So, after a good long run, Kate Daniel’s story is done. We got to watch as Kate went from Loner to wife and Mother, living her life the way she saw fit. Choosing to interact with others and make friends and alliances as she lived her life we saw her triumph over her father.

We’ve read the first of Hugh’s story, seeing how he survives being purged by Roland, finding out that Kate, more than anything, is in reality the only person even close to being his sibling, and possibly being truly in love with the White Warlock, the woman he married to forge an alliance for the Iron Dogs.

We’ve read the book on Andrea, Kate’s best friend, as she tries to drag herself back into the clan after her serious mistake of thinking she could ever make a difference with a group as prejudiced as the Order. The book seemed to be an attempt to start a spin-off series, but it didn’t go anywhere.

And we’ve read the short on Julie as she plays Kate’s herald. She is on a mission to get the strange rocks that fell to earth, and enlists Derek’s help in the matter. Derek is pissed that spends time with Roland, trying to figure out his plans towards Kate while at the same time taking advantage of Roland by learning the magic now available to her via Kate’s blood as Roland tries to prime her to replace Roland as his Warlord.

And this brings us to the meet of the matter – can Julie carry the Mantle into the future of Kate’s World? She was never but a bit player in the series even though she was important to Kate. Later in the series she took on more of a role in the series, but was it enough to catapult her to a lead spot?

And that is the question now, isn’t it. From reading comments on many sites dealing with Kate and her crew, it seems that Julie is not universally liked by the readership in general. Even though she can wield some magic through Kate’s blood, can she control it to the point that Kate was able to? Even with her tie to Kate’s aunt, would the two of them traveling around the country be enough for reader’s to stick with her through more than one book?

My take on this is no. The biggest thing that Julie has going for her is an undertermined relationship with Derek. Derek as a character in Kate’s World is loved by the readers. We met him in the first book, and watched the love between Kate and Derek grow in a sibling sort of way. Then Julie was introduced, and while she fell for Derek right from the start, Derek saw her at first as a little sister and then, as the series progressed, we saw Derek change his view on Julie as she grew to be a woman.

But even with a full out relationship between the two, would it be enough for a Julie series? I would love to get other’s take on this strange question.

A Julie series, yes or no, and why.

dcm