Mystarria is in ruins. The Earth king, Gaborn has lost practically everything. Four other Kings are coming to claim what remains oblivious to the hoard of Reavers approaching from the underworld intent on destroying mankind.

The only way to save mankind is for Gaborn to journey below the surface to the Lair of Bones and face the leader of the Reavers. To give him the strength to endure the trial Gaborn receives endowments from the people of Mystarria. He is accompanied by his wife, Iome, Binnesman, a wizard, Binnesman's wylde, a creature passionately protective of her companion and intent on destroying the enemies of the Earth, and Averan, a young woman who knows the true path to the Lair of Bones.

Will Gaborn and the rest of his party save Mystarria from destruction? Can they withstand the force of the Reavers? Only time will tell.

The Lair of Bones is a classic fantasy story ? a brave warrior and his band of adventurers face the seemingly hopeless task of defeating the "Big-Bad" and saving the world. However this book has something extra. There is an aspect to the society that, although essential for the hero to be victorious, leaves a slightly sour taste in the mouths of some of the main characters. To enable the heroes to have the strength and endurance to complete their task they take Endowments from Dedicates. These endowments take the form of strength, sight, will, metabolism etc and enhance the recipients own abilities.

However there are two major problems with the endowments. For one, the donors are then deprived of whatever essence they give which, at the very least renders them blind but often results in death. Then there is the long term affect on the recipient. The increase in power, particularly in metabolism, causes the recipient to live their life at a faster rate, mature more quickly and, inevitably, age and die prematurely. Surely this sacrifice is acceptable in order to save the world?

Before reading The Lair of Bones I had not read any of the previous books in the series. This did make things a little difficult as there were a number of characters and situations that had evidently taken place in previous novels that I had to assume. However, it is a tribute to the writing skill of David Farland that I was able to pick up the threads of the storyline very quickly and thoroughly enjoy this book.

I look forward to reading future work by this author.