A Cast of Stones by Patrick W. Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book has been in my to-read ebook file for almost 4 years. I think I dragged my feet on it because I knew it was the first of a series, and I never felt I had the time to devote to a series. Until now. And maybe I don’t really have the time now, we’ll see!
Mr. Carr did a good job of creating an alternate world within a world we all understand. I like that kind of fantasy. It’s sort of Piers Anthony without the slap-stick humor. The premise is – as is so often in fantasy novels because it works well – a run-of-mill village lad who turns out to be something else entirely, and the weight of the world falls on his shoulders. But the hero of this book is a little less than run-of-mill. It’s fun to read and watch as he develops into a character the reader can pull for, and speculate on just who he will turn out to be in the end. Which, of course, we don’t know as of the end of A Cast of Stones. One must continue the series with The Hero’s Lot to find the answer to that question. I’m looking forward to book two.
Pegg Thomas 