The Estian Alliance by M.J. WebbMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of The Estian Alliance by M. J. Webb Jake West Trilogy #3
With any speculative fiction, including fantasy, the question always arises of whether the author’s world-building is believable: is the suspension of disbelief strained, or is it easy and immediate? There is never any doubt with the novels of M. J. Webb’s Jake West Trilogy: the reader leaps instantaneously from contemporary Britain to a world not our own, a world of magic and strange beasts, wars and terror, a world that can only be preserved by one fifteen-year-old English boy, son of the former Keeper of the Stones, who himself becomes the new Keeper, the chosen “One” of prophecy. But can even Jake West save Estia?
“The Estian Alliance” is the third, and concluding, entry in Author Webb’s “Jake West Trilogy,” so the question naturally arises, is it necessary to have first read “Keeper of the Stones” and “The Warriors of Heynai”? The technical answer is no: Mr. Webb generously provides us with a Prologue delineating the background of the trilogy, and summarizing some of the essential points. But my personal thinking is: why would you want to miss out on two/thirds of Mr. West’s smooth and enticing storytelling, and on Jake’s story as he is living it, along with best pal Ben and the many unusual individuals he encounters? Personally, I would appreciate owning this as a boxed set in print, as wwell as in ebook version, and I hope that will be possible at some point. This series is targeted for YA readers (the protagonist is fifteen, after all), but so what? I haven’t seen fifteen in many decades, and I still love this series. So come on-go out there and get all three. You won’t regret it!
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