Review by C.J. Bunce
Unlike the fantasy RuneScape: The Gift of Guthix (reviewed last year here at borg and picked as the best fantasy read of 2024), the next book in the tie-in novels to the popular Jagex MMPORG is more of an historical novel. RuneScape: The Fall of Hallowvale is a dark and bloody moment-by-moment account from the history of the “Old School” version of the game. If you played the game you are probably aware of the Everlight, the Blood Altar, and the story of Queen Efaritay, a winged icyene, whose fate was sealed when she married a human man named Ascertes. Scottish author Robbie MacNiven digs into the lore of the game and fleshes out war strategy, a bloody battle among myriad monster races, and the events that launched a bigger epic for the game.
It’s not for anyone looking for a lighthearted fairy tale story or a happy ending.
After reading RuneScape: The Gift of Guthix you would never know these stories even took place in the same universe. RuneScape: The Fall of Hallowvale is all about vampires, were-wolves, and other creature races, all interacting with humans. It’s much less a fantasy than full monster horror. It all feels like World of WarCraft or the march on Helm’s Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, including the fact that the defenders (of Hallowvale in the RuneScape story) rely on their belief reinforcements will come. Other times its vampire elements make it feel closer to Twilight and Interview with the Vampire than Kim Newman’s vampire world stories.
If you already know the RuneScape story from the game, you know this is a dark story full of losses to the side of the “light” and wins for all things dark: the vampyres or vyre under Draken. Not a lot provided in the story makes any character particularly likeable. The vampires are all bad, except a sister who seems to have more potential: Vanescula, a warrior you wish could remove Draken from power in every scene.
On the other side of the battle (the Seadomin or “light” side) is Rhea, a hypaspist, a human and part of the wolf order (there is also an owl, unicorn, and lion order, which makes the fantasy at times conjure the animal orders in the Chinese fantasy The Great Wall). She has all the strength, skill, and savvy of a Viking or Valkyrie. Apparently created for this novel, she is the most interesting character, and serves to connect the path of the fall of Hallowvale to its final moment, ushering in a much darker future for this world.
Along with Rhea is new character Luken, a junior illuminator under the archpriest of the unicorn, Akeron, who is from the “Old School” mythology. Luken is entrusted with the location of the legendary Blood Altar, and with Akeron they have an a Frodo and Samwise mission that runs parallel to the battlefield scenes.
MacNiven provides believable, detailed, realistic elements that make the fantasy feel like an historical event. Fans of the game will appreciate his efforts here. If you like books about battle strategies, sword battles and Civil War type encounters, this book may be for you.
From Titan Books, RuneScape: The Fall opf Hallowvale is now available here at Amazon.
