A strange rift in ordinary reality draws saloon owner Travis Wilder and ER doctor Grace Beckett into the otherworld of Eldh--a land of gods, monsters, and magic that is sorely in need of heroes.
Beyond the Pale: Book One of The Last Rune
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From Amazon
Travis, a bespectacled barkeep from Castle City, Colorado, and Grace, a regally beautiful ER doctor from Denver Memorial, wormhole their way through a magical billboard into... a Robert Jordan novel. Well, sort of. Sure, in Beyond the Pale, it's a chilling winter--not a sweltering summer--that's gripping the land. And the seals (little stone disks, no less) are weakening on the prison of the Pale King, not the Dark One. But, surprise--Travis finds that he's the first man in centuries to successfully wield the One Power... er, runes, that is... and is the sole hope of keeping the Pale King at bay.
Beyond the Pale isn't entirely derivative of Jordan's wildly popular Wheel of Time series: if nothing else, Anthony sets himself apart by having things actually happen in his book. Travis and his fellow earthling Grace end up in Eldh after surviving run-ins with the Pale King's servants on Earth. Grace, mistaken for a fairy queen, is quickly shanghaied as a spy for King Boreas, who has just convened a council of Eldh's rulers. After a series of adventures, Travis joins Grace, and the two must tangle with the mysterious Raven's Cult and a bunch of iron-hearted bad guys who are trying to derail the Council of Kings and hasten the PK's return. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Launching a new fantasy series, Anthony, an erstwhile Forgotten Realms author (Curse of the Shadowmage, etc.), makes use of the classic premise of humans from our mundane world transported to a fantasy milieu; in this case, the travelers are two Coloradans, bartender Travis Wilder and ER physician Grace Beckett. The pair are not wholly surprised at their journey, as the world of Eldh has made several bloody visitations to Colorado already, but the reality of Eldh, full of political intrigues, is still terrifying, despite the protagonists' ability to work magic there. Anthony's pacing is spotty, frequently slow?there is just not enough matter here to justify the sheer mass of words. His characterizations are also uneven, sometimes exceedingly original and moving, other times relying on simplistic fantasy archetypes. He lays down exceptionally exciting action scenes, however, particularly those set in Colorado, as when Travis must escape an onslaught of fierce creatures from Eldh. This novel is only a so-so series kickoff, but if Anthony pumps up the pace and writes to his strengths in future volumes, the series could gain many a fan. Agent, Shawna McCarthy (Danny Baror for foreign rights).
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Brenopa
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As most reviews have mentioned, this book is NOT very original. Since that's out of the way, I must say it was a lot of fun to read. There is a lot of action, the characters are charmingly flawed, if somewhat predictable. I really enjoyed the high drama, and rather silly plot twists...just as someone is about to say, do, or discover something important, they are interrupted by a completely bizarre event. (Action! Swordfights, fires, storms, attacks by evil creatures, translocations--that type of thing.)The lead characters are irritating in many ways, but for some reason, this made me like them! Travis is unbelievably passive, and really upset...about his PAST! Grace is an ice princess, who feels DEEPLY, and can't quite express herself. And, as mentioned in other reviews, Melia is a virtual clone of Polgara this sorceress, even calling people "dear" the way Polgara does. If you can get past these flaws, however, you will find an enjoyable read, with nice touches of humor. It's not a gourmet meal, it's more of a takeout pizza with everything on it. Sometimes, that's just the thing.
By J. Resnick
Format:Paperback
I definitely enjoyed reading this, and once I started I was hooked. HOWEVER, this was a relatively looonnnngggg book that could have easily been trimmed by 100 or so pages. There were some very nice dark fantasy elements that gave this a bit of an edge over other fantasy I've read. And I enjoyed Travis's journey (and that of Grace), but I would have liked to read more about Travis and his "pals", not to mention a bit more action. Travis came across as too wimpy throughout the entire novel. Maybe book 2 shows him dealing a little better with his newfound powers. Grace was a very interesting character, but it wasn't very plausible why she considered herself such a loner, such a social outcast. Everyone she met was struck by her incredible beauty. Seriously, how many gorgeous women are social outcasts? All in all, a fun read, and at some point in the near future I'll have to check out the second book.
By "milton1989"
Format:Mass Market Paperback
If your into wizards, magic etc... this is the book for you. Marc Anthony is the best author I have ever read, since JK Rowling, of course.... This is a book you'll want to read over and over again, so don't just rent it from the library, BUY IT!!!!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
More like a great first draft than a fully realised novel
Well I finished and I'm writing this as a follow-up to the initial review that I had written after reading the first 79 pages. Read more
Published on Jun 28 2003 by M. A. Powers
3.0 out of 5 stars
Still reading it but.......
I'll start by saying I'm giving this book 3 stars because to be fair, I haven't finished it and I don't want to be too harsh since it isn't a bad book so far. Read more
Published on Jun 25 2003 by M. A. Powers
4.0 out of 5 stars
... It's What You Do With It
Beyond the Pale is the first novel in the Last Rune series. Castle City, Colorado, is an old mining town that has not changed much since the mines petered out a hundred years... Read more
Published on May 22 2003 by Arthur W. Jordin
1.0 out of 5 stars
Rather sad copy of others
I picked this book up at the library and I must admit that I am very pleased that I did not pay for it. Read more
Published on April 15 2003 by Alistair
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best new fantasy author ever...6 Stars
The Last Rune Series is beyond a doubt the most compelling, well-written series to come along in many moons. Read more
Published on Mar 17 2003 by Dave Moore
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book
This is a quality book. I picked it up thinking it was just another real life character to fantasy world book, which have generally been disapointing. Read more
Published on July 23 2002 by William
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty boring but not totally
It was on chapter 13 before I decided I was going to read the whole book. During the first part of the book I kept falling asleep. Read more
Published on July 6 2002 by Moongirl2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating read!
I'll admit that I was suckered into reading this book because of the cover (and such a gorgeous cover it is!). Read more
Published on Mar 10 2002
4.0 out of 5 stars
How to combine modern and fantasy realms
When I first started to read this novel I could not belive it was called fantasy. It was our world with a few strange happenings. Read more
Published on Jan 31 2002 by Nika Suli
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great even for people who don't like fantasy novels!
I picked up this book when I desperately needed something to do and had $3.00 in my pocket (enough to pay for the book at the 2nd hand shop in our strip mall). I was amazed! Read more
Published on Dec 28 2001 by "gingertrees"
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