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RuneScape: Betrayal At Falador (2010)

by T.S. Church(Favorite Author)

3.95 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1848567227 (ISBN13: 9781848567221)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Titan Books

series

Runescape

review 1: Betrayal at Falador is a fantasy book based on the popular browser game known as Runescape. Although this book has strong elements from the game you can read it without having played it. That said, although it's easily readable without having played, you don't have AS strong of a relationship with characters or understandment of certain parts of the book than if you would have played the game. Since I played the game, I found it very easy to follow and know a lot about characters and their stories before reading this book. Whilst reading I did my best to find things I would have no idea about or found confusing in the book if I had not played. Some of which are:- The gods; Saradomin (The God of Order), Guthix (The God of balance), and Zamarock (the God of chaos).- Chaos Dw... morearfs and other races besides humans.- Places in the story, ex. Falador, Varrock, and Taverly. You get the general idea of them, but I feel they weren't explained thourghly. Especially the gods, they play such a big part in the driving forces behind the protagonists and antagonists, and the general world the book is set in.The characters are all likeable and realistic. Though the heroine, Kara-Meir, may seem blunt and one layered at times. Church likes wars that go on page after page, which to me get boring but these were fairly bareable, and not as bad as some I have read. Church did a good job of creating a world with magic that was still realistic. Magic was only able to be used if you had runes (ore type rock that each have a symbol relating to which type of rune it is) to cast the spell. And they're in limited resource. Church also did a good job creating military plans and actions that seemed suitable for the time period the book is in. As well as good world building of Falador, but not so much the other cities.The plot is a classic fantasy plot. Heroes overcome impossible odds at the last possible secound. But he also killed some characters (not main ones, but well liked ones, mind you). There was also a love triangle, but it wasn't the focus or a huge part in the book by any means. And they did have losses of a lot of men, loss buildings, etc. It's the first book in a trilogy, but I feel it ties up well enough to stand alone. All in all, I think any fantasy reader would enjoy this. And even with the above issues, this was a very good book adaptation of a video game. As well, something I found interesting... having played the game made me understand more of the book, and having read the book made me understand more of the game.
review 2: Betrayal at Falador is a novel based on the highly successful game, Runescape. As a person who played countless hours of Runescape, I was interested in seeing if the novel could expand the world of Runescape.The novel begins in typical high fantasy style. A girl is found shivering in the rain and is taken in by a squire named Theodore. During a routine mission, Theodore is sent to the nearby city Taverly and is greeted by a powerful mage, Castimer, and a eccentric alchemist,Ebenezer. While Theodore, and his companions, fight off a nearby army of war mongers, a creature lurks in the shadow consuming innocent civilians in a quest to appease his dark master. The story of Betrayal at Falador is a good introduction to those who have not previously played Runescape, and is filled with quite a few references from the game that many veterans (myself included) will enjoy. Overall the story does not add much to the fantasy genre, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. The characters of Betrayal at Falador are pretty standard for a fantasy novel. The White Knight Theodore is the handsome warrior who is thrust into a world that runs counter to his beliefs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Castimer is physically weak but his intellect allows him to get out of many situations. Where T.S Church takes a different turn from typical fantasy is with the characters Ebenezer and Kara Meir. At first glance Ebenezer’s musings about the world appear to be eccentric, but they provide the only intellectual aspects throughout the novel. I have quite a soft spot for strongly characterized female protagonists, and Kara Meir was quite the strong female character. Unlike the typical female protagonist, Kara is a masterful swordsman and is not afraid to be on the frontlines. Since this was T.S Church’s debut novel, there were quite a few issues that come with being a new novelist. Like new novelists, Church hampers the progression of the story with too many battles. Though I do like a rousing battle scene as much as the next guy, many of Betrayal at Falador’s battles were forced and did not move the story along. Church also makes the mistake of cramming to much into his novel without heeding the amount of pages his has to tale his story. This leads to some parts of the story feeling rushed and not planned out. Though the Betrayal at Falador did not add much to the fantasy genre, it should be read by those who enjoy/enjoyed playing Runescape. As for me, I feel a great urge to go dragon hunting in the actual Runescape game. less

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