Rhymer

Rhymer Trilogy, Book 1

Thomas the Rhymer, legendary twelfth-century figure of traditional Scottish balladry, as you've never seen him before.

Rhymer brings to life Thomas the Rhymer, legendary twelfth-century figure of traditional Scottish balladry, as a champion who must battle the diabolical Yvag—an alien race thought to be elves and faeries—hellbent on conquering our world. This saga pits Thomas against the near-immortal elves, first with only his wits, then with powers of his own that enable him to take on these evil creatures throughout the centuries. He's known by many names over time—Tam Lin, Robin Hood, and numerous other incarnations reaching into the present—but at his heart he is still True Thomas, one man doing all he can to save us all from a powerful foe.

When his brother is snatched right before his eyes, Thomas hunts for justice and discovers that not only do these "elves" steal people, but they also are skinwalkers who occupy humans in positions of power. Their goal: to obliterate humanity and take over our world. When Thomas is dragged into their alien realm, he's imprisoned and barely escapes alive, but in the process he gains near-immortality and the ability to transform himself. Will it be enough to protect his loved ones and defeat the enemies of humankind?

©2023 Gregory Frost (P)2024 Tantor

Very good!

I was surprised to see a low rating for a book by Greg Frost, as his books never disappoint. Often “retelling of” novels stick very close to their source material. This one is full of entertaining surprises, The combination of realistic details of life in medieval England and a very fresh, imaginative take on the elves made it a treat.

Too many issues with this one

First, the narrator. Why the inflection on the last word of EVERY sentence?
Second, there’s no segue to skipping time or memories. A main guy died and I went back so many times but nope. One minute they’re hanging out, the next he’s a, ghost?
Third, the elf takes the face of his sister and it doesn’t get mentioned how disturbing that is??
Fourth, not needed (bad) half fade to black and random details of unnecessary sex scenes.