The Free

Starred review from August 25, 2014
Ruckley’s tightly focused return to epic fantasy, wherein history and mythology gradually emerge with logical precision, is mesmerizing, magical, and human. Yulan is the leader of a legendary and weary band of mercenaries known as the Free. Accepting one last contract and the perpetually overwhelmed 17-year-old farm-boy, Drann, who comes with it, Yulan takes the Free in pursuit of Callotec, the last remaining royal in the post-revolutionary Hommetic Empire. Battling swords, arrows, and the Clevers, who harness the awe-inspiring elemental forces of the earth, Yulan soon realizes that what appeared to be a simple mission will instead explore the limits of courage, the cost of loyalty, and the seductive pull of redemption. While Ruckley capably choreographs ruthless, electrifying battle sequences and invents creatures of astonishing ferocity, his real strength as a storyteller emerges in quieter moments. The agonizing choices that test Yulan’s resolve, Drann’s budding courage in the face of repeated humiliation, and the deep affection that binds the Free are all made the more powerful when the characters begin to realize they might not survive this adventure. Ruckley keeps the story riveting even into the final pages, willing to sacrifice a well-liked character and dim the hopes of happy endings in service of a good story.

Starred review from September 15, 2014

Caught up in things far beyond his experience, 17-year-old Drenn has been drafted as a contract bearer to the Free mercenary company led by legendary Captain Yulan. Yulan's small company of warriors and Clevered power users are the last of the Free, as the school that trains the Clever wants all those who can wield the powers known as Entelech to be under their control. War is coming between the remnants of the kingdom of the Hommetic and the empire, and Yulan and his friends might be the only thing standing in the way. VERDICT The bad guys are quite awful, the good guys are complicated, and the justice that Yulan seeks is hard to come by in the dark world created by Ruckley (The Edinburgh Dead). Deliberate pacing, complicated characters, and vivid descriptions elevate this far above run-of-the-mill epic fantasy. The magic system, involving powers tied to the seasons and aspects of nature, seems simple at first but is well thought through. Although the trend is for endless multivolume epics, this excellent fantasy seems to be that rare beast, a stand-alone novel.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.