Bret M. Funk, Path of Glory: Book One of Boundary's Fall

Published by Tyrannosaurus Press, 2002

Reviewed by Angela Silliman

The Boundary of Madryn has stood for 1,000 years. A feat of great Magic, the Boundary ended the long MageWar and has kept the Darklord Lorthas imprisoned, But with the end of the MageWar came the end to the truce between the four races of Madryn.

The Boundary was supposed to last for all time, but now it's Magic is weakening, and the Darklord and his servants are threatening to destroy the world once again....

And so begins Bret M. Funk's epic Boundary's Fall series.

After a prologue that explains what the Boundary is, and how it came to be, the true story of Path of Glory (Book One of Boundary's Fall) begins with young Jeran Odara spying a strange boy lying as though dead by the water. As Jeran sneaks up to get a closer look, he tumbles to the ground below, and is confronted with the stranger. Jeran meets the startled boy, Dahr, and learns that his strange position is an attempt to catch fish.

Jeran and Dahr, as boys are want to do, quickly become friends as they catch fish, and Jeran invites Dahr back to his village, and his farm. Dahr receives strange looks from the villagers, but is comforted by Jeran's words that the village is not used to strangers. Once they reach Jeran's farm, the young boy asks his Uncle Aryn if Dahr can stay. The old man is grateful to have another hand, and a playmate for his young nephew and so he quickly agrees. Seasons pass as Dahr learns the ways of the farm, listens to Uncle Aryn's stories, and becomes a member of the Odara household.

All goes well until one night, a wounded solider appears at Aryn's door with the message: "The Bull...escaped." These words propel Jeran and Dahr on an adventure to find the King of Alrendria to warn him of this terrible news. On the way they meet friends, and fight with powerful foes as the Bull and his army pursue them. Barely escaping with their lives, Jeran and Dahr eventually make it to the capital of Kaper - and to the King.

It is here where they meet Martyn, a boy their own age - and as the years pass they become the best of friends. As young men, the three friends must now go on a journey in order to alert the other kingdoms and races of the dangers facing them if the Boundary is to fall. Loyalty, honor, duty and friendship are tested as these young men embark on their epic quest. Can they succeed? Dare they fail? The fate of the world, it seems, is now in their young hands....

Path of Glory was a novel that I greatly enjoyed. This epic fantasy, this good versus evil story, is told mostly from the point of view of these three young men. It gives the reader a more intimate feeling: the story becomes personal. I feel involved with these three men's lives, and realize that it is them that must undertake these grand journeys, both to distant lands, and within themselves if the world is to be saved. I quickly became very engrossed with these characters and their relationships: their wants, needs and desires.

I also like the idea that the personal good versus personal evil is also important to the author. The story is not just focused on the grand evil, but on lesser evils and how they affect the characters. And, also, how things important to one character affect the other characters. This is a good break from epic fantasy that I've read ala the likes of grand authors such as Robert Jordan - whose world has become so large, so epic, that whole books have gone by without mention of at least one of the main characters.

The story was wonderful; it kept me glued to the book, turning pages. Several nights I was up way past my bedtime in order to just get to the next chapter, and once I got to the next chapter, I tried to convince myself that "just one more" wouldn't hurt. It takes a really good book to keep me that enthralled.

However, Path of Glory was not perfect. There were a few small flaws which should have been fixed; typos, and other slight editorial oversights that should have been given more attention. I understand that this is the first book published by Tyrannosaurus Press, and that mistakes will be made, but I really think they could use more attention to detail in this department - I hope the next installment, and future books from Tyrannosaurus Press are better proofread.

The only major problem I had with the book was the lack of screen time for Martyn. Jeran and Dahr are the main characters through the first part of the book. With the addition of Martyn in the second half, I had hoped to learn more about him, and I was disappointed. I hope this will be fixed in future installments of the Boundary's Fall series. I'd like to know more about Martyn and feel like he's more a part of the main characters rather than just a large secondary character.

I highly recommend Path of Glory to anyone who loves epic or high fantasy, or who just loves great characters. The story's focuses on the values of love, loyalty, honor and discipline: high values for anyone to understand and grasp. If you're looking for quality reading material, look no farther than Path of Glory. I would also highly recommend it for summer reading material for older children. If your older readers have already finished Harry Potter, Path of Glory is another wonderful story about three friends who have secret pasts and struggle against the evils in the world. Fantasy lovers should jump on this story. I praise Funk for drawing his readers into such a wonderful, colorful, rich world and for writing about characters that are intriguing and, above all else (regardless of their actual race), human.

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