Talion: Revenant

Novels By: Michael A. Stockpole

Written By: Tim Sanders

I picked up this book a long, long, time ago and it has remained one of my all-time favorite books.

I don't even remember what drew me to it. To be honest, it was probably at some crazy deal at a used book store, and I picked it up because of the agreement. I have read several of Michael A Stackpole's books. Talion Revenant one is hands down my favorite of his. I have recommended people read this book more times than I can count. I have loaned Talion Revenant to more people than I'd like to admit to. All around, I just highly recommend it. One of the things that I like most about the story is that every other chapter is a flashback to the main character's upbringing. The flashback correlates so well to what is happening in "the present."

Talion Revenant starts off with Nolan, who is a justice for the shattered empire. He is basically a mixture of a Ranger and a cop. It is his job to eliminate the evil, and he has the power to suck people's souls through a death head tattoo on his palm. Nolan comes from the now-defunct nation of Sinjara, which was taken over by another nation. After it was taken over, Nolan traveled to the Talion nation, a nation of warrior-like peacekeepers. Each section of Talions has a specialty. To become a justice which is basically a mix of a bounty hunter/Ranger/Cop. He then trains and goes on adventures with other trainees of justice. Nolan is out hunting a band of bad guys in the modern world. He systematically takes out all the bad guys until he comes across their leader. Before he can take out the leader, Nolan is called back to the Talion home base with a new mission from the lead Talion Justice. The mission? Protect the king of the nation that took over Nolan's home nation. The book takes off in action from there Nolan travels and meets a bunch of people kicks some serious butt, he even takes part in a tourney for the king. While protecting the king, Nolan stumbles across a plot to assassinate the king. The ending? I absolutely didn't see coming. I won't spoil it for anyone, but a childhood acquaintance returns and causes way more trouble than I was ready for.

I'm not sure what I liked more reading about Nolan growing up and his adventures as he was a Justice in training. Or the adventure as Nolan is a full-fledged butt-kicking hero. Both stories are fantastic, and they all intertwine beautifully at the end. The action in the book is very well written, and the characters are complex enough to keep people reading without being too complex that it gets confusing. I'd highly recommend this book. just remember, if you borrow it, make sure you return it…… that's directed at you KEVIN