The Wizard Slayer Saga by Franklin Roberts has been a hidden gem amongst independently-published fantasy. The second entry, The Undying Oracle, was in my opinion, a stellar follow-up to a promising start. Now, The Sword of Torment, the third novel in the series and the conclusion of the first story arc, is here. After reading it, I most certainly have both praises and criticisms. So, find out below my views on Book 3 of The Wizard Slayer Saga, The Sword of Torment.
As always, I will start with the setting and worldbuilding, which are a highlight of this novel. Of course, not much has changed in that regard in relation to the first two books in the series, as they all take place in the same world, but there are new locations explored in The Sword of Torment. The jungles of Deep Makongwe and the secret, god-like city within felt very much in the vein of Robert E Howard and other sword-and-sorcery greats. Similarly, the blurred lines between myth and reality, especially in regard to the titular weapon, was a masterful example of the heavy metal fantasy toward which this entire series has lent itself. However, the strongest aspects of the setting/worldbuilding of this book came in the form of flashbacks. While I praised the initial novel, The Wizard Slayer, for maintaining a shroud of mystery around the main protagonist Krael, I found myself enjoying the flashbacks to his childhood in The Undying Oracle. Those flashbacks continued in The Sword of Torment, now depicting his young adult life and the trials of Mog Muhtar. Those chapters were some of the most impactful in the entire story, as they gave us a glimpse behind the implacable barbarian we’ve grown to know to show that deep down, Krael is still a human.
The characters in The Sword of Torment were just as strong as before, though I expected nothing less from the final entry of a trilogy. Though the villains, Eledrith and his primordial witch mother Shar-Khetra, are mostly distant and passive, their evil nature and nihilistic motivations were built up so well in the previous novel that they needed little exploration in this book. Just as before, Krael was a shining example of a hero who can both be strong in his convictions while also facing doubts as to his beliefs and means. Hazir was still a personal favorite, and the introduction of a possible love interest in Vicinia was an intriguing concept to explore with a character so entrenched in his cause as Krael. I personally hope to see her return in the near future.
Next, let’s discuss the plot. Now while I still believe The Undying Oracle had both the best and most well-paced plot in this series, The Sword of Torment was not far behind. From Krael being on the run and placing himself in a highly unfavorable scenario in the opening scene, to hunting for the legendary Sword of Torment, to fulfilling his calling in facing down both Eledrith and Shar-Khetra, this book was full of the action I’ve come to expect. The strongest portion, surprisingly, was Krael’s hunt for Am-Aghra, the Sword of Torment. Though it had the least amount of actual fighting, it was the most well-paced and enthralling segment.
Despite the above praise, I did have some criticisms for The Sword of Torment. Firstly, the plot took a great amount of time to reach the actual goal of the story. The hunt for Am-Aghra does not start until around halfway through the book. That’s not to say I wasn’t entertained by the beginning portion. I certainly was. However, it reminded me of Return of the Jedi (which I love), or at least the complaints some people have of that film: the entire beginning portion feels like a completely different and unrelated story. Again, I enjoyed what we got, but it took time to reach the heart of the plot. My next criticism might have more to do with my lack of understanding, but I still wanted to voice it. Without getting into major spoilers, the ending of the story brings into question whether the prophecy of Nihaya Azgaad, this world’s version of the Apocalypse, is a singular event, or a creation of more primordial powers that occurs in cycles. There were elements of redemption that felt deserved and cathartic, but the question of who the main villain really was and how they related to this prophecy was a bit unclear. Finally, I do have to mention typos again. They weren’t egregious, but they were there, moreso than the previous book. If that bothers you, approach The Sword of Torment with that fact in mind.
Above everything else, The Sword of Torment was a satisfying conclusion to the first story arc of The Wizard Slayer Saga. While I enjoyed the second novel a bit more, this entry lived up to my expectations and delivered a satisfying conclusion in every way I’d hoped. When I reached the end, I was sad to put down the book and leave these characters, which is certainly a sign of a great story. Though it is hardly devoid of areas for improvement, I wholeheartedly recommend The Sword of Torment.
Russell A. Wells 