So, you think you had a bad day? Let me tell you about mine. My parents got murdered. The ones from Earth who'd adopted me as a kid, as well as the ones I was born to, on another planet. I was chased and almost killed by assassins. I crossed an inter-dimensional portal and found myself on a strange new world. I met some dwarves with the worst dress sense I'd ever seen. I found out that it was somehow my job to save the world from some great evil. And I almost got killed by assassins, again. Yes, that was my Monday. How was yours? It's hard enough being a teenager. It's insanely hard for a teenager who spent most of his time with a keyboard and a mouse to suddenly have to handle a sword and fight monsters. While having a crush on a couple of really beautiful girls who are way, way out of my league. And don't even get me started about the ships. Great big sailing ships, smelly fishing boats, flying ships. Been there, done that, fell off a couple of them. Did I tell you that I was put in command of a small army? Yes, I was, and I promptly messed it all up. Lots of people died because of me. So now you know, teenagers don't make great army generals. But, after all that, I've been given a chance to redeem myself. To try to fix things. The big horde of monsters that I got my ass kicked by the last time? They're still around, and meaner than ever. But I've been given a second try to stop them, and I'm sure as heck not going to waste it. Deserts, rivers, flying monsters, thieves, assassins, vicious bankers. None of that's going to stand in my way. I'm going to finish the job, even if it's just me and my trusty talking sword. |
Review
I love the pop culture references in this series (chapter titles like ‘At least he’s not big, purple, and wearing a golden metal glove’) and the way Ban parodies fantasy while still keeping the reader fully invested in Elai’s quest. The story is always moving forwards and will make you laugh as often as it has you on the edge of your seat. The Fire on the Clouds books are a lot of fun to read and Storm on the Sands gave me a much needed cheer-up at the end of a rough week. As with Elai Nelson and the Prophecy of the Child, I found myself torn between wanting to see how it ends and never wanting it to finish.
Elai survives by his wits and he does it so darn well, drawing on items and knowledge from Earth to trick his adversaries. In this book we discover more about his origins in Marenden and the series of events that forced him through the Rift to Earth. More fearsome enemies pursue Elai and his magical sword, Creep (who secretly aspires to be a baker—see what I mean about the humour?), desperate to keep Creep and Elai from fulfilling their quest to return the sword to its proper place. The pieces of the larger picture really start falling together as Elai Nelson and the Storm on the Sands sets the stage for the final book in the trilogy. Once again, I’m going to have a tough time waiting to read what happens next.
Book provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review