Redeeming the Lost

Rating:
Summary: terrific conclusion to a strong fantasy trilogy
Review: Berys the malevolent demonlord has captured Lanen, the humanoid Gedri who awakened the evil wizard's enemy the dragonoid Kantri. Although he is unaware of the power that Lanen possesses, he feels he can use her as a hostage to force her mate, Varien, a Kantri in Gedri form, to do his bidding. Ultimately, with the help of Lanen's father, Berys plans to sacrifice his prisoner as a means of "meeting" the ancient prophecy, which will enable him to destroy the Kantri and allow him through his demons to control the world.

However, what the malevolent allies are unaware of is that Lanen is pregnant with her Kantri lover as the sire. She now has the most powerful blood known on the orb flowing through her body as the fetus has given some of that of the Kantri. With no kernnel of hope for success, Varien and his Kantri kin will try to rescue Lanen. Meanwhile Berys has created and moved into a new body the Black Dragon and released the demons from the Six Hells in a final confrontation.

This is a terrific conclusion to a strong fantasy trilogy in which good vs. evil with both sides construing that the ancient prophecy meets their needs. Fans will appreciate Lanen's predicament as a prisoner of an egomaniac with the power to back his insanity. As with most genre miniseries, readers will be better suited to first peruse SONG IN THE SILENCE and THE LESSER KINDRED to increase understanding of the various species and key characters although REDEEMING THE LOST is an exciting conclusion that can stand on its own.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: terrific conclusion to a strong fantasy trilogy
Review: Berys the malevolent demonlord has captured Lanen, the humanoid Gedri who awakened the evil wizard?s enemy the dragonoid Kantri. Although he is unaware of the power that Lanen possesses, he feels he can use her as a hostage to force her mate, Varien, a Kantri in Gedri form, to do his bidding. Ultimately, with the help of Lanen?s father, Berys plans to sacrifice his prisoner as a means of ?meeting? the ancient prophecy, which will enable him to destroy the Kantri and allow him through his demons to control the world.

However, what the malevolent allies are unaware of is that Lanen is pregnant with her Kantri lover as the sire. She now has the most powerful blood known on the orb flowing through her body as the fetus has given some of that of the Kantri. With no kernnel of hope for success, Varien and his Kantri kin will try to rescue Lanen. Meanwhile Berys has created and moved into a new body the Black Dragon and released the demons from the Six Hells in a final confrontation.

This is a terrific conclusion to a strong fantasy trilogy in which good vs. evil with both sides construing that the ancient prophecy meets their needs. Fans will appreciate Lanen?s predicament as a prisoner of an egomaniac with the power to back his insanity. As with most genre miniseries, readers will be better suited to first peruse SONG IN THE SILENCE and THE LESSER KINDRED to increase understanding of the various species and key characters although REDEEMING THE LOST is an exciting conclusion that can stand on its own.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Tears of Pain, Tears of Joy: Which will you cry?
Review: I am not kidding when I say this book made me cry. I wont tell you why, only that this book rules! If you liked the first two at all, you'll love this thrilling conclusion!

The third and final book of this trilogy picks up where the last one left off: Lanen has been captured by Berys; Varien and the others, filled with sorrow of Lanen's kiddnapping, head off to the valley to meet the newly arrived Kantri; and the Demonlord, in the form of the Black Dragon, is slowly closing in on land, to finish the work he started many years ago.

As the Kantri land back in their original home, Maran, Lanen's mother, arrives with the Farseer. She explains that she was watching the whole time and knows what going and would like to help. Because of her Rashaka (sp?) stench that comes from the Farseer, it takes some time to persuade the other Kantri to welcome her.

However, the evil in her hands and imprinted on her soul becomes a great help when Salera, one of the Lesser Kindred, appeares, chased by others that look like her. She tells her friends that these Hollow Ones, small dragons with no soulgem, are only animals. Shikrar places a soulgem of one of the Lost on one of the Hollow Ones forheads, but it is only when Shikrar, Varien, and the Farseer are touching it does something amazing happen: the small dragon becomes one of the great Kantri, a Lost dragon that was stuck in her soulgem due to the battle with the Demonlord. The trio quickly release the others from their prisons.

