Title: RuneScape: Return to Canifis
Author: T.S. Church
Vampires, werewolves and wizards have certainly cast a spell on the living in recent years, as evident in the number of books, movies and television shows focusing on the undead that have topped the charts. when Titan Books first announced it was releasing the novel RuneScape: Return to Canifis, which is based on one of the most played and popular Java-based massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG) in the world, it seemed like the publishing company was on the track to launching another popular vampire franchise. However, author T.S. Church ultimately alienated people unfamiliar with the RuneScape game with his finished work, as he introduced far too many characters and secondary stories before getting to the main plot-line.
Return to Canifis, which is the sequel to the first RuneScape novel, 2008’s Betrayal at Falador, follows heroine Kara-Meir and her companions six months after they defeated and disfigured the evil Lord Sulla. Werewolf Gar’rth and the priestess Arisha accompany Kara-Meir into the Wilderness to track Sulla and his werewolf Jerrod. The remaining Falador heroes, Wizard Castimir, Dwarf Doric and Alchemist Ebenezer, have returned to their homeland.
Meanwhile, Squire Theodore, who has romantic feelings for Kara-Meir, is busy recruiting and training new soldiers for the Falador army in the city of Varrock in an effort to replace the numerous fighters who died in the battle against Sulla. However, an undead, winged creature from the evil realm of Morytania has been killing random men, women and children in Varrock. The creature seems to foreshadow the coming of the Vampire Lord Drakan, who holds immense power. He is believed to be one of the major figures in the on-bringing of a new king.
The Falador heroes reunite in Varrock to make the journey to Morytania, where werewolves and vampires roam free. The group must end the power struggle between the most powerful Lords in order to save Varrock.
Return to Canifis is a must-read for fan of the RuneScape MMORPG. Church gives a massively detailed back-story for all of the characters, which helps players who haven’t read Betrayal of Falador to fully understand what’s going on in this world of Varrock. The story is told from the viewpoints of various characters, so readers can understand how the characters all play a part in the Falador hero’s quest to Morytania. Church’s extensive research into multiple lifestyles, including those of the soldiers, scientists and the undead, clearly shines through in his meticulous description of every detail of life in Varrock and Morytania. While Church determined the fate of the characters, instead of the game players, they will still feel as though they’re on the journey from Varrock to Morytania with the Falador heroes.
Out of all the characters, Theodore is certainly the most relatable. He wants to serve and protect the residents of Varrock from the winged creature and the other evils that lurk in Morytania. However, despite his sworn duty to build up Varrock’s army again, he still longs to be reunited with Kara-Meir. Even as one of the brave protagonists in the story, and all of the success he has achieved as a squire, readers still can identify with him, as he wants to achieve his personal goals and find happiness with the one he loves.
While Return to Canifis does have some appealing traits, particularly to those who love the RuneScape MMORPG, the book is somewhat confusing to people unfamiliar with the RuneScape world. Even with Church’s detailed descriptions of the characters and events leading up to the Falador heroes’ journey into Morytania, people who aren’t fans of the game will still be left confused on what’s happening in the story. Church included too many characters in the beginning of the novel, many of whom don’t have a direct impact on the quest to Morytania. The detailed descriptions of so many of the characters’ mundane lives slow the plot-line and the action down, and readers may become quickly confused and bored with the story. While Return to Canifis is aimed towards players of the game, if the creators of RuneScape wanted to draw in readers who aren’t familiar with the franchise already, Church should have cut down on the number of characters and events in the beginning of the story.
Books are often criticized for their lack of character development and details surrounding the everyday lives of their main protagonists. While Church certainly succeeded in breaking free from that stereotype, his recurring favoritism towards engaging his readers through extensive stories of his characters unfortunately made many chapters of Return to Canifis repetitive. The novel will undoubtedly appeal to the fans of the RuneScape MMORPG; however, people unfamiliar with the game will post likely lose interest in the story rather quickly. Church took entirely too long to get to the point of the story and America’s current obsession: vampires, werewolves and the undead.
Story: D
Characters: C-
Overall: D+
Written by: Karen Benardello
