Quest of the Seal Bearers Book I: The Warrior's Return [Paperback]

 

 

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Epic fantasy quests are a dime a dozen, but good ones are of course much rarer - and Quest of the Seal Bearers certainly has the makings of a good one. This first novel of the series does have the markings of a young novelist, but, in this case, that's more of a positive than a negative. A few aspects of the plot would sound silly if I described them on their own, and I don't think a more experienced author would have gone in those directions, but Coleman makes them work - and I have to give him a few bonus points for audacity in the process. In my perception, there's a youthful air of real energy swirling around the pages of this novel, and it gives the story an identity and character all its own. The Warriors Return is not only interesting and entertaining; it's just plain fun to read.

The story centers around a group of teenagers who are recruited to help save another world. These fledgling heroes crave the kind of adventure they can't find in their boring home town, so they've organized an Action and Adventure Club. This year's planned destination is Adventure Island - but the Club members never get that far. Instead, they are maneuvered into a fateful rendezvous with Fantasma, the ruler of Mendala. His planet is in major trouble, as an evil fellow named Davron has discovered the ancient Book of War and is using it to unleash horrible, indestructible monsters on his world. More than Mendala hangs in the balance because Davron's ultimate goal is to secure power over dimensions beyond that planet itself. The only individuals who can hopefully defeat Davron are the ancestors of those who defeated the last evil wizard to exploit the Book of War 10,000 years ago - and these young people are none other than the Earth-bound members of the Action and Adventure Club.

Mendala is a rich fantasy world, much like Earth yet quite exotic at the same time. Two forms of magic are in evidence there, as are some wondrous geographic locations such as the tunnels of Glorandor and the cloud-borne Rainbow Mountain with its menagerie of legendary creatures. The most striking creatures of this world, however, are the unnatural beasts unleashed by the Book of War - huge rats, flying pigs, rock soldiers, and assorted slimy and exceedingly dangerous creations borne of darkness.

There's a slight snafu in the young heroes' transfer from Earth to Mendala, leaving the club members scattered in both time and place. The majority of this first book in the series consists of the young friends finding one another and coming together for their first frontal assault against Davron and his minions. We learn a lot about the planet, its society, and its system of magic through these varied introductions to this strange new world. While it can be a bit difficult to keep so many characters straight in your head as you're bouncing back and forth between isolated groupings of them, I think the author does an excellent job of telling these mini-stories concurrently, always with a view toward bringing everything (and everyone) together in the end. Each character has a distinct story to tell about his/her experience on Mendala - a few are newly-arrived while others are well-established there already (one of them has even become a king). These individual stories really represent rich and quite interesting reads on their own, but they also effectively set the tone for the group dynamics that come later.

The magical qualities of this new world do offer some comparatively easy solutions to major problems, but all of the different talents and skills the heroes draw upon are really diverse and intriguing. The sense of danger is also quite real as the heroes are constantly harassed by infernal creatures and attacked and way-laid on frequent occasions. The big confrontation at the end also plays out well, although it carries the feel of what it is - the first major confrontation between organized forces of good and evil in a storyline that will includes additional volumes.

As a fantasy fan, I have to say I was really quite impressed by The Warriors Return, and I look forward to the second installment in the Quest of the Seal Bearers series. Coleman clearly has his own voice in the genre and is not simply re-hashing the same old fantasy quests we've read time and time again. These young characters are real and believable in their thoughts and reactions, and that fact allows the book to engage the reader on a personal level. The fact that the heroes consist of high school teenagers may make the book especially appealing to younger fans of fantasy, but fantasy lovers of all ages should find something to enjoy in The Warriors Return.

A great first book which captures your imagination and keeps you interested all the way through. A little hard to keep up with all of the characters at once but as soon as you have them sorted you can't put the book down!

This is an absolutly wonderful book! It's exciting, funny, dramatic and romantic and I'm not saying all this just because I know the Author;) This is a lovely fanticy book and there is something in it for everyone. Read and Enjoy!

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