Lanen, cut off from all she loves, is huddled in her cell, with only her unborn children to comfort her. When Berys comes, he discovers her mixed blood. When he leaves, Jamie appeares and frees Lanen from her cell. After a hard battle in which Shikrar battles a Demon Master, Lanen and Varien are reunited. Their reunion is cut short as the Demonlord flies overhead. Not fully knowing what his plans are, our heros follow him, along with all three races of dragons, to put an end to his evil. However, it is only with the help of the strange changes that undergo Varien that they can even hope to win.

The battle at the end is so intense! I could not put this book down. In my opinion, possibly the best out of the three. Seriously, there were about three or four times when I cried and I dont normally cry. Keep a box of tissues with you when you get 100 pages from the end.

I love all the pet names Varien and Lanen have for each other. The love they have is so special and so powerful! They are the perfect couple! No matter what happens or changes, they always stick together.

All in all, a must read for any dragon fan, fantasy fan, or a fan of Elizabeth Kerner! This is a book that you will never regret buying!

Rating:
Summary: A very nice conclusion to the trilogy
Review: I must say I did enjoy the story a good deal and would say that it is definately worth the reading time! Redeeming the Lost is the third novel in the Tale of Lanen Kaelar series and takes up right where the last book left off.

Lanen and Varien have been seperated and their future is unsure as Lanen has been captured by the Berys and a horrible fait awaits her if her captor has his way.

But all is not lost, Lanen's mother appears with the means to track her and the Lessor Kindred have assembled with the Greater Kindred and the suddenly restored Losted.

Soon Lanen is rescued and our heros are off chasing the enemy acrossed the contient, toward the place of the final battle.

Ms. Kerner has outdone herself in the writing of the final battle!! It was amazing and heart-touching! It was amazing, you'll just have to read it for yourself!

My one complaint about this story is the Epiloge, it left me wanting more and speculating on what might happen in the years following... But all in all it is a great story.

Rating:
Summary: The Final Battle
Review: Redeeming the Lost is the third novel in the Tale of Lanen Kaelar series, following The Lesser Kindred. In the previous novel, Lanen and Varien were driven off Hadronstead by an the attack of a mercenary band after Lanen and have traveled toward the College of Mages at Verfaren. In the meantime, the apprentice healers Vilkas and Aral have fled Verfaren with their friend Willem to escape false charges of murder by the Archmage of the College.

When Lanen became desperately ill in Wolfenden from her pregnancy, Vilkas and Aral were staying at the same inn. Vilkas discovered that the mixed blood of the fetuses was incompatible with Lanen's own blood. With Aral assisting, Vilkas healed the damage, changed her blood to match that of the children, and left Lanen in a healthy pregnant state.

Shortly thereafter, Varien met Salera, a Lesser Kindred who Will has adopted. Something in Salera called to both Varien and Lanen. They learned that they could enliven Salera's soulgem, giving her the ability to think at sapient level. Varien and Lanen repeated this process for all the Lesser Kindred while Vilkas and Aral healed the soulgem sockets and other minor wounds.

The Greater Kindred have evacuated Dragon Isle to escape the volcanoes and earthquakes. While the rest of the dragons remained on the Isle of Rest, Shikrar flew on to contact Varien and Lanen, but when he reached them, Berys and his demons have grabbed Lanen and taken her away. Varien became half crazy with fear and grief.

In this novel, Lanen's mother Maran Vena has been observing her daughter for decades with the Farseer ball and knows where Berys has imprisoned Lanen. Maran starts moving toward Shikrar. Meanwhile, the remaining Greater Kindred land in a field near Wolfenden.

