Official Review: The Aduramis Chronicles: The Definitive ...

[joshfee77]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Aduramis Chronicles: The Definitive Collection" by Harrison Davies.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Aduramis Chronicles: The Definitive Collection by Harrison Davies is a fantasy trilogy consisting of Destiny of the Wulf, Underworld and The New World.

Orcs and trolls from Madorine raid the village of Arrom, angry that they have not received their supply of fish from a village elder after assisting the village the previous winter. Young boy Coinin (7) and his brother Marrok (10) lose their parents in the violence. Their dying father sends them to live with their uncle, Draken. Over the years, Draken works them hard but also trains them in swordplay and the magical arts. Ten years later, he takes them to see a dwarf, Trenobin, who transports them to an island and the Temple of Rindor. Here, their uncle Draken's treachery unwittingly unleashes a goblin army on the enchanted city.

Legend states that the two boys will help The Brotherhood of the Wulf rid the world of Er'ath of injustice and a threat to their existence. Coinin soon discovers that Death (Mort) wants to challenge the ruler of the gods, Rindor, to rule in his place. If the Swords of Cerathil are not joined together in a ritual once every thousand years, Rindor's brothers and sisters are free to challenge him to rule. With five years remaining, Coinin takes up the role of Curator to lead the search for the swords. Marrok becomes Coinin's general, to command his troops.

I am always impressed at how fantasy writers craft entire worlds from scratch. While they do draw from familiar character types and settings, it is the detail that captures the reader and enriches the tale. Davies does descriptive detail exceptionally well. One gets the sense that he sees each scene and setting vividly in his mind as he writes. I enjoyed his writing style from the beginning. His prose is easy to read and never boring. The overall plot of the trilogy is quite complicated, with a plethora of characters, but the story moves continually forward, with plenty to hold the reader's interest. I quickly became immersed in the world of Er'ath.

The characters are interesting and complex, with no "all good" or "all bad" stereotypes. For example, a couple of orcs (usually violent) are friendly and compassionate. The reader even feels some sympathy for Lordich Secrecar, the "evil" wizard, who has been blinded by his hatred for The Brotherhood, whom he believes failed him at a crucial moment, causing the deaths of his wife and daughter. Characters also grow and change throughout the books. Coinin and Jericho, a general, are driven by their grief at losing loved ones, while Draken finds his true love, bringing him back to Rindor and causing him to repent his past evil acts.

The first book features a great cliffhanger ending, as Marrok is kidnapped by sky pirates on the Blackheart, the most feared of all pirate airships. There are plenty of supernatural occurrences and elements of horror, especially about Death, war and frightening creatures such as orcs and dragons. The dialogue remains true to character types, such as coarse speech and slang from pirates, and particular idiosyncrasies for children.

The major theme in the trilogy is religious faith. Both Marrok and Draken Wulf find their way back to the god Rindor through repentance of sin after earlier denouncing their faith. Another theme is racism, such as a "purebred" elf guide who has disdain for the impure elves living in his city. Coinin - the trilogy's "moral compass" - finds this racism abhorrent, believing every living being has equal value.

The only negative aspect of The Aduramis Chronicles is a lack of professional editing. The most common issue is missing or incorrect punctuation, such as commas in unnecessary places. Apostrophes are sometimes used incorrectly in plurals, and not used to indicate ownership. There are also many sentences which could be reduced in length, though this is probably a fine line to tread since fantasy is by nature very descriptive. Also, the third book, at almost half the length of the entire trilogy, felt a little drawn-out at times. I believe it could afford to lose a hundred or more pages of subplot without sacrificing the main plot.

I rate The Aduramis Chronicles: The Definitive Collection 3 out of 4 stars. With professional editing, it would easily be 4 stars. The world is beautifully constructed, the description is excellent and the characters are believable. The climactic battle scenes are powerful and engaging, and the plot has enough to keep the reader turning the page. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This trilogy would appeal to any devotee of the fantasy genre, but it is a lengthy journey, so definitely not suited to those who lose patience with longer books.

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Editor's Note: This book was professionally edited. The few lingering typos noted by the reviewer have since been fixed as well.
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The Aduramis Chronicles: The Definitive Collection
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[Ginnamassa19]

I love fantasy, and this sounds like something I'd like to read! (I especially like what you mentioned about there being grey areas and no completely good or bad character; flaws always make characters feel real.) It's just unfortunate that the editing wasn't stellar--that can really take away from full immersion.

