The Calm Before the Storm

Joe Lawson
LBF Books (2006)
ISBN 9781885093479
Reviewed by Ian McCurley (age 13) for Reader Views (4/07)


“The Calm Before the Storm” begins when Jhonia, the King’s mage in the Kingdom of Dania, has a vision of what will come to pass.  He sees that the Jyniae will try to attack the Humans and Aanians and reclaim their homeland.  Being himself half Jyniae, Jhonia feels that it is his responsibility to stop the attack by Logan, the Jyniae’s long dead but soon to be resurrected Synriae.  The day after the vision, Captain Alyxandr Jeffries is escorting the Princess around the castle when they are attacked by several Jyniae assassins.  After the attack, Alyx decides to accompany his old friend, Jhonia, down south to Daighlin.  They feel a kinship because while Jhonia is half Jyniae, Alyx is half Rydi.  The Rydi are renowned for their swordsmanship just as the Dania have the ability to control the Source, or the magic.  Upon reaching Dania, they go to an inn where Alyx meets Jhonia’s daughter, Khori.  A rift in Alyx and Jhonia’s friendship is created as the Rydi falls in love with Khori.  As Khori, Jhonia and Alyx travel northward, Alyx is captured by the Rydi who hate him because he is a half-breed.  His half-brother, a full-Rydi named Kiegen, risks expulsion from the clan to save Alyx.  The Aanian Princess Tai also helps, and she and Kiegen fall in love.  As the group travels toward the Aanian capitol, one of the Aanian guards, Shayne, is lost in the magical mist where he is transformed into an evil, inhuman beast.

Joe Lawson writes well in “The Calm Before the Storm.”  This book is for readers ages 12 and up who like fantasy novels and swords.  If you read this book, expect an entertaining but slightly confusing experience. The story is kind of confusing in that it will surprise you very much in the end.  “The Calm Before the Storm” is unique and creative.  It is unique in that it has more romance than most children’s fantasies, but it’s not overdone.  Finally, “The Calm Before the Storm” is full of many twists and turns, and you never know where it will take you.  If you think you know the outcome, you don’t.

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