Chalice, The by Deborah Chester

Although this book is as well written as the first two in the series (THE SWORD and THE RING), I think the plot was pushed along too quickly. As a previous reviewer mentioned, there were entirely too many things to accomplish in this book. The problem ends up being that the goals are accomplished both too quickly and too easily. The last half of the book seemed to be a cake walk for the protagonists. It made the antagonists seem inept and one dimensional. There was one side trip alone that I would have loved to see expanded into an entire book alone. This is not to say that everything went right for the antagonists. Chester still hasn't lost her penchant for killing off characters. Some of those deaths truly surprised me. And some of them were hardly noble; they were brutal, ignominious executions, but they made the world seem more realistic. Not all of the good guys survive. And don't think that I didn't enjoy this book. I gave it four stars because it was such an enjoyable read. I was still interested in seeing the growth of the characters. Plus, Chester's pure unpredictability had me turning pages late into the night. It lost that fifth star for being a bit rushed and easy for the heroes. However, Chester still has created a vivid world populated with believable characters that truly engages your imagination. This is a must read trilogy for any fantasy fan. I'm hoping that Chester comes back and revisits this creation sometime in the future, much like Terry Brooks does with his Shannara series, as long as she takes a break and flexes her muscles in another world in between.