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Why have we been lied to? Because Dave Farland is in the marketing business, thats why. Before he wrote the book he developed the world, the magic and an idea of the art and imagery. This isn't unusual, but I sense a pattern forming here; today Farland has a very shmick website, comic books, and an 80 million dollar movie on the way.

When The Sum of all Men was released in 1998, the first thing I noticed was the fantastic cover-art by Darrell K Sweet. Dazza is a god by anyones standards. His fantasy art has helped people visualize worlds created by such fantasy greats as J.R.R Tolkien, Robert Jordan and Terry Brooks since 1975. But how does Dazza fit into the picture?

You would have to admit that one of the most attractive things about the fantasy novel is the cover-art. And Darrell K. Sweet is the best, so who wouldn't use him to help average work rise to undeserved levels of fame. Harsh, I know. And you may be thinking What has the Lord Winterborne done that's so great. Thats a fair call, too. But I do know fantasy, and the work of David Farland feels more like a process than a narrative.

Something just doesn't feel natural, and after finding out about the man, well. Who cares? Hes an international bestseller, so he did something right. That he has marketing genius is without question, but the other thing that obviously worked for Farland was the unique Runelord concept. Let me explain: In the series a common man or woman, in service to his King and country, can bestow a member of the nobility with a number of endowments.

Wit, brawn, grace, voice, stamina, sight, hearing, smell, glamour or metabolism, all can be transferred from one person to another with magical forcibles. Depending on the endowment, this in turn reduces the donor to a drooling idiot, renders them ugly in the extreme, blinds them and so on.

The recipient retains a rune, branded into their skin by the process, which signifies the endowments that person has received. Hence, the title Runelord. This is the concept that had everyone talking, and it is David Farlands only saving "grace" as far as Im concerned.

The characters are shallow, the plot is tepid and the suspense is lost downstream. Fantasy debut, huh? New author David Farland, huh? My arse! You should never have lied to me Wolverton. Books in The Runelords series so far: Book 1: The Sum of all Men Book 2: The Brotherhood of the Wolf Book 3: WizardbornBook 4: Lair of Bones