Cover by Jason Pedersen

There are quite a few themes in Allure of the Gypsies, but most of them are character specific.  Friendship carries over from the other books, so you can bet it’s an ongoing theme.  How far will you go for friends and how important are they when the fate of the world rests on your shoulders?  So, I’ll pick the two themes that don’t go beyond much further beyond this book.

Returning Home

The big part of the story is Luke Callindor returning home to Haven.  You learn the circumstances of him leaving, including his worried parents, issues with his father, and the woman he left at the altar.  It’s a mess that he begrudgingly returns to since he isn’t really ready.  His friends push the issue and Luke faces his past.  It’s an interesting theme because you see where Luke came from and get everyone’s opinion on his decision to become a hero.  This makes him more human and adds a depth of history that explains the way he thinks.

The Lich also returns ‘home’ in regards to Kalam’s lair.  When he first became a Lich, he sought out the mysterious Kalam to teach him.  He was raised by the vampire in the ways of necromancy, so there is a father/son bond at times.  Like Luke, you get an idea of the past of the Lich and this makes him more human.  At least as human as a decaying corpse with the power to shred souls can be.

Father/Son

Luke and his father are at odds a lot over his life choices.  Ilan Callindor doesn’t want Luke following in the family tradition.  They fight about it.  Then there’s Talos ‘Doubleblade’ Callindor who is Luke’s grandfather.  He fights with Ilan about how one can’t defeat the wanderlust of their bloodline.  So there’s a lot of bickering between these characters, which causes trouble.  In the same vein, Kalam and the Lich have fights because they operate differently.  Honestly, I go for the father/son battling over identity and life path a lot, so these won’t be the only times I use it.