The Lonesome Road

I am not a big fan of alternate modern earth fantasies (see my earlier post on this subject if you have the time to waste). However, the other day while I was at the library picking up a Steven Brust and a Michael Stackpole, I came across another series by Mark Chadbourn - the Age of Misrule Trilogy.

The basic premise of the series is that the Celtic gods have returned to Earth and the Age of Reason (read science and technology) is turning and giving way to the Age of Wonder (read magic and witchcraft). Now, the book follows the classic doomsday scenario - gloomy atmosphere, broken heroes (and heroines), and an evil too large to face. I managed to get through Book 1, but could not get past (or through) the second book.

To be honest, there’s nothing wrong with the books per se, but on a personal level the unremitting gloominess of the books just got me down. Give the protagonists a break - a little humor never killed anyone! One of the reasons that I picked up the books is that I’m a fan of myth and mythology from different cultures. Celtic mythology is one of the areas I hadn’t read much about. I did know about the Great Hunt (thanks to some D&D books) , but that’s where what I know stops. I was disappointed on that score as well. While the author does talk about Gods and the various names they take, he describes them more as “creatures” that are so much more advanced than us that they seem like Gods - with shapes and thoughts that are very different from our (as in human) own. And of course, there are two of them - to represent the “Angels” and the “Devils”. Of course, we all find out at the end of Book 1 that the Angels are not all that they are supposed to be.

Technically, the book is well written, but the author tends to use certain phrases repeatedly while describing the mood of the group. The story manages to move along at a decent pace - not too slow, but definitely not a page turner.

I would have rated the book higher if I had managed to finish the series, but as of it does not rank too high in my reading list.

Score: 2/5