Guy with red rock...etc.
Nope. Tell me!
I actually agree with everything you said, Reuben. I was just seeing how far you would go
.
Anyhow, as per the Runelords. It's a great series. It has adventure and all that fluff that makes you cozy on a rainy day and such, but it also explores the deeper issues. I have to admit, I've only read the first book and part of the second, but what I have read is awesome. The main villain is quite clearly evil, and yet, at times you find yourself sympathizing with him. The book really does deal with moral issues a lot:
The nobles are a bit like superheroes, but the super-heroism comes with a price. They take "endowments" from willing people, who give them things like grace, wit, stamina, etc., which are lost if the benefactor dies or regained if the recipient dies. In return for the endowments, a large sum of money is given to the family of the "dedicate" (benefactor), and the person taking the gift is obligated both morally and logically to take good care of the person, who is rendered severely disabled in a specific way as a result of the sorcery.
I don't like to reveal too much plot(ironic, because of the nature of this thread
), but at one point, a principal character's father wakes up from Dedicate sleep 20 years biologically younger than his own son, who himself has an endowment of metabolism, which makes him twice as fast but ages him twice as much.
Morality is at the center here, which actually serves to heighten the suspense at certain points. Excellent work.
