The Twins: Gemquest book 1 by Gary Wassner
The Twins, Gemquest: Book 1
Gary Wassner
Windstorm Creative, February 2005
FT Rating 9.0
The world is turning to evil and the protectors are dying at an astonishing rate. The Lalas, great trees that are special in their protection, knowledge, and intimacy with The Chosen, are dying. The lone hope for the world is the heir of Gwendollen, who by prophecy is to find the First Lalas and recover the sacred gem buried deep in the tree’s heart. Baladar, the Lord of Pardatha, has found this heir by magic and has called the finest teachers to train him. However, the dark lord Colton knows the heir is in Pardatha and marches his army to capture the boy.
Filled with heroes, scholars, magic and evil, The Twins combines the very best of epic fantasy. Found is elves, trolls and magic woven into an intricate web of beautiful story lines and characters that create a world that calls you in and devours several hours of your time. Mr. Wassner has reminded me of my childhood and the reason I love fantasy. I felt the grandiose main story arc of Tolkien, the deep and interesting individual character paths of Lewis, with the power of nature reminiscent of Brooks. Do not mistake nostalgia with theft. Mr. Wassner captures the best of these authors and weaves the story with eloquent prose belying his “new author” status.
Straight up, this story is fantastic. The beginning seemed a little disjointed for my liking but created the deep knowledge of each major player necessary for the intricately magical story. Every aspect of epic fantasy was there from the ancient prophecy, evil lord, world doom, and the ragtag collection of heroes. Trust me when I say The Twins is well worth the time; just don’t plan on sleeping.
FT Rating 9.0
