The Hero's Lot (The Staff and the Sword)

The Hero's Lot by Patrick W. Carr picks up where the last book leaves off: our hero, Errol, is in Erinon, facing his future as well as the Judica (the ruling ecclesiastical body), who is accusing him of consorting with spirits. Wrongly convicted, Errol is placed under a compulsion to track the fallen, evil former church leader, Sarin Valon, into the land of Merakh, and kill him. This is not a trek that can be made lightly, so accompanying Errol on his quest are two men whose presence will prove to be very helpful: Elar Indomiel and Naaman Ru. Errol's friends Martin and Luis do not join him; they instead travel back to Callowford to try to discover just who Errol really is and why he is so important to the kingdom. Meanwhile, did I happen to mention that Errol's feelings for Princess Adora are growing and that it seems those feelings are being returned?

There is a lot going on in The Hero's Lot, with the chapters moving back and forth among Errol and his traveling companions and Martin and his adventures. I must admit to a certain amount of frustration with the back and forth, but only because I would find myself involved in what Errol and Co. were doing and then bam! I'm back with Martin, and vice versa. That's a minor complaint really, though; there's plenty of storyline to go around, and everything advances the plot. We find out some key secrets along the way, and discover a few more mysteries as well. Carr's writing is such that I felt as out of breath as his characters as I followed them through fights and escapes; I particularly enjoyed the latter one third of the book when things were most dire and seemingly hopeless, even if I wanted to throttle Errol at times for getting lost inside himself. Excellent writing there.

I do have a suggestion for the next book (besides hurry up and publish it!): Please, please supply 1) a map (or two or three), 2) a list of characters with relevant relationships, and 3) a list of church/religious offices (and whom is currently occupying what would be even better!). I did spent a good deal of the first few chapters trying to refresh my memory of who is whom and what the church does/expects. My mind's eye could provide a fairly accurate map based on Carr's precise details but a visual would be extremely well-received. If I were reading this series back to back, I doubt I'd need such reminders, but throw in several other books between readings and my mind needed a refresher.

This is epic fantasy, people; those who love a good tale with lots of detail and ever-expanding mystery will definitely find lots of enjoy and love, as I have. Carr's got a true gift of engaging the reader, and I'm looking forward to seeing how all this wraps up. Highly recommended!

The Hero’s Lot is the second book in Patrick W. Carr’s The Staff & The Sword series. I enjoyed A Cast of Stones, the first book in the series. I found it engaging.

The Hero’s Lot was not as good. I struggled to finish it. It was much less interesting that the first. The characters were not very distinct, and new ones were introduced, and I had a hard time keeping them apart. (It doesn’t help that they sometimes have more than one name, like Rale/Elar Indomiel.) I also found the vocabulary of the fantasy world getting in the way as there were words whose meaning I just couldn’t remember. I could have used both a glossary and a cast of characters in the back of the book.

I also felt that the book became much more religious. This series is published by Bethany House, a Christian publisher, but I didn’t find the religion heavy handed in the first book. Occasional plot twists were quite eye-rolling, and the narrative lost focus at times. The romance between main character Errol and Princess Adora felt utterly unoriginal.

The last 75 pages or so returned to the level of the first book, but it was a long slog to get to them (the book is 437 pages long). Still, those final pages renewed my interest enough that I will try the third book, A Draw of Kings.

This sequel exceeds its predecessor on many counts. The stakes are clearly articulated, the characters better drawn, and the plot developed in a stronger, more engaging direction. Yet overall structural weaknesses rob it from inspiring the tight dramatic tension the author so clearly wants to communicate.

Errol is no longer the drunk we first met, and his maturity matches the novel's more able footing. He shows the ability to gain new skills and allies. But like the book itself, Errol stumbles in puzzling, often bewildering ways. A misstep in plans or inexperience leading his fellow soldiers is to be expected at this stage in the character's development. Leaving his armed company for the sake of some entertainment at the local tavern, something he's never expressed any interest in before, smells of cheap theatrics, especially when he's soon ambushed by antagonists who are not introduced earlier or mentioned ever again.

