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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The end... for now?, 2 Oct 2003
The Chosen One is the last volume in The Darkweaver Legacy, the very compelling series of books written by Mark Robson. But avid readers of the books need not fear the end too much, as the postscript is "The End... for now." Certainly the fate of more than one major character still hangs in the balance by the end of this tome. The Shandese magician Selkor has already got three of the four keys he needs to become 'The Chosen One'. The only warder who has managed to ward him off is the wily Perdimonn. Yet, now that Selkor has more power at his disposal than Derrigan Darkweaver ever had, Perdimonn cannot prevail against his adversary alone. Accompanied by the other three warders, Perdimonn sets out to make a stand at Mantor. The Council of Magicians, along with Calvyn and Jenna, are also hoping to get to Mantor before Selkor. But with Selkor manipulating time itself, everything hangs in the balance - as the Shandese court spy Femke finds out to her cost. Just why is the Shandese Emperor acting so strangely? Is it due to stress following the defeat of the Shandese Legions in Thrandor, or is there a more sinister explanation? The Sorcerer Vallaine is also determined to avenge the treachery of Lord Shanier, the monster that Calvyn turned into when his soul was fed to a demon. Calvyn, for his part, is haunted by his decision as Shanier to send Jez and Bek to the Shandese arena, but has had to abandon them in his struggle against Selkor. Unfortunately, some higher force seems to be guiding Calvyn and Bek into a confrontation, and the vision of the future presented by the magical tapestry in the palace keeps changing, with the number of opponents facing Selkor steadily diminishing... Undeterred by what happened last time, Vallaine has sent a hunting party of demons after Calvyn. Jenna and Calvyn scarcely find any time for themselves as their relationship blossoms. And it seems that the beautiful Eloise has finally fallen for someone, although the target of cupid's bow, Bek, is still very weak from being skewered by the gladiator Serrius (there is no Calvyn on hand to heal his gaping wound or his twisted mind, as the only thing that seems to keep him going is his vow to kill Calvyn in vengeance for the death of Jez). Meanwhile, the warders must battle with their own integrity and ethics in their fight against Selkor, for it is very hard to go on the offensive when you've sworn a vow of pacifism... Perdimonn, for one, has some very tough decisions to make, and some that even seem cruel in the eyes of his protégé... When it is finally revealed what it is that the extraordinary Selkor is up to, it is rather disturbing to discover that he has such base motives. However, Mark Robson skilfully pulls off yet another complicated structure again, and the Shandese sections hold up well despite the absence of Calvyn and co. This is mainly due to the superb Femke, the Shandese court spy, who I hope we will see more of in the future. It is the strength of her characterisation that really brings her sections of the novel to the fore, along with the fact that the Shandese 'emperor' is determined to gain his revenge against Thrandor as well as Calvyn (and Thrandor has faced so many dangers that it is doubtful that it could survive yet another full-blown attack). Selkor's dangerous enough, but there is a distinct possibility that Calvyn's world will have to face an even bigger threat than he... One only has to look at the very simple map of this world at the beginning of each book to discern how skilfully Mark Robson has plotted his narrative, making the best use out of a very limited universe (will we ever find out what lies beyond the Great Western Forest or the Eastern Sea in future books?). Yet again, Mark Robson has set the tone exactly right, and these are indeed 'easy reading' stories suitable for all ages. But there is nothing simple about the plot, which is as engaging as ever. The way that he deals with the romances of Calvyn and Jenna, and Eloise and Bek, is masterful and very mature. There is nothing to offend the reader here, but there is everything to excite them. If there were ever a small screen adaptation of these novels, then I could not think of a better company to produce them than Hallmark, who did a fabulous version of The Arabian Knights a few years ago. Admittedly, their more original productions do not seem to fare so well, but then they obviously haven't come across Mark Robson yet. Although Sword Publishing look to be a very small outfit indeed, they and Mark Robson have created a very professional product. I'm certainly hoping that my collection of the first editions is going to appreciate in value over the years, as Mark Robson's audience grows.
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