The Burning Bridge

This is one of those books that I feel torn on. On the one hand, this book is an excellent choice for middle grade readers, because it improves on the major elements that appeared in the previous book. It has more action and suspense as Will and Halt try to defeat Morgarath, who is marching on their Kingdom. I also liked the ending, since it showed an interesting way to explore this world and see more of what Flannigan has made.

Yet, I also have a problem with Morgarath, in that he simply is built up over two books as this major force of evil, yet is vanquished in just a few pages, which sort of put a damper on the whole ending. I think he should have been the villain of the whole series, as this would have made him more of a threat. Then there is also the worrying precedent that this book sets. I am worried that other threats that our heroes face will be just the same in terms of set up and pay off.

Still, I liked this book, and I would recommend this book to others, if they are in the right age bracket, or looking for a break from the long fantasy novels. This would be a nice book to read in an off week or so, if you want to be in the fantasy mood, but do not want to make a 500 to 800 page commitment. I give it a three out of five.