The Path of Peace: The Cremelino Prophecy Book III by Mike Shelton continues the story of Darius, the troubled boy in The Path of Destiny who became First Commander in the King’s Elite Army in The Path of Decisions. Darius has, very unexpectedly, become king. Married to the girl from the farmlands, Christine, he is not yet fully in control of his magical powers. His mission is the same; to fulfil the Cremelino Prophecy: “Forgotten lines of ancient magic and the power of the throne. One will make them both his own if his heart sees the true power. He will bring light to fight darkness and love to fight hate if he reaches into the power of his heart. He will find new allies, turn enemy to friend, and find the binding of all power on the path of peace.”

The path of peace is not an easy route for King Darius; he is a Heart Wizard. Danijela, a princess of the Kingdom of Arc and ambitious to become its queen, finds that her destiny is to be an Earth Wizard to whom kings and queens will one day bow. This powerful character-driven fantasy shows how Darius’ own nature sometimes works against him; he sees the best in everyone. Queen Christine sums up the meaning of The Cremelino Prophecy. “He has fought his own darkness and brought light again to the kingdom, and he rules with love.” Can Darius win over the forces of evil and bring peace to his realm? I didn’t believe it was possible for Mike Shelton to surpass his first two books in the series, but The Path of Peace: The Cremelino Prophecy Book III is its crowning glory.

“Remember these three things: Rely on your friends; remember where your power comes from; seek out all the powers at your disposal when the time is right. Only then will you chase evil and darkness away and find peace.” So says the reminder from the Cremelinos to King Darius. His first days as king of the Realm have been busy one. What with his marriage to the beautiful Christine, his introduction to Cremelino magic, and the discovery of his own powers of wizardry, Darius is overwhelmed with the turn of his life. He is surrounded by memories of adventures with his childhood friend Kelln. Now they are both men of power whose main goal is to restore peace in the Realm. All should be well. And it is... until Christine is captured by the General, the Emperor of Gildan's son, in a crazed attempt to take over the Realm.

The Path of Peace by Michael Shelton is the third and final installment of The Cremelino Prophecy. The beauty of a well-written series is the hold its characters has on the reader. I find this a very compelling aspect of Shelton’s story. By watching Darius grow from a young, mischievous boy to the strong and powerful man of his destiny, I feel that he is an actual part of my own family. Shelton weaves an intriguing story with words suitably representative of the story genre. His characters are believable, entertaining, and kind additions to the realm of medieval fantasy. More than once the reader is reminded of the miracles of our earth’s forces through the existence of wizards. Kudos to Michael Shelton on a brilliant conclusion to a lovely series.