Thank you for your detailed critique!

[arcie72]

Your review set the stage well for this world and the characters we are going to meet. I love it when the author can transport the reader into the pages of his story. It says a lot when stated that the imagery of the scenes can come to life. I also love easy to read books. This book sounds like its a fast action packed story. Thank you for your very detailed review.

[Elizabeth Pass]

I debated reading this but wasn't sure I could commit to such a long series. Sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed it though, and I'm glad I got to read your review. I like the twist on morality and prejudice.

[meadhbh]

I don't usually read a lot of these kinds of high fantasy books, as I think it's difficult to make them interesting and unique. This one, at least, seems to be very well written though, so maybe I'll give it a go.

[joshfee77]

I love fantasy, and this sounds like something I'd like to read! (I especially like what you mentioned about there being grey areas and no completely good or bad character; flaws always make characters feel real.) It's just unfortunate that the editing wasn't stellar--that can really take away from full immersion.

Thank you for your detailed critique!

Yeah, it would have been brilliant with decent editing. I agree with you that noticing such errors can take you out of the story a bit. Still a great read though if you enjoy fantasy. Highly recommended.

[joshfee77]

Your review set the stage well for this world and the characters we are going to meet. I love it when the author can transport the reader into the pages of his story. It says a lot when stated that the imagery of the scenes can come to life. I also love easy to read books. This book sounds like its a fast action packed story. Thank you for your very detailed review.

Definitely an author who loves his description and has a clear vision of the settings and characters he describes. Really enjoyed this aspect of the trilogy. Well worth a read.

[joshfee77]

I debated reading this but wasn't sure I could commit to such a long series. Sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed it though, and I'm glad I got to read your review. I like the twist on morality and prejudice.

To be honest, I was a bit worried when I took this one on that I might struggle to read over 1600 pages within the time limit. But I ended up reading it in 14 days! Really got into the story, just a shame the editing side was neglected a bit.

[joshfee77]

I don't usually read a lot of these kinds of high fantasy books, as I think it's difficult to make them interesting and unique. This one, at least, seems to be very well written though, so maybe I'll give it a go.

I usually read more crime thrillers and horror rather than fantasy, but this trilogy was excellent (aside from the editing). Very well written and highly entertaining.

[Bianka Walter]

The character development of this story sounds stellar. I love it when the author takes the time to build the cast, especially in a long series.
I hope the author takes your advice, though, and puts the books through another round of proofreading.
Your review made the story come alive, I really enjoyed it Well done on tackling such a long series, I'm really glad it was worth it!

[joshfee77]

The character development of this story sounds stellar. I love it when the author takes the time to build the cast, especially in a long series.
I hope the author takes your advice, though, and puts the books through another round of proofreading.
Your review made the story come alive, I really enjoyed it Well done on tackling such a long series, I'm really glad it was worth it!

Thanks! A particularly talented fantasy author, just needing a final edit. Very enjoyable nonetheless. Real escapism.

[Helen_Combe]

Great review. I’m always astonished at how many authors pour so much work into a book and then skip the editing step. Such a shame as it sounds like a very well worked book.

[kfwilson6]

If you can find a trilogy so enjoyable as to finish it rather quickly instead of struggling to make it through that many pages, it must be quite good. This sounds like something my husband would enjoy. We both like a good fantasy series but whenever I hear about orcs I always think of Lord of the Rings. Unlike the rest of society, I am just not an LoR fan. Great review. I'm sure it was a challenge to summarize something that lengthy.

[joshfee77]

Great review. I’m always astonished at how many authors pour so much work into a book and then skip the editing step. Such a shame as it sounds like a very well worked book.

Yes, I’ve never understood the lack of final editing with some books. To me this is the crucial step to stand out from the pack! But a fantastic story nonetheless.

[joshfee77]

If you can find a trilogy so enjoyable as to finish it rather quickly instead of struggling to make it through that many pages, it must be quite good. This sounds like something my husband would enjoy. We both like a good fantasy series but whenever I hear about orcs I always think of Lord of the Rings. Unlike the rest of society, I am just not an LoR fan. Great review. I'm sure it was a challenge to summarize something that lengthy.

Yeah, I was actually surprised by how easy it was to read and how much I enjoyed it! I used to read fantasy in my youth but mostly read thrillers and horror now. But this one was definitely worthwhile.