Thar’Kuri warriors, the dreaded voidwalkers, are held prisoner inside the Ring, by ‘crystal restraints that swallowed the voidwalker’s pale arms to the elbow’. In spite of this, events suggest that corruption seeps outwards from these ruthless creatures, polluting the noble aims of the Ring. In the Thar’Kuri, DaVaun Sanders has caught the essence of negativity. Their violence is bad enough but the voidwalkers greatest weapon is the thrall, a transmitted feeling of intense fear and sorrow that destroys the minds of their victims. This proves to be far more effective than a physical weapon, and is a truth only too apparent in our 21st century world.
The opening chapter contains the first of the shocks. Dayn Ro’Halan, the Seedbearing Prince, faces the voidwalkers in their prison cells and this leads to.... events that I cannot reveal. The tension builds and builds as we follow Dayn on his quest.
Dayn is a black hero, one of many black characters. More plus points for DaVaun Sanders. He has created strong female characters, such as Adrian Toljem, Nassir’s wife and his sharp tempered sister, Pararsha. We also get to meet Soong, the Heiress High, a gentler strength, and another of my favourites.
As with the first two books DaVaun Sanders' visual imagination is fired up. The brilliant cover shows the kind of images that are so vividly described inside the book. The actual race itself, the Course of Blades of the title, is an amazing experience.
This isn’t a standalone book, but I can highly recommend reading the first two books, ‘The Seedbearing Prince’, parts one and two. See my previous reviews for further information.
DaVaun Sanders has woven an underlying message of unity into his books but world peace cannot be achieved without pain and sacrifice. A hero's sacrifice. I dare not say more, in case of plot spoiling. The ending really got me, such powerful complex truth. DaVaun Sanders creates amazing stories, but I especially appreciate that his work has wider meaning. This makes the ‘World Breach’ series my favourite ever Science Fiction books.
Amazon US http://www.amazon.com/Course-Blades-World-Breach-Book-ebook/dp/B00O5D6YXU