Everything we loved about The Green Ember was present in Ember Falls, but the sequel was more satisfying, even if more tragic. It was appropriately darker, richer, more complex, and more well told. Like many, I thought Ember Falls was a brilliant sequel to The Green Ember. The Last Archer, will become the First Fowler, an ultimately, a great hero for the cause. he is a lovable, loyal, and brilliant hero. Jo Shanks is easily one of the most beloved characters of the entire series because when he is doing what he was made to do. But, readers of the series know that is not Jo’s whole story. Next to Nate Flynn, Jo is sort of a disaster.

Like most of us, Jo is not the best, not the brightest, not the most courageous, and certainly not the most consistent. Ordinary in the sense that he exists for great good but he is getting in his own way.

When The Last Archer opens, Jo is just not that “special.” In fact, he is pretty ordinary. I had not expected a third storyline to emerge from this #RabbitsWithSwords legendarium, but I did think Sam had a particular interest in Jo Shanks. So, when I read The Last Archer I wasn’t completely surprised that we were getting a Jo Shanks story. When I read Ember Falls, however, I began to really love the band of brothers who served under Captain Helmer and, with Picket’s experience and Heyward’s engineering, would all learn to fly. That little book had so much promise (which is, I think, realized in Prince Lander and the Dragon Wars). When Sam released The Black Star of Kingston, I delighted in the knowledge that we were getting a robust origin story for the land of Natalia. Heather did attend to his wounds in the battle, and that did pique my interest, but he did not jump off the page as one of those characters who would become a favorite. While I was reading The Green Ember, Jo Shanks did not jump out at me as being one of those characters we needed to know more about.

Sam’s writing seems to suggest that if we had enough evenings on his porch, looking out at his field, he would tell us all of these stories and so many more. I said in my spoiler-free review of Ember’s End that I am an insatiable reader, but that is only part of it. And I want to know more about the votaries. Without question, I definitely want much more of Helmer’s story. And, strange as it may sound, I want to know more about Kyle’s story. I also would love to know more about Emma and Lord Rake’s story before Heather and Picket arrive at Cloud Mountain. As an example, the Weavers are written in such a way that I feel like Sam must have backstories for them that he is waiting to tell. Smith’s Green Ember books is that there are a great number of “minor” characters who are so interesting to me that I would love to see them get their own fully developed stories. One of the things I enjoy so much about the #RabbitsWithSwords world of S.

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