Maran meets Varien in the landing zone and starts to tell him about the Farseer. However, the Lost Kindred also come to the field and want something. Shikrar places a soulgem in the socket of one of the Lost Kindred, but nothing happens. However, when Varien, Lanen and Maran all touch the Farseer ball concurrently and place the ball in contact with the soulgem, it comes to life and restores the dragon to full function. The threesome restore all of the Lost Kindred and then promptly fall into a deep sleep.

The Archmage Berys receives reports of these happenings via his demon observers. He is amazed, but not worried. He continues to prepare for the ritual that will drain the soul out of Lanen's body and leave her as a puppet and married to Marik. Everything is on schedule.

In this story, the Demonmaster Berys intends to conqueror the world using the undead spirit of the Demonlord, who had long ago been thought destroyed by the dragons. Lanen is a vital part of these plans. The Black Dragon is already on the way for the final battle.

This story shows a different view of dragonkind. While quite conservative and contemptuous of Gedri -- humankind -- some have come to admire and even love Lanen and have grown to like other humans. Although leery of mankind's greed for gold, Shikrar and the other leaders among the Greater Kindred feel that they can live with this noisy, short-lived bunch.

Highly recommended for Kerner fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of dragons facing demonic magic.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Rating:
Summary: The Final Battle
Review: Redeeming the Lost is the third novel in the Tale of Lanen Kaelar series, following The Lesser Kindred. In the previous novel, Lanen and Varien were driven off Hadronstead by an the attack of a mercenary band after Lanen and have traveled toward the College of Mages at Verfaren. In the meantime, the apprentice healers Vilkas and Aral have fled Verfaren with their friend Willem to escape false charges of murder by the Archmage of the College.

When Lanen became desperately ill in Wolfenden from her pregnancy, Vilkas and Aral were staying at the same inn. Vilkas discovered that the mixed blood of the fetuses was incompatible with Lanen's own blood. With Aral assisting, Vilkas healed the damage, changed her blood to match that of the children, and left Lanen in a healthy pregnant state.

Shortly thereafter, Varien met Salera, a Lesser Kindred who Will has adopted. Something in Salera called to both Varien and Lanen. They learned that they could enliven Salera's soulgem, giving her the ability to think at sapient level. Varien and Lanen repeated this process for all the Lesser Kindred while Vilkas and Aral healed the soulgem sockets and other minor wounds.

The Greater Kindred have evacuated Dragon Isle to escape the volcanoes and earthquakes. While the rest of the dragons remained on the Isle of Rest, Shikrar flew on to contact Varien and Lanen, but when he reached them, Berys and his demons have grabbed Lanen and taken her away. Varien became half crazy with fear and grief.

In this novel, Lanen's mother Maran Vena has been observing her daughter for decades with the Farseer ball and knows where Berys has imprisoned Lanen. Maran starts moving toward Shikrar. Meanwhile, the remaining Greater Kindred land in a field near Wolfenden.

Maran meets Varien in the landing zone and starts to tell him about the Farseer. However, the Lost Kindred also come to the field and want something. Shikrar places a soulgem in the socket of one of the Lost Kindred, but nothing happens. However, when Varien, Lanen and Maran all touch the Farseer ball concurrently and place the ball in contact with the soulgem, it comes to life and restores the dragon to full function. The threesome restore all of the Lost Kindred and then promptly fall into a deep sleep.

The Archmage Berys receives reports of these happenings via his demon observers. He is amazed, but not worried. He continues to prepare for the ritual that will drain the soul out of Lanen's body and leave her as a puppet and married to Marik. Everything is on schedule.

In this story, the Demonmaster Berys intends to conqueror the world using the undead spirit of the Demonlord, who had long ago been thought destroyed by the dragons. Lanen is a vital part of these plans. The Black Dragon is already on the way for the final battle.

This story shows a different view of dragonkind. While quite conservative and contemptuous of Gedri -- humankind -- some have come to admire and even love Lanen and have grown to like other humans. Although leery of mankind's greed for gold, Shikrar and the other leaders among the Greater Kindred feel that they can live with this noisy, short-lived bunch.

