Callum Walker makes his return in author J.M. Shaw’s second installment in her Callum Walker series. The Convergence will continue Callum’s story as the aftershocks of the war with the brothers continue to ripple throughout the magical world. But now, there is a new and bigger problem. All of the evil, cruelty, and darkness have opened up an avenue for an ancient evil to return to this world. This darkness will force Callum to return, whether he wants to or not.
The Convergence has a simplistic cover similar to the other books in this series. The Convergence depicts a forest scene decked out in varying shades of green spread out. Spread across the cover of this book are glowing orbs of light in varying sizes. These orbs appear to be depictions of magical energy. In the center of the cover is a young man appearing to be mostly decked out for a hike deep into the woods.
He’s carrying a backpack, wearing shorts, a baseball cap, and a long-sleeved jacket. From his posture, he appears to be hesitant, but set on what he must do – and that is to take the path laid ahead for him. There is a shimmer of mist in front of him that could be a representation of the Veil that he will be crossing back over as he crosses from the human realm, back into the realm of magic and danger at every turn.
As The Convergence begins to unfold author Shaw reunites readers with Commander Agis, the elf who serves Queen Esme, and who was responsible for some of Callum’s hardships in The Ascension. Commander Agis is not alone as he makes a trek across the land. With him is the infamous Queen Esme. The big questions of “Where are they going?” and “What are they doing?” will soon be answered with a few more turns of the page.
Queen Esme is on a quest for answers and Callum is the source of her consternation. She desires information about Callum and his unique power. Of course, her quest for answers is far from being “purely academic.” If you remember carefully dear reader, you’ll remember that Queen Esme craves Callum’s power. In fact, in The Ascension, she fully intended to kill him to acquire it. It appears that in The Convergence, little has changed when it comes to Queen Esme and she is a clear and present danger to Callum.
The first chapter in The Convergence closes with Agis and Emse parting ways. Agis has been given his “marching orders” and Esme expects him to follow like the good and loyal soldier he is supposed to be. The story shifts to the human realm where we will find Callum in relative “hiding.” After everything that Callum experienced in The Ascension, we honestly can’t blame him. He simply wants peace in his life.
Unfortunately, for Callum, peace is but a dream at this point. Regardless, readers will be pleasantly surprised to learn that despite the distance, Callum has remained in touch with the magical realm. Author Shaw fills readers in on some of what Callum has been up to in the second chapter of The Convergence. He spent a good amount of time across the veil learning with the druids before eventually returning home. But he has maintained a connection with them by giving a druid by the name of Jobella, a cell phone.
It’s through this means of communication that Callum’s self-imposed distance from the world across the veil is about to begin to crumble. Jobella and the other druids request him to investigate a strangeness plaguing the land. A village has gone silent and this silence worries those who care most about the residents. Author Shaw’s conjuring of a sense of impending danger at this point in The Convergence is sure to pull you to the edge of your seats.
While Callum reluctantly agrees what he finds when he goes there is jaw-dropping. All we’ll say is that it is a heralding of a dark and dangerous enemy rising and gathering power. Readers will be pleased that it’s not just Callum who will come to this revelation. Author Shaw sees the importance of having Jobella and another druid apprentice see it for themselves as well.
The Convergence proceeds forward alternating between Callum and a small collective of secondary characters. Told from the third person POV this story progresses forward mostly following Callum as he is pulled back into the world across the veil. He is also reunited with characters with whom he has some history and with whom he has never met before.
The deeper that readers proceed into The Convergence, the author Shaw impresses on us the impact that Callum’s encounters in The Ascension had on him. Callum is more jaded in The Convergence compared to book one. One really can’t blame him. People that he gave a degree of trust to ended up betraying him or taking advantage of his willingness and desire to be helpful.
The Convergence will showcase another side of Callum. In this installment of the series, readers will witness Callum being a touch less benevolent and kind. He’s slower to trust and quicker to hold a grudge. Forgiveness comes slowly from him, which lends Callum to coming off as more realistic. It also lends to showing Callum’s character development not just in The Convergence, but also across the Callum Walker series as a whole.
As The Convergence unfolds we get to see that once again, danger swirls all around. There is the threat of this evil darkness consuming life and leaving ash in its wake. Callum is being hunted by Queen Esme who turns around and puts a bounty on his head. Of course, this goes to compound the danger that Callum must face. While Esme wants him alive, so that she can steal his power, others aren’t so scrupulous and are willing to end his life.
The Convergence moves at a moderate pace and is relentless in the amount of drama that readers will encounter. Author Shaw showcases Esme’s depravity in her quest to maintain power and portray herself as a “benevolent” queen. Well, more like a queen who will do anything (and we mean ANYTHING) to quash any and all dissent towards her.
While Callum tries to distance himself from any form of relationship he finds himself making friends. The way that he constantly pushes individuals away is understandable. He suffered much loss in The Ascension. However, at the same time his behavior and attitude towards those who try to win his friendship sets up a double standard that at times will have you questioning why some even try. His attitude just tends to be off-putting.
For a follow-up book in the Callum Walker series, The Convergence is a good addition to the series. It takes a while to get to see the title of the story tie in, but it’s a nice journey getting there. Once again readers will tag along as author Shaw puts Callum through the paces. He is pushed to struggle, survive, and overcome.
The Convergence is packed with magical creatures, drama, and yes, magic. While this book isn’t a burning page-turner, it will keep you engaged in what unfolds with Callum and the secret behind the divine magic that hides inside of him. Readers who enjoyed The Ascension will not want to miss out on Callum’s continued story in The Convergence.
Pros:
- Nice amount of detail
- Lots of magical creatures
- A healthy amount of drama
- Good character growth and development overall
Cons:
- Callum’s attitude tends to be off-putting.
- The story needed a more epic battle with the enemy.
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