The Hall of the Wood by Scott MarloweMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I have received a copy of this book courtesy of LibraryThing in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
The Hall of the Wood is a fantasy novel. The lead character, Jerrick, used to be a patroller. On his way to Sirmarron with a dog named Ash, he encounters a message sent by his old friend, Aliah. Aliah informs him that everyone is dead and that he needs to go home to Sirmarron right away. Jerrick tries to travel as fast as he can.
On the way, he stops at the Eagle's Nest which used to be an old watchtower. He learns that someone is already there -- an old man named Murik. Murik learns that Jerrick and his dog Ash are on their way to Sirmarron and he tells them that, as his destination is the same, they can travel together. While they were travelling, Jerrick finds out that Murik is a wizard.
Along the way, they meet a female knight, Kayra, and her bard friend, Holly. The two women were on their way to answer the Call for Heroes and were robbed along the way by bandits. Together, the four of them reach Homewood.
They learn that the Call had come from Homewood as many of their folk had tried to find out what has happened to the Hall of the Wood but had never returned. It appears that the Patrollers have all disappeared. Patrollers are those that keep the land safe.
When the four leave for the Hall of the Wood, they encounter a blackness or an evilness that has killed most of the trees and everything else. Jerrick also finds the Hall empty. There was no one and there were signs that people left in a hurry. He is also attacked by some monster with yellow eyes. They need to work together to find out what is causing the decay of the woods and where the Patrollers have gone.
The Hall of the Wood is likable enough though the story leaves a lot to be desired. For one thing, a female knight and her ward were robbed by bandits and got themselves lost in the woods like they were dimwitted but the same female knight was able to fight off two bandits at once in a tavern. I mean, really? If she was skilled at fighting, how could they have been so easily robbed? And if she was a skilled knight, how could she have gotten so easily lost?
The story tends to ramble and I found myself glossing over a lot of the pages just to get to the "meaty" parts of the book. There are also some confusing parts of the story especially near the end as parts of the past and the present collided. It was difficult to make sense of what was truly going on.
However, the book is an okay read if you are waiting for a bus or are on a long trip and just want something to pass the time.
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