventurous and go ahead? Or am I being foolish and wasting my time? Help me! Please either inspire me or sooooomebody STOP ME!

[I'm Murrin]

*checks out amazon UK*
(hey, he's an artist too - he wrote a book for Collins Learn To Draw Series)

Interesting cover (lots of green, right?), but there aren't any reviews... from the short blurb and the cover, it looks interesting though... Hmm.. I may check it out myself....

[danlo]

Yes the same cover! Is he the artist? The arch-nemesis has a great, name, at least: Krulshards. Well Murrin either we both discover a whole new world or we go down in flames together!

[I'm Murrin]

Oh, I'll hear your opinion on it before I get to read it, I think - I've still got the Reality Dysfunction and the rest of that series, Mordant's Need, Ring, and another book someone (you?) recommended a couple of days ago to read first.

[snake0024]

I haven't read his Loremasters of Elundium series, though I am currently red his Heirs to Gnarlsmyre duology, the first book being Glitterspike Hall. I'm on the second book right now, Hall of Whispers, and so far I find the series quite mediocre.

The world of Gnarlsmyre is quite interesting, though the story and characters are quite mediocre. The story is about the land of Gnarlsmyre, which is in the same world as Elundium, though on the otherside of Rainbow's End, and takes place fifteen to twenty years after the edning of the Loremasters of Elundium trilogy. Gnarlsmyre is a land of marshes, where all dry land is prized, and because of the lack of dry land, there is only one city in the entire realm, Glor. The king of the realm is lord Miresnare, who has failed to sire an heir, and refuses to let his first-born daughter be his heir, so she goes on a quest to claim the throne.

He also includes artwork throughout the book, some of it is quite good, though some it is also very bad

[I'm Murrin]

Hey snake, thanks for the info.

[danlo]

That's good to know snake! As I am already finding disturbing writing techniques 50 pages into Road. I was never a fan of "flashback" battle sequences. 'Only a few of King Hoblian's great army survived after Krulshards and the Nightbeasts devaste them-and here are their recounts..' *sticks finger in mouth* and the Magician making huge objects and people appear out of his magnificent Rainbow Cloak-without explanation? What are they doing? Having a party in there?! I'll give it 50 more pages before it is summoned to the landfill. (But I might cut the cover off-it really is quite cool!)

[Roland of Gilead]

Yeah, it's been my experience that when a writer does those "after the fact" reported action sequences, it means he can't write action sequences.

[danlo]

Krulshards and the Nightbeasts -interesting name for a band...hmmm.

[snake0024]

lol

Finished Hall of Whispers this afternoon, I still think that the world of Gnarlsmyre was an interesting idea, though the story and chracters remain quite mediocre. One scene I quite liked (spoilers) was when the head of the kitchens is complaining that there is not enough food, and when the wet seasons come (when everything floods, andit is constantly raining heavily) everyone in the city will starve, and after complaining for about ten pages, she decides to throw a feast in honour of the first queen of Gnarlsmyre, and after the feast, she goes on to complain that because of the feast, which was her idea, there will now be no hope of feeding th people of the city. After reading that, I felt like throwing the book in the fire, though I kept reading, to find more similar things occuring.

[Ryzel]

I have read a book or two by Mike Jeffries. By the fact that I do not remember anything else about them and that I did not bother looking up more books by him I guess that I found it mediocre at best.

[danlo]

Yes, the book in question did find it's way to the landfill, replaced by The Dragonbone Chair. And I'm all the better for it!