Coming a year or so after his first
encounters with the Elves and the Battle of Fairwood, Eric once again finds himself dragged
away from Gondlair and thrust into the battle for Novogard. Derex and The Order
are bringing the fight closer to home and Eric has to decide where his
loyalties lie.
Forced to take refuge with the
dwarves, the scattered elves (now under the leadership of Lillian Scarlight)
are trying to rebuild before they are wiped out for good. But there is
treachery afoot within the dwarven realm, and only united can the races of
Novogard stand against the oncoming evil.
The Chalice of Cameron is the
second (of a proposed five) novels set in the world of Novogard. Taking elements
from both classic fantasy and more modern settings Novogard is a place where
technology and magic co-exist. The main protagonist Eric is just as likely to
be riding the tram to school as he is learning to sword fight or cast spells.
It is an interesting concept that
Meyers has pulled together here, bringing the traditional fantasy elements and
dropping them into a modern, technological world which creates conflict. For
the most part it works pretty well, there isn’t much which feels out of place
and there has been a good amount of thought put into constructing the framework
the story operates within.
Character wise, this isn’t quite as
deep as your more classic fantasy tomes – but in fairness it doesn’t claim to
be. I did find myself getting a bit frustrated with the ease with which
everything comes to Eric but generally he does develop along the lines that you
would expect him too.
Some of the other characters also
could do with a bit more fleshing out as we go through the remaining tales –
Ben is a classic example of someone who feels like he is on a leash and needs
more to do. Interestingly enough, the best development comes in the form of the
main antagonist, Derex. We are learning more about him as well as his beliefs, motivations
and drivers. For me, this insight pulls the narrative along much better than
those sections, for example, which focus on Eric’s training.
Plot wise there is nothing too out
of the ordinary here. On the “lowest level”, this is a coming of age tale set
against a backdrop of turmoil, conflict and mistrust. You have your traditional
elements of decisions to be made, sides to be chosen and the normal
frustrations of younger characters having to adapt to a world they either
aren’t ready for or don’t want to be in.
There is however, a degree of
social commentary running through the books too; racism, unchecked
technological advancement, political power plays and “nanny state” governments
are all themes which resonate with the real world that Meyers has managed to
incorporate. It is this element which makes these books stand above some of
their “kin” in the YA coming-of-age fantasy genre.
The world itself is beautifully
described and a lot of care and attention has clearly gone into it. This always
fills me with hope as a well-built and well-constructed world frequently means
that the author has a good handle on where they are going to take the story and
how they are going to use the elements of the world they have put in place.
Overall Meyers has done a pretty
good job of expanding on what was presented in the first book, driving the
narrative forward (if a bit multi-paced at times) and developing the characters
to the point that we are interested in them and what their future holds. There
is still a bit to do for these books to climb into the upper echelon but there
is enough potential here to keep me playing in Meyers’s sandbox for a good long
while yet.
Read if you like: Harry Potter, YA coming-of-age tales
Verdict: 4 stars out of 5
Till next time,
DT
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