Erik L’Homme – The Mystery of Lord Sha

21. The Mystery of Lord Sha by Erik L’Homme (2003)
Book of the Stars, Part 2

Read my review of Part 1, Quadehar the Sorcerer

Length: 248 pages
Genre: Mid-grade Fantasy

Started: 20 February 2009
Finished: 20 February 2009, maybe 2-3 hours later.

How long has it been on my TBR pile? Erm… since 19 February 2009. Heh.
Verdict? Still on the fence…

Robin doesn’t know
his dad, plus there’s a Dark Lord.
No, it’s not Star Wars.

Summary: Robin is back on The Lost Isle, studying magic, coping with his new-found celebrity, and wondering about his father, who left The Lost Isle before he was born. The Sorcerer’s Guild is convinced that there are dark things afoot in the Uncertain World, but after a raid on the Shadow goes horribly wrong, Quadehar begins to suspect that there is a traitor within the Guild. Meanwhile, the mysterious Lord Sha – who is rumored to be looking for his long-lost son – manages to infiltrate the monastery where Robin is studying.

Review: Like the first book, this is still an exciting and fun fantasy adventure, but unfortunately, it’s also still skewed pretty juvenile. There’s no real moral complexity or gray area, characters don’t have a whole lot of depth, and the writing is overly enamored of the exclamation point. (It’s not just the dialogue, either – most characters tend to think in exclamations, too. (!)) On the plus side, the plot has gotten somewhat more complicated, with at least one twist I didn’t see coming amongst the several I did. I’m finally well enough hooked in that I want to know the answers to the mystery of Robin’s parentage, destiny, etc., so I’ll read the last book, but seeing as that represents a time commitment of a few hours at most, it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Still probably best for youngish fantasy-adventure fans (probably boys); it’s a bit too simplistic for older readers.

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First Line: Robin hurried along the path, listening out for the sound of pounding hooves.