New Book Alert: Empire Paladin: Realm of the Dead by M.S. Valdez; Epic Battle of Good Vs. Evil Hits A Gray Area

New Book Alert: Empire Paladin: Realm of the Dead by M.S. Valdez; Epic Battle of Good Vs. Evil Hits A Gray Area

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Spoilers: There is a great moment at the very end of the Devil's Advocate when the smarmy lawyer, played by Keanu Reeves, thinks that he has defeated Satan, played very memorably and hammingly by Al Pacino. Reeves' character has renounced his previous career as a soulless attorney working under Satan's law firm (literally) and has reunited with his troubled wife, played by Charlize Theron. He vows to be a public defender and advocate for others. On the way out, he gives an interview in which he espouses his new found good hearted and altruistic nature. When Reeves' back is turned, the reporter transforms into Satan. Realizing that he has trapped the attorney with his good nature as easily as he had the first time playing on Reeves' avarice, Pacino's Satan looks right at the camera and says one of the best closing lines in film history: "Vanity, definitely my favorite sin."


M.S. Valdez's Empire Paladin: Realm of the Dead plays on the concept: that those who believe that they are good can often be capable of doing the most evil. If someone's good nature is built on pride, self-righteousness, and converting or destroying those who do not share their limited view of the world, then they can be as dangerous as those who only live to hurt and destroy others for revenge or selfish gain.


Realm of the Dead presents two characters caught up in the conflict of good vs. evil that on the surface appear to be completely different, but when looked closer are very similar in their obsessions, fanaticism, and single minded pursuits. Similar to another recent epic fantasy that I reviewed, Derek Smythe's The Other Magic, the battle of good vs. evil is less straightforward. It's not always black and white, sometimes it's shades of gray.


Many of the characters are among the 12 members of the primus paladins of the Order of the Paladins, the elite Knight order from the Holy Roman Empire. They travel throughout Europe under the direct orders from the Empire to fight for, defend, and spread God's word. It's an awesome responsibility and certainly lends itself to people who can be skewered by their view of what God's word actually means and commit deadly actions in the names of those views.

One of those knights that falls short is Lord Vhaldrynn Malleus. Besides being an effective paladin and dedicated warrior, he has the gift of healing and bringing the dead back to life. Unfortunately, his wife and children were murdered while he was away on assignment. Vhaldrynn is enraged that this personal loss happened while he was doing God's work, so he renounces his religious calling. Since he accepts that evil is in the world, the only thing that he can do to combat it is to destroy all of humanity.


Of course this is a world where Satan definitely exists and is always on hand for a renunciation. He appears right in front of Vhaldrynn complete with witty dialogue and an offer he can't refuse. (When he gives an overly long list of titles, Vhaldrynn says "You are Lucifer, the Father of Lies." Satan's comeback: "Then I guess I must not be who I said I was.") His tantalizing offer is that Vhaldrynn can now use his healing powers to bring people from the dead and create a mindless zombie army to do their dark master's bidding.


If there is a deadly sin that Vhaldrynn is guilty of, it's Wrath. He is so bound by his hatred and vengeance over what happened to his family that he is willing to destroy the world. He is even aware that his ultimate prize will be eternal damnation and he no longer cares. Anger has eaten him from the inside and is destroying as quickly as his army of the dead are destroying everything else around him.


Another character that has their own view of God's word and acts according to it, is a character on the other side, the side of good: Lady Camila Chastaine. Camila is considered one of the best paladins: relentless in her pursuit of enemies and fights them until they are converted or dead. (For those who accuse Valdez of political correctness in featuring a female paladin should be aware that history and legend is full of stories of such women. Charlemagne had a female paladin, Lady Bradamante, in his knighthood. History includes such figures as Joanna of Flanders, Empress Matilda, Jeanne de Clissone, and of course one of the most famous female warriors of all, Joan of Arc.) Camila is a fierce warrior, dedicated, strong-willed, and excellent at strategy and physical fighting.


However, she is not always likeable. Our first encounter with her is when she pursues a man for the rape of a young girl. It would be admirable except the man had already been tried and found not guilty by the Duke. Camila refuses to listen to the man's pleas of innocence and protection by the Duke. She says that there is a difference between man's law and God's law and she is there to enact God's law before she kills him.


Camila's traveling companions, fellow paladins, Talitha and Altrael and sorceress, Fausta think of her as cold, emotionless, and self-righteous. They try to keep her grounded and to see beyond her narrow minded view and retain her humanity. But they are not always successful.

If Vhaldrynn is guilty of Wrath, then Camila is guilty of Satan's favorite sin from The Devil's Advocate: Pride and Vanity. She believes that she is doing God's work and that she is merely his vessel, but she is actually following her own ascended view of humanity and she is willing to kill others to enforce it. In some ways that makes her no better than Vhaldrynn.


Camila's pride ultimately proves to be her downfall. Satan finds that he can lure her just as easily as he could Vhaldrynn. In his horrific confrontations with the female paladin, he forces her to face her own demons, including a literal one that is activated by her self righteousness and pride and the violence that comes with that.


Empire Paladin Realm of the Dead features characters that walk a thin line between good and evil. Once they fall so far into the individual sides, they might see how similar those sides actually are.