Highly recommended for Kerner fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of dragons facing demonic magic.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Rating:
Summary: Lack of character planning, reliance on luck weaken story
Review: The dragons have returned from their exile only to face an even greater danger. The evil mage Berys has recreated the long-lost and nameless demon-master (the one who almost destroyed the dragon race in an earlier age), endowing him with a golem-body of lava in the shape of a black dragon. Together, the mage and demon-master intend to complete the destruction of the dragons while Berys plans to rule over the surviving humans as their king.

Although they do not know how they'll be able to fight the black dragon, the dragons, joined by their lesser kindred (who were severed from the race by the magic of the demon-master but who have regained use of their sole-stones and hence thier intelligence) along with the human Lanen, wife of the dragon-king and now pregnant with their twins, will never give up the battle. And dragons are very strong against demons. The mage, however, intends to use Lanen for his own purposes and seizes her.

As the battle approaches, the mage intends to destroy or subvert those humans who could use magic against him, subjugate Lanen, and join with his black-dragon ally. The dragon-king must first rescue his wife and then discover a way to defeat two enemies, either of whom seems unbeatable.

Author Elizabeth Kerner creates a fascinating universe of magic, dragons, demons, and a goddess whose deeds are always accompanied by balance. The three classes of dragons--including the dragons, the lesser kindred, and the dragons destroyed by the demon-master centuries earlier add a complexity and interest to the story. Romance fans may also enjoy the multiple romances running through the story. Lanen loves her husband but the battle risks what they have together. Mages, healers, blacksmiths, and mercenaries form love triangles where true love is hard to find.

For me, the story was weakened by Kerner's frequent point-of-view shifts, detracting from the story development. An even more serious flaw was the lack of a plan on the part of the heros. While the mage has a plan, the dragons, healers, and Laren simply react to Berys's plan hoping that something good will happen. When good things do happen, I didn't get a sense that these were the result of anything but fortune--and Kerner's desire to have the story work out well for her characters. REDEEMING THE LOST definitely has points of interest but it falls short of the potential that the world-building set up.


Rating:
Summary: An Unexpectedly Satisying Ending
Review: While I liked the first two books in this series, I had no great hopes for the final volume, having seen too many trilogies (and series) fizzle and go down in flames. This one, however, instead of dragging the trilogy down into the level of mediocrity, or merely helping it stay afloat at a 'quite pleasant' level, actually elevated it to a "Hey, that was pretty good! A nice, solid piece of work! Well done, Kerner!" And perhaps I was being dense, but I really didn't see that resolution coming between the hero's dual nature. I thought that was quite neat. (Another Unexpectedly Solid trilogy was Curt Benjamin's Seven Brothers.)

Rating:
Summary: ENJOYABLE CONCLUSION TO A PLEASANT SERIES
Review: With REDEEMING THE LOST Ms. Kerner completes the story begun in SONG IN THE SILENCE and THE LESSER KINDRED. Often in the past I have, with good reason it turns out, dreaded the concluding volumes in a series I have been following. Not just because I have enjoyed the story and am sorry to see it over but because so many endings seem to be poorly thought out and incomplete. When this happens it can spoil or at least taint the entire work. Luckily such is not the case with RTL.

In fact as far as conclusions go this is one of the better ones. Tight, exciting, and masterfully fit to the entire plot it leaves you with the sense that you have not only just finished a well written book but a well told story.

Retelling the plot here would be counter productive. If you read the first two then you know what is going on and what was left to be done, if you haven't then you shouldn't be reading this one anyway. Let's just say it is a seamless continuation of THE LESSER KINDRED and follows through to the end.

As with the first two volumes the characters are full and vibrant, the plot interesting and well paced and the action exciting.

All in all a fine conclusion for a better than average series. This is one I definitely RECOMMEND it.