Erik L’Homme – The Face of the Shadow
22. The Face of the Shadow by Erik L’Homme (2003)
Book of the Stars, Part 3
Read my reviews of the first two parts: Quadehar the Sorcerer and The Mystery of Lord Sha
Length: 262 pages
Genre: Mid-grade Fantasy
Started: 21 February 2009
Finished: 22 February 2009
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 19 February 2009. Heh.
Verdict? Sadly, the end of the series didn’t redeem the whole thing. Probably going into the giveaway pile.
Good versus evil.
Maybe I’m jaded, but I’ve
heard it all before.
Summary: Robin, despite being young, is one of the most powerful magicians ever. Unfortunately, this means that The Shadow thinks he will be able to decipher the dangerous spells from the last segment of the Book of the Stars, the ancient source of all magical knowledge in the Lost Isle and the Uncertain World. When Robin is kidnapped by the forces of The Shadow, his friends rush to his aid, bringing together friends and allies new and old, from across the Lost Isle and the Uncertain World itself, to fight the final battle with the forces of darkness.
Review: Everyone knows that the third book of a fantasy trilogy has to end with an epic battle between the forces of light and the forces of dark; that’s just the way these things work. The Face of the Shadow is no exception; some time is spent with Robin’s mental and magical struggles to resist The Shadow, but most of the book is spent at various parts of the battle. Unfortunately, there are so many factions in the battle that we never really know (or care) about most of them, and even swordfights with menacing Orks get a little tedious after 200 pages. Secrets get revealed, and questions get answered, and everything wraps up in a neat and tidy little epilogue, but the fun of action-adventure fantasy had mostly worn off by this point, and there’s not much to get excited about what’s left. 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: If you’ve got a 10(ish)-year-old fantasy fan in your house, these books would be more appealing, but if you’re an adult looking for good kiddie-lit fantasy, you can do way better. I’d pass.
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Fyrefly's Book Blog 
I bet my younger brother might like these. I’ll have to mention it next time I call home.
Whoa Harsh. I hope the author takes your thoughts to heart and chooses to work on his writing instead of being angry or defensive.
DW Golden
Ladytink – Younger brothers are exactly who this series would be perfect for, I think. :)
DW Golden – Just my opinion. If I were a ten-year-old boy, I’d probably feel totally different.
I was really hoping there was another book ofter this or a whole new trilogy, the author is great and an interesting plot. I didn’t like the ending to much because it left me thinking the trilogy could easily been extended to a series >.<…but it wasn’t T.T someone should pick of where he left it DX.
i completely agree. i was definitly hoping that there were more books
Is it a “book stars 4”? Sorry, my english is terrible. :/
i hope their is a 4th one 2 because i just love this book!