The Mettle of the MasterMage
By Becky James
If someone asked me today who my favourite main character is, I’d hesitate for only a moment before saying it’s Thorrn Shardsson. Hesitate, because it’s a big question, and I’ve read a lot of books, and I might change my mind at any moment, but not today.
Today, the only ones that come close to Thorrn are Ryoka Griffin from TWI and Gideon the Ninth from Gideon the Ninth. What sets Thorrn apart, and above, is that unlike those other two, Thorrn is genuinely kind and positive. He’s no grumpy, badass, cynic who spouts snide remarks with every breath. Sure, he’s still badass, but in a different way.
Thorrn is the best at everything he does, or at least everything he enjoys doing – and that’s not sarcasm. He’s strong, tough, and handsome. He’s skilled with every weapon known to man and his integrity and morals are firm enough to build castles upon. He loves and trusts his friends, and he thinks the best of everyone.
If Thorrn has a flaw, it’s the fact that he is, well, not the sharpest tool in the shed – and he’s got the self-awareness of an overly-excited puppy with a very long tail.
I can’t remember ever being this annoyed at the sheer bullheaded stupidity of any other main character I’ve loved, ever.
It’s Thorrn that makes the King’s Swordsman series such a unique experience. Like it or not, he steals the show. He’s the flamethrower to everyone else’s tea light, and that holds true even when the main focus of the book is one of the other characters of the story – Evyn, Aubin, or in this case, Tuniel, the MasterMage.
This is the first time we really get to spend some quality time with Tuniel (not like that, get your mind out of the gutter (although, you’re not entirely wrong)), and we get to know her a little better. We catch a glimpse of her life and we learn a little more of who she is and of what she wants.
With Tuniel being Oberrot’s MasterMage, her position governs her life and her options. She might have great power over others, but her role controls who she can be and what she can do, and ultimately, she has very little power over herself. This comes through loud and clear in the story, but even then, Thorrn is still the main character, and he still steals the show.
This isn’t a bad thing, because Thorrn’s an amazing character to read about, and he fills all the page-time he gets to bursting, but in retrospect, I can’t help but feel like everyone else pales beside him.
Even so, it’s a great story, and I admit I was a little worried this would be the last book in the series, but it turns out it’s very clearly not, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the next part.
What I’ll whine about
The ending. There’s a lot of buildup, and there are a lot of obstacles along the way, but the actual end of the story felt much too quick and a little too easy. Things sort of just worked out, kind of.
Thorrn’s mom. This woman has barely figured at all in the previous books, and now she shows up almost out of nowhere and starts making a mess of things. It felt a little sudden.
What I’ll gush about
Thorrn, obviously. You may have gathered as much from what I wrote above, but just to be clear: Thorrn’s awesome, and though I couldn’t handle him at all in the first book (I DNF’d the book after the first chapter twice before I finally finished the whole thing), he’s one of the greatest characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of getting annoyed with.
Aubin, Thorrn’s best friend and fellow ranger. In this book, Aubin is trying to make his feelings for Evyn clear to her, without overstepping the limitations of propriety, and in a way she, with her Earthian background, will appreciate. He fails spectacularly, and it’s awkward, sweet, and hilarious.
Final Words
The Mettle of the MasterMage is another solid instalment in the King’s Swordsman series, and if you’ve enjoyed the previous ones, you’ll no doubt enjoy this one too.