The journey of Martin the priest is handled better. This time around the reader is allowed to follow him, Luis, and Cruk through their travels, and seeing the events through their experienced eyes adds depth and meaning to the already richly creative world. Here author Patrick Carr shines, pushing both his characters and readers to reexamine their assumptions as he introduces new mysteries, wrestling with very meaty spiritual questions. I'd have loved for this part of the story to go on longer, really pursuing the ideas brought forward.

Erroll is given many layered conflicts to wrestle with. There's his potential relationship with the princess and heir to the throne, his spiritual questions regarding destiny, and the hint of discovering his true identity. Any of these ideas, if fully explored and given the time to develop, might have raised this book to a grand level of storytelling.

Unfortunately we're not given that treat, as the book skips abruptly into a swords and daggers climax. This structure damages the overall plot as all previously introduced complications and antagonists are whisked away, to be replaced by a new setting, new characters, and a brand new villain. Before we have a chance to properly engage with any of these ideas, the big showdown arrives. The small emotional reveals tossed along the way added some flavor but no true zest.

I enjoyed this second book better than the first, and recommend it as a casually fun reading experience. But you may be as frustrated as I that such a creatively brilliant premise isn't getting the equally excellent execution it deserves.

I have been waiting for this book since I put the first one down! And it was well worth the wait. This novel picks up right where the last one ended...and sends Errol on another adventure. Unlike the first novel, however, you get more than Errol's point of view. Normally, I would have wanted to skim the other person's point of view, but their story, in my opinion, was equally as fascinating. I found that this novel shed more light on the past, allowing you to get a clearer picture of everything that had happened up until Errol. This novel also had a wee bit more romance than the last one, which I found to be particularly nice. Errol, as usual, was a character that I could empathize with. He learns some crazy things and goes through some dangerous situations and you can't help but love him. And yet, all of the mysteries were not solved, and in fact, the book ended on such a note that I almost screamed when I finished. Sigh. I must wait some more (but fortunately the wait isn't too long!). We lose some people along the way and gain some new faces on this adventure and I am highly interested to see how Mr. Carr will work everything out. Spiritually...well, I kind of don't want to give it away, but you begin to see Errol develop his own faith in God. Great follow-up! Didn't suffer from book twoism and highly recommended!

** I received this novel from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in any way.**

The Hero's Lot is the second installment in The Staff and The Sword trilogy by Patrick W. Carr. After being pleasantly surprised by the first book, A Cast of Stones, I was looking forward to starting this one and am glad to say it was also good.

I liked how we learned a lot more about Errol in this story and some of it was surprising. I liked the fighting scenes, as they were intense and grabbed your attention. There were a few sections that I didn't find as interesting (basically the ones that didn't involve Errol), but the ending made up for that as I LOVED the way it ended. It was a great ending and one that leaves me anxious to finish the trilogy as soon as I can.

If you like fantasy novels I think you will enjoy The Hero's Lot.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Love this series, good condition!

Can't put the book down. An excellent read!

One of the best new Christian writers in years. I bought this as a present after reading it myself. A great series!

Bravo !! The second book in Carr"s series was equally intriguing.His characters were more developed. It setup the stage for a finally.The strength of Erroll"s seems to be
developing and growing with each book. I can't stop reading his books.
They have so much activity with duells and minding relating thoghts.
The lots and just pure knowledge
that take you racing to the next
page.I can't wait to read the third in
series. I bought it today.Mr Carr I
can't believe you are just now
publishing. You write as if you have
been writing for years.Take care and
thank you for your books...Lana Warren

I got the first book of this series free on Kindle, and was immediately drawn in. the characters are compelling and diverse, and i was excited to see where the story was leading. the second book, while as beautifully written as the first, seemed to me to lack a little of its charm. in The Hero's Lot, the world of the book is expanded. the characters are forced to examine their motives and rethink their prejudices. the inner struggle and turmoil of each character as they try to find the right path in their tangled world (and the painful aftermath of choosing the wrong one) is so realistically written as to be actually exhausting to read.
in short, this is a book, and a series, that I would highly recommend, provided the reader is prepared to do some soul-searching of their own along the way.