Fifth Ring, The by Mitchell Graham

I found this book by chance at a garage sale last summer. I thought to myself, “For 25 cents, it can’t be THAT bad.” I must say that I got quite a bit more than my money’s worth from it!

Graham is indeed a talented author. His style flows very well, and is easy to read. He is able to paint detailed visuals without lengthy and overly complicated descriptions. It becomes obvious early in that he has an appreciation of the art of fencing from some of the scenes in this book, though now and again these scenes can get a little lengthier than they maybe should be.

Another thing I appreciate about Graham’s writing is that he’s able to bring us believable characters that are easy to get to know, likable, and are not invincible. The main character, Mathew Lewin, starts out as rather clumsy and unsure of himself. He retains a sense of personal responsibility throughout his quest that feels realistic. What’s more, there’s a lot of very well written character development between Mathew and his friends. I found myself rooting for the blossoming romance between Mathew and Lara Palmer throughout the entire book!

This first book in the series doesn’t give us a lot of insight on what exactly the rings that Mathew and his enemies possess are or why they were created. There’s little let on about the “Ancients”, though these long-gone people are mentioned rather regularly. The same goes for the strange people called the Orlocks, who live under the ground and have “questionable eating habits”. Throughout the journey, questions get raised, but not a lot gets answered. By the end of the book, I found myself anxious to know more about these unexplained details, and so am looking forward to continuing on with this series in hopes of learning more about these mysteries.

There were things not to like, as with any book out there. The story, though enjoyable and interesting to read, is not particularly original. The theme of a post-apocalyptic world is not an uncommon one, and with all the questions presented with no explanations granted before the book’s end, a reader can be left feeling unsatisfied. And while the fighting scenes can be exciting, they sometimes get a little more drawn out than perhaps they need to be.

If you enjoy fantasy with a dash of science-fiction, then you’re bound to like “The Fifth Ring”.