The Keep of Fire is a little shorter than its predecessor, faster moving, equally engrossing and somewhat darker in tone. It is a serious, complex fantasy, beautifully written, thoughtful, imaginative and thrilling. We discover more about the Dominions, from Shadows Deep to the Summer Sea, learn secrets of the ancient past and are left with a book that is satisfying in its own right, yet which offers tantalising suggestions of what may lie ahead.

A decidedly superior fantasy, Mark Anthony maintains the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Terry Brooks' Sword of Shannara, while bringing a polished contemporary approach to classic High Fantasy. --Gary S. Dalkin

It is just a cruel twist of fate that the one thread left hanging at the end is the one that I would most like to see resolved.

Mark Anthony is doing well with this series. Perhaps this book is not as successful as the first at invoking the horror of the enemies they face (although they seem terrible enough to being with), but it certainly moves the characters forward.

I cannot wait to get a copy of the next book; the plot may be wrapped up, but the character’s destinies certainly are not, and I find myself caring about them terribly.


One of the best books I've read in years   August 23, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is the stuff that most fantasy readers dream of. That someone can leave this world and actually enter another, totally different one. I have read the first three books in this series and I could not put them down. I nearly cried when I realised there was a fourth book not yet published! You are right there with the characters - you feel for them, and totally share their adventures. It is a "feel-good" book but more realistically than most of that kind, not everything goes right for the heroes and some of those characters which you feel will survive, don't. A totally fascinating read - and really the fact that there will be a long wait for the next only sweetens the anticipation - plus the fact that I will have to read the other three books again to remember every aspect of the story before I finally read the fourth!


Not as good as the first !   December 10, 2000
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The second book in the series unfortunately doesn't quite keep up to the standard of the first book Beyond The Pale. The story line seems to lose its way at times and the pace of the original is missing. Also some of the characters from the medieval fantasy world of Eldh just seem too 21st Century and not very believable! Also the introduction of campness into several characters especially a medieval Knight is just plain silly!