Like Tolan stated in the story: 'Everything ends.' And the grand finale did not disappoint! Picking up after Defiant Dancer (book 3), it follows the story of Mikial Haran, a warrior class humanoid who becomes a Great Suria (a sort of spiritual leader). Mikial learns to face her demons, which is mainly herself, while trying to guide her segregated people into a solid, unified planet. A daunting task, especially when she's managed to ostracize everyone close to her as the powerful shadow of being a Great Suria consumes her. Of course, the pesky humans get in the way to make things worse, and the little green Me'Aukins have drawn her into a war with the humans. Mr. Tolan manages to draw out the worst qualities we humans have in the form of General Powel, a truly nasty specimen. There were many moments I wanted to jump inside the book and give this dude a beating. But, our best qualities are redeemed in the form of Ryan Donald, who has been around from the very beginning. Battle Dancer is about friendships and love, the bewitching charms of power, the courage to face your inner demons, war, politics, and battle like a good old-fashioned fist fight. This was a truly enjoyable read as I caught up with my old friend Mikial, and it's with a bit of melancholy that I say goodbye. Thanks, K.M. Tolan!
Reviewed by: T.K. Toppin
A tremendous conclusion to Tolan's "Dancer" series of novels...enjoyed this one, although the beginning of the book seemed a bit disjointed and difficult to follow exactly what was going on. Once I was straightened out on all of that, it was quite the novel. The characters are still as vivid as the first book, and have gone through a lot of change in that amount of time. And of course, the worlds have grown immensely more detailed.
Reviewed by: Tod Hunter