Fearless [Hardcover]

It's been two months since we last looked in on Grant Borrows and the rest of the ringwearers. In that time, the world as we know it has ended. There are emergencies and natural disasters everywhere. Los Angeles is only surviving thanks to the help of Grant under his guise as "Guardian." He's using his ability to move any object with his mind as a super power leading the rest of the ringwearers in a quest to help restore order to the city.

But their actions have caught the eye of the Federal Government who isn't pleased with these powerful beings. FBI agent Ethan Cooke has been assigned to find out who Guardian really is and bring him in if he can't make him stop.

Since the Secretum has been silent for the time, Grant begins to feel like he's put that evil group behind him. But then mysterious signs begin to come true. Is Grant still destined to be The Bringer? Can he avoid this destiny?

If you are lost by reading all this, it is perfectly understandable. This is the second book in a fantasy trilogy, and it knows it. In fact, it falls into the middle book trap. The first half is okay, but pretty episodic and slow going. Things really pick up in the second half with plenty of action, twists, and revelations. And I can't forget the cliffhanger that will make me read the third volume soon.

The characters don't fair too much better. There is little in the way of development that wasn't in the first book. Yes, there are two or three exceptions, but it wasn't anything spectacular. The most frustrating thing was there were references to details I couldn't remember from the first book that were never fully explained again here. You really need to read the novels back to back; the three months I waited was obviously too long.

I really did enjoy the book and stayed up way to late to finish it. I'm anxious to see where Grant's journey takes him in the final book.

There are some books that are a nice, gentle read. They quietly beckon from your bookshelf to spend some quality time with them.

Fearless is not that book.

It is the book that grabs you by your collar, sits you in the chair forcefully, and takes you on a white-knuckled ride from one close call to another. Suspense builds up, loops around, and delivers you to a breathless ending that leaves you wanting...nay-begging for more.

Or something like that.

Robin Parrish, master of Infuze Magazine, returns to his Dominion Trilogy with the sequel to Relentless. In the first book we meet the Loci, a group of Ringwearers who are Shifted into new bodies with amazing mental powers. They are supposedly the subjects of a prophecy guarded by the Secretum until the proper time, when The Bringer would come and usher in a new age.

Fearless continues this tale with the world in chaos. Strange natural disasters are occurring around the world, and fear grips the populace. In Los Angeles, the public has a mysterious benefactor with phenomenal powers they dub the Guardian. It is Grant Burrows, who leads a group of Loci to use their powers for good.

When an unusual event leads Grant and his friends to London, he is confronted with his destiny. Will he bring about what was spoken of long ago, or would he find the power within to be Fearless?

I read the first book in the trilogy last fall. I enjoyed it a lot, finding it to be an engaging read with a lot of excitement. Fearless increases this exponentially. Robin has really found a unique voice that keeps you glued to the page and your mind engaged. He has a habit of taking you to the edge of the precipice, only to move to another chapter (and often a different character and setting, keeping you hanging). If you like suspense, then this book will provide enough to satisfy for quite a while.

The characters are varied and have unique personalities that draw you in. A plot-driven book can take you along without letting you invest in the people of the story. The author keeps the action cooking all along while bringing us into their lives, fears, and dreams. Just don't get too attached, as he pulls no punches as the book hurtles toward the ending.

The book has many strong points, but no work is perfect. Some of the description comes across slightly awkward, but this may well be a matter of taste. Very minor complaint, as it is first and foremost a bold, thrilling story. This is a sweeping tale of the end of the world (perhaps?), and thus has some significant action. At times it gets a little bloody, so the squeamish may get a little uncomfortable. He has set in motion an elaborate mythology.

One more item - Fearless should be pretty easily understood by someone who hasn't read Relentless. Still, the whole story and mythology is lacking a little if you haven't read the first book, so just be sure to buy them both and enjoy the ride. I highly enjoyed this book. My only complaint is that I have to wait until next summer for the final installment. Boy, Robin Parrish can be merciless...

This amazing story reads like a blend of Dekker's Black, Red, White trilogy, the X-Men movies, a dash of Lord of the Rings tossed in for spice, all mixed and baked with historical information along the lines of the DaVinci Code, National Treasure and The Librarian.

If you loved any or all of the above, you should find much to like in Parrish's Fearless.

Fast moving storytelling whips this mixture into an edge of the seat read.

Two warnings. Parrish's characters have great vocabularies, if you often read with a dictionary you may get frustrated. And the final book in the Dominion Trilogy comes out in the summer of '08...if you have cliffhanger angst you may want to wait until spring to read Fearless.

I haven't read book one, Relentless, but didn't feel lost and while I wait for book three, I'll go back and pick it up.

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