"Another Fantastic Book in a Phenomenal Series!"
Candace Sams has produced another outstanding book in
the 'Tales of the Order' series. The Craftsman continues
where Goblin Moon left off as Gawain O'Malley is trying to
put his life back together after the loss of his friends
and right hand in a tragic kiln fire. A fire he believes he
is responsible for. As the Craftsman for the Order that live in a secret shire
in the English country, he is responsible for the majority
of the income brought in from his creations that are sold
to the present day/outside world under the name of
Deforest. However the great loss he feels since the fire
has left him a shell of man. So he retreats into himself
and drugs to help suppress the pain and runs away. It is Shayla, the leader and sorceress for the Order, which
finds him up in Scotland and returns him to the Shire. She
decides it is time to bring in some outside help and
enlists the Brownies. Their leader Troda, once a
mentor/master to Gawain, brings his granddaughter Wren and
her possible betrothed Wyckam. Upon introduction to the craftsman, Wren experiences
a 'quickening' or love at first site. And Gawain for the
first time feels a measure of peace/serenity the moment he
looks at her. It is from this meeting he learns the
Brownies will be helping him to focus and return to his
craft to produce more art and save the shire from financial
ruin. That night under the full moon, Wren goes to the worksite
to ask the Goddess for her blessing for their work and to
meditate. Gawain comes upon her and is drawn into the
meditation which connects them with a shared vision and
entwines their hearts even more. However just as life and love return to Gawain he finds out
the fire was not his fault but rather intentionally set by
a traitor amongst the Order. Will the fragile beginnings of
their new love be enough to dampen the burning need to
avenge his friends? Or will Gawain seek redemption by
taking matters into his own hands and defy the Order? Ms. Sams has a solid hit with this series. Her creativity,
compassion, and endless magical wisdom help to make The
Craftsman and all prior books in this series a phenomenal
read. Simply outstanding, I truly hope this series doesn't
end.
Reviewed by Mindy Lobaugh
Posted August 12, 2007
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