Bone Walk by Kevin Howe
The Journey of Thomas Shepard
Firelight Publishing, Inc. - November 30, 2001
ISBN: 0970720629 - Paperback
Fantasy, for violence

Reviewed by Jo Rogers, MyShelf.com

Thomas Shepard had been High Lord Jeremy Raven's bean counter for thirteen years, and he was relatively contented. He had been brought to the warehouse by Varden, counsel to Lord Raven, when it was seen that he was much too small for farm work. But he did have an incredible ability with numbers, and was intelligent enough to outsmart those who tried to cheat Lord Raven in taxes. This ability was also the reason Varden sent him on a mission he would never forget.

Varden wanted Thomas to be an envoy through the Western Wood, a huge forest near Eden village. Rich jewelry, clothing and other items were coming from beyond that wood, and Varden wanted to find the artisans that produced them, especially the books. Varden told Thomas and his fellow travelers, a soldier, Jack Sullivan, and a valet, Scrad, that three previous envoys and their escorts had died or gone mad in that wood, and the two who lived to come back had committed suicide. He told them he didn't know why they had not survived, and he gave them one final warning -- "Beware of the Bone Eaters."

BONE WALK is a medieval adventure in a world ruled as much by magic and myth as by science. The characters are real to the reader. Thomas Shepard especially stands out as we see an uncertain dwarf, thrown into an unaccustomed role as leader and envoy, reach down into himself and find strength and intelligence he never knew he possessed. The ending is not decisive, and leaves room for a sequel this reviewer would love to read.

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