Review of To Rule a World

[Rajnee Varma]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "To Rule a World" by Steven Herzman.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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To Rule a World is a fantasy novel written by Steven Herzman. The story is set in a world called Dracos, which is inhabited by dwarves, elves, dragons, ogres, trolls, reptilians, and other strange creatures in addition to humans. Tanis Thalin was a human child born out of wedlock as the result of a forced union by his father, Lord McCryden, upon his mother. She was killed by McCryden, but Tanis was saved and tutored by the bard, Artituos, and adopted by the Elven King, Toirin Talis. There was a prophecy about Tanis being the Phoenix who would rule the world. His elven wife and son were killed by the Lord of Death, the Dark Knight of Argos. He married Athinina, a Tyris warrior woman, but before she could tell him of her pregnancy, he was killed in the battle with the demons. But he was recognized as Askanitowa, one of the immortals, and a Phoenix. How true was the prophecy, and how would the future shape up for Dracos and its people? This makes the fascinating story narrated by Artitous in the third-person perspective.

The story features many races and intriguing characters, both good and evil. The language of the book reminds one of the old folklore and fairy tales: mysterious and suspenseful. The story of the struggle for power and wars between different races is depicted through the life of Tanis. The evil races unite against the good forces and also fight each other to dominate the world. Druids, wizards, and bards play significant roles in the story, and magical creatures and beasts pop up in the most unexpected places and situations, surprising the readers. Ancient cities buried for millennia and civilizations long lost make the story quite interesting. The cultures, traditions, and customs of different races are interesting and described nicely, but the warrior women of the Tyris race are the most fascinating characters, amazingly free of inhibitions and coyness.

The author has focused more on events than the emotions of the characters. Artitous plays a pivotal role as the savior, friend, and tutor of Tanis and his family. The number of characters is overwhelmingly large, and they illustrate various aspects of human nature and also of other races in the story. Friendship, love, betrayal, cunningness, jealousy, and rivalry are shown beautifully, but the masterfully described battles and the war strategies are the winners. Tanis and Athinina are shown as courageous and intelligent warriors and diplomatic rulers who have friends among various races. The characters of the twin brothers, Thomas and Torlin, illustrate the complexity of human behavior and are remarkably well-developed. The story takes the reader into a unique realm of fantasy where the perpetual conflict between good and evil continues. There is nothing negative about the plot or story, but the editing is noticeably poor. I found too many typos to ignore, and hence I deducted one star from the rating. My overall rating of the book is 4 out of 5 stars.

The story is quite engaging and does not have any unpleasant, explicit details of violence or any mature content. It is therefore suitable for young readers too. It will be most enjoyed by readers who are fond of fantasy and magical stories, especially those depicting wars involving magic and mysterious beasts and creatures.

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To Rule a World
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[Kutloano Makhuvhela]

Wow! The review was soo detailed. I loved how you wrote the summary, making sure it was enticing and captivating. Amazing job. I think I will give this book a chance.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like an engaging fantasy story full of magic and creatures. It's written like an old folklore story and proper proofreading would be a great benefit preventing distractions while reading it. Thank you for your great review!