Master and Fool (Book of Words, #3)

by J V Jones

From dungeon to cathedral, from brothel to hermit's hut, the gambits of the mighty face the power of seers and stars. In the fortress of Bren, mad King Kylock and the wizard Baralis spread their sadistic terror across the shattered kingdoms. Meanwhile, the fallen knight Tawl and Jack, the baker's boy, meet in a quest to save widowed Melliandra and her unborn child.

• ISBN10: 0446604143
• ISBN13: 9780446604147
• Publish Date: 1 October 1997 (first published 13 March 1997)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 July 2011
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Time Warner International
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 10
• Language: English

Reviews

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

4 stars, Metaphorosis reviews

Summary
Jack, orphaned baker's boy, and Tawl, disgraced and disavowed knight, join forces to fulfill an ancient prophecy.

Review
This is one of those rare fantasy series to be consistently good all the way through. Not perfect, but very solid. Here, the characters continue strong and engaging, all loose ends are wrapped up, and there’s a decent resolution.

Magic continues to be vague, the power of prophecy is a bit strong, and the ending is a bit on the anticlimactic side – not quite the big clash you feel the series was leading up to. Also, it feels like Jones forces a relationship between Jack and Tawl, the two primary male heroes. They frankly don’t know each other that well, besides having been primary actors in fulfilling a prophecy, and both caring for the same woman.

Still, all that said, there’s a lot that’s good about this book. It’s a satisfying story, and one that made me a fan of Jones writing. So far, aside from taking an extended break, she hasn’t let me down, and I recommend this trilogy.