The Way of the Wilderking - By Jonathan Rogers

When fear of God has left the land,
To be replaced by fear of man;
When Corenwalders free and true
Enslave themselves and others too,
When mercy and justice disappear,
When life is cheap and gold is dear,
When freedom's flame has burned to ember
And Corenwalders can't remember
What are truths and what are lies,
Then will the Wilderking arise.

~from The Wilderking Chant

The final installment of the Wilderking Trilogy! As you might have guessed, Corenwald is in dire need. In this grand ending to a wonderful tale we learn that Aidain Errolson, once a civilizer, has spent the last 3 years in hiding as Pantherbane, Feechie Friend and dweller of the swamps, unrecognizable by all who once knew and loved him.


Aidain’s troubles become more ominous now that he is a young man of 18. The Pariths once again join us and threaten the ever weakening kingdom of Corenwald. Instead of defending his kingdom, Darrow continues to make a doomed attempt to capture Aidain with a thousand soldiers. Aidan, still loyal to Darrow, decides to leave his place of safety in an effort to save the lives of the men who would not survive the Swamps in search of him.
King Darrow’s decline into insanity has escalated. His faithful son has soothed and advised him for years, but is fast losing his influence, proving to the world that Corenwald is on the brink of destruction. People begin to flock to Aidain, believing him to be the long foretold Wilderking and their savior from ultimate enslavement under the Parithien empire.
Fearing for his father, brothers, and all innocent people under the rule of the jealous king Darrow, Aidan is forced to fight and lead an army of miscreants and Feechiefolk. To everyone's astonishment though, Aidan, who has not denied loyalty to King Darrow and Prince Stern, leads his army not against those in pursuit of his life, but against those who threaten his King and his people.

Surprisingly Rogers once again manages to keep his books from becoming dark and depressing. The ongoing antics of Dobro keeps readers rolling, while the poignant scenes of redemption makes a wonderful touching edition to the story. What do you get when mixing Dobro Turtlebane with a civilizer city? One hilarious disaster right on the heels of another.

There are many hard truths Aidain must learn before the shining conclusion to his tale. The role thrust upon him is a heavy and complicated burden as he must decide what is right and wrong. War breaks out, and with war comes the death of those Aidain loves. Rogers incorporates beautiful scenes of mercy, sacrificial love, reconciliation, humbleness, deference, battling the monster of false humility, and once again, unshakable faith. Jonathan Rogers doesn’t disappoint as he brings this satisfying read to a close.