Dying Wish
The Sentinel Wars, BK 6
Author: Shannon K. Butcher
Publisher: Signet; Original edition
ISBN-10: 045123605X
ISBN-13: 978-0451236050
Rating: 9.5/10
Dying Wish is the sixth novel in The Sentinel Wars series written by Shannon K. Butcher.
If you aren’t familiar with The Sentinel Wars, it is set in a world under attack by demons know as Synestryn, creatures of the night, and defended by 3 Guardian Races who originated from Athanasia. The Guardian Races who are charged by honor to do this work are the Theronai, the Sanguinar and the Slayers, each possessing unique abilities. In addition there are the Gerai who are humans that carry some Athanasian blood. Those traces of Athanasian blood make them special targets for the Synestryn. The Gerai do what they can to support and aide those who do most of the fighting. All of this is kept secret from the bulk of humanity. The secrecy is necessary because those who are aware of the Synestryn become targets by virtue of that knowledge. In this instance ignorance really is bliss.
The Sentinel Wars, like all the best fiction series, contain certain elements that carry over from book to book. The characters and the world they live in grow, evolve and develop greater complexity with each novel.
In this latest incarnation of The Sentinel Wars the central couple consists of a Theronai warrior named Ian who has lost his soul and a woman by the name of Jackie who has been emotionally scarred from years of imprisonment and abuse by the Synestryn. Ian is hiding his condition from his Theroni community, hanging on to duty by a thread of rules and a memory of honor. Jackie desperately wants to return to her “normal” pre-imprisonment life where she did not know of this world at war nor did she have to be responsible for the lives and deaths of others. They may be the central couple but the story is about so much more than these two people. Throughout the novel there are hints and clues of where this all is leading and an amazing discovery toward the end of the story has opened up an immense number of possibilities. I highly recommend buying or renting a copy as soon as possible. If you feel you can’t begin on the sixth book in the series the first five (plus a novella) are all available. If you read this first you’re bound to want to read the previous books. For the rest of us the problem will be waiting for book 7.
Dying Wish - Highly Recommended
Review by June K. Williams
V.P. Buzzy